K-pop 2013

One I hadn't heard from that list:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVEbTg1rErk

Speaking of Younha, my brother's really into this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ns9rA0OSFM

It is good.

Excellent cover of 2NE1's Missing You: http://youtu.be/s22U-v6wOOM?t=8s

I might've almost cried! :p

(For real though, as much as I like 2NE1, they aren't good at emoting sadness, except maybe Minzy (and Dara?). This cover, though, is, like, actually sad. The "geuriwo haeyo" part is still terrible though, even when it's being sung by someone who can actually hit the notes.)

And speaking of sad songs, I'm liking EXO First Snow a lot right now... and here's an amazing "sad version" of EXO Growl: Scans awkwardly in a few places, but the cover singer is so good. All her covers are sad but I think the schtick works particularly well for Growl.

This is a good year for winter songs in Kpop, I think. Junhyung "Flower" is another really nice one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP3n47ZQEhE

Junhyung's trademark Engrish is just out of control there! The MV is also great.

He also composed Beast's new Japanese single, "Sad Movie". It's another of their ceaseless numbers about a lost love, but I like it them all, so hey:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzK3B_Dk5h4

I nominated EvoL's "Get Up" 'cause not only is it liked on this thread but it's gotten support from people I don't generally associate with K-pop (e.g., Scott Woods just put it in his eoy top ten). Which is interesting since it did fuck all on the Gaon Chart. I won't nominate anything else so as not to split votes.

Chuck Eddy listed 2YOON, Crayon Pop, and Psy over at Rhapsody. I'm growing to love the 2YOON, but it's got zilch chance of racking up the numbers. (I think Chuck also finally convinced himself it was eligible for his Country Music Critics ballot. It'll be on mine as well.)

My P&J ballot has two songs (including my #1 (although P&J songs aren't weighted)) that I only knew about from this thread. So thanks!

"Flower" touches me in a way that no Beast song has. Isn't trying to force the drama as much, but is effectively tense around that beat-beat-beat-beat.

Excited to find out that Tzechar's gender is... both!

Glenn, you've whetted my appetite.

Although scanning back through the thread, I see that neither song was actually mentioned here by name, so it's more accurate to say that I discovered them as a result of this thread. And, in fact, doing a little more research, I discover that one of those two is actually a two-year-old b-side, so make that one song.

The older one was "Love Is..." by Brown Eyed Girls.

I really like 'Flower' posted up above, love male falsettos

And it's got a nice thumping drive to it

(For real though, as much as I like 2NE1, they aren't good at emoting sadness, except maybe Minzy (and Dara?). This cover, though, is, like, actually sad. The "geuriwo haeyo" part is still terrible though, even when it's being sung by someone who can actually hit the notes.)

― hurricane weather (forapper), Tuesday, December 17, 2013 10:11 PM (6 days ago) Bookmark

Agree generally though I do really like 'Lonely', is that Minzy? I don't keep track of who sings what unfortunately ;\

The bestest Christmas song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4GerUWQT5I

I love the way their reaction to the out-of-place Santa Craus twerk freakout mirrors everyone else's to certain twerking k-pop girls.

This is wonderful:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDZOCLMk_PM

The end-of-year Gayos are *laughably* bad this year, but these two performances are everything I ever wanted from Hyorin and Co.:

One Way Love
Give It To me

Girl groups killing it at SBS Gayo in general actually:

Bar Bar Bar (greatly visible), The Red Shoes (great camera gaze), Pretty Pretty (rocked from the dinky side stage), All Right + Mr. Lee (PERFECT <3).

Out of the boygroups, only Infinite were having a good night, though Block B tried really hard, aha. B2ST and Teen Top had good mixes but just okay performances and the same was true for lots of other acts. I think the last Inkigayo was actually better. Holding out hope for MBC Gayo!

Really enjoyed Hyori and CL's stage, even though Hyori kind of got overshadowed a bit by the end. Massive performance. (SBS keeps blocking/pulling videos off youtube so this low-quality versh will have to do for now).

2NE1 made 10asia's list of worst camerawork in 2013, as well as my list of best camerawork in 2011:

http://omonatheydidnt.livejournal.com/12408177.html

These are old, but I was just thinking about who I regretted not nominating for the ILX year-end poll, and Delight popped into my head... Frank or someone, you'll get them on the ballot right?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfySIP2KuqQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akUcMOsq72g

yeah, I saw the list and was going to ask you about Delight and "Love & Hate" not being there.
How does it work, can anyone nominate stuff? I wanna include "Pink Tape" too.

The groups I looked forward to seeing mostly kind of phoned it in on SBS, but there were nice surprises. I liked Lim Kim and Lee Hi (somehow never gave them a chance before) and the "Coming Of Age Ceremony" transition to Park Jiyoon was great, just kind of wish they'd done the whole song together. And "I Got A Boy" came across really well live.

Beast's stage on KBS was livelier:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwFEv72onqQ

man I have a total male fangirl reaction to them these days.

Junhyung's smirk.

I think anyone can nominate. I just sort of threw mine together, if I could do it over again I'd nominate Delight, Lim Kim, and maybe Sistar19 or 4minute for the album (EP) category. I was also thinking about nominating Hyorin-Love&Hate, Vixx-Voodoo Doll and Nine Muses-Gun, but decided not to because truthfully I've only listened to them once or twice.

Then there's critical/popular faves Lee Hyori (Monochrome), f(x) (Pink Tape - already nominated I think), EXO (XOXO), Zion.T (Red Light) and Dynamic Duo (Luckynumbers), but those are being covered a lot on other sites, anyway. Plus again I've only listened to them once or twice, hahs.

I personally enjoyed Lee Hi's album (2nd half), Seungri's EP (first half), and AA's EP, but I doubted anyone else would agree with me on those.

Speaking of Beast, someone commented in the bad camerawork post above with this amazing performance. Yobseob is <3

I have 29 nomination slots left just let me know what you guys want to nominate

Delight!!!

Also, some singles I considered but ended up not nominating:

Busy Signal - Same Way (NOTE: NOT KPOP)
f(x) - Shadow
f(x) - Step
LC9 - Mama Beat
Kim Sori - Dual Life
Myname - Just that Little Thing
N.SONIC - Lie
OKCAT - 옥캣송 (X-Mas Ver.)
Phanton ft. Navi - New Era
Shinhwa - This Love
Super Junior M - Breakdown
Taeyang - Ringa Linga
Tiny-G - Minimainimo
VIXX - On and On

U SHD GO WITH UR <3

Maybe Lee Hi ft. Jennie Kim - Special, too. Also I think the Jun Areia remix of IGAB is greater than the original.

Since we're still in the 2013 thread, did you hear BESTie's "Love Options"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPqtL1dtrlA

the Areia remix is groovy! I'm also growing to really like the original though.

I saw the live version, but it didn't really do justice to song, that's pretty nice!

Oh man, we're gonna need a 2014 thread soon... I nominate Rain's comeback for first song of the new year, the way IGAB and I Like That kicked off 2013.

Not that it's as good as either of those songs

But it's pretty nice and I like his high heels

That BESTie song is like the unholy lovechild of 4minute's What's Your Name and Heo Young Saeng's Art Of Seduction, LOL Brave Brothers.

But it's better than Art of Seduction.

I hear some Sistar in there, too!

Youtube comments say BESTie's U-Jin and SISTAR's Hyorin had the same vocal trainer and that's why they sound similar. I predict more songs that might have gone to SISTAR going to BESTie instead if they manage to get popular and/or if Brave Brothers likes them enough.

Speaking of South Korea's most famous freelance songwriter, the description of the guy BESTie reject at the beginning of Love Options (He’s too short and his face is too big/He’s too nice, he probably has a lot of girls/He brags about himself constantly) kind of resembles him.

THE FIRST SONG I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2014:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZbMgQ0huak

And it must be said that B1A4 were MVPs at all of the Gayos, nearly single-handedly saving KBS Gayo.

Oh wait, there's also this:

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

Minah sounding really great less the aegyo.

hahaha, oh boy, I hadn't heard "The Art Of Seduction" and thought the song was a bit new. Should've known there would be another piece to the puzzle we call Brave Brothers.

The thing for January appears to be the mature, sexy and/or sad sort of concept from formerly cute girl groups. Besides Girl's Day (really like the song btw), Dal Shabet and Rainbow are in on it too. Shinsadong Tiger is producing both. I like the idea of Rainbow BLAXX; am also looking forward to Sunmi's comeback.

Then there's a new TVXQ song, in tune with the other trend of swing band arrangements:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9HBT6sRSZ8

I'm dying for Nine Muses to try this. Though not a 4real musician, I was messing around trying to compose a Nine Muses-y song with similar instrumentation before it really caught on in k-pop; still think they would be the group best suited to it. (Mine even had the same chord progression, kinda, but sadly not that bassline.)

The Seeya finally got a song; not sure what to make of it yet. Probably need to hear a version that isn't all all carved up for the MV, but it doesn't seem to be as good as "Painkiller" or a lot of the stuff on Love U.

(and did I call it when I said "hope with the winter looming it'll be time for CCM to roll out The Seeya for some heartbreak and lost-love-longing again." It's pretty funny; literally every song they've done, album tracks included, has been about a tragic love. I like how blatantly they go for it but they're bound to run out of variations eventually.)

Before we move on to 2014, here's one more from Soompi's 2013 girl group debut montage, called Pungdeng-E:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLk3AROEvUo

They're hilarious, OMG.

Oh and here are the Soompi videos:

boys
girls

And one more that sounds like it could play on a year-end countdown:

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

Rainbow teasers look good, look forward to 'em! That TVXQ song is great too.

More on Pungdeng-e

"They sing and rap in different dialects of Korean depending on where they are from. Red hails from the Gyeongsang-do province while Blue is from the Jeolla-do province and Yellow, the lead vocalist, is from Seoul. And the producers of Pung Deng-E decided to keep each member's regional dialect intact - a rather unique approach not too common among the mainstream K-pop artists who perform strictly in standard Korean."

Pungdeng is great fun.

AMRT's latest, mmmmhmmm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2MvLbt4F-s

I added a couple of the missing nominations; 2Yoon, Delight, Rania, the CCM "Painkiller" collaboration and Hyolyn.

Pungdeng-e are adorable! Someone said they will be releasing an album this month.

I hope so!

Speaking of end of year nominations, I can't find the voting thread? Anyone got a link?