K-pop (2016)

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

Playlist updated with several additions from earlier in the year that just got onto the spotify catalogue.

ILM's Rolling K-Pop Thread Spotify Playlist

forks <3

Gorgeous new IU song further establishing her folk pop-leanings http://iu-jjang.tumblr.com/private/142065669317/tumblr_o4yg08qzwq1qz9dac

It's not hard to see why Produce 101 is such a hit, just like it's not hard to see why AKB48 has stuck with yearly general elections vote-a-thons. Very compelling TV, compelling personalities. The hype for the 11 girls selected right now is REAL. Bitter aftertaste when you realize they're just a temporary group. The format is better than the details of the show - ideally you'd have a show like this for free agents to make it a real group selection. And of course the AKB fan in me would like to see a big group of girls staying and the competition being about who gets to participate in singles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvHD5B99rhQ

who is this? this cool

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4vFviZ4qw0

i'd like to hear young thug freestyle on this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJe8Def403Q

a+ queen slay

Haven't been following Produce 101, but was really happy when they brought Jinyoung (B1A4) in to produce some of the original music... plus it also gave us this moment of cute crushing hahaha.

T-ara were on some interview show recently and someone let it slip that Hyomin funded a lot of her solo release herself... she's not the best singer but I admire her commitment to releasing music. Sketch is pretty good too.

I don't really like the GOT7 single, but it's doing really well - they have a couple music show #1s and I think they broke the record for best opening week sales on iTunes by a Kpop group.

I do like their 2nd single, which was co-written by JB.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npxqg9p1Q94

I like this male vocalist + female rapper duet trend S. Korea has going on lately, plus Chen and (pressurized) RnB is always good :D

Punch x Silento single is out and it's competent & in English:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3-mR9okYYQ

Punch is boring and the song has boring lyrics but it's interesting to hear a recognizable voice from the radio doing the "Brave Brother... and your boy Silento" shtick.

Fav songs from Jan - March:

Brave Girls - Deepened
Hyomin - Sketch
Gfriend - Rough
Stellar - Sting
Fiestar - Mirror
B.A.P. - Feel So Good
Cosmic Girls - Catch Me
Ladies' Code - Galaxy
Teen Top - Warning Sign
Jun Hyo Seong - Find Me
NU'EST - Overcome
4Minute - Hate
Yezi - Cider
Red Velvet - One Of These Nights
Dalshabet - Someone Like U
AOA (Cream) - Baby
Taemin - Press Your Number

incl. exclusive interviews with the creative director, songwriters, choreographer, stylist, and MV director

http://www.k-pendium.com/007

Nice!!!

More major labels getting in on the indie game:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUYUXopFqq0

Happy for BYG considering BAP's is tamer than ever now.

^BAP's music

Solid OMG write up there soyrev, great to hear from some of the less exposed members of the creative team

Taekwondo athletes turned Crayon Pop-like

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9evdOqOQPQ

Single off Up10tion's new mini:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGzFv3g3luA

None of the other tracks on the album are all that interesting, but man these guys can sing. They sound kinda like if EXO was only made up of Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol and Suho.

New Lovelyz album is great (and v. cohesive) from start to finish:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWjz03e-h9w

Here's the single:

https://youtu.be/S_IBk0RCsOo

Expecting good things from Seventeen's debut album (to be released later today) too!

Lovelyz have released a few great albums now, really trustworthy production.

The chorus on the new Twice single is so big - love it.

Really? Cause Cheer Up sounds so simple to me... then again Ooh Ahh grew on me, so maybe this will too

MrJ agrees with me on Lovelyz vs. Twice BTW:

https://youtu.be/mp9DGwzD2SM
https://youtu.be/9JXfrxoyyXE

Also here's his Seventeen analysis:

https://youtu.be/80om8TiEFg0

Playlist updated through April.

ILM's Rolling K-Pop Thread Spotify Playlist

Regardless of your favorite it's a new golden age for girl groups commercially - three rookie groups going top tier in Gfriend, Twice and Mamamoo, Lovelyz establishing themselves as a 2nd tier group, mid-arch groups like AOA, A Pink, Exid and others chugging along, wildly successful new era experiment in IOI (leading to Japanese brand iDOLM@STER doing a Korean reality-style thing).

I think quality control is a big part of the reason.

The I.O.I lead single sounds a bit crap though https://youtu.be/1BVV9UqELbA

Amazing crowd singing along for Gfriend

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDBd0nS4ONk

The Lovelyz track is p killer, I hadn't heard it. What is so successful abut IOI? I'm underwhelmed by "Dream Girls" but thought "Crush" was p good. If every K-pop group's video was just them rocking out in the studio I'd be fine with that.

What is so successful abut IOI?

Produce 101 is surely the most talked about tv show in Korea this year, everyone had their favorites, everyone voted, several of the girls are already mainstream names, Pick Me was a big hit when the show was running.