kpop 2019

thanks, had a lot of fun compiling it and rediscovering songs I hadn't listened to in years...

Yeah I struggled to find any tracks from 2019 I liked enough to include - thank god for "Dalla Dalla"! Big contrast with 2018, the strongest year since Kpop's 2011-2014 peak and well represented in my list.

great list that, thanks!

Roz you are like reading my mind. My list would be pretty similar. There might be a couple things on there from artists we've never heard from again, like "Musiche" by Crazyno though.

Would love to see your list if you did one! Some of the songs on mine I would never have heard if you hadn’t told me to check them out (eg HISTORY, U-Kiss).

Checking out some stuff I've missed and I actually really like Dawn's "Money" - kpop needs more songs dissecting life under late-stage capitalism imo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr8-EFdl6gg&feature=emb_title  

I liked the line where he's going through an existential crisis but he can't talk about it cause his parents are asleep lol... relatable. Dude was always meant to be a solo star, getting kicked out of Cube just sped things up for him. 

And speaking of idols who've left their previous labels, I'm so happy CL is out of YG! She's released more songs in the past two weeks than she has in the previous four years: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuX8lXIexG8dRXFx54CVm2Q

It's funny how every track so far could be read as shade on YG, and she clearly wants everyone to know how pissed she is - all the videos have subtitles in 16 languages.

Most of the songs sound (understandably) unfinished, but you could see how some could have been worked into something better if YG had been serious about releasing them. But I can also see why he didn't - CL had clearly grown past the "tough female rapper" identity and YG doesn't like growth in his female stars. 

These are my faves so far: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=outk3lqsFHc&feature=emb_title  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4Q-DulyShA  

Ah dammit, messed up the embeds again.

Dawn's "Money":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr8-EFdl6gg  

CL's "+ONE AND ONLY180228+":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=outk3lqsFHc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA6sS1ndTM4

SAAY- ZGZG

thankful to TSJ's reader's week for introducing me to this which is surely one of the year's highlights

this is a fantastic playlist, thanks Roz!

Red Velvet wrapping up the year (and decade) on a high - this rules:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR8Mrt1IpXg

i like "psycho" a lot but it's still only their second or third best single of the year

I couldn't get into any of their other singles this year, sadly. Really like "Psycho", but I would - "Bad Boy" is my favourite track of theirs and this is fairly close to it.

Meanwhile, horrifying details about Wendy's onstage accident at SBS' Gayo Daejun: https://omonatheydidnt.livejournal.com/25230978.html#comments#comments

She fractured her right pelvis and wrist and cracked her right cheekbone. She also suffered multiple bruises all over her body. It is expected that it will take months to recover. She's currently in a hospital in Seoul undergoing a thorough inspection. The swelling is so severe that it's impossible to give an accurate diagnosis.

Music aside, 2019 really feels like all of the worst aspects of k-pop coming to the fore. :(

"sappy" is one of my absolute favourites of theirs and "umpah umpah" was solid. "zimzalabim" was a total mess though.

i hope wendy recovers well and that this incident can lead to some of the necessary changes in the industry so that actually caring about the safety of idols, and everyone else, can become important. seems unlikely though :/

rolling kpop 2020

made a new thread at last