Pop world cuppers over at Freaky Trigger may have seen Korea Republic flaming out of the tournament today. A solid run, with one genuine classic, but it prob gave non-fans an impression of the korean mainstream as a very one-dimensional thing, ALL hyperactive, tuneless aggro-pop. Not true.
Evidence to come. But first, today, from Bloomberg, on the massive, PEACEmaking power of k-pop:
“South Korea broadcast a pop song extolling freedom of choice and a warning on the dangers of overeating into North Korea, ending a six-year moratorium on propaganda in retaliation for the sinking of a warship…
The propaganda broadcast made on FM radio began at 6 p.m. local time yesterday when a woman anchor announced what she called the “voice of freedom.” North Korean listeners were regaled with a song by a South Korean girl band, Four Minute.
In the tune, “Huh,” the band sings: “When I say I want to appear on TV, when I say I want to become prettier, everybody says I can’t do it. Baby, you’re kidding me? I do as I please…”
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=ai0hoXoCzgCw&pos=8
Obviously this song very much IS tuneless aggro-pop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daddHplnXEM
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 25 May 2010 10:43 (thirteen years ago) link
good on them. S. Korea has one of the most vibrant pop music scenes in the pacific rim.
― Face Book (dyao), Tuesday, 25 May 2010 13:11 (thirteen years ago) link
Some girl groups of the past year and a half have set the tone with the clinical dishwasher-in-the-mix madness, but listen to the biggest female star of the last seven years, Lee Hyori, and her comeback single this year:
Elegant and effortless, and a real grower.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQlNeXA_9bs
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 25 May 2010 21:24 (thirteen years ago) link
i have a very old tape of a seo-taiji album composed of mediocre boyband pop, techno and death metal, but it's interesting that they put these disparate genres all on the same album.
― Philip Nunez, Tuesday, 25 May 2010 21:44 (thirteen years ago) link
I'm kinda big fan of korean girl groups (and not for entirely musical reasons ;_;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAAfW9PvkrQ
― Face Book (dyao), Wednesday, 26 May 2010 00:53 (thirteen years ago) link
philip, I don't have much experience but I think it's quite common for Korean pop groups and maybe Asian pop groups in general to combine styles on albums
― Face Book (dyao), Wednesday, 26 May 2010 00:54 (thirteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9403-9CptH8
― Face Book (dyao), Wednesday, 26 May 2010 00:55 (thirteen years ago) link
A fellow Korean presents...
"Tell me your wish!" Collectively enticing, collectively hollow, and lost in lightsThis is where it's at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9dYLkmGuZs
― kaitokid05, Wednesday, 26 May 2010 09:49 (thirteen years ago) link
kaito knows where it's at. SNSD are always one step ahead of the pack, their singles are EVENTS. I've enjoyed mostly everything they do. Their debut single is sickly sweet but incredibly catchy, and the sweetness belies the lyrics' emotions. Sentimental as I am I couldn't help reading a little korean history into its title, and ponder the changes pop culture has brought on the confucian attitudes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRBXRZzrvtQ
"Hot Issue" and "Bo Beep" are not my favorite tunes, although I like both groups. They're better when they add a little melody. T-ara's album is really solid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-HG2Z6M4ww
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 26 May 2010 10:42 (thirteen years ago) link
wow SNSD are pretty great! I'm very much a neophyte w/r/t this stuff, the two I posted were just what I scribbled down from a thai music channel's top 20 countdown. hah
what else should I be checking out? the last korean group I really got into was H.O.T. ;_;
― Face Book (dyao), Wednesday, 26 May 2010 14:20 (thirteen years ago) link
Check out every SNSD single first I guess. Otherwise, let's go through it artist for artist. To offer a contrast to SNSD, here's 2NE1 and their very American, Polow da Don-sounding, arrogant girlfriend-fronting hit "I Don't Care":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MgAxMO1KD0
But this year they also did a uniquely, 100% Korean single, "Try To Follow Me". It took a little time to settle, and seems like a bit of a marmite song, but to me it's incredibly attractive in a freewheeling, ramshackle way. The girls jump on the out-of-control track and tackle whatever obstacle that hits them. Bang-a-bang-a-bang, bang-a-bang-a-bang!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAJ6Xk9bnew
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 26 May 2010 23:05 (thirteen years ago) link
I'm not too keen on the sports-ignited nationalism, but this is otherwise fantastic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt8Mnvdp6S0&feature=related
― Philip Nunez, Wednesday, 26 May 2010 23:18 (thirteen years ago) link
God, I love subtly played ballads which pull it all off. This is glorious, mysterious, moving. The lyrics are great, fyi.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tyilXRSlCQ
Mind, I also love a grandose ballad of UNBEARABLE emotions.. Listen through to the end and hear BoA emoting with every breath she takes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49G4Gt1E1YE
― abcfsk, Thursday, 27 May 2010 22:05 (thirteen years ago) link
The 'Applegirl' (김여희) who went viral a few months back with Gaga and Beyonce covers performed on four ipods has just released a 3-track single with her self-penned material, and it's great!
'My Music', a simple song which heads straight for a climax of melody and intensity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF42AM1v-mg
Here's her doing 'Slow Motion' by Karinahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VTOwtL6RE0
― abcfsk, Sunday, 30 May 2010 21:48 (thirteen years ago) link
wow @ 'my music!' that girl's got a set of pipes.
― pokám0n (dyao), Monday, 31 May 2010 00:28 (thirteen years ago) link
I think I've listened to the song 5 times in a row now. thank god the youtube link make it so easy to acquire!
― pokám0n (dyao), Monday, 31 May 2010 00:42 (thirteen years ago) link
K-pop taking over Japan:
http://snsdkorean.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/2cqk2sg.jpg
Recent k-pop highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqxmS2djm2ghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiJsDQiw3j4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ8QUqnK3vQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt6jNIcpbH8k/j-pop:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bs0C0rKwzo
― abcfsk, Saturday, 24 July 2010 09:19 (thirteen years ago) link
the synth sounds in that shinee song are like catnip to me
― You’re going off of her word that the farmer’s wife is the farmer’s wife? (dyao), Monday, 26 July 2010 22:21 (thirteen years ago) link
It's you and I, dyao, we'll stroll into the k-pop sunset singing high-budget production pop tunes all the way.
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 27 July 2010 09:10 (thirteen years ago) link
Main HBIC BoA with her korean comeback.. so self-confident she's basically gloating. Awesome, even though I prefer her rnb material.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqmaH915m6k
― abcfsk, Friday, 6 August 2010 17:17 (thirteen years ago) link
Lots of great material in here, thanks to everyone's contributions. I must confess I came across K-Pop via Super Junior, the 13 (!) member boy band/pop culture sensation of Korea. "Sorry, Sorry" is as good an intro as any, although there is much more on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qWp1p1cpE0
Because they have so many members there are sub-groups made up of various member configurations with names like "Super Junior-M" and (my favorite) "Super Junior Happy." I think concept trumps the actual music in the case of Super Junior but I can't help but be utterly fascinated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pit7RS4mPI0
― MFB, Friday, 6 August 2010 17:50 (thirteen years ago) link
True, and here's a nice SNSD (the five lead vocalists) take on 'Sorry Sorry'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkMdA7zsjn8
― abcfsk, Friday, 6 August 2010 18:14 (thirteen years ago) link
super junior t is the best!! srsly this song is 1x actual jam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K2R1Mw2IzI
(nb i have not really listened to any other suju)
these two playlists of kpop are good: http://bunnybissoux.blogspot.com/2010/06/where-did-all-k-pop-go.html
― the dialectic of specs (c sharp major), Friday, 6 August 2010 18:44 (thirteen years ago) link
wait are they called super junior m because they sing in mandarin? that's some breaking-the-chinese-market strategy they've got going there.
― the dialectic of specs (c sharp major), Friday, 6 August 2010 18:50 (thirteen years ago) link
Yeah they're basically some guys from Super Junior teamed up with two Chinese stars for Chinese market K-pop crossover potential. I *think* all their singles come out in Korean and Mandarin versions, though that may not be 100% accurate.
― MFB, Friday, 6 August 2010 18:53 (thirteen years ago) link
how do they usually get the mandarin sounding ok? software or ringers?
― Philip Nunez, Friday, 6 August 2010 19:03 (thirteen years ago) link
tbh the mandarin doesn't sound very ok
― dyao, Friday, 6 August 2010 19:19 (thirteen years ago) link
This is too sweet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI2OD-rIx6Y
― abcfsk, Friday, 6 August 2010 19:24 (thirteen years ago) link
These guys are on some sort of revival mission, and it's earworming its way into my heart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IldrTU6n5rI
― abcfsk, Saturday, 7 August 2010 21:35 (thirteen years ago) link
^Great stuff and different from most of the K-Pop I've heard^
Thanks for posting.
― FRESH MEAT (MFB), Saturday, 7 August 2010 21:40 (thirteen years ago) link
yes, that is really nice! great summer jam, glad it showed up while there's still some summer left.
― dyao, Sunday, 8 August 2010 01:00 (thirteen years ago) link
Starting today I'll go through all the #1 winners on long-running k-chart show "Music Bank", from September 2007 and onwards (because that's when Wiki starts listing every winner)... why not?
07-09-2007: Big Bang - Lies (3 non-consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=DZFaUp2PADM
"So sick of love songs", like Ne-Yo. Gets pretty grim lyrically. The melody sounds a little simple today, nothing much happens in the verses except for the quite good rapping. Big Bang have done better, but at their blandest they're still ok. The bass beat is a plus. 6/10
14-09-2007: FT Island - Lovesick (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=5bCr4Imp0Ts
Very little here to seperate it from countless other bombastic Asian rock songs, strings and all, but the melody is pleasant enough and I'm sure it's fun to belt out at your local noraebang. 5/10
― abcfsk, Monday, 9 August 2010 22:46 (thirteen years ago) link
I like this idea!
― if, Monday, 9 August 2010 22:56 (thirteen years ago) link
These first ones are bit boring so I'll go through a few more.
21-09-2007: Kang Jin - Ddang Beol (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=xup0ZFR2MjM
Simpler times, only three years ago. I very much doubt a trot (korean folk pop) song could win a chart show award today, and why should it? This is aimed squarely at older women, and since these tv shows count viewer votes as well I'm not really sure why it did win back in 07. I hear it featured in a movie, and the singer could charm the pants off your grandma. In any case it's trot on autopilot. 2/10
12-10-2007 FT Island - Thunder (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=UDmBGSH1tYo
Another one from these 20 year old guys, who - with their plodding songs - sound at least 20 years older than that. Slower and more careful than their previous #1, and a little more boring. 4/10
02-11-2007 Wonder Girls - Tell Me (2 consecutive weeks, 5 weeks in total + year-end win) -- youtube.com/watch?v=GFW1zxz9BDs
Wonder Girls broke some commercial milestones in Korea, but I've never cared for them. The songs and the girls are too bland (blame producer/boss JYP for the songs), and the fact that they have become the artists with the biggest push to break the American market is truly sad and has probably ruined opportunities for better-fit artists - past AND future. But this is by far their best song, flirty and light on its feet. 8/10
― abcfsk, Monday, 9 August 2010 23:38 (thirteen years ago) link
16-11-2007 Insooni - 거위의 꿈 (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=98cBKB4Vbzs
Revered Korean singer with Korean mother and African American father, and a 30 year career behind her. It's difficult to claim she doesn't deserve some awards, and the song sounds particularly nice performed live, where her personality shines through more than on record. 6/10
(Weeks of repeat winners and album chart shows follow)
21-12-2007 Big Bang - Last Farewell -- youtube.com/watch?v=7B2SyAf7EB4
Big Bang are already back! It's not hard to see why they dominated 2007 -- they do the modern RnB game dominated by Americans without coming off as second rate copycats, and they're explosive performers. This one's slightly better than "Lies". 7/10
2008 coming up.
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 10 August 2010 20:59 (thirteen years ago) link
18-01-2008 Ha-ha - You Are My Destiny (2 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=Kql1GbYHi9o
It's worth reminding new, casual k-pop listeners that the aggressive electro pop spearheaded by groups such as 4Minute and copied by many is a recent trend and not the foundation of all k-pop (nor is it necessarily what sells the most now). This is about as mellow and passive as pop gets, a slight retro tune with few ideas spread thinly, but apparently with a hummable enough tune to give Mr Ha-Ha two weeks at the top. 4/10
15-02-2008 Park Ji Heon - The Day I Miss You (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=EpaIkOUA0gg
Mid-tempo ballad, lifted from a movie soundtrack, which just bores me endlessly. 2/10
22-02-2008 Brown Eyed Girls - LOVE (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=cof6QXhkOUA
This is interesting. B.E.G re-invented themselves (found their true calling) in 2009 with smash hit 'Abracadabra', and this first chart #1 from them is anonymous in comparison. Not bad, though - an airy chorus and pleasantness without sugary sweetness. Talented rapper Miryo is given parts, but her pizzaz fits better with the group's later material. 6/10
29-02-2008 Girls' Generation (SNSD) - Kissing You (February chart) -- youtube.com/watch?v=CRNANAUOIsM
My least favorite SNSD single because it's too satisfied with its own sweetness. Everything is harmony here, the girl even describing how her and her boo's feet synchronize when strolling along. "고마워 사랑해 행복만 줄게요" - "I only want to give you happiness, thank you and love you", uck! Too much. It's still catchy enough for a 6/10.
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 10 August 2010 23:38 (thirteen years ago) link
thanks for doing this! some real gems, but also some real stinkers. electropop, girl groups really are the best.
― dyao, Wednesday, 11 August 2010 01:29 (thirteen years ago) link
^ It's interesting to note the relative slim girl group pickings in the charts "back then". Now they're everywhere and new ones are popping up monthly. Girls' Generation were absent for almost the whole of 2008 and really weren't very popular among the general public.
07-03-2008 Jewelry - One More Time (7(!) consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=Dzkfz9UWu_E
Maybe that's why people loved the girl group hits they got so much? The few groups winning awards this year accounted for a lot of the weeks, combined. This is a straight remake of In-Grid's (remember Tu-Es-Foutu?) song and the European sound appealed to a lot of people. The appeal mainly comes from the same sampled gimmick as In-Grid's bigger hit. The song was bigger than the group, though, and they still haven't won another first place. 6/10
25-04-2008 Lee Seung-gi - I Will Give You Everything (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=G36N_Sem2So
Male ballad singer searches for ways to sufficiently pay back his girlfriend for being the most amazingly warm and caring person on earth. Fine and gentle, but very predictable unexciting. 3/10
02-05-2008 MC Mong - Circus (5 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=TTUclwr-Jo0
It's the year of the huge hits. Funnyman and hip-hopper Mong calls out the naysayers with a big sing-a-long chorus and what sounds like an organ - apparently it's also the year of the aerophone instruments. 6/10
06-06-2008 Wonder Girls - So Hot (5 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=lmun5PO54VE
In 2008 Wonder Girls were the biggest pop stars in Korea. This sounds really amazing for the first minute, but fails to take it all the way to 'masterpiece'. I had still underrated severely it in the back of my mind, though, but it IS the last good single they released. K-pop fans' opinions are split on the obligatory rap bits in so many pop singles (and designated rap members in girl groups), but why not? It's not like it doesn't fit as a bridge here. 8/10
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 11 August 2010 12:46 (thirteen years ago) link
Here's a K-Pop/J-Pop piece that Jaime Lowe wrote for the Voice 10 years ago, fwiw:
http://www.villagevoice.com/2000-02-01/music/so-much-difference/
― xhuxk, Wednesday, 11 August 2010 15:04 (thirteen years ago) link
That's interesting.. so much has changed in those ten years. "Low-tech" and "less money, less makeup" are probably the least fitting descriptions possible of the music and videos these days, although "a world unto itself, yet steeped in references" still describes it perfectly.---
18-07-2008 Davichi - Love and War (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=V97rRGbO94o
Davichi are a female dance pop duo who specialize in slightly schlager-ish tunes. Most of their singles are perfectly listenable, ranging from a 6 to a 7 - this one gets a 6/10.
25-07-2008 Brown Eyes - Don't Go Don't Go (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=6VoUgXgDeGQ
Grand ballad. Male singer. About what you'd expect, but the video goes way beyond that. 3/10
01-08-2008 Lee Hyori - U-Go-Girl (3 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=kRhwgQyyy6Q
For me, one of the quintessential k-pop singles. Cut-up and crazy, the intensity waxes and wanes through talk-singy, sprightly verses and a chorus which speeds things up and directs a frightening barrage of heavy beats in the general direction of the listener. The bridge, meanwhile, takes the concept of "several songs in one" to a mad new level. "U-Go-Girl" is everything that's both appealing about k-pop to so many and slightly baffling to others, and its catchiness lies in a certain je ne sais quoi of rhythm, repetition and power which may escape listeners out for a sugary pop fix. Adding to all of this the lyrics are funny and great, so I'm linking to a translated video. 10/10
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 11 August 2010 18:49 (thirteen years ago) link
Sorry, I guess that's actually the post-chorus* or second part of the chorus.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 11 August 2010 18:50 (thirteen years ago) link
Girl groups knocked it out the fucking park yesterday. Three major new singles revealed.
Amazing:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6jnCTkojOM
Sort of amazing (but with less glee): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKliL9QyFTQ
― abcfsk, Thursday, 12 August 2010 08:56 (thirteen years ago) link
Forgot the Rich Harrison one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x14FT5_hm04
― abcfsk, Thursday, 12 August 2010 09:59 (thirteen years ago) link
what's going on in that brown eyes video :o
― dyao, Friday, 13 August 2010 01:47 (thirteen years ago) link
catching up
22-08-2008 Big Bang - Day By Day (5 non-consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=MzCbEdtNbJ0
This is a fairly standard recipe for a k-pop rnb ballad - some angry-sounding rap parts contrasted with a bitter-sweet chorus, preferably featuring a weeping piano. I see now that girl group After School never won a Music Bank #1 with their hit "Because of You", but I recommend checking that one out for a prime example of this formula. That one's maybe strong 8/10, this a 5/10.
29-08-2008 Seo Tae-ji - Moai (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=tq_jBNAMb9g
Some sort of hymn to the statues of Eastern Island. Got nothing to say about this. 2/10
03-10-2008 Wonder Girls - Nobody (4 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=3cspKsfe3VY
This is the song Wonder Girls later translated to English to try and break the American market with. This!? It's a limp, false appropriation of a 'retro' sound, with none of the explosiveness of the music it wants to be. And live, it's even more depressing, so you can imagine my disgust watching the prime-time So You Think You Can Dance performance of this song, realizing how long it would be until a k-pop artist got the same slot again. 5/10
31-10-2008 TVXQ - Mirotic (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=HtJS32n6LNQ
Crackling synth rnb. Not so much about the melody as the producer's warm carpet of sounds, but there are some nice harmonies from the boys here. 7/10
07-11-2008 Kim Jong-kook - Today More Than Yesterday (2 consec weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=YSMmJV8-Qys
Big muscular guy turns out to be soft as a feather in every way. Sympathetic enough. 5/10
21-11-2008 Big Bang - Sunset Glow (2 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=vkRmw_vADS8
They're back! And throw away the anger to put on the party hats, in the process becoming far less boring. Celebratory synth cascades, hungry performers and even some sing-a-long potential. Good times. 8/10
05-12-2008 Baek Ji-Young - Being Hit by a Bullet (5 non-consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=1unBAP6xvhw
This must've hit some note with the Korean public... Baek's got a pretty long history there, with a sometimes troubled career, so that might explain the resonance. Does very little for me, this ballad. 4/10
That's it for 2008.
― abcfsk, Monday, 16 August 2010 10:25 (thirteen years ago) link
It's 2009, and suddenly all the songs are good.
16-01-2009 SNSD (Girls' Generation) - Gee (9 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=U7mPqycQ0tQ
Greatest song ever made. 10/10
20-03-2009 Davichi - 8282 (2 non-consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=Z-QX7Fe71fA
Wonderfully melodramatic stomper. As they're wont to do, Davichi have put two songs in one, one slow and one fast, which seemingly don't fit at all. I thought this was a 7/10, but right now it feels novel enough for a 8/10.
27-03-2009 Super Junior - Sorry Sorry (5 non-consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=x6QA3m58DQw
"Sorry Sorry" and "Gee" being released around the same probably did most of the work launching k-pop as an internet phenomenon with millions of video views, and k-pop blogs launching every day. The echo of "Sorry Sorry"s repetitive synthesized sound is heard in many k-pop boyband singles later on. 8/10
01-04-2009 Son Dam-Bi - Saturday Night (2 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=Q-OWotWibTg&
Rollerskates! That makes it disco, right? Light-hearted pop funk. Yes, I think it would work very well on a saturday night. 7/10
― abcfsk, Monday, 16 August 2010 13:23 (thirteen years ago) link
Some news about the Korean Wave.. KARA becomes the first Korean girl-group to enter the Japanese Oricon chart's top 10, at number 5, with 'Mister'. SNSD are entering the market in September and if logic prevails they should do even better.
And 2nd best girl group 2NE1 are releasing their first full-length album in September. Here's the twist: They're semi-simultaneously going for the American market, and several tracks on the album have been produced by will.i.am. Apparently he's gonna help them achieve better things there than other k-pop artists have done. Well, I guess he deserves some credit for Cheryl's success in Europe. Hopefully longtime label producer Teddy will have more to say on the music side of things. http://i939.photobucket.com/albums/ad234/abcfsk/2nepants-o.gif
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 17 August 2010 17:55 (thirteen years ago) link
22-05-2009 Super Junior - It's You (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=7ErgffP0wVw
Instantly appealing RnB smoothy with a sneaky, restless clap percussion. It's a beautiful song, but its haunting, intimate atmosphere makes you question what each of the 13 members is contributing to it. 8/10
05-06-2009 Shinee - Juliette (2 non-consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=kCzDYBGbx-M
Scritti Politti perfectly channeled via Korean boyband. These guys can seriously dance, but a better example is that of their debut single "Noona you're so pretty" (why didn't it chart on Music Bank? It was a hit). For a long time these guys stood out among the Korean boybands as something different, more casually confident. I'm not such big a fan of their latest single, though. 8/10
12-06-2009 2pm - Again and Again (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=wLiLn91TKzc
A brilliant, simple hook to the beat. The song mostly lives up to it, finding a spooky, desperate core. 8/10
03-07-2009 2pm - I Hate You (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=kx4KtnTIG1o
Over-autotuned, bit of a mess. 4/10
10-07-2009 SNSD (Girls' Generation) - Tell Me Your Wish (Genie) (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=6SwiSpudKWI
A thumping synth pop thing performed with military precision fitting of its naval uniforms. Truly one of the most irrestible electro pop songs made last decade, partly because it doesn't feel the need to blow a whole load of half-cooked ideas (typical of so many chilly electro pop songs) at one time, or banal prettiness, instead playing up a chorus of crystallized FORCE, all the girls energy focused on one spot ('NAN.NEOL.SARANG-HAE'). 10/10
17-07-2009 2NE1 - I Don't Care (5 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=4MgAxMO1KD0
Girl power hits k-pop! Independent women proclaim that, well, if you're like THAT I won't bother with you in the future and NO, I won't shed a tear about it. Hell, "from now on I'll be a bad girl who makes guys cry". These girls are crazy good, as fiery characters in the small stories of their music videos, as performers with an aura of comfort around them, as singers and rappers. YES we do believe that they're this tough, and the sing-a-long chorus is as catchier than any other RnB anthem of 2009. This was their second single. The first single 'Fire' is crasser, more hip-hop-y and almost as good. 10/10
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 18 August 2010 22:23 (thirteen years ago) link
whoa, 'sunset glow'!
― ? (dyao), Saturday, 21 August 2010 00:21 (thirteen years ago) link
K-pop is currently holding five out of ten Twitter trending topics. If you guys want to be hip with the world wide web kids you better get on this train now, bros.
― abcfsk, Saturday, 21 August 2010 11:02 (thirteen years ago) link
'My Music', a simple song which heads straight for a climax of melody and intensity: http://www.youtube.com/v/PF42AM1v-mg&fs=1&hl=en
Here's her doing 'Slow Motion' by Karinahttp://www.youtube.com/v/0VTOwtL6RE0&fs=1&hl=en
― abcfsk, Monday, May 31, 2010 5:48 AM (2 months ago) Bookmark
yo abcfsk has she done anything since? I downloaded the three track single and all three of them are such jams, they are among my most played songs of the year
― ? (dyao), Sunday, 22 August 2010 01:34 (thirteen years ago) link
No I don't think so. She got to perform twice on prime time music tv, but I don't know how much she sold. I'm sure the label didn't expect too much, it was a low-key deal, so I hope an album is in the works. She did a short English version of 'My Song' on youtube: youtube.com/watch?v=JLBNf79oB8k -
― abcfsk, Sunday, 22 August 2010 11:29 (thirteen years ago) link
BoA performs one my favorite ballads off her new album
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkTlbRnWcyc
― abcfsk, Monday, 23 August 2010 09:17 (thirteen years ago) link
TIME: "Korean Pop, with Online Help, Goes Global" http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2013227,00.html?xid=rss-world-huffpo#ixzz0xiGGmrlS
Not much new, talks a little about 2NE1's American venture, and some new quotes from Taeyang -- who's just released the international version of his very, very good RNB album. It's doing quite well on the itunes RNB charts around the world. For dyao it mentions that Kim Yeo Hee will release a new single in September.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 26 August 2010 14:09 (thirteen years ago) link
is there a full-on subgenre of christian kpop, or is it isolated to the odd song here and there?
― Philip Nunez, Friday, 27 August 2010 00:17 (thirteen years ago) link
What particular songs are you thinking of? Or are you just asking in general?
― abcfsk, Friday, 27 August 2010 10:26 (thirteen years ago) link
21-08-2009 Brown Eyed Girls - Abracadabra (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=OIUk0vzhOdw
Here's the tune where relative veterans B.E.G re-invented themselves as edgy and won a lot of new fans. "You'll change me into something bad" they say, but they're pretty bad already here. Irresistible verses trump the chorus. 8/10
28-08-2009 G-Dragon - Heartbreaker (5 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=LOXEVd-Z7NE
Big Bang's bad boy goes solo. Attitude and pizzazz, but too much autotune. 6/10
02-10-2009 Kim Tae-Woo - Love Rain (3 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=kBP2blvEWtY
Soft, big boy with a ballad that's uplifting and pointed towards the sky. Better pompous and fairly catchy than subtle and boring in this case. 6/10
23-10-2009 Leessang - The Girl Who Can't Break Up, The Boy Who Can't Leave (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=4oCLl4f21N4
Soul-sampling hip-hop number, sounds a little like 00's American soul-sampling hip-hop, maybe like Kanye-produced Common. It's catchy, the guy attacks every line with a sympathetic aggression. 7/10. Lee Hyori stars in the video.
30-10-2009 Shinee - Ring Ding Dong (2 weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=roughtzsCDI
First step down the road to Autotune madness for Shinee. It works here, at least. I think a pop world cup commenter compared it to Crazy Frog. It's got some of that potentially headache-inducing repetitiveness, but there's an actual construction on top of the beat here, a real song, at times powerful. 7/10
13-11-2009 SS501 - Love Like This (2 weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=UMD5QXM47aI
Sped-up and slowed-down synth rnb number. The record buying public probably found it to be a nice easy listening contrast to Shinee's aural attack. Pleasant. 6/10
27-11-2009 2PM - Heartbeat (4 weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=bKtvDv7eykg
Opens promisingly with spoken-word intensiveness and restraint.. and then becomes a little too predictable and pretty. Strong 6/10. Impressive dance stunts in performances.
― abcfsk, Friday, 27 August 2010 13:16 (thirteen years ago) link
I just googled christian k-pop, and the only thing that seemed to come up were references to specific songs that were devotional,and groups that i suspect are stateside inventions, but there doesn't seem to be a secular/christian divide in k-pop proper.
I've been reading this book on the weird world of bizarro christian culture and it seems the only genre of music that doesn't havea christian counterpart is country, presumably because it is already ideologically consonant with christian culture so it'd beredundant to cultivate a mirror one.
i suppose the question to ask is if there are any outspokenly atheist k-pop groups?
― Philip Nunez, Friday, 27 August 2010 16:59 (thirteen years ago) link
I doubt anyone have come out as officially atheist as part of their group image. Other than that there are openly Christian group members of course (many pop idols go to the same bible study), but nothing of that seeps through to lyrics or image. I'm sure there are some christian bands on a grassroot level I don't know, though. In SNSD several members are outspokenly religious while one (Taeyeon, the leader) is a self-proclaimed (from a q&a) atheist.
If there are 'christian k-pop' groups they don't show up on the charts.
― abcfsk, Friday, 27 August 2010 17:25 (thirteen years ago) link
"(Taeyeon, the leader) is a self-proclaimed (from a q&a) atheist."this is interesting! how would a question like this come up?
― Philip Nunez, Friday, 27 August 2010 19:49 (thirteen years ago) link
I don't remember exactly the context, it was in their debut days, a question and answer deal. I think it came up because Tiffany is very open about being a devout Christian so others were asked about religion as well.
― abcfsk, Friday, 27 August 2010 22:32 (thirteen years ago) link
Two older youtubes I really like.
SNSD doing 90s K-rock ballad standard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2etcTYbmQKw
Minzy & CL of 2NE1 doing their crazy hip hop bangerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdmX-g2SGk8
― abcfsk, Saturday, 28 August 2010 18:14 (thirteen years ago) link
Thanks for all your work in this thread abcfsk. This place is a real pleasure.
― FRESH MEAT (MFB), Saturday, 28 August 2010 19:21 (thirteen years ago) link
^^^^^^^^^^^^
― dayo, Sunday, 29 August 2010 01:29 (thirteen years ago) link
^Thanks. I like doing it for selfish reasons as well, puts things in context, makes me re-evaluate songs and discover new ones.
01-01-2010 T-ara - Bo Peep Bo Peep (2 weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=9403-9CptH8
May be my least favourite T-Ara single, but if the nagging chorus does get under your skin it can stay there for a while. Take a look at the video, the cutesy-sounding song curiously soundtracking a seedy late night tale of sex and supernatural mischief. 6/10
15-01-2010 Ga-In & Jo-Kwon - We Fell In Love (2 consec weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=_9Asvi99NOc
Context: Ga-In & Jo-Kwon participate in a show called 'We Got Married', a sort of celeb reality show where two stars are paired and go through a 'fake marriage' -- that is, getting a house or apartment, going on trips, and doing flirty things that really have very little to do with an actual marriage. It's a bizarre concept, but you can see why it's popular. The audience gets a romance that feels half way between make-believe and reality, where you're not really sure what's what, some couples getting closer to eachother than others and at least one previous actor couple ending up as real-life lovers afterwards. Many of the participants are pop idols who really can't openly date in their everyday life, and some speculate that this is an excuse to do so - it was recently revealed that they can set up a wish list to the producers of people they want to be coupled with. Personally I think it's pretty entertaining because it's so incredibly awkward. These two are currently the longest-running couple still on the show, and they recorded a duet together. It definitely wouldn't have done as well without the public loving their on-screen struggles. 4/10
29-01-2010 CN BLue - I'm A Loner (1 week on top) youtube.com/watch?v=qrXFPmQPTkk
Indie rock! Using the British definition of the term, "jangly guitar music band with a magazine-friendly image". Funnily enough the lead singer is currently seen on the aforementioned 'We Got Married'. It's fairly boring and lifeless stuff. 4/10 Here's a Korean 'indie' tune I quite like: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcc58d_mv-hey-gravity-yyyy_music
05-02-2010 SNSD (Girls' Generation) - Oh! (5 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=TGbwL8kSpEk
Initially a disappointment, as I felt it went too directly for the simple sweetness, it has now grown to become one of my favorite singles of the year. I'm not sure I can pinpoint why, except that I haven't tired of the repeated "ah-ah-ah-ah"s and "oh-oh-oh-oh"s or the honest charm of the melody. The lyrics are on the dumb side, "o-o-o-oppa (brother/older guy) I love you", all passive love and adoration. But take a peek at the end of the music video to see how they're actively playing up the contrast between this and their next single. 8/10
12-03-2010 KARA - Lupin (3 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=YpQWfyOOZqA
Normally KARA serve as the cuter, less edgy version of SNSD, but this time they bring in the tribal drums and black suits to prove a point. It worked! Although it sounded a bit aimless to me at first, I found myself returning to it again and again. It's got a coolness to it, I like the odd "hallo, hallo" (or 'hella, hella') shouts, the sense of urgency, and the horror screams. 8/10
02-04-2010 SNSD (Girls' Generation) - Run Devil Run (2 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=iYaLI1iFt-4
Back in black! It's fascinating how carefully the one-two knockout of Oh! and this were planned, with one video linking to the other, and the male fantasy female portrayed in the first discovering girl power and a 'we fuck you' attitude. After the passive lover role the girls played in Oh, they realize they're too good to just let the 'oppa' do what he wants with them. "I told you to make the most of my love" is a wonderfully arrogant line. I love the fact that when SNSD go electro they stay away from the kitchen-sink production and tuneless autotune mess and instead find a tune as sophisticated as this. 8/10
― abcfsk, Sunday, 29 August 2010 11:22 (thirteen years ago) link
How many have heard the late 80s rock hit SNSD were named after?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaeokzJqHDk
Of course the cover version of it was released as their second single.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iiZvsOmF6A
― abcfsk, Monday, 30 August 2010 15:44 (thirteen years ago) link
16-04-2010 Rain - Love Song (3 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=kx5COTBjcNc
He's just cruising on his fame at this point, isn't he? Not taking any risks or doing anything interesting to those of us who aren't members of his fan club. 2/10
07-05-2010 2PM - Without U(2 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=pB4920B2l5g
I appreciate the effort to push the song beyond what the fairly standard chorus would suggest, and there are interesting production tricks here. Ultimately, though, it ends in disappointment where the climax should be. 6/10
21-05-2010 Super Junior - Bonamana (3 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=tSOSxwEWFA4
The songwriter behind "Sorry Sorry" really fell in love with autotune and sharp sounds at some point, penning the previously reviewed "Ring Ding Dong" and the forthcoming "Lucifer", both from Shinee, plus this. I think he's gone too far. At the same time, he's got SOMETHING. The chorus is lacking in melody, but something tells me I should hum it for hours afterwards. Opinions would be appreciated. 6/10
11-06-2010 SS505 - Love Ya (2 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=VprGHf3-144
Comically grand tune from boyband veterans. Pleasing chorus. 6/10
02-07-2010 IU & Seulong - Nagging (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=lC4dyX-BssI
IU is the sweetest, most charming and sympathetic new character in k-pop. A huge voice and wiz on the guitar with a knack for knocking out fantastic cover versions of every new k-pop hit, but without the perfect song of her own. My suggestion: Let her write it herself and perform it w/ guitar. Guaranteed smash. Anyway, this duet is probably a tad too simple, but for me it's the right kind of simple. 7/10
09-07-2010 Super Junior - No Other (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=LICj7J0lQME
This is how I dig my SJ, to be honest, sweeter and less hectic. Too pretty? Maybe, but I'd argue that the word-packed chorus freshens up the song enough to avoid sugar shock. 7/10
Finishing this up in the next post.
― abcfsk, Friday, 3 September 2010 22:10 (thirteen years ago) link
16-07-2010 Taeyang - I Need A Girl (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=nWq4evFjYrU
Seductive rnb which follows in the wake of other 'soft men' rnb singers who are not so much demanding that girls come to them, as pleading that they give them a chance, promising the earth and the stars. He wants "a girl who's good at eating the kimchi fried rice I make" instead of one who's making it for him. And he's making a potent distinction in saying, "even though we've got different interests, we share the same taste". Lovely stuff. Dara from 2NE1 plays the arrogant, dangerously beautiful 'girl' in the video. 9/10
23-07-2010 miss A - Bad Girl Good Girl (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=o7f3lx9fNfE
Rookie girl group. I didn't like the song at firs, found it anonymous-sounding, but then I didn't really listen to it. The sound is nothing too original, sure, but there's a conviction to the delivery and a power behind the words. And twas the lyrics which made me want to give the song a second chance -- they're taking names and calling out hypocrisy and I find myself thinking of these girls as the real deal. 8/10
06-08-2010 SHINee - Lucifer (1 week on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=Dww9UjJ4Dt8
The third installment in our autotune trilogy and a real hot mess. There's not a trace of melody here, and I can't think of many songs as extreme as this charting anywhere. But this time it's too hectic, too inaccessible, too unfriendly. The fans must see it differently. 5/10
13-07-2010 BoA - Hurricane Venus (3 consecutive weeks on top) -- youtube.com/watch?v=vz7Gstx5ogk
How sweet to end this round-up with BoA, and to see her successful in Korea again after five years in Japan (with a short American stay). I prefer her in RnB mode, but Hurricane Venus flaunts a huge chorus, and BoA sells it. The live performances have been stunning and worth the entry price no matter the song-- her stage presence and dance moves are second to none in the world of pop. 7/10
-------And those are the Music Bank winners. Disappointingly some of my favorite hits hadn't actually won, but that was that.
― abcfsk, Friday, 3 September 2010 23:12 (thirteen years ago) link
great work! after all that, the ones that I ended up getting:
big bang - sunset glowSNSD - geeIU & Seulong - naggingtaeyang - I need a girl
think I need to come back to this and go through the songs more thoroughly. but for the moment, I am k-pooped.
― dayo, Sunday, 5 September 2010 11:59 (thirteen years ago) link
Will wait for abcfsk to weigh in on the 2NE1 three-in-one-day onslaught before trying to form my own opinion, but just want to link the tag for the K-pop discussions we've been having on my lj, if anyone wants to join in.
― Frank Kogan, Sunday, 12 September 2010 08:33 (thirteen years ago) link
For reference, the three singles and music videos they released in one day are:
Go Away - youtube.com/watch?v=3yW13T2sfKgClap Your Hands - youtube.com/watch?v=ZTw-UM5Jy4ECan't Nobody - youtube.com/watch?v=Ihi_kJJj_8A
I listened to the album a few times before I watched the videos so I've had some time with the songs. At first I had to accept that they're not really the pure hip-hop/rnb group of 'I Don't Care', but a uniquely Korean urban brand of their own. "A sound that's not quite anything I've ever heard" as Frank says. 'Go Away's bittersweet and catchy melody makes it the most straightforward of the three songs, so it's no wonder it gets a story MV. 'Clap Your Hands' is, I think, my favorite, and it stands among their best songs. The fluid way it morphs from the snake-like autotune verses to the chorus and the rap parts. I might form more rational thoughts after a while, but for now I guess it's just got a certain "I don't know what" that makes me play it on repeat.
That one and 'Can't Nobody' would fall spectacularly flat, I feel, if they were performed by less aggressive artists. You have to fight hard to stand out as personalities among all the production tricks and vocal effects. But these girls do, and they are, and as a result I think they're one of the most constantly stimulating groups in k-pop (or pop in general) so far in their short career. I've been excited to see the reception these songs get, cause they're potentially very marmite-y tunes aren't they?
Promoting three title tracks at once seems like a mental idea to me, but so far the sales have been huge. All three performed live today: http://www.allkpop.com/2010/09/2ne1-returns-with-triple-hit-stages-on-inkigayo
― abcfsk, Sunday, 12 September 2010 09:16 (thirteen years ago) link
'go away' is pretty massive, does she say 'han solo' and 'beyonce' in her verses?? could do without the scenes of domestic violence in the MV though
― waka flocka flame for all time (dayo), Sunday, 12 September 2010 12:46 (thirteen years ago) link
my facebook feed is blowing up with people sharing these 2ne1 videos, btw - feels like a huge event
― waka flocka flame for all time (dayo), Sunday, 12 September 2010 12:54 (thirteen years ago) link
"Fiance? Beyonce - I'm walking out on destiny." is what I hear. The video is quite violent isn't it, and the debate has been raging about who dies at the end of it. First it seems only her car blows up, but then both are engulfed in flames--- but THEN, as the girls walk away, supposedly only his car is burning in the background, and CL's participation was a fantasy.. because she let his sorry as go and doesn't care anymore. Who knows.
― abcfsk, Sunday, 12 September 2010 13:11 (thirteen years ago) link
If you haven't checked out the album you might also be interested in the English version of 'Can't Nobody' youtube.com/watch?v=8A5Kz3n5C1k
― abcfsk, Sunday, 12 September 2010 16:15 (thirteen years ago) link
was there ever a mecha-hiphop subgenre that ever took off other than that Taekwon-V single?
― Philip Nunez, Sunday, 12 September 2010 16:21 (thirteen years ago) link
^ Same label as 2NE1. I don't think so, that would be most welcome. Spiritually I guess you could say that yes, many artists today sound like half robot hiphoppers.
Alsohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLcZlDMKCqk
don't know what's gonna come out of this. Nervous, cautiously optimistic.
― abcfsk, Sunday, 12 September 2010 17:14 (thirteen years ago) link
i guess they're referencing irreplaceable then?
― subtle like the g in 'goole' (dayo), Monday, 13 September 2010 11:59 (thirteen years ago) link
Beyonce leaving Destiny's Child is the pun, surely.
Here's a slice of meta-k-pop, one of the first I've come across. San E is slightly reminiscent of early Eminem in delivery and humour, including some jabs at girl groups (but featuring a member of one). The English subtitles are from the official channel, albeit clearly written down in a hurry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jx3qP9LiqI
― abcfsk, Monday, 13 September 2010 21:39 (thirteen years ago) link
You have to launch it in its own tab/window to see the subtitles, it seems.
― abcfsk, Monday, 13 September 2010 21:40 (thirteen years ago) link
If you're interested in a quick overview of what's selling in Korea right now, this youtube channel does a nice job of presenting the combined digital single sales, weekly:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5keJyNlw8w
― abcfsk, Friday, 17 September 2010 17:32 (thirteen years ago) link
New BoA single
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJwIMW7jTIA
No matter the song there's no one I'd rather see on stage.
― abcfsk, Saturday, 25 September 2010 11:34 (thirteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTnwjlDhAY4
released today, apparently. percussion reminds me of swizz beatz. a little, at least.
― tumlbrah (dayo), Monday, 27 September 2010 07:56 (thirteen years ago) link
That's a catchy tune, I think this group is finding their place and aren't sounding like all the others at the moment. Probably the strongest 2010 girl group debut. I see their label JYP now subs all the new video releases in English on their official channel. Recall that 2NE1's label YG is now going to upload their TV show "2NE1 TV" on youtube with subs, as well. Performance show 'Music Bank' has recently started reading international twitter requests (in English) to the artists, in an effort to reach out to the global audience. In the past year they've really become aware of the power of the international fanbase, doing things like this and releasing stuff on Itunes internationally by default.
And on that note, ANOTHER new girl group tries out a different strategy, debuting in Korea and America at the same time:
http://www.allkpop.com/2010/09/upcoming-girl-group-rania-to-debut-in-both-america-and-korea
― abcfsk, Monday, 27 September 2010 08:46 (thirteen years ago) link
I feel Hyunah's "Change" live routine is Electrik Red's "We Fuck You" as interprative dance. Either way it's one of the best live performances of the year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0w5Vdl02lo
― abcfsk, Saturday, 2 October 2010 00:09 (thirteen years ago) link
Video makes it even more... direct.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCMlVS-66hw
― abcfsk, Saturday, 2 October 2010 00:13 (thirteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhNqdRectqM
― abcfsk, Friday, 8 October 2010 09:09 (thirteen years ago) link
K-pop history: In 1992 "Seo Taiji Boys" debuted and changed the industry in every conceivable way. In this clip they perform on a talent show and are promptly given two thumbs down by a stern jury:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC7yS0kpHWM
... but this is the template, the blueprint, through which k-pop as a sound and identity was created. You hear it today, not only in hip hop groups, not only in male groups, but from more or less all artists on the chart. Taiji is to many The icon or the founding father of Korean pop. (One of the other three members is Yang Hyun Suk, the current chief of YG Entertainment where Big Bang, Se7en and 2NE1 are signed.)
The group's explosive popularity upended censorship laws and norms both on and off scene. Their blend of dance pop and hip hop is why even most cutesy girl groups today have a dedicated rapper. Even stately ballads have rap parts! Electro-club-hip-hop still dominates among both girl and boy groups.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 14 October 2010 20:09 (thirteen years ago) link
any speculation on why their use of metal didn't carry over to the rest of the genre?
also does anyone have more info on the anti-beef imports DBSK beef? (I saw it mentioned in businessweek of all places)
― Philip Nunez, Thursday, 14 October 2010 20:18 (thirteen years ago) link
I don't know why, exactly, but plenty of other 'noisy' elements seem to have replaced it.
The beef details escape me, but you should know that DBSK's fan club ('Cassies') is the craziest and most zealous fan club among countless crazy and zealous k-pop fan clubs. Those girls are dangerous, and to get what they want they organize and demand it. The group members themselves had nothing to do with, it was a case of angry forum discussion among the club members leading to organized protests. And Koreans are very defensive about their beef.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 14 October 2010 21:22 (thirteen years ago) link
the only reference i saw online had some group member being poisoned with krazy glue slipped into their drink.
― Philip Nunez, Thursday, 14 October 2010 21:28 (thirteen years ago) link
Oh yes, an anti-fan of DBSK's Yunho, a schoolgirl, gave him a glue-poisoned drink. He ended up in hospital, it was bad. He decided to not press charges because she was the same age as his sister. The fans were less forgiving--- "yunho oppa, i will poison and kill that fucking ugly girl that poisoned you. she must rot and die in hell" reads one Youtube comment. It's probably the most severe case of k-pop antis acting out on their fucked up ideas, although sending a blood-stained letter to SNSD's Yoona doescome close.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 14 October 2010 21:44 (thirteen years ago) link
this was all over a beef protest the group had nothing to do with? what happens when a group does get politically active?
― Philip Nunez, Thursday, 14 October 2010 21:58 (thirteen years ago) link
No, that had nothing to do with the beef thing. The beef thing did not create any backlash against the group. This is the note the homicidal hater delivered along with the poison:
To, Jung Yunho
You watch your mouth!! Ever since the debut you were so stuck up. You won't last after a couple years... You would be forever seen as some teen idol, not a real singer. Do you know your limit? Only little kids like you!... I really want to kill you.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 14 October 2010 22:17 (thirteen years ago) link
PSY signs with YG and gets a bigger sound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmHdefsaL6I
― abcfsk, Thursday, 21 October 2010 10:08 (thirteen years ago) link
SNSD "Hoot"
― Frank Kogan, Tuesday, 26 October 2010 05:49 (thirteen years ago) link
Catchy, autotune-free, interesting chorus. Music video tomorrow.----
Will.I.Am must've gotten inspired working with 2NE1. His new video with Nicki Minaj is Koreanified up the wazoo. http://community.livejournal.com/omonatheydidnt/4907406.html
Maybe Korean is the new Japanese in terms of pop culture adaptation ala Gwen Stefani's "let's put some japanese girls up in here".
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 26 October 2010 08:12 (thirteen years ago) link
On today's charts SNSD is #1 in Japan with Gee and #1 in Korea with Hoot. Historical feat in many ways!
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 26 October 2010 10:05 (thirteen years ago) link
SNSD 'Hoot' video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4-SxcCO5d0
― abcfsk, Thursday, 28 October 2010 10:27 (thirteen years ago) link
Now for something completely different
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xwI8GLwqjQ
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 3 November 2010 20:26 (thirteen years ago) link
This tune's got a pretty great one minute long climax at the end
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy2szffdMSI
― abcfsk, Sunday, 7 November 2010 22:23 (thirteen years ago) link
the first k-pop song I've really liked in weeeks! love the soaring chorus.
however, this group seems to be composed of the can't dance rejects from the higher echelons.
― whiney trollins vs. hipsters (dayo), Monday, 8 November 2010 00:25 (thirteen years ago) link
those guitars in the chorus are a good look
― whiney trollins vs. hipsters (dayo), Monday, 8 November 2010 00:30 (thirteen years ago) link
I love the style switchups - starts out with club banger synths, then transitions into an anthemic 'go away' type song
― whiney trollins vs. hipsters (dayo), Monday, 8 November 2010 03:44 (thirteen years ago) link
Yes. And I like a good balls-out break-less ending.
The new KARA is a pure crowd-pleaser, which is the path they should go down as a fairly nondescript group.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIl-Vl1n1m4
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 9 November 2010 16:47 (thirteen years ago) link
Let's try that again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNsDnPDSQ_k
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 9 November 2010 17:22 (thirteen years ago) link
I seriously cannot stop listening to the nothing lasts forever song. so exuberant! I wish the music video matched the sense of melancholy present in the song, but it's about partying.
― dayo, Tuesday, 9 November 2010 23:57 (thirteen years ago) link
It is pretty great, and such a huge surprise/turnaround since the group debuted earlier this year with shit no-one cared about. You can always watch the live performances -- they sing well, and do a weird splits sequence, even if the dance is otherwise amateurish.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 10 November 2010 00:02 (thirteen years ago) link
oh lord at the splits sequence
disappointed they didn't strap on guitars midway through!
― dayo, Wednesday, 10 November 2010 00:21 (thirteen years ago) link
Liking this Gummy - There Is No Love (live)
― abcfsk, Monday, 15 November 2010 10:23 (thirteen years ago) link
An absolute smash hit from 2NE1. Supposedly a song made for Yamaha as a commercial soundtrack thing, but I hope this gets the proper treatment.
― abcfsk, Friday, 26 November 2010 11:38 (thirteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5ekB4l-6wg
― abcfsk, Thursday, 2 December 2010 12:18 (thirteen years ago) link
have to wonder, is this current phase of k-pop running out of steam?
― .\ /. (dayo), Thursday, 2 December 2010 12:33 (thirteen years ago) link
^ you say that after that BANGER?
Well yeah, 2009 was a peak year and set so many milestones that 2010 has ended up as a "well, shall we try to do that again?" year. A very attentive global WWW audience has worked with the same zealous force as Bieber fans in pushing videos to the 'most viewed' section of Youtube and artists to Twitter TT, and we've seen a successful move into Japan and a potentially lucrative future. But the music has felt less eventful than the stories. Meanwhile, those who have actually taken different paths have silently found a bigger success -- group member gone solo Ga-In, who was cheeky enough to take some control herself and put out a record with an oddly fully-fledged tango pop sound, did a lot better than her company expected and reached #1. Secret went the Rich Harrison-route, a sound no one else is doing in k-pop now, and took off, despite a low-key media presence. Countless new rookie groups who have copied others with a lot of attention given to them, meanwhile, have failed sales-wise. That should be a wake-up call.
Prospects: Big Bang is coming back, partly this december and fully in February. They're increasingly self-made, songwriting and producing much of the material themselves now and with the rest of the YG artists represent a more feel-good view of the k-pop industry. Koreas (potential) Taylor Swift (credit: me) IU is coming back in a WEEK and I have no idea what it will sound like, but if it isn't guitar-driven and if she hasn't been given a chance at songwriting herself (obviously something she can do as per her cover arrangements) I might give up on the industry. God knows she's got the potential to single-handedly change it and inspire a flood of self-made girls/ labels giving them a chance, because every little 'featuring' she's had on a song this year has made it reach #1. She's definitely one of the most valuable assets for the industry.
I think that's where it needs to go: Stronger personalities and characters, not another girl group made of long-legged models with 10 members who don't even have the dance/vocal skills we always knew we'd get in k-pop (*cough* Nine Muses) - and I do love k-pop girl groups. But there's a reason the buyers prefer 2NE1, or Taeyang, or this year's "Korean Idol" winners. And I do think it's where they will go, because the industry's turnaround rate is pretty impressive. It's only a few years ago when girl groups were all out of fashion.
My personal best of 2010 list soon.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 2 December 2010 14:12 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah, the asian penchant for copying things to death is well known. I'm excited for IU - I only have that one song she did with 2AM, but it's fabulous. one of my students was really excited about her because of the reasons you mentioned.
― .\ /. (dayo), Thursday, 2 December 2010 14:22 (thirteen years ago) link
And this gorgeous duet she did with the mellowest voice in Korea. His is the sound of cream poured over strawberries.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcQ7YBjb89A
― abcfsk, Thursday, 2 December 2010 14:45 (thirteen years ago) link
is there any kind of NK-pop scene? (state sponsored or otherwise)the last article i read about refugees only had a snippet about a kind of tacitly approved black market in chinese pop stars for DPRK ex-pats.
― Philip Nunez, Thursday, 2 December 2010 18:58 (thirteen years ago) link
BBC radio DJ Andy Kershaw noted, on a visit to North Korea, that the only recordings available were by the pop singers Jon Hye-yong, Kim Kwang-suk, Jo Kum-hwa and Ri Pun-hui, and the groups Wangjaesan Light Music Band, the Mansudae Art Troupe and the Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble, who play in a style Kershaw refers to as "light instrumental with popular vocal".[3] There is also the State Symphony Orchestra, the Sea of Blood Opera Company, two choruses, an orchestra and an ensemble dedicated to Isang Yun's compositions, all in Pyongyang. The Pyongyang Film Studios also produces many instrumental songs for its films.
Some of this was featured in the Pop World Cup.
― abcfsk, Monday, 6 December 2010 20:41 (thirteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyfwiZElkIE
I'd also like to offer up to other tracks from her new mini-album-Guitar-looped RnB...love her vocals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aw3g11yVcI Folk-ish, beautiful mild melody https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKGGOCDak9w
― abcfsk, Thursday, 9 December 2010 09:41 (thirteen years ago) link
I tried to put those as urls instead of embeds, guess that didn't work.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 9 December 2010 09:42 (thirteen years ago) link
and you say she writes all her songs herself? I have a new crush
p.s. does anybody else read this thread besides me and philip nunez?
― the nagl is the nagl (dayo), Thursday, 9 December 2010 12:44 (thirteen years ago) link
aaaaaand she's 17, so I don't have a new crush
Haha.
I didn't say that, unfortunately, I said I hope she will be composing soon because her guitar cover arrangements that she has arranged herself shows she's got the touch, and she's expressed in interviews she wishes to eventually take full control. She did write some lyrics on this album though, and has associated herself with the right people.
Not sure if anyone reads it.. no one replies, anyway! Frank's doing a fair bit of k-pop posting on his livejournal, though.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 9 December 2010 12:53 (thirteen years ago) link
On that note, hello everybody, I've decided to jump in on this thread! I run, for lack of better description, a conscious K-pop blog called My First Love Story and was referred here a while back by Frank Kogan. Interestingly I am also a friend of the person who repped Korea Republic in this year's Pop World Cup, but that's neither here nor there. (For the record, he didn't take many of my suggestions!)
I'm here to post this because it's amazing: "High High", from an upcoming side project of two members of Big Bang, G-Dragon and T.O.P. It seems G-Dragon had a hand in a lot of the songwriting/production for this album, which is a level of control/authorship that is quite rare in K-pop.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC66dT6dFBU
― descriptivist, Wednesday, 15 December 2010 04:07 (thirteen years ago) link
It also seems like this has been talked about in relation to Big Bang/G-Dragon before. Oops. That's what I get for tl;dr-ing.
― descriptivist, Wednesday, 15 December 2010 04:20 (thirteen years ago) link
nice to have you posting! your blog looks pretty great
― dayo, Wednesday, 15 December 2010 04:31 (thirteen years ago) link
Thanks! I'm looking forward to the discussion here (such as it is).
Here's the video for "High High" featuring cameos from the other members of Big Bang and Teddy Park (a producer with YG Entertainment). There might be others (I'd be shocked if Yang Goon himself wasn't in it) but it's a bit like playing Where's Waldo.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1M0UKcq8ro
― descriptivist, Wednesday, 15 December 2010 12:42 (thirteen years ago) link
Welcome! High High sounds a bit 'Like a G6'-ish, doesn't it? A few listens in and I'm pretty hooked. I'm going to admit I hope the Big Bang album does not sound like this, but it's a great way to launch a side project. Here's the song they did with Park Bom, and she's the best thing about it. Are they shooting an MV for that as well?
The folks at The Singles Jukebox are going through 'lost and found' singles of the year and here's their take on After School's Bang!. A lot of them like it - let's hope they decide to visit this thread.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 15 December 2010 15:35 (thirteen years ago) link
hah, even the video to how high is kind of simialr to the video to like a g6
― dayo, Wednesday, 15 December 2010 15:51 (thirteen years ago) link
bang! sounds underproduced. it needs to sound more massive than it is
― dayo, Thursday, 16 December 2010 01:33 (thirteen years ago) link
Ga-In solo remains one of the best surprises of the k-pop year, now with another single
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2cXvd1aDkg
― abcfsk, Monday, 20 December 2010 16:27 (thirteen years ago) link
Retracing the k-pop hits of 2010 I've discovered that it has actually been a fantastic year for singles. I think I could've kept going with this list.
Best of 2010
Singles-
1. 2NE1 - Try To Follow Me2. E.Via - Shake!3. After School - Bang!4. IU - Good Day5. GD&TOP - Knock Out 6. 2NE1 - Clap Your Hands7. SNSD - Oh!8. f(x) - NU ABO9. Girl's Day - Nothing Lasts Forever10. Hyunah - Change11. GD&TOP - High High12. Ga-In - Irreversible13. SNSD - Run Devil Run14. SISTAR - Fake Girl15. Lee Hyori - Swing16. Infinite - She's Back17. Taeyang - I Need A Girl18. 4MINUTE - Huh19. KARA - Jumping 20. KARA - Lupin
Honorable mentions:
Sung Shi Kyung & IU - It's You2NE1 - Go AwayGummy - As a ManBoA - Woo WeekendBoA - PossibilityJJ - Come CloserYDG ft. Fresh Boyz - 탄띠 (Bandolier)Rainbow - ASISTAR - How Dare YouSuper Junior - BonamanaSuper Junior - No Other SNSD - Hoot VNT - Ye Ye YeLady Jane ft Verbal Jint - Love You Everyday T-ara - YaYaYaASecret - MadonnaNine Muses - No PlayboyInfinite - Come Back AgainShinee - LuciferSeo In Young - Into the Rhythm Taeyeon - Like a StarA
Albums/EPs -
1. GD&TOP - GD&TOP Vol. 1 1. 2NE1 - To Anyone 3. Taeyang - Solar 4. BoA - Hurricane Venus 5. Ga-In - Step 2/4
― abcfsk, Sunday, 26 December 2010 15:13 (thirteen years ago) link
for some reason I forgot Miss A, who def had one of my favorite singles
― abcfsk, Sunday, 26 December 2010 15:56 (thirteen years ago) link
Ok, so the MBC Gayo Daejun (year-end show for MBC) killed most any k-pop spectacle I've previously had the pleasure of watching, in terms of general smoothness of presentation and novelty of performances.
Highlights:
After School introducing a new guitar-wielding (and guitar-majoring, music academy-graduating) member in the oddest, greatest stunt of k-pop 2010. A few questions to ponder: When will expert electric guitar talent ever come in handy as a girl group member? If they do make use of it, how can it not be the greatest thing ever to have her break into ridiculous solos for all future middle eights?
Rainbow with the greatest remix of the night, a new 'A' version. Takes on a bass-heavy, dirtier quality.
Fairly badass BoA tribute.
GD&TOP feat. 2NE1
IU and Luna (of f(x)) (and Onew of Shinee) joining two slightly dull indie rock bands... with a pretty great result?
Run Devil Run really is the best of last year's SNSD singles when it comes to live performances.
INFINITE showing supreme dancing skills. Look at that synch!
Davichi w/ Sunset Glow cover
2PM, Miss A and particularly Fei doing some sweet moves.
― abcfsk, Saturday, 1 January 2011 16:35 (thirteen years ago) link
― abcfsk, Sunday, December 26, 2010 11:56 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark
I love good girl bad girl, which has such a melancholic feel
― dayo, Monday, 3 January 2011 13:25 (thirteen years ago) link
Jan. 23Lee Eun Mi (South Korean pop singer on 3 city US tour, NYC, Orange County & the Wash. DC area) at 7 at George Mason University Center for the Arts, 4400 University Dr. Fairfax, VA
― curmudgeon, Monday, 3 January 2011 13:34 (thirteen years ago) link
k-pop don't stop etc. first batch of 2011 releases/videos
TVXQ/DBSK, now only 2 members strong after members leaving, forming their own group (JYJ) suing SM Ent etc., finally make a comeback. Recall earlier discussions about 'Cassies', ie the most zealous fanbase in Korea. Keep Your Head Down wants to sound epic and important (horns, always horns in _big_ tunes), but it's a bit "eehh" isn't it?
My favorite among the various GD&TOP lead singles, Knock Out.
Production/songwriting duo E-Tribe have started their own girl group, 'Dal Shabet'. In a sort of Xenomania/Girls Aloud / TheDream+Tricky/Electrik Red (not anymore, I guess) way they'll be responsible for their output. Supa Dupa Diva is not for you if you've ever made the argument that k-pop producers stuff too many ideas/songs into one composition.
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 4 January 2011 23:29 (thirteen years ago) link
Re: new DBSK, since this will inevitably be compared to JYJ's American single(s) I might as well do it now and say that I like this a lot better, though I acknowledge that it has something to do with my expectations for K-pop being different from my expectations for North American-oriented pop. The video, though, is on about the same level of embarrassing and overproduced as Ayyy Girl's, so there are no winners there.
― descriptivist, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 10:19 (thirteen years ago) link
I prefer JYJ's song. I don't love that one either, and think they should take some more English classes, but at least it's closer to my sweet spot, ie smooth rnb that goes down easy. The DBSK video is trademark SM Ent on autopilot -- shiny, clean, gray surroundings to dance in front of.
HANTEO physical album sales 2010*
OVERALL1. SNSD 312,0002. Super Junior 263,0003. SHINee 155,0004. JYJ 128,0005. B2ST 112,0006. 2PM 107,0007. 2AM 96,0008. 2NE1 64,0009. BOA 63,00010. KARA 54,000
*Hanteo is but one chart. Although it's got some credibility to its name they only count select stores. The ranking is probably accurate, the numbers way too low. Note that these are general album sales counting all albums/mini-albums sold by the artist in 2010, including old releases.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 17:55 (thirteen years ago) link
Not to mention they don't count December sales (ie IU and GD+TOP)
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 17:58 (thirteen years ago) link
Another point to consider here is that a group like Super Junior is super strong on physical sales rankings (bc of super devoted fan base?), but non-existant at the top of digital sales rankings. This is not true for SNSD, their presence is strong everywhere and they can be considered more of a mainstream act and less at the mercy of supporter loyalty (that's how I read it anyway). 2NE1 is the #1 ringtone artist of the year, by the way. As far as I know there's nowhere to see digital album sales in Korea, or digital numbers at all. The GAON chart counts both physical and digital, but sales info...? And international sales, like 2NE1 with their US Itunes chart showing, is of course a mystery.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 18:12 (thirteen years ago) link
My inclinations proven somewhat right with the first digital album ranking for 2010. It's just for one store, MelOn, and they strangely count 'single albums' as well as actual albums (which means singles from album campaigns are not counted, but singles that were not featured on an album might be).
You can see the list here http://www.allkpop.com/2011/01/melon-releases-results-for-2010-top-100-album-chart - I don't want to post the whole thing just to show that Super Junior is as low as #85 with their album, while SNSD is at #2. Perennial bores 2AM with their mini-album at the top are best left unmentioned.
1. 2AM – “Can’t Send You Away Even If I Die”2. SNSD – “Oh!”3. 2NE1 – “To Anyone”4. DJ DOC – “Taste for the Arts”5. IU & 2AM’s Seulong – “Nagging”6. CNBLUE – “Bluelove”7. “Baker King Kim Tak Gu” OST Part 38. Homme by Hitman Bang – “Homme”9. T-ara – “Braking Heart”10. CNBLUE – “Bluetory”11. miss A – “Bad But Good”12. Blue Brand – “Trauma”13. Davichi – “Innocence”14. Hyori – “H Logic”15. Hot Potato – “Seesaw”
― abcfsk, Friday, 7 January 2011 11:38 (thirteen years ago) link
my new kpop fave
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they already won m.countdown with this, congrats
also, so many great songs mentioned in this thread, but not much beast, i'm really surprised.yg artists are the most popular internationally right now i guess, but beast is gonna take over soon i guess.
― blah blah blah, Friday, 7 January 2011 12:30 (thirteen years ago) link
fixing the embed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL0sfti1DcA
― dayo, Friday, 7 January 2011 12:37 (thirteen years ago) link
also, the beat is kind of a straight rip of
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UlhLd76IzQ
― dayo, Friday, 7 January 2011 12:47 (thirteen years ago) link
thanks for fixing my failed embed
yeah it's a possible rip cause diplo already made a few remixes of perculator & knock out is the first kpop produced by diplo.
― blah blah blah, Friday, 7 January 2011 13:00 (thirteen years ago) link
diplo dıpןoits true kpop is soo #based right now10 hours ago
― abcfsk, Saturday, 8 January 2011 14:42 (thirteen years ago) link
still going through your post abcsfk, but oh my BoA may be my new favorite k-pop artist. it's a lot easier to glom onto a single person rather than an anonymous 5 person front.
also that sistar song in the top 20 is great. also like the gummy track so far
― dayo, Tuesday, 11 January 2011 13:31 (thirteen years ago) link
No one does 'casual cool' better than BoA imo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwPrEWVZpJA
She rose to 5th on the list of richest stock investors in the Korean entertainment industry last year, btw. Deserved.
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 11 January 2011 15:27 (thirteen years ago) link
Here's my Korean top twenty for 2010, very similar to Mat's, which is not surprising given that I was basically following his and anhh's recommendations as to what to listen to. You'll notice that I rank the wrong E.via track and the wrong Miss A track higher than the right ones. "Knock Out" is 2011,* and I'm not sure where I'll put it; it's slow and strange at first, then it gets good and strange. TOP's hair is as white as Jim Jarmusch's.
1. After School "Bang!"2. E.via "Pick Up! U!"3. E.via "Shake!"4. 2NE1 "Try To Follow Me"5. DJ DOC "I'm A Guy Like This"6. GD&TOP "High High"7. Girl's Day "Nothing Lasts Forever"8. Miss A "Breathe"9. Rainbow "A"10. Lee Hyori "Swing"11. IU "Good Day"12. 2NE1 "Can't Nobody"13. DJ DOC "Together (Remix)"14. Ga-In "Irreversible"15. SNSD "Oh!"16. T-ara "Ya Ya Ya"17. Kara "Jumping"18. Miss A "Bad Girl Good Girl"19. 4minute "I My Me Mine"20. 4minute "HuH"
I discuss some of these as part of my year-end singles wrap-up over on my lj, if anyone wants to visit. Also on Friday tried to get a discussion going regarding "Ya Ya Ya" to inaugurate Problematic Korean Video Friday but didn't get many takers so far. If you have any candidates for further problematics, let me know.
*Actually, I'd count a lot of these tracks as eligible for 2011, also, anything released in December for sure and maybe some in November.
― Frank Kogan, Wednesday, 12 January 2011 19:08 (thirteen years ago) link
Possibly problematic video: 2NE1 - Go Away (feat. domestic violence (later, in a live performance of the song, CL convincingly beats down a male dancer)).
I'm surprised at 'pikachu' suddenly at #2. You and the Single Jukebox crew's work on pushing 'Bang!' contributed to me moving it a lot of places upwards. ----
Similarly I've realized that I've underrated SM Entertainment's in-house producer Yoo Young-jin's work last year, partly because of this interview which lead me to put his songs on repeat x 10. Mainly Super Junior's Bonamana and SHINee's Lucifer. I think I was frustrated by the lack of melody when they were released, and how uninterested they were in prettiness. I don't even know how to capture their spirit in words, something about words as bullets and impossibly sharp edges, at least for 'Bonamana', which is the greatest of the two.
He really has found his own sound, and also applied some of it to f(x)'s fantastic NU ABO, which I already had included on my top 10 (and also took a long time to get into), although that song is co-credited to some foreign songwriters.
Not that he's close to being a one-trick pony, as seen on his discography. He's worked with the company from the start and wrote most of their early hits.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFlfCjpI_kU
Interestingly, his only work with SM's big guns Girls' Generation is writing the lyrics for 'Genie'. And this corny little tribute that was shown on their Asian tour concerts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKqhgoKN9g0
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 12 January 2011 20:30 (thirteen years ago) link
Seo In Young - Into the Rhythm
^^ has a 'katy on a mission' vibe to it
― dayo, Friday, 14 January 2011 13:13 (thirteen years ago) link
Holy shit holy shit
Reports of KARA splitting from their agency, DSP Media Entertainment, has sent shockwaves throughout the music industry. The members of KARA, excluding leader Gyuri, reasoned that they had lost their confidence in their relationship with DSP Media Entertainment, and that it could never be regained again.Landmark, KARA’s lawyers, reported on January 19th: “Despite KARA receiving much love from their activities in both Korea and Japan, the members have experienced inexplicable pain that brought them to this decision. They’ve held it in for a long time, but in order to protect their rights and their future, the members have decided to part ways from their company. KARA has tried their absolute best in compromising with their company prior to their decision, but their agency used their power in forcing the members to fulfill schedules that they did not want, and continuously added activities on top of a loaded schedule without prior consent or discussion. The psychological damages that the members were forced to endure cannot be explained in words, and their efforts have gone to waste. Their misery is severe, and they can no longer remain under such a company, which is why they decided to declare their withdrawal. Trust is the most important aspect of a relationship between an agency and its artist, but the agency has been using KARA as a way to make money. A variety of issues that have not been stated are still present. The agency has decided the majority of the girls’ celebrity activities without any sort of discussion or meeting, and has rejected requests asking for explanations or for proper documents. Their relationship has been destroyed to the point that it could never be restored again.“Representatives of DSP Media commented, “This is ridiculous, we are not sure what went wrong. We have yet to understand the situation. We’ll be releasing an official statement soon.”
Landmark, KARA’s lawyers, reported on January 19th:
“Despite KARA receiving much love from their activities in both Korea and Japan, the members have experienced inexplicable pain that brought them to this decision. They’ve held it in for a long time, but in order to protect their rights and their future, the members have decided to part ways from their company.
KARA has tried their absolute best in compromising with their company prior to their decision, but their agency used their power in forcing the members to fulfill schedules that they did not want, and continuously added activities on top of a loaded schedule without prior consent or discussion. The psychological damages that the members were forced to endure cannot be explained in words, and their efforts have gone to waste. Their misery is severe, and they can no longer remain under such a company, which is why they decided to declare their withdrawal.
Trust is the most important aspect of a relationship between an agency and its artist, but the agency has been using KARA as a way to make money. A variety of issues that have not been stated are still present. The agency has decided the majority of the girls’ celebrity activities without any sort of discussion or meeting, and has rejected requests asking for explanations or for proper documents. Their relationship has been destroyed to the point that it could never be restored again.“
Representatives of DSP Media commented, “This is ridiculous, we are not sure what went wrong. We have yet to understand the situation. We’ll be releasing an official statement soon.”
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 19 January 2011 01:17 (thirteen years ago) link
The final Big Bang side project before their comeback.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QZo5Ji43u8
^Has k-pop ever sounded more American?
― abcfsk, Sunday, 23 January 2011 17:22 (thirteen years ago) link
I was a huge fan of Lee Jung-Hyun back in the day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0Mtk9NGpU8
Anyone know if her 2010 album is worth investigating?
― ShariVari, Sunday, 23 January 2011 17:51 (thirteen years ago) link
Between 2NE1's To Anyone, the GD&TOP album, and now Seungri's album, I see YGE's production heading in a direction much more in tune with current trends in American pop music. This song even has a "My Love"-style part in which the rapper tells the girl to go for the singer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnDNbztO1K8
It makes me curious as to what Big Bang's upcoming album (if it ever materializes...) is going to sound like, because I think Big Bang's output has been steadily heading away from directly American-inspired hip hop to the typical synthy K-/J-Pop sound. Are these solo projects just so Big Bang can keep doing what it's doing without stifling its members?
― descriptivist, Wednesday, 26 January 2011 05:20 (thirteen years ago) link
Mr YG himself said that groups break up because the individual members don't get to display their individual creative ambitions. Or something like that. I hope that doesn't mean they'll abandon the rnb sound for Big Bang. They can still do synths, but in a 'Sunset Glow' kind of way. I heard talks about a rock sound, though? Hmm.
You're right, but is To Anyone that Americanized? Some of the songs probably are, but 'Follow Me' and 'Clap Your Hands' is like a step away from the familiar sounds they did I Don't Care and into a more unique, crazy place.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 26 January 2011 10:04 (thirteen years ago) link
Hafta say the DBSK tune has grown on me watching ridiculous live performances such as this http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjQwMzIyNDY4.html -- all that POWER.
SNSD on the same (Japanese) show. Run Devil Run works so well live http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjQwMjk3NDY4.html
― abcfsk, Friday, 28 January 2011 17:33 (thirteen years ago) link
The awesome Japanese-turned-American SM Ent. choreographer Rino Nakasone doing her latest piece for DBSK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x98_BT22uCY
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 8 February 2011 20:07 (thirteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzv7aHKbz_U
― abcfsk, Monday, 14 February 2011 09:15 (thirteen years ago) link
Slant Magazine try their hand at k-pop http://www.slantmagazine.com/house/2011/01/house-playlist-girls-generation-purity-ring-and-rainbow-arabia/
Girls' Generation, "Hoot." This one may be a few months old in its native South Korea, but that doesn't keep "Hoot" from being one of the best discoveries of 2011 on this side of the Pacific. The best K-Pop singles take a truly fearless approach to appropriating different genres for fun and profit, and "Hoot" starts off as a bit of jagged guitar pop as forceful and catchy as any of Max Martin's productions for Kelly Clarkson. But the song shifts its focus to the dance floor once the multi-tracked percussion loops kick in. The layered rhythm arrangement works with the song's overall conceit, which finds the girls giving an overdue brushoff to an acid-tongued boyfriend. His poison-tipped arrows are the "trouble, trouble, trouble" of the simple-is-better hook, and the group's cheerleading-squad-as-girl-group structure gives their off-you-go message its own built-in support group. The choice of violent imagery belies the apparent sweetness of the group's nine members and the single's simply massive hooks, but it's a perfect fit with the James Bond guitar figure that runs throughout. As far as 007 motifs doubling as pop songs go, "Hoot" fully holds its own alongside Britney Spears's "Toxic." Jonathan Keefe
Surprised Hoot is the one they go with, but..
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 15 February 2011 09:34 (thirteen years ago) link
Well I guess they actually named 'Gee' the 10th best single of 2009.
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 15 February 2011 09:36 (thirteen years ago) link
Never paid much attention to Slant, so I don't know what this is indicative of.
Sorry I don't post on this thread more often. My browser is Google Chrome, which has some weird issues with Shockwave Flash, so when I get a thread with a lot of video embeds my computer often freezes and I have to hit ctrl-alt-delete and turn off Shockwave Flash (which turns off the vids). May also be due to a relatively weak CPU.
― Frank Kogan, Sunday, 20 February 2011 10:03 (thirteen years ago) link
Weird that Keefe compares "Gee" to Taylor Swift's "Love Story," since the two have little in common, other than both being pop songs about love. Taylor's singing is personal self-expression, with drama in the way the voice goes from wavers to emphasis, all about Taylor's story, no one else's. "Gee" is a girl group dance track, voices scooting in and around each other and chasing evanescent "yeah yeah yeahs" and "oh oh ohs" and "gee gee gees."
― Frank Kogan, Sunday, 20 February 2011 10:29 (thirteen years ago) link
The guy writes up a lot of country, too. Wonder if he posts on ilX under some other moniker, since his tastes seem to run close to some of ours (Miranda Lambert, Laura Bell Bundy).
― Frank Kogan, Sunday, 20 February 2011 10:36 (thirteen years ago) link
He might be. I know there are k-pop fans here who've never posted in this thread!
Anyone watched the magazine Monocle's new TV show on Bloomberg TV? They spent a good 15 minutes on k-pop, talking about how the Korean pop industry is using the web to make a global push, which WSJ and others have written about as well. Some interviews with both labels and stars, though, and a little talk session at the end. Worth a watch. Video here: http://www.allkpop.com/2011/02/kpop-covered-by-monocle-on-bloomberg
A few odd things are said, like Korea not being culturally protectionist, as opposed to Japan.. um, I'm not so sure about that, even though you can find k-pop on youtube.
― abcfsk, Sunday, 20 February 2011 20:57 (thirteen years ago) link
Oh, the places my name turns up...
I've only posted in the Rolling Country thread prior to finding my "Hoot" write-up in here today, but yes. Hi. I've bee around for a bit.
I chose "Hoot" simply because, of "Hoot," "Oh!," and "Genie," it's the SNSD single that I've listened to the most frequently so far this year, and it's the one that I think has the most interesting production.
Frank, I didn't actually compare "Gee" specifically to "Love Story," and I agree that it wouldn't make sense to do so. I just quoted the little spoken-word, "Listen boy/It's my first love story" line that Tiffany says at the beginning of "Gee."
The comparison I was making is between what I love about K-Pop and what I love about Taylor Swift's best singles: The deliberate, all-hooks-all-the-time production choices that are far more sophisticated than many listeners might give them credit for. "Gee" also covers much of the same thematic territory as Swift's <em>Fearless</em> era singles, and does so with a similar plain-spokenness that works in context.
― jon_oh, Sunday, 20 February 2011 22:22 (thirteen years ago) link
Hey Jonathan, hope you drop in more. Convo needs more voices. I didn't even know K-pop existed until a year and a half ago. (I've tried to get K-pop convos going on poptimists, to no avail. But I've enticed Mat and annh and Sabina and Tari to help learn me the subject over on my lj, if you want to join.
Sorry I didn't read your "Gee" blurb more insightfully.
"Hoot" is definitely growing on me, thanks to Sooyoung's screaming fangirl. Plan to do a post when I get the chance regarding my dreams of how it should be looped and remixed.
― Frank Kogan, Monday, 21 February 2011 23:55 (thirteen years ago) link
So, Big Bang's new mini-album. Quoth descriptivist above, "Are these solo projects just so Big Bang can keep doing what it's doing without stifling its members?" It seems like that is the plan: Solo / side-projects: Let them do what they want, experiment according to taste and curiosity, get Diplo to do a single, whatever--- Big Bang as a group: Play it safe, give the fans what they expect. Lead single "Tonight" is a bit disappointing -- pretty, but not huge and meaty like, say, 'Sunset Glow', and it sounds much like their recent Japanese output.
But it's popular. It's currently at #12 on the American main iTunes album chart. A new high for an all-Korean album, surely?
― abcfsk, Thursday, 24 February 2011 17:41 (thirteen years ago) link
Disappointing is the word. It's "Lies" + Seungri's "What Can I Do" + echoes of "Mazeltov" aka the WORST K-pop boy band song!!! And I thought we weren't doing Autotune any more. (I do like that in the MV they let the least sexy member have the (implied) sex scene.) But I missed Daesung's voice so I'm hoping the rest of the songs are a bit more listenable.
Have Korean albums always been available through iTunes or is this a new thing? Because given the recent increase of articles on the rise of K-pop overseas via the internet, I think appearances by Korean albums on the American digital sales charts can only increase.
― descriptivist, Tuesday, 1 March 2011 07:53 (thirteen years ago) link
I have to say that I've been hoping some more stranger elements of kpop gain traction overseas, maybe provoking something maybe not so much as embarrassment, but an internal re-evaluation of what is culturally valuable. this might be a false hope because in the other direction, glenn branca isn't as much a household name in SK as yngvie malmsteen.
― Philip Nunez, Tuesday, 1 March 2011 17:57 (thirteen years ago) link
I think in order for that to happen, at least from my North American frame of reference, K-pop would have to jump, if not knock down, the "other countries are so weird and different" hurdle that's been set up here - otherwise, audiences and critics are more likely to perceive the differences ("haha, we're not that weird") than the similarities ("oh, that's what our popular music sounds like to other cultures...hmm"). For some reason the only example that comes to mind is Dragostea Din Tei, which became known here not because it held up a mirror to the North American boy-band craze, but because its hook sounded so hilarious.
― descriptivist, Wednesday, 2 March 2011 05:17 (thirteen years ago) link
I wonder if the Korean diaspora and the huge online communities would make a difference on the mainstream perception of a weird k-pop tune making waves. Pushed from the inside. The k-artists who have tried have more or less attempted to be an exact mirror image of American pop, or just quite bland (Wonder Girls).
'Tonight' ended up peaking at #6 on itunes, but has fallen a lot since, and I don't know how many albums are sold on itunes. Anyone know any figures for a typical weekly #1? Impressive, anyway. I think some companies, like SM Ent, were quick to offer their music internationally on iTunes, with others coming along. I even find some stuff on Spotify, now.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 2 March 2011 09:38 (thirteen years ago) link
@descriptivist loads of kpop stuff is available via itunes, but they've never been actually promoted or even mentioned. i usually search for artists by searching for one of their tracks that had an english title in korea... kpop artists' data in itunes is not very clean, so searching for the band doesn't always gets you results.
anyway, i checked in after i found thisjapanese version of beast's shockhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDKjdBus4xs
― blah blah blah, Wednesday, 2 March 2011 13:28 (thirteen years ago) link
Just for laughs:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpXJJ71OxAA
― descriptivist, Thursday, 10 March 2011 21:59 (thirteen years ago) link
^The tables have turned.
This one isn't plagiarism - LPG got the rights to do a remake of 'We No Speak Americano'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ofAaHwrN5A&feature=player_embedded
and I confess a weakness for the sunny sounds of Infinite
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpT4EkgSIQg
― abcfsk, Thursday, 17 March 2011 10:01 (thirteen years ago) link
New Girl's Day song, "Twinkle Twinkle". It's certainly no "Nothing Lasts Forever", but it's kind of nice, in the same vein as "Rock U"/"Honey"-era KARA. Orange Caramel proves there's a market for this stuff, but I'm not sure how, well, relevant it is right now. (Someone want to jump in with a counterexample?) At least we find out that previously mute member Yura (the blonde one) is actually the rapper.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEEIN-mtN6c
― descriptivist, Saturday, 26 March 2011 04:51 (thirteen years ago) link
Yeah, sounds a bit like Kara. I don't know if Orange Caramel are comparable.. they sold that crazy aesthetic more than the songs (which I kinda like). But in the aftermath of Orange Caramel, hardly any girl group have gone for cutesy songs NOR silly cute costumes. Now Orange Caramel is coming back (...again) and they've dropped the kids stuff in favor of silly fashion-y costumes.
Quite like new girl group Chi Chi's debut single, Don't Play Around. The "I'm gonna break you" reminds me of E.Via's Shake, but otherwise the chorus reminds me of another song, possibly non-kpop. Any help?
― abcfsk, Saturday, 26 March 2011 09:52 (thirteen years ago) link
Maybe the middle eight (which, say, 4minute would have made a full song out of) is meant to acknowledge current trends/add an edge? It's true that even Orange Caramel is no longer doing Orange Caramel.
― descriptivist, Sunday, 27 March 2011 20:02 (thirteen years ago) link
I dig the new girl's day track!
― who is john nult? (dayo), Sunday, 27 March 2011 23:42 (thirteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7aFRaKyTfo
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 30 March 2011 18:06 (twelve years ago) link
Some euro dance, courtesy of Orange Caramel: Bangkok City
― abcfsk, Thursday, 31 March 2011 18:49 (twelve years ago) link
As per the discussion of Girl's Day's "Twinkle Twinkle" above, here's some more girl groups getting sexy/adult. First, 4minute's comeback, "Mirror Mirror":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbXMJuzebOI
And then there's Rania's "Dr. Feel Good", which is also of note because this group has been trying to debut for at least a year. They're produced by Teddy Riley and, if I recall correctly, were slated to debut in the U.S. and Korea at the same time, though I'm assuming that plan has been scaled back. Either way, I'm hoping this song is gonna be huge.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aEZJz2c-Vw
― descriptivist, Wednesday, 6 April 2011 06:49 (twelve years ago) link
Ok, the more I listen to that 4minute song the more I realize it's a damn mess.
― descriptivist, Wednesday, 6 April 2011 14:56 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah I've held back on scoring Mirror Mirror because I've come to love k-pop tracks that seem like a damn mess before, but I'm not sure about this one. Some good parts, though - I really like the keoura-keoura keoura-keoura of the chorus.
The Rania girls are hot. I wonder if the video will get any rotation on TV.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 6 April 2011 15:00 (twelve years ago) link
that twangy synth sounds straight lifted from like a g6... seems like they're mining that song pretty heavily (iirc the double bubble song or w/e also pretty directly references it)
― ★ The Pistns ★ Miss You Sheed ★ (dayo), Wednesday, 6 April 2011 15:16 (twelve years ago) link
haha the dr feel good video reminds me of those nudie pens that you turn upside down
― ★ The Pistns ★ Miss You Sheed ★ (dayo), Wednesday, 6 April 2011 15:34 (twelve years ago) link
Feel Good live @ M!Countdown
Killing those moves... but I'm not convinced any lines were sung live.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 7 April 2011 11:05 (twelve years ago) link
Endless stream of new releases. Summary:
Big Bang - Love SongBig Bang - Stupid LiarNew rnb group Brave GirlsRainbow - To MeEnglish version of 2NE1's Can't Nobody video
Kim Greem - a lot more 'self-made' artists are finding themselves at the top of charts in the aftermath of 'Superstar K', a Korean Pop Idol-ish show. Ironically, perhaps. Jang Jae In is another star from the same show.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 7 April 2011 14:28 (twelve years ago) link
SHOW ME THE RECEIPTS/MR REMOVED!Maybe when Rania's dance gets banned they'll be able to put more energy into singing...For a debut stage I think they should have at least done the improvisations at the end live to prove they can, but w/e.
Is this the "rock sound" G-Dragon's been promising? urrrrgh
― descriptivist, Thursday, 7 April 2011 21:08 (twelve years ago) link
The first thing I learned about k-pop was to not take promises about how songs would sound seriously. "This girl group will do hip hop a-capella" -> proceeds to release generic electro pop track. "This release will show fans a shocking transformation" -> same old shit.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 7 April 2011 21:14 (twelve years ago) link
I can answer my own question from upthread as to whether the latest Lee Jung Hyun album is worth investigating. Sadly, it isn't. Sounds really generic, unfortunately.
― Costumes By Maureen Of Hollywood (ShariVari), Thursday, 7 April 2011 21:45 (twelve years ago) link
Shame.
Mnet have started a performance show, Club MRoot, seemingly in response to complaints that there are no real places for indie bands to show themselves off http://www.allkpop.com/2011/04/10cm-monni-mate-no-reply-perform-on-mnets-club-mroot
I'm not a big indie rock listener in general, but some of these bands have got a nice pop sensibility and what I'd call a very Asian (J-rock-ish) sense of melody. This seems like a nice show, anyway, a good idea.
Bonus: SNSD - Run Devil Run Japanese video, released later this month with their first original Japanese track, Mr Taxi.
― abcfsk, Saturday, 9 April 2011 08:54 (twelve years ago) link
Debut of (overhyped?) boy group Block B: Don't Move
I actually get more out of this song by pretending it's Big Bang's comeback and their whole "rock phase" (where "rock" = post-2000 U2) never existed.
― descriptivist, Wednesday, 13 April 2011 19:00 (twelve years ago) link
Another so-called hip hop group that ends up being totally generic electro crap.
Ahaha, the Love Song video has been released and it's U2 as well! Here.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 14 April 2011 00:09 (twelve years ago) link
Gotta say.. I enjoy the new Dal Shabet single more than any other E-Tribe production in a long time. They're often too clever for their own good with the awkward structures and general mayhem of their compositions, and maybe that's the case here as well, but it's prettier this time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Foi2dmN0r4
― abcfsk, Thursday, 14 April 2011 09:55 (twelve years ago) link
As far as cutesy rookie groups go, Dal Shabet was made instantly irrelevant when A Pink made their debut in 'SNSD four years ago'-mode. The packaging is way too sickly sweet, but it's an undeniably catchy song and I think they've got an enthusiastic fanbase already.
But let's talk about f(x). How can they sound so f(x)-like on each single when they change producers all the time? The group's got a real strong identity - do any artists sound like them in Korea or elsewhere? - and that's without just copying their recipe each time.
Nu ABO is one of the great k-pop singles, in my opinion, and it's co-written with a Scandinavian team and SM Ent's representative producer Yoo Young-jin, who said in an interview about the fascinating co-op process:
Sometimes I take the sub-melody in the original composition and make it the main melody, or even make a new one from scratch. If a song has a great overall flow but a weak climax, I make it stronger. For example, [Korean girl band f(x) member] Luna's singing part in the latter part of "Nu ABO" -- that part changes the entire flow of the track. But the way it breaks the original flow and changes to a completely different vibe with a definite impact -- I think that is the style of Korean pop music.
Their new single Danger... I really like
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKS12iGFyEA
― abcfsk, Sunday, 24 April 2011 19:37 (twelve years ago) link
New SNSD JP joint / 'dance video' for Mr Taxi Enjoyed the dance.
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 26 April 2011 10:49 (twelve years ago) link
SM Town World Tour(SNSD, Shinee, TVXQ, SuperJunior, f(x)) will be the first big k-pop show in Europe - at Zenith de Paris, capacity ~7000 people.
I think SM underestimated the k-pop interest in Europe and especially France, because the tickets went on sale today and were sold out within 40 minutes. On ebay now up to 400€.
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 26 April 2011 15:45 (twelve years ago) link
I may be holding the fort here alone, but we're experience the best month of the year. After School released what is, after initial disappointment that it wasn't Bang! 2.0, surely one of the grooviest summer jams we'll see this season.
After School - 'Shampoo', the most unswerving extended metaphor of the pop year
― abcfsk, Thursday, 28 April 2011 10:30 (twelve years ago) link
experiencing*
ha, I'm reading! haven't really been impressed with any of the stuff lately. feel like K-pop might have run its track? dunno
― br8080 (dayo), Thursday, 28 April 2011 12:15 (twelve years ago) link
Dunno, 2010 had a slow start but the 2nd half made it top 2009. 2011 has had a slow start but this month rocked. Did you listen to 'Shampoo'? Gorgeous.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 28 April 2011 12:37 (twelve years ago) link
okay yeah I dig this. those are gorgeous synths.
― br8080 (dayo), Thursday, 28 April 2011 12:48 (twelve years ago) link
my friend just sent me this from 2009
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHWklhbVXSw
what are the k-pop classics of yore?
― a board in which there is lively and fuiud debate? (dayo), Monday, 9 May 2011 06:06 (twelve years ago) link
Love that track and that dance. Jay Park sounds quite a bit like Taeyang on his new mini-album 'Take a Deeper Look', which you should check out. He's released two videos, Tonight and Abandoned.
'Ma Boy' by this Sistar sub-unit is has grown on me so much, one of my favorites of the year now. Sexiest K-pop rnb EVER (assisted by body waves). Here's the video.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 11 May 2011 09:21 (twelve years ago) link
First single from new 2NE1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n4V3lGEyG4
Won't be promoted, so it's just a buzz single
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 11 May 2011 15:09 (twelve years ago) link
Posting the weekly Gaon digital numbers now that they've started providing them
1. Yim Jae-Bum - 너를 위해 339,398 HOT2. After School - Shampoo 334,252 UP 3. Miss A - Love Alone 312,456 NEW 4. Park Bom - Don't Cry 300,478 DOWN5. Sistar19 - Ma Boy 291,397 NEW 6. f(x) - Danger 288,548 DOWN7. BMK - 꽃피는 봄이 오면 262,411 HOT8. Lena Park - Mia 237,380 NEW9. Toy - 여전히 아름다운지 228,024 HOT10. 10cm - Americano 198,999 HOT
― abcfsk, Thursday, 12 May 2011 13:39 (twelve years ago) link
If anybody here didn't already know this, Frank Kogan has been discussing K-pop regularly in his livejournal blog in recent months:
http://koganbot.livejournal.com/tag/k-pop
― xhuxk, Thursday, 12 May 2011 14:05 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kyy4VLqCMaQ
I can't wait for this album. Love the teaser.If people are gonna be overusing the words 'Fact' and 'Fiction' in the following months, blame B2ST.
― blah blah blah, Friday, 13 May 2011 16:41 (twelve years ago) link
B2ST release something every month, don't they? Seems like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_Ue2sHpUVk
― abcfsk, Sunday, 15 May 2011 09:00 (twelve years ago) link
B2ST? They haven't released anything since last December. I was gonna go crazy, cause I'm addicted to them.Their comeback stage (since last October I think? not sure) is tomorrow, it's gonna be fun.
Did you listen to Fact and Fiction? Some really nice vocals.
On the SM Town thing: the French/Spanish fans succeeded. They added a 2nd date.I was planning on going, but there're only €220 VIP tickets left... That's just a bit too much for me at the moment with the flight and hotel costs. I'm saving up to go to Seoul instead.
― blah blah blah, Wednesday, 18 May 2011 10:19 (twelve years ago) link
Fiction was indeed a very nice song.
SNSD's first Japanese album is so good! Such a huge surprise seeing as they've always gone the filler route when it comes to most album tracks previously. This sounds like a real album.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbcAANqXUJw
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 31 May 2011 09:26 (twelve years ago) link
I was never really into SNSD, but I have to admit their new Japanese stuff is good.
SMTown Paris is over, now it's time to get that YG London rumour confirmed... I can't wait to see Big Bang and 2NE1.
― blah blah blah, Tuesday, 14 June 2011 15:56 (twelve years ago) link
Haven't been posting much due to having to kill shockwave flash and therefore kill the embeds to get this thread to load on my computer. Also, was listening to new music early in the year, missed a couple months, now only somewhat back. Anyhow, here's a K-pop best-of of what I've heard so far for 2011:
EPs & ALBUMS:1. SOOLj Electro SOOLj (EP): As advertised, hip-hop guy explores the electric beat, flicks around very well among synthesized menace and synthesized beauty.2. LPG The Special: "Trot" is the genre, they say; sounds like the Korean equivalent of light-of-step, eclectic disco.3. Rainbow SO女 (EP): You know about "A" and "To Me"; in "So Cool" they wrap themselves around a guitar chord and a tough beat; in "Mach" they breathe in opposition to synth squelches. Singers seem overmatched, but that's not too much of an obstacle.4. Kim Hyun Joong Break Down (EP): Never heard of him, though Wikip tells me he's a long-running heartthrob. He sounds reasonably pretty, while synths and beats carry knives.
― Frank Kogan, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 00:26 (twelve years ago) link
Singles 2011 (I'm counting anything late November and onward as 2011)1. GD&TOP "High High": Everything at the wall, everything clicks, exuberant.2. Galaxy Dream ft. Turbotronic "Ready 4 Romance": Deep-night trance and sex.3. IU "The Story Only I Didn't Know": Art ballad, small-voiced IU climbing cliffs and walking across high wires. Lots of feeling, total control.4. Big Bang "Tonight": Everything at the wall, and harmonies too! Lyric translations (and the Japanese version has way more English, for some reason) reveal potential ugliness of sentiment, though I'll have to examine further: think that when T.O.P. romantically says "Good night" at the end, he's basically kicking the woman out of bed. Men are scum.5. GD&TOP "Knock Out": Goofballs. Cutely handsome, aren't they?6. Secret "No. 1 (Inst.)": The singers are unbearably cutesy, so take them away and you get a wicked little dance track.7. Girl2School "Let's Play Dance": Lack style, can't sing, can't really dance, lousy video. So I guess this is all on the song and arrangement, as the music rolls over all resistance, like bumpercars. Don't know whether to excoriate K-pop for wasting so many good songs on lackluster voices, or to see this as strength, that they can achieve greatness through anyone. Maybe there are times when good voices would get in the way.
― Frank Kogan, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 00:27 (twelve years ago) link
8. Kara "Jumping": It's like Latin freestyle riffs that have pumped iron and were given a high-glaze finish.9. Rainbow "To Me": Wavers among come to me but on my terms, come to me on any terms, come to me or you're a goner. Draws on freestyle too: not the riffs but the emotional wail at the end.10. T-ara "Why Are You Being Like This?": Pretending to be frustrated by love games, they sound as if they're on a total lark.11. T-ara "Ya Ya Ya": More tongue-sticking and nyaah nyaah. Video is problematic, featuring arrows and a captive audience.12. 4minute "Mirror Mirror": Can they sing? Can they dance? Does anyone notice if they can't, or care? They can stand, they can pose, they can wiggle, they've got the greatest hair. Here's the live version that shocked easily shockable TV viewers (see 2:41 especially). Maybe the ordinariness of the voices is a virtue, as the young women struggle through, and look sultry. Am I overrating this? Underrating this? Great song, at any rate.
― Frank Kogan, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 00:36 (twelve years ago) link
13. Blady "찌릿찌릿": Cute, passionate, and cute. And cute. Good if cute is your thing.14. Orange Caramel "Bangkok City": Excellent Italodisco that's simultaneously haunting and nonchalant. But this time I can't rationalize the mediocre singing.15. Teen Top "Supa Luv": Voices are too weak, but this crew show promise in a world created by New Edition, Bel Biv DeVoe, New Kids, Backstreet Boys, etc.
― Frank Kogan, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 00:37 (twelve years ago) link
13. Blady "찌릿찌릿": Cute, passionate, and cute. And cute. Good if cute is your thing.14. Orange Caramel "Bangkok City": Excellent Italodisco that's simultaneously haunting and nonchalant. But this time I can't rationalize the mediocre singing.15. Teen Top "Supa Luv": Voices are too weak, but this crew show promise in a world created by New Edition, Bel Biv DeVoe, New Kids, Backstreet Boys, etc.16. THeThE "못믿을 사람": Indie singer wends her way between dream and stupor, guitar providing vegetation, vistas.17. Swan.B "Be All Right": Eurodisco or happy hardcore or Dutch new beat or... I don't know, never learned the terminology, but it's pretty lively, and has that Korean flash.
I think a couple of Rania tracks might get in there too, but I'll have to listen more. Also a self-consciously slutty track by AB.
― Frank Kogan, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 00:38 (twelve years ago) link
I couldn't agree more with High High's first place. The rest of my list would be completely different, though. I think my most played this year are High High, Knock Out, and *surprise* Fiction.
I guess I should open a BEAST thread, I can't really post on here without mentioning them, sorry... What can I do, they're too perfect. They'll be on MTV World Stage in August!
― blah blah blah, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 12:17 (twelve years ago) link
http://i53.tinypic.com/21b6jvc.jpg
Also let's take a moment to appreciate SM's budget for their European promotions.
― blah blah blah, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 12:20 (twelve years ago) link
GD&TOP featured on my 2010 lists, so no go for them
this time.
1. f(x) - Danger: Youthful brattiness and staccato nonsense, one note repeated until a gorgeous bridge achieves liftoff and briefly breaks away from the madness of jump rope rhymes.
Roughly ranked:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OSmITtaX3o"">After School - Shampoohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d5QEWdHchk"">Big Bang - Tonighthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n4V3lGEyG4"">2NE1 - Lonely https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6XXia5B2Wg"">Sistar19 - Ma Boy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPPmNzUjnhI"">Jay Park - Tonighthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqvdj0Fl_MY"">Rainbow - To Mehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djJb5iSL0Do"">TVXQ - Keep Your Head Down (Dance cover)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ni_8EOdlxY"">Rainbow - Sweet Dreamhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkDEWopV8w4"">Rania - Dr Feel Good https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXXRenlJiA0#t=3m42s"">Big Bang - Hands UpIU - Story Only I Didn't KnowBEAST - Fiction 4Minute - Mirror Mirror4Minute - Already GoneDJ Schedule 1 ft J'Kyun - Back Hug Miss A - Love Alone Dear Cloud - For YouU-Kiss - 0330Standing Egg - Fly
Swan.B - Be All RightHeenain - 1,2,3
Albums: 1. SNSD - 1st Japanese2. Big Bang - Mini #4 3. Jay Park - Take A Deeper Look4. Navi - Hello
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 18:00 (twelve years ago) link
Wow, I messed that up. Not even sure what happened there, all of those were supposed to be regular links and instead ruined the thread.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 18:01 (twelve years ago) link
None of those links even work. So if a mod sees this you're free to delete that post.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 22 June 2011 18:04 (twelve years ago) link
Well I guess the best thing to do is post a lot to move that mess of a post into the fold.
Some hot stuff released the past week. Rainbow - Sweet Dream2NE1 - I Am The BestT-Ara - Roly Poly, 12 minute mini-drama music video
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 05:58 (twelve years ago) link
I love Roly Poly and I Am The Best. Currently listening to the latter.Shorter version of the T-Ara - Roly Poly vidOkay 2NE1 ended, so it's Lolly Lolly Polly time.
I hope Hyuna's solo stuff is at least half as good as these!
― blah blah blah, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 14:55 (twelve years ago) link
and here it is! Hyuna - Bubble Pop!
Personally I prefer Hyuna's shouting to her singing so at first I was a bit disappointed, but the more I listen to it the more it sounds like an ideal summer jam to me. Minus that dubstep breakdown, which is too long and doesn't really need to be there.
― descriptivist, Friday, 8 July 2011 05:21 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah, it's a jam. She fills a void too, at least when Hyori's away (and yes, the comparison works, but Bubble Pop doesn't SOUND like anything Hyori's done even if the stage looks like 'U-Go-Girl'). Here's a nice live performance.
I would be very thankful for some help decoding/analysing the lyrics to Dana and Sunday (The Grace)'s comeback single 'One More Chance'.
― abcfsk, Sunday, 10 July 2011 09:50 (twelve years ago) link
The day Hyuna placed higher on youtube than Beyoncè. The funniest about this for me is that Beyoncè had even less clothes on.
I'm still with Roly Poly, though.
― blah blah blah, Wednesday, 13 July 2011 01:00 (twelve years ago) link
80s-ish vibes from Infinite: Be Mine. They're always so very listenable!
2NE1 go animated (via Mari Kim) Hate You. 2NE1 in melodic mode.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 20 July 2011 16:35 (twelve years ago) link
http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/8329/357637940.png
― abcfsk, Thursday, 28 July 2011 15:33 (twelve years ago) link
Haven't made up my mind about 'Ugly' yet, though.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 28 July 2011 15:34 (twelve years ago) link
I pitched "I Am the Best" for a single review about a month ago, and my editor shot it down because he hasn't yet been converted as far as K-pop goes, despite my best efforts... I still don't think they sing as well as Girls Generation, but I love that 2NE1 seem to be building something of an international following.
That godawful dubstep break really does kill "Bubble Pop," which is pretty fantastic otherwise.
― jon_oh, Thursday, 28 July 2011 15:50 (twelve years ago) link
She's exchanged the dubstep break with several other variants live lately, for no apparent reason.
Version 1Version 2
― abcfsk, Thursday, 28 July 2011 16:02 (twelve years ago) link
Mat, where's that chart from? I'm assuming whatever it is, it's daily sales rather than weekly. Also, is the official name of the EP 2nd Mini Album or is it Ugly? Or doesn't the younger generation do "official" names?
The verse and chorus of "Ugly" sound like different songs; or maybe my confusion is because that sort of verse, if it's a lead-in to a dance-oriented-rock chorus, needs the chorus to be something like glimmering "Flashdance" DOR rather than Martin-Shanks-era Bon Jovi or whatever variant of sing-along dance-along hair metal or pop-rock it seems to derive from. --Not sure if I'm hitting the right comparison, or right era, even; seems '80s rather than early '00s, but '80s Jovi and Crüe isn't quite the same thing as "Ugly." Maybe you people can help me home in on it. With a few tweaks maybe it could be a modern country chorus, and better than most of what's on country radio this year, though disappointing in comparison to the previous three 2NE1 singles. Thought "Hate You" was a dance trance of beauty, no matter that the lyrics have something else in mind.
I had a sudden urge yesterday to engage in 20 seconds of research, and, succumbing to the urge, discovered that "Roly-Poly" and "Bubble Pop!" are written (and I assumed produced) by the same two people. Then went beyond my allotted twenty and determined that Shinsadong Tiger can do no wrong when it comes to 4minute, is a bit more fallible with T-ara (thumbs up on "Roly-Poly" and "Bo Peep Bo Peep," somewhat meh on the other two), and is fairly weak with Beast, or anyway can't transcend Beast's weakness. I wouldn't mind being proven wrong about the latter.
I am totally fine with the dubstep break in "Bubble Pop!" The bubble and pop needed a break, and HyunA needed an excuse to thrust her pelvis again.
Not that I've ever really figured out what the word "dubstep" refers to. But whenever I walk by a Starbucks or some place that is playing music, I will say, sagely, "obligatory dubstep break," no matter what's actually playing, and will rub my chin thoughtfully.
The thrusts are energetic, but I wouldn't say HyunA's any great shakes as a dancer. Isn't horrible, just doesn't inhabit the rhythm or find a way to let it flow through her in the way that a group like Miss A does, for instance. Do think HyunA's powerful as a rapper, digs in and can sound hard and wounded like a Lil Kim, even if her words, whatever they are, take her elsewhere. And of course the hair is always awesome.
― Frank Kogan, Thursday, 28 July 2011 18:41 (twelve years ago) link
The chart pic I just found it posted on some forum, without any info. The EP isn't called "Ugly", it's some variation of "2nd Mini Album".
Unsure if inspirational lyrics like these can ever be interesting, but is there something to be said for how loyally it sticks to flipping the 'Beautiful' script 180 degrees around? "I am ugly, no matter what you say". Whether I'm getting exactly the nuance they're going for, I'm not sure, even if the words are simple. At least there's an attempt to make things interesting.
Prominent year for Shinsadong Tiger. I liked Beast's "Fiction", the simple hook got to me, but it's the first time I've really noticed the group. Never got involved to the point of thinking about their strengths and weaknesses, or producers. I was going to post a dance cover of Fiction now, but then I came across these girls dancing to TVXQ, a clip previously removed from youtube, and it's so so amazing.
I want to discuss Teen Top's new cheater's anthem as well - Don't Spray Perfume. I think it's a funny song with a great, enchanting chorus. I don't believe that these boys would dare seduce an older woman, but remain entertained imaging it - and the little details in the videos, like the bad boy buying his girlfriend the same perfume as his fling, are precious. This song is all about the practical issues of adultery, in a world where moral qualms don't exist. I choose to ignore the potential moral qualms with this actress (Park Si-Yeon, 32) being twice the age of the OLDEST Teen Top-member (the youngest is 15) as well. Not sure if this group does anything I like outside of being there for the song, smiling intensely, but here we are.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 28 July 2011 19:26 (twelve years ago) link
Well ok, so maths isn't my strong point. Since the oldest member is 18 and not 16 the age difference isn't that great - but not knowing their names and faces I have no clue if the member playing the role of the punk here is the oldest one.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 28 July 2011 19:32 (twelve years ago) link
숨 / Breathe is also a likeable Beast track, but I think it'd be better performed by 4Minute.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 28 July 2011 20:11 (twelve years ago) link
Shinsadong Tiger seems to be the writer-producer for Blady as well, and their singles are two for two: lots of "ohs" and "ooos" in "Spark Spark," but the emotion of the melody doesn't get lost in the cuteness; and "Crazy Day" is halfway to the anguished feeling of Latin freestyle. (This is the second track in the last month the melody style of which made me think of Judy Torres' great "Come Into My Arms" and "No Reason To Cry," the other one being, to my total surprise, Selena Gomez & The Scene's "Love You Like A Love Song." Wouldn't think that little heart-voiced Selena could evoke Judy's sky-scaling wails, but safely back in the mix Selena's spectral oh-woh-ohs do just that. And "Crazy Day" does some of the same. I also thought I heard a bit of that freestyle emotion in Rainbow's "To Me," as well as freestyle riffaging in Kara's light and bright "Jumping." It's been a busy year for my projecting freestyle onto every halfway impassioned sound I hear.)
The promo copy that accompanies the video for "Crazy Day" tells us, "This style of choreography is powerful yet easy, so that it can express Blady's uniqueness. This also allows fans to be able to learn and keep up with the dances." Quite considerate of Blady to accommodate their audience in such a manner.
Are managed (or signed to or whatever, I'm not sure how this stuff works) by SY6 Entertainment, about which the Internet is revealing almost nothing.
― Frank Kogan, Sunday, 31 July 2011 02:56 (twelve years ago) link
Thought "Unpretty" and "Don't Let Me Get Me" hit pretty hard back in the day, the latter especially with Pink sounding ripped-up from the inside, not blaming this entirely on the patriarchy.
"Ugly" also does a nice 180-degree flip on "I Am The Best"'s "Even if you were me you'd envy my body." I am positive that the very same people who chant "NAE GA JE IL JAL NA GA" whenever they hear it will sing along with "Don't lie to my face, I know that I'm ugly," and feel the exact same liberation when singing either one.
Haven't yet gone looking for English translations, to try to locate nuances, though a translation may miss them as well, assuming there are any. But what we've got instead of nuance are tensions between song and singers, between this song and other 2NE1 songs, complications that appear whether the song acknowledges complication or not.
(The Korean Music Copyright Association lists Lydia Soo Paek as co-writer of "Ugly" along with Teddy Park (whose name they spell "Te Di"). And she's listed as co-writer of "Don't Cry," also with Teddy. I've no other information about her.)
― Frank Kogan, Sunday, 31 July 2011 05:36 (twelve years ago) link
Lydia is apparently a dance crew member and singer, and a friend of Shaun Evaristo, who's done choreography for YG. Here's the story which I just found through Google http://letsplay2ne1.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/article-quest-crew-member-lydia-paek-co-wrote-and-co-produced-park-boms-dont-cry/
― abcfsk, Sunday, 31 July 2011 07:54 (twelve years ago) link
I came across these girls dancing to TVXQ, a clip previously removed from youtube, and it's so so amazing
Yes, awesome. What's the story with the clip's removal and return? It would be great if, with their normal looks and weight, they could get a shot.
Listened to the Teen Top album once and was hugely disappointed, since "Supa Luv" had shown promise. Even on that one the singing was too feeble, but the song had a nice glide, making the pale voices not a big problem 'til the embarrassing speaking bit at the end. This second listen to "Don't Spray Perfume" makes me think I underrated its tune a little, and of course I had no idea it had such words. Probably still doesn't rate higher than "interesting," but if I were to revive my "problematic Korean videos" series, this one would surely belong.
― Frank Kogan, Thursday, 4 August 2011 03:57 (twelve years ago) link
I don't know, it just disappeared and I had to watch it on a Korean site for a while. They should apply to Korea's Got Talent.
It's SNSD's 4 year anniversary today. Here are some clips from a recent Seoul concert, doing Britney, Madonna and Janet.
SunnyYoona & YuriJessica
― abcfsk, Thursday, 4 August 2011 16:26 (twelve years ago) link
Sunny's '3' performance again, since it was removed.
Also SuJu's new single... as the biggest Bonamana fan here following the same formula for a third time in a row is pushing it. And the video is so bland and grey and typically SM lame.
― abcfsk, Saturday, 6 August 2011 12:03 (twelve years ago) link
With a few tweaks maybe it could be a modern country chorus, and better than most of what's on country radio this year...
I definitely agree, and actually I get much more out of the song by watching <a href=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skRVr6_Fl5g>solo acoustic youtube covers of it</a> - stripping the bombast out of the chorus makes it seem less teen-angsty to me, although I suppose being teen-angsty isn't necessarily a bad thing. (I'm sure the single would have spoken volumes to me at that stage of my life.) Matt of Totally Amazing has some good insight into the meaning of the song vs. the meaning of the video <a href=http://totallyamazing.tumblr.com/post/8192716256/2ne1-ugly-well-i-was-just-talking-about-how>here</a>.
As for the new SJ single, I'm disappointed the video doesn't look anything like the teaser pictures and I'm disappointed that the song is unworthy of forming a trinity with Sorry Sorry and Bonamana. Haven't listened to the rest of the album, but I generally ignore SJ's music past the singles.
― descriptivist, Sunday, 7 August 2011 14:15 (twelve years ago) link
crap, messed that up! but all the links are visible anyway?
― descriptivist, Sunday, 7 August 2011 14:16 (twelve years ago) link
I get the link to Totally Amazing, but not any acoustic covers.
― abcfsk, Sunday, 7 August 2011 14:18 (twelve years ago) link
ok, here is the acoustic cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skRVr6_Fl5g
― descriptivist, Monday, 8 August 2011 02:34 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AqF8AiCNcs
― abcfsk, Sunday, 14 August 2011 08:10 (twelve years ago) link
Was going to post that on lj last night if I hadn't been too sleepy. Will probably do so today. HyunA's relative stillness makes her just as steamy as she always is, and Zico just kills it. I think his rap in the middle is entirely new - doesn't seem to match DOK2's on the EP. And he improves it.
The Block B EP starts strong with "Halo" and then blands out; too much mediocre boyband singing, but Zico's rapping is sterling; unfortunately, he doesn't get many chances to stretch out as he does here.
― Frank Kogan, Sunday, 14 August 2011 19:53 (twelve years ago) link
Evidently he's got a mixtape. Hope he doesn't feel the need to be too tough and real.
― Frank Kogan, Sunday, 14 August 2011 20:03 (twelve years ago) link
haven't caught up with this thread yet but just stepping in to agree that the dubstep breakdown in Bubble Pop is AWFUL A-W-F-U-L
maybe someone can do an edit? :\
― dayo, Monday, 15 August 2011 11:46 (twelve years ago) link
I certainly don't think there's an agreement on that.
― abcfsk, Monday, 15 August 2011 12:00 (twelve years ago) link
Tea and cakes at the Blue House looks like an awkward affair
http://i.imgur.com/6QFcd.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/Bgssz.jpg
― abcfsk, Friday, 19 August 2011 10:02 (twelve years ago) link
sweet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe_J_tcu3QE
― fauxmarc, Monday, 22 August 2011 16:02 (twelve years ago) link
Billboard K-Pop Hot 100 Launches; Sistar Is No. 1 on New Korea ChartBillboard goes K-Pop today (Aug. 25) with the launch of a new chart, the Billboard K-Pop Hot 100. The tally, which ranks Korea's top-selling songs, kicks off with girl group Sistar's "So Cool" grabbing the No. 1 slot and beating out second-place Leesang and 2NE1, who land not only at No. 3 (with "Ugly") but also No. 14 ("Hate You") and No. 21 ("I Am The Best") on the chart dated Sept. 3.The Billboard K-Pop Hot 100 chart, launched in conjunction with Billboard Korea, is based on digital sales via leading websites as well as downloads from mobile service sites using an industry-standard formula and the most credible music data sources within Korea. The K-Pop Hot 100 debuts simultaneously here on Billboard.com, in the international chart section of Billboard.biz, in Billboard magazine, and also on Billboard Korea's website, billboard.co.kr."The launch of the Billboard K-Pop Hot 100 chart is a milestone event, as it will provide the Korean music market with what we believe is Korea's most accurate and relevant song ranking," says Silvio Pietroluongo, Billboard's Director of Charts. "We're excited to be expanding Billboard's globally recognized Hot 100 chart franchise into this country, and look forward to enhancing the K-Pop Hot 100 chart in the near future with additional data as well as creating new charts that showcase the breadth of Korean music."
Billboard goes K-Pop today (Aug. 25) with the launch of a new chart, the Billboard K-Pop Hot 100. The tally, which ranks Korea's top-selling songs, kicks off with girl group Sistar's "So Cool" grabbing the No. 1 slot and beating out second-place Leesang and 2NE1, who land not only at No. 3 (with "Ugly") but also No. 14 ("Hate You") and No. 21 ("I Am The Best") on the chart dated Sept. 3.
The Billboard K-Pop Hot 100 chart, launched in conjunction with Billboard Korea, is based on digital sales via leading websites as well as downloads from mobile service sites using an industry-standard formula and the most credible music data sources within Korea. The K-Pop Hot 100 debuts simultaneously here on Billboard.com, in the international chart section of Billboard.biz, in Billboard magazine, and also on Billboard Korea's website, billboard.co.kr.
"The launch of the Billboard K-Pop Hot 100 chart is a milestone event, as it will provide the Korean music market with what we believe is Korea's most accurate and relevant song ranking," says Silvio Pietroluongo, Billboard's Director of Charts. "We're excited to be expanding Billboard's globally recognized Hot 100 chart franchise into this country, and look forward to enhancing the K-Pop Hot 100 chart in the near future with additional data as well as creating new charts that showcase the breadth of Korean music."
― abcfsk, Thursday, 25 August 2011 16:51 (twelve years ago) link
finally caught up with this thread. the 4minute album is nice!
'ugly' really bothers me, seems not good for people with self esteem issues.
― dayo, Sunday, 28 August 2011 15:18 (twelve years ago) link
sorry if its already been mentioned, but this is amazing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty4g27YHZ-Q
― prego, Sunday, 28 August 2011 21:26 (twelve years ago) link
New U-KISS single, Neverland. Of note because it was written and produced by JD Relic, an American who is mostly known for posting English-language covers of K-pop songs on Youtube.
It sounds pretty North American to me, though maybe that's just because the "shiny club beats" trend is happening everywhere anyway. Also if you're unfamiliar with U-KISS this amount of English used isn't unusual for them - part of their deal has always been that they have a fairly high ratio of native English speakers (3 out of 7 members).
― descriptivist, Sunday, 4 September 2011 14:59 (twelve years ago) link
My favorite is "Someday" from the new U-Kiss album. It's the anthem of non-successful K-Pop acts.They really stepped up with this one.
Re their English, probably because of the native speakers, even the others are above average English speakers.
― blah blah blah, Monday, 5 September 2011 11:38 (twelve years ago) link
caught up with the TSJ reviews and can I just take a moment to point out that korea and japan are not the same? really getting tired of japanese references (i.e. harajuku girls, hello kitty) making their way into k-pop reviews.
― dayo, Monday, 5 September 2011 12:12 (twelve years ago) link
Kara
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pPrZ-QN4Iw
― abcfsk, Monday, 5 September 2011 16:14 (twelve years ago) link
video is down
― dayo, Monday, 5 September 2011 17:22 (twelve years ago) link
it was working like 45 mins ago
― prego, Monday, 5 September 2011 17:28 (twelve years ago) link
this should work
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYoYoBtLqOY
― blah blah blah, Monday, 5 September 2011 17:33 (twelve years ago) link
my eyes hurt
― dayo, Monday, 5 September 2011 17:50 (twelve years ago) link
thanks for the link!
The bridge to Step feels like an injection of morphine.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 8 September 2011 05:10 (twelve years ago) link
it's like "bang!" for people who think after school are too scary
― descriptivist, Friday, 9 September 2011 17:39 (twelve years ago) link
great thread guys. kinda love this:
A Pink - It Girl
― seasoning sauce all over me (tpp), Saturday, 10 September 2011 23:36 (twelve years ago) link
the outfit coordination in that kara video is next level
― seasoning sauce all over me (tpp), Saturday, 10 September 2011 23:37 (twelve years ago) link
http://www.youtube.com/v/EHWklhbVXSw&fs=1&hl=en
this is properly amazing
― seasoning sauce all over me (tpp), Monday, 12 September 2011 22:58 (twelve years ago) link
I always thought "Where U At" sounded better with the beat from a Justin Bieber song under it.
― descriptivist, Wednesday, 14 September 2011 03:53 (twelve years ago) link
I like A Pink's Protect the Boss song as well. I know this is blasphemy, but they're like a (vocally) improved version of SNSD to me.
I wish Jay Park sold better...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmPMZlsDlVYPerfect.
Also I can't get over Someday. It's so touching.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwSQVbxOa6w
― blah blah blah, Wednesday, 14 September 2011 16:47 (twelve years ago) link
woah!! 'abandoned'!!
― seasoning sauce all over me (tpp), Wednesday, 14 September 2011 17:02 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah, I was spinning that a lot. His EP is solid.
Blasphemy or not, I really don't see how A Pink is a vocally improved SNSD. If they are they haven't got any chance at showing it off with that cutesy affectation on every track. They're kinda similar to Kissing You-era aka shitty era SNSD , though, I'll give you that.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 14 September 2011 17:16 (twelve years ago) link
Omg there's an English version of SNSD's "Born To Be a Lady" on Demi Lovato's new album.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 15 September 2011 05:21 (twelve years ago) link
So much feel-good energy in this performance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em3E3n5dLu0
― abcfsk, Sunday, 18 September 2011 08:30 (twelve years ago) link
Brown Eyed Girls, finally back. Stepped up their badassery.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgJVNAbkTwc
Great gender-switching performance of buzz single 'Hot Shot'Sixth Sense live
― abcfsk, Saturday, 24 September 2011 08:29 (twelve years ago) link
WHO RUN THE WORLD (BROWN EYED GIRLS)
― descriptivist, Thursday, 29 September 2011 04:40 (twelve years ago) link
The new SNSD album was originally set to be released on 10/04, but evidently that's been pushed back a couple of weeks to work out better international distribution deals.
The teaser trailer (which, why isn't this a more common practice globally?) is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeiB3Pq_5dY&feature=player_embedded
I hope that the music sample is actually taken from the album and isn't just filler, because it sounds fantastic.
― jon_oh, Friday, 30 September 2011 18:47 (twelve years ago) link
the trick to 'bubble pop' is to listen to so much shitty brostep that the brostep breakdown seems good by comparison.
the production on this song is really great, balanced but the attack is quick.
― (╯°□°)╯︵ mode squad) (dayo), Tuesday, 4 October 2011 14:16 (twelve years ago) link
by contrast, on the 4minute album they often sound like they're using a webcam to record.
― (╯°□°)╯︵ mode squad) (dayo), Tuesday, 4 October 2011 14:17 (twelve years ago) link
Many different opinions about SNSD's Korean/worldwide comeback single The Boys. More on that later. You can't deny though that they naaailed their first perfomance. This song really allows them to show off themselves as powerhouse vocalists, and the choreography is really powerful as well. It's all very cool image-wise. Seohyun is AAA here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9YFncRmZdM
I see thread contributor descriptivist is disappointed with the Korean lyrics on her tumblr. Yes, maybe I agree, it's not like it should be their place to cheer on the boys. But the lyrics don't really come off as simple as that. Sunny says as much in an interview:
Sunny – “The lyrics’ (meaning) are up to the interpretation (of the listeners'). Rather than just the simple meaning of girls giving boys support, it can be interpreted in many ways. The girls could be telling the boys that we’ll take the lead, giving off a more tough image. It could also be interpreted as girls telling the boys to get their act together and cheer up. (laughs) The song is also aims to give courage to people, whether they’re girls or guys, who are tired out (by life).”
Then there's the rap thing and the Athena reference..
― abcfsk, Friday, 21 October 2011 17:34 (twelve years ago) link
I found this song really plodding and without melody imo
k-pop just can't pull off these bangers
― dayo, Friday, 21 October 2011 20:17 (twelve years ago) link
don't really know what 'these bangers' means here
― abcfsk, Friday, 21 October 2011 20:31 (twelve years ago) link
okay, well, aggressive, dirty sounding assertive bangers
― dayo, Friday, 21 October 2011 20:35 (twelve years ago) link
kpop has been a big internet fad for a lil while huh
― puff puff post (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Friday, 21 October 2011 20:35 (twelve years ago) link
yeah
check this version of the boys out btw. I like it better than the final mix
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq2-YQxsAPA
― dayo, Friday, 21 October 2011 20:36 (twelve years ago) link
"okay, well, aggressive, dirty sounding assertive bangers"
foundation of k-pop imo. what they do best
― abcfsk, Friday, 21 October 2011 20:46 (twelve years ago) link
what are your favorite kpop dirty bangers
the singers never feel like they have enough individuality to pull off the swag necessary for a dirty banger
― dayo, Friday, 21 October 2011 21:32 (twelve years ago) link
who is the beyonce of k pop
boa?
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, 2 November 2011 12:53 (twelve years ago) link
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.
― Mohombi Khush Hua (ShariVari), Wednesday, 2 November 2011 13:38 (twelve years ago) link
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.
― Badmotorfinger Debate Club (MFB), Wednesday, 2 November 2011 14:27 (twelve years ago) link
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.
― Badmotorfinger Debate Club (MFB), Wednesday, 2 November 2011 14:28 (twelve years ago) link
Ummm LOL ok that P'fork article is written by a dude from Elite Gymnastics.
― Badmotorfinger Debate Club (MFB), Wednesday, 2 November 2011 19:09 (twelve years ago) link
Heh, yeah, I noticed they fronted k-pop in an interview there earlier, guess Pitchfork needed the expertise.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 2 November 2011 20:33 (twelve years ago) link
― 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!
― dayo, Wednesday, 2 November 2011 21:53 (twelve years ago) link
is there a k-pop 'goodies'?
― dayo, Wednesday, 2 November 2011 21:55 (twelve years ago) link
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?
― ASPIE Rocky (dayo), Tuesday, 8 November 2011 13:22 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fy4cqWMhyI
I do dig this (courtesy of http://maddieloveskpop.tumblr.com/post/12502584957 )
― ASPIE Rocky (dayo), Tuesday, 8 November 2011 13:27 (twelve years ago) link
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
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 8 November 2011 14:19 (twelve years ago) link
'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 :(
― ASPIE Rocky (dayo), Tuesday, 8 November 2011 22:49 (twelve years ago) link
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
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 9 November 2011 07:32 (twelve years ago) link
ah, what's the song they're covering in the beginning?
― ASPIE Rocky (dayo), Wednesday, 9 November 2011 13:32 (twelve years ago) link
oh wait, britney, right?
― ASPIE Rocky (dayo), Wednesday, 9 November 2011 13:33 (twelve years ago) link
Just borrowing some of Max Martin's chords.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 9 November 2011 13:55 (twelve years ago) link
hah well part of it definitely sounds like oops I did it again... or baby one more time... can't remember which
― ASPIE Rocky (dayo), Wednesday, 9 November 2011 15:37 (twelve years ago) link
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
― abcfsk, Sunday, 13 November 2011 08:45 (twelve years ago) link
I reviewed the new Wonder Girls album on Burning Ambulance today.
― that's not funny. (unperson), Wednesday, 16 November 2011 16:53 (twelve years ago) link
that brown eyed girls single upthread is so massive. more aggressive disco strings everywhere, please
― mutant slow drum (BradNelson), Wednesday, 16 November 2011 17:08 (twelve years ago) link
christ this whole wonder girls album is really solid
― mutant slow drum (BradNelson), Friday, 18 November 2011 22:40 (twelve years ago) link
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?
― dayo, Tuesday, 24 January 2012 12:55 (twelve years ago) link
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 - NewsSunny Hill - The Grasshopper Song(or "hey fellow Koreans, let's not get consumed by work ethics and long hours")
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 24 January 2012 16:05 (twelve years ago) link
I love how the Nine Muses cut off the final vowels in the chorus. Like hissing snakes.
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 24 January 2012 16:11 (twelve years ago) link
meant to say something in this thread last year about the miss a record, on which every track is bangin'
― Whiney vs. (BradNelson), Tuesday, 24 January 2012 18:10 (twelve years ago) link
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.
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 24 January 2012 18:17 (twelve years ago) link
You can enjoy SNSD on LIVE WITH KELLY Wednesday the 1st.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 25 January 2012 01:47 (twelve years ago) link
really like that nine lives song
― dayo, Wednesday, 25 January 2012 02:23 (twelve years ago) link
nine muses, I'm sorry
― dayo, Wednesday, 25 January 2012 02:24 (twelve years ago) link
They're also appearing on DAVID LETTERMAN. Too bad it's not their best single!
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 25 January 2012 10:26 (twelve years ago) link
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
― abcfsk, Friday, 27 January 2012 11:17 (twelve years ago) link
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?
― dan138zig (Durrr Durrr Durrrrrr), Friday, 27 January 2012 11:35 (twelve years ago) link
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
― abcfsk, Friday, 27 January 2012 11:43 (twelve years ago) link
why would you feel awkward?
― dayo, Friday, 27 January 2012 11:45 (twelve years ago) link
I like the revenge angle!
― dayo, Friday, 27 January 2012 11:50 (twelve years ago) link
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.
― dan138zig (Durrr Durrr Durrrrrr), Friday, 27 January 2012 14:08 (twelve years ago) link
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
― dan138zig (Durrr Durrr Durrrrrr), Friday, 27 January 2012 14:12 (twelve years ago) link
You didn't really manage to not sound offensive, or make any sense.
― abcfsk, Friday, 27 January 2012 14:18 (twelve years ago) link
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/0QJdScYJuZDw0SgICqJpqOhttp://open.spotify.com/track/4og6Qix8vofFvC8UdZobEb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgkSTFbWGPg
anyone know/like them?
― rayuela, Friday, 27 January 2012 14:31 (twelve years ago) link
Can't say I know them. Will check out.
Meanwhile
http://www.smpcdn.com/static/images/infographics/kpop-groups-infographic-soompi.png
― abcfsk, Saturday, 28 January 2012 21:57 (twelve years ago) link
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.
― abcfsk, Saturday, 28 January 2012 21:59 (twelve years ago) link
does this look familiar?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6h2s8E7kDA
― dan138zig (Durrr Durrr Durrrrrr), Sunday, 29 January 2012 01:34 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO9yFjodDtM
― dayo, Wednesday, 1 February 2012 11:59 (twelve years ago) link
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..".
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 1 February 2012 15:55 (twelve years ago) link
lol yeah, I was just thinking how creepy it was that they came on right after two old white men were interviewed
― dayo, Wednesday, 1 February 2012 18:25 (twelve years ago) link
http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyq75ivQaN1qf89zjo1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ6IHWSU3BX3X7X3Q&Expires=1328207970&Signature=wUhzKTffglYEv5uiKZ761%2BNy7ls%3D
― Whiney vs. (BradNelson), Wednesday, 1 February 2012 18:39 (twelve years ago) link
!
― dayo, Wednesday, 1 February 2012 18:44 (twelve years ago) link
lol I just posted that pic to the "photos of famous people you'd never expect to be together" thread. so great.
― Roz, Wednesday, 1 February 2012 18:47 (twelve years ago) link
I was really surprised by their english accents! (mean that in as unoffensive a way as possible)
― dayo, Wednesday, 1 February 2012 18:55 (twelve years ago) link
im gonna post this on a bill murray thread brb
― lag∞n, Wednesday, 1 February 2012 18:58 (twelve years ago) link
(mean to clarify the xpost as in: normally I don't care at all about english usage in k-pop songs, but since SNSD is targeting the US market, thought it would be relevant.) xp to myself
― dayo, Thursday, 2 February 2012 02:23 (twelve years ago) link
does anybody else hear a lot of H.O.T. in B.A.R.?
― http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1tAYmMjLdY (dayo), Tuesday, 7 February 2012 13:49 (twelve years ago) link
Thoughts on SPICA's Russian Roulette?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRnQUHw2cs8
― Somewhere between Fergie and Jesus (Alex in Montreal), Wednesday, 8 February 2012 16:35 (twelve years ago) link
despite the similar imagery, a little too upbeat for the k-pop russian roulette?
― http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1tAYmMjLdY (dayo), Wednesday, 8 February 2012 17:14 (twelve years ago) link
I like the song, the group is more believably 'an rnb group' than previous attempts at that and the production is catchy - plus it still sounds very Korean. The mini-album supports these claims.
I'm not necessarily keen on all k-pop videos these days featuring guns and death.
They can sing: http://youtu.be/mA7RebIbs_M (also check out Brandy/D Child covers)
I think we're going to see more solo stars this year. This debut single by 'Ailee' is a melodic belter we've heard on the Billboard chart many times http://youtu.be/L9ro1KjkJMg
Jang Jae In is a typical example of the new kind of solo k-pop star: http://youtu.be/LYFJ2v9aaY0 - currently topping Korean digital charts
She was a contestant on "Super Star K", has roots in indie rock, is a singer songwriter, etc - these types have made the biggest impact in the talent show surge of the past few years, finding a platform that didn't exist before, making it a commercially viable genre. (Slick ballad singers and teen idols have had more than enough screen time, which might explain why the talent show audiences favor lo-fi stars)
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 8 February 2012 17:28 (twelve years ago) link
has IU done anything lately?
― http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1tAYmMjLdY (dayo), Wednesday, 8 February 2012 17:44 (twelve years ago) link
You mean since You&I? Which even she admitted was a Good Day ripoff she didn't want to release at first. Did gangbuster numbers and is catchy, though. Weak after album release she had all the top 10 spots on the singles chart because of album tracks. Has writing credits on half the album so making bank as well. If you're checking out the album go for tracks 9-13, the rest is pap but these hint at where she herself said she wants her sound to go. This is the kind of stuff she does when she has no co-writers with her http://youtu.be/z3vrXXQC6a0
She's debuting in Japan with a JP version of Good Day these days before doing a follow-up single in Korea.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 8 February 2012 17:59 (twelve years ago) link
ah okay, you mentioned indie songwriters and she popped to mind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEonbbcdCtg
what's the guitar sample at the beginning?
― http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1tAYmMjLdY (dayo), Thursday, 9 February 2012 12:14 (twelve years ago) link
http://www.thesinglesjukebox.com/?p=4929#comments
will the TSJ ever review a k-pop single without making a gratuitous, vague east asia reference?
― http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1tAYmMjLdY (dayo), Thursday, 9 February 2012 12:15 (twelve years ago) link
Even (Hollywood) kids note the Lady Gaga-Kpop connection:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd6EQ4MxTWE
"The Boys" sounds like "Telephone" to me.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Sunday, 12 February 2012 01:37 (twelve years ago) link
I really love this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaKU7_PhQL4
Does anyone know anything about the rapper (Bla Bla)? He's hard to Google in English.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Sunday, 12 February 2012 01:40 (twelve years ago) link
Every time the rap part comes in there's a split second where it sounds like Maino, "Hi Hater" to me lol.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Sunday, 12 February 2012 01:43 (twelve years ago) link
SNSD songwriter has bizarre racist twitter meltdown, wtffffffhttp://www.asianjunkie.com/2012/02/jenny-hyun-songwriter-for-snsd-chocolat-is-a-racist-psychopath/
― zappi, Saturday, 18 February 2012 23:40 (twelve years ago) link
yikes!
― http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1tAYmMjLdY (dayo), Saturday, 18 February 2012 23:48 (twelve years ago) link
don't have the slightest ideas who jenny hyun or SNSD are, but might be the most disgusting public display of racism i've ever seen from a public figure. not sure how koreans in general tend to view such things, but i assume that calls for genocide are no less acceptable there than they are here.
― Little GTFO (contenderizer), Saturday, 18 February 2012 23:49 (twelve years ago) link
It's not a one-off meltdown, as far as i can tell, her whole feed is littered with racist tweets. It's either a fake account or she's 100% crazy.
― Mohombi Khush Hua (ShariVari), Saturday, 18 February 2012 23:54 (twelve years ago) link
http://jennyhyun.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/niger/
― http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1tAYmMjLdY (dayo), Saturday, 18 February 2012 23:55 (twelve years ago) link
http://jennyhyun.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/a-late-valentine-for-indians-only/
― http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1tAYmMjLdY (dayo), Saturday, 18 February 2012 23:57 (twelve years ago) link
http://jennyhyun.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/a-comparison/
Her published songs list suggests she co-wrote one SNSD album track which might explain why nobody seems to give a fuck about this. She only has 400 followers on Twitter.
― Mohombi Khush Hua (ShariVari), Sunday, 19 February 2012 00:01 (twelve years ago) link
hope they cut her off forever
http://jennyhyun.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/notorious-big-mo-money-mo-problems-ft-mase-puff-daddy/
seems like she has no qualms about enjoying the music of the people she wants to commit genocide against
― http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1tAYmMjLdY (dayo), Sunday, 19 February 2012 00:03 (twelve years ago) link
― Little GTFO (contenderizer), Saturday, February 18, 2012 6:49 PM (21 minutes ago) Bookmark
afaict she's korean-american
― http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1tAYmMjLdY (dayo), Sunday, 19 February 2012 00:13 (twelve years ago) link
another one from yesterday
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj242/donaldparsley/jennyhyun1.png
― Little GTFO (contenderizer), Sunday, 19 February 2012 00:15 (twelve years ago) link
having done a little googling, SNSD and chocolat (the acts she writes for) seems to be south korean, though, right? it's not like either has a big US pop presence, so far as i know...
― Little GTFO (contenderizer), Sunday, 19 February 2012 00:17 (twelve years ago) link
SNSD (girl's generation) are trying to break it big in america, they recently appeared on letterman.
― http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1tAYmMjLdY (dayo), Sunday, 19 February 2012 00:19 (twelve years ago) link
ah. i'm not sure that this is the best strategy, then.
― Little GTFO (contenderizer), Sunday, 19 February 2012 00:22 (twelve years ago) link
she doesn't write for them as much as she sold the rights to two tracks they used as filler on albums. no relation in reality
she seems batshit insane, though, should probably get a padded cell
― abcfsk, Sunday, 19 February 2012 10:11 (twelve years ago) link
new miss a EP rather underwhelming
― http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1tAYmMjLdY (dayo), Tuesday, 21 February 2012 01:55 (twelve years ago) link
i only listened to the title song so far, it's such a mess. i guess the other songs must be better, will give the ep a listen in the next few days.
expect to see this on the youtube chart next week https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GRP1rkE4O0 big bang - blue
― blah blah blah, Tuesday, 21 February 2012 16:33 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah I'm liking the Big Bang, toning it down was a good idea, feels like a 2012 version of their earliest stuff.
This is kinda dreamy and great
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw077fxesZs
The new Brave Girls single is decent, but this album track kills it http://youtu.be/cm_OV7q_GVk
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 21 February 2012 17:27 (twelve years ago) link
Wow. I'm not sure i've listened to Park Ji Yoon in about nine years but that's really lovely.
― Mohombi Khush Hua (ShariVari), Tuesday, 21 February 2012 18:21 (twelve years ago) link
yeah I really like the big bang song. interesting that the girls in it are european - recall a few blog posts dissecting the gender politics of the last big bang (or was it gd/top) video that did that.
― flagp∞st (dayo), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 02:09 (twelve years ago) link
My favorite thing about the "Blue" video is that G-Dragon made ALL the members of Big Bang pose so that they ambiguously are, and are with, the white hipster girl.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 02:18 (twelve years ago) link
When it was announced that Teddy Park had co-written most of the tracks on the Big Bang album, I was (happily) anticipating something like this, without the editing glitches:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9oa45GuRMk
Big Bang vocals and an actual sad-euphoric build is all I ever wanted out of a song, apparently. >_> Blue is not bad though, it is restful next to their more dramatic tracks. I am holding out hope for at least one really "big" track on the album, though.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 02:20 (twelve years ago) link
man I don't know why I wrote european, I should have just said white. sorry about that.
― flagp∞st (dayo), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 02:20 (twelve years ago) link
@dayo the video with mostly white girls is GDTOP, High High (about clubbing). They used a Korean girl for their teen romance song, though. Now I wanna read those blog posts...
― hurricane weather (forapper), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 02:24 (twelve years ago) link
think the gist of it was male aggrandizing as specifically related to asian males - i.e. they're so masculine that they get white chicks. or something.
― flagp∞st (dayo), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 02:28 (twelve years ago) link
That makes sense. There was a lot of male aggrandizing going in the videos for that album, you know, all the playboy bunny girls, the girls at the club and the spa, etc.
(I wrote "compensatory male aggrandizing" but it could have also been because it was a more 'hip hop' album and that's what hip hop albums are like, I guess.)
― hurricane weather (forapper), Wednesday, 22 February 2012 02:39 (twelve years ago) link
seems like I only learn about new k-pop songs after they get posted on TSJ, but I love how aggressive this one is
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiMntBGX-6c
― flagp∞st (dayo), Monday, 27 February 2012 22:06 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qnV55LUFVM
big bang pursues more white hipster girls
what's that horse's tail hanging out of gd's hat?
― flagp∞st (dayo), Tuesday, 28 February 2012 15:22 (twelve years ago) link
That's his Skrillex 'do.
I'm liking this as a lot well, looks to be a great campaign for Big Bang. They needed some scandals to.. ehm, chill out their music? A bit much 'walking in NY' if the coming MVs follow suit, though.
There's nothing new to this Rainbow song except they've found the most infectious phrase ever to go with an infectious chorus. GONNA GO, GONNA GONNA GO, GONNA GO - LETS GO!: http://youtu.be/dKDS7zzz-kU
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 28 February 2012 15:45 (twelve years ago) link
Ok I think this will become one of my favorite Big Bang songs.
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 28 February 2012 16:04 (twelve years ago) link
Not a great video, but it does its job. Alive is selling visible amounts on iTunes worldwide.The song is nice.
― blah blah blah, Wednesday, 29 February 2012 11:04 (twelve years ago) link
we haven't talked about this yet?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjr485xFf7A
― flagp∞st (dayo), Tuesday, 6 March 2012 12:36 (twelve years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/CVct0.gif
― flagp∞st (dayo), Tuesday, 6 March 2012 12:37 (twelve years ago) link
Talked about it at other places and forgot, I guess. I like that EP of hers, and was surprised she basically used it to give her own take on various American pop templates instead of doing a more pure hip hop album (where her roots are). As some TSJ folks pointed out her rapping in the verses are the highlights of DIRTY, still not 100% sure if I like the safe-pop production, but it's a fun song. Also like SNSD Sunny's singing on that one track.
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 6 March 2012 16:25 (twelve years ago) link
Btw the third Big Bang MV is not 'walking in NY'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAbokV76tkU
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 6 March 2012 18:44 (twelve years ago) link
that doesn't feel like the video the song deserves
― flagp∞st (dayo), Wednesday, 7 March 2012 02:06 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aOq_1T8XY0
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 7 March 2012 16:00 (twelve years ago) link
― abcfsk, Tuesday, March 6, 2012 11:25 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark
yeah the rapping is key - TSJ write-up compared her to nicki but I'm not quite sure that's accurate - maybe if just focusing on swagger.
I love the end of 'dirty' where she's going all out in autotune. so much energy - except instead of coming through in feedback and distortion, it's coming through in autotune. using autotune as a filter for rage? interesting!
― flagp∞st (dayo), Wednesday, 7 March 2012 18:13 (twelve years ago) link
Big Bang Fantastic Baby video is a takeoff on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgJVNAbkTwc">Sixth Sense</a> as well as being a gigantic loveletter to the international fanbase. Basically while Brown Eyed Girls fought against censorship in their MV by being actively sexual, Big Bang lounge around on thrones or face personal demons while their supporters in gas masks fight the battle against the people who didn't want them to release music this year. As a reward, the fans get to join in the dance party at the end.
Taeyang, Daesung and Seungri all take their shirts off in this, but I'm actually more struck by how objectified TOP is, like he's literally a piece of art hanging on the wall of the gallery! Even when he "comes alive" he's still not very active-gaze. Flashing back to Knock Out and his brag verse about having the prettiest eyelashes.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Thursday, 8 March 2012 00:49 (twelve years ago) link
That should have been Sixth Sense:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r08H6gbW6YQ
― fffv, Thursday, 8 March 2012 03:04 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn8mfNvGVYQ&feature=colike
smh @ kanye "HUNRGHS"
wonder if gd got extensions to get that skrillex hair?
― flagp∞st (dayo), Sunday, 11 March 2012 14:59 (twelve years ago) link
oh the kanye HUHs were in the studio version too, just not so pronounced
― flagp∞st (dayo), Sunday, 11 March 2012 15:04 (twelve years ago) link
is K-Pop EP-oriented in general? definitely approve - wish the american record industry would return to this format also
― flagp∞st (dayo), Sunday, 11 March 2012 15:05 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z37WOB7cf44
― flagp∞st (dayo), Saturday, 17 March 2012 12:59 (twelve years ago) link
"is K-Pop EP-oriented in general? "
Generally, yeah. Allows them to put out two a year instead of one, less of an investment, etc. Usually works out for the better musically as well.
Top 5 year-end sellers are full albums, though.
2011 YEAR END PHYSICAL ALBUM SALES CHART
1. Girls' Generation - The Boys (385,348)2. Super Junior - `Mr. Simple` The 5th Album (343,348)3. TVXQ - `왜(Keep Your Head Down)` (263,412)4. JYJ - In Heaven (220,442)5. BEAST - Fiction and Fact (142,272)6. BIG BANG - BIGBANG 4th Mini-Album (136,594)7. Super Junior - `Mr. Simple` The 5th Album Repackage (A-Cha) (129,894)8. CNBLUE - FIRST STEP (115,467)9. Kim Hyun Joong - Break Down (EP) (114,642)10. Kim Hyun Joong - Lucky (2nd Mini Album) (101,705)
11. KARA - STEP (100,662)12. 2PM - Hands Up (100,379)13. BIG BANG - BIG BANG Special Edition (89,371)14. 2NE1 - 2NE1 2nd Mini Album (85,819)15. IU - Last Fantasy (71,860)16. Various Artists - Infinite Challenge West Coast Highway (71,300)17. Jay Park - Take A Deeper Look (EP) (66,316)18. JYJ - In Heaven (Special Edition) (62,790)19. f(x) - `Pinocchio` The 1st Album (61,637)20. TVXQ - `왜(Keep Your Head Down)` REPACKAGE (60,205)
― abcfsk, Saturday, 17 March 2012 13:29 (twelve years ago) link
new BoA!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUrGpU6KY6M
― dayo, Tuesday, 20 March 2012 12:56 (twelve years ago) link
New BoA but in a "uplifting talent show soundtrack" role and no one gets out of that with much personality left. Still, thankful for what I get and she's very much amazing as a TV personality on the show (since, for us fans, she's avoided talk/variety TV like the plague her whole career, it's a surreal weekly experience).
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 20 March 2012 14:07 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DDpo7qQQDIUK-Pop for a Japanese release. Pixie Lott ft. GD&TOP - Dancing On My Own. I wonder if there're gonna be other collaborations like this in the future. I would prefer an original song with Korean rap. This isn't bad either.
re K-Pop vs the EP format: yes, loads of EP's there. It's just they prefer to call it Mini-Album and stuff like that.
― blah blah blah, Wednesday, 21 March 2012 10:38 (twelve years ago) link
Did you guys notice the last update on Jenny Hyun's site (about one day after her shit blew this thread up)? http://jennyhyun.wordpress.com/2012/02/19/apology-to-all/
apology to allPosted on February 19, 2012 by Jenny Hyun
Jenny Hyun has been admitted to a hospital today. She is a paranoid schizophrenic and has been battling mental illness, a debilitating disease for many years.Friends and family of Jenny want to extend their sincere apology for any harmful statements made verbally or via the web that Jenny has made while she was in the height of a psyshosis episode. We appreciate your understanding during this difficult time for he
― Johnny Fever, Wednesday, 21 March 2012 16:52 (twelve years ago) link
yeah we discussed how it doesn't pass the sniff test in the 'is this racist' thread
― dayo, Wednesday, 21 March 2012 17:05 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kyG5tTZ1iE
digging this!
― dayo, Thursday, 22 March 2012 11:25 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9ro1KjkJMg
ah I love the handclap sound
― dayo, Saturday, 24 March 2012 12:52 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk6_37xuu1Q
dope throwback
― dayo, Monday, 26 March 2012 12:01 (twelve years ago) link
think I'll stop embedding for the sake of everybody's browsers
http://youtu.be/raOsXsYgd7M nice straight-up dance pop
― dayo, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 13:16 (twelve years ago) link
Don't know if you meant to post the two big old-skool k-pop boy bands after one another, but it's a nice example of how one comes off slightly desperate in his comeback attempts (Tony An, not talking about that performance, though) and how Shinhwa still seem pretty well-suited for the pop star life. Wouldn't say Venus is amazing, but people have been saying the EP is pretty solid.
As for Ailee there, I said somewhere else, she and her songwriter really nailed that formula. The big melodic belter. To be honest I think that stuff would have an easier time making it big on the Billboard than the ones trying really hard.
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 15:54 (twelve years ago) link
hah I don't know shinhwa, but it pleased me to see H.O.T. doing 'candy' in 2012 (or, as it were, just tony an)
― dayo, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 17:27 (twelve years ago) link
but yeah ailee strikes a nice balance between ballad and banger
as for ballads I like Lyn
― dayo, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 17:28 (twelve years ago) link
I like this Ali ballad http://youtu.be/U6xIO6j2mqE
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 17:34 (twelve years ago) link
New SPICA - Painkiller http://youtu.be/gO-n43lUS7s
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 28 March 2012 15:26 (twelve years ago) link
http://youtu.be/QbJCB2ArgK0
Tomorrow at the lower east side!!
― rayuela, Wednesday, 28 March 2012 18:22 (twelve years ago) link
(probably not the perfect thread for that band but i had to express my glee)
― rayuela, Wednesday, 28 March 2012 18:23 (twelve years ago) link
'follow me' really seems to have been the template for 'i am the best'
― dayo, Monday, 2 April 2012 02:08 (eleven years ago) link
new 4minute rather disappointing
opening of 'dream racer' rather blatantly copies a part of 'i am the best'
― swaghand (dayo), Monday, 9 April 2012 12:14 (eleven years ago) link
Volume Up is a mega hit.
― abcfsk, Monday, 9 April 2012 12:18 (eleven years ago) link
I can find nothing redeeming about it
― swaghand (dayo), Monday, 9 April 2012 12:28 (eleven years ago) link
Adding the sax hook was a good idea - it will make this a big sales hit like Trouble Maker. Love the rest of the song as well, the lyrics, the techno beat, the main vocalists belting without being cloying about it.
― abcfsk, Monday, 9 April 2012 12:50 (eleven years ago) link
"volume up" is totally awesome, sorry dayo
― Whiney vs. (BradNelson), Monday, 9 April 2012 15:36 (eleven years ago) link
thought there were a lot more jams on the LP
http://youtu.be/Qk3Cxmvljpk
― swaghand (dayo), Monday, 9 April 2012 22:25 (eleven years ago) link
4minute also totally biting themselves w/ the buildup to the chorus in volume up
http://youtu.be/h97jt1XtnGQ
― swaghand (dayo), Monday, 9 April 2012 22:33 (eleven years ago) link
totally into self-biting
― Whiney vs. (BradNelson), Monday, 9 April 2012 23:36 (eleven years ago) link
losing my faith in k-pop anyway since 'busker busker' is occupying the charts
― swaghand (dayo), Tuesday, 10 April 2012 12:41 (eleven years ago) link
Good week - Sistar comes back with a really sexy track http://youtu.be/E0ZHXVp_wUE
― abcfsk, Thursday, 12 April 2012 04:50 (eleven years ago) link
http://www.soompi.com/news/jyp-sheds-light-on-koreas-deeprooted-racial-divide-on-sbs-kpop-star
― swaghand (dayo), Thursday, 12 April 2012 12:03 (eleven years ago) link
Having watched the show I don't think that was the best example, isolated speaking, as she did reach #5 and except for one dude I thought the others left were better - but it was a great opportunity to bring up a real problem so kudos to JYP. Yesterday's poor performance by the opposition in the Korean parliamentary election wasn't the most uplifting result, but a lot more women were elected and one of them the first naturalized Korean citizen to do so, Jasmine Lee from the Phillipines. Her inclusion was a move by the ruling party to appeal to the growing number of naturalized citizens and is an acknowledgement that that number IS steadily growing. So the topic will (have to) be dealt with, one way or another and I'm happy JYP talks about it in such a super-mainstream setting. The blackface incident earlier this year also got a lot of talk going, which isn't a matter of course as those skits have been pretty frequent on Korean TV. Some people defended it but it got a lot of coverage online and in the news, and artists like Tiger JK spoke up about it (himself being the husband of African American / Korean Yoon Mirae). Pretty obvious there's a lot of work to be done but I'm glad it's a mainstream issue at least (at last).
― abcfsk, Thursday, 12 April 2012 13:10 (eleven years ago) link
Didn't mean to suggest a connection between Michelle and the plight of naturalized citizens, of course, though my confusingly worded post might lead you to that idea --- just talking about the new multicultural Korea.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 12 April 2012 13:13 (eleven years ago) link
― abcfsk, Thursday, April 12, 2012 6:50 AM (3 days ago)
K-pop SOTY
― abcfsk, Sunday, 15 April 2012 10:08 (eleven years ago) link
everything in that sistar song is a hook
― Whiney vs. (BradNelson), Sunday, 15 April 2012 16:44 (eleven years ago) link
it's a lot more po-faced than their previous singles
― swaghand (dayo), Sunday, 15 April 2012 17:07 (eleven years ago) link
excited about the new girl's day!
― dayo, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 11:44 (eleven years ago) link
You hate on the two great singles of the year, but Girl's Day gets you in the mood?!
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 11:49 (eleven years ago) link
well I haven't actually listened to girl's day yet
but sorry, those two singles are sleek but lifeless!
― dayo, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 11:50 (eleven years ago) link
the 'mehness' of the new 4minute made me revisit their LP though, which is really quite good
http://youtu.be/tL9OB0DxkE4
― dayo, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 11:54 (eleven years ago) link
and 'ma boy' still walks all over the new sistar!
― dayo, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 11:55 (eleven years ago) link
Their LP was really weak, but I like their previous EPs.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 11:55 (eleven years ago) link
I know you don't actually believe that!
― dayo, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 11:59 (eleven years ago) link
I like them american rnb-y (as their album tracks pre-LP are) over that brisk synth pop stuff. And their singles should aggressive, not sweet like the extremely disappointing "Heart to Heart". Now THAT was lifeless.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 12:00 (eleven years ago) link
hah well I guess that's where you and I diverge. K-pop is at its best for me when it's fun and bombastic and spilling over the edges, not when it's trying to be a jet-black sports car, but that's just me!
― dayo, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 12:10 (eleven years ago) link
What do you think about f(x)?
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 12:19 (eleven years ago) link
may have heard a few singles in passing but not sure any have stuck. what do you recommend?
― dayo, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 12:22 (eleven years ago) link
my fave from the 4minute album would be first if it was the japanese version. it's my fave 4minute song by far, and i love 4minute, so...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1L8k4KXmbsi really wanted to like volume up. one of gayoon's best tracks. but the saxophone just puts me off. whatever.
just to troll the f(x) talk, here's their best songhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDbUqDGGtl8the only reason i forgave sm for destroying this, is that the f(x) mv had a pink tank in it.
― blah blah blah, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 12:44 (eleven years ago) link
what do you recommend?
Just asked because they're very far away from a jet-black sports car, and their particular, f(x)-ian style of singing is all about fun and games. But I'm not sure if that's the kind of thing you refer to as your k-pop fun. Melody is ignored in favor of rhythm.
All their singles are kinda similar. "Nu ABO" probably defines them more than anything else and received a lot of analysis and confusion upon release (including the lyrics).
http://youtu.be/E8ZrPFMr_nY
I can see why some people find their style inapproachable, but imo this is a majestic tune and they're one of a select few k-pop groups who truly have their own sound they stick fairly closely to with each release. I put last year's "Danger" near the top of my year-end list, but didn't see much discussion of it among writers.*
* Said this mid-year 2011: "Youthful brattiness and staccato nonsense, one note repeated until a gorgeous bridge achieves liftoff and briefly breaks away from the madness of jump rope rhymes. "
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 12:45 (eleven years ago) link
Funny thing is even if their cover of Hot Summer does little new it still sounds like a typical f(x) single. I guess songwriter Troelsen is more or less an SM dude by now, though.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 12:47 (eleven years ago) link
hah nu ABO is great! thanks for that
― dayo, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 12:49 (eleven years ago) link
my fav k-pop group is still 2ne1, if that tells you anything
― dayo, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 12:50 (eleven years ago) link
I kind of love these rhythm-based, motorik tracks like nu ABO and follow me
― dayo, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 12:51 (eleven years ago) link
one note repeated
― blah blah blah, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 12:56 (eleven years ago) link
one-note repetition reminds me of the best one-note songs ever
http://youtu.be/QA1M_Wyrnco
― dayo, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 13:54 (eleven years ago) link
my fav off the new girl's day (warning: very sugary)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp4teLl8Jwk
― dayo, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 14:41 (eleven years ago) link
that one-note song could be used to interrogate me. i need to put on pop pop pop by rania asap
― blah blah blah, Thursday, 19 April 2012 09:06 (eleven years ago) link
f(x) Hot Summer and Montrose Hot Summer are the same song because this guy wrote both (also Nu ABO and Pinocchio):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Troelsen
Maybe it's just because I know the reason he gets so much work in Korea is because he wrote Mirotic for TVXQ, but I think of the Thomas Troelsen production style as being like... opening up all aural channels at once. Like just blasting a smooth sound into every single aural receptor. I don't even think Shinee's "Sherlock" is a good song but it has that hitting-every-spot-at-once appeal. I kind of think of this as being the aural equivalent of like... shooting up (heroin), again, because of Mirotic.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Thursday, 19 April 2012 22:10 (eleven years ago) link
My favorite Kpop songwriter-for-hire (meaning not an in-house songwriter) is Brave Brothers, because he adds genre-depth to his pop songs** and they're generally a bit more relaxed than the Kpop sped-up-beat and tuned-up-synth sound.*** His new stuff for Brave Girls ("Nowadays You") is in that mode. Sometimes I wonder if that song, B1A4's "Baby I'm Sorry", f(x)'s "Pinocchio", etc, are all about the same person.
**e.g. Brave Girls reggae phase, the first Sistar LP
***My theory on which BTW is that because Korean censors ban sex and drugs references in idol music, "mania" is the only kind of euphoria left to pop music aha. Though more and more groups are trying to sneak some sex in, which, you know, if it relaxes the music a little bit, I think is a good thing?
― hurricane weather (forapper), Thursday, 19 April 2012 22:31 (eleven years ago) link
he doesn't get much work in korea, only does singles for sm.
my fave is shinsadong tiger. i probably love him for his obsession with the northern european sound.
― blah blah blah, Friday, 20 April 2012 09:45 (eleven years ago) link
Nice way of putting it, forapper.
I know Troelsen is behind Hot Summer, yeah. What's interesting is how f(x) sometimes get demos from Europe and then tweak them in-house to get that f(x) touch (not so much HOt Summer, but their originals). Highlighted in this interview with SM's Yoo Youngjin http://omonatheydidnt.livejournal.com/3586995.html
10: These days, even SM takes foreign songs and changes it to Korean style of music. You have done that as well. What do you think is important when you do that?Yoo: Songs like "Amigo," "Mirotic" and "Nu ABO" were written by foreign songwriters. When we decide we are going to write a certain kind of song, several songwriters including myself start doing the arrangement and write the lyrics. First of all, I don't take a song from a foreign songwriter and just use it. Their songs are incredibly simple in terms of melody, lyrics and arrangement so I add certain parts to the song that I think are necessary to succeed in Korea. Sometimes I take the sub-melody in the original composition and make it the main melody, or even make a new one from scratch. If a song has a great overall flow but a weak climax, I make it stronger. For example, [Korean girl band f(x) member] Luna's singing part in the latter part of "Nu ABO" -- that part changes the entire flow of the track. But the way it breaks the original flow and changes to a completely different vibe with a definite impact -- I think that is the style of Korean pop music.
I've read similar things about "Danger", where it was tweaked to sound more f(x)-y.
― abcfsk, Friday, 20 April 2012 10:13 (eleven years ago) link
That's really cool! Also, <adds omonatheydidnt to feed list>
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 20 April 2012 19:46 (eleven years ago) link
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2012/04/ff_koreanrapper/all/1
this article was super interesting, feel so bad for the dude
― dayo, Thursday, 26 April 2012 21:44 (eleven years ago) link
Following the "celebs finally free to talk back to haters on twitter" trend, Heechul of Super Junior signed off on that Wired article:
http://ygfamilyy.tumblr.com/post/21901290707/heechul-super-junor-xxyo-tajinyo-stop-it-now
Also Mithra of Epik High (Tablo's group) linked to the Korean translation on his twitter "Mithra’s first tweet in 4 months".
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 27 April 2012 11:15 (eleven years ago) link
Meanwhile on the Taijinyo boards "it's just some American IT magazine, why are people calling it 'the American press'"?
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 27 April 2012 11:17 (eleven years ago) link
Also, BAP's new EP is all "Fight the Power"!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vD4Nn4mDyE
(Also this, this, this. "Fight for Freedom" sounds like four different songs to me, but there's no filler on this EP, that's for sure o_O. I think "What the Hell" is my favorite so far...)
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 27 April 2012 11:23 (eleven years ago) link
yeah listening to the new BAP now. I like this brash sci-fi dystopic sound
― dayo, Friday, 27 April 2012 11:37 (eleven years ago) link
Right now I like how "We Got the Power" is making use of everyone's voices (probably why it was picked as the title track). I especially like Himchan's trad melody parts, that Bang Yong Guk starts it off and Zelo adds energy/danger, and that they've decided to divide up the song's most emotional lines between Youngjae (small range) and Daehyun (large range) - because I'm enough of a stan to know who they all are, lol.
Anyway the disaffected youth rap-rock chorus + trad-emotional verse formula is cool and it works. There's no filler in this song either.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 27 April 2012 17:48 (eleven years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOvV0M7V4bA
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 15 May 2012 14:23 (eleven years ago) link
kinda love how unconventional JYP looks
― dayo, Tuesday, 15 May 2012 17:11 (eleven years ago) link
I like that xp
― dayo, Tuesday, 15 May 2012 17:24 (eleven years ago) link
love this kind of ballad. reminds me a lil of mariah? but maybe only because I've been listening to a lot of mariah lately. http://youtu.be/6JpJUlSyXNY
fun throwaway summer jam: http://youtu.be/Udb1rOT48Mo
― dayo, Tuesday, 15 May 2012 17:26 (eleven years ago) link
That Infinite song is really cool. It really gets that kind of sad and lonely, driving late at night feeling? Dunno about the lyrics though - I was expecting something more introverted and nostalgic because of the like, Miami Vice/Kamen Rider sound, but instead they are going to try again to regain the fickle hearts of the public by casting a spell over themselves that they want it. :p But ah well, I can just turn off the subtitles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UslqIyPZsic
Same message, different approach. It's about enjoying the moment and the sound/visuals are also hedonistic and indulgent (because Middle Eastern = hedonistic and indulgent??). I like Junsu's androgynous look, he's like the evil Persian dude in 300.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Wednesday, 16 May 2012 17:19 (eleven years ago) link
new big bang http://youtu.be/btDd9rOlc2k
― chris paul george hill (dayo), Sunday, 3 June 2012 15:37 (eleven years ago) link
^^^these dudes will be performing in my hometown in October. Kind of tempted to go, but not sure I'm prepared to brave the crowd of screaming fangirls.
― Roz, Monday, 4 June 2012 18:55 (eleven years ago) link
There's been quite a few tracks I should've posted and talked about here but since it often happens at other places I guess I forget. But you gotta post a new SNSD single
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXMzPTF6HYM
― abcfsk, Thursday, 14 June 2012 16:00 (eleven years ago) link
I like that!
not feeling the new f(x) ep at all :(
― un® (dayo), Thursday, 14 June 2012 22:54 (eleven years ago) link
Electric Shock is super good though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8I8QGFA1oM
― fffv, Friday, 15 June 2012 03:27 (eleven years ago) link
f(x) always on point
― abcfsk, Sunday, 17 June 2012 08:00 (eleven years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaAl6qfWsAs
― Black_vegeta (Hungry4Ass), Thursday, 21 June 2012 06:17 (eleven years ago) link
XD
― un® (dayo), Thursday, 21 June 2012 10:49 (eleven years ago) link
lol!
― hurricane weather (forapper), Thursday, 21 June 2012 22:14 (eleven years ago) link
<3 Electric Shock. Unusual details in wikipedia articles:
f(x) (play /ˌɛf ˈɛks/; Korean: 에프엑스) is a five member South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment in 2009. The name is a play on the mathematical notation for function, and when input with different 'x', there can be many different outcomes. The f stands for flower and the x represents the female's double x chromosome. f(x) strives to be the kind of girl group that can change and adapt to many situations. The group members have also been nicknamed "function girls".
― recordbreaking transfer to Lucknow FC (seandalai), Friday, 22 June 2012 01:52 (eleven years ago) link
New Girls' Generation video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3-pUNhYORw
― 誤訳侮辱, Friday, 22 June 2012 13:37 (eleven years ago) link
Posted above only with some different scenes.
They did a GREAT performance of it on Music Station today, though.. taken down on youtube but if you find it, watch it.
― abcfsk, Friday, 22 June 2012 13:56 (eleven years ago) link
Up for now http://youtu.be/Guw6BiZxmpE
― abcfsk, Friday, 22 June 2012 13:57 (eleven years ago) link
No wait that's sped up..
― abcfsk, Friday, 22 June 2012 13:59 (eleven years ago) link
http://youtu.be/D2aHXTde57s
― abcfsk, Friday, 22 June 2012 14:00 (eleven years ago) link
This is LQ but better than any of the ones above http://youtu.be/DA7PeBC55q0
(sorry for the spam but at least this makes the thread slightly easier to load)
― abcfsk, Friday, 22 June 2012 14:03 (eleven years ago) link
2NE1 are playing Newark, NJ on 8/17 and L.A. on 8/24; tickets went on sale today and top out at $200 ($300 for the VIP package which includes a gift bag and access to a "soundcheck party").
― 誤訳侮辱, Saturday, 23 June 2012 17:14 (eleven years ago) link
I have a confirmed assignment to review (and photograph!) the aforementioned 2NE1 show in Newark. Now to figure out who's handling the tickets & photo passes at Live Nation...
― 誤訳侮辱, Monday, 25 June 2012 17:55 (eleven years ago) link
I think Kpop is prepared for the Olympics, yo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLunOf5QsYQ&list=PL260E01B49C1B1BA2&feature=plpp_play_all
― hurricane weather (forapper), Thursday, 19 July 2012 01:48 (eleven years ago) link
(It's a playlist)
― hurricane weather (forapper), Thursday, 19 July 2012 01:49 (eleven years ago) link
BoA has composed her new single and it fits her to a t http://youtu.be/PQjovLrnvVo
and almost more importantly, the video allows her performance to shine
― abcfsk, Sunday, 22 July 2012 07:37 (eleven years ago) link
That's really cool! It's a very Madonna-like performance without seeming like she's copying anything (because it's so totally BoA). Dance-acting is so cool. I also like the balanced lyrics.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Sunday, 22 July 2012 17:10 (eleven years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hzz4mGyehw
BAP with a Damien Hirst-inspired music video.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Sunday, 22 July 2012 17:11 (eleven years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd-EnU-s9Rg
GLAM song about a girl liking another girl:
Can I kiss you baby girl?Are you a boy? I don’t care.. Passion is key. Girl I really really like ya, now just leave the rest to me. A kiss XXO, anyone can be a Romeo.A kiss XXO, if the heart starts to race, you’re Juliet Juliet. Because we break the rules, we dodge the rules.Got the right to break the wall. Everyone move. Opposition for opposition won’t work- take off the blindfold that covers your eyes. Be confident. (We’re a minority.) Fling it off.Yeah don’t stop the beat now. Now is your time, you shine more than anyone else.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Sunday, 22 July 2012 17:17 (eleven years ago) link
Ok, irresistible
http://gawker.com/5930283/did-this-underground-hip-hop-artist-from-south-korea-just-release-the-best-music-video-of-the-year
― Milton Parker, Wednesday, 1 August 2012 09:19 (eleven years ago) link
gif request for loop of 1:54-2:01
― Milton Parker, Wednesday, 1 August 2012 09:21 (eleven years ago) link
Underground? The song is #1! (unless they're saying underground to them, in which case they've already said 'from South Korea' so it's redundant)
― if, Wednesday, 1 August 2012 09:57 (eleven years ago) link
Yeah it's the hit of the year pretty much.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 1 August 2012 10:04 (eleven years ago) link
Also I think you'll find pretty much every second gif'd on tumblr. Props to Hyuna for her cameo here securing her summer viral #2 after last year's Bubble Pop.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 1 August 2012 10:05 (eleven years ago) link
I kinda figured this thread would now be about "Gangnam Style". To answer Gawker's question, yes.
― frogbs, Wednesday, 1 August 2012 14:08 (eleven years ago) link
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/43025/hallyu-camp-at-the-korean-cultural-center-monday-aug-6/
Not only has South Korean cinema become one of the most interesting movie scenes in the world, the glossy triteness of K-pop has somehow become a worldwide phenomenon. (If you’re not 15 and don’t know what K-pop is, its artists make Justin Bieber seem like Marvin Gaye.) “Hallyu” means “Korean Wave,” an all-encompassing term for the pop-culture revolution, but it’ll take a five-day camp to explain how the nine-member manufactured music group Girls’ Generation (shown) relates to Oldboy, the 2003 stylized excursion into cinematic hyperviolence.
― curmudgeon, Monday, 6 August 2012 16:02 (eleven years ago) link
I don't know anything about k-pop, but I thought I'd post that anyway when I read it
― curmudgeon, Monday, 6 August 2012 16:04 (eleven years ago) link
Woo-hoo! Less than two weeks till I get to see (and photograph) 2NE1 live!
― 誤訳侮辱, Monday, 6 August 2012 18:00 (eleven years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQgjOLPDTyI
Written by YG's Kush, according to the comments
― hurricane weather (forapper), Thursday, 16 August 2012 15:52 (eleven years ago) link
2NE1 show last night was pretty fucking great. Full review on MSN Music soon.
― 誤訳侮辱, Saturday, 18 August 2012 13:51 (eleven years ago) link
yeah i'm reviewing it for the voice. it was amazing.
kept making jokes all night about how the backing band was the new power generation and then in between set/costume changes they just launched into this stellar funk jam
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Saturday, 18 August 2012 23:09 (eleven years ago) link
The promised review. Short version: Despite some technical problems and delays, it was awesome.
― 誤訳侮辱, Monday, 20 August 2012 18:43 (eleven years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEV5_Uc1a6Y
― hurricane weather (forapper), Wednesday, 29 August 2012 21:01 (eleven years ago) link
I know everything's about PSY these days, but alongside Only One promotions BoA has been doing this hit medley that basically shows k-pop pretenders HOW It'S DONE.
http://youtu.be/UHxMPIpYSpM
Perfect.
Also this sit-down performance of Only One http://youtu.be/lw3WK1qWXxI
Love this song so much.
(This thread's pretty heavy on the system so maybe no embeds for a while)
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 4 September 2012 09:59 (eleven years ago) link
And another performance of Only One w/ dance. Even scaled back because of live vocals she's so... damn cool pulling off those moves. http://youtu.be/4L0T-mh4lms
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 4 September 2012 11:23 (eleven years ago) link
really really love 'only one'
― USADA Bin Dopen (dayo), Tuesday, 4 September 2012 11:29 (eleven years ago) link
http://youtu.be/t3ULhmadHkg
― barthes simpson, Sunday, 16 September 2012 15:37 (eleven years ago) link
^^ fresh off the press, in before 1,000+ viewcount
― barthes simpson, Sunday, 16 September 2012 15:38 (eleven years ago) link
YES!!
― pandemic, Sunday, 16 September 2012 15:43 (eleven years ago) link
still regretting not getting a ticket to BigBang's show next month (sold out in eight hours. :/)
― Roz, Sunday, 16 September 2012 15:56 (eleven years ago) link
Am I the only one who finds G-Dragon weirdly Aaron Carter-ish?
― 誤訳侮辱, Sunday, 16 September 2012 16:17 (eleven years ago) link
Damn, Ga-In http://youtu.be/K64mb5KUhhs
Pretty sure it's the first time masturbation has featured in a k-pop video and also that we don't really see sex as something this nice and sweet in pop videos in general.
― abcfsk, Friday, 5 October 2012 06:38 (eleven years ago) link
Reminds me a bit of this old hit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV0LD-QAzg0
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 5 October 2012 15:11 (eleven years ago) link
This thread blows my system up when I expand it, so I have to ask the knowledgeable crew: what's the name of the track where a woman in a hospital bed is tormented by inconsiderate visitors?
― Milton Parker, Friday, 5 October 2012 17:43 (eleven years ago) link
revenge fantasy?
― barthes simpson, Friday, 5 October 2012 17:45 (eleven years ago) link
Sounds like Miryo's "Dirty", maybe.
― if, Friday, 5 October 2012 18:40 (eleven years ago) link
that's it, thanks. stayed with me for some reason.
― Milton Parker, Friday, 5 October 2012 19:00 (eleven years ago) link
Miss A "don't need a man" http://youtu.be/EkSOOiMDGiY
― abcfsk, Monday, 15 October 2012 06:11 (eleven years ago) link
hi
― Bummy G. Baumgartner (buzza), Monday, 15 October 2012 07:33 (eleven years ago) link
Tablo "Don't Hate Me" is so disturbing, dude has fallen HARD for the GD/YG Family cult (compare video for Don't Hate Me with the videos for GDragon CraYon and One of a Kind to see what I mean). Good on the other guys in Epik High for standing by him and supporting him in this bizarre new artistic direction and time in his life, though.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Saturday, 20 October 2012 18:38 (eleven years ago) link
Did see lots of Epik High fans crying over the change in direction.
Hyuna - ICE CREAM http://youtu.be/QlWZluzBNxM
― abcfsk, Monday, 22 October 2012 07:16 (eleven years ago) link
It's distuuuuuuuurbing. And I say this as a GDragon and Britpop fan. The brighter the music, the more tortured it seems underneath (and vid is about destruction of the capitalist system of commerce by child terrorist-popstars, and, like, skateboarding. Skateboarding!)
― hurricane weather (forapper), Monday, 22 October 2012 17:00 (eleven years ago) link
like the new hyuna but don't LOVE it
― 乒乓, Monday, 22 October 2012 17:01 (eleven years ago) link
G-Dragon has an excellent, lengthy interview with XXL: http://www.xxlmag.com/features/2012/12/korean-rapper-g-dragon-talks-k-pop-hype-new-ep-and-past-scandals/
― Roz, Tuesday, 11 December 2012 10:34 (eleven years ago) link
Just wanna say thank you to the posters in this thread. I trawled through all the recs and you tubes posted here this year and found loads of great stuff. Particularly loving f(x), g dragon, sistah, and (gawdhelpme) block-b!!
― pandemic, Tuesday, 11 December 2012 11:42 (eleven years ago) link
anybody doing best of 2012 lists?
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 11 December 2012 12:31 (eleven years ago) link
allkpop have started theirshttp://www.allkpop.com/2012/12/allkpops-top-50-k-pop-songs-of-2012-41-50
― nathey, Tuesday, 11 December 2012 16:07 (eleven years ago) link
Thanks for that! Fallen big time for their #50 Exo-K 'Mama'
― pandemic, Wednesday, 12 December 2012 13:02 (eleven years ago) link
I'll do a top 50 or 100 probably some time this week or next.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 12 December 2012 13:13 (eleven years ago) link
Best 2012 albums is easy, there haven't been that many notable (idol) albums this year. Singles might be fun, maybe I'll do a list too. For the first time ever.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Wednesday, 12 December 2012 20:03 (eleven years ago) link
Keen to see some end of year lists; I put some SISTAR/BlockB/f(x)/Infinite in a local EOY thing, but I'm woefully out of my depth. TBH, apart from "Gangnam Style", it was mainly 2011 hits like "Bubble Pop" & "I Am The Best" that I'd hear out this year; v.slow-rolling infiltration.
― etc, Wednesday, 12 December 2012 23:29 (eleven years ago) link
Kpop is a lotta fun yall
― Dick Townwolves (Captain Ahab), Friday, 14 December 2012 10:02 (eleven years ago) link
Nothing definitive about this.
ALBUM TRACKS 2012:
1. After School "Eyeline"2. Miss $ "Physical Or Emotional"3. T-ara "T-aratic Magic Music"4. E.via "Night Blooming Roses"5. HyunA "Don't Fall Apart" also called "Straight Up"6. Jewelry "Rhythm HA!!!"7. TaeTiSeo "Baby Steps"8. Ga-In "Tinkerbell"9. Miss A "Lips"10. Neon Bunny "First Love"
I'd not heard of Miss $ until a month ago; their back catalog is pedestrian rap and r&b; now suddenly they're in the deep bleeding mascara sound that came pouring out of the barrios and crossover dance clubs of New York City, 1989.
― Frank Kogan, Sunday, 16 December 2012 08:10 (eleven years ago) link
SINGLES 2012
1. T-ara "Lovey-Dovey"2. Orange Caramel "Lipstick"3. Trouble Maker "Trouble Maker"4. ChoColat "I Like It"5. Wonder Girls "Like This"6. T-ara "Day By Day"7. Sistar "Alone"8. Davichi & T-ara "We Were In Love"9. 2NE1 "Scream"10. 4minute "Volume Up"11. Flashe "Drop It"12. After School "Rambling Girls"13. ChoColat ft. Sung Hyo Ram "One More Day" (also called "Same Thing To Her")14. Miss A "Touch"15. Orange Caramel "My Sweet Devil"16. Yoon Jong Shin ft. Kim Wan Sun "I Love You All Days"17. Chi Chi "Sexy Doll"18. Girl's Day "Oh! My God"19. Jewelry "Look At Me" (Inst.)20. E.via ft. Lee Su Jung "I Know How To Play A Little"
Could have gone twice as long, but I wanted to give other people a chance. The next several included two more T-aras, some other fairly high-profile stuff, a second song called "Sexy Doll," and an insect. Three that I listed ("Scream," "Rambling Girls," and "My Sweet Devil") are in Japanese, as is "T-aratic Magic Music" on my tracks list. As for sounds that recall the ghosts of my pre-past, "Look At Me" has the bright beats of K-pop but the weathered sound of a nonchalant little throwaway B-side from scrappy mid '50s R&B independents like King Records out of Cincinnati. Appropriate, as it's a B-side itself.
― Frank Kogan, Sunday, 16 December 2012 08:31 (eleven years ago) link
Great slow jam from Satbyeol - think Ciara's Promise meeting Taeyang's I Need a Girl - the song shares producer with the latter: http://youtu.be/qgQBAb--ci8http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8360/8281021974_72bebf50c8_n.jpg
She also released an amazing single last year http://youtu.be/2VbN8JPYCcM
Most known for featuring on lots of hip hop tracks.
BONUS: Very funny and on point skit about plastic surgery f rmo the Brown Eyed Girls on SNL Korea http://youtu.be/264nb9wX0Qo
― abcfsk, Monday, 17 December 2012 12:51 (eleven years ago) link
Are we still doing Kpop Top 50 lists? I did one based purely on personal utility this year:
TOP 10 Miss A - I Don't Need a Man Sistar - AloneT-ara - Day by DayEpik High - WrongInfinite - The Chaser Big Bang - Still Alive GDragon - One of a KindBig Bang - Fantastic BabyUKiss - BelieveT-ara - Sexy Love
NEXT 10K.Will - Please Don'tSunny Hill - The Grasshopper SongXia Junsu - TallentelegraBlock B - Nilili MamboBoyfriend - Love StyleCrazyno - MusicheE.via - Night Blooming RosesEXID - Every NightElectroboyz ft. Gaeparta - My LoveBig Bang - Bad Boy
THIRD 10 Miss A - Touch Tasty - Do You Know Me? BTOB - Wow UKiss - Stop Girl (English version) GDragon - CraYonPrimary - ?Neon Bunny - Oh My PrinceEXO-K - History BAP - No Mercy ZE:A - Aftermath
FORTH 10 Brave Girls - Nowadays You Spica - PainkillerBoA ft SYChaserSY - Only One (rap remix)SPEED - Lovey Dovey Plus B1A4 - Wonderful Tonight (unplugged remix)4Minute - Volume Up100% - Bad Boy CReal - Sorry But I Jo Kwon - AnimalE.via - I Know How to Play a Little
FIFTH 10 Kara - PandoraTVXQ - Catch MeGirls Day - Oh! My God (areia trance remix)Nam Soo-Rin - Drive Me To The MoonTeen Top - CrazyFiestar - VistaBigstar - Hot Boy EXO-K - What Is LoveTeen Top - Be My Girl LEDApple - Let the Wind Blow
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 28 December 2012 07:15 (eleven years ago) link
Will check this so thanks for posting
I know that I dig the pirate Block B and the K Will (cool video too)
― pandemic, Friday, 28 December 2012 11:59 (eleven years ago) link
The K Will mv is so great. Twist ending!
― Roz, Friday, 28 December 2012 13:51 (eleven years ago) link
I feel like I ask this question every 6 months but what's the best intro BoA album to get
― 乒乓, Friday, 28 December 2012 14:17 (eleven years ago) link
Hard to say. Last two Korean albums have been good but she's got a surprisingly deep discography and some of her earlier stuff touches on great asian pop sounds like Utada's stuff. There's also the JP best-of. Watch this while figuring it out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxbaxNb4egU
― abcfsk, Friday, 28 December 2012 14:27 (eleven years ago) link
Or rather three JP best-of albums: "K-pop Selection", "Best of Soul" and "Best&USA".
― abcfsk, Friday, 28 December 2012 14:41 (eleven years ago) link
Ur welcome.
Actually if I can make an addition - I'll take out Teen Top "Crazy" and sub in B2ST "Midnight". I'm not a fan of the nasal/showtunes B2ST singing style, is why I left it off, but the melody has been running through my head since this morning. This here is an excellent cover.
I like BoA's American album and her latest, but I haven't listened to most of them... top BoA tracks for me are "Hurricane Venus", "Girls on Top" and "I Did It For Love".
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 28 December 2012 17:45 (eleven years ago) link
Also about the K.Will video (which is great): I've heard that the Korean TV broadcast version leaves off the last 10 seconds. So including the twist at the end doesn't just improve the video, it also sneaks it past the censor board.
Also speaking of subversion, there's Glam - Party XXO, a song about girls kissing girls. It's my #51 pick for that reason, though Cher Lloyd's people will probably want a word with the video director.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 28 December 2012 17:54 (eleven years ago) link
Songs that use the same three descending notes and charted well:Shinnee - Lucifer (2010)CL & Minzy - Please Don't Go (2011)Block B - NalinA (2012)Girls Generation - Twinkle (2012)A Pink - Hush (2012)
The three notes I'm taking about are the "Hush, Hush, Hush" part of Hush and the "Nalin, <S>Nalin</s>, Nalin-A" part of NalinA.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 28 December 2012 18:05 (eleven years ago) link
Better yet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz2P11-uU2s
― hurricane weather (forapper), Monday, 31 December 2012 06:57 (eleven years ago) link
And SKorea's own year-end roundups:
The Color of Kpop, Maddie's reviewSBS Gayo Daejun collabs, hereSBS Gayo Daejun solos, hereMBC Gayo Daejun collabs, hereMBC Gayo Daejun solos, here and here.
Haven't watched the solos, of the collaborations nearly all the SBS Gayo one are good; at MBC Gayo Seohyun + three MCs, Shinnee and F(x), Park Myungsoo and guests incl. Crazyno who steals the show for the 10 seconds in which he appears are good. Ailee, Epik High and Koyote also bring it, but those performances are more like solos that happen to overlap with another group than true collaborations. Minzy and Park Bom of 2NE1 in good voice, also.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Tuesday, 1 January 2013 09:55 (eleven years ago) link
Just watched MBC Gayo solo stages.
Afterschool's Flashback remix (http://youtu.be/YPN6DTVd5o4) is better than the original. I also kind of like what Kara did with Pandora (http://youtu.be/k9WiJkRvaig), though the original is still better. Sistar Alone rock remix (http://youtu.be/wYjxn7HnoWU) is a miss - they don't have the pipes and the original arrangement is perfect and can't be improved.
Very good performances by BAP, Miss A, 4Minute and TVXQ, as expected. For some reason I like Secret Talk That (http://youtu.be/Bzshr9dOmyk) here where I never did before. A Pink Hush (http://youtu.be/0V8I-OKN5oA) belongs at this kind of event. The fake-out non-breakdown in BTOB Wow (http://youtu.be/8Cw4HOPHdcQ) is hilarious, as are the cameraman's shots of the non-reactive audience. A lot of good performances, all around.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Tuesday, 1 January 2013 11:37 (eleven years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dwm7IlPO1Uo
this rules a lot
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Wednesday, 2 January 2013 17:56 (eleven years ago) link
yeah that's good, love that propelling guitar strum
― 乒乓, Wednesday, 2 January 2013 18:02 (eleven years ago) link
btw the sample is the cover girls' "because of you" (identified by maura) and i think that's really awesome
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Wednesday, 2 January 2013 18:08 (eleven years ago) link
I love this song, and the live "collaboration" performance at SBS Gayo, with a vocaloid. Class.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Wednesday, 2 January 2013 18:29 (eleven years ago) link
the sample doesn't do much for me tbh, other than like cool dudes in korea are listening to the cover girls
― 乒乓, Wednesday, 2 January 2013 19:41 (eleven years ago) link
My top 100 of 2012 as of now. No JP singles.
1. BoA - Only One 2. T-ara - Lovey Dovey3. Sunny Hill - The Grasshopper Song4. Sistar - Alone5. T-ara - Sexy Love6. Big Bang - Bad Boy7. Sunny Hill - Is The White Horse Coming?8. Primary - ?9. 4Minute - Volume Up10. EXID - Every Night¨
11. Nine Muses - News12. Wonder Girls - Like This13. f(x) - Electric Shock14. Satbyeol - Do Me15. Neon Bunny - First Love16. Chocolat - One More Day17. Younha - Run18. EXO - History19. Nine Muses - Ticket20. Lay-T - Soft Soft
21. SouLime - With U22. Soulights - Leave Me23. E.Via - I Know How To Play24. Infinite - The Chaser25. Rania - STYLE26. Miss A - I Don't Need a Man27. Tensi Love - Cake House28. Crayon Pop - Dancing Queen29. Neon Bunny - Oh My Prince30. Gangkiz - Honey Honey
31. D-Unit - Sleeping In Part 232. Primary - Manna 33. After School - Flashback34. Park JiYoon - Tree of Life35. Seo In Young - Anymore36. Chi Chi - Love is Energy37. BoA - The Shadow38. Humming Urban Stereo - Love Jam39. TVXQ - Catch Me40. Boyfriend - I'll Be There
41. IU - Peach42. Davichi & T-ara "We Were In Love"43. 4Minute - Over and Over (R.Tee Mix)44. Areum (T-ara), Shannon, Gunji (Gavy NJ) - Day
and Night45. The Seeya - Be With You46. Teen Top - To You47. IU - Bad Day48. EXID - I Feel Good49. Suho - You Are My Only One50. R.Sha & Da.U - Mine
51. IU - Every End of Day52. D-Unit - Luv Me53. Big Bang - Fantastic Baby54. Chocolat - I Like It55. 2NE1 - I Love You56. T-ara - Day By Day57. Junsu - Tarantallegra58. C-Real - Sorry But I59. Nine - Songs60. Hyuna - Ice Cream
61. Kara - Pandora62. SIAENA - Winter Is Coming63. Gangkiz - Mama64. Nu'Est - Action65. Reddy - Let's Go (feat. Satbyeol)66. Spica - Russian Roulette67. Nam Soo-Rim feat ParkJiYoon - Drive Me To The Moon 68. Kim Wan Sun - Can Only Feel69. EvoL - Let Me Explode70. Spica - Painkiller
71. Panini - Lovely Day72. B.A.P. - No Mercy73. Dalmatian - E.R74. Fiestar - Vista75. Glen Check - Disco Elevator76. Clazzi - Love&Hate77. Hadami - Mannequin78. BoA - Lookin' (feat The Quiett)79. Big Bang - Blue80. GP Basic - Edge Ta¨
81. Primary - See Through82. Secret - Poison83. Miss A - Touch84. Lumi L - Popopo85. Beast - Beautiful Night86. Miryo - Dirty87. Seo In Young - Let's Dance88. Yoseob - Caffeine89. Lexy - Nolza90. 15& - I Dream
91. Rude Paper - Can't Believe It (feat Sean2slow)92. Crayon Pop - Bing Bing93. We - Party 94. Jessica - My Lifestyle95. WooYoung - Sexy Lady96. Ga-In - Bloom97. Baek Ah Yeon - Sad Song98. Block B - Nallina99. Girl's Day - Don't forget me100. A-Pink - Hush Hush
― abcfsk, Monday, 7 January 2013 11:20 (eleven years ago) link
Anyone know anything about this (너는 왜 - 철이와 미애)? Someone linked it on an Omonatheydidn't GLAM thread; is an earlier Korean track to use that Cover Girls sample. Not sure what it's doing; is it a Korean Stars On 45 for freestyle?
― Frank Kogan, Monday, 7 January 2013 22:11 (eleven years ago) link
I really like your list, absfsk.
Does anyone else think f(x) - Electric Shock sounds like T-ara - One and One?
Is The White Horse Coming has my favorite video of 2012. Those couple seconds of "Prince" on the horse are priceless.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Tuesday, 8 January 2013 01:25 (eleven years ago) link
Oops, the track I linked was just "I Like That" all over again. I meant to link the very freestylish "Why You," by Chuli & Miae (1993, according to the YouTube posters) -- which possibly samples "Because Of You" and definitely copies it (my hearing isn't precise enough to figure this out), though without then following along the chord pattern that accompanies the little vocal riff in the Cover Girls' version. In any event, "I Like That" is using the part from Chuli & Miae, though again I can't tell if it's a sample or a copy, though if it's a sample, and wherever it comes from (whether it's directly from the Cover Girls or from Chuli & Miae), GLAM are augmenting it with what sounds like a deeper-timbred voice than on either of the two previous tracks, though of course that voice could well have been the same one with electronic treatment.
"I Like That" sounds better than GLAM's previous single, "Party(XXO)," though the latter is massively important for its unmistakable pro-gay lyrics. And I'd say the biz and the fans aren't holding that content and the GLAM girls possible sexual orientation against them, to say the least. Allkpop has been reporting "I Like That" doing well in the daily charts. Its lyrics, by the way, seem to be about thinking it's okay that someone just broke up with you, that not being in a relationship is fine, that not having your friends around is fine. That's what they're liking when they say "I like that." Even when they're drunk and crawling and they're unhappy, and there's no one to take care of them, they like it!
As for "Electric Shock" and "One And One," the riff isn't quite the same, "Electric Shock" going to an upper note earlier, but the rhythm is close. So I do hear the similarity, though emotionally the two songs don't feel much alike. "Electric Shock" is more brutal, "One And One" bouncier.
"Electric Shock" is one of my favorite f(x) tracks, while "One And One" is just run-of-the-mill for T-ara and Shinsadong Tiger (though run-of-the-mill for them is exceedingly good compared to most anyone else's run-of-the-mill). I don't know whether it came out first, but "One And One" sounds as if S. Tiger was working out ideas that came to fruition in 4minute's superb "Hot Issue."
― Frank Kogan, Tuesday, 8 January 2013 08:22 (eleven years ago) link
I recently found out that 'hitman' bang, the producer of GLAM's two singles and seemingly the man in charge also composed one of the great early T-ara tracks "Like The First Time". One possible reason I hadn't picked up on this is the fact that their first album sounds so much like one solid whole that I assumed everyone involved was part of the T-ara 'clique' - but this is the only hitman track there.
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 8 January 2013 08:48 (eleven years ago) link
I don't know about "Electric Shock" being more brutal, "One and One" is a relentless song about how T-ara are COMING FOR YOU and won't stop until they have MERGED WITH YOU TO FORM A SINGLE UNIT. I guess I can see what you're saying about the build of the beat, though. I like T-ara's song more, if only because it's more fun to sing, and for the part that goes "Pact, Impact... I will, I will".
― hurricane weather (forapper), Tuesday, 8 January 2013 11:17 (eleven years ago) link
That's pretty cool about GLAM! I like this song too. Also, from the description:
"SeeU (시유, シユ) is a voicebank for Vocaloid3, the first Vocaloid capable of singing in Korean and is the first Korean/Japanese bilingual Vocaloid. The voice provider is the artist Dahee Kim (17 year old member of the K-pop girl band "GLAM"). Her release was on October 21, 2011 (South Korea) and December 16, 2011 (Japan)."
― hurricane weather (forapper), Tuesday, 8 January 2013 11:42 (eleven years ago) link
Femme fatales. Just a quick mix for fun, nothing special.
Considered adding Roh Ji Hoon - Punishment but the girl in the video doesn't wear a red dress, and in the live performance where Roh Ji Hoon wears a red suit, he's off-key.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Wednesday, 9 January 2013 00:30 (eleven years ago) link
David Fraser keeps pumping me with good information over on lj. Here are GLAM with a dance instruction video for "I Like That," including Chuli & Miae's ttaemiri dance. GLAM seem unaware that the sample has a source that precedes Chuli & Miae. Maybe "hitman" Bang is equally unaware. Here are Chuli & Miae way back when doing their ttaemiri dance. YouTube directed me to Yubin and Sohee of the Wonder Girls performing Why You and its ttaemari dance in the before-GLAM era. Also pre-GLAM, are a couple of dancers dancing the ttaemiri to "Why You" at a hospital holiday party, December 2011.
― Frank Kogan, Wednesday, 9 January 2013 18:31 (eleven years ago) link
To increase my confusion, I see that, according to Generasia, Bang Si Hyuk, a.k.a. "hitman" Bang, is president of Big Hit Entertainment, a JYP subsidiary — but GLAM are listed in the category "Former Artist," and if you go to the Generasia page for GLAM, their company is identified as "Source Music," the entry for Source Music consisting entirely of this useful information: "Source Music (쏘스뮤직) is a South Korean record label," followed by a short list of artists and some links. Clicking the links, I see that GLAM's vids are among the "favorite videos" on the Source Music YouTube page, and that the Source Music Website has as its front page a massive embed of the YouTube vid for GLAM's "Party(XXO)." Source Music's Twitter gives their five artists: "Source Music 공식 트위터 / Artist_GLAM / Artist_간미연 / Artist_8eight / Artist_이현 / Artist_Eden Beatz."
Visiting our untrustworthy friend Wikipedia, who is not yet on the case for GLAM, we find "Big Hit Entertainment" as a subsection under "JYP Entertainment." Both GLAM and 8Eight are listed as artists, but 8Eight, unlike GLAM, has the note "left the company (2012)." The Wikip entry for 8Eight identifies their label as Source Music, which gets no entry on its own. Wikip's list of Korean Idol Groups puts both Big Hit Entertainment and Source Music as GLAM's label. Finally, Allkpop told the world last spring, "On May 25th, Big Hit Entertainment announced that 'GLAM' will be making their debut on July 16th in collaboration with Source Music. 8Eight and Kan Mi Yeon are housed under Source Music, while 2AM is under Big Hit Entertainment. For the past three years, the two companies have been working together to produce GLAM." And "hitman" Bang offers these happy words: "I actually feel sorry calling GLAM a girl group because they have genuine musical talent and passion. As opposed to producing them, it's more accurate to say that I helped them realize their hidden musical potential and helped them foster that as a partner by their side."
So, I can't tell if Source Music is an independent entity that collaborates with Big Hit or is a subsidiary of something, ultimately under JYP. The GLAM dance instruction video was posted by LOEN, not by JYP or any of its subs. That's where I'll leave my researching, as I now kinda like need to stop gallivanting around the Web for the rest of today.
Speaking of T-ara -- and when am I not finding a way to speak of T-ara -- back when I discovered the wonderful "Like The First Time," I listened to a bunch of other "hitman" Bang tracks without liking what I heard: ballad sap seemed his taste. But I've only heard a small fraction of his oeuvre. "I Like That" hits me as better than most of it, though I'm not yet sure how much better.
To further confuse matters, GLAM's leader, Park Jiyeon, has the same name as T-ara's biggest star, Park Jiyeon.
― Frank Kogan, Wednesday, 9 January 2013 18:53 (eleven years ago) link
Since this is an active thread now, songs of interest for the week:
Super Junior M - Break Down. Very appropriately, the breakdown just before Suju-M sing the hook is the best part of the song. There's a kind of doppler effect on the vocals which is picked up by the video, set in what looks like a wind tunnel. Towards the end of the video, an unfortunate birds wanders too close to the fan and the resultant feathery explosion adds visual interest to what is otherwise a standard-issue "hot guys in a box with flashing lights" SM vid.
Girls Generation - I Got a Boy. Picked apart on the singles jukebox and now I like it a lot more. My favorite thing about it is the Greek chorus of the other 8 members telling the boy-crazed narrator, "girl, you crazy".
SPEED - That's My Fault. SPEED are the male half of co-ed school and labelmates to T-ara. They seem to be the appointed torch-bearers of 20-minute epic T-ara music video tradition, though this video is more accomplished, with better acting and camerawork, and also much tighter editing (it's only 11 minutes long and not confusing at all). The video is about the Gwangju Massacre and the sad military horns in the instrumental are perfect for the topic. Unfortunately, not every member of SPEED is a decent rapper equal to the task at hand, though a couple of them manage okay.
B2ST and A Pink - 5 My Baby. Five attractive men meet five attractive women and no words are necessary because everyone is hot. The video perfectly captures this feeling by having all the members of A Pink and Beast emerge from boxes, circle each other, and then pair off. There are also lots of scenes where they check themselves out in mirrors, which is appropriate as this song is a sequel to last year's Skinny Baby and, like Skinny Baby, is a promotion for Korean fashion brand Skool Looks. By the way, although I might sound dismissive I think this is a good song. Robot imagery + minimalist lyrics seems reminiscent of early electronica and the song sounds a bit like that as well, to my untrained ear.
Boyfriend - I Yah. Another Boyfriend/Sweetune collaboration and more "Sweetune" than their previous collaboration Love Style. Boyfriend play controlling not-quite-boyfriends and sing about their sensitivity and total emotional dependence. So far, so Kpop. In the MV description box, however, they are called "homme-fatales" which does at least show awareness of both the attraction and destructiveness of this character type. It also says that "homme-fatale" will be the concept of Boyfriend's album, so perhaps there will be an attempt to build up a narrative. The MV actress, Kim So Hyun, plays a perfectly nice and normal high school student who doesn't deserve to be emotionally destroyed.
Next week I am looking forward to:-The Infinite H album produced by Primary, which is coming out on my birthday; -Gayoon and Jiyoon (of 4minute)'s country-pop(!) debut album Harvest Moon
― hurricane weather (forapper), Thursday, 10 January 2013 07:30 (eleven years ago) link
I'm so super excited about the INfinite H album. Right before christmas I said I hoped he would produce more for pop stars after the K Will success and then he delivers just a few weeks later with one of the better boy bands! And the whole EP is produced by him! And Zico and others of his friends show up in front of and behind the mic!
The 2-Yoon project is the opposite of what I was hoping for (and I was pretty excited about the unit) but I'm still curious about this 'dance pop country' single.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 10 January 2013 07:49 (eleven years ago) link
I knooooooooow, it looks like it's gonna be so good! Maybe I should control my expectations a bit, but with the featurings list (Zion.T! Dynamic Duo! Baby Soul!) it's hard not to be excited. Hoya and Dongwoo really lucked out.
I don't see Zico though, am I missing something? Does he have like a second name he works under?
I'm not sure the 2yoon thing will be good, but I'm also curious, yeah. Country-country or Taylor-Swift-country? It's pretty easy to signal "country" on a pop song, you just need some twangy guitars. Will they sing in Korean-countryside accents? That kind of stuff... plus, they have pretty good voices. I would have thought something more divaish or soulful, but this could be good.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Thursday, 10 January 2013 08:16 (eleven years ago) link
Doh, I meant Sion T.
If Swift then her latest singles since they mentioned dance pop as well.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 10 January 2013 09:28 (eleven years ago) link
Maybe they are trying to be the originators of a new (to Korea) trend.
I can't believe I forgot this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPoGVtC9msQ
Don't have much to say, except that I love everything about it.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Thursday, 10 January 2013 09:39 (eleven years ago) link
girls gen song is amaaaaazing
― 乒乓, Thursday, 10 January 2013 14:43 (eleven years ago) link
Infinite H album leaked. Ehh, it's okay - a bit generic. I'm glad "Victorious Way" is the single.
Somewhat more surprisingly, 2yoon country-pop is pretty good! It turns out "country" means "ballad with emphasis on the upbeat" and some harmonica, haha.
Also: D-Unit - Sleeping In Pt. 2, Brit - Goodbye Yesterday, maybe more to come as I work my way through this person's uploads.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 11 January 2013 07:21 (eleven years ago) link
Well that's just one Yoon, for another project.
Put that D-Unit track on my 2012 list- don't know if it qualifies as a single but since a rejigged version got re-released as a buzz single-ish thing before their real comeback I counted it.
― abcfsk, Friday, 11 January 2013 07:26 (eleven years ago) link
There's a point - should there be a K-pop 2013 post? Or do we not have critical mass?
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 11 January 2013 18:58 (eleven years ago) link
I could go for one
― 乒乓, Friday, 11 January 2013 19:03 (eleven years ago) link
So then... who's gonna start it? I feel like an interloper here.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Saturday, 12 January 2013 05:28 (eleven years ago) link
I'm fine with anyone starting it. I can do it as well but I felt I had my shot with this thread.
SNSD interview http://omonatheydidnt.livejournal.com/10420138.html
It's kind of an unusual article for k-pop idols, at least as far as I've come across. Critics in Korea haven't been as positive towards 'I Got A Boy' as those overseas and here the group is confronted with specific criticism against the song. They seem to enjoy themselves promoting the song.
― abcfsk, Saturday, 12 January 2013 09:25 (eleven years ago) link
Well, if you're okay with it...
― hurricane weather (forapper), Saturday, 12 January 2013 10:18 (eleven years ago) link
K-pop 2013
― hurricane weather (forapper), Saturday, 12 January 2013 10:49 (eleven years ago) link
My 13 yo just ordered two tix. 220 euro. Welp. But she’s ecstatic. Going to Day6
― nathom, Thursday, 12 December 2019 07:18 (four years ago) link
Day6 are cool
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RJWqIEo_Tc
I love the chorus on this one, it's so chromatic and happy
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 13 December 2019 02:09 (four years ago) link
This is also cool
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gL_KC_7GDNE
Sadly I think their latest songs are a little more trendchasing. But man they know how to write a catchy hook.
― hurricane weather (forapper), Friday, 13 December 2019 02:10 (four years ago) link
Wrong year perhaps?The current thread is here: Kpop 2019
― breastcrawl, Friday, 13 December 2019 07:29 (four years ago) link
nm, these are older tracks! sorry for confusing matters.
― breastcrawl, Friday, 13 December 2019 07:33 (four years ago) link