From: "I'm Da One" Format: Full-Length Album Released: August Territory: South Korea Previous Best of Appearances: First Appearance
Despite being in 2AM, probably the ballad boy band of all ballad idol groups, Jo Kwon's image, or at least the image that made him popular, is nowhere near the standing on stage and singing ballads about broken hearts. And that honestly made me think, why did he get popular imitating girl group dances and doing all this cheap stuff?
It's because he's ridiculously good at it. I should know, I live in a country that eats stuff like that up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
And what I learned from living with all this cheese is that contrary to popular belief, being cheap is an art too. If you don't know what you're doing, it won't be any good. If you're not confident, it'll show. There are enough people who are ashamed of you, you have no room in the industry if you yourself are ashamed of what you're doing. But at the same time, it has such a negative image with "civilized" people that the people who prance around on cheap TV shows are either desperate, or genuinely love what they're doing. But even then you can tell those two types apart.
Jo Kwon is the latter. He's the latter because you watch him and you know that at the very least, he enjoys what he's doing. Just listening to him, you know that he's confident about it, at the very least. And that's the reason why "Awesome Girl" is such a good song -- because not only does it match Jo Kwon, he delivers it with urgency, with brevity. There's a huge difference in delivery between him and the rapper -- the rapper sounds bored, and kind of ashamed, but then Jo Kwon comes in and turns the entire thing around.
It takes guts to be cheesy in an industry that looks down upon it (but keeps putting it out), and even I have my limits as far as cheap goes, but if it's done as well, and as confidently as "Awesome Girl", honestly I don't see why I should have a problem.
That's also why I chose "Awesome Girl" over his duet with Miso from GLAM. I mean that duet was gorgeous, it really did soar, but it wasn't Jo Kwon. Anyone else with good vocals could've pulled it off just as well, but very few in K-Pop can pull off "Awesome Girl" as well as Jo Kwon, and even less will even attempt.
Apart from strong vocals, which are a given, I was honestly expecting nothing from Jo Kwon’s solo album. I didn’t follow the teasers, I read the track list at a glance, and when two songs leaked it took me a few days before I listened to them -- I just wasn’t interested. But now that the whole thing is out I can’t stop listening to it from the beginning of the first track, all the way to the last.
If you’re only looking at the songs at a glance -- the melodies, the arrangements and the choice of orchestration -- “I’m Da One” as a whole will come off quite cheap, and it actually is very Swedish/German Eurotrash with a melody, but what makes this album different is, again, the execution. I always stress the value of execution for a good reason -- strong material will take you somewhere, but outstanding execution will drive your point home. Of course there are situations where even the best performers can’t save a song, but in most cases, execution will make or break the entire situation. And on “I’m Da One”, the material and execution work together. The result? A pop album that isn’t afraid of being a pop album. This is how you do pop.
And really, that’s all I ask. To be fearless when you make pop music -- because it’s something you should never be ashamed of.
The further in you get, the better it gets, and the more I realized that “I’m Da One” is so much more European than it thinks it is. It reminds me so much of a more current and technologically-advanced version of the good old Swedish pop music that was being put out back circa-2008/2009 (I cannot believe 2008 was four years ago, okay. I can’t). The album is reminiscent of the likes of Darin (who I worship, plain and simple), Kevin Borg (whose debut album was a masterpiece), and Ola (who made the best feel-good pop). The sweeping melodies on top of dominant synth lines, the epic orchestrations of beautiful chord progressions -- they’re all there, because Jo Kwon can pull them off. And the best part is, this sounds like it’s all in the subconscious, that it was done effortlessly just because it made sense.
Never judge an album based solely on it’s first track -- that is both true and false. “Awesome Girl” sounds cheap, like a handful of other songs by other people, but in hindsight it also introduces what’s to come. It’s the type of song you have to look at as a whole, and not in little bits and pieces. Once you see the significance of the German synths and cheap instrumentation, it’s actually a pretty good song. Gorgeous melodies, confident vocals, fun pop music -- that’s what this album is, and that’s what “Awesome Girl” shows off. I’d listen to this song again solely for the melody.
I don’t quite understand the purpose of putting the radio edit amidst the album, and the full version at the end. Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around? Radio edits are usually treated like remixes, which bear little significance to the rest of the album apart from giving a new take on a track that’s supposed to flow with all the other songs.
But anyway. “Animal” is an okay song, and I actually thought this was the lead single when I first heard it a few days ago, but now I see why it isn’t -- because it’s not as Jo Kwon as the title track is. “Animal” builds upon “Awesome Girl”’s premise and here we see the beginning of a solidification of the Swedish direction this album is going in. It reminds me of a Darin lead single with more fierce. But what makes this slightly less Swedish is the shift of emphasis from the melody, which is very Swedish, and more to the hook, which is more of an American thing -- the melody of the verses doesn’t particularly stand out in comparison to the rest of the song, and the chorus is pretty much all hook.
The thing I like the most about Jo Kwon, as proven by “I’m Da One”, is that he can be as ridiculous and hilarious as he wants to, but he always, always, pairs it with grace and conviction. If someone else were to do something like this, complete with the absurd premise of the video and shamelessly cheap choreography, that person would either end up laughing like crazy, or would want to curl up into a ball of embarrassment. But not Jo Kwon. He has his foundation of actual vocal talent and a strong command of the stage, he pairs it with something he knows not a lot of people in K-Pop can pull off, and he just blows all the competition away. It’s brilliant, actually -- because it works.
On the musical side, “I’m Da One” is a cross between a performance-centric song and a genuinely strong pop song. It’s very current, with the very Western production evident, and while the song itself is proficient enough on it’s own, the video gives it another welcome dimension. But let’s backtrack a bit to the Western production. Honestly, I was a bit skeptical about this part of the album, because I was afraid of Jo Kwon being stripped of what makes him. Thankfully, all my worries were thrown out the window because Jo Kwon’s presence is strong enough to not only inject, but cement his personality, and his being a K-Pop act, into the song.
“Lipstick” begins the transition from hook-centric songs and into songs where the entire melody matters. It’s a gorgeous song, with a very important role amongst all the other songs, which is another reason why I adore this album. It wasn’t just thrown together, it was built from the ground up, with a foundation, supports, and transitions which are all equally important in keeping the structure together. “Lipstick” is right between stunning and fun -- the stunning courtesy of the melody and chord progressions, and the fun courtesy of the hook and the arrangement, in particular the synths.
“Who’s Loving You Now” is the epitome of stunning -- this is where the album completely turns into a masterpiece. This, my friends, is how you pull off stunning. It’s a slow build-up, complete with probably the most stunning computerized drum rolls I’ve ever heard, and my beloved string section taking center stage during one of the most important transitions. The best part of the arrangement is that the build-ups don’t just shove everything in your face and expect you to die, they linger, and leave room for both your imagination, and what’s to come. Lace a sweeping melody with all these strong, long notes that Jo Kwon just churns out like they’re nothing, and you have one of the year’s most beautiful songs (a strong contender for #1, actually :D). It doesn’t need a elaborate word to describe it -- it’s simple in it’s beauty, but that’s what makes it even better. In a sea of such forceful songs, this is the breath of fresh air done right.
What is with K-Pop and Harry Potter spells lately? First Junsu, now Jo Kwon? (They’re both idols going solo too) “Wingardium Leviosa” is a welcome break from all the stunning that “Who’s Loving You” brought out, but that’s not to say that it’s a bad song. The production takes center stage on the song, keeping all the elements running around from clashing with each other. It’s an extravaganza of a song, but a neat one.
In case you haven’t already caught onto it, “Something ‘Bout You” is here to remind you that one, Jo Kwon can sing, and two, he has attitude. It’s a song where the melody and arrangement share the emphasis -- the melody is gritty and ever so funky, and the instruments, the tambourine, the electric guitar, and even the synths, add to the spunk of the song. Put everything together and it sounds like a slightly less classy U2 or Coldplay (but more U2 than Coldplay), or maybe even something The Wanted would do -- and they are, again, European.
If “Who’s Loving You Now” is simple in its beauty, “Heaven”, is beautifully intense. But it’s not the intense that will work your brain to shreds, it’s the intense that’s so effortless, you end up shredding your brain yourself because you have no idea how it turned out that way. The focus of the song is really on the melody and the vocals, but it’s not like the instruments just sit there and fade away -- they very gently carry the melody, almost like just guiding it. Miso’s voice is stunning, and something I cannot imagine the song without, really. It reminds me of a less whiny Belinda (the Spanish singer who was in The Cheetah Girls 2, and who released an earlier version of “Love Appeal”, my favorite Hello Venus track so far), with more depth. The grit in her voice is a perfect contrast to Jo Kwon’s very smooth vocals, reminiscent of the gorgeous Lena Park and Kim Bum Soo combination.
“Just A Kiss” was leaked a few days back, along with the radio edit of “Animal”, and honestly I was put off by the fact that it’s in English. But listening to it now along with all the other tracks -- it makes sense. The drum line gives the song attitude and is one of the main elements that sets it apart from distinctly Korean ballads, along with the minor chords, and actually even Jo Kwon’s voice. He’s not a deep-voiced belter like Junsu JYJ, he’s a pop voice. It’s a distinctly British pop ballad, complete with the music video shot along a beach at night with a sea of candles or something, and very far from the Korean ballad formula. It’s refreshing in it’s being a ballad, and not dead weight. Probably the best way to end an album, actually.
I miss this kind of music. I miss the kind of music that’s just so effortlessly beautiful that I can listen to this while waiting at a bank and not care that I’m smiling like a madwoman. I miss the kind of music that I can write about without being conscious of what I say, and how I say it. This is the pop that taught me to value pop as music, and I never thought I’d live to see K-Pop blow me away with it, in the most K-Pop way possible.
Without a shadow of a doubt, this is the best album of the year so far, the closest thing to perfection K-pop has managed to put out. A warning to everyone else planning to make a comeback this year -- it will be very hard to top this. Yes, even my beloved HoMin and JYJ. Because let’s face it, SM can’t help it with his ballads, and JYJ production is pretty bad quality compared to this.
The Best: “Who’s Loving You Now” and “Heaven” The Better: “Awesome Girl”, “I’m Da One”, “Lipstick” The Worst: N/A The Rating: 5/5
I like 2AM - they're currently fighting SHINee for my second favorite boyband, seeing as their vocals are obviously a notch higher than SHINee's, even if both of them are fantastic in their own ways. My point is, if DBSK never existed, heaven forbid, they could very well be my favorite boyband. Because they can sing. Extremely well.
Now I don't usually like it when good vocals are autotuned, like what happened on this song, but I'll make an exception, because it's only now that I realize something. In a way, I Did Wrong was a very risky song for 2AM, but in a way they pulled it off better than anyone like them could ever have.
It's not your typical heart-wrenching, soap-worthy ballad that you'd assume a ballad-based band would sing (although their repertoire is practically swimming in them) - it's like a cool version of that. It's too slow to be a dance-worthy song, even if I believe they did a bit of "dancing" for this, but once again, it's a little too upbeat to be a ballad ballad. Out of their "comfort zone".
The song also has a rap part. Of course I have no idea if it's any good, but that was another risky move. So was putting in a hook, and a very infectious one at that. In all honesty, they pulled the entire song off extremely well, and the result was more than OK.
Which brings me to a rather important point - just because someone has a gorgeous voice most definitely does not mean that they should be given a repertoire swimming in ballads. Don't get me wrong, I love beautifully-done ballads, but I believe I said this when I reviewed Lucifer - when there are few ballads on an album, I notice them more. But that's beside the point. What I'm trying to say is, it doesn't hurt for "ballad singers" to do some uptempos every now and then, because they clearly have the chops to do it - uptempos are most definitely not for talentless people.
I'm back! Why wouldn't I be - it was the Inki year-end special today and although not as packed as the MuBank one, it was fun revisiting my weekly Sunday routine of loading a truckload of YT videos then watching them all in one go.
If there's one thing that's changed with Inkigayo since I last recapped it, it's that they're letting bands use hand mics now! That's basically it though - the sound still sucks and for Christmas, I would like the sound engineer fired, before he screws up this year's Gayo Daejun as well. He actually kinda reminds me of the sound guy in my school - he once "accidentally" stopped the backing music of one of our big music presentations. It was graded, mind you. I literally wanted to scream at him and have him fired when that happened.
YT credits go to Jackhklee5.
SM The Ballad - Hot Times (note: This song is on my 50 best songs of 2010 list, so the full version of my fangirling is available when I publish that post. In a few days.) SM picked the right combination of the right people for this new sub-group/project - they could've picked Yesung SuJu or Onew or Key SHINee but they chose Jonghyun SHINee, Kyuhyun Super Junior, that guy from TRAX who has A GORGEOUS VOICE and Jino, who isn't too shabby himself. They're actually kinda like DBSK - they're not only lead singers of their respective bands, they're 4 (or today 3) vocalists who work extremely well together. Today's performance was half-mimed, and I'm not exactly happy with that, but at least the Inkigayo sound guy/girl had less chances to ruin their gorgeous vocals. For the live parts, it's a YESSSSSS.
VNT - Sound Just when I thought there was nothing more pathetic than SISTAR, VNT show up. The entire facade is crap - the crappy choreography (and that's already coming from someone who knows nothing about dancing), the cheaper-than-SISTAR costumes and the pathetic song that makes them sound like nothing but wannabes. However, that girl with the black hair has a gorgeous voice, and that other girl who sings, albeit sloppy and given the worthless song, would sound pretty not-bad in say, KARA. There are times when I forget rapping-girl-in-yellow-jacket exists, until she comes in and tries to sound like Hyun A, who isn't exactly my favorite in 4Minute. Lesson learned - GET A GOOD SONG AND SIGN TO A TALENT AGENCY WITH MONEY. As much as I hate that everything revolves around money, in pop you need money to get a decent song.
SISTAR - How Dare You After VNT, SISTAR actually sound pretty decent. Maybe after SISTAR, KARA will sound good. Wild guess. Their progress has basically halted, if there was any to start with. That 1 girl still carries and entire band, and she's doing a pretty good job considering who else is in that band, but as a group they still have no grace. I understand that you're supposed to just dance and sing like crazy when you're on stage, but you also have to do it with some grace.
BEAST - Breath + Beautiful If there's one band I want to see sweep music shows and become legends in the near future, it's BEAST. They've gotten a heck of a lot better this year, and they still have the potential to get a hell of a lot better. They work well as a group, individually they all have decent vocals, some fantastic, and they're not afraid to try new things, without straying from who they've shown they are. That and they're an absolute pleasure to watch on stage, especially when they themselves are having fun, and even if the song's a little on the cheesy side *ahemBEAUTIFULahem*.
2NE1 - Can't Nobody Performers in the truest sense of the word. They have the right balance of everything in the right amounts - the dance-like-crazy attitude, a sense of grace, strong live vocals and audience impact. (LOL that sounded like the criteria of some school presentation) Yes, even Sandara, even if she's weak compared to the other 3. At the end of the day, these girls know how to put on a show, they know how to make a mediocre and generic song sound great and they can show that their performances really had a lot of thought put into them.
2AM - Even If I Die, I Can't Let You Go + You Wouldn't Answer My Calls Gorgeous. There's no other way to describe it, and I wouldn't want to say anything else. Gorgeous.
After School - LOVE LOVE LOVE Ahhh yes, the RainaNanaandabitofUEE-fest. Raina now annoys me and she should be never let near this song ever again so Jung Ah can take all her parts and cream Raina at her own song. Nana is lightyears better than she was last year when she had just joined the band and she actually has a pretty decent voice, but if she so much as gets more lines than Gahee on their next single I am going to have to go and whack Pledis in the head. In a perfect world, After School is made up of Gahee, Bekah, Jung Ah and maybe Nana so there's someone for the fanboys.
SHINee - Hello (remixed) + Lucifer They truly are the leaders of their generation of boybands, in my opinion. At least, not when the Inkigayo sound guy/girl is out to get them. HE TOTALLY RUINED ONEW'S BRILLIANT MIDDLE 8! And they even mimed part of it. OF ALL PARTS TO RUIN, IT HAD TO BE ONEW'S I WILL NEVER FOGIVE HIM FOR IT. Oh, and the slightly remixed version of Hello was a nice variation to a pretty song, and it's good to see everyone dancing again, even for a simple routine.
KARA - Jumping So where's the singing? As if their vocals can get any worse, the sound guy strikes again. Has he no pity for these girls? No one can hear them on Music Bank and he chooses to literally drown them in the backing track, ruining the entire performance. The only actual vocals I can clearly hear are Nicole's squeaky high notes and short parts of Gyuri's solos. That's it. Everyone else is a blur.
GD&TOP - Oh Yeah (with Bom) I won't be talking about High High because it's practically all rapping and if it weren't for Bom, I wouldn't be talking about this either. The song is all YG - the arrangement, the hook, the English, the rapping, GD and TOP. However, the melody fits Bom like a glove - something tells me that only she can sing it and have it sound like that. In a sense, you need a voice that wild but with that much body for it to make sense, because of the range of the melody. I say time and time again - YG acts are performers, and these three are no exception. I'm actually starting to like the song because of this! This doesn't always happen, but I'm all praises for them today.
Super Junior - No Other + Bonamana It's been a while since I've heard, and seen, both songs performed live, but I gotta say, they really have gotten better vocally, under the crap Inkigayo sound. Ryeowook is starting to sound better, actually, which is GOOD. I mean, how can someone STILL sound bad using hand mics? If I had the money, I would willingly give SBS a new sound system for Christmas. But I don't, so they'll keep sucking. Aaaaand the dance break is still there.
IU - Good Day (WINNER) May I just say that justice has been served because IU HAS FINALLY WON A MUSIC SHOW! I'm actually glad that she didn't win for Marshmallow or that other song because they simply did not do justice to her talent - this song, however, does. So I can sleep peacefully tonight knowing that the voting and buying public still know what talent mixed with a good song is like. She didn't hit the high note today, and like a lot of people, I'm quite pleased that she's changed things up a bit. For someone else that would be a sign of vocal inability, but for heaven's sake we've heard that note several times already, live mind you, so we know she can sing it. Apart from the fact that the theatrics can get boring at times, the performance was spot-on. But then again this is IU we're talking about - the girl is beginning to sound like Hwayobi for christ's sake!
Out of the blue, after writing up all the posts I have to for tomorrow, I stumbled upon Music Bank's year-end special, with everyone performing hits from earlier this year. Then I got the brilliant idea of writing up a recap - this is as much a year-end thing for me as it is for them as I'll be able to trace the improvements, or deteriorations, of the idol groups who were on today.
Needless to say, I'm over my writer's block, and I'm so making the most out of this break.
Today was truly an extravaganza, I couldn't even count the number of performances because there were so many! This recap does not include those specials like the boyband guys doing that Orange Caramel songs, the dance-offs and so on and so forth. ALSO, because of the large number of performances, I'm only recapping selected performances from idol groups + idols only. No FT Island, I'm afraid - bands are just not my turf, except for that CN Blue song that I just have to recap.
YT credits to whoever uploaded the videos. I'm sorry - too many videos, too little time, and my head's starting to ache. Stupid cold.
SISTAR - Push Push + How Dare You And I see SISTAR still haven't learned a thing about performing with the least bit of grace. It's been what, more than half a year already and 3 rounds of promo? Half of the group have shown me raw talent, but I'm afraid that's not enough for a band of their calibre. I know it's pretty much discrimination, but the truth of it is that unless you have the backing of a major agency with enough money to pour into your road to success, you need to stand out and really be better than every single band out there. SISTAR do not, and are not. On top of not being either, there are times when they're just plain pathetic - How Dare You has got to be one of the cheapest sounding, grace-less songs ever, and their stage presence doesn't help one bit.
Miss A - Bad Girl Good Girl + Breathe I will say that Miss A neither deserve nor not deserve the truckloads of MAMAs they won a few weeks back - they got them, fine fantastic, DEAL WITH IT. At least they didn't go to SISTAR or Nine Muses for heaven's sake - would you rather those go to them? I think not. I will say that Miss A have the talent and the potential to succeed in the future - will someone just give them a decent song, please? They perform it well, no doubt, but with a good song they will simply soar.
Rainbow - A + Mach A is still not a song, but the kinda pulled it off decently now. I've always liked Mach, just never admitted it, and to be honest with you all Rainbow have to do is stop trying to sound like KARA and better what they've done with Mach - once they've done that I'm all good. They have the group dynamic and maybe even the presence, so a word of wise to DSP - GET THEM GOOD SONGS!
CN Blue - I'm A Loner Ahhh yes, CN Blue. I remember writing about them a lot earlier this year, but I will admit that I still don't own a copy of any of their albums or singles, whether virtual or physical. After I write this up I'll scramble for one. Anyway. There's nothing to complain about with these guys, really - they're a band who work together well. I still think Jonghyun has a much better voice than Yonghwa and that their drummer should be given more credit AND PUT CLOSER TO THE REST OF THE BAND GODDAMNIT, but other than that there was nothing they had to work with in the first place. I'm pleased that drummer dude isn't a whole building away from the rhythm section, but I'm still not completely happy - he should be closer for heaven's sake! May I please whack KBS in the head now?
T-Ara - Ya Ya Ya + I Go Crazy Because Of You What. Was. That. It reminds me of that American-indian inspired thing MC Mong had out sometime ago. I didn't like that. And MC Mong had a bit of talent. T-Ara have the equivalent of none, or at least that's what they're showing on this song. They're decent performers, but they can't sing, and the song is a lost cause. Therefore, we move on. Thankfully.
Secret - Madonna + Magic I like Secret. Have I said that I like Secret? I like Secret - they have talent, they have stage presence, they have sophistication (even if Madonna got a little too cheap-ish) and they work extremely well as a group. They've improved since the last time I actually seriously watched a performance of theirs, and I'm honestly really excited about their future, albeit a but scared since HoMin are set for a comeback at around the same time and I don't want them overshadowed like every time they release a single because they really do deserve praise. They performed Magic better than Madonna though, if I may say so. And I like Magic better, I can now conclude.
BEAST - Breath I like BEAST too. But to be honest with you, Breath was the BEAST single I watched over the least this year. I kinda regret it now. Everyone's really improved vocally this year - their live vocals are much more stable and they've starting to all develop their own quirks. Add that to their already-brilliant stage presence and group dynamics and you have genius. Yoseob's high part was shaky at times and he was relying on the backing track for a while, but he pulled it off, and for a band like them, that's a big thing. I now have even more respect and excitement for BEAST. And I had a lot already, mind you.
4Minute - HuH Wow. Everyone's vocals were spot-on today, and the performance was eye-catching, to say the least - they're one of the proofs that going to Japan will really help Korean idol groups. The girl with the bob-ish hair (don't know her name, sorry) could very well be my favorite voice in 4Minute, and the leader if she shapes up even more than she already has. Definitely one of this year's biggest improvements performance-wise - I like. And the dance at the end was a nice addition, even if I know nothing about dance.
2AM - Even If I Die, I Can't Let You Go Live + You Wouldn't Answer My Calls Gorgeous voices are great, but gorgeous voices with years of training and practice that gel together perfectly are what happens to every band in a perfect world. Sadly, this is not a perfect world, and so that holds true for only a handful of bands. 2AM is one of them. They may not dance their legs off or prance around stage, but they know that they can get your attention with their vocals, and they do. Extremely well. With songs worthy of their magnificence. I have no words for how well they do it, so just watch the performances and revel in the brilliance. *sits back for a while and watches with you*
2PM - Without U + I'll Be Back I like the re-arrangement of Without U, but that's about it. Their vocals have gotten a tad bit better and I still like Wooyoung the best, but again, that's about it. They're synchronized and all, yeah, and I'll Be Back is a decent song, but they honestly bore me. I don't know if it's because they're trying too hard or they really are boring - they kinda remind me of an older version of MBLAQ with more money spent on them and more talent. And you know what I think about MBLAQ.
IU - Good Day I like this song! I also have a lot to say about IU, so I'm saving it for a full-length review, after all the chaos that is my end-of-year extravaganza. Anyway. IU has grown a lot vocally, and it's not really obvious, but I hear faint traces of her voice beginning to sound like a young Hwayobi. WHAT DID I TELL YOU GUYS ABOUT THAT VOICE? She may have started out young and squeaky, but she was what, 15? 15 year-olds singing pop songs are supposed to sound like that. I know, I was once 15. Voices grow for heaven's sake, so just because she sounds her age doesn't mean she isn't a good singer - look at her now, and watch her in the future. As she grows older, her voice will deepen and I know that it will turn out gorgeous. I may not be able to predict hits, but I know if a young singers's voice will turn our fantastic. IU will be more than fine.
SHINee - Lucifer Oooooooohhh yessss. I would've wanted to see all 5 of them dancing, performing the song how it should be, but the near-perfect vocals clearly make up for that. Jonghyun sounds like himself, reckless at times but when kept in check is nearly brilliant, Key sounds like a deteriorated version of himself last year, and he's probably my biggest regret of them all, he was once my favorite ballad singer in the band. Minho is still not singing and I'm fine with that, Taemin is slowly turning into Jaejoong and I hate to say this but I TOLD YOU SO. AGAIN. Told you guys I know how to spot a good voice when I see it - Taemin is just a year older than me, his voice was still growing when I acknowledged his brilliance and look at him now. Now, Onew. *takes a deep breath* ONEW I STILL WANT TO MARRY YOUR VOICE, LET'S SET A DATE RIGHT NOW - I'M READY. Starring in a musical, no matter how bad his hair was, paid off big time - his already-gorgeous voice learned the value of control, and he executes his lines with a lot more body and conviction. I am convinced. Now, you throw these 4 voices and 5th rapper together, and you get magic. It's a different kind of magic from DBSK's, but special all the same. For all of SME's mistakes and disrespect this year, I won't deny that they know how to put a band together, market them and make them into stars, sometimes, if they like them enough, they even manage to give them the right songs. This year's biggest k-pop yes, I am giving to SHINee. Willingly.
KARA - Jumping + Lupin I think I've said it enough, but KARA really do have crap live vocals. They've gotten better, I will say, but they're far from good. It's a shame really, they have these fantastic songs with some of the best production I've heard this year and what could be some of the best performances from a girl group as well, and they go ruin everything with their pathetic vocals. Gyuri's gotten decent, Nicole and Seunghyun consistent, but there are 5 girls in KARA, and 3 girls being just near-decent is clearly not enough. KARA could very well be my biggest frustration of 2010. I mean look, they have fantastic songs, you know that already, they can perform well as a group and they have the backing of an almost-big 3 agency, what more could you ask for? Right, BETTER VOCALS.
Son Dambi - Queen + DP Rider I don't know why, but watching her perform Queen is nostalgic - it reminds me of the time I was doing my music show recaps, maybe because this was one of the songs whose promo I really followed. Her vocals have gotten stable, and that's all she really had to do back then, so I'm pleased. I like the chorus, to be honest with you, and so hearing her do it a lot better than earlier this year is a relief. So she can do it decently. DP Rider is a little odd - it hardly has a solid melody during the verses, then she suddenly can't sing again. It's all style and no substance, but I guess her performance makes up for it, one way or another. If there's one thing to praise Son Dambi on this year, it's that she can command the stage like it's second nature.
Super Junior - Bonamana This is one of the biggest improvements this year. I don't know if it's because this is the first time I've heard the song again in ages or because they really have improved a hell of a lot. I can actually hear Heechul now, and Yesung sounds epic. I was actually wondering why Yesung wasn't put in SM The Ballad, to be honest with you, but I'm glad SM didn't put Ryeowook in. Anyway. Even with just 10 of them, their group dynamic still overflows. Even if there are times when they're not 100% synchronized, you know they work together well and they're really all performers - I call it the SME touch. Everyone sounds fantastic, if I may say so. And I see they've resurrected the dance break we all know and love. Gosh, this is all really nostalgic for me now - has it really been that long?
SNSD - Oh! + Hoot (WINNER) I don't know what to say, really. On one hand, Oh! was almost completely mimed and that sucks, but on the other hand, Hoot was pretty decent, for SNSD standards. Taeyeon was great, Seohyun was consistent, and Tiffany was non-existed due to her injury, so I have no one else to compliment tonight. Yuri did a sloppy version of Tiffany's line, Sunny still sounds horrid, and you can hardly hear Yoona, is the girl even singing? Jessica still annoys the hell out of me and it's not funny anymore because you can hardly hear her, and Sooyoung's getting better while Hyoyeon's getting better at sounding like the Yunho of SNSD. Hurrah. There were good points to the performance, namely times when Seohyun and Taeyeon sang, but that's 2 girls and there are 6 others. I will now refrain from saying anything else.
In lieu of an Inkigayo recap today, since Dream Concert is airing instead, is a post I've been thinking about since last week but never got the time to write because I've just been so busy with a gazillion things and summer is coming to an end. UGH. Anyway.
I'm in no way a soccer/football fan, and I don't think I will ever be in this lifetime, but for some reason I'm attracted to music from countries who are CRAZY about the sport. First it was Britain and now it's Korea, it's more than a coincidence - it's almost like fate.
Of course since Korea is just crazy over soccer and talent companies need to earn as much money as they think they can in the quickest time, why not make songs for the world cup? Fantastic. But this isn't the first time the World Cup was influenced kpop in some way, shape or form. At least the kpop I'm aware of.
In 2002 Rain debuted under JYPE - the singer/dancer combination, backing from JYP and strong material mixed with heart-wrenching sob story would've been more than enough to launch anyone into super stardom any other time. However according to that Hip Korea docu on Rain, the reason why he didn't succeed on his first try was because of the World Cup. Korea rejected (kinda) one of the best performers of the 2000's on his first try because of the World Cup. THANK GOD he tried again though, 'coz I would've never gotten into kpop had he not succeeded, but that's a completely different story that has nothing to do with my point.
This didn't shape kpop that much, but personally the title of the best Korean World Cup song ever will have to go to none other than DBSK. Their now-anthemic (at least for me!) 동방의 투혼 was released in 2006 and is probably one of their best Korean ballads ever. It was epic, their vocals were in top form, and it gave me goosebumps all throughout when I first heard it. I mean it when I say no one can do kpop World Cup offerings like DBSK.
There are however a few songs that have come in close this time around, but some I just don't like whatsoever. I give you 7 songs from 7 top idol groups - all in support of Korea for the World Cup.
World Cup songs generally fall into 2 categories - they're either ballad-y and inspirational or noisy, happy and spirited ones that could easily be cheers. These songs posses strong percussion lines sometimes left unprocessed, catchy melodies, easy-to-remember hooks and "Dae Han Min Guk" being chanted and/or sung every few seconds - what more is there to a pop song?
Sponsored by Coke, 2PM released What's Your Celebration? and it just screams advertisement. People have pointed out that it sounds like a Coke song but since I stopped watching TV a long time ago and I've never listened to the radio, I don't actually know what that sounds like. Either that or I just can't remember - this song sounds very familiar though. Their vocals are OK, but I find the chorus a little sloppily sung - they're slurring the notes when they're supposed to be nice and snappy. I do like the percussion line that's obvious on parts of the song, especially at the beginning and the end - very big.
This is my first time writing about T-ara on the blog, and I've gotten some attacks on formspring because I've never mentioned them before but to be completely honest with you, I've never had anything ground-breaking to say about them - until now that I'm writing this World Cup post and they did a song. One of the earliest songs to be released by idols, We Are The One has probably the cheesiest hook ever and the girls are drowned out by the chorus - you have to turn the volume up to hear them because if you listen in passing, you'll hear random voices. The chorus is so cheesy that it sticks so bad - I won't be able to get this out of my head for hours. UGH. However the verses are pretty OK - the melody's pretty and their vocals sound decent. Small and mouse-like, but decent. It's one of those songs that are borderline ballad but borderline uptempo too - there are parts of the song that are one thing then the next part is completely different. It's cohesive though, and here we go again with the percussion - I like.
If my memory serves me right, HAM's video for 우리는 하나 was the very first World Cup release by an idol group, it also happens to be one of my favorite of the group. I didn't like HAM when they first debuted, and I didn't like their second single either (I was still with OMGKPOP then so yeah) but this one song made me interested in these girls again - their vocals are very, very strong. I LOVE the real drums, and I LOVE the treatment of the vocals on the chorus but the chorus after the middle 8 just gives me goosebumps every time. It's not as good as the DBSK ballad, but it's pretty damn close - good try girls, REALLY good try. There's something that I still don't know yet though - who's the guy singing with them? UGH I know, shoot me now, but answer my question first!
2AM were the latest idol group to release a World Cup single - I first heard Number One the other day and the video followed last week. It's like that T-Ara song in the sense that it's borderline ballad AND uptempo - it has this uplifting feel to it. The melody is pretty, and there's just the right amount of autotune throughout the song - plus the vocals are really nice and smooth. The talking gets to me a bit and the chanting of the random colors is rather, uh, random, but it's very sweet to listen to and it doesn't piss you off or anything. It doesn't have the intensity that some of the others have so it's rather refreshing after all the heavy ballads and uptempos. WAHAH.
After School's Dreams Again! reminds me a lot of a female version of 2AM's Number One - the bits out autotuning here and there, the cool and calm nature of the song and the smooth vocals. It's a little more intense in a different way though, and it sounds very Euro/trance-y - would have no problem fitting into a Robyn or Agnes album with a few tweaks here and there. I love the piano loop mixed with all these electronic elements and their relaxed vocals - one of my personal favorites.
Kara released We're With You on the same day as T-Ara, if I remember correctly. Out of the two I preferred the Kara one, although it's not without it's flaws. It's a Kara song, and that instantly makes the vocals not my type. I've never liked their vocals and I remember saying that had someone else with better vocals recorded Lupin, I would've worshiped it like hell. The melody is pretty, the guitars add a good contrast to the nature of the song and the the yeah yeah's towards the end are nice a floaty but everything else is far too cutesy for my taste. It sounds very Kara though, so I gotta hand it to them.
Ah yes, Super Junior - or at least part of the band. SME released a video teaser for Victory Korea one day, and when I heard it I was all over it. The full song was released a few days later and the video followed, but I was rather disappointed. I mean yeah part of the instrumental is like a direct copy of Sorry Sorry raised by a few octaves but that isn't my main concern - I don't know why but after an hour of listening I got sick of it. When I listen to it now I don't wanna throw up or anything, it just doesn't hit as hard as the other songs anymore. Leeteuk singing is good and Yesung's voice was brilliant on this but where's Shindong? SME's starting to treat him like a backup dancer now and not as a member of an idol group that you know, sings? UGH. It's really upbeat and catchy and the chorus plus the verses are brilliant but for the most part, it goes right through me now. It's a very good World Cup song though - does the trick.
Thanks to Bing for pointing it out on the comments section that I didn't include Big Bang on this post. UGH. I remember writing about the song, but I honestly (and I'm not trying to cover up any mistakes here) have no idea why it didn't get on the post. UGH anyway.
Ah yes, Big Bang, Trans Fixion and Kim Yuna's rather highly-publicized duet,승리의 함성. It's a very catchy song, and for the most part it literally sounds like Big Bang singing a World Cup song, which is good, but my main problem with the song is that they're not actually the ones singing the hook - or at least it doesn't sound like them. Nice try at singing Yuna, but I wouldn't advise you to give up figure skating. I like that little bit with Trans Fixion - it sounds different from the song and yet it doesn't seem detached from everything. I like.
I'm back with another recap tonight, this time for the last music show of the weekend - SBS Inkigayo. (directly translate it means Popular Song) yayyyyyy.
If MuBank has 3 "nominees" for the top spot, otherwise known as the top 3 of the week, Inkigayo or Inki as I call it has what we call "Take 7", which is essentially the top 7 of the week. The show also has a limit as to how many times an artist can win with a certain single/song - if you win the maximum amount of times you win what is called a "triple crown", meaning one single can only win the show/chart thrice.
Since the show has essentially the same performers as MuBank except for a few changes, I'll follow a similar order. Also, Epik High performed today but I won't include them as I know nothing about rap/hip-hop. Aish, let's just get on with it. Video credits go to the brilliant CodeMonmonMixes@YT unless stated otherwise.
F.Cuz - No One
OK. F.Cuz, again. Their performance today was so-so - the vocals were OK but they were just drowned out by the backing tracks 70% of the time so I can't really get a lot from the raw vocals. I noticed, this song just goes on and on and on and on and refuses to stop - in the worse possible way. Seriously. It's not like Sorry Sorry that gets stuck and you HAVE to hum it, this is just annoying. YT: UnknownCarrot300
U-Kiss - Mworago
The performance today was tight. Again with the backing track ruling majority of the song but you can tell that some of the guys in the band can really or remotely sing/hold a melody. Tight performance, group dynamics in check, and a few questionable wardrobes are all present. Oh, and Dongho looks like a 3 year-old today. I'm sorry. YT: UnknownCarrot300
BEAST - Shock
I missed BEAST, I really did. Their vocals today weren't very good and the backing track started to piss me off by the chorus but the song makes up for it. A bit. It still has hints of being cheap-ish, which I hope they lose once they get a bit more famous, but the production is superior to that of the boybands in their league. That and they're pretty good performers, actually. I just hate the cameraman today as well - he has GOT to learn how to hold the thing still. aish.
2AM - I Did Wrong
This is 2AM's last performance of I Did Wrong, so I assume they're expected to do damn well. I wouldn't say the vocals today were spot on because they were far from that, but compared to a lot of the other acts today they were definitely superior. And the short break before everything explodes a bit was done quite well. The backup dancers are really strange, but over-all it was a good performance. Good vocals make for most of a good performance.
After School - Bang!
Ah yes, After School. Still loving the song with the straight-up rhythm section and all, but the costumes today just distracted me. What the crap are those two THINGS near their necks? But that aside, their vocals today are still bleh, probably more than MuBank last Friday, but they still know how to perform. Good performers + bad vocals = not that good performance. I'm sorry, but this is music and you have to get the music part down as good as, if not better, than the performance part. Just a bit more, maybe a few graduations and a few new members who can sing?
SNSD - Oh!+Run Devil Run
OK, I won't talk about Oh! anymore because I just can't stand it. No more. It's crap and I'll leave it that that. The mics today were crap too - their already sub-par vocals were hardly audible, I'd preferred them to be audible, no matter how crap they are. Bunch of scaredy cats - the sound engineers, not the girls. The performance as a whole was decent - nothing to rave about, nothing to bash (other than what I've already said). Oh, and I like Yoona's dress today. hahah.
2PM - Don't Stop Can't Stop+Without U
2PM's comeback on Inki today wasn't really any different from the others - cages, warehouse-ish thing, pseudo-stripping, some acting here and there, dancing, mostly bad live singing, rapping, rapping and more rapping. The hooks were a bit, I heard more fan chants and screams today and the explosion of rain was pretty nifty but they're not really convincing me at this point and I don't think they ever will. That's life I guess.
Rain - Love Song
And the award for the most guyliner and mascara in one sitting goes to... none other than Rain. Dude, you look great without it, why bother? But anyway. His vocals today are pretty decent, but he's always been a "pretty decent" singer anyway. And whoever the sound engineer was for today's show should be shot - everyone, including THE Rain (and we'll get to Hyori later), sounded like crap. If we're to talk about vocals alone he'd probably just pass, but as a performer he's very good. I know I said it already but he has a certain aura on stage and a mind-blowing command of it - listening to him on recordings are fine and live-able, but seeing him perform is just something else.
Hyori - I'm Back+Chitty Chitty Bang Bang(WINNER)
Hyori wins today's Inki and she won last week's too - triple crown next week? I like that she doesn't just stick to the same pre-single performance then the single with varying outfits - the pre-single stuff change and she really jazzes things up, makes an effort. The dance breaks today, even if I know nothing about dance, were smoothly done on the music-side, and her vocals may have been crap but I think everyone's were. FIRE THE ENGINEER! I personally don't like her choice of wardrobe and her over-all style 'coz it's not my taste and I think she's trying too hard to be GaGa 70% of the time, but it does look like something she'd do, based on her previous stuff, and she sells it so what the heck.
Next week I'll be doing recaps of all 3 music shows - Music Bank, Music Core and Inkigayo. Yayyy!
Everyone's been saying that May's the month of comebacks for kpop - f(x), SS501, Super Junior, 2PM, Rain and Hyori have all released new singles or have confirmed new releases within the month. Therefore, I think it's time PRN ventured into another part of the Korean pop industry - the music shows.
For those who may not know, weekly music shows in Korea are a big deal. The 3 biggest TV networks in the country all have their weekly offerings of music and all major artists perform there on a weekly basis - you're a star, you perform there. The end goal of all these music shows is to crown a "winner", the number one single+artist of the week based on each network's "formula" and data - sales records, online streaming statistics, the list goes on. Winning one of these is also a big deal, as it means you're successful enough to garner thousands, sometimes even tens of thousands, of "points".
The three major music show's I'll be recaping over the next few weeks are - KBS Music Bank (Friday), MBC Music Core (Saturday) and SBS Inkigayo (Sunday). SO I'll start, with a rather late recap of yesterday's KBS Music Bank. I don't think I'll be doing a recap of MuCore this week, but I'll whip something up for Inki. I won't be writing about everything because I'm not familiar with some of the acts - this recap will focus on idols. Credit for all the YT videos goes to 360kpopHDperf@YT, unless stated otherwise.
F.Cuz - No One
I've got to say it, but F.Cuz were pretty decent today. I mean their song's generic as hell, so last year in terms of auto-tune style and catchy-ness plus it's not exactly the best thing since anything, but their vocals were competent and the performance was OK. For a new band they look like they're really selling the song, even if most of it is just plain boring. I'll give them maybe 2 more singles before they get possibly good?
ZE:A - All Day Long
The song's actually pretty good if you take into consideration how their competition (F.Cuz) is doing. My only problem is that it still looks like there're way too many guys on stage - their dynamics haven't changed since their horrid Mazeltov days and I'm not liking it. Either they need to change their choreographer or lock themselves in a room for 24 hours because it's clear that they don't look like they're working well together. Apart from that, their vocals are pretty decent. Not as good as I'd like, but competent. Off topic though, but who the crap is that guy in lab goggles? LOL.
U-Kiss - Mworago
OK. So straight off promoting around Asia (including the Philippines), U-Kiss are back in Korea. Right. As performers, I think they're damn good - the vocals are strong even if I think there're only like 3 people taking most of the parts, probably because they've been doing this for a while now. The song though is a bit bleh for me. I know it's catchy as hell and all, but some of it just sounds cheap (Don't kill me! I have a few KissMe friends too!) - in defense, it sounds like a hit. AND they have good group dynamics, unlike ZE:A. The performance could've been better, but I can settle for this. cr: s0shikim@YT
Secret - Magic
Secret have turned into quite the performers, eh? I'm not sold on the song, but it definitely sounds and feels much better live - that's good. Their vocals are pretty good for a new idol group, and the verses were very well-delivered, except for some nasal parts. Not a big fan of the choreography, but then again what do I know about dancing? The cameraman was really annoying though, maybe that's why I had a horrid migraine last night.
OK, enough of the smaller idol groups, time for the heavyweights.
After School - BANG!
I love After School now, I really do. I liked their outfits this week too. Vocals are still bleh like they've always been and it really brings down the over-all performance for me, but it was still near-fantastic. ALTHOUGH, they've improved this week, which is good. Look at it this way, if After School could sing live, they'd probably be my second favorite girl group, second only to CSJH who are like BRILLIANT.
2AM - I Did Wrong
Mel's new second favorite Korean boyband, I've taken quite a liking to 2AM. In fact, they're probably my second favorite boyband too! Vocals-wise they just WIN, but technique-wise I just with JYP would stop making them sing like him. They're not him for crap's sake and sometimes his singing style can get annoying. But other than that, I LOVED this week's performance. Brilliant vocals, like YEAH. JoKwon's in the running for my favorite voice.
SNSD - OH! + Run Devil Run
So it was the girls' 1000th day since their debut yesterday, and what did they celebrate it with? A performance of Oh! before Run Devil Run. Oh dear - I thought we were over this horrid phase of theirs. I know I kinda liked the song at first, but after hearing it live I grew to absolutely hate the song. Enough said. Run Devil Run was OK, competent, but nothing caught my eye. Their hair looked good today though, apart from Hyoyeon but when does she ever have nice hair? *sigh*
2PM - Don't Stop, Can't Stop + Without U
2PM's back. And they're true to their tag - the performance boyband. I wasn't sold on the song at first, still not completely convinced, but hoenstly that was a pretty good performance. Still lacking in the vocals part, they've always been, but they carried themselves pretty well. The rain throughout got kinda annoying a few minutes in, but it's OK. Once again, no ramblings about the rap because I know nothing about it. Case closed. That and why don't I heard a lot of fangirl screaming? I won't tolerate any anti-2PM ramblings or any of that crap because this is a fair and honest judgement of what I think of the PERFORMANCE and the PERFORMANCE alone. Don't bring issues outside of the performance into this, please.
Lee Hyori - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang + Bring It Back
Hyori. I liked the album and the performances are OK, but she just keeps on getting overshadowed by Rain. Her vocals have gotten better since U-Go-Girl, which is good, you can tell that the performances were thought of and well-prepared for and Hyori's command of the stage is just something else. What seems like a gazillion backup dancers were also employed for this performance. Even so, I'm sorry Hyori but Rain wins this battle. We'll get to him in next.
Rain - Love Song + Hip Song (WINNER)
RAINNNNNN. Why oh why does he have to make his comeback when I'm no longer a fan? Oh well. I said Hyori's command of the stage is something else, but Rain's command is just mind-blowing - you can't put it into words. I wasn't a HUGE fan of both songs when I heard the recorded versions but DAMN this just blows everyone else and even his recordings completely out of the water. It's not so much the choreography 'coz I know nothing about dancing, nor is it the stripping (LOL) OR his vocals since they're not really THAT good, bu like I said recently, it's the feeling you get when you watch a damn good live performance - your heart starts to race and your senses kick into overdrive. Music is half heard, half felt. AND the fanchants were SO DAMN LOUD.
