Like you say A Pink has stuck with it and developed it 'better' (and even though I think it's kind of an icky image to go with, in some ways it is actually better for A Pink because they've managed to find a sound of their own). What this started out with was basically my claim that they've suffered from not having an identity to anchor their songs to.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 9 September 2015 11:44 (eight years ago) link
well to sum up, i guess we've heard different things from "the mainstream korean observer" (though again, i don't think the stuff you're quoting in any way contradicts this central purpose of their image: same deal w/r/t looking occasionally kinda hip-hop or generally beautiful). as for whether this is the impression anymore, i'd actually say if they've ever grown out of that at all it's been recently and deliberately ("you think," alcohol references in "party," etc). but that's a function of their age, as ridiculous as that sounds (the idol fantasy enters a weird and terminal limbo when the members start hitting the mid-20s, at least for girl groups – the reasons for which being a whole other discussion).
granted, i'm not trying to blow up anyone's spot but i do have this much on pretty good authority...
as for apink, i did not say they do it "better!" those are not my quotation marks, friend. i actually find the whole ordeal tiresome and regressive, a symptom of the knotty oppa/aegyo superstructure that is one thing about korean culture i'm not uncomfortable saying kinda grosses me out.
― soyrev, Wednesday, 9 September 2015 11:55 (eight years ago) link
My quotation marks of course! We can go back and forth on that. But fundamentally this was not so much me trying to say that SNSD don't connote a certain ideal as saying their aesthetics lack that coherence which guides them towards a musical identity. Which is why I suggested, in one way, A Pink have done better.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 9 September 2015 12:02 (eight years ago) link
well i def see you on that. as in my original post, i was talking musical identity and conceptual identity as two different things. the twain only ever really meets in the lyrics, for SM anyway. f(x) has done tons of stuff that musically doesn't coincide with their image in any obvious way for ex
― soyrev, Wednesday, 9 September 2015 13:23 (eight years ago) link
and yes apink have done a nice job of bringing those two together, even if some of that is by virtue of rewriting the same single so many times
― soyrev, Wednesday, 9 September 2015 13:24 (eight years ago) link
not complaining either, they're typically really good and just-different-enough rewrites
Stoked to see how f(x) will 'answer' next month
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 9 September 2015 17:03 (eight years ago) link
i'm a bit worried tbh but it'll be interesting to see how SM might reposition them in light of luna's public success as a serious singer, her and amber's EDM moment at ultra, sulli peacing, etc
― soyrev, Wednesday, 9 September 2015 23:59 (eight years ago) link
should add that amber's also become a much bigger star in korea since their last promo cycle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5OWy_FGpQA
hot dang
― soyrev, Thursday, 10 September 2015 00:26 (eight years ago) link
Seventeen continue to do fun things with funk and unique things with their 13-member choreography. beginning to feel like love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M7k9ZV67c0
― soyrev, Thursday, 10 September 2015 07:20 (eight years ago) link
fuck yeah! is this RV's first instiz #1? a low score for that (170) but i'm willing to take whatever might help SM feel this direction is a success for them
― soyrev, Thursday, 10 September 2015 07:21 (eight years ago) link
more good news for that: http://www.allkpop.com/article/2015/09/red-velvet-tops-itunes-chinas-yinyuetai-and-korean-album-charts-with-the-red
― soyrev, Thursday, 10 September 2015 07:35 (eight years ago) link
Ice Cream Cake peaked at #2 on instiz.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 10 September 2015 07:44 (eight years ago) link
is that just total recall or is this data stored anywhere? would love to have access to that kind of thing
― soyrev, Thursday, 10 September 2015 07:56 (eight years ago) link
Former. Ofc you can go back to any point in time and view that ichart, but doesn't seem like they have pages for specific artists and their records.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 10 September 2015 08:04 (eight years ago) link
wonder what the number was on that. happy for RV but so far this is what koreans call "robbing an empty house"
― soyrev, Thursday, 10 September 2015 08:32 (eight years ago) link
Just looked up the lyrics for "Dumb Dumb" & it looks like RV are alternating between trying to build a teen-girl fanbase by being relatable - weird on the surface but conventional deep down (although "Happiness" was a misstep in that dept. 'cos the line between 'relating' to fans and 'condescending' to them is fine); and pedo-baiting and older male audience. They may end up with a broad fanbase like Morning Musume or Lana Del Ray.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Thursday, 10 September 2015 23:33 (eight years ago) link
Or at least that would appear to be the goal for them...
Seventeen <3
If they don't get the Rookie of the Year Award, YG's clout will be confirmed... (iKon are debuting just before the deadline for consideration for the award).
― hurricane weather (forapper), Thursday, 10 September 2015 23:34 (eight years ago) link
Yr periodic K-indie crosspost from Omona:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?t=96&v=XFgcbWJqhyk
― hurricane weather (forapper), Thursday, 10 September 2015 23:47 (eight years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFgcbWJqhyk
And another... I dunno man, everything sounds good tonight:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0siyZQ_bSE
― hurricane weather (forapper), Thursday, 10 September 2015 23:56 (eight years ago) link
This Jun Jin record is pretty great...
https://youtu.be/gJMKOuou4Vg
On a related not, Shinhwa's single from earlier this year ("Sniper") was also pretty great, though I don't think we talked about it here.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 11 September 2015 00:02 (eight years ago) link
Hm and Up10Tion is a lot better than you'd expect a rookie group with a name like that to be, though not as good as the teaser (basically the last 30 seconds of the song) made it sound like they were gonna be: : https://youtu.be/UJ6hLS4OCfc
Of special interest, at least to me: the EXO Baekhyun soundalike who comes it @ 3:50.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 11 September 2015 00:22 (eight years ago) link
oh ikon will win rookie of the year no doubt. that's not even a question.
"dubm dumb" cracks 200 on instiz – likely a first for them – and got nearly 2 million views in 24 hours, which is better than a lot of the older SM groups. bodes well i think!
― soyrev, Friday, 11 September 2015 00:27 (eight years ago) link
I dunno, can they win a year after Winner won? Surely the gen public would rebel... maybe they could come in #2 like Mino did on SMTM4.
Up10Tion suffers from boyband vocals in a few parts, but the main vocals are CARRYING that bridge, man. Also the beat is simple but it's pretty good!
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 11 September 2015 00:40 (eight years ago) link
JYP's band group Day6 https://youtu.be/dBShLTlKm2A
Nothing special about them sonically or lyrically, but it's kinda interesting watching a band with no obvious frontman... there's been "idol" bands before but they still followed a band model - this is the most 'idol'-like of all those bands I think.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 11 September 2015 03:17 (eight years ago) link
Honestly it doesn't really work, they all look like they're waiting for their turn to perform :p The lighting doesn't help either
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 11 September 2015 03:20 (eight years ago) link
Rapper is v. good by JYP standards tho
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 11 September 2015 03:21 (eight years ago) link
Yeah what you really want when debuting a kpoprock band is a sappy ballad.
― abcfsk, Friday, 11 September 2015 08:47 (eight years ago) link
Lion Heart is holding on well after initial chart disappointment. Impressive for what is arguably the worst SNSD single released so far.
― abcfsk, Friday, 11 September 2015 08:49 (eight years ago) link
Here to save us from the draught is another music competition show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtxDqunIi7g
Truedy (2:21, complete unknown to most) won the first ep ahead of Haze (first one out). Hyorin got last place.
― abcfsk, Friday, 11 September 2015 22:20 (eight years ago) link
Heize*
― abcfsk, Friday, 11 September 2015 22:21 (eight years ago) link
massive new k-pendium on the origins of japanese and korean popular music, basically a bunch of people die http://www.k-pendium.com/005
probably going to have to hop off ilm soon for k-related reasons, not sure when i'll be back but going to finally get into regular pendium updates soon. check it sometime (y)
― soyrev, Sunday, 13 September 2015 15:09 (eight years ago) link
Are you hoping off because you won't have the time or for some other reason, soyrev?
Checking it out now!
― hurricane weather (forapper), Sunday, 13 September 2015 17:06 (eight years ago) link
Korea has banned ilxor, I'm afraid. It's deemed damaging to the moral sensibilities of the nation's youth and possibly related to NK spying.
Quickly glancing at the text I'm happy to read more about the Japanese connection - love so many bits and pieces of retro JP pop, know so little about it. Will read.
― abcfsk, Sunday, 13 September 2015 17:17 (eight years ago) link
Really?? That seems kinda... unnecessary... unless the idea is to protect native Korean music discovery portals.
That was a really enjoyable history lesson, soyrev. I think "Ressurection" has something to it outside of the narrative and if koganbot was still around he might have something to say about the connection with Eastern European popular music, which is still true for lots of Kpop songs today. Also I think we must be around the same age.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Sunday, 13 September 2015 17:51 (eight years ago) link
I am vindicated in my comment that Bang Bang is (actually) a Kpop song: https://youtu.be/m303B9gQ-SA
― hurricane weather (forapper), Monday, 14 September 2015 23:03 (eight years ago) link
If CL stays in America, she's gonna lose her bad bitch title:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdZ3AzhY5Fo
― hurricane weather (forapper), Wednesday, 16 September 2015 00:55 (eight years ago) link
One reason IU is so well liked, dropping in on a hyukoh mini indie cafe concert unannounced
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gjNKT5qAP0https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8wGQ8e1UTw
― abcfsk, Thursday, 17 September 2015 22:22 (eight years ago) link
they are dating y/n?
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 18 September 2015 00:25 (eight years ago) link
Shippers exist, at least.
― abcfsk, Friday, 18 September 2015 07:36 (eight years ago) link
No but indie IU is great, they're cute separately and together
― hurricane weather (forapper), Saturday, 19 September 2015 01:38 (eight years ago) link
I feel like this should go in the Jpop thread but here you go, new group VIVIDIVA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?t=120&v=5luXYG4ZiZE
― hurricane weather (forapper), Saturday, 19 September 2015 01:39 (eight years ago) link
Whoops, let's try again:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5luXYG4ZiZE
― hurricane weather (forapper), Saturday, 19 September 2015 01:40 (eight years ago) link
They look jpop but they don't really sound it. For countries so close, and considering the many things Korean culture has inherited from Japan, it's weird to me I can't find a single example of a k-pop group doing the Japanese royal road chord progression or the J-pop chords in general.
― abcfsk, Saturday, 19 September 2015 14:11 (eight years ago) link
Oh really? The vocals sounded kinda Jpop to me... that kind of vocal proccessing... but I don't know that much about Jpop chord progressions. What's an example?
― hurricane weather (forapper), Saturday, 19 September 2015 15:47 (eight years ago) link
AKB and other traditional idol songs. You'll find JP variants of the '4 chords, every pop song' youtubes we saw in the west, with the most common JP chord progressions. Like this: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm4947752
The melody is instantly recognisable as Japanese in songs like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIeo90Tvuxc
― abcfsk, Saturday, 19 September 2015 16:15 (eight years ago) link
Thanks to you I'm finally registered at niconico, thanks a lot abcfsk
― hurricane weather (forapper), Saturday, 19 September 2015 18:20 (eight years ago) link