K-pop

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

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.

okay yeah I dig this. those are gorgeous synths.

my friend just sent me this from 2009

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

what are the k-pop classics of yore?

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.

First single from new 2NE1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n4V3lGEyG4

Won't be promoted, so it's just a buzz single

Posting the weekly Gaon digital numbers now that they've started providing them

1. Yim Jae-Bum - 너를 위해 339,398 HOT
2. After School - Shampoo 334,252 UP
3. Miss A - Love Alone 312,456 NEW
4. Park Bom - Don't Cry 300,478 DOWN
5. Sistar19 - Ma Boy 291,397 NEW
6. f(x) - Danger 288,548 DOWN
7. BMK - 꽃피는 봄이 오면 262,411 HOT
8. Lena Park - Mia 237,380 NEW
9. Toy - 여전히 아름다운지 228,024 HOT
10. 10cm - Americano 198,999 HOT

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

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.

B2ST release something every month, don't they? Seems like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_Ue2sHpUVk

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

http://i53.tinypic.com/21b6jvc.jpg

Also let's take a moment to appreciate SM's budget for their European promotions.

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 - Shampoo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d5QEWdHchk"">Big Bang - Tonight
https://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 - Tonight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqvdj0Fl_MY"">Rainbow - To Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djJb5iSL0Do"">TVXQ - Keep Your Head Down (Dance cover)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ni_8EOdlxY"">Rainbow - Sweet Dream
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkDEWopV8w4"">Rania - Dr Feel Good
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXXRenlJiA0#t=3m42s"">Big Bang - Hands Up
IU - Story Only I Didn't Know
BEAST - Fiction
4Minute - Mirror Mirror
4Minute - Already Gone
DJ Schedule 1 ft J'Kyun - Back Hug
Miss A - Love Alone
Dear Cloud - For You
U-Kiss - 0330

Standing Egg - Fly

Swan.B - Be All Right

Heenain - 1,2,3

Albums:
1. SNSD - 1st Japanese
2. Big Bang - Mini #4
3. Jay Park - Take A Deeper Look
4. Navi - Hello

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.

None of those links even work. So if a mod sees this you're free to delete that post.

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 Dream
2NE1 - I Am The Best
T-Ara - Roly Poly, 12 minute mini-drama music video

I love Roly Poly and I Am The Best. Currently listening to the latter.
Shorter version of the T-Ara - Roly Poly vid
Okay 2NE1 ended, so it's Lolly Lolly Polly time.

I hope Hyuna's solo stuff is at least half as good as these!

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.

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'.

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.

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.

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/8329/357637940.png

Haven't made up my mind about 'Ugly' yet, though.

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.

She's exchanged the dubstep break with several other variants live lately, for no apparent reason.

Version 1
Version 2

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.

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.

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.

숨 / Breathe is also a likeable Beast track, but I think it'd be better performed by 4Minute.

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.

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.

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.)

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/

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.

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.

Sunny
Yoona & Yuri
Jessica

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.

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.

crap, messed that up! but all the links are visible anyway?

I get the link to Totally Amazing, but not any acoustic covers.

ok, here is the acoustic cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skRVr6_Fl5g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AqF8AiCNcs

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.