good on them. S. Korea has one of the most vibrant pop music scenes in the pacific rim.
― Face Book (dyao), Tuesday, 25 May 2010 13:11 (thirteen years ago) link
Some girl groups of the past year and a half have set the tone with the clinical dishwasher-in-the-mix madness, but listen to the biggest female star of the last seven years, Lee Hyori, and her comeback single this year:
Elegant and effortless, and a real grower.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQlNeXA_9bs
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 25 May 2010 21:24 (thirteen years ago) link
i have a very old tape of a seo-taiji album composed of mediocre boyband pop, techno and death metal, but it's interesting that they put these disparate genres all on the same album.
― Philip Nunez, Tuesday, 25 May 2010 21:44 (thirteen years ago) link
I'm kinda big fan of korean girl groups (and not for entirely musical reasons ;_;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAAfW9PvkrQ
― Face Book (dyao), Wednesday, 26 May 2010 00:53 (thirteen years ago) link
philip, I don't have much experience but I think it's quite common for Korean pop groups and maybe Asian pop groups in general to combine styles on albums
― Face Book (dyao), Wednesday, 26 May 2010 00:54 (thirteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9403-9CptH8
― Face Book (dyao), Wednesday, 26 May 2010 00:55 (thirteen years ago) link
A fellow Korean presents...
"Tell me your wish!" Collectively enticing, collectively hollow, and lost in lightsThis is where it's at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9dYLkmGuZs
― kaitokid05, Wednesday, 26 May 2010 09:49 (thirteen years ago) link
kaito knows where it's at. SNSD are always one step ahead of the pack, their singles are EVENTS. I've enjoyed mostly everything they do. Their debut single is sickly sweet but incredibly catchy, and the sweetness belies the lyrics' emotions. Sentimental as I am I couldn't help reading a little korean history into its title, and ponder the changes pop culture has brought on the confucian attitudes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRBXRZzrvtQ
"Hot Issue" and "Bo Beep" are not my favorite tunes, although I like both groups. They're better when they add a little melody. T-ara's album is really solid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-HG2Z6M4ww
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 26 May 2010 10:42 (thirteen years ago) link
wow SNSD are pretty great! I'm very much a neophyte w/r/t this stuff, the two I posted were just what I scribbled down from a thai music channel's top 20 countdown. hah
what else should I be checking out? the last korean group I really got into was H.O.T. ;_;
― Face Book (dyao), Wednesday, 26 May 2010 14:20 (thirteen years ago) link
Check out every SNSD single first I guess. Otherwise, let's go through it artist for artist. To offer a contrast to SNSD, here's 2NE1 and their very American, Polow da Don-sounding, arrogant girlfriend-fronting hit "I Don't Care":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MgAxMO1KD0
But this year they also did a uniquely, 100% Korean single, "Try To Follow Me". It took a little time to settle, and seems like a bit of a marmite song, but to me it's incredibly attractive in a freewheeling, ramshackle way. The girls jump on the out-of-control track and tackle whatever obstacle that hits them. Bang-a-bang-a-bang, bang-a-bang-a-bang!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAJ6Xk9bnew
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 26 May 2010 23:05 (thirteen years ago) link
I'm not too keen on the sports-ignited nationalism, but this is otherwise fantastic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt8Mnvdp6S0&feature=related
― Philip Nunez, Wednesday, 26 May 2010 23:18 (thirteen years ago) link
God, I love subtly played ballads which pull it all off. This is glorious, mysterious, moving. The lyrics are great, fyi.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tyilXRSlCQ
Mind, I also love a grandose ballad of UNBEARABLE emotions.. Listen through to the end and hear BoA emoting with every breath she takes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49G4Gt1E1YE
― abcfsk, Thursday, 27 May 2010 22:05 (thirteen years ago) link
The 'Applegirl' (김여희) who went viral a few months back with Gaga and Beyonce covers performed on four ipods has just released a 3-track single with her self-penned material, and it's great!
'My Music', a simple song which heads straight for a climax of melody and intensity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF42AM1v-mg
Here's her doing 'Slow Motion' by Karinahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VTOwtL6RE0
― abcfsk, Sunday, 30 May 2010 21:48 (thirteen years ago) link
wow @ 'my music!' that girl's got a set of pipes.
― pokám0n (dyao), Monday, 31 May 2010 00:28 (thirteen years ago) link
I think I've listened to the song 5 times in a row now. thank god the youtube link make it so easy to acquire!
― pokám0n (dyao), Monday, 31 May 2010 00:42 (thirteen years ago) link
K-pop taking over Japan:
http://snsdkorean.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/2cqk2sg.jpg
Recent k-pop highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqxmS2djm2ghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiJsDQiw3j4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ8QUqnK3vQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt6jNIcpbH8k/j-pop:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bs0C0rKwzo
― abcfsk, Saturday, 24 July 2010 09:19 (thirteen years ago) link
the synth sounds in that shinee song are like catnip to me
― You’re going off of her word that the farmer’s wife is the farmer’s wife? (dyao), Monday, 26 July 2010 22:21 (thirteen years ago) link
It's you and I, dyao, we'll stroll into the k-pop sunset singing high-budget production pop tunes all the way.
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 27 July 2010 09:10 (thirteen years ago) link
Main HBIC BoA with her korean comeback.. so self-confident she's basically gloating. Awesome, even though I prefer her rnb material.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqmaH915m6k
― abcfsk, Friday, 6 August 2010 17:17 (thirteen years ago) link
Lots of great material in here, thanks to everyone's contributions. I must confess I came across K-Pop via Super Junior, the 13 (!) member boy band/pop culture sensation of Korea. "Sorry, Sorry" is as good an intro as any, although there is much more on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qWp1p1cpE0
Because they have so many members there are sub-groups made up of various member configurations with names like "Super Junior-M" and (my favorite) "Super Junior Happy." I think concept trumps the actual music in the case of Super Junior but I can't help but be utterly fascinated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pit7RS4mPI0
― MFB, Friday, 6 August 2010 17:50 (thirteen years ago) link
True, and here's a nice SNSD (the five lead vocalists) take on 'Sorry Sorry'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkMdA7zsjn8
― abcfsk, Friday, 6 August 2010 18:14 (thirteen years ago) link
super junior t is the best!! srsly this song is 1x actual jam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K2R1Mw2IzI
(nb i have not really listened to any other suju)
these two playlists of kpop are good: http://bunnybissoux.blogspot.com/2010/06/where-did-all-k-pop-go.html
― the dialectic of specs (c sharp major), Friday, 6 August 2010 18:44 (thirteen years ago) link
wait are they called super junior m because they sing in mandarin? that's some breaking-the-chinese-market strategy they've got going there.
― the dialectic of specs (c sharp major), Friday, 6 August 2010 18:50 (thirteen years ago) link
Yeah they're basically some guys from Super Junior teamed up with two Chinese stars for Chinese market K-pop crossover potential. I *think* all their singles come out in Korean and Mandarin versions, though that may not be 100% accurate.
― MFB, Friday, 6 August 2010 18:53 (thirteen years ago) link
how do they usually get the mandarin sounding ok? software or ringers?
― Philip Nunez, Friday, 6 August 2010 19:03 (thirteen years ago) link
tbh the mandarin doesn't sound very ok
― dyao, Friday, 6 August 2010 19:19 (thirteen years ago) link
This is too sweet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI2OD-rIx6Y
― abcfsk, Friday, 6 August 2010 19:24 (thirteen years ago) link
These guys are on some sort of revival mission, and it's earworming its way into my heart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IldrTU6n5rI
― abcfsk, Saturday, 7 August 2010 21:35 (thirteen years ago) link
^Great stuff and different from most of the K-Pop I've heard^
Thanks for posting.
― FRESH MEAT (MFB), Saturday, 7 August 2010 21:40 (thirteen years ago) link
yes, that is really nice! great summer jam, glad it showed up while there's still some summer left.
― dyao, Sunday, 8 August 2010 01:00 (thirteen years ago) link
Starting today I'll go through all the #1 winners on long-running k-chart show "Music Bank", from September 2007 and onwards (because that's when Wiki starts listing every winner)... why not?
07-09-2007: Big Bang - Lies (3 non-consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=DZFaUp2PADM
"So sick of love songs", like Ne-Yo. Gets pretty grim lyrically. The melody sounds a little simple today, nothing much happens in the verses except for the quite good rapping. Big Bang have done better, but at their blandest they're still ok. The bass beat is a plus. 6/10
14-09-2007: FT Island - Lovesick (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=5bCr4Imp0Ts
Very little here to seperate it from countless other bombastic Asian rock songs, strings and all, but the melody is pleasant enough and I'm sure it's fun to belt out at your local noraebang. 5/10
― abcfsk, Monday, 9 August 2010 22:46 (thirteen years ago) link
I like this idea!
― if, Monday, 9 August 2010 22:56 (thirteen years ago) link
These first ones are bit boring so I'll go through a few more.
21-09-2007: Kang Jin - Ddang Beol (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=xup0ZFR2MjM
Simpler times, only three years ago. I very much doubt a trot (korean folk pop) song could win a chart show award today, and why should it? This is aimed squarely at older women, and since these tv shows count viewer votes as well I'm not really sure why it did win back in 07. I hear it featured in a movie, and the singer could charm the pants off your grandma. In any case it's trot on autopilot. 2/10
12-10-2007 FT Island - Thunder (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=UDmBGSH1tYo
Another one from these 20 year old guys, who - with their plodding songs - sound at least 20 years older than that. Slower and more careful than their previous #1, and a little more boring. 4/10
02-11-2007 Wonder Girls - Tell Me (2 consecutive weeks, 5 weeks in total + year-end win) -- youtube.com/watch?v=GFW1zxz9BDs
Wonder Girls broke some commercial milestones in Korea, but I've never cared for them. The songs and the girls are too bland (blame producer/boss JYP for the songs), and the fact that they have become the artists with the biggest push to break the American market is truly sad and has probably ruined opportunities for better-fit artists - past AND future. But this is by far their best song, flirty and light on its feet. 8/10
― abcfsk, Monday, 9 August 2010 23:38 (thirteen years ago) link
16-11-2007 Insooni - 거위의 꿈 (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=98cBKB4Vbzs
Revered Korean singer with Korean mother and African American father, and a 30 year career behind her. It's difficult to claim she doesn't deserve some awards, and the song sounds particularly nice performed live, where her personality shines through more than on record. 6/10
(Weeks of repeat winners and album chart shows follow)
21-12-2007 Big Bang - Last Farewell -- youtube.com/watch?v=7B2SyAf7EB4
Big Bang are already back! It's not hard to see why they dominated 2007 -- they do the modern RnB game dominated by Americans without coming off as second rate copycats, and they're explosive performers. This one's slightly better than "Lies". 7/10
2008 coming up.
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 10 August 2010 20:59 (thirteen years ago) link
18-01-2008 Ha-ha - You Are My Destiny (2 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=Kql1GbYHi9o
It's worth reminding new, casual k-pop listeners that the aggressive electro pop spearheaded by groups such as 4Minute and copied by many is a recent trend and not the foundation of all k-pop (nor is it necessarily what sells the most now). This is about as mellow and passive as pop gets, a slight retro tune with few ideas spread thinly, but apparently with a hummable enough tune to give Mr Ha-Ha two weeks at the top. 4/10
15-02-2008 Park Ji Heon - The Day I Miss You (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=EpaIkOUA0gg
Mid-tempo ballad, lifted from a movie soundtrack, which just bores me endlessly. 2/10
22-02-2008 Brown Eyed Girls - LOVE (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=cof6QXhkOUA
This is interesting. B.E.G re-invented themselves (found their true calling) in 2009 with smash hit 'Abracadabra', and this first chart #1 from them is anonymous in comparison. Not bad, though - an airy chorus and pleasantness without sugary sweetness. Talented rapper Miryo is given parts, but her pizzaz fits better with the group's later material. 6/10
29-02-2008 Girls' Generation (SNSD) - Kissing You (February chart) -- youtube.com/watch?v=CRNANAUOIsM
My least favorite SNSD single because it's too satisfied with its own sweetness. Everything is harmony here, the girl even describing how her and her boo's feet synchronize when strolling along. "고마워 사랑해 행복만 줄게요" - "I only want to give you happiness, thank you and love you", uck! Too much. It's still catchy enough for a 6/10.
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 10 August 2010 23:38 (thirteen years ago) link
thanks for doing this! some real gems, but also some real stinkers. electropop, girl groups really are the best.
― dyao, Wednesday, 11 August 2010 01:29 (thirteen years ago) link
^ It's interesting to note the relative slim girl group pickings in the charts "back then". Now they're everywhere and new ones are popping up monthly. Girls' Generation were absent for almost the whole of 2008 and really weren't very popular among the general public.
07-03-2008 Jewelry - One More Time (7(!) consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=Dzkfz9UWu_E
Maybe that's why people loved the girl group hits they got so much? The few groups winning awards this year accounted for a lot of the weeks, combined. This is a straight remake of In-Grid's (remember Tu-Es-Foutu?) song and the European sound appealed to a lot of people. The appeal mainly comes from the same sampled gimmick as In-Grid's bigger hit. The song was bigger than the group, though, and they still haven't won another first place. 6/10
25-04-2008 Lee Seung-gi - I Will Give You Everything (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=G36N_Sem2So
Male ballad singer searches for ways to sufficiently pay back his girlfriend for being the most amazingly warm and caring person on earth. Fine and gentle, but very predictable unexciting. 3/10
02-05-2008 MC Mong - Circus (5 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=TTUclwr-Jo0
It's the year of the huge hits. Funnyman and hip-hopper Mong calls out the naysayers with a big sing-a-long chorus and what sounds like an organ - apparently it's also the year of the aerophone instruments. 6/10
06-06-2008 Wonder Girls - So Hot (5 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=lmun5PO54VE
In 2008 Wonder Girls were the biggest pop stars in Korea. This sounds really amazing for the first minute, but fails to take it all the way to 'masterpiece'. I had still underrated severely it in the back of my mind, though, but it IS the last good single they released. K-pop fans' opinions are split on the obligatory rap bits in so many pop singles (and designated rap members in girl groups), but why not? It's not like it doesn't fit as a bridge here. 8/10
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 11 August 2010 12:46 (thirteen years ago) link
Here's a K-Pop/J-Pop piece that Jaime Lowe wrote for the Voice 10 years ago, fwiw:
http://www.villagevoice.com/2000-02-01/music/so-much-difference/
― xhuxk, Wednesday, 11 August 2010 15:04 (thirteen years ago) link
That's interesting.. so much has changed in those ten years. "Low-tech" and "less money, less makeup" are probably the least fitting descriptions possible of the music and videos these days, although "a world unto itself, yet steeped in references" still describes it perfectly.---
18-07-2008 Davichi - Love and War (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=V97rRGbO94o
Davichi are a female dance pop duo who specialize in slightly schlager-ish tunes. Most of their singles are perfectly listenable, ranging from a 6 to a 7 - this one gets a 6/10.
25-07-2008 Brown Eyes - Don't Go Don't Go (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=6VoUgXgDeGQ
Grand ballad. Male singer. About what you'd expect, but the video goes way beyond that. 3/10
01-08-2008 Lee Hyori - U-Go-Girl (3 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=kRhwgQyyy6Q
For me, one of the quintessential k-pop singles. Cut-up and crazy, the intensity waxes and wanes through talk-singy, sprightly verses and a chorus which speeds things up and directs a frightening barrage of heavy beats in the general direction of the listener. The bridge, meanwhile, takes the concept of "several songs in one" to a mad new level. "U-Go-Girl" is everything that's both appealing about k-pop to so many and slightly baffling to others, and its catchiness lies in a certain je ne sais quoi of rhythm, repetition and power which may escape listeners out for a sugary pop fix. Adding to all of this the lyrics are funny and great, so I'm linking to a translated video. 10/10
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 11 August 2010 18:49 (thirteen years ago) link
Sorry, I guess that's actually the post-chorus* or second part of the chorus.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 11 August 2010 18:50 (thirteen years ago) link
Girl groups knocked it out the fucking park yesterday. Three major new singles revealed.
Amazing:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6jnCTkojOM
Sort of amazing (but with less glee): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKliL9QyFTQ
― abcfsk, Thursday, 12 August 2010 08:56 (thirteen years ago) link
Forgot the Rich Harrison one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x14FT5_hm04
― abcfsk, Thursday, 12 August 2010 09:59 (thirteen years ago) link
what's going on in that brown eyes video :o
― dyao, Friday, 13 August 2010 01:47 (thirteen years ago) link
catching up
22-08-2008 Big Bang - Day By Day (5 non-consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=MzCbEdtNbJ0
This is a fairly standard recipe for a k-pop rnb ballad - some angry-sounding rap parts contrasted with a bitter-sweet chorus, preferably featuring a weeping piano. I see now that girl group After School never won a Music Bank #1 with their hit "Because of You", but I recommend checking that one out for a prime example of this formula. That one's maybe strong 8/10, this a 5/10.
29-08-2008 Seo Tae-ji - Moai (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=tq_jBNAMb9g
Some sort of hymn to the statues of Eastern Island. Got nothing to say about this. 2/10
03-10-2008 Wonder Girls - Nobody (4 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=3cspKsfe3VY
This is the song Wonder Girls later translated to English to try and break the American market with. This!? It's a limp, false appropriation of a 'retro' sound, with none of the explosiveness of the music it wants to be. And live, it's even more depressing, so you can imagine my disgust watching the prime-time So You Think You Can Dance performance of this song, realizing how long it would be until a k-pop artist got the same slot again. 5/10
31-10-2008 TVXQ - Mirotic (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=HtJS32n6LNQ
Crackling synth rnb. Not so much about the melody as the producer's warm carpet of sounds, but there are some nice harmonies from the boys here. 7/10
07-11-2008 Kim Jong-kook - Today More Than Yesterday (2 consec weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=YSMmJV8-Qys
Big muscular guy turns out to be soft as a feather in every way. Sympathetic enough. 5/10
21-11-2008 Big Bang - Sunset Glow (2 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=vkRmw_vADS8
They're back! And throw away the anger to put on the party hats, in the process becoming far less boring. Celebratory synth cascades, hungry performers and even some sing-a-long potential. Good times. 8/10
05-12-2008 Baek Ji-Young - Being Hit by a Bullet (5 non-consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=1unBAP6xvhw
This must've hit some note with the Korean public... Baek's got a pretty long history there, with a sometimes troubled career, so that might explain the resonance. Does very little for me, this ballad. 4/10
That's it for 2008.
― abcfsk, Monday, 16 August 2010 10:25 (thirteen years ago) link
It's 2009, and suddenly all the songs are good.
16-01-2009 SNSD (Girls' Generation) - Gee (9 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=U7mPqycQ0tQ
Greatest song ever made. 10/10
20-03-2009 Davichi - 8282 (2 non-consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=Z-QX7Fe71fA
Wonderfully melodramatic stomper. As they're wont to do, Davichi have put two songs in one, one slow and one fast, which seemingly don't fit at all. I thought this was a 7/10, but right now it feels novel enough for a 8/10.
27-03-2009 Super Junior - Sorry Sorry (5 non-consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=x6QA3m58DQw
"Sorry Sorry" and "Gee" being released around the same probably did most of the work launching k-pop as an internet phenomenon with millions of video views, and k-pop blogs launching every day. The echo of "Sorry Sorry"s repetitive synthesized sound is heard in many k-pop boyband singles later on. 8/10
01-04-2009 Son Dam-Bi - Saturday Night (2 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=Q-OWotWibTg&
Rollerskates! That makes it disco, right? Light-hearted pop funk. Yes, I think it would work very well on a saturday night. 7/10
― abcfsk, Monday, 16 August 2010 13:23 (thirteen years ago) link
Some news about the Korean Wave.. KARA becomes the first Korean girl-group to enter the Japanese Oricon chart's top 10, at number 5, with 'Mister'. SNSD are entering the market in September and if logic prevails they should do even better.
And 2nd best girl group 2NE1 are releasing their first full-length album in September. Here's the twist: They're semi-simultaneously going for the American market, and several tracks on the album have been produced by will.i.am. Apparently he's gonna help them achieve better things there than other k-pop artists have done. Well, I guess he deserves some credit for Cheryl's success in Europe. Hopefully longtime label producer Teddy will have more to say on the music side of things. http://i939.photobucket.com/albums/ad234/abcfsk/2nepants-o.gif
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 17 August 2010 17:55 (thirteen years ago) link
22-05-2009 Super Junior - It's You (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=7ErgffP0wVw
Instantly appealing RnB smoothy with a sneaky, restless clap percussion. It's a beautiful song, but its haunting, intimate atmosphere makes you question what each of the 13 members is contributing to it. 8/10
05-06-2009 Shinee - Juliette (2 non-consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=kCzDYBGbx-M
Scritti Politti perfectly channeled via Korean boyband. These guys can seriously dance, but a better example is that of their debut single "Noona you're so pretty" (why didn't it chart on Music Bank? It was a hit). For a long time these guys stood out among the Korean boybands as something different, more casually confident. I'm not such big a fan of their latest single, though. 8/10
12-06-2009 2pm - Again and Again (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=wLiLn91TKzc
A brilliant, simple hook to the beat. The song mostly lives up to it, finding a spooky, desperate core. 8/10
03-07-2009 2pm - I Hate You (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=kx4KtnTIG1o
Over-autotuned, bit of a mess. 4/10
10-07-2009 SNSD (Girls' Generation) - Tell Me Your Wish (Genie) (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=6SwiSpudKWI
A thumping synth pop thing performed with military precision fitting of its naval uniforms. Truly one of the most irrestible electro pop songs made last decade, partly because it doesn't feel the need to blow a whole load of half-cooked ideas (typical of so many chilly electro pop songs) at one time, or banal prettiness, instead playing up a chorus of crystallized FORCE, all the girls energy focused on one spot ('NAN.NEOL.SARANG-HAE'). 10/10
17-07-2009 2NE1 - I Don't Care (5 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=4MgAxMO1KD0
Girl power hits k-pop! Independent women proclaim that, well, if you're like THAT I won't bother with you in the future and NO, I won't shed a tear about it. Hell, "from now on I'll be a bad girl who makes guys cry". These girls are crazy good, as fiery characters in the small stories of their music videos, as performers with an aura of comfort around them, as singers and rappers. YES we do believe that they're this tough, and the sing-a-long chorus is as catchier than any other RnB anthem of 2009. This was their second single. The first single 'Fire' is crasser, more hip-hop-y and almost as good. 10/10
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 18 August 2010 22:23 (thirteen years ago) link
whoa, 'sunset glow'!
― ? (dyao), Saturday, 21 August 2010 00:21 (thirteen years ago) link
K-pop is currently holding five out of ten Twitter trending topics. If you guys want to be hip with the world wide web kids you better get on this train now, bros.
― abcfsk, Saturday, 21 August 2010 11:02 (thirteen years ago) link
'My Music', a simple song which heads straight for a climax of melody and intensity: http://www.youtube.com/v/PF42AM1v-mg&fs=1&hl=en
Here's her doing 'Slow Motion' by Karinahttp://www.youtube.com/v/0VTOwtL6RE0&fs=1&hl=en
― abcfsk, Monday, May 31, 2010 5:48 AM (2 months ago) Bookmark
yo abcfsk has she done anything since? I downloaded the three track single and all three of them are such jams, they are among my most played songs of the year
― ? (dyao), Sunday, 22 August 2010 01:34 (thirteen years ago) link
Nothing definitive about this.
ALBUM TRACKS 2012:
1. After School "Eyeline"2. Miss $ "Physical Or Emotional"3. T-ara "T-aratic Magic Music"4. E.via "Night Blooming Roses"5. HyunA "Don't Fall Apart" also called "Straight Up"6. Jewelry "Rhythm HA!!!"7. TaeTiSeo "Baby Steps"8. Ga-In "Tinkerbell"9. Miss A "Lips"10. Neon Bunny "First Love"
I'd not heard of Miss $ until a month ago; their back catalog is pedestrian rap and r&b; now suddenly they're in the deep bleeding mascara sound that came pouring out of the barrios and crossover dance clubs of New York City, 1989.
― Frank Kogan, Sunday, 16 December 2012 08:10 (eleven years ago) link
SINGLES 2012
1. T-ara "Lovey-Dovey"2. Orange Caramel "Lipstick"3. Trouble Maker "Trouble Maker"4. ChoColat "I Like It"5. Wonder Girls "Like This"6. T-ara "Day By Day"7. Sistar "Alone"8. Davichi & T-ara "We Were In Love"9. 2NE1 "Scream"10. 4minute "Volume Up"11. Flashe "Drop It"12. After School "Rambling Girls"13. ChoColat ft. Sung Hyo Ram "One More Day" (also called "Same Thing To Her")14. Miss A "Touch"15. Orange Caramel "My Sweet Devil"16. Yoon Jong Shin ft. Kim Wan Sun "I Love You All Days"17. Chi Chi "Sexy Doll"18. Girl's Day "Oh! My God"19. Jewelry "Look At Me" (Inst.)20. E.via ft. Lee Su Jung "I Know How To Play A Little"
Could have gone twice as long, but I wanted to give other people a chance. The next several included two more T-aras, some other fairly high-profile stuff, a second song called "Sexy Doll," and an insect. Three that I listed ("Scream," "Rambling Girls," and "My Sweet Devil") are in Japanese, as is "T-aratic Magic Music" on my tracks list. As for sounds that recall the ghosts of my pre-past, "Look At Me" has the bright beats of K-pop but the weathered sound of a nonchalant little throwaway B-side from scrappy mid '50s R&B independents like King Records out of Cincinnati. Appropriate, as it's a B-side itself.
― Frank Kogan, Sunday, 16 December 2012 08:31 (eleven years ago) link
Great slow jam from Satbyeol - think Ciara's Promise meeting Taeyang's I Need a Girl - the song shares producer with the latter: http://youtu.be/qgQBAb--ci8http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8360/8281021974_72bebf50c8_n.jpg
She also released an amazing single last year http://youtu.be/2VbN8JPYCcM
Most known for featuring on lots of hip hop tracks.
BONUS: Very funny and on point skit about plastic surgery f rmo the Brown Eyed Girls on SNL Korea http://youtu.be/264nb9wX0Qo
― abcfsk, Monday, 17 December 2012 12:51 (eleven years ago) link
Are we still doing Kpop Top 50 lists? I did one based purely on personal utility this year:
TOP 10 Miss A - I Don't Need a Man Sistar - AloneT-ara - Day by DayEpik High - WrongInfinite - The Chaser Big Bang - Still Alive GDragon - One of a KindBig Bang - Fantastic BabyUKiss - BelieveT-ara - Sexy Love
NEXT 10K.Will - Please Don'tSunny Hill - The Grasshopper SongXia Junsu - TallentelegraBlock B - Nilili MamboBoyfriend - Love StyleCrazyno - MusicheE.via - Night Blooming RosesEXID - Every NightElectroboyz ft. Gaeparta - My LoveBig Bang - Bad Boy
THIRD 10 Miss A - Touch Tasty - Do You Know Me? BTOB - Wow UKiss - Stop Girl (English version) GDragon - CraYonPrimary - ?Neon Bunny - Oh My PrinceEXO-K - History BAP - No Mercy ZE:A - Aftermath
FORTH 10 Brave Girls - Nowadays You Spica - PainkillerBoA ft SYChaserSY - Only One (rap remix)SPEED - Lovey Dovey Plus B1A4 - Wonderful Tonight (unplugged remix)4Minute - Volume Up100% - Bad Boy CReal - Sorry But I Jo Kwon - AnimalE.via - I Know How to Play a Little
FIFTH 10 Kara - PandoraTVXQ - Catch MeGirls Day - Oh! My God (areia trance remix)Nam Soo-Rin - Drive Me To The MoonTeen Top - CrazyFiestar - VistaBigstar - Hot Boy EXO-K - What Is LoveTeen Top - Be My Girl LEDApple - Let the Wind Blow
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 28 December 2012 07:15 (eleven years ago) link
Will check this so thanks for posting
I know that I dig the pirate Block B and the K Will (cool video too)
― pandemic, Friday, 28 December 2012 11:59 (eleven years ago) link
The K Will mv is so great. Twist ending!
― Roz, Friday, 28 December 2012 13:51 (eleven years ago) link
I feel like I ask this question every 6 months but what's the best intro BoA album to get
― 乒乓, Friday, 28 December 2012 14:17 (eleven years ago) link
Hard to say. Last two Korean albums have been good but she's got a surprisingly deep discography and some of her earlier stuff touches on great asian pop sounds like Utada's stuff. There's also the JP best-of. Watch this while figuring it out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxbaxNb4egU
― abcfsk, Friday, 28 December 2012 14:27 (eleven years ago) link
Or rather three JP best-of albums: "K-pop Selection", "Best of Soul" and "Best&USA".
― abcfsk, Friday, 28 December 2012 14:41 (eleven years ago) link
Ur welcome.
Actually if I can make an addition - I'll take out Teen Top "Crazy" and sub in B2ST "Midnight". I'm not a fan of the nasal/showtunes B2ST singing style, is why I left it off, but the melody has been running through my head since this morning. This here is an excellent cover.
I like BoA's American album and her latest, but I haven't listened to most of them... top BoA tracks for me are "Hurricane Venus", "Girls on Top" and "I Did It For Love".
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 28 December 2012 17:45 (eleven years ago) link
Also about the K.Will video (which is great): I've heard that the Korean TV broadcast version leaves off the last 10 seconds. So including the twist at the end doesn't just improve the video, it also sneaks it past the censor board.
Also speaking of subversion, there's Glam - Party XXO, a song about girls kissing girls. It's my #51 pick for that reason, though Cher Lloyd's people will probably want a word with the video director.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 28 December 2012 17:54 (eleven years ago) link
Songs that use the same three descending notes and charted well:Shinnee - Lucifer (2010)CL & Minzy - Please Don't Go (2011)Block B - NalinA (2012)Girls Generation - Twinkle (2012)A Pink - Hush (2012)
The three notes I'm taking about are the "Hush, Hush, Hush" part of Hush and the "Nalin, <S>Nalin</s>, Nalin-A" part of NalinA.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 28 December 2012 18:05 (eleven years ago) link
Better yet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz2P11-uU2s
― hurricane weather (forapper), Monday, 31 December 2012 06:57 (eleven years ago) link
And SKorea's own year-end roundups:
The Color of Kpop, Maddie's reviewSBS Gayo Daejun collabs, hereSBS Gayo Daejun solos, hereMBC Gayo Daejun collabs, hereMBC Gayo Daejun solos, here and here.
Haven't watched the solos, of the collaborations nearly all the SBS Gayo one are good; at MBC Gayo Seohyun + three MCs, Shinnee and F(x), Park Myungsoo and guests incl. Crazyno who steals the show for the 10 seconds in which he appears are good. Ailee, Epik High and Koyote also bring it, but those performances are more like solos that happen to overlap with another group than true collaborations. Minzy and Park Bom of 2NE1 in good voice, also.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Tuesday, 1 January 2013 09:55 (eleven years ago) link
Just watched MBC Gayo solo stages.
Afterschool's Flashback remix (http://youtu.be/YPN6DTVd5o4) is better than the original. I also kind of like what Kara did with Pandora (http://youtu.be/k9WiJkRvaig), though the original is still better. Sistar Alone rock remix (http://youtu.be/wYjxn7HnoWU) is a miss - they don't have the pipes and the original arrangement is perfect and can't be improved.
Very good performances by BAP, Miss A, 4Minute and TVXQ, as expected. For some reason I like Secret Talk That (http://youtu.be/Bzshr9dOmyk) here where I never did before. A Pink Hush (http://youtu.be/0V8I-OKN5oA) belongs at this kind of event. The fake-out non-breakdown in BTOB Wow (http://youtu.be/8Cw4HOPHdcQ) is hilarious, as are the cameraman's shots of the non-reactive audience. A lot of good performances, all around.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Tuesday, 1 January 2013 11:37 (eleven years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dwm7IlPO1Uo
this rules a lot
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Wednesday, 2 January 2013 17:56 (eleven years ago) link
yeah that's good, love that propelling guitar strum
― 乒乓, Wednesday, 2 January 2013 18:02 (eleven years ago) link
btw the sample is the cover girls' "because of you" (identified by maura) and i think that's really awesome
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Wednesday, 2 January 2013 18:08 (eleven years ago) link
I love this song, and the live "collaboration" performance at SBS Gayo, with a vocaloid. Class.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Wednesday, 2 January 2013 18:29 (eleven years ago) link
the sample doesn't do much for me tbh, other than like cool dudes in korea are listening to the cover girls
― 乒乓, Wednesday, 2 January 2013 19:41 (eleven years ago) link
My top 100 of 2012 as of now. No JP singles.
1. BoA - Only One 2. T-ara - Lovey Dovey3. Sunny Hill - The Grasshopper Song4. Sistar - Alone5. T-ara - Sexy Love6. Big Bang - Bad Boy7. Sunny Hill - Is The White Horse Coming?8. Primary - ?9. 4Minute - Volume Up10. EXID - Every Night¨
11. Nine Muses - News12. Wonder Girls - Like This13. f(x) - Electric Shock14. Satbyeol - Do Me15. Neon Bunny - First Love16. Chocolat - One More Day17. Younha - Run18. EXO - History19. Nine Muses - Ticket20. Lay-T - Soft Soft
21. SouLime - With U22. Soulights - Leave Me23. E.Via - I Know How To Play24. Infinite - The Chaser25. Rania - STYLE26. Miss A - I Don't Need a Man27. Tensi Love - Cake House28. Crayon Pop - Dancing Queen29. Neon Bunny - Oh My Prince30. Gangkiz - Honey Honey
31. D-Unit - Sleeping In Part 232. Primary - Manna 33. After School - Flashback34. Park JiYoon - Tree of Life35. Seo In Young - Anymore36. Chi Chi - Love is Energy37. BoA - The Shadow38. Humming Urban Stereo - Love Jam39. TVXQ - Catch Me40. Boyfriend - I'll Be There
41. IU - Peach42. Davichi & T-ara "We Were In Love"43. 4Minute - Over and Over (R.Tee Mix)44. Areum (T-ara), Shannon, Gunji (Gavy NJ) - Day
and Night45. The Seeya - Be With You46. Teen Top - To You47. IU - Bad Day48. EXID - I Feel Good49. Suho - You Are My Only One50. R.Sha & Da.U - Mine
51. IU - Every End of Day52. D-Unit - Luv Me53. Big Bang - Fantastic Baby54. Chocolat - I Like It55. 2NE1 - I Love You56. T-ara - Day By Day57. Junsu - Tarantallegra58. C-Real - Sorry But I59. Nine - Songs60. Hyuna - Ice Cream
61. Kara - Pandora62. SIAENA - Winter Is Coming63. Gangkiz - Mama64. Nu'Est - Action65. Reddy - Let's Go (feat. Satbyeol)66. Spica - Russian Roulette67. Nam Soo-Rim feat ParkJiYoon - Drive Me To The Moon 68. Kim Wan Sun - Can Only Feel69. EvoL - Let Me Explode70. Spica - Painkiller
71. Panini - Lovely Day72. B.A.P. - No Mercy73. Dalmatian - E.R74. Fiestar - Vista75. Glen Check - Disco Elevator76. Clazzi - Love&Hate77. Hadami - Mannequin78. BoA - Lookin' (feat The Quiett)79. Big Bang - Blue80. GP Basic - Edge Ta¨
81. Primary - See Through82. Secret - Poison83. Miss A - Touch84. Lumi L - Popopo85. Beast - Beautiful Night86. Miryo - Dirty87. Seo In Young - Let's Dance88. Yoseob - Caffeine89. Lexy - Nolza90. 15& - I Dream
91. Rude Paper - Can't Believe It (feat Sean2slow)92. Crayon Pop - Bing Bing93. We - Party 94. Jessica - My Lifestyle95. WooYoung - Sexy Lady96. Ga-In - Bloom97. Baek Ah Yeon - Sad Song98. Block B - Nallina99. Girl's Day - Don't forget me100. A-Pink - Hush Hush
― abcfsk, Monday, 7 January 2013 11:20 (eleven years ago) link
Anyone know anything about this (너는 왜 - 철이와 미애)? Someone linked it on an Omonatheydidn't GLAM thread; is an earlier Korean track to use that Cover Girls sample. Not sure what it's doing; is it a Korean Stars On 45 for freestyle?
― Frank Kogan, Monday, 7 January 2013 22:11 (eleven years ago) link
I really like your list, absfsk.
Does anyone else think f(x) - Electric Shock sounds like T-ara - One and One?
Is The White Horse Coming has my favorite video of 2012. Those couple seconds of "Prince" on the horse are priceless.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Tuesday, 8 January 2013 01:25 (eleven years ago) link
Oops, the track I linked was just "I Like That" all over again. I meant to link the very freestylish "Why You," by Chuli & Miae (1993, according to the YouTube posters) -- which possibly samples "Because Of You" and definitely copies it (my hearing isn't precise enough to figure this out), though without then following along the chord pattern that accompanies the little vocal riff in the Cover Girls' version. In any event, "I Like That" is using the part from Chuli & Miae, though again I can't tell if it's a sample or a copy, though if it's a sample, and wherever it comes from (whether it's directly from the Cover Girls or from Chuli & Miae), GLAM are augmenting it with what sounds like a deeper-timbred voice than on either of the two previous tracks, though of course that voice could well have been the same one with electronic treatment.
"I Like That" sounds better than GLAM's previous single, "Party(XXO)," though the latter is massively important for its unmistakable pro-gay lyrics. And I'd say the biz and the fans aren't holding that content and the GLAM girls possible sexual orientation against them, to say the least. Allkpop has been reporting "I Like That" doing well in the daily charts. Its lyrics, by the way, seem to be about thinking it's okay that someone just broke up with you, that not being in a relationship is fine, that not having your friends around is fine. That's what they're liking when they say "I like that." Even when they're drunk and crawling and they're unhappy, and there's no one to take care of them, they like it!
As for "Electric Shock" and "One And One," the riff isn't quite the same, "Electric Shock" going to an upper note earlier, but the rhythm is close. So I do hear the similarity, though emotionally the two songs don't feel much alike. "Electric Shock" is more brutal, "One And One" bouncier.
"Electric Shock" is one of my favorite f(x) tracks, while "One And One" is just run-of-the-mill for T-ara and Shinsadong Tiger (though run-of-the-mill for them is exceedingly good compared to most anyone else's run-of-the-mill). I don't know whether it came out first, but "One And One" sounds as if S. Tiger was working out ideas that came to fruition in 4minute's superb "Hot Issue."
― Frank Kogan, Tuesday, 8 January 2013 08:22 (eleven years ago) link
I recently found out that 'hitman' bang, the producer of GLAM's two singles and seemingly the man in charge also composed one of the great early T-ara tracks "Like The First Time". One possible reason I hadn't picked up on this is the fact that their first album sounds so much like one solid whole that I assumed everyone involved was part of the T-ara 'clique' - but this is the only hitman track there.
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 8 January 2013 08:48 (eleven years ago) link
I don't know about "Electric Shock" being more brutal, "One and One" is a relentless song about how T-ara are COMING FOR YOU and won't stop until they have MERGED WITH YOU TO FORM A SINGLE UNIT. I guess I can see what you're saying about the build of the beat, though. I like T-ara's song more, if only because it's more fun to sing, and for the part that goes "Pact, Impact... I will, I will".
― hurricane weather (forapper), Tuesday, 8 January 2013 11:17 (eleven years ago) link
That's pretty cool about GLAM! I like this song too. Also, from the description:
"SeeU (시유, シユ) is a voicebank for Vocaloid3, the first Vocaloid capable of singing in Korean and is the first Korean/Japanese bilingual Vocaloid. The voice provider is the artist Dahee Kim (17 year old member of the K-pop girl band "GLAM"). Her release was on October 21, 2011 (South Korea) and December 16, 2011 (Japan)."
― hurricane weather (forapper), Tuesday, 8 January 2013 11:42 (eleven years ago) link
Femme fatales. Just a quick mix for fun, nothing special.
Considered adding Roh Ji Hoon - Punishment but the girl in the video doesn't wear a red dress, and in the live performance where Roh Ji Hoon wears a red suit, he's off-key.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Wednesday, 9 January 2013 00:30 (eleven years ago) link
David Fraser keeps pumping me with good information over on lj. Here are GLAM with a dance instruction video for "I Like That," including Chuli & Miae's ttaemiri dance. GLAM seem unaware that the sample has a source that precedes Chuli & Miae. Maybe "hitman" Bang is equally unaware. Here are Chuli & Miae way back when doing their ttaemiri dance. YouTube directed me to Yubin and Sohee of the Wonder Girls performing Why You and its ttaemari dance in the before-GLAM era. Also pre-GLAM, are a couple of dancers dancing the ttaemiri to "Why You" at a hospital holiday party, December 2011.
― Frank Kogan, Wednesday, 9 January 2013 18:31 (eleven years ago) link
To increase my confusion, I see that, according to Generasia, Bang Si Hyuk, a.k.a. "hitman" Bang, is president of Big Hit Entertainment, a JYP subsidiary — but GLAM are listed in the category "Former Artist," and if you go to the Generasia page for GLAM, their company is identified as "Source Music," the entry for Source Music consisting entirely of this useful information: "Source Music (쏘스뮤직) is a South Korean record label," followed by a short list of artists and some links. Clicking the links, I see that GLAM's vids are among the "favorite videos" on the Source Music YouTube page, and that the Source Music Website has as its front page a massive embed of the YouTube vid for GLAM's "Party(XXO)." Source Music's Twitter gives their five artists: "Source Music 공식 트위터 / Artist_GLAM / Artist_간미연 / Artist_8eight / Artist_이현 / Artist_Eden Beatz."
Visiting our untrustworthy friend Wikipedia, who is not yet on the case for GLAM, we find "Big Hit Entertainment" as a subsection under "JYP Entertainment." Both GLAM and 8Eight are listed as artists, but 8Eight, unlike GLAM, has the note "left the company (2012)." The Wikip entry for 8Eight identifies their label as Source Music, which gets no entry on its own. Wikip's list of Korean Idol Groups puts both Big Hit Entertainment and Source Music as GLAM's label. Finally, Allkpop told the world last spring, "On May 25th, Big Hit Entertainment announced that 'GLAM' will be making their debut on July 16th in collaboration with Source Music. 8Eight and Kan Mi Yeon are housed under Source Music, while 2AM is under Big Hit Entertainment. For the past three years, the two companies have been working together to produce GLAM." And "hitman" Bang offers these happy words: "I actually feel sorry calling GLAM a girl group because they have genuine musical talent and passion. As opposed to producing them, it's more accurate to say that I helped them realize their hidden musical potential and helped them foster that as a partner by their side."
So, I can't tell if Source Music is an independent entity that collaborates with Big Hit or is a subsidiary of something, ultimately under JYP. The GLAM dance instruction video was posted by LOEN, not by JYP or any of its subs. That's where I'll leave my researching, as I now kinda like need to stop gallivanting around the Web for the rest of today.
Speaking of T-ara -- and when am I not finding a way to speak of T-ara -- back when I discovered the wonderful "Like The First Time," I listened to a bunch of other "hitman" Bang tracks without liking what I heard: ballad sap seemed his taste. But I've only heard a small fraction of his oeuvre. "I Like That" hits me as better than most of it, though I'm not yet sure how much better.
To further confuse matters, GLAM's leader, Park Jiyeon, has the same name as T-ara's biggest star, Park Jiyeon.
― Frank Kogan, Wednesday, 9 January 2013 18:53 (eleven years ago) link
Since this is an active thread now, songs of interest for the week:
Super Junior M - Break Down. Very appropriately, the breakdown just before Suju-M sing the hook is the best part of the song. There's a kind of doppler effect on the vocals which is picked up by the video, set in what looks like a wind tunnel. Towards the end of the video, an unfortunate birds wanders too close to the fan and the resultant feathery explosion adds visual interest to what is otherwise a standard-issue "hot guys in a box with flashing lights" SM vid.
Girls Generation - I Got a Boy. Picked apart on the singles jukebox and now I like it a lot more. My favorite thing about it is the Greek chorus of the other 8 members telling the boy-crazed narrator, "girl, you crazy".
SPEED - That's My Fault. SPEED are the male half of co-ed school and labelmates to T-ara. They seem to be the appointed torch-bearers of 20-minute epic T-ara music video tradition, though this video is more accomplished, with better acting and camerawork, and also much tighter editing (it's only 11 minutes long and not confusing at all). The video is about the Gwangju Massacre and the sad military horns in the instrumental are perfect for the topic. Unfortunately, not every member of SPEED is a decent rapper equal to the task at hand, though a couple of them manage okay.
B2ST and A Pink - 5 My Baby. Five attractive men meet five attractive women and no words are necessary because everyone is hot. The video perfectly captures this feeling by having all the members of A Pink and Beast emerge from boxes, circle each other, and then pair off. There are also lots of scenes where they check themselves out in mirrors, which is appropriate as this song is a sequel to last year's Skinny Baby and, like Skinny Baby, is a promotion for Korean fashion brand Skool Looks. By the way, although I might sound dismissive I think this is a good song. Robot imagery + minimalist lyrics seems reminiscent of early electronica and the song sounds a bit like that as well, to my untrained ear.
Boyfriend - I Yah. Another Boyfriend/Sweetune collaboration and more "Sweetune" than their previous collaboration Love Style. Boyfriend play controlling not-quite-boyfriends and sing about their sensitivity and total emotional dependence. So far, so Kpop. In the MV description box, however, they are called "homme-fatales" which does at least show awareness of both the attraction and destructiveness of this character type. It also says that "homme-fatale" will be the concept of Boyfriend's album, so perhaps there will be an attempt to build up a narrative. The MV actress, Kim So Hyun, plays a perfectly nice and normal high school student who doesn't deserve to be emotionally destroyed.
Next week I am looking forward to:-The Infinite H album produced by Primary, which is coming out on my birthday; -Gayoon and Jiyoon (of 4minute)'s country-pop(!) debut album Harvest Moon
― hurricane weather (forapper), Thursday, 10 January 2013 07:30 (eleven years ago) link
I'm so super excited about the INfinite H album. Right before christmas I said I hoped he would produce more for pop stars after the K Will success and then he delivers just a few weeks later with one of the better boy bands! And the whole EP is produced by him! And Zico and others of his friends show up in front of and behind the mic!
The 2-Yoon project is the opposite of what I was hoping for (and I was pretty excited about the unit) but I'm still curious about this 'dance pop country' single.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 10 January 2013 07:49 (eleven years ago) link
I knooooooooow, it looks like it's gonna be so good! Maybe I should control my expectations a bit, but with the featurings list (Zion.T! Dynamic Duo! Baby Soul!) it's hard not to be excited. Hoya and Dongwoo really lucked out.
I don't see Zico though, am I missing something? Does he have like a second name he works under?
I'm not sure the 2yoon thing will be good, but I'm also curious, yeah. Country-country or Taylor-Swift-country? It's pretty easy to signal "country" on a pop song, you just need some twangy guitars. Will they sing in Korean-countryside accents? That kind of stuff... plus, they have pretty good voices. I would have thought something more divaish or soulful, but this could be good.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Thursday, 10 January 2013 08:16 (eleven years ago) link
Doh, I meant Sion T.
If Swift then her latest singles since they mentioned dance pop as well.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 10 January 2013 09:28 (eleven years ago) link
Maybe they are trying to be the originators of a new (to Korea) trend.
I can't believe I forgot this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPoGVtC9msQ
Don't have much to say, except that I love everything about it.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Thursday, 10 January 2013 09:39 (eleven years ago) link
girls gen song is amaaaaazing
― 乒乓, Thursday, 10 January 2013 14:43 (eleven years ago) link
Infinite H album leaked. Ehh, it's okay - a bit generic. I'm glad "Victorious Way" is the single.
Somewhat more surprisingly, 2yoon country-pop is pretty good! It turns out "country" means "ballad with emphasis on the upbeat" and some harmonica, haha.
Also: D-Unit - Sleeping In Pt. 2, Brit - Goodbye Yesterday, maybe more to come as I work my way through this person's uploads.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 11 January 2013 07:21 (eleven years ago) link
Well that's just one Yoon, for another project.
Put that D-Unit track on my 2012 list- don't know if it qualifies as a single but since a rejigged version got re-released as a buzz single-ish thing before their real comeback I counted it.
― abcfsk, Friday, 11 January 2013 07:26 (eleven years ago) link
There's a point - should there be a K-pop 2013 post? Or do we not have critical mass?
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 11 January 2013 18:58 (eleven years ago) link
I could go for one
― 乒乓, Friday, 11 January 2013 19:03 (eleven years ago) link
So then... who's gonna start it? I feel like an interloper here.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Saturday, 12 January 2013 05:28 (eleven years ago) link
I'm fine with anyone starting it. I can do it as well but I felt I had my shot with this thread.
SNSD interview http://omonatheydidnt.livejournal.com/10420138.html
It's kind of an unusual article for k-pop idols, at least as far as I've come across. Critics in Korea haven't been as positive towards 'I Got A Boy' as those overseas and here the group is confronted with specific criticism against the song. They seem to enjoy themselves promoting the song.
― abcfsk, Saturday, 12 January 2013 09:25 (eleven years ago) link
Well, if you're okay with it...
― hurricane weather (forapper), Saturday, 12 January 2013 10:18 (eleven years ago) link
K-pop 2013
― hurricane weather (forapper), Saturday, 12 January 2013 10:49 (eleven years ago) link
My 13 yo just ordered two tix. 220 euro. Welp. But she’s ecstatic. Going to Day6
― nathom, Thursday, 12 December 2019 07:18 (four years ago) link
Day6 are cool
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RJWqIEo_Tc
I love the chorus on this one, it's so chromatic and happy
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 13 December 2019 02:09 (four years ago) link
This is also cool
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gL_KC_7GDNE
Sadly I think their latest songs are a little more trendchasing. But man they know how to write a catchy hook.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 13 December 2019 02:10 (four years ago) link
Wrong year perhaps?The current thread is here: Kpop 2019
― breastcrawl, Friday, 13 December 2019 07:29 (four years ago) link
nm, these are older tracks! sorry for confusing matters.
― breastcrawl, Friday, 13 December 2019 07:33 (four years ago) link