K-pop (2016)

it's totally a thing!!

their name is spelled "I'M FACT" apparently, and they're a lot of fun live: https://youtu.be/eKknzMGUTKc

Dunno if this is part of the ongoing plan to promote k-indie abroad or what but I LIKE IT:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH3GZkxoZeU

Bonus, last year's DΞΔN x Eric Bellinger https://youtu.be/-A96vsgB1EM

Ooops posted something in the 2015 thread

yeah that's not bad, but why indie?

Just that there's a push recently to get k-indie on the same internat'l distribution channels as the idol pop, that's all

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_F9HUTYnl0

I saw these fan mash-ups and thought perhaps someone here would enjoy it...

Bang Bang Bang/Zero For Conduct
Doom Dada/Zero For Conduct

In my little opinion, the heavier instrumental and contrast between verse and chorus really redeem Bang Bang Bang.

Not totally sold on 4minute but it sounds like it could be pretty awesome live

also the costumes are a bold choice, 4minute embracing their female fans...

^Maybe since... 2nd half of 2015? Korean media have completely embraced the term "girl crush" for all female entertainers with a strong look appealing to female fans. Tons of articles in January using it https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=%EA%B1%B8%ED%81%AC%EB%9F%AC%EC%89%AC&safe=off&tbm=nws

slim pickings this early on as to what has distribution but the playlist is updated

ILM's Rolling K-Pop Thread 2016 Spotify Playlist

<333

i like 4minute's new song. i played it alongside choi sam's 'enemy' and thought it sounded p good

I don't like Hate much, it's quite bland. I think Skrillex produced it though?

I still can't get enough of Someone Like U, I think I like it more than any k-pop from last year.

Dig Hate, especially the farty chorus.

GFriend's Rough (posted above) is somewhat surprisingly the first candidate for biggest selling song of 2016. Surprisingly because it's very similar to their previous songs (and other rookies like Lovelyz have a similar thing going on). Only somewhat, because I've felt this girl group sound is a lot catchier and more appealing to the mainstream than last time cute/non-sexy concepts were the 'thing'. What's been holding them back is very few people watch music shows and it takes some time for rookies to move beyond core k-pop fans.

I feel with these new girl groups k-pop are getting closer to a j-pop idol-ish sound foundation for cute, inoffensive catchy pop. It doesn't sound like j-pop, not the same chords, but unlike the post-Gee cutesy period there's something reliable to the output here.

yeh i totally agree, though i don't know anything about chords the production is pretty jpopish, and it's easy/nostalgic listening while still being a bit more sophisticated, so it's got a lot of public appeal. though rough is a bit boring to me.

catchyyyyyyy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhKFSXN2Fr4

new AOA! kind of

i'm anticipating the next Rainbow

AOA Cream did actually sound pretty bad from teasers but the full song is better. Some catchy melody lines there.

New Neon Bunny is v great as usual https://youtu.be/-KbvUmR6zkg

Think everyone is just craving an album at this point.

Brave Bro is finding some new sounds, this is one of his better tracks of the past few years

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsD79puVGRI

I've only just started listening to Anda's Taxi and my brain keeps mentally inserting "Mustard on the beat" at the end of the first break.

looking forward to new Taemin - teasers sound amazing, esp the one that starts at about 2 minutes in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyCcksDBMLs

Been on vacation for the last two weeks... what'd I miss?

Aside from the Ladies' Code mini, which I like I lot:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnglZapLABw

They're all SUCH good singers...

I actually might like the ballad track at the end the most

Plus Taemin delivers on Roz' expectations (and then some), obvi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz3mm3tPKfg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsOGiTSZ_cg

Playlist updated.

ILM's Rolling K-Pop Thread Spotify Playlist

oh nice, feeling the Ladies' Code and Taemin

The ones to dethrone Gfriend in massively dominating the charts are Mamamoo. Good year so far for newer girl groups crushing commercially.

I like Mamamoo as personalities but I just can't get behind their bland singles :/

Though speaking of bland... the fake-out "is she gonna take him...into her bedroom?" scene in this ohoho.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LVdNUn7zsM

"Do you want to eat chicken" is the new "Do you want to stay for tea"

Teen Top's new mini is solid BTW... as solid as Teen Top's minis usually are, plus I really like the jazz lounge direction they've been taking lately

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihl8hUfyAGo

Well OK, "Liar" is terrible filler. The rest of the mini is solid though.

Also shout out to Grace for reprising Big Bang's "Thank You and You" in 2016:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WT_jL5rRxW8

(here's Thank You and You)

feel like a neon bunny album would actually slow down my heartrate. that song upthread is amazing

Long comment I wrote out for a "10 Kpop Songs I Disliked but Now Like" youtube video, xposting here for posterity...

1. EXO's Wolf, for exactly the reasons you said!!!! It was never that fun when EXO did it, maybe because they weren't prepared to embrace the cheesiness of it, but yeah that YES WOLF I'M A WOLF, AWOO part is really fun to sing :D

2. BAP's Badman - At the time I thought they weren't getting enough sleep, the politics of it were half-baked, I wasn't into the trap beat, and it shifted mood & tempo too many times. Now I love all those things about it :) I think this song was just ahead of its time!

3. EXID's Hot Pink - seemed messy and underwritten the first time I heard it, but the vocal melody is REALLY catchy and fun to sing. I think the instrumental could maybe be more polished but yeah this song is quite good actually :)

4. Big Bang's Lie - my first Kpop song, I thought it was too emo and over-dramatic, plus I was suspicious of the piano + rap combo and how "boyband" it was. Now I love the melodrama and like, journeyman anthemic earnestness of it.

5. Stellar's Marionette - actually I still don't much like this song, but I've come around on Stellar as group that puts out consistently good music. I went along with the backlash when the song first came out without realizing how much "poor Stellar are innocent victims of sleazy management" was a part of the marketing strategy of their mgmt (though probably also true... *cue internal conflict*)

6. Hello Venus's Wiggle Wiggle - similar to Stellar, it seemed a bit desperate and exploitative, but is actually quite a good song????

7. f(x)'s Red Light - I'd heard the demo first and it seemed way more cohesive to me, the single was like all over the place. But after I read the lyrics I realized that was intentional and started to like the song.

8. Girls Generation's I Got a Boy - similar to Red Light, it improved after I read the lyrics. But I rarely re-listen to this actually, so maybe I don't like it after all? (See also: AOA's Heart Attack.)

8. Tara's Roly Poly - was TOO MUCH for me the first time I heard it. I was in a bit of a sensitive place at the time and had to be careful about listening to too much fast paced stuff (see also T-ara - Lovey Dovey, Apink - Hush, SHINEE - Dream Girl, etc etc etc). These days I'm much calmer and not taking prescription stimulants anymore, so I can enjoy the manic stuff for being, like, fun and upbeat without going all LOVE-HATE on it.

9. Badkiz's Ear Attack - got too used to the high-budget Kpop MVs, couldn't handle the low-budget-ness of this or the fact that they're a dance group but none of them can dance. But this song is super-earwormy.

10. AA (Double A)'s Because I'm Crazy - actually I still think the song is not that great and AA can't really sing, but they have a weird kind of charm and I was briefly obsessed with this song and (especially) their comeback song Come Back. I wish AA would come back!!!

Ear Attack is a bit of lie actually, I never really disliked it. But I wanted to get to 10...

Just saw this commercial on Twitter:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OugqMW9Wns

When is the soundtrack for that coming out as a single, huh???

Haven't enjoyed a rookie group in a while, but 4Ten's Severely is charming:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxpOCMH3NeQ

Though speaking of wacky TV ads... it's BTS x Jessi for SK Telecom!!!

I wonder if it's on purpose that guys rapping about how cool they are for having spare DATA on their phones - in slang! - are fully 10 years younger. On the one hand they're popular with the 10s who'd use something like data coupons, on the other hand Jessi's not that old...

Brave Bros gunning for that US preteen market: https://youtu.be/asatqXyw2ZE

Speaking more of Jessi, she released a song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfLjhUauBaE

The year has been a bit underwhelming for me but I really like this song, her singing voice is gorgeous and expressive! I didn't know until now...

Same, but I'm legit excited for the upcoming Oh My Girl mini :) https://youtu.be/ygQo9LKY5cM

Also Red Velvet just released something Automatic-ish... Seulgi killing the vocals https://youtu.be/vSU78HK8XEY

i've been way behind but omfg at ladies code's "galaxy"

i guess the video could stand to be posted. it's gorgeous

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcgT1eq3CLM

the way the percussion gets so jazzy in the last chorus??!??!? can't deal

=D

This is the Red Velvet you want by the way (it's the 2nd title): https://youtu.be/LOgYHIg2Wvs

the whole Ladies Code mini is quite nice, and Galaxy is especially great. I really love all the syncopation in the last chorus with the jazzy bass/percussion

Frank, I don't have a stream for livejournal so have to rely on suddenly getting the idea to visit the place. I missed out on you posting some solid kpop content this month so I'll get to that now.

I think there are a few who have spoken out against the scandal. I remember thinking "wow, this is a special case" when I saw a girl group member posting an instagram photo of the downtown demonstrations - but a quick look now didn't jog my memory on who it was. In any case, when active idols feel safe with a political statement like that it's something. I also feel like I've read a few stories about angry tweets but can't remember who now.

Lee Hyori and a few friends put out a protest song (ballad) https://youtu.be/hXEjZTdCr4w

About BEG and Hwang Soo AH, both Kim Eana and her husband Loen's Cho Young-cheol have been at the demonstrations.

None of this would've come to light now, btw, if it wasn't for the awesome students at Ewha Women's University who tirelessly protested for weeks earlier this fall after suspecting rotten play at the top - leading to the discovery of secret players.

Lee Hyori's a big deal. The protest ballad - "Abandoned By The Side Of A Street," by Lee Seung-hwan ft. Lee Hyori and Jeon In-kwon, produced by Lee Kyo-ho - now has a part two featuring a cast of over a hundred. Soompi reports the performers include Lyn, Sweet Sorrow, Ha Dong Kyun, Rooftop Moonlight, and Shin Dae Chul of Sinawe. Of these, I'd only heard of Lyn and Sinawe, though that doesn't tell you anything about how prominent they might be. Still, not much idol participation. And except for metal guy Shin Dae Chul, the new listed performers seem to be from the ballad/legit singer or respectable indie wing of showbiz.

2016's most unlikely feud: Wiz Khalifa vs Taeyeon

https://twitter.com/hyk0505/status/805063085950169089

You'd have thought someone one the awards show staff would've checked these issues beforehand... or bothered to communicate them to the foreign star who flew all the way out to perform...

But then a story about technical incompetence at a KPOP awards show, and a story about an SM star being suddenly hospitalized are equally believable, so.

And the most believable explanation of all is that SM nixed this over concerns about the optics - he's too "tall" standing next to Taeyeon, they don't look "good" on stage together, etc.

Control-freak image management and a dash of racism.

And there's Taeyeon's previous racist remarks and rumored diva attitude in the mix, too.

I dunno, the more I think about it the more clear it is which side fucked up here.

SM probably busy burying the news stories and hoping this will just go away, the MAMAs only had like a 1.5% viewership rating in Korea.

playlist updated.

'tis the season of christmas rnb singles (yay)

older group, down to 3 members:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQwAri7qFRg

new group, mixed gender:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPTcKSVAEvA

and if you like the standard christmas ballad sound (like me) you can try Heize's "Star" too:

https://youtu.be/XUR8QByF2As

Going through some year-end stuff and found this Nine Muses song from August... didn't realize they were still promoting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb6v2Uma82w

Final playlist roundup for the year. I went through the thread top to bottom and updated the Spotify list (also added a handful of other recommended tracks that I got into this year) and scratch-built a YouTube playlist to include everything that _wasn't_ on Spotify. Enjoy!

ILM's Rolling K-Pop Thread 2016 Spotify Playlist - Final

ILM's Rolling K-Pop Thread 2016 YouTube Playlist - Final

One more try:

ILM's Rolling K-Pop Thread 2016 YouTube Playlist - Final

Thx ulysses!

I guess we didn't coordinate anything for the year-end poll, huh? All I see on there are Hyuna and BTS.

Does anyone want to start a 2017 thread? I think Jan 2017 will be stronger than Jan 2016, a bunch of pretty decent tracks are already out.

I guess we didn't coordinate anything for the year-end poll, huh? All I see on there are Hyuna and BTS.

― hurricane weather (forapper), Sunday, January 8, 2017 7:30 PM (forty-nine seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i nominated ladies' code!

no albums really stood out to me this year but certainly voting for dalshabet, ladies' code, luna, and taeyon in the tracks poll, maybe more. there were a lot of singles i really liked this year

For what it's worth, I nominated Brave Girls ("Deepened") and BTS ("Blood, Sweat & Tears"), and the EXO and BTS albums. Other non-thread contributors may have nominated other tracks/albums.