Fen Head Back to the Studio to Record the Follow-up to their Massively Successful Ripple Debut, "Trails Out of Gloom"

 
Heavy Planet hailed "Trails Out of Gloom" as one of the "best albums of 2010."  Infernal Masquerade proclaimed "Trails" to be one of the "Top 10 Albums of the Year!"  Imagine Echoes and Prognaut both raved that "Trails" was on their "Best of" year's end list, and Progressions Magazine gave "Trails" a perfect 16 out of 16 score, gushing that "Trails was "consistently enchanting from start to finish" and called it "Fantastic in every way" as they proceeded to give it their "highest possible rating!"

So what does a band do for an encore after accolades like that? For Fen, the answer will be given soon as the band has just announced that they're honing a new batch of songs for a trip back to the recording studio in December. Tour dates are sure to follow.

While no one knows what to expect from the fertile minds of the Fen maestros, one thing we do know is to expect the unexpected.  Doug Harrison has said that the next album will be darker and heavier than "Trails," not simply a retreading of old sounds. Fen are eager to expand. Explore. The anticipation builds.

In other Fen news, plans are underway for a deluxe vinyl edition of "Trails Out of Gloom," intended to be released coinciding with the band's summer tour dates.  As a special bonus, songs from Fen's previous, self-released album "Congenital Fixation" is being prepared for inclusion as a special bonus digital download with the album.  Two great Fen albums for the price of one!

In the meantime, the "Trails Out of Gloom" CD is still available in limited quantities from the Ripple Music store  Be sure to get yours before supplies run out.

And if you missed the video for Fen’s latest single, “Miracle”, check it out:




"Consistently enchanting from start to finish, Trails out of Gloom is one of the more rapturous releases you're likely to encounter in quite some time.  It is fantastic in every way.  Highest possible rating, 16/16." -- Progressions Magazine

"Trails Out of the Gloom is reminiscent of 70s progressive rock with a modern prog rock kick. Trails Out of the Gloom isn't as "spacey" as Pink Floyd sometimes get. But, like Gilmour's work, the solos simply soar and the guitars are truly beautiful and epic. It's heavy, in the way that a lot of progressive rock is heavy (like Porcupine Tree) but that has more to do with atmosphere than with amplifiers. Most of this CD is acoustic guitar and lighter rock'n'roll ... and yet the CD often sounds dark. It's a fascinating combination."  -- Rough Edge

“This CD will impact you immediately, but the true brilliance of Trails Out of Gloom comes from further absorption. This is a stellar release. "-- Sea of Tranquility
RIPPLE MUSIC STORE

Also available at CDBaby, Amazon.com, Ebay, and All That Is Heavy.com

www.ripple-music.com

Ripple Top Albums of 2010

Pope's Top 10

The basis for making my Top 10 list is on how much I wanted to listen to the music, how much I thought about the music when listening to other music or when doing mundane day to day tasks. This list has nothing to do with which album has the greatest impact on its individual or specific genre, but purely on how much love I gave the particular recording. Let it be noted that there is very little separating this year’s top three choices. All three albums have spent extended periods of time on the turntable since making their initial impact on my ears.


1)    Stone Axe – II
2)    Les Discrets - Septembre Et Ses Dernières Pensées
3)    Hypnos 69 - Legacy
4)    Dark Age – Acedia
5)    Lair of the Minotaur – Evil Power
6)    Opeth – In Live Concert at the Royal Albert Hall
7)    Charles The Osprey - Consider
8)    Shadowgarden – Ashen
9)    Necronomicon – The Return of the Witch
10)   Downslave – Cost of Freedom


Racer's Top 10

I agree with everything that Pope wrote, I'm just too lazy to write all that.

1)   Stone Axe - II
2)   Fen - Trails Out of Gloom
3)   Ape Machine - This House has Been Condemned
4)   Black Bone Child - Take You Blind
5)   Jet Black Berries - Postmodern Ghosts
6)   Rob Blaine - Big Otis Blues
7)   At the Soundawn - Shifting
8)   Darklight Corporation - S/T
9)   The Beautiful Mothers - Chikara
10) The Egocentrics: - Love Fear Choices and Astronauts



Woody's Top 10 (in alphabetical order)

The Brought Low – Third Record
The Budos Band – III
Electric Wizard – Black Masses
Josiah – Procession
Poobah – Let Me In
Otis Redding - Live on the Sunset Strip
Stone Axe – II
The Stooges – Have Some Fun: Live At Ungano’s
The Sword – Warp Riders
Ufomammut – Eve



Horn's Top 10

10) Roareth - Acts I- VI
9)   haarp - The Filth
8)   Dawnbringer - Nucleus
7)   Centurion's Ghost - Blessed and Cursed in Equal Measure
6)   Nefarium - Ad Discipulum
5)   Conan - Horseback Battle Hammer
4)   Cough - Ritual Abuse
3)   Howl - Full of Hell
2)   Salome - Terminal
1)   Sloath - Sloath


Penfold's Top Ten

1.    Mudocks – Distortionist
2.    Megaran and K-Murdock – Forever Famicom
3.    Freak Kitchen – Land of the Freaks
4.    DEVO – Something for Everybody
5.    B.O.B. – The Adventures of Bobby Ray
6.    Greenhouse Effect – Electric Purgatory Vol. 1 and 2
7.    Look What I Did – Atlus Drugged
8.    The Rakehells – Please Yourself or the Devil in the Flesh
9.    MC Frontalot – Zero Day
10.    Cee Lo Green – The Ladykiller


Mr. Brownstone's Top 10

10) Local Natives- Gorilla Manor
9)   Bruno Mars- Doo-Woops & Hooligans
8)   MGMT- Congratulations
7)   LCD Soundsystem- This Is Happening
6)   Neon Trees- Habits
5)   Titus Andronicus- The Monitor
4)   Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse- Dark Night of the Soul
3)   Gaslight Anthem- American Slang
2)   The New Pornographers- Together
1)   The Black Keys- Brothers



Honorable Mentions
Watain – Lawless Darkness
Exemption – Public Cemetary Party
Hank III – Rebel Within
Janelle Monae – The Archandroid



Don't forget to check out these sites and their Top 10 list of 2009

All Metal Resource — http://allmetalresource.com/
Bring Back Glam — http://bringbackglam.squarespace.com/
Hair Metal Mansion — http://hairbangersradio.ning.com/
Hard Rock Hideout — http://hardrockhideout.com/
Heavy Metal Addiction —  http://heavymetaladdiction.com
Heavy Metal Time Machine — http://metalmark.blogspot.com/
Imagine Echoes — http://www.imagineechoes.com/
Metal Excess — http://metalexcess.com/
Metal Odyssey — http://metalodyssey.wordpress.com/
The Ripple Effect — http://www.ripplemusic.blogspot.com/
Hard Rock Nights — http://hardrocknights.wordpress.com/
Layla’s Classic Rock — http://laylasclassicrock.blogspot.com/
The Metal Minute — http://rayvanhornjr.blogspot.com/



Top Ten Lists Of Top Ten List Lists - by Old School


I simply despise top ten and “best of” lists.  They are never enlightening, and even less informative, especially those that discuss music. 

Is  “Taylor Swift” by Taylor Swift a “better” recording than  Guns N’ Roses’ “Greatest Hits” merely because of the number of weeks the CDs spent on the Billboard Music Charts? I hardly think so.  Staying power on the charts is a product of (sales + publicity + fanbase) which is always related to gross sales.  It doesn’t even reflect how financially successful a recording might be.  To determine that you have subtract all the costs associated with producing the product,  Even then, financial success does not mean one recording is better than another recording.

Ahh!  But you say,

I like lists.  In fact, I love them.  Sure, you can’t compare the artistry of Taylor Swift to that of Guns N’ Roses in financial terms - it has to be in “artistic terms.”  We have to narrow the field a bit. We can make categories of lists and compile them.  Taylor Swift is a better Pop singer so we can compile a top ten list of 2010 Pop Music and we can compile a list of the 2010 Metal and Gun N’ Roses would be on that one.  We could choose ten categories say, Pop, Blues, Punk, Alternative, Metal, Classic Rock, Country, Jazz, Soundtrack and World Music.  You could then compile the number 1’s of each list and there you have a fair ultimate 2010 music top ten list.  

Dude! You’re missing the point!  There are thousands of great bands out there that lack either sales, proper publicity or a great big fan base.  There are even some that rather ply their art in semi-obscurity, semi-retired, known to only a few, or just popular in a city, region, circuit or on the web. Consequently, it is inherently unfair and disingenuous to say that one recording is the “Best” or better than another.  I can assure you that you haven’t heard all of them; that, if you did, you could never make up your mind; and, if you did, you should really get your hearing checked.

Every top ten music list ever compiled fails in another respect.  It is totally subjective and why should I, as a music listener, really care about your opinion?  I know what I like.  Don’t you listen to your music and not give a damn what others think - you might even sing Barry Manilow songs in the shower, who knows or cares? It is your music and you are the only judge of “Best” that matters to you.

Look, Old School,

I understand what you’re saying, but, don’t you think that as music consumers we ought to know what we are buying?  I mean, doesn’t sales + publicity + fan base measure popularity? So that means, as a consumer, I’ll know what most people are listening to by referring to a traditional top ten list.  Doesn’t that have significant value to me as a consumer?

So, if lots of people were jumping off a high bridge you would too? Even manure attracts a lot of flies. 

Don’t give me this whole consumer service thing.  Today almost every artist has a healthy web presence and offers at least a free taste or two.  You are better off spending your time searching the internet for the music you like than being a lemming to 2010 Music Top Ten Lists of Top Ten Lists.

Yes, Old School, I understand. But, couldn’t you compile a top ten list of just the music you heard this year and it could be your own personal 2010 Music Top Ten List? You could use it to explain to people your own musical tastes.

That argument lacks foundation.  Do you really think other people care about what music you like - other than the artists who are trying to sell it to you?  Look, I write 50 or so music reviews a year.  I listen to thousands of new artists and releases and point out just a few.  I get a half-dozen comments a year from readers in response to my reviews.  I write because I’m vain and love to share my love of music, even if no one cares or listens.  I’m in no position to tell you to favor Lynwood Slim and the Igor Prado Band over Brian Setzer, Modern Day Moonshine over The Doobie Brothers  or Heavy Glow over Steve Vai, or any other artist or recording over any other.  I wouldn’t dare say to you that James Cotton’s 2010 return - “Giant” is better than any other Blues harmonica album in the past decade.  You have to find out for yourself. 

- Old School

#1: JYJ - Long Way

I liked a lot of songs this year, and so choosing the best was literally like picking a specific needle out of a pile of needles that look exactly the same - nearly impossible. There was too much good music and too little time to take it all in. Question me all you want, call me biased or whatever, but I've made my decision and this is final.


When I was in the process of choosing songs for this year's list, I was debating between putting this in, or W. So why did I choose Long Way instead? Because while W made me bawl my eyes out (I kid you not), Long Way made me smile, cry, and feel all tingly inside at the same time - the only thing I was sure of was that this song is gorgeous. I don't get tingles down my spine very often, mind you, it's usually just goosebumps or the hairs on the back of my neck standing.

The first time I heard it I didn't know whether to laugh, cry or jump around the room - never mind that I couldn't and still don't understand the lyrics. That's truly what music should do to you, to be honest - it should make you feel something you never thought was possible. In this case, a combination of feelings you never knew existed.

I'm not saying all these because I like DBSK or Jaejoong or whoever, I'm saying this because this song deserves the praise, and that's that. If someone else released it and did just as good a job as the three, I'd still name this the best song of the year, because it's beautiful, epic, sad, happy, outstanding and every other positive adjective I can think of, rolled into one song.

I say this and that about songs, that they lack conviction, that the arrangements suck and the execution was sloppy and I say that because they lack what I think are qualities that will really give depth to a song, like what they've done for Long Way. Music is an art, and because it's an art it should be respected - with depth comes beauty and with beauty comes respect. At least that's how it goes for me.

In simpler terms, Long Way is epic and beautiful in every way. The light but sure drum rolls throughout the song, the strong arrangement that leads the song to places and doesn't just stay still, the sweet melody that's full of emotion, and the three gorgeous voices singing it just leave me speechless every single time.

But most of all, it is everything I stand for thrown together in one song, perfected and put together in all the right ways.

This song proves that there's more to good singers than ballads - the true measure of a technically and musically outstanding singer is flexibility and ability to sing more than just ballads. It's not how many notes you can hit in a minute and how high they are, it's how you hit those notes.

Long Way isn't a ballad, nor is it an uptempo - it's a nice, sweet midtempo that really makes you think.

I'm literally getting the shivers as I begin to write this.

The melody, oh dear the melody, it has enough variety to not bore us for 4 minutes, but it has enough repetitions to allow the boys the freedom to adlib and change things up a bit - showing their ingenuity and creativity. And mind you, these three know how to put fantastic and mind-blowing, yet appropriate and well-executed, adlibs together. It was treated in such a way that there's a balance to the sanitary-ness of Japanese production and the intensity of the three's vocals - need I say more?

In songs, I always look for an arrangement that explodes, or doesn't explode, in the right way. This is it. Everything starts out with a nice, sweet piano line and then a percussion part comes in and the song develops into a pretty package. Little by little it's like everything comes to life, and it explodes without you even knowing it, but very much feeling it. By the end of the song you have organized chaos - things are happening all over the place but there is a clear direction to the arrangement, as expected from the Japanese. But more so, the way everything was resolved at the end was done with finesse - it was neither a sudden stop nor a dragging, element-by-element drift.

Everything about this song matters - from the instruments to the vocals to the production. I was listening to the instrumental and while it's gorgeous and you really get to hear the instrumentation in it's purest form, it has no intensity, no life - until you put in the vocals.

That said, Long Way, as a whole, soars - there's no other way to put it, really. While it has the intensity, enough build-up, to make you stand up and listen to it every time another dimension is added, the way each element is executed then put together in relationship to the entire song is so effortless that the whole song just makes sense. You don't want to question why or how anymore - everything just makes sense.

Each element was so meticulously thought about and executed, every note painstakingly put into place, the entire package perfected over and over and over again, and yet listening to Long Way is more than a pleasure - it's such a joy. For me, that's what music is, and should be - pure and utter joy. More than a way to express yourself, more than a business, a profession, a commodity or a hobby - music is something that is to be enjoyed, savored.

There's nothing more I could ask for, really. As a writer, putting this together was just as effortless as listening to the song - it was like all the ideas, and the right words to express them, just poured out of my head and I didn't have to force any of them out like I had to for some songs on the list. It's because of songs like this that I write, it's because gorgeous, effortlessly stunning, songs exist, and continue to.

For all these simple, yet very meaningful, reasons, Long Way is the best song of 2010.

#2: SHINee - Lucifer

Several people have guessed that this would be my #1 song, but I'm afraid it isn't - keep guessing! Although that most definitely does not mean that it's not any good. It's more than good actually, it's fantastic.

When I first got into kpop last year, I was concentrated on learning the history and grasping the sound throughout the years. This year, because I had already practically mastered the history and was writing about what would become history, I was concentrating on looking at current k-pop, sound-wise. And the result of that? My current opinion on Lucifer.


I and a whole swarm of bloggers adore the song to bits, obviously, and practically the entire blogosphere, fans included, went wild with the release of this. When I brought out my review I was focused on the song itself, and there's obviously nothing wrong with that, because all anyone had at that point was the song. The technicalities of the song were spot-on - the production brilliant, the arrangement very tight and the delivery fantastic.

Question my taste level all you want, I still think that Lucifer is one of the, if not the, most solid and representative pop songs South Korea has brought out this year. Lucifer is another one of those "this is where kpop is" songs, but unlike the others that I just accept, I adore Lucifer. In a sense, it's because of songs like this that I'm still writing about kpop.

Lucifer is a feast to the ears and an absolute pleasure to listen to, whether recorded or live, and you don't have to say that "oh, I like it better live" or "oh, the recording's a gazillion times better" because the song allows for both mediums to sound fantastic in their own ways.

Which brings me to a point that I heard my dad raise earlier this year - a recording is different from a live performance. OK, of course it is, but if you think about it, there are times when I, and a lot of other people, compare the two then deem one inferior. But you can't do that. OK, you can, but logically speaking you can't. You've all heard of hi-fi, right? High Fidelity, it means that you somewhat "strive" for what's called a "real" sound, a recording that's closest to the actual sound of instruments, whether they be voice, drums or whatever. I only found out what it really meant when my dad raised that point.

So everyone goes on and on and on about hi-fi, speakers are advertised with it and equipment guaranteed to provide hi-fi, but with all this recording technology nowadays, it's hard to differentiate real from not? The vocals, like any other pop song this year, have been put through processing - whether obvious or not. The instrumental is 75% computerized at the very least and all the instruments have also gone through computer processing. Can you call these real? WHAT IS REAL?

But anyway. In simpler terms, the point I'm trying to make is that critique-ing live performances and recordings can no longer go hand-in-hand - you cannot compare them anymore, because the recording studio and the performance studio are two different environments, and their technologies have gone in two different directions.

So what does this have to do with Lucifer? Well, it has proven that point. SHINee are fantastic live singers and performers - they know exactly how to sell a song, and they do it extremely well. Other bands of their stature are still struggling with vocals (ahem2PMahem), but these guys just sing like it's second nature, and it's supposed to be. But no matter how good they are live, the trends dictate that their vocals be processed, obvious or not. There is a difference between their live performances and their recordings. They sound good on both, of course, but good in different ways.

I do have one tiny little problem with the song though, that has ultimately prevented it from being fiercer competition with my top song of the year. I got a physical copy of the Korean release of Lucifer for Christmas a few days ago (along with Rising Sun! My cousin just came back from Korea), and I noticed something very interesting about it - I listened to the album on my dad's nice speakers and I noticed that Lucifer has no depth. I listened to Rising Sun (the single, let's be specific) before that, and I heard things I had never heard on the MP3s - the CD quality version of Lucifer was essentially the same sound, except for the fact that everything was crisper. It's not that big a problem if you look at it, but for me it makes all the difference - I value the little details in a song, it's what separates CD from digital for now, and what makes CD much more superior.

#3: The Saturdays - Higher

This getting on my list this year could mean a few things - my standards aren't the same as they were before, I haven't listened to an awful lot of Western songs in comparison to K-pop, and I adore a good pop song when I hear it. I'll go with the last one, thank you very much.


As much as I adore Girls Aloud and Xenomania and whatnot, there is a part of me that adores the fun and effortlessness in The Sats. Girls Aloud are very serious, and the songs they put out are really WHOA, but The Saturdays are light and fun, and girl groups should be fun, don't you agree? The technical side is important, don't get me wrong, but so is how those technical aspects are executed. Basically what I'm trying to say here is that GA and The Sats are two completely different girl groups - they both have their strengths and I adore them both for those. It's just that we were without an epic GA album this year. D:

On a side note, I love the video for this - I really do. Nevermind that they shot it in an LA studio when it's supposed to look like NY, I love everything about it, ESPECIALLY the walking on the first chorus. I took film back in sophomore year, I think I've said a few times before, and I love the cinematography on this - it's very, warm. A nice contrast to the in-your-face-fun-ness of the song.

The chorus is epicly fun in all the right ways - I love how it explodes into this extravaganza of synths and beats and a gorgeous chorus, with enough repetitiveness to make you hum the song even after it ends. I love the synths throughout the song - they're crisp, and classy, but very playful. Throw in strong vocals from all of them, and you have a masterpiece worthy of praise.

#4: Kylie Minogue - Get Outta My Way

Essentially, this is the kind of pop I grew up listening to - fun and fresh, yet musically proficient in more ways than one. So essentially, this Kylie song in particular would have no problem climbing up my list this year.


If anything, this was the song that ultimately pulled me through several big, and difficult, events this year, and that would've been enough to put the song high on the list, but the fact that it's so damn brilliant puts it comfortably at 4th place - it's more than worthy in my opinion. (LOL but I made the list, so everything's worthy in my eyes)

THIS is how things are, and should be, done in pop - even with all this brilliance happening throughout the song, it's very light to the ears. The production is very clear, but also very dynamic and somehow, the instruments all together, no matter how loud they may be, end up sounding very floaty. For some strange reason when I talk about how the song's light, the first thing that comes to my mind is jell-o - it sounds like jell-o, it's very tasty but it's rather light for food. OK that came out strange, I hope you got my point.

Everything about Get Outta My Way is brilliant. But I think I've already said that a gazillion times. The synth and piano lines are gorgeous, the percussion, although obviously computerized, matches the song very well, and the way everything was arranged - from the explosions to the settling to the fade at the and - makes the entire package sound so effortlessly fun. To the point where this could be the music for one of those commercials where there's this boring office and boring corporate stuff then this comes on and someone starts dancing like a madwoman and everyone around her glares at her before they join in and then somehow, magically, they get transported to some random island where they have this huge party.

Do you get me? I hope you do. I'm sorry, I must be really desperate to get something written down right now for me to talk about jell-o and commercials. Just watch the video and prepare to be blown away.

#5: BoA - BUMP BUMP! feat.VERBAL(m-flo)

OK, BUMP BUMP! wasn't the biggest hit ever and it didn't stay on the charts for a gazillion weeks, but who cares? This was one of the songs I had the most fun listening to this year, and even after playing it almost every day in the car (to my dad's approval, thank you very much), it's still one of the best.


I like this song because it's musical. I say that there are good and bad musicians everywhere, and that's entirely true, but there have been quite a few songs that have proved to me that Japanese musicians are generally more musical. They have more experience, the industry has been around for longer, it's harder to survive as a musician in Japan, and generally everything about the industry pushes them to become more musical. But that's just an opinion.

The song has dynamics, it has direction, but it also has enough repetition to appeal to the mainstream audience. Add in a pinch of sophistication in every single part of the song, and you're made. The gorgeous melody placed on top of the spot-on, brilliant, instrumentation is a joy to listen to - it's so effortless, yet it's so fun. Hey, it's made me want to get up and dance at one point. I don't dance.

And, for one of the few instances, BoA's voice is bearable! (for me) I mean it's far from bad, but there are times when I just get annoyed. I wasn't this time around. That much. The gorgeous song most probably made up for it.

#6: DBSK/Tohoshinki - BREAK OUT!

BREAK OUT! really marked the beginning of the end for DBSK as five, at least for the next few years. They could've very well given us a ballad parade (which I wouldn't really have a problem with as long as they're gorgeous), but they didn't, and I'm glad this song actually got the chance to be released, because it's brilliant.


I still have a hard time writing about songs by my current favorite boyband, so even if I'm head-over-heels for this song, I apologize if the review gets a little.. whacked out? Anyway.

This is a lesson to all new idol groups that you don't really need to autotune the hell out of songs. A bit is fine, like what they did on the song, because it gives the sound another dimension, but autotune, like anything, should be in moderation, especially around already-gorgeous vocals.

BREAK OUT! was a growth from their The Secret Code-era sound - you could hear traces of Survivor, but they ventured into the realm of autotune for one of the few times. The instrumental was all dark and serious, the arrangement strongly complementing it, the melody floating, and the vocals well-executed.

Even if the song's gorgeous, my biggest regret is that we never got to see them perform this live. I mean it's a fantastic song and a more than worthy recording of it, but knowing that DBSK earned the privilege of performing with a live band on tour in 2008, I can't help but imagine how this would sound like with a live band, and all five of them singing. Let's just say that it's my life's mission to hear all my favorite songs sung with a live band. It's different, and I've talked about why it is.

#7: Robyn - Dancing On My Own

Before we get on with the review, MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! *hands out virtual gifts to everyone* I'm most likely asleep, tired from last night's festivities, when this is published and I'll most probably be out the entire day. But I really do want to wish you all a merry Christmas with lots of presents and food and people you love. ;D

There are times when I don't want to write about a song, for fear that I won't be able to put it into words properly and do it justice - I'd rather have the song speak for itself. This is one of those times. But I promise to try my best to somewhat put this epic song to words. Somewhat.


Strangely enough, the first thing that comes to mind when I hear Dancing On My Own is cram school. Last summer I was in the Philippine equivalent of "cram school", reviewing for the series of university entrance exams I was to take come the start of senior year - this what what I was listening to during my marathon late-night study sessions with my books and chocolate as best friends. So apart from the fact that it's a brilliant song (we'll get to that in a while), it holds very vivid memories.

It's such a pleasure to listen to the song, even if there are a gazillion things all happening at the same time. The song has a very clear direction, and I think that's one of the biggest factors - yes, you have synth lines and whatnot floating above Robyn's very full, yet ever so slightly thin, vocals but when you listen closely they all complement one another.

The melody's a big factor in me adoring the song - it's slightly disjointed during the verses, but as the chorus nears it slowly gets slightly more flow-y. The gaps in the melody allow for the amazing instrumental to be heard more, and who wouldn't want that? It works on Dancing On My Own because the instrumental is actually something that's worthy of being heard on it's own.

Put everything together, and you have an epic song, worthy of it's place in this list. But then again all the songs are worthy. But you get the point, right? I hope you do.

#8: SM The Ballad - Hot Times

We break into the top 10 today, right on schedule! Once we reach the top five, the posts will come once a day only - to add an element of suspense, perhaps? The countdown is scheduled to end on the 30th with my #1 song of the year. On the 31st I have something planned, but that's all under wraps for now. On to the review. Sorry.

When I first heard of SM The Ballad, I wasn't really so excited, partially because no one from DBSK, or HoMin, is in it, and partially because I didn't really like the idea of Jonghyun murdering more ballads than he usually does. And who the hell was that Jino guy? However, the day I heard the teaser for Hot Times, all my doubts and frustrations disappeared. The day I heard the full version of Hot Times, in HQ (not that crappy MuCore leak), I nearly cried - THIS. SONG. IS. GORGEOUS.


Up until a few days ago, there was a part of me that had already gotten sick of the song - I really didn't want to listen to it because I felt like I was gonna throw up (I'm serious.), but listening to it again, I'm still in love with it. It's a good thing, I don't have the freedom to move this down the list if I stopped liking it!

I believe I said this last Sunday during the Inki year-end recap, but SM really did pick the right combination of the right people. You have Kyuhyun, who sounds fantastic anywhere you put him and is very consistent when he sings, you have that guy from TRAX, who has probably the most gorgeous voice in SM now that JYJ are gone and who knows how to flaunt it, you have Jonghyun, who, when restrained, can sing ballads like no other in SHINee now that Key's voice has gone down the drain, and you have the new guy, Jino, who, although a bit inexperienced, is clearly trying his best and is practically on the same level as the 3 - that's hard to do.

I think that had they put Yesung in instead of Kyuhyun, the vocals would've exploded - it would've been too much. Had they put Ryeowook, well, I would've gone after them with more than a torch, telling them to repent for their sins. I'm thankful that Onew clearly didn't make the cut and SM finally got the message that HE IS NOT A BALLAD SINGER GODDAMNIT, and Key was snubbed too, because yes he was my favorite ballad singer in SHINee before, but that was then and this is now.

So they work together brilliantly, I think you all get the picture, and now that SM has four of it's best vocalists together for promo, obviously you need a song worthy of both their ability and their "chemistry". In comes Hot Times. After all the sins SM has committed this year AHEMSuperJuniorSNSDf(x)BoAAHEM, the release of Hot Times has made me consider forgiving them for several of those mistakes.

The melody of this is WIN, one hundred percent WIN. From the verses to the chorus to the drop-dead gorgeous middle 8 I just wanna replay over and over and over again, this is not only a Yoo Young Jin creation, this is an A-grade YYJ masterpiece - I can hear the guy singing this in my dreams for heaven's sake! The high note parade can get a little too much at times, especially when Jonghyun does it live, but I think without it the song would've lost one dimension, so it's fine as it is.

The chorus, oh my heavens the chorus - when 4 voices of their calibre sing it with that kind of intensity and urgency but with so much finesse, I feel like crying - IT'S STUNNING, GORGEOUS, AMAZING, OUTSTANDING, BEAUTIFUL and every other positive adjective I can think of.

That, coupled with a simple yet stunningly apt instrumental and a cool arrangement, make for a song that is just waiting to blow my mind. The live performances are fine, but the recording gets me every single time.

#9: 2NE1 - Clap Your Hands

I have a love-hate relationship with 2NE1, as you all may know. There are times when I think they're fantastic, but there are also times when the autotune goes overboard and my ears start registering them as a bunch of annoying chipmunks. However there are also times when I start out hating the song, but end up adoring the heck out of it after seeing them perform it, or even just see the video for it.


2NE1 is basically a performance band in my eyes - you have to see them for the material to make sense, and obviously they don't perform their entire album when they promote. I was less than impressed with To Anyone this year, mainly because the tracks were never given the chance to make sense. However, they did perform Clap Your Hands, and did more than make sense.

I'm not one for rapping, nor am I for autotuned Sandara-fests, but like I said, Clap Your Hands makes all the sense in the world. It's your standard 2NE1 song - the rapping, the autotune, the jam-packed instrumental with YG production at it's finest, and the stick-in-your-head-like-glue hook. What sets it apart from the other two singles they promoted? Everything is bearable - everything was done in moderation, with our ears in mind. That, and it's not trying too hard to be stylish or whatever Go Away was trying to be - what you hear, and see, is basically what you get.

For 2NE1 standards, the hook is pretty laid-back actually, but it's in-your-face and repetitive enough to stick. The chorus as a whole is pretty, actually, without all the computerized sounds running all over the place. The elements flow well, and the song actually progresses, and it's resolved neatly.

#10: Dae Guk Nam Ah/The Boss - 비틀비틀

Apparently, they've never been D-NA to start with, so I'm calling them The Boss from now on.

So The Boss haven't exactly swept music show wins this year, nor have they really sold a lot both in Korea and Japan (do they even have a single out there?), but I like these guys. And for more than the fact that they remind me of my beloved DBSK.

I re-iterate what I said earlier this year (like in a lot of what I've been writing lately) - 비틀비틀 is generic, cheesy at certain points, and you know not a lot of money was invested in to this, but it's like that to show how much more talent The Boss have compared to your run-of-the-mill boyband from a small agency no one's heard of.

I'd say they're tied with BEAST - BEAST have the backing of a semi-major agency, but lack in terms of talent when compared to The Boss. Put these two groups together and you have just a little less than what DBSK had when they were just starting out.

Let us now take the time to worship Mika and Karam's vocals. I have an unpublished, unfinished, draft of a vocal commentary for The Boss (that I wrote last summer), and I call Mika the Junsu of The Boss, and Karam and Jaejoong. Their vocals are drop-dead gorgeous, and I think being in one of the many generations of Xing helped. The other three are strong too, but Karam and Mika carry the band vocally, and for a band as new as them to be as good as they are is a hard feat to even try reaching.

비틀비틀 is catchy verging on cheap sometimes, but the way all five of them carry it both live, with their stage presence, and recorded with the epic, amazing vocals give it another dimension. To be honest with you, if k-pop gave me the same songs it did this year, only with people who could actually sing them, I wouldn't be complaining.

#11: Diana Vickers - Jumping Into Rivers

The season of X Factor that Diana Vickers was on was the one I watched the most, as I've said countless times. (note: this was the same season JLS were on) And I REALLY wanted her to win, or at least get into the finals with JLS. She obviously didn't, and I was devastated to say the least, but the material she put out, years later, was enough to console me. For now.


Diana has a rather different voice - it's both rough and smooth, it's got a bit of body coupled with an airy texture, but it's an absolute pleasure to listen to. The combination makes it rather soothing, to be honest. As much as it sounds gorgeous singing ballads, (like Notice, which almost made the list) it's her uptempos that intrigue and amaze me.

It's hard to choose uptempos for her, to be honest, because you can't give her some random song you'd give Pixie or Alexandra. But Jumping Into Rivers was the perfect choice, if I may say so. And the execution was just spot-on, especially for the vocals to really stand out.

The arrangement is very simple, but the instrumentation is very sharp. All the instruments have a snap to them - from the drum line to the guitar section - and it's a contrast to Diana's very soft (not in terms of volume) voice.

And oh dear, the melody. The melody is drop-dead gorgeous - it has enough intensity at the chorus and enough smoothness at the verses to actually be rather soothing. And none of that "chill" crap - it's a midtempo verging on uptempo and it's got kick, thank you very much.

#12: G.NA - I'll Back Off So You Can Live

G.NA is one of the most promising debuts I've witnessed this year, if I may say so. I've had my doubts, of course, but in the end there's something about this girl that makes me very curious, and very optimistic about what the future will bring her.


Like I said when this song was brand-new, the song itself is actually rather generic if you listen to it closely.

It's what you would give your typical new "rising star" solo female singer-dancer-combination and it won't really get her anywhere. The way the chorus explodes is gorgeous, I actually like the rap part (done by the guy from BEAST and no one else, thank you very much) and the song flows very naturally, however majority of it was most likely recycled from other songs. But, like I said earlier this year, these days it's all in how your carry the song, and G.NA sure knows how.

There were times when I was unsure of whether she was lipsyncing or not, but for the times that I was sure, her vocals were near perfect. To top it all off, the girl knows how to perform - there's finesse to the way she moves and carries herself, both on stage and in the video. And that's important if you're selling your song.

But aside from all the technical and musical stuff, I genuinely enjoy listening to the song, regardless of it's flaws and generic-ness. At the end of the day, me liking the song is the biggest factor. And I like the song a hell of a lot!

#13: 2AM - 잘못했어

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.

#14: Pixie Lott - Doing Fine (Without You)

I haven't really said it a lot lately, but I love Pixie Lott and I don't care what you say about it. Call it a guilty pleasure, call it whatever you want, really - I like her and you can't change anything.


It was around this time of the year (although maybe closer to new year, actually) that I first heard of her in 2008 - back when Turn It Up was called The Fall and I thought it was brilliant. After a while her album got a little stale for my taste, but then the repackaged tracks came out and this particular one stood out.

Doing Fine (Without You) reminded me of why I loved British pop, girl bands in particular - because everything was so fun, yes, but they had class. American girl groups are great, yeah, but I prefer the British when it comes to pop bands. But anyway, this song would have absolutely no problem making it's way into a Sats album/EP, and it has absolutely no problem worming it's way up my list!

The melody's gorgeous, the arrangement strong, and the hook an actual hook. It's a lot of stereotypes of a lot of different songs thrown into one package, in the right way. Brilliance, I tell you, brilliance.

#15: Sara Bareilles - King Of Anything

Thankfully, this Sara Bareilles single is one of those Western releases I didn't overlook this year. Had I not heard this, I would've missed out on one of the best songs of the year!


Sara Bareilles' first album was one of the first albums I'd willingly listen to from start to finish - it was also one of the albums I was avidly listening to when I just started PRN. The ingenious lyrics (even if I don't care about them - they made me notice them), the solid, piano-driven arrangements, the strong and emotional vocals and the drop-dead gorgeous songs all thrown into the glory that was that album just make me want to listen to it again.

After years of waiting, and her first album never really going out of style, she came back this year with this gorgeous song. When I first reviewed this I was all for it - fantastic production, real drums and a distinctly-Sara sound. Now that I listen over to it and write about it again, I'm ready to fall to my feet.

This is the pop I was talking about when I wrote about the Katy Perry song, only without the excessiveness - King of Anything has class, thank you very much. But even with all the "class" I say it has, it manages to capture that same element of fun that mainstream American pop has.

The elements are probably the polar opposites of the ones on the Katy Perry song - trumpets, Sara's staple stomping piano, a lay-low melody and REAL DRUMS with a touch of real cymbals - yet it's fun and an absolute pleasure to listen to. Over, and over, and over, and over again for ever and ever and ever.

#16: IU - Rain Drop

I think today is "songs that hold memories" day on the countdown, because this is probably the song that makes me the most nostalgic. Once again, it's story time.


In June of this year, we found out that my grandmom was in the late stages of cancer. It greatly affected me, for a gazillion reasons I have no time to enumerate. I was (literally) fainting in class, walking around like I was dead, and running around the city doing errands. I skipped class for days because I was having a hard time coping, and everything was just happening too quickly that I needed a break, even if I knew I couldn't get one. The important thing to take note of is that like in any situation, I ran to music for support, and writing when I had the time.

(side note: I almost cried writing that, since I'm listening to the song too)

So anyway. This was the song I was listening to throughout all that, and throughout my grandmom's wake, so whenever this comes up on shuffle mode again or I accidentally play it, all those feelings start rushing back, and my chest feels exactly how it felt right after I fainted that day. I'm saying this because this is what music is - it holds memories and brings them back when needed.

Without the memories this song is drop-dead gorgeous - the melody is strong, the arrangement clear and the instruments strung together effortlessly. The whistles at the beginning set a nice, happy mood (even if they make me sad), and IU's bright yet strong vocals pull everything together nicely.

This was also the song that signaled the start of her growth vocally - there are points in which there's more power and a deeper timbre to the vocals, but the youth in her voice is still clearly there. And that's why this song is on the list, aside from the fact that it's gorgeous and that it can make me cry any second now. That and songs off her new EP are not eligible (we'll get to them later).

#17: JoJo - Boy Without A Heart

If you were with me from the very beginning, you'll know that I acknowledge JoJo as the one who started, and fueled, my love for pop music - she's the reason why I write about music, and why I want a career in it. She's also one of the reasons why I feel the way I do towards the industry.


It's story time. LOL. During the summer between fourth and fifth grade, I'd spend afternoons with my dad at our local record store (which is now gone. D:) and I, not knowing a lot about music, would go over to the listening booths they used to have and listen to JoJo's debut album. I'd listen to it everytime were were there, until my dad bought me the album, along with Alicia Keys' The Diary of Alicia Keys. Everything just took off from there, and Christmas 2006 came around - I got my first iPod (1st gen nano, white, 1GB) and was buying physical albums to fill it with. Obviously, The High Road was the first one I got.

So why tell you guys part of the story of my life? Because JoJo always manages to come out with new material during turning points of my life. In 2005 she was the turning point, in 2006 I was going through what was the best year of my school life, as well as learning more and more about music by the day, and finally now, in 2010 - I made a lot of decisions concerning my future, so of course, JoJo had to come out with her free mixtape. And this gorgeous song.

Can't Take That Away From Me had a truckload of gorgeous songs, but for some reason Boy Without A Heart stuck the most. Why? Because strangely, it reminded me of 6th grade, and even that summer I first heard her. This is a new song we're talking about, and it brought back memories it never even witnessed.

It has a very simple arrangement (how many times have I said this before), but it's not only JoJo's now more mature and gutsy vocals that stand out, it's the drum line. The stunning drum line that makes me smile like a madwoman - it's very sharp but it sounds very real. That put below the gutsy but in-place electric guitar and thrown together with a well-done arrangement makes for a drop-dead gorgeous song.

#18: After School - Bang!

I liked this phase of After School and as of now, only this phase. Diva and Ah! weren't my taste at all, LOVE LOVE LOVE is the Raina and Nana-fest, and even if I worshipped the ground Because Of You walked on, they couldn't pull it off live to save any of their lives. They couldn't actually pull off Bang! until the tail end of promotions, but I liked the song so much that I really waited.


Bang! may seem a little too chant-y for my taste, but I like it because it really works for After School. They're not a band that can pull off very vocally-demanding songs, but they're not a band with absolutely no vocal ability either. The melody is simple enough to sing by decent voices and it would sound good, but it has enough spunk to pass for a lead single.

The very hard and sometimes soul-less drum rolls throughout the song make the melody simpler, actually. The "sonic mess" I was talking about earlier this year isn't really a mess - it reminds me a lot of DBSK's O Jung Ban Hap and how this super dance-y and intense song turns into a puddle of gorgeousness. Of course DBSK can pull that off effortlessly and they have the production team to do it while After School/Gahee struggled and they don't exactly have a Yoo Young Jin to whip their songs into shape, but it was a good try.

Speaking of production, I never said it, but Bang! has some of the best non-SM production this year and is probably as good as Kara's Jumping. Plus the fact that After School have more gutsy and generally better vocals than Kara. Why do I find myself comparing everyone to Kara these days?

Speaking of vocals, I'd like to point out the performance where I found out that Lizzy actually has a voice, that I have a love-hate relationship with Raina's voice, that Gahee is one of the stronger singers, and that Jung Ah is obviously my favorite voice in the band. Even with the crap sound system and non-existent acoustics, this was by far the best performance of Bang!. It was also the last one I recapped, if I'm not mistaken.