From: "Look At Me" Format: EP Released: October Territory: South Korea Previous Best of Appearances: "Vari2ty" (2009)
One of my biggest problems with a lot of K-Pop girl groups is that they lack that "girl power" element. Call it a product of growing up with groups like the Spice Girls and Destiny's Child -- cutesy girl groups just don't appeal to me. I mean they don't have to run around stage breaking things or blatantly sing about how they don't need men (That totally wasn't meant to be a Miss A reference! I swear!) because even the girl groups of the past didn't do that 24/7, but there's a certain confidence, and maybe even fierceness if they can swing it, that I like paired with the femininity of girl groups.
I found that with "Look At Me". The song is very Duffy-esque on the surface, especially with the choice of instrumental, but that's basically it. The production isn't the best, which sometimes makes the song sound a bit cheap, but at the same time there's some appeal to that and if this were to be overproduced you'd lose the spunk.
The melody has always intrigued me, mainly because it's half of what gives this song that "girl power" feel, and it's also what mostly carries the song. The verses are powerful with bits of femininity courtesy of those "ooh oohs", the bridge is slightly epic, slightly feminine, but with a different kind of confidence to it. The chorus hits and it's spunky bordering in-your-face, but those three lines of melody at the end even everything out.
For some strange reason I always end up wrapping things up with delivery -- I swear this isn't on purpose either! But anyway, a dynamic melody like that is no use without strong delivery on all fronts. The right girls got the right parts on this song -- the strong vocals were put during the verses, the slightly weaker, but nice timbre was put at the bridge, and the rapper got the parts that needed that in-your-face sound. That's also the beauty of girl groups (and even boy bands) -- the song can be as dynamic and contrasting as it can get, but it'll still turn out good if it goes to a girl group whose members can deliver.
Going through almost as many line-up changes as the Sugababes, Jewelry 2.0 onwards has never really been my cup of tea, nor have they put out any really praise-worthy material. "Vari2ty" had a nice melody, and "One More Time" was Jewelry down to the bone (probably because Minwoo wrote that and their previous biggest single "Superstar"), but after the last original members left, the group kind of had an identity crisis with "Back It Up".
Of course you could argue that the "Back it Up" Jewelry is different from the "Superstar" Jewelry, but at the same time, they're still Jewelry, regardless of the members, and if there's one thing that Jewelry have always had, it's a niche. While the industry became saturated with sickeningly cute girl groups or the polar-opposide overly sexy/serious ones, Jewelry were right smack in the middle of them.
The Jewelry sound has always been funky, slightly edgy and strong, but feminine at the same time. Not girly, not slutty -- feminine. It was the kind of music that wasn't really for the oppa fans, although it was still kind of for them, but in a sense, also for the female market. Sure, the songs were sexy and so was the choreography, but there has always been this air of nonchalance to their music -- like they were doing it for themselves as much as for the opposite sex. So basically this is the closest K-Pop has gotten to the "girl power" that other countries had.
"Back It Up" wasn't overflowing in that, and so I wasn't that excited for "Look At Me", but by the time I finished watching the video, all my doubts flew out the window. And, by the time I finished listening to the EP, I was smiling from ear-to-ear, hooked. This EP has given us a chance to see just how talented these girls are, because the material both accommodates, and hides, their flaws, and brings out their strong points.
But the one thing this EP has that legitimately surprised me was the level of cohesion. It's cohesive! That hardly happens in K-Pop. From start to finish, the production, the execution and the songs themselves -- they all sound like they come from one act, and they all sound like they come from Jewelry. Jewelry in 2012. The girls have really "found themselves" and found the Jewelry point with this EP, and I must say what they've found is pretty good. So good that they may very well be my favorite girl group of this year.
I've never really been a rap person, but "Rhythm HA!!!" was okay, and it made sense. It has that intensity, but sometimes I think the rapping turns into screaming, which I assume isn't a good thing in rap, because it's hardly ever a good thing anywhere. It just charges full speed ahead, which I think is a very apt intro for what's to come.
"Look At Me" is exactly what I'd imagine Jewelry doing in 2012, regardless of the line-up. It has those funky instruments that translate into spunk, it's overflowing with attitude and conviction in pretty much everything, and the production brings out all these little details that make all the difference. It's melodic enough to be called a song, and the vocals are really, really, really well-executed and well-produced, but it's also simple and repetitive enough to be catchy. It's intense all right, but it's not "Sixth Sense" intense -- there's still that strong sense of fun all throughout, which is one of the main reasons why this song works. It's serious where it has to be, but the fun just effortlessly blends in everywhere else.
I love how "Party Rebel" has that Destiny's Child thing going, but still manages to sound extremely K-Pop. It's halfway between Lee Hyori and Son Dambi, with the bass line and those real drums (which I LOVE) making it more Lee Hyori, the processing making it Son Dambi, but those harmonies are just all Destiny's Child, or derivatives of. The hook is extremely repetitive, but I've been listening to it all day and surprisingly I'm not the least bit annoyed yet. Probably because it's put between melodic lines well, so much so that you still remember it, but for good reasons. And while we're on this 90's/early 2000's bandwagon, can I just say that I love the middle 8? It's so unexpected, but at the same time it's not, and it actually makes sense. Gorgeous melody, and I love how they made it sound more natural and bare than the rest of the song. But the icing on this potentially confusing cake is really the production -- the fact that it's so strong just makes this song so much better.
At first I thought "Me Too" was going to be another one of those stock ballads all these girl groups get, and in a sense the melody is, but the way they executed it with this pseudo-Jamaican sound was really smart. The melody alone is pretty boring, and the girls' vocals aren't exactly the most powerful, but the instrumental, and the arrangement of everything, managed to give the song a light shove. And that shove really translates into the song. It's a step below the quality of the two songs that came before, but it's also a welcome break from all the up tempos.
"Single Single" is currently fighting with "Look At Me" as my favorite track. It's such a feel-good track, it's just the right amount of perky, the amount that knows when to hold back. That melody is gorgeous from start to finish, and the smooth vocals are the right kind of vocals for this kind of melody. The post-chorus/pre-bridge that's auto tuned is gorgeous, despite being, you know, auto tuned. My only problem with this song is the treatment of that high note, because it sounds way too much like what happened in Seo In Young's "Anymore" (which I also love to bits, by the way). Not that Seo In Young owns that vocal treatment, but it's almost exactly the same, and it irks me. But anyway, I love this because it's probably the most K-Pop of all the songs on the EP, but the execution brings it one step further. This is the kind of song that usually gets really flimsy production from some C-list "producer" who, most of the time, doesn't really know how to make a song work. Not this time though. The production on this song, like the rest of the album, is very full, but not to the point of being sanitary. The producer didn't douse the EP with bleach, per se, he just piled on the detergent. In a very musical way.
"Look At Me" as a whole is probably one of the best releases I've heard all year, and it's also the one I've enjoyed the most in the past few months. It's cohesive and it has it's own identity, but it's also extremely brave. It's that brevity in the repertoire, in the execution, that makes this album such a pleasure to listen to.
Today's show was literally drowning in idol groups, though majority of them rookies/unknowns. Absent from the broadcast (at least who I'm aware of) were U-Kiss, BTOB, Stephanie (MY QUEEN) and 15&. Although big names like Secret, Ga In, T-Ara, Orange Caramel and DBSK were all in attendance. Like last week, DBSK's "Catch Me" failed to win today's show, losing to "Gangnam Style".
Video credit goes to shu35150510 and lokyan64 @ YT, other videos to follow.
84LY - "Girl Talk" I have no idea who some of these acts on today are, 84LY included. From the performance alone, which was lip-synched (BOO KBS), they remind me of Rania's "POP POP POP" era without the intensity and slightly more obvious class that Rania have (even if "POP POP POP" was super cheap). It's okay for what it is, but too generic wit nothing
A.cian - "Stuck" Another act I don't know, who have horrible vocals even if it's lip-synched. Yes, it's that bad. It's one thing to only sound good on a recording, but to sound painful on it? How that happened is beyond me. The instrumental is boring not because it's bare, but because the elements are generic when they need to cover up those horrible vocals more than anything. Horrid song, horrid vocals, sloppy performance. Who are these guys and why were they even let on stage?
BBde Girl - "Messing Around" Well, at least they're singing live? This string of bad unknown group performances continues though, because these girls sound so tired, making their already non-existent vocals even more painful. You know they're trying at least a bit, but their movements don't translate well on stage, neither do they look convincing.
Mr. Mr. - "Who's That Girl" This kind of rookie/unknown performance was more along the lines of what I was expecting from the previous acts. I mean it's not spectacular or anything and the song is pretty mediocre, but the vocals are stable where you'd expect them to be (slipping here and there, yeah) and they look convincing enough. It's just okay, but considering what came before, I'll take what I can get.
Be Bop - "offroad" Well, they look promising. Their vocals could use serious work, especially that guy in the red plaid shirt, but for once they actually look like they enjoy being on stage, which is something that's a lot harder to learn than vocal technique. It's a mediocre song, and their vocals are painful for half the performance, but the melody matches them, and manages to mask a bit of the pain on their voices. Not bad, not bad at all. I'll keep my eye on them.
EXID - "Every Night" Usually songs like "Every Night" tend to bore me, but surprisingly (even for me!), they managed to catch my attention with their performance. It's lip-synched and they aren't amazing performers, but they have presence. I'll be waiting for a real live performance.
Rania - "Style" I think it helps that I actually kind of enjoy the song (no matter how YG-generic it is), but this performance was pretty good. The vocals were as on-point as they could get for majority of the song, and the attitude was there. My only complaint though is that this performance lacked emotions in their movements -- they were dancing all the right things and they look enthusiastic, but the emotion wasn't there.
AOA - "Get Out" I still don't know how to feel about this song, whether I like it or not because it sounds like a DaVichi song-turned-drama OST sung by people from a gazillion other girl groups. And if they really did play the instruments in the recording, because you guys know how much I hate instruments being treated like props. (AND THE FAKE DRUMMER BEING SO FAR FROM EVERYONE AGAIN) It was a pretty boring performance, because no matter how the blonde girl emoted while lip-synching, they just don't have enough presence to just stand there while doing an uptempo and actually pull it off. Try again, AOA.
ChAOS - "Kiss Kiss" Just because you're smiling/smirking on stage, doesn't mean you're enthusiastic about the performance. The song is extremely generic, and their movements mirror that. NEXT.
100% - "Bad Guy" I remember listening to their debut release a few weeks ago, but the fact that it's a really vague memory should mean that it was't that good. The performance has put things into perspective for me though, and it's not half bad! They're clearly pretty okay performers, their group dynamic is great for a group this new, and are they singing live? I can't tell (!!). Because if they are, those are some pretty strong vocals.
SPICA - "I'll Be There" After all the mediocre groups that came before, this is like a breath of fresh air, even if there's really only one girl who can actually sing it decently. The margin of painfulness between the most painful in SPICA and the least painful in at least half of the previous groups is huge, which in itself is a huge achievement. It's an amazing song, done with strong vocals and the right amount of attitude and enthusiasm.
Big Star - "Think of you" Okay so maybe the dancing at the chorus was a little too enthusiastic -- it just looked like they were flailing their arms in random directions and didn't really look like an organized performance. They were pretty okay for the rest of the song though. Not brilliant, but if they work on their stage deportment, they have potential.
Jewelry - "Rhythm Ha + Look At Me" Before anything, I'd just like to profess my love for the lead single. It has that funk that old-school Jewelry (as in original line-up) had, but upgraded - it's exactly what I would've imagined Jewelry the group (regardless of members) to do in 2012. And they pull it off. Not as strong as I would've wanted it to be, but strong enough, and ever so classy.
Orange Caramel - "Lipstick" Words cannot describe how much I despise this song. I mean, it has three of the things I hate the most -- cheaper than cheap synth loops, cuteness, and non-existent vocals. I only started acknowledging the fact that Raina has a voice, but that all went down the drain with this song. I mean they're enthusiastic about this horrible song and all, but the ship has sunk too deep for enthusiasm to save it.
T-Ara - "Sexy Love" Contrary to popular opinion, I don't entirely dislike "Sexy Love". Today's performance was standard T-Ara, which means they were okay performers but the song carried them so it makes everything seem better than it actually is. Which is okay, because that's what works for T-Ara, and really, the point of a performance is to make people look better than they actually are.
Ga-In - "Bloom" IU comparisons aside, I love this song! And to make things better, I don't have to complain about bad vocals (even if the choruses are heavily overdubbed BOO) or sloppy performances because Ga-In is a demigoddess and she knows how to not only hold the audience in the palm of her hand, but control them at the same time. A strong performance of a brilliant song.
Secret - "Poison" "Poison" is basically a rehash of "Madonna" and "Magic", which is a bore, but their live vocals for this are really good. Add that to their always-present grace and intensity, and you have a really strong performance.
DBSK/HoMin - "Catch Me" This performance was basically a slap in the face to all the mortals who came before them. I mean really, flawless live high notes while lying down on your stomach and being raised up in the air, equally flawless vocals while break-dancing, and overpowering the already overpowering backing track? If that's not outstanding I don't know what is. Conviction, conviction, and more conviction, laced with truckloads of talent and years of experience give us a stunning performance. Best performance of "Catch Me" yet, although the only other live performance was last week's Music Bank. BUT STILL.
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Guess who's back? I've been officially free from school since Tuesday, but after I finished all my requirements I just collapsed and got sick again, which is why I haven't posted anything. A few small "announcements". First, I assume you've all noticed the sparkly new layout! yay! Second, I'm going to try and get as many posts out over the weekend, which means single of the week/weekly rundown, complete music show recaps, and maybe a few full single/album reviews. It's been so long, and I have so much catching up to do! That's all for now, I guess. See you guys tomorrow for Music Core!
In case you haven't noticed (and I'm sure you have), I've been gone for pretty much the entire first quarter of 2011 and that's a long time in k-pop land. A LOT of things have happened and even with the short lul in releases a few weeks back, there's just so much stuff to catch up on! Believe me, it took a LOT of will power to control myself from opening up Blogger and typing up truckloads of reviews. But it has paid off, because I GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL! And I'm entering what is most probably the top Comparative Literature program in the country at the top university in the country - I know, I still can't believe it.
But anyway. My point is, I can't exactly write full length reviews on every single release that has come out since I went on hiatus - that's crazy. Or at least you can't expect me to get them done by this time! Gimme a break - I went from graduation, to graduates' ball, to choir camp (I've also formally "graduated" from the choir - even if I'm being asked to stick around in college) and I'm only getting the chance to sit down and contemplate on my life!
I keep on getting distracted - sorry, too many things racing through my mind right now. Writing this should take them all out, for a while at least.
I promised a "big comeback", I deliver a "big comeback"! Beware, this post is ginormous. It literally took me almost a month to put it together - from choosing the songs, to writing the reviews themselves, and to formatting the damn thing. Can you believe that this new layout doesn't support italics and bolds? It pissed me off big time lol.
Read on for more of my ramblings, and the post proper. Go go gooooo!
Originally I planned to come back with a rage rant about the "new generation" of k-pop fans and how some of them (NOT ALL OF THEM) piss me off beyond belief that would eventually lead to a new special, but then I thought coming back with anger after almost 3 months away isn't such a good idea.
So this first quarter report will basically give you everything that happened from January to March - the amazing, the good, the bad, the okay, and the horrific. All the fangirling, hatred and whatever else I do when I review songs, will be present - I promise you that my writing is just as good as it was before I went on hiatus. As if it was any good to start with LOL.
I've put the songs into 3 categories - stunning, okay, and blegh.
Stunning - These are the songs that have literally taken my breath away over the past three months - the songs that I'd play for weeks at a time, the songs that I'd listen to during late-night thesis writing marathons, and the songs that would bring me to tears. It's these songs that truly defined the first quarter of 2011 for me.
Okay - I may like certain parts of the song, but there's something holding me back from falling at it's feet. These are the types of songs I won't refuse to listen to, but won't really seek out every single day.
Blegh - In simple terms, they're the songs I don't really like, and the songs that aren't really any good to begin with.
Let's get right to it - I'm excited to say the least!
IU - "Someday" From the "Dream High OST" Released: January Stunning
Gorgeous in every single tiny little way possible. It may not hit you over the head with elaborate orchestrations and whatnot, but the gorgeous melody is enough to make you melt. Throw in IU's now-mature, yet still smooth and young, voice and you have magic. The chorus sticks to your head, and you're left humming it for ages - but it's not annoying. Because it's a beautiful melody. The arrangement to match was spot-on - not too little, not too much, enough dynamics while still retaining the natural dynamics of IU's vocals.
According to iTunes, I've played this over a hundred times now - this was the song I was listening to during hell week #1. If you follow me on Twitter, that was the week in January when I had this super long novel analysis to submit, dozens of survey questionnaires to give out, and exams left and right. So technically this was the song that got me through that horrid, horrid week.
Seungri (BIG BANG) - "어쩌라고" From "VVIP" Released: January Stunning
See, even in k-pop I'm the master of predicting post-album singles, or at least the songs they perform either with the lead single, or after the lead single. And I adored this before Seungri performed it anywhere, mind you. I haven't lost it - yay!
This is the right range for Seungri's voice - it's high enough that he doesn't sound like he's talking, but it's also low enough that he doesn't sound like a chipmunk. And this is one of the few occasions where I won't condemn autotune because one, it's tasteful, and two, when he goes up it's necessary so he doesn't sound strange.
The song itself is very YG, very Big Bang in 2011, but with that little hint of sophistication that they're pushing Seungri to have. Clearly, they're doing everything right. The melody's catchy, the verses are there, they're strong, but they don't overpower the hook, and the entire song builds up. That and strangely, the synths don't sound cheap for once. Hurrah? Yay!
JYJ - "Pierrot" From "Music Essay: Their Rooms" Released: January Stunning
I always have a hard time writing about my favorite band, because one, I either get told off for "not being a fan" or being "too much of a fan", and two, it's extremely hard to write about songs I adore, from my favorite band, without spazzing about Jaejoong and his gorgeous voice every 2 seconds. But what the heck, I'll try anyway.
Who wrote "Pierrot"? JAEJOONG! To be honest with you when he and Yoochun were starting all this songwriting and stuff, I didn't think they'd become this good. I mean they're no Yoo Young Jin or Teddy, but considering that they're idols, or that they were originally marketed as idols, this is a major breakthrough. Although I do attribute their interest in songwriting to the Japanese influence. Either way, we're making progress, Korea!
The chorus is catchy, but with the melodic-ness that makes you want to melt into a puddle of goo. But what really did it for me were the verses, my god the verses, they fit everyone's vocals like a glove, and everything just takes off from there, to be honest.
Park Jung Min - "Not Alone" From "Not Alone" Released: January VERY Okay
I like strings in pop songs. I like it when orchestras (or parts of it at least) are added to pop songs. So it's only natural that I like this, right? Because I do.
Basically the only thing I'm really following, and maybe dying for, on this song is that gorgeous string section throughout the song, and the percussion at the breakdown of the chorus right after the middle 8. There are times when the song gets a little cheap, like certain points at the chorus, mainly because of all the added pop elements, the actual string line, and sometimes the melody, but it doesn't always happen. I love the verses though, well apart from the 'stop stop stop'-ish parts, because you can really hear all the instruments but at the same time it sounds really full.
Like I said, that breakdown after the middle 8 is stunning. Like, if that's all I listen to for the next week I'd have no problem. It's like there's so much happening during that breakdown - strings all over the place, percussion, drum rolls and trumpets (I think), but sure sounds like one heck of a breakdown. And the segueway from that to the last chorus was brilliant.
To be honest with you, I said that parts of the chorus sound cheap, but then again this is a pop song - it's supposed to be catchy. So, mission accomplished. I guess.
MBLAQ - "Cry" From "BLAQ Style" Released: January Okay
My problem with this song is basically my problem with everything MBLAQ puts out, only this time the song itself is actually pretty good. The production, albeit not stunning or anything, is competent, the melody stunning, and the arrangement spot-on. The piano parts, the tambourine, which was a nice touch if I may say so, and those water bubble thingies really gave the song character. It's a strong song, with the right mix of intensity and calmness throughout the entire thing so you don't fall asleep at one point.
Point is, it's a gorgeous song as a whole. Maybe even stunning. My problem? I cannot stand their vocals. Like, they sound fine during the chorus, most likely because their vocals have already been processed and mixed and all, but the verses just piss me off.
The thing with MBLAQ is that they're trying way too hard to do something that doesn't have to be hard - and it shows. Always has, always will. It's mainly for that reason that I chose BEAST over them back when they debuted in 2009 - because they can never seem to get the fact that things aren't always hard.
There's a word in Filipino, or slang rather - "palumpalo". It comes from the word "palo", which literally means hit or slap or something to that effect, and the slang means that you really put your all into things, and come up with this epic masterpiece. I know that's what MBLAQ are trying to do - like how their "mentor" Rain does things - but they fail to understand that yes, you have to work hard, and yes, you really have to sell yourself, but not to the point where you're making life hard for yourself when it really shouldn't be.
There are talented people in MBLAQ, Joon isn't such a bad singer and GO could probably go head-on with some guys from ZE:A or Infinite and win, but they're pushing it too much, at all the wrong times. Yes, Rain worked hard and yes, he may not be the most amazing singer around, but things look so effortless for him - for MBLAQ they look contrived and robotic.
Piggy Dolls - "Trend" From "Piggy Style" Released: January Okay
First off, yes, they're not thin, but for heaven's sake need you rub it in their faces? So what if they don't have "s lines" or tiny waists - do you really have to insinuate that they're "piggy"? God. It just pisses me off, because they're talented and they're being treated differently, just because they don't look like everyone else. For an industry that's built around respect and whatnot, I find it appalling.
But on to the music. The verses are perfectly fine - those vocals just blow everything out of the water. I don't usually like big, scream-y voices, but I don't know, they're doing something right and it's turning out strong. I'm pissed that whoever produced this had the gall to autotune vocals like that - they don't need it, and I highly doubt they ever will.
Now, let's all take time to worship the middle 8 of this masterpiece. Perfection. When the keyboards lace with whatever beats those are - my mind is blown. But then some bastard decided it was a good idea to autotune almost everything after that. NO.
This is one of those songs that are okay verging on stunning. Wah.
G.NA - "Black & White" From "Black & White" Released: January Okay
The song has both bad points, and redeeming qualities, so they kinda cancel themselves out to be neither an amazing song, nor a horrid one. Which is kinda a letdown for me, because I really wanted G.NA to get prime material and Cube is one to not really do well on the first release but make up for it on the second. Oh well.
On one hand, the song itself is really cheesy/cheap. Don't deny it, because it's true - it's the type you'd hear blasting out at full volume when there's a restaurant opening along a busy road or something. Everything about it actually - from the instrumentation to the melody to the hook - lacks finesse. It is catchy though, I'll give her that.
The redeeming quality? G.NA's vocals have sophistication, and that's one of the reasons why I liked her at the beginning - she can sing, yes, and although sometimes her voice can get squeaky, it has grace and effortlessness. Which ultimately saves the song from further horror.
Secret - "Shy Boy" From "Shy Boy" Released: January Okay
If my memory serves me right, Secret started the whole "60's"/"Grease"/"American Bandstand" (emphasis on the "") themed song craze that spread over the past few months, with similar-sounding songs from Jewelry and Dal Shabet (although not as strong) among others. And to be honest with you they sold the entire package the best, in my opinion - so it was only right that they won those awards.
However, I did like that song on their teaser/the "intro" better. But I'm talking about "Shy Boy" so let's move on lol.
There are points in the song that they get too cute, and it does annoy me to a certain extent, mainly because you and I know they can do more than act cute to sell. The arrangement is.. how should I say.. pretty "authentic", but not "authentic" enough. I never really saw the point in trying to emulate the 60's all over again. I mean it was a glorious time for music, and I grew up listening to Motown, but if you're gonna try and do it, at least do it well. I'm not saying that Secret aren't talented because they are, I'm saying that even if the arrangement is decent and the melody catchy, there's a spark missing from everything - and it's that spark that makes such a big difference.
Jewelry - "Back It Up" From "Back It Up" Released: January Okay
For the record, I'd take "Back It Up" over "Supa Dupa Diva" any day.
"Back It Up" isn't amazing or stunning, but it's a strong song, I'll give them that. Here we go again with building more than half of the chorus with one English phrase, but unlike Teen Top, it works for them, and the song. The new girls are competent singers, and although I miss Jung Ah's gorgeous vocals, the song fits them all nicely - which is probably the most important thing at this point. It doesn't show any mad ranges or amazing vocals off, but it proves that they CAN sing.
I have a difficult time talking about songs like this mainly because even though I did grow up listening to 60's stuff and this sound is supposedly "60's inspired" or whatever, I don't know the terms. I do like the trumpet line throughout, if that's a trumpet at all - it's got character. I said that Secret's "Shy Boy" is Grease-ish with a hint of American Bandstand - this sounds more like something that would end up on Hairspary the movie or something. It's old-ish, but updated at the same time.
Teen Top - "Supa Luv" From "Transform" Released: January Blegh
This is one of those "blegh"-borderline-"okay" songs, because really, it's not that bad. OK maybe it is, but it has good points too! A few. I think.
First thing's first. I CANNOT, for the life of me, unhear "I GOT THAT SOUP LOVE". And what makes it worse is that that line is practically the entire chorus - THEY SAY IT FIVE TIMES DURING THE CHORUS FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE.
Which brings me to my first point - why do they have to say that damn line so many times? OK fine, you can argue that "Sorry Sorry" was just as bad, if not worse, but would you really want to prance around singing "I GOT THAT SOUP LOVE"? I think not.
Speaking of "Sorry Sorry", to be honest with you this is like a Teen Top-ified version of it. Which basically means it's got near decent but not decent vocals autotuned beyond belief, average production, and their vocals sound like all the other boybands of their "generation". The "trying to be husky but not really succeeding so they end up sounding like they have a sore throat" sound? Yup. And why does it seem like only one guy is singing majority of the song (still)?
It is catchy though, I'll give them that. And it has a melody, no matter how processed and distorted it may be - THE MELODY EXISTS. Ordinary people can't sing it though.
Big Bang - "Somebody To Love" From "The 4th Mini Album" Released: February Stunning
My general observation on the Big Bang mini-album, though I really like the material, is that it doesn't sound like a Big Bang album anymore. To my ears, and to some of my friends' ears, it sounds like an album by GD, TOP, Daesung, Taeyang and Seungri - and not one by Big Bang. It's like YG has spent too much time promoting the five as solo artists and in the process they've lost that thing that makes them a group. Watching the performances, which are amazing, it's like I'm watching 5 YG artists coming together, and not 1 YG act. Whatever that's a good thing or a bad thing, I'll leave it to you.
Even so, I have got to say that "Somebody To Love" is amazing in every way possible. It's upbeat and extremely infectious, but without losing a melody, and of course Daesung's gorgeous vocals. When I heard the recording I loved it, but seeing them perform the thing live was just mind-blowing, to be honest. Everything's so sharp, so orchestrated, but it seems so natural for them - like there are no pretentions.
And that is why Big Bang deserve the success, in my opinion - because they are so good at what they do to the point where they make it look like child's play.
Gahee - "Come Back You Bad Person" From "Come Back You Bad Person" Released: February Okay
Gahee, oh Gahee. Apart from being Yoochun's infamous ex-girlfriend and BoA's ex-backup dancer, she's probably the very reason why After School are the competent group that they are. They have their moments, and they've had their fair share of amazing songs over the past few years, but to be honest with you there are some members who are useless in terms of music - Gahee, Jung Ah and maybe even Lizzy carry the band now in terms of vocals.
Pledis should hurry up and "graduate" some members already for heaven's sake - since their debut they've brought in 5 girls, and only graduated 1. Jooyeon and UEE should go. Seriously. If Jung Ah goes then she better get a solo career or I'm gonna have to cut a bitch. But let's save that for my vocal commentary. YES, you're not seeing double or anything - I'm resurrecting my vocal commentaries just in time for their comeback.
OK ANYWAY. This is becoming an AS rant and not a Gahee review. Like I said, Gahee carries After School, so it's only natural that she be a pro at this solo thing. And to a certain extent, she is. From what I've heard, and seen, she's like a slightly better Son Dambi, which figures since she was Dambi's "mentor" or whatever. But remember, Dambi isn't exactly the best singer in the world. (DON'T even bring up her "MR removed" videos or whatever - because those are for people who don't know how to listen) Gahee's better, but her live vocals just don't cut it, I'm afraid.
The song is very melodic, and it requires technique, to be honest. I mean it's gorgeous, and her vocals on the recording are pretty good, but she just doesn't have the technique. I'm wondering why Pledis chose this for her, considering that they've gotten their past few singles right. (Even if she can't sing, "Queen" fit Dambi pretty well.)
Actually, the chorus reminds me a lot of a more serious, more melodic version of "Queen". Judging by the fact that they were from the same composer/producer/whatever he calls himself, well, I think you get the point. It's a very serious song, actually - minor chords thrown around all over the place, these really dark, heavy, synths throughout, and this club-like loop. And I like it. A lot? Maybe a bit, but enough for it to be in the "okay" zone lol.
5 Dolls - "Lip Stains" From "Lip Stain" Released: February Okay
You know a month is low on new releases when I deem a song like this "okay". But to be honest with you, it's not THAT bad. Although it's one of those okay borderline bad songs.
It has a melody, for one, and you can actually hum it. It's not the best melody in the world, and it has a tendency to sound cheap (especially paired with that horrid choreography), but it's there, and it's perfectly "functional". The hook is rather cheap too, and the instrumentation is like you threw a few random percussion parts together and put some sprinkles on top.
However it kind of became a guilty pleasure for me last February, mainly because this was one of the few songs that came out that month and do you really expect me to still be listening to stuff from January majority of the time? I wanted to throw up hearing some of those songs because I'd already overplayed them lol. And don't start with "there's always Big Bang", because no matter how good the songs are, I can't listen to that for an entire month!
This is what I always say about Core Contents, they only know how to make 2 kinds of songs - cheap uptempos (most often autotuned beyond belief), or stunning ballads, which only a few of their acts can pull off. Yes, this applies to everyone under the agency.
That is all. For today. Can you believe I planned on putting everything from January to March on one post? I'm not. I didn't. PART 2 IS COMING THIS WEEKEND - it's the truckload of March releases all rolled into 1 post. Epic.
Believe me when I say I nearly died several times putting these 2 posts together.
Who came out victorious this month? Kpop and CCM. LOL. Just read the thing, will you?
#2: Jewelry - Vari2ty
Apart from the horrid rap part courtesy of their resident rapper, I'd have to say that Vari2ty is a pretty damn good song. Seo In Young's vocals may tend to be a little more annoying than her other band mates (Jung Ah has the most gorgeous voice) but she's better off than a lot of other idols. The song is catchy and easy to remember - it's mindless with minimal substance but that's the way pop should be.
#1: Britt Nicole - Have Your Way
I've said it once and I'll say it again - this song makes Jordin Sparks' No Parade seem happy. It's as haunting as haunting can get but when you mix that with the stunningly simple piano part and Britt Nicole's outstanding vocals the song just gets a million times better. This song literally screams "GIVE ME A STRING SECTION" but I like the fact that they didn't go all out with an orchestra or anything like that, it keeps the semblance of simplicity. A beautiful melody and a beautiful instrumentation make for hands-down one of the most stunning songs of the year.
It's only hit me now that I've found over twenty K-pop songs/albums worth writing about and featured them all - that's a lot of new music and yet I'm still looking for more. This special is ending in the next two weeks or so, I'm afraid. There's so much other stuff to blog about and so many things I haven't done because of this and I originally said it would last for more or less a month.
OK so this is an older song around 2004/2005 - the album was released in 2005 and this song was the lead single from it. Jewelry were part of the girl groups one generation after Fin. K.L and Baby Vox(although Baby Vox were 2 years into their career when Jewelry showed up.) and they took about 3 years to actually become gigantic. Unlike Kara who used to be very serious then became cutesy later('ll get to them in the next few days), these girls used to have the cute/sweet image and I personally thought the songs were really bad but then in 2004 they came back with this really seriously amazing pop song and everyone fell to their feet.
They kinda wasted their hype though 'coz after the release of the 2005 album that launched them into superstardom, two members left and the other two launched solo careers - the group was put on hiatus. They came back in 2008 with two new members and a cover of this European dance song(not sure which country but I'm pretty sure it's European) and the success of that matched that of their 2005 album. So back to that album - I'm getting carried away.I'm not surprised at all that this song was made in the same year that Rain's It's Raining was. Apart from the obvious similarities in the video, the feel of the whole song makes you want to go and listen to the Rain song. At least that's what it made me do when I first heard it!
It's very girl group-y, the song and the dancing. This is what a lot of girl groups in Korea were doing around that time while all the ones in the US and UK were either split up, splitting up or on the verge of splitting up - Atomic Kitten had their greatest hits out in 2004 and Destiny's Child followed suit the next year.
The feel of the song reminds me a lot of early Girls Aloud mixed with the 'real' guitar sound that Just A Little from Liberty X had and some song off the soundtrack of a Disney superhero/save the world-type show. The melody didn't amaze me right away but over time I began to really, really like it - it has its strong points.
Here's a snapshot of what you can expect from the rest of the current special so it's best you get familiar with these names while I haven't bombarded you with reviews! hahah. These are the acts that have left an impression on me - whether good or bad(mostly good but you get what I mean..) and are moderately to extremely famous to legendary in Korea.
The Gauge:
(my assessment based on some research, YT-hopping and reading some k pop blogs.. from highest to lowest)
LEGENDARY
EXTREMELY famous
REALLY famous
MODERATELY famous
This was what I was talking about when I said that if you take a song from the Wonder Girls and put English lyrics in, it would fit perfectly. I don't like Korean pop that way, it kind of defeats the purpose - I'd rather listen to the real thing..That guy singing at the start is the 'legendary' JYP. He discovered Rain and turned him into Rain(redundant? hahah.) I acknowledge his greatness a bit for making Rain into a superstar but never when it comes to the Wonder Girls.(EXTREMELY famous)
Speaking of Rain...Probably the most hardworking and brilliant Korean pop stars around. This guy owns his own talent company, has a clothing line and does all kinds of movies and TV shows on the side - how can you not think he's hardworking at the very least! hahah. The guy can sing and dance at the same time live(that has been proven on many occasions, mind you.) so what else do you need in a Korean pop star?(LEGENDARY)
Next.So Lee Hyori is known as the Korean equivalent of Britney Spears(only Lee Hyori's a lot older than Britney, I think she's 30..). When I heard that I was put off a bit but when I heard that she was being linked to Rain for quite some time, I got a little curious. The song is OK but this is one of her older videos - I did quite enjoy her latest album(I wrote about one of the songs in a new music post a few weeks ago..). hmm.(Not so sure, but she may be somewhere between EXTREMELY famous and LEGENDARY)
Jewelry is a girl group about one generation older than the Brown Eyed Girls, Girls' Generation, Wonder Girls and everyone else in that circle. I think they split up a few years ago but then had a reunion last year(was it last year? not sure.)When I first heard this song I wasn't so convinced and I'm still not that into the song but something makes me want to listen to it. I don't know what the crap it is but it's certainly leaving a good impression on me as time passes. They also hold the record for second-longest run of a single at number one on one of the music shows and were beaten by Girls' Generation's Gee.(REALLY famous)
How many times have I stressed the fact that Girls' Generation is probably the fun-est and cutest thing since anything?See what I mean? They're adorable, they've got the most brilliantly fun pop songs and they can actually sing in tune - those are really hard to find in a girl group and yet they're so important. Oh, and the middle 8 of this song in particular is fantastic. Kudos to the girls and to SM entertainment - these girls always find new ways to amaze me.(EXTREMELY FAMOUS)
A lot of people will know BoA as one of the few Koreans who've released an English album and have had more than moderate success in Japan but we forget that there was a time when she was just like all the other Kpop stars.To be honest with you, Atlantis Princess(the album where this song came from) was probably my first shot at Korean pop(I think it was in sixth grade, my best friend was a huge fan back then..) - I adored it, still do.(LEGENDARY)
There are also quite a few active and veteran boybands running around Korea, thank God. They even have the biggest boyband in the world(I'm not kidding) - Super Junior(13 members. Enough said.)That was Big Bang, one of the many boybands floating around. What I don't understand though is why they're all so serious. I know a few girl groups are really, really fun and all but does that mean the guys have to beat people up or have this really serious music video? I not kidding, even the SS501 videos are serious! hahah. This song has something appealing about it, that's for sure.(REALLY famous)
This girl doesn't sound like this anymore but I thought I'd put her in anyway.Son Dambi was dubbed as a female version of Rain and judging by the video I see where they were coming from but I don't know what happened to her after she took a year off and came back with this strange music video and an even stranger song - not my cup of tea. This video was pretty good and she can definitely dance if you were to ask me although she sounds a bit like Lee Hyori at certain points of the song.(MODERATELY FAMOUS)
Another girl group. See what I mean when I said there were tons of them?Uh, the main reason why I put 2NE1 here is because one of the girls actually tried to make it big here(she joined a 'start search'-type contest and came in second then they paired her up with the guy who won and they were everywhere for a few months) but then at the height of her popularity she went back to Korea. Hmph. Well now she's in the female version of Big Bang(was it Big Bang? I think I got my research right.) and they're poised to be huge. Good for her. The band is a little more serious than the others(even Wonder Girls..) and the song isn't my cup of tea but something attracts me to them. Will wait for more material. Oh, and this video has two versions - the other version is here.(MODERATELY FAMOUS, gaining momentum)
I can't help myself - I have to put this in.It can get hilarious at points, especially when you find out that the guy's name is Wheesung but if you listen to it without any outside factors it's a pretty good try at a pretty good Craig David song. I'd love to say that it's a complete sanitation of a perfectly good Craig David song and yes, a lot of a groove that the original one had is gone but it's not THAT bad. Believe me, we've all heard worse - namely the Eoghan Quigg album and I honestly think this is a lot better than that. He tried, let's give that much credit to the guy.(MODERATELY FAMOUS)
Phew. Well that was about three hours' worth of YT-hopping and sifting out all the stuff I liked and didn't. More detailed reviews and stuff in the coming days! yay.
