K-pop (2014)

Annnnd we're official in Christmassy RnB Season (ft Crush):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6v3ZbOaDqI

You know what, this whole album is great:

http://youtu.be/yV4xcC28adU?list=PLNonYr1vYzfBO1k79L2TQ_UrIly73eLKW

There's also this surprisingly catchy song from The Legend:

http://youtu.be/xypZht2ZOrQ

k-pop's been a bit boring lately, hasn't it? "good boy" is fun though. and i'm coming around on the lovelyz throwback vibe. but haven't heard any really next level stuff out of korea since what, idk, "red light?"

Yeah... there's been tracks I liked but nothing as cray as a few years ago.

EXID are having a ,moment thanks to some fancams... I probably listened to "Up and Down" more than any other song this summer so I'm happy for 'em.

I felt like K-Pop was pretty boring for most of 2013 but 2014's been especially slow. Also, yeah, pretty bizarre about EXID rising up on the charts. UP&DOWN is good but it suffers from having too much of LE. She has one of the most unique voices in K-Pop but too much of it is a bit overbearing, much like Jimin on the new AOA single. Every Night's probably my favorite song from them still, though the original 전화벨 version is good too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghJ3hC5N7-Y

Loco & Jay Park ride the RnBass train. Basically their own take on Chris Brown's Loyal. A bit sad Jay Park isn't dancing.

New Wa$$up mini is pretty decent (barring the three extraneous tracks). 시끄러워U is pretty neat http://youtu.be/oA9vn3Kg9wc // also to clarify from earlier, I still love UP&DOWN, it's def one of my most played K-Pop songs of the year.

시끄러워U is basically a more western-sounding (and not as interesting) version of f(x)'s Rainbow but I guess it's my favorite Wa$$up song thus far so that's worth something I guess /// Anyone else kind of annoyed with the how Apink's LUV spells it l-o-v-e in the song? The single and mini were both pretty disappointing for me. They showed so much promise with their first two minis but now I'm kind of seeing all their stuff as lesser versions of songs on those :/

The LUV chorus is really good. Boring MV though.

Like the Loco and Jay Park

Think I need a couple more times listening to Wa$$up's minor-tonic aegyo-trap on Shut U before I decide if I like it or not...the beat's too simple but the melody is interesting.

MBLAQ's maybe-probably last album released without fanfare today: http://youtu.be/y6gRKrrRB7k

my review of what i think is the year's best k-pop album, if anyone's interested: http://www.tinymixtapes.com/music-review/seo-taiji-quiet-night

good article, and I agree with your album pick (what else?)

thanks! i would say red light is album #2 of the year. as for the singles, hopefully will have a list coming out not too far from now...

oh and in terms of 2nd half of the year, i'd say B2ST best handled the "familiar k-pop" trend. their Drive mini is mature, subtle, and hangs together surprisingly well. their in-group songwriter did the whole thing, they've got one of the best falsettos in k-pop w/ yoseob, the group's performances are always very tight and impassioned...and most importantly, their releases are getting sturdier and more cohesive all the time. they'll never top the highs of Fiction and Fact, i don't think, but both of their mini-albums this year were among the top five releases of the year. (also, i'm convinced "good luck" has the best prechorus of 2014 in korea and quite possibly anywhere).

Hyunseung's a weirdo but an excellent singer (he has the prechorus)

Whoops, no, it's Dongwoon, nvm.

/Hyunseung-biased

crazy what an f(x) ripoff that wa$$up song is. oh well!

btw i started another thread that's definitely separate and broader than this one but i'll be posting a lot of questions there about k-pop (and asian pop generally) so check it out if you want: The "Help Me Figure This Out" Thread

(also, the song i asked a question about is pretty insane, definitely one of the coolest tracks i've heard out of korea this year)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FseJbpIr6k

Her performance was frankly the only one I cared about that whole episode. Pretty interested in hearing the album she had said she recorded a bit before she played. I was kind of annoyed that JYP mentioned (while she was talking) that her voice was like as if she had inhaled helium :c I have some female friends that have high-pitched voices like that when they speak and the amount of annoying comments they get about it is disheartening.

New Neon Bunny & Spazzkid: http://youtu.be/FM8Y7wogkpA

I'm assuming an official video will posted on Cascine Records' channel soon // Lee Jin-Ah's album is actually on Spotify as a heads up.

Infinite F keeping that cheesy 80s movie soundtrack torch burning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nHMNJczXb0

I think they're my favorite Infinite subunit, weak vocals and all.

Lovecubic taking a page from Badkidz' Ear Attack...except I think this is better:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCbsMgt2TBE

Dated but catchy as anything.

i normally looooove neon bunny but don't find her feature songs all that great...this is maybe the one song with her involvement i'd actually call bad.

Disagree, vocals super on point.

Speaking of collabs, this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fpwMFLJ0ms

I like that Neon Bunny collab more than the Smells one I think. I'm generally pretty neutral w/r/t Neon Bunny's stuff though. I'm not huge on Teengirl Fantasy but I was really excited to see that Hoody collab when the EP dropped. Spazzkid had a song with Sarah Bonito earlier this year so considering all the PC Music et al hype that happened this year, I'm hoping that Neon Bunny gets some exposure too. Hoody had a pretty good single this year fyi. Which reminds me, Victoria Kim had a killer DJ Mix a bit ago featuring remixes of K-Pop songs and post-Classical Curves grime. You can listen to that at the bottom of the page here: http://truantsblog.com/2014/truancy-volume-103-victoria-kim/

f(x) made the Tiny Mix Tapes songs of the year list (and opens the mix!) in a year when i didn't even write/vote! a very happy day: http://www.tinymixtapes.com/features/2014-favorite-50-songs-of-2014

Yea I was really happy to see that! Really happy about all those other picks too except maybe Hey QT, which I think is definitely a lesser PC Music track from this year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNQCyR8_2EQ

Pretty typical but I like it more than Sweet Dream

was just thinking how kpop really lacks credible live harmonies...then saw today that Cube's new girl group can harmonize live, play instruments live, and have a very unkpop-looking thai girl in their lineup. (she's not in the following video, though, which is just three of the five members.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvZEkVriC4g

i'm seldom one to get excited for a nugu group without a song to their name, but this seems like something special.

Woah it's got tempo changes and dynamics too... they're like a real musicians. I hope they get (or write) some good songs.

Sweet Dream >>> for me, I love that song. But ANGEL is nice, I didn't know Bizzy could rap.

https://soundcloud.com/blacktoblue/iu-fried-eggs-composed-by-chanhyuk-live

IU dropped by an AKMU concert and lent her voice to this... her style meshes 110% with Chanhyuk's, if they officially collaborated they'd murder the charts.

Sorry, too used to seeing groups showing amazing talent and potential pre-debut and then ending up being used for the same old things as all other groups.

i understand your hesitation 100%, but what other groups had this kind of live (truly live) performance skill predebut? AOA had a band concept at first but it was pretty hokey -- i liked it but they mimed parts to backing tracks.

I think AOA band did do some fully live performances.

Well there has been stuff like this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml-3tt0lS58

And then there are individual members' capabilities going to waste.. yes, E-young I'm thinking of you. Plus all the general disappointment of groups looking promising in teasers and pre-releases and losing their identity come debut, of course.

GLAM :'(

Though on a happier note, DIA (of Kiss&Cry non-fame) is finally getting a chance at a solo career.... long overdue, 'cause she's way too good a vocalist to go down with that ship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgVJ4riqQvM

never heard of GLAM but that was great. did they ever release anything worthwhile? looks like it was the blackmail scandal that derailed them more than anything, on a quick google's glance.

and BYEBYE bumkey O.O

glam's debut single was great and "i like it" is one of my favorite kpop songs/videos

GLAM's debut was a bubbly pop song about the okay-ness of being a girl attracted to another girl, I Like That was one of the better specimens of last year's 2-songs-in-1 craze and sampled Chulli and Mirae's Why Do You sampling The Cover Girls (as reported by Frank Kogan). Both songs had *really* expensive music videos, which in retrospect was probably not wise and maybe why Dahee tried blackmailing that actor dude for like 5 million.

They worked with their producer on their songs and could breakdance, they were ace.

they were close to bankrupt and only had a niche audience even before the blackmail controversy, though, IIRC.

GLAM's debut was one of my favorite songs of 2012. Don't think they ever topped it but I Like That had crazy good choreo and, as hurricane said, was one of the better k-pop songs last year with a distinct stylistic shift. I wasn't huge on In Front of the Mirror but that had a great message + video.

I remember crying when Party (XXO) came out. The decidedly teen pop aesthetic was the best thing they could've done; you need a song to sound relentlessly celebratory to go along with that message. I mean, stuff like Jieun's 쳐다보지마 is fine but Party feels empowering. Something about pop songs that are accessible enough for kids to enjoy but also help them hate themselves a little less e.g. guetta/sia's titanium (first thing that came to mind).

and she's back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bzN-ibQuvA

permeates with the sort of sadness that i've only found in korean art; such a clear example of han.

Straight to the top of the charts.