K-pop

Bah! I wanted to write something about K-Pop for another outlet but the thunder's being stolen left, right and centre. I hope the growing interest lasts longer than a few articles, though.

The up and coming Minneapolis duo Elite Gymnastics are very vocal K-Pop fanatics. They have a free mix here with a lot of K-Pop on it:

http://elitegymnastics.tumblr.com/post/8628044234/all-we-fucking-care-about-is-kpop-whitehouse-and-our

K-Pop is definitely a growing internet sensation among Western Audiences.

Sorry if that came off spammy - I really like these guys but they seem relevant to the "Is K-Pop going mainstream in the West?" discussion.

Ummm LOL ok that P'fork article is written by a dude from Elite Gymnastics.

Heh, yeah, I noticed they fronted k-pop in an interview there earlier, guess Pitchfork needed the expertise.

Well don't you think 4Minute's singles fit that category? The 'Huh's? Shinee's Lucifer? Some of 2NE1's hits? I think I might like DR Feelgood even better as far as Riley-produced girl group bangers go, though. Maybe we have different definitions of dirty bangers, but when Seo Taji and his followers put down the rules in the 90s they were basically about sounding dirty and loud.

BoA is more like.. a super-talented britney mixed with a bit of Ciara. Beyonce of k-pop.. Hyori fits the career trajectory of being too big for a big girl group and becoming the leading pop star in the country, all individuality and sass, but her music, style, voice, don't fit. Some people predict Sistar's Hyorin going that way, she's done beyonce dances on tv, her voice is great and rnb-y, she's been a solo star in 'Immortal Song', the singing contest where established artists battle eachother.

Pitchfork give their official take on k-pop http://pitchfork.com/features/articles/8700-to-anyone-the-rise-of-korean-wave/

― abcfsk, Wednesday, November 2, 2011 8:53 AM (8 hours ago) Bookmark

maybe some of 2NE1s? I listened to 4minute's latest album and their voices get buried underneath the production - it sounds like they're singing from the next room!

is there a k-pop 'goodies'?

if you could follow only one blog about k-pop news, and wanted to be on top of all the latest singles, what would it be?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fy4cqWMhyI

I do dig this (courtesy of http://maddieloveskpop.tumblr.com/post/12502584957 )

allkpop is the biggest - it's ridiculously big, there are 15 000 comments on the story about snsd releasing the boys video. they mostly translate gossipy tabloid korean stories, often infuriating stuff, but i do use them as the main source to know what is released and when. omonatheydidnt.livejournal.com process most of the allkpop stories and add some of their own, with a less childish crowd (although the ohnotheydidnt-ian demographic with all their "slayed" and "dead"s are capable enough of annoying on their own). so.. one of those two.

I follow some youtube users for more obscure pop releases.

that wonder girls song is so much in the vein of jyps miss a singles, but it's fun and catchy

'be my baby is great'

I like the little fakeout at the beginning with those low rubbery synths that have become associated with the 'k-pop dirty banger' but then the stadium synths drop in and it's just such a summery little song

but why did they release it in november :(

lots of people call it a christmas-y tune, though

T-ara's new MV is boinkers insane as per t-ara standards. tune is back to their first album vintage sound, sweeeet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ju79e8rM0c

ah, what's the song they're covering in the beginning?

oh wait, britney, right?

Just borrowing some of Max Martin's chords.

hah well part of it definitely sounds like oops I did it again... or baby one more time... can't remember which

Truly impressive performance from the Wonder Girls fans in this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPEYerkEl6c

Here's the Cry Cry audio http://youtu.be/AC9if2OBRyI

I reviewed the new Wonder Girls album on Burning Ambulance today.

that brown eyed girls single upthread is so massive. more aggressive disco strings everywhere, please

christ this whole wonder girls album is really solid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doXnuStEf2I

I love this egregious use of stadium synth by the wonder girls, does every song on the album use them?

It's not on the Wonder Girls 2011 album. You can probably hear that sort of thing on a few tracks, but the album is a bit of this and a bit of that, although surprisingly cohesive and... good.

Some noteworthy 2012 singles so far:
Nine Muses - News
Sunny Hill - The Grasshopper Song(or "hey fellow Koreans, let's not get consumed by work ethics and long hours")

I love how the Nine Muses cut off the final vowels in the chorus. Like hissing snakes.

meant to say something in this thread last year about the miss a record, on which every track is bangin'

I was a bit disappointed myself! But then I had heard almost all the songs as singles, and they were excellent, and then I'm left with the few new ones. Without that in mind it's a pretty great album.

Now a 2011 album which really surprised me with its high quality was SISTAR's So Cool.

You can enjoy SNSD on LIVE WITH KELLY Wednesday the 1st.

really like that nine lives song

nine muses, I'm sorry

They're also appearing on DAVID LETTERMAN. Too bad it's not their best single!

Then new Dal Shabet is good, has grown on me, packs a real punch. The video is a bit too violent for my taste.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhM4ossYcjg

But this.. industrial? metal? album track is also great: http://youtu.be/Ge5cM2nzkQI

I don't get this. How can you listen to songs like "Sorry Sorry" without feeling awkward? I turned it off after 10 seconds. Anyway, I enjoy 2NE1's "I Don't Care." What songs are similar to that?

Did you just look at the posts from two years ago? Anyway I don't know why I'd feel awkward listening to Sorry, Sorry even if it's not one of my favorites.

There have been a few I Don't Care-like synth rnb tunes since then.. maybe this http://youtu.be/8TybPXqzQ50

why would you feel awkward?

I like the revenge angle!

abcfsk: haha yeah, I just found this thread yesterday.

dayo: because it sounds, uh, (I don't know how to say this without offending someone) gay.

anyway here's my country's version of k-pop. these groups are very big here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSWtfW-94iA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48pGg0rZ0jU

You didn't really manage to not sound offensive, or make any sense.

this is not really k-pop but rather k-punk, but i figure this is a good as thread as any?

i've recently rediscovered crying nut after finding out that they're on spotify

http://open.spotify.com/track/0QJdScYJuZDw0SgICqJpqO
http://open.spotify.com/track/4og6Qix8vofFvC8UdZobEb

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

anyone know/like them?

Can't say I know them. Will check out.

Meanwhile

http://www.smpcdn.com/static/images/infographics/kpop-groups-infographic-soompi.png

Copy paste that image url somewhere else obviously.

Mind, this is just one site's work and their inclusion of some hip-hop groups/ vague definition of "idol groups" make it less than perfect.

does this look familiar?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6h2s8E7kDA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO9yFjodDtM

I tried following allkpop on google reader but there were like, 70 posts in a day. O_O

are there any k-pop blogs that are just the singles?

That Letterman performance is great! Not a top tier single but they sold it and the dance breaks were ooon point. Regis very excited.

And I don't know any k-pop blogs without gossip, unfortunately. Just check allkpop's twitter and hone in on "releases..".

lol yeah, I was just thinking how creepy it was that they came on right after two old white men were interviewed

http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyq75ivQaN1qf89zjo1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ6IHWSU3BX3X7X3Q&Expires=1328207970&Signature=wUhzKTffglYEv5uiKZ761%2BNy7ls%3D

!

lol I just posted that pic to the "photos of famous people you'd never expect to be together" thread. so great.

I was really surprised by their english accents! (mean that in as unoffensive a way as possible)