[Gayo Daejun 2012] Part 2: The Consolation Prizes

Like I said yesterday, Gayo Daejuns allow for a wide variety of performances. With the sheer number of acts, the most relevant of which show up on all three shows, there are bound to be performances of all kinds. Like any year, there were performances that were boring, there were those that were really bad and painful, there were those that completely blew everyone else out of the water, but there were also performances that were somewhere in between. Performances that could have been good, performances that had good ideas, execution, or staging, but which didn't have everything. They were good, but not good enough.

Which is why this year, aside from picking my over-all favorites, I'm handing out two kinds of "consolation prizes" so to say, to the performances that had their moments, but were outshone by better ones. First, with so many special arrangements done over the course of three shows, there were bound to be those which really brought something new to the table. And second, I'll be listing the five performances that I saw so much potential in, but which didn't really completely pull through.

Shall we?

The Best Arrangements

KARA - "Pandora" (SBS)
I really liked "Pandora" to start with, so I really liked how they kept this re-arrangement simple, adding some more oomph to the song, but retaining the elements that are both familiar and likable. It's probably the most simple rearrangement on the list, but the thing with this is that you know the simplicity wasn't because of laziness or lack of time. It makes sense, and it gives the song something as opposed to just adding to the chaos. I also really like the dance break -- there's substance to it, but it's also very graceful. If they had delivered this better, it would've been a stand-out performance of the night, really.

Super Junior - "Sexy, Free and Single" (SBS)
After their KBS performance, honestly I was put-off Super Junior's Gayo appearances this year. Every year we get some sort of retrospective of everything they put out since "Sorry Sorry". I know "Sorry Sorry" was a really good song, because it was and it opened so many doors, and I'd take it over "Sexy, Free and Single" any day, but it's not 2009 anymore, plus they've incorporated it in later performances already -- can we move on? This is a 2012 Gayo Daejun, not a 2009 or 2010 or 2011 one. Which is why I liked their SBS arrangement much more. It was pretty sloppily sung, but I liked the arrangement because it gave the song a different kind of dimension, and it's fitting for a group of Super Junior's seniority/stature. You can tell they prepared for this, and you can tell that people made an effort to make this arrangement work. It also made the hook a lot less annoying that it is, for which I'm forever grateful.

Ga-In - "Bloom" (MBC)
This was a nice change from the original performance, which is really perky in a kind of innocent way (but still really good), but I wouldn't really say it's unexpected. The arrangement matches Ga-In and her personality as a performer really well because it gives the song this more mature kind of sexy that you didn't see in the original arrangement. What I really liked about this though was the fact that even if the nature of the elements they chose mass it easy for the song to just stay in one place and not go anywhere else, this performance still has dynamics to it -- verses are ever so slightly urgent, and the chorus has a very graceful, but confident explosion. This is the kind of lie-low arrangement that wouldn't have worked if one, the arranger was lazy, and two, Ga-In couldn't sing. And thankfully, neither happened.

Potentially Good Performances

Teen Top - "Be My Girl" + "Going Crazy" (KBS)
This could have been a good performance, because the song choice was really good -- perky enough to liven up the atmosphere -- and I kind of liked the remix of "Going Crazy", but the delivery fell short. I was reading through my notes from when I first watched this performance, and after watching it a few more times, I still think the same:

The vocals were going back and forth between sloppy and painful, the only reason why the belting was successful was because it was more of screaming than singing. And underneath all the jumping and movement, their presence was pretty mediocre and more manic than energetic.

I'm all for graceful performances, and being too stiff on stage is bad too, but when you perform you need to put some guts into it as well, no matter how fluid the movements. I get the feeling that they were going for that effortless fun vibe, but all I got from the choreographed parts were limbs flailing around with little purpose, and sub-par vocals. Which is really a pity.

SM The Performance - "Spectrum" (SBS)
To tell you the truth, I was actually pretty bored throughout the SBS Gayo, more than I was during the KBS. There was so much going on, but hardly anyone actually delivered, so I ended up just "leafing through" majority of the show at first. But then SM The Performance showed up and they literally made me peel my eyes away from my computer and on to the TV. Which is surprising considering the fact that this is supposed to be more of a dance group and I'm more of a music person. However, two things made me notice this performance (aside from Yunho, of course) -- the song, and the delivery.

"Spectrum" is an amazing, glorious song to start with -- you have all these beautiful elements that really make the song soar, and then you have this melody that lies low during the verses but does the soaring at the chorus. Beautiful. It's the kind of song that you really can't not dance to. Believe me, the only reason why I can stay still is because I'm too busy concentrating on the performance. And then, you have these SM dancers, most of which you hardly notice in their respective groups because they're too busy trying to make up for the weaknesses of their bandmates. Of course some of the people in this project group are significantly weaker than others, but the ratio of useful to less useful/useless is much, much better. These are people who know how to carry themselves on stage, and people who know how to carry even more people than they do here, so naturally they'd do a good job performing. As far as the vocal distribution goes, SM hit the nail on the head for the third time -- people like Taemin and Yunho, people with actual voices, got the solos, and everyone else was multi-tracked. If this had been sung live, and done just as well as it was, this would be on my list of best Gayo performances, but since it wasn't it'll have to settle for potentially one of the best.

Mystic White - "Mermaid Princess" (SBS)
Like I said yesterday, the only project group song I liked was the Mystic White one, because it was fresher than the others, and the production was really good. It had substance as a recording, but it fell short as a performance. It was okay, but the vocals were weak, and the chorus, which I really liked, was delivered sloppily. The entire performance was boring and frail, which is the complete opposite of the characteristics that made me like the song in the first place. The substance was gone, and it's like the entire performance was watered down. In a bad way. Which is really a pity because it was a really good song.

KARA - "Pandora" (MBC)
When I first saw this performance I was still high off the amazing SISTAR one, and even then I thought this had a fighting chance against that gorgeous rock version of "Alone". The remix was confident and I really liked it, and the staging was great (despite the dancing guy) with the crowd of backup dancers that they really made use of. It was a fun way to present a song as good as "Pandora", so obviously I was on board. But then they started singing and they weren't singing live. I guess my ears are partially thankful that I didn't have to hear their sub-par vocals, but honestly, I hate that they didn't even get the chance to try and do it well. What if they had done it well? Even if I doubt it'll happen, KARA is bound to hit it right some time. There were so many good elements, and they were all disregarded by the fact that this ended up only half a performance.

*Note: So apparently, KARA were not lip-synching, but to me that just means that this was even worse than I initially thought it was. Usually, when vocals are too perfect to be humanly possible, at least without studio tricks, or when less obvious auto tune becomes obvious, or when the shape of their mouths don't correspond to the note they're hitting, the performance is lip-synched. Which kind of makes this "live singing" even worse because the only reason I found out that they were singing live was one, someone commented below, and two, I heard them breathing. Yeah sure the backing track makes everything nice and even, but both KARA and the sound guys are at fault -- the sound guys for turning the backing track too high, and KARA for not making an effort to sing over it when it's pretty clear that the backing track is ridiculously loud.

DBSK - "Catch Me" (MBC)
I was really disappointed that DBSK didn't get anything new for this year's Gayo Daejuns, because this is the first year they spent closing all three shows and yet all they had with them was some random intro and the same backing track they've been using since September. Their performances this year were a total waste, not only of their talent, but of "Catch Me" and everything that could've happened. Here you have two performers who literally jump through hoops and fire for a living, and do it well, with a song that's elaborate enough to spruce up even more, and nothing was done. I mean they sang and performed really well, with presence and conviction, but they did that on smaller music shows too -- Gayo Daejuns are supposed to be special. I chose their MBC appearance because it started out really, really good, and when I heard the opening bars of "O - Jung. Ban. Hap." play, my jaw dropped in surprise and awe. That's the kind of reaction I wanted to have for the entirety of the all three performances, but then "Catch Me" came on and things were normal again. This could've been so much better because if anyone can carry a challenging arrangement, it's these two.

And I'm two days late, but that's it for 2012! Again, thank you so much for sticking around despite the rocky start last December. Time to concentrate on 2013!

[Gayo Daejun 2012] Part 1: The 10 Best Performances

Year-End Festival season is the time of the year when everyone, or at least, everyone who mattered even just a little bit, comes out bringing the songs that made them relevant during the past year. Remixes are made, special stages held, dance breaks added -- anything to make those songs special for what is quite possibly their last hurrah. Gayo Daejuns have become places where acts come out in all their musical finery and show off.

They're like marketplaces -- you have practically the entire idol industry for the picking, so the performances come in a variety of qualities. Thankfully, that wide spectrum of quality translates into pretty tough competition, making acts really step up their game. Every year, a select few rise to the challenge, and succeed, or set bars, only to surpass existing expectations.

The performances I chose are some of the most creative, most confident, and best-executed performances -- they're strong from top to bottom and side to side. These are the performances that bring out some of the best talent in K-Pop, and that really do a good job of showing it off. They aren't flawless, because that's humanly impossible, but the flaws on these performances are either minuscule, or contribute something good to the entirety. It's those kinds of performances that are on this year's list -- performances I would gladly watch over and over and over again.

KBS

The non-idol groups

The KBS Gayo Daejun had very little spectacle compared to the other two networks' offerings, but at least the stage looked more elaborate than it did last year. Still, majority of the performances either felt too much like regular music show ones, or tried to do something and failed because of a number of different factors. However, the circumstances managed to bring out the performers, and performances, who are really good to begin with. I swear I didn't even know none of my choices were idols until I looked over the list again earlier!

Ailee - "Halo" / "Heaven" / "Just Dance"
Her "Halo" cover was part of a suite called "Idol & Artist", and with her Hyorin and K. Will also covered "Sway" and "Ribbon In the Sky", respectively. Honestly the only cover I really liked was Ailee's because Hyorin's "Sway" was way too heavy and didn't have that effortlessness that a song like "Sway" really, really needs, and K. Will's was boring until he started belting more, which means it was pretty boring throughout. Ailee, however, not only chose only a newer song that brought out her strengths, but also delivered it with conviction and effortlessness. It's not really the language barrier, to be honest, because Hyorin has had some beautiful English covers, it's really the song choice and the delivery. Which just goes to show that Ailee really does have what it takes to be a soloist because she knows how to carry herself, regardless of the song.

The first thing that surprised me about Ailee's KBS appearance was the fact that she was placed to late in the show, something usually reserved for more senior acts. But honestly, she gave a better performance than a lot of other seniors that night. The song choice was correct, "Heaven" has the possibility to be that epic, big-performance song with the class and sophistication you should associate with Ailee, and she delivered it with mastery and so much conviction. I like that she lowered the high note at the climax, because it shows that she has a performer's mindset -- there's no room for hesitation on stage, so if she felt that she couldn't hit the higher note, it was the right decision to lower it.

The other thing that surprised me was that she did a "Just Dance" cover, which reminded me a lot of past Gayo Daejuns when they'd do special covers of newer songs. Most of the old covers weren't really any good, but it was something to look forward to and get curious about when it came to Gayos. To see Ailee do that, and pretty much slay everyone else who covered "Just Dance" before (didn't someone do that in 2009? SHINee? I think), was one of my favorite moments from all three Gayo Daejuns.

But above all, Ailee's performance showed me that it's possible for one act to have everything I talked about last year (!!) and said that other rookies needed. She has talent, she has presence, but she also has very, very good stage manners. She was singing live on this performance, overpowering her backing track, she showed how much she wanted to be on stage, she was enthusiastic and she didn't count on her "hard work" to show it for her, she went and showed it herself. And finally, once it was time to jump around on stage and have fun, she did just that with so much effortlessness, but she never, ever forgot what got her on stage in the first place -- to sing. So many other acts forget that, but not Ailee. With this performance, she proved that she is, without a doubt, rookie of the year.

Brave Guys - "Wait and Get Ready" (With K. Will, Kang Kyun Sung and Secret's Sunhwa)
Given my limited knowledge of Brave Guys (I'd seen a few gag concert cuts and some other stuff they did), I was extremely surprised when Shin Bora started singing, because she did it so well. She has a gorgeous timbre, the song was right for her, and there was this effortlessness that you don't see in majority of many female idols, who have probably trained for much, much longer. I think it's safe to say that she out-sung almost all the female acts that night. And that this performance, despite not being a "conventional" one, outdid majority of the others.

And this one performance showed me that Brave Guys as a musical act is actually really, really good, so when I found out that they're not doing music anymore, I was disappointed. I mean they're not ridiculously amazing, but they're solid, entertaining performers, with good, catchy songs. That's better than a lot of what we get from other acts. But what angered me was the reason why they decided to quit. Apparently since they're comedians, they "can't do music and comedy", which is probably one of the most stupid criticisms I've heard, and also one of the most ironic, coming from an industry that promotes a "jack of all trades, master of few/none" mindset in idols. You see all these idols trying to go into acting or comedy or anything other than singing (which some of them aren't even that good at in the first place), and while some of them are actually pretty okay, the majority aren't. Meanwhile, you have Brave Guys, who are good comedians to start with, and good performers and musicians as well, and you tell them they can't be all that? I'm sorry but I can't accept that reasoning, and this performance is why.

K. Will - "I Need You"
I loved this performance so much, and it really was one of the most memorable moments of the otherwise boring KBS show. The song choice was on-point -- it wasn't a ballad, but it still shows off K. Will's gorgeous and stable voice. It's also a lot more interesting than his "Ribbon In The Sky" version because it really took advantage of his very clear belting in contrast to his otherwise husky, rich middle range. The dance/instrumental break kept it fresh, but it didn't overpower the rest of the song. This is just one of those performances that are so effortlessly good I want to watch them over and over and over again.

SBS

The Boybands

Last year's SBS Gayo Daejun was my favorite out of the three, but I'm afraid I can't say the same about this year's show. I initially really liked the idea of them forming project groups just for that night, because it was a good way to present not only songs from the year that was about to end, but something fresh -- it set the SBS show apart from other shows. But once we got the songs I was extremely underwhelmed by them -- either they weren't any good, or they sounded too much like something else. The only song I really liked was Mystic White's, but the performance was boring. Actually, all four performances weren't that good. So when it came down to choosing the best performances from that night, none of them were even on my shortlist. And, again, I just happened to choose all the boy band performances.

Big Bang - "One Of a Kind" + "Crayon" + "Fantastic Baby"
And this, my friends, is how you do a Gayo Daejun performance -- you take advantage of the fact that the stage is bigger, and you take advantage of the fact that the audience is much better. If there's one more thing to add to my (rather long) list of "Reasons Why I Have THE Utmost Respect for Big Bang", it's that they know exactly how to please a crowd with their music. They know how to balance all these fancy gimmicks and the delivery of their music, so much better than anyone. Groups like BEAST and maybe Teen Top now, they try, and to a certain extent it works, but they haven't yet captured that level of effortlessness that Big Bang put into their playful performances. Like, TOP may be deadpan in terms of movement, but he knows other ways of how to play with the crowd, and GD is just a fireball, really. Also, I wasn't really convinced with a lot of the "Gangnam Style" incorporations this year, save for this one. It wasn't a direct copy, and I really liked that. I really liked the entire performance, and it was one of the few that put a genuine smile on my face without me having to force it.

BEAST - "Beautiful Night"
If the Big Bang performance was something to have fun with, the BEAST performance brought out the anthemic quality of "Beautiful Night". Despite the fact that, like I said earlier, they don't have the music that's as effortless as Big Bang, they bring a different kind of performance to the table. "Beautiful Night" isn't something you subconsciously play along with like a Big Bang song, it's really that anthemic kind of performance that you sit back and appreciate. They're different, really. (So I should stop comparing them!) Stable vocals, strong yet humble stage presence, good stage manners -- it's good over-all, all while being above a music show performance. They played the crowd well, and I like how they succeeded without all those bells and whistles. It's hard to find a balance between the two, but it's also hard to do without the bells and whistles, just like what BEAST did.

Infinite - "The Chaser"
This is probably my favorite remix of "The Chaser", not really because of the presence of the orchestra alone, but because it made the song even more epic than it already is. Because this was truly a Gayo Daejun-worthy performance. The arrangers really made an effort to make it special for the Gayos -- it wasn't just some random new synth line put on top of the original arrangement. And unlike other orchestra versions that have been done in the past, this one wasn't some boring attempt to do "classical" music under a pop melody. You have your strings, but then you also have these electric guitars running around, I loved that part. That's another thing I really like about this arrangement -- it's not pretentious, it's confident. And to top it all off, this was also the best-sung and most stable of Infinite's three Gayo performances. It was a lot more stable vocally, and I liked the friction between their vocals and the instrumental. It was, all-around, one of the best performances of the night.

MBC

The Fierce Battles

Finally, a relatively vague categorization. It's not my fault the best from the other shows had striking similarities! To me, the MBC show has always been the messiest of the three -- you have a "battle" thing going on with blue and white teams, but then you have these random special stages stuck in between them, with little to no relation with the main "battle". This year was a bit more organized than last year's though, which is good. And if there's one thing I like about the format, it's that there's a lot to talk about, and a good point to make regarding the battles. In a perfect world, the battles exist so acts can push themselves -- if they want to win, they have to be good. I tried to look for those kinds of battles, but I only found one, so the other pair of performances that I'll feature is sort of my "dream team" -- the two acts that I think would've made for a really, really fierce battle.

(Note: Despite the fact that they're paired up, each act accounts for one performance -- which means the MBC section features four performances ;D)

Epik High - "Don't Hate Me" / "Up" (with Park Bom) vs. MBLAQ - "It's War"
And that, my friends, is how you do a performance. Both groups did the right songs, and they carried themselves extremely well. This was honestly the only battle that night where both acts presented really strong fronts, and made it hard for me to mentally declare a "winner".

Epik High was brilliant, and I really like that instead of doing a whole performance of "Don't Hate Me", they did "Up" as well. It was ridiculously fun, but also fresh and Gayo-worthy. Watching their performance earlier was kind of a culmination of my want to understand rap, because they did it so well and they made me want to do more than just passively listen and passively like it. Park Bom was surprisingly stable, like she should be, but I also really like how even if she got center stage during her solos, it remained an Epik High song and not a Park Bom song, something that I noticed some songs turn into.

Honestly I wasn't so surprised that Epik High did such a good job because well, they're Epik High. I was more surprised with MBLAQ actually, because they exceeded my expectations a thousand times over. That was really one of their best-sung performances ever, one of the most stable, and also over-all one of the best-delivered. This was what I meant when I said that "It's War" truly takes what I used to think as MBLAQ's weakness, their over-performing that oftentimes translates into arrogance, and makes it a good thing. It's a song that will rise to the challenge of over performance, and that's really what MBLAQ has always needed. It's strong enough to overpower their bad points, while bringing out their strengths. And also, I love the re-arrangement. It's gorgeous and not the least bit less epic than the original, but it's something new.

Epik High vs. MBLAQ was really the fiercest battle on that show, and probably one of my favorites out of all the Gayo Daejun performances. They were that good.

SISTAR - "Alone" vs Miss A - "I Don't Need A Man"
A few hours ago I was really frustrated, because I really wanted the MBC section of this post to be centered around the "battle" concept of the show, but other than the Epik High/MBLAQ one, none of the other pairings matched up, to each other or to my standards. There were acts who did well in relation to each other, but outside of that they weren't that good all-around. In Miss A and SISTAR's case, they were both really, really good, but their partners were the opposite. The 4Minute performance was badly sung and the arrangement wasn't really that great, and the KARA one had an interesting arrangement, but they didn't even bother singing it live. However, the Miss A and SISTAR performances stood out too much for me not to include them here.

I really, really, REALLY liked the arrangement of "I Don't Need A Man", because as much as it sounded new and fresh (we'll get to that later), they also retained the original feel of it, better than any of the other remixes that tried. Hardly any of the original elements were retained, and yet it managed to channel a sense of familiarity. The most unfamiliar-feeling element of this performance is the dance break, but I love it. I love how it's so unexpected at first, but when you watch it again it makes sense in the greater scheme of things. And when you look at the elements themselves and how they relate to the song proper, it's actually really, really cohesive. I love it, it gives the song sass. This version was still as fun and tongue-in-cheek as the original one, and actually slightly more playful because there were more things to play around with. But at the same time, I like how the song has a different kind of substance, and how it's clear that this was approached with a musical mindset. The melody was tweaked to match, but not too much that it would become impossible to sing live. And actually, their vocals on this were quite good, and stable in general, save for a few slips and a fraction of the song being really breathy. But all things considered this is one of the most creative performances this year.

It's also a slightly similar case with SISTAR -- the arrangement is really creative and musical. But unlike Miss A, I didn't expect this to even just happen at all. But it did, and then I was surprised at how well it worked. One of the main reasons why I didn't like the original version of "Alone" was because it didn't do a good job of carrying SISTAR and hiding their flaws. And because I found it boring. Well, this arrangement was anything but. From the beginning all the way to the end it's overflowing with confidence, and it has so much spunk it almost hurts. The delivery was really good as well -- they really sold the song. Even if that one girl's voice cracked, it was a tiny miss in a sea of direct hits. In terms of their movements, this really worked too because they finally found somewhere to channel the roughness of their stage presence. This was one of the best things SISTAR ever did, probably the most well-rounded performance of their careers, actually.

Phew. That was long. Watch out for part 2 tomorrow! ^_^

[#1] Infinite - "The Chaser"

From: "INFINITIZE"
Format: EP
Released: May
Territory: South Korea
Previous Best of Appearances : #37 -"She's Back" (2010) / #4 -"Nothing's Over" (2011)

Infinite's success story is one I'm more than thrilled to have witnessed from the very beginning, and actually one of my most successful "calls" (or predictions). I've said it before and I'll say it again -- I was on the Infinite bandwagon ever since I heard "Come Back To Me" for the very first time two years ago, back when everyone was unsure of them. But I realize that calling them the second Beast simply doesn't so justice to everything they've achieved.

They've come a long way in terms of both success and musical identity, but they had one, very important trait since the very beginning -- good material. Good material opens so many doors for an act that I'm probably going to spend the next two or three paragraphs talking about everything it affected, and all the doors it opened. Woolim has always done phenomenal A&R for Infinite, and has always made the right decisions for singles and re-releases -- they kept it coming, yes, but they also kept raising the bar in the process. Infinite started out with material a cut above the rest of their fellow rookies and now that as permanent fixtures in K-Pop, they carry on with material that's a cut above everyone else.

So if all an act needs to succeed is consistently good material, what makes Infinite better? It's one thing to get good songs, but it's a completely different story when those songs actually fit the act in question, and even bring out strengths. When those songs put together tell a story, and actually make sense in the process. Now whether this is Sweetune or Woolim's making, the bottom line is that someone got things right, and now Infinite are basking in well-deserved glory because of it. These amazing songs have become synonymous not only with being, well, amazing songs, but also with the fact that it's very hard to imagine them done any other way. People can try, but the original version is always one step above.

That, my friends, is identity.

And it's also for that reason that "The Chaser" is this year's #1 song -- it is everything this list aims to put forward, and everything that I, as a critic, want from a song. Infinite's musical success is made up of two elements of equal weight -- outstanding material, and confident delivery. Those two are also the main elements I look for in a song.

"The Chaser" as a song is really, really good. It's in your standard song structure of verse-chorus, etc. and it has your standard hook, but the way these ver put forward with such brevity, such mastery, is really something else. Every single element on this song, from the millions of synths running around, to the bass line that you kind of lose track of hearing, but not of feeling, was delivered spot-on. It's the epitome of a pop song -- clean, controlled and organized, not a hair out of place.

What made me like it even more is the fact that they took that control, that clean, and they played around with it. Because really, what's music without some fun? The people listening are supposed to enjoy it, but they can't do that unless the people making it enjoy it first. I hear that in "The Chaser", and I hear it in every, single detail. Effortless, but fun, but still pop.

That's ultimately what "The Chaser" is -- a very, very, very good pop song. The best I've heard this year, in fact. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

[#2] Ailee (with Simon D) - "Shut Up"

From: "Invitation"
Format: EP
Released: October
Territory: Korea
Previous Best of Appearances: First Appearance

Like I said yesterday, ranking this year's top three was really a challenge for me, because Younha's "Run", this, and my now-#1 song, are all outstanding songs among a throng of good ones. Which is why for the most part, I just went with my gut feeling. That gut feeling landed Ailee at #2, making her the highest-ranking rookie act, not only this year, but pretty much since I started counting down songs.

And boy does she deserve it. You could say that Ailee got lucky, ending up in an agency that gave her material that suited her and made all the right choices during this extremely precarious debut year, but she would've never gotten that lucky without the voice. Without that powerful yet gracefully beautiful voice, that nice, deep timbre, and the effortless technique she now has.

What I like the most about "Shut Up" is that it's not what most people would give to a voice like Ailee since "protocol" is usually to give them a bunch of ballads and be done with things. But people have to remember that while Ailee does have a voice that can easily slay a ballad, she's also young and this kind of "role model" image should be pushed -- she needs to sing songs for her age, because there will come a time when she'll get too old for things like that.

"Shut Up", above all, is fun. It's something I'd play in the background while running around in the morning, it's something I'd put on to get me in a good mood. It's fresh, it's playful, and Ailee's voice literally glows, almost like it's smiling.

But it doesn't stop there, and I'm really happy that it doesn't. As happy as it is, "Shut Up" also brings out Ailee's beautiful vocals in the process -- not just in terms of emotion, but in terms of all the technical aspects. Contrary to what a lot of people think of up tempos, this is not an easy song to sing. The lines may be short, but listen to how much power it takes to deliver one of those, breathe in between beats, and deliver another one. The belting starts at the first verse, and increases as the song goes along. You really need to know how to sing to pull this song off and not crack a few lines in, and boy does Ailee know how.

This is what happens when you give a good song to a good singer and do a good job delivering it. This is what happens when people in the industry pull themselves together and do a good job because they genuinely want to. This, my friends, is called magic. Or music. Whichever you prefer.

Six rookies to look out for in 2013

A debut is one of the biggest milestones for any act, and not just musically. The debut period lays foundations for the future, foundations that these idols will carry for the rest of their careers, whether successful or not. (Though taking off from the debut period is another milestone in itself though.) This also is why it’s so important to put all your eggs in one basket, just this once -- the competition is fierce, and these acts need everything they can get.

Being a rookie in K-Pop isn't a walk in the park, especially now that the relatively small industry is overflowing with acts from agencies of all shape and size. A lot of rookies, more so those from smaller agencies, just fizzle away into irrelevance and never get their chance in the spotlight. But a competition will always have winners. As we've seen from the previous years, there are acts who got through their debut year with flying colors and went on to see even more success, and there are also those who fly under the radar at first but see massive success in the following years.

The acts on this list fall into one of those two categories -- acts who I think did a phenomenal job this year and deserve to get even bigger, and acts who I think have the potential to do well next year. These are the rookies who proved themselves, whether it be in one area or all, and managed to stand out.

FIESTAR
Agency: LOEN Entertainment
Debuted: August
First Release: "Vista" (Single)
Follow-Up Release(s): "We Don't Stop" (November, Single)
Previous Review(s): "We Don't Stop"
Other Best of 2012 Appearances: N/A

As far as A&R and image go, FIESTAR have it. They're girly and feminine, but they pack a punch -- just how I like my girl groups. "VISTA" was a strong effort, a pretty good song, and even if "We Don't Stop" failed as a whole song, as far as musical direction goes, it's right on track. They have substance, and they have an agency that can afford to make them look, and sound, nice and sparkly.

If we talk individual talent, that's something they haven't quite yet been able to show off properly, but honestly I think that if they have good A&R and a good agency, it's something their future material will bring out. And as early as now, some of the girls have already stood out vocally.

They kind of crept up on me, but when I was looking through all the rookies this year, Fiestar is actually one of my favorite girl groups. I guess I didn't really feel it like the other rookies I liked because they're still pretty under the radar, and they've only had two singles out, but I really like them. With the little material and exposure that they had this year, they made me curious enough to want to see big things from them next year.

JJ Project
Agency: JYP Entertainment
Debuted: May
First Release: "Bounce" (EP+Single)
Follow-Up Release(s): N/A
Previous Review(s): "Bounce"
Other Best of 2012 Appearances: Top 50 Songs - #23: "Hooked"

JJ Project was really one of my favorite debuts this year, but then again it's so hard not to like them. They're one step away from annoying, but they don't take that step, so what you get is a playful, mischievous act. Take that mischief and give it good material to play around with -- you have JJ Project. They are proof that getting the right material is, without question, one of the most important parts of a debut, because had they not gotten "Bounce" and the other songs on their first EP, they wouldn't have been as effective as they are.

Another thing I really like about JJ Project is that they know how to sell that sound, without forgetting the fact that they are, in fact, making music. They run and jump around stage like a bunch of little boys, but underneath the image, they're actually stable live singers/performers. And what made them even better was the fact that they debuted during a time when all the rookie groups failed to deliver once they got to music shows.

Like I said earlier this year:

The reason why I like them so much is because they’re convincing, because there is as much effortlessness in their execution as there is conviction. See, this is what I mean when I say that execution matters just as much as good material. While good material will take you places, equally competent execution will drive the point home. 

And that effortlessness is really what you need for material as fun and straightforward as the songs on “Bounce”, because what these two guys do is give the otherwise thin JYP material some spring. Save all that soul for Miss A or half of the Wonder Girls -- I like my boybands jumping through hoops and fire like there’s no tomorrow. ... “Bounce” is what I’ve been looking for in a boygroup for a long time now -- effortlessly fun material, complete with literal jumping around stage.

Ailee
Agency: YMC Entertainment
Debuted: January
First Release: "Heaven" (Single)
Follow-Up Release(s): "Invitation" (November, EP)
Previous Review(s): "Heaven" / "Invitation"
Other Best of 2012 Appearances: 5 Best Albums - #4: "Invitation" / Top 50 Songs - #2: "Shut Up" (With Simon D)

If I had to name a rookie of the year (which technically I'm doing because I'm saying this right now), without a shadow of a doubt it would be Ailee. From the very beginning the thrust of her career has been clear -- she had a gorgeous voice that could quite literally move mountains, and she showed it off for everyone to hear. But of course, there are so many rookies overflowing with talent, which made me scared for her earlier this year. Thankfully I was proven wrong, because "Invitation" followed "Heaven" and I just fell in love with everything about Ailee. What makes her better than everyone else is the fact that she knows how to bring it, and she does it with material that's practically made for her.

I know I sound like a broken record now, but really, Ailee is lightyears ahead of all the other rookies on this list. With Ailee it's not a matter of "I want to see what you do next", or "I see potential in you", it's more like "I want to see how you stay brilliant". Ailee took all of our existing standards for rookies and she bettered them. All of them. Talent, stage presence, material, promotions -- she did them all, and they brought out her strengths. That's really what a debut period should be -- it should be that time where you show everything off with the hope of people liking it.

Lee Hi
Agency: YG Entertainment
Debuted: October
First Release: "1, 2, 3, 4" (Single)
Follow-Up Release(s): "Scarecrow" (November, Single)
Previous Review(s): N/A
Other Best of 2012 Appearances: Top 50 Songs - #37: "1, 2, 3, 4"

Despite finishing second in the first season of "Kpop Star", Lee Hi was the one who set aside my fears of an audition show for idols. Of course there was "Superstar K" beforehand, but the thrust of the show wasn't as clear as "Kpop Star", where they were literally looking for someone to sign to a big three agency. My biggest fear was how these big agencies were going to sustain, or completely change, the images that the contestants had built up during the show, images they had little control over. I found my answer in Lee Hi, and all the success she had amassed in such a short period.

She has the talent, that's pretty obvious given not only her time before her formal debut, but even after. But she also chose the right agency for her -- YG took her strengths and they made her run with it, which she gladly did. And succeeded. But as with majority of the rookies on this list, the question now is -- "what's next?" She's laid the foundations very well, and now she has to start building her identity. If her foundation is anything to go by, I think we'll see great things from her next year. I hope we do.

Hello Venus
Agency: Pledis Entertainment
Debuted: August
First Release: "Venus" (EP)
Follow-Up Release(s): "What Are You Doing Today?" (December, EP)
Previous Review(s): "Venus"
Other Best of 2012 Appearances: Top 50 Songs - #39: "Love Appeal"

In my books, Pledis is notorious for not delivering the right material for their acts -- After School and Son Dambi are testament to that. But for some strange reason, this year they did pretty well, not with their established acts (AS and Dambi had pretty flat comebacks), but with their rookies. NU'EST, although not on this list, had material they could actually sing, and of course, Hello Venus had "Venus". I loved it earlier this year, and I love it now.

I don't ask much from rookie groups, I just want them to deliver their material with competence, conviction and a sense of togetherness, and I want them to show the beginnings of a musical identity. Surprises of all surprises, I found that in "Venus". While their material isn't exactly top-tier or revolutionary or anything, it's solid, again it shows off what they can do, and at the same time it matches their vocals.

And that continued on to their second EP and lead single, which, despite the fact that it's kind of messy, was cute with substance, and actual singing, as opposed to whining or squeaking. You don't have to be sickeningly cute to be effective, they're proof of that.

Hello Venus is textbook girl group, complete with cutesy material and a girly image. But they're proof that it's not always the mould that's the problem when cutesy girl groups go astray, sometimes it's the group themselves. Or the material they get. Or maybe even both. Whatever it is, they remain one of those groups who do cute the way I like it -- with actual singing, and that extra bit of oomph to give them substance.

EXO (M+K)
Agency: SM Entertainment
Debuted: August
First Release: "MAMA" (EP)
Follow-Up Release(s): N/A
Previous Review(s): "MAMA" (EXO-K)
Other Best of 2012 Appearances: Top 50 Songs - #30: "History" (EXO-K) / Top 50 Songs - #29: "What Is Love" (EXO-M)

Despite what a lot of people may think about my views on EXO, I don't completely hate them. I don't because I haven't heard enough from them, and because majority of the things that went wrong with their debut happened because of SM's sloppy and pointless decisions. First they set extremely high expectations -- EXO were supposed to be SM's golden rookies, all new, shiny and ready for the taking. They hype them up like no other, with teasers left and right. And then, they give EXO a song that needs to be carried, as opposed to one that plays on existing strengths and masks flaws in recording, and especially performance. So because of that, they end up either lip-synching, or going all over the place, during their live promotion cycle. "MAMA" wasn't the right song, plain and simple.

But over the course of the year, I had numerous chances to look beyond what SM set up for them, and honestly they're not half bad. I don't see any clear voices that I haven't heard elsewhere, but considering that their debut single was a product of such bad A&R and they've improved immensely since their debut, it won't take long for me to find one.

So why did EXO take the last spot on the list? Because to me, they are the epitome of "potential". Look at everything they have -- the variety of members, the fan base, and of course SM backing. Take all of those, and EXO could possibly go places next year because so much can go right, despite the fact that so much went wrong this year.

[#3] Younha - "Run"

From: "Supersonic"
Format: Full-Length Album
Released: July
Territory: South Korea
Previous Best of Appearances: First Appearance

The hardest part of putting this year's list together was figuring out how to rank my top three. I had the three songs and they're really something else, but I liked them in different ways and all of them could have easily been #1.

When I first heard "Run", it came off to me as a mix between J-Pop and my impression of a Filipino band called Imago. But it quickly turned into it's own song, and to say I was in love with it would be an understatement.

"Run" is one of those songs that you have to take as one whole entity -- neither the melody nor the arrangement or instrumental stick out more than the other. You have a strong instrumental and a strong melody bound together with an arrangement that knows exactly what to bring out.

A lot of things happen on the instrumental, you have this gritty but epic synth line at the verses, that's magnified by this gorgeous bass line that because of the bareness of the verses, you feel and hear. See this is what I love about "Run", on other songs it's one or the other, but on "Run" it's always both. And of course the verses beautiful set up that stunning chorus that literally does soar. It's epic, but it's also very organized -- there are so many things going on, but it almost explicitly tells you exactly what to pay attention to and think about, and what to genuinely feel.

The melody is gorgeous, and it brings out the grace and the power in Younha's voice. The verses are very flowy, very whimsical, but then the chorus hits and you get this powerful melody that basks in the epicness of everything going on.

I know that this is a short review compared to the other songs in the top ten, but this is just one of those songs that you really have to hear and feel for yourself. My descriptions and praises will give you an idea of why I like it, but it's the experience itself that will really drive my point home.

The 5 Best Albums of 2012

After running through everything yesterday, including eligibility and the main criteria, this is it! Let's get right to the list.

#5: Big Bang - "STILL ALIVE"
Released: June
Territory: Korea
Singles: "Blue", "Monster", "Bad Boy", "Fantastic Baby"

"STILL ALIVE" has two of the things I really go out of my way to look for in an album -- identity and cohesion. It has those qualities because one, Big Bang are good musicians, they have the training and they have the experience, and two, they're confident about what they have, and who they are. It's because of that confidence that they're not afraid to play around. If you really are who you are, then nothing will change that.

Another thing I really like about Big Bang is that they're such an animated group, and it shows in their songs. As opposed to groups who bring out the good in their songs on stage (not that it's a bad thing!), Big Bang take the personality on stage and bring it to the recordings. And again, it's not just one personality, it's an entire range of sounds, and of moods.

You have songs like "Feeling" and "Fantastic Baby" which are literally made for the stage with all the energy and catchy hooks left and right, and you have mid-tempos like "Bad Boy" and "Blue" that show off these pretty melodies and their attention to detail. But then you also have songs that are somewhere in between, like "Love Dust", which is kind of dance-y, but not quite, but still a very good song, or "STILL ALIVE", which is epic and the kind of song that would be perfect for an opening song of a concert where everyone's excited, but just staring in awe and not exactly jumping up and down yet.

And all of these songs fit, they all work together to deliver one, solid, album because Big Bang are confident. See what a little brevity can do to an act, and what that brave act can do to an album?

#4: Ailee - "Invitation"
Released: October
Territory: Korea
Singles: "Heaven" (June), "I'll Show You" (September)

At first glance "Invitation" can seem very plain. When you look at the numbers you have a few ballads, a few mid tempos and two up tempos, one of them a disco-inspired one. Looking at that alone it doesn't seem that special, but when you actually listen to the album it's a completely different story.

That's what I like about music, and art in general even. Facts will give you information, yes, but it's the experience that matters. It's the experience that makes the magic, not the facts. And "Invitation" makes magic. Sweet, musical magic.

The binding factor of this album is and always will be Ailee. The songs themselves are pretty ordinary, most of them good at best, but it's Ailee's vocals that give them not just life, but fire. She has the ballad-ready emotion that the industry demands, but she adds spunk and confidence to it. You give "Evening Sky" to a singer with no attitude and I can assure you it'll be a snooze fest.

But of course, this album isn't without that one moment that makes me want to die of beauty -- that moment is "Shut Up". I love it I love it I love it and I don't know how to say it any other way, because really, "Shut Up" is one of this year's most stunning, most brilliant songs. It's the type of song that looks you in the eye and doesn't blink for three minutes, all while having so much fun. And Ailee has so much fun on this song, I can hear her smiling, even with all the post-prod this song went through.

For an act like Ailee, that young, vibrant female solo singer, "Invitation" fits like a glove. It's an album that's mainstream, it's an album that people will listen to, and it's also an album that makes sure Ailee, with her gorgeous vocals, stays in the center. Simple songs for a beautiful voice, "Invitation" is an album I've listened to time and time again, and I have no plans of stopping.

#3: Se7en - "2nd Mini Album"
Released: February
Territory: Korea
Singles: "Even When I Can't Sing" (February)

I don't know if you've already noticed, but all these albums have a point to them, or even more than one, that make them some of the best albums of the year. So what does Se7en's EP have?

One word -- effortlessness.

In music, or at least to me, it's one thing to have good material, it's also one thing to have talent, but it's an entirely different story if you can take that good material and talent, and deliver it with a sense of mastery, with a sense of effortlessness. Music isn't something to be forced, it's something to be fostered. If you're a good musician, a good singer, a good instrumentalist, once you learn how to operate your instrument (a voice is an instrument too) and take care of it, everything else will follow.

This EP gives off a sense of mastery -- Se7en is in his element, and the songs were clearly made for him. Everything is graceful and smooth, and the EP is the kind of pop that really lets you savor everything that happens. You hear everything, and you hear it enough to appreciate it. It's anything but an EP full of noise or elements that just stand there and don't really serve a purpose.

And you really do need that mastery with a purpose when you attempt to do songs like "When I Can't Sing" or "Angel", because that's what they depend on. These are songs with melodies so solid that they're already classics, they're so strong, so imposing, yet so beautiful, that the original version really does need to be lightyears better than the hundreds of talent show auditions that this song will carry. You need that effortlessness for songs like "Make Good Love", songs that depend on the delivery to drive the point home, and you need to notice every single detail, each of the beautiful melodies to make sense of the entire album as a whole.

#2: Girls' Generation - "GIRLS' GENERATION II ～Girls & Peace～"
Released: November
Territory: Japan
Singles: "PAPARAZZI" (June), "Oh!/All My Love Is For You" (September), "Flower Power" (November)

The first time I heard the album in full, I was actually really surprised. I mean I adored "PAPARAZZI" and "All My Love Is For You", but at that point I wasn't really sure what the rest of the album was going to be like. Nevertheless, I was greeted by a strong front -- outstanding material, outstanding production and confident delivery on all twelve songs. If that's not a strong front I don't know what is.

What I like about this album is that this is lightyears better than any of their Korean albums, and more of an album that majority of them will ever be. Musically as well, if this is the kind of material they put out on a regular basis, I wouldn't be as confused towards them like I am now. They're a girl group, they're pop, they need songs that cover for them and carry them, and those songs need to be good. I got that with "Girls & Peace".

The material is very girl group -- it's edgy, trendy, but girly. Tracks like "Flower Power" and "Animal", one of my favorites, provide the edgy, "PAPARAZZI" and "Boomerang" the trendy, with tracks like "TOP" giving the album some kick as well, and "Stay Girls", "All My Love Is For You" and "Girls & Peace" the girly, with "Not Alone" being a pretty ballad to boot. It's a very dynamic album, but what ties everything together is the production throughout, and the idea of this being the epitome of a well-done girl group album. Which it is.

I had two early favorites when this album was new -- "Animal" and "Stay Girls" -- but what ultimately put this album on this list was the fact that by this time, I've literally looped all of the songs for at least two or three days. Even "Oh!". They're really good songs, I could spend several paragraphs talking about why I like each song, but ultimately this is an album with dimension. The more you listen to it, the more you discover, and you'll start to see the appeal of songs you initially didn't really like. It's an album that grows on you, but at the end of the day it's still a really, really good album.

#1: Younha - "Supersonic"
Released: Month
Territory: Korea
Singles: "Run" (month)

"Supersonic" is my #1 album of the year because it's an album I can listen to from start to finish with no exceptions. There's no "Even if this track is pretty boring this other one is really good". There are no apologies to be made and mistakes to be corrected the next time around -- it is what it is, and it's brilliant. But then again, that's to be expected from someone with as much experience as Younha.

I honestly think it's an album that gives off an air of musicality, but it's not pretentious and doesn't attempt to be anything other than what it is. See that's what I hate about some pop acts, they try so hard to be "serious" or "high art" and they're not really any good at it, when, at the end of the day, they're still in pop. So why are they doing pop in the first place? It's as if pop has become a dumping ground of people who can't make it in "serious" music, when there are so many other people actually who take it seriously. There are people who build serious careers around it, and I just hate it when pop is treated like second-rate music, because not all of it is, and it's not like there isn't bad jazz or bad heavy metal. It's just a really big pet peeve of mine, but the absence of that mindset on "Supersonic" is one of the biggest reasons why this is my favorite album this year. It knows exactly what it is, and it does it extremely well.

You have a whole range of material on "Supersonic" -- from the fun, to the gorgeous, the stunning, and the mind-blowing. And I guess another thing that I really like about this album is that despite all the Coldplay references in some of the arrangements, this is an album that sounds Korean. You have your prerequisite Korean ballad melody in "Wait For Me", but it's not set against your usual Korean ballad instrumental -- it has some of the most understated, but most beautiful strings I've heard all year, it has this quaint guitar line, and it has that gentle, but resonating bass line. It's beautiful, it sounds very K-Pop, but it's also Younha.

This is one of those albums where it is literally impossible for me to name my all-time favorite, and not because they keep changing, but because I like them in different ways. Like "Wait For Me", I genuinely fell in love with it because of that beautiful melody and the beautiful delivery that came with it, but then I also adore the John Park duet because his voice is goosebump-inducing in that range and it's an understated epic that I really, really like. "Run" is truly one of the best pop songs all year -- it has all the emotions to pull on heartstrings, all the bells and whistles to get people interested, and it does it all in the most musical, most practiced but effortless way possible. And then you have these very fun songs like "People", which I love because it's so perky and it's the perfect wake-up song to keep me from getting grumpy, and then the Tiger JK track just lets everything loose and does it with so much brevity that I can't not like it.

The rest of the album is like that, and it's really the epitome of what I look for in an album -- songs that stand firmly on their own, but together they make magic and move mountains and everything in between.

[#4] Big Bang - "Feeling"

From: "Still Alive"
Format: Repackaged Album
Released: June
Territory: South Korea
Previous Best of Appearances: "Let Me Hear Your Voice" (2009) / #15 -"SOMEBODY TO LOVE" (2011)

I've always said this, but really, my affection towards Big Bang is more of a respect than anything else, and honestly to me, that's beyond just liking their music, or them. I respect them as an idol group, as an act, and as musicians, because they have proved time and time again how outstanding they are. They're an act who deserve every single success they have.

Initially, my favorite song from them this year was "Love Dust", it's fun with a pretty melody, but the moment I heard "Feeling", I knew there was something special.

At the beginning, the only part that drew me in was the melody, because you all know I'm not a rap person. I mean who wouldn't love the chorus -- it's glorious. Daesung's voice is glorious. And even if Taeyang pales in comparison to the sheer brilliance of Daesung's vocals, it's not as if he completely destroys the thing. He can stand his ground, even beside a voice as beautiful as the one before him.

The melody literally shines -- you have all these things going on behind it, synth lines and chanting and whatever else, but it basks in that. It's so, so smooth, and the placement of that high note (or high noteS rather), is so natural, almost like he's talking to you and not singing. That's another thing I love about the melody, despite the fact that it doesn't make up a lot of the song, you know that this was written by someone who's musically proficient as opposed to someone who just threw a few notes he's heard before and called it a melody. The melody alone will make you want to either dance like a madman or just melt into a puddle of goo.

After the initial shock and high from the melody wore off, I sat down and listened to the song again. I realized that the main reason why that melody works, why it's like this big explosion of... beautiful, is because of the presence of the rap part. Like I've said before, I'm not really a rap person because it's not something I was exposed to as a kid and therefore I didn't really form an ideal without other people telling me what it's supposed to be. That and even if I'm a lit major, poetry is definitely not my strong point.

What I can do is put it in the context of the sound, which is exactly what I'm going to do. Rap is obviously not sung and therefore it's rougher than a melody, but still rhythmic, so you can play around with dynamics and all that. The rap part here provides the contrast that the instrumental doesn't give, and creates a kind of friction with that glorious chorus so that once it's actually time for it to come out, we're all shocked.

But honestly, the thing I like most about Big Bang songs is that as much as you can take it apart, look into everything, then put it back together, at the end of the day it's still good music, and good music is meant to be enjoyed. Big Bang know that, and beyond the gorgeous melody, beyond the friction in the elements, "Feeling" is such a fun song. It's such a joy to listen to it, and effortlessly enjoyable. It's songs like this that remind me of why I chose music.

The 5 Best Albums of 2012: An introduction

Putting together a list of the best albums of any given year has always been a big challenge for me -- even bigger than ranking 50 of my favorite songs. Albums are a lot harder to judge than songs, mainly because you can't just say "okay, all the songs on this album are good" and end it at that. An album is never, ever, just a few songs thrown together, no matter how good those songs may be on their own.

An album is one, solid, cohesive entity -- it's a package. If it wasn't, then what's the use of an album? Acts should just release individual songs and not a group of them. That's why judging one has to be about how the songs work together as much as it is how good they actually are alone, and that's really hard. There are albums with spectacular songs that, when put together, aren't cohesive at all, but then there are also albums with mediocre songs, or a mix of different qualities, that somehow manage to really click, and make for a fantastic album.

But sometimes even an album with chemistry between the songs isn't enough -- having chemistry doesn't always mean that it's the good kind. In some of the albums considered this year, there were good songs that were cohesive with each other, but that cohesion kind of fell flat of what could have been and didn't really live up to expectations.

Thankfully, there are albums that make my job easier by just being their outstanding selves, all while also making my job such a pleasure. There are albums that come with fireworks and explosions left and right, but at the same time have all the foundations laid out firmly. It's those kinds of albums that made the list this year, but first I had to find them, because believe me when I say that there weren't a lot.

So you can imagine how hard it was for me to choose five albums that are really, really, really good. I actually planned to choose ten, but then I realized that some of the albums in that tentative list of ten weren't really that good, and I was only putting them on the list because there was nothing better. So I just cut it down to the five albums that remind me of why I got into K-pop in the first place, and prove that the industry is capable of delivering outstanding material.

Of course, a list isn't without limitations. I couldn't listen to all the albums released in Korea this year, because I'm not a full-time writer (yet!!!!! :D), so obviously the first limitation is that this is a list of the best of the albums I've heard. The rest is below:

1. The album must have been released between January 1, 2012 and December 15, 2012. Albums with singles released prior to January 1st are only eligible if at least 85% of the entire album was first released on or after January 1st. Repackaged albums are eligible, as long as they follow all other rules.

2. The act receiving main billing must be of Korean nationality, regardless of the territory the album was first released in.

3. All releases, regardless of intended format (whether EP or LP), must have a minimum of FIVE (5) original tracks (no covers!), at least 50% of which is credited solely to the "main" artist. Remixes and radio edits will not be counted or reviewed.

For example, Ailee's "Invitation" has a total of six tracks, all first released in 2012. In three out of the six tracks, she shares credits with other artists, meaning exactly half of her album contains tracks featuring only her. "Invitation" is eligible.

4. Special intros, instrumental preludes, etc., are counted as part of the album but are not counted as a track credited to the main artist, unless he/she provides vocals/performance. However, regardless of billing, these tracks will still the judged along with the rest of the album.

I guess that's it. Watch out for the list tomorrow!

[#5] SNSD/Girls' Generation - "Animal"

From: "GIRLS' GENERATION II ～Girls & Peace～"
Format: Full-Length Album
Released: November
Territory: Japan
Previous Best of Appearances: "Genie" (2009) / #19 -"Run Devil Run" (2010) / #36 -"Sunflower" (2011) / #7 -"Let It Rain" (2011)

If there's something I'm thankful for, it's that Japan has given SNSD a chance to deliver some of their best material, and deliver it consistently. I mean, Korea had "Genie" and that's forever one of the best pop songs I've ever heard, but they don't' have a constant stream of amazing material in Korea, they have it in Japan. "Girls & Peace" was a really good album, so much that I really just had to go with my gut when I was choosing which song to include on this year's list.

"Animal" was really my first favorite when I heard the album, and it remains one of the strongest songs among the already-strong album. It's very formulaic, but since when did that become a bad thing all the time?

Like a lot of songs, the melody was the first part to draw me in -- it's stunning, and it's the epitome of a girl group doing tough. You have these very flat, this very graceful, flowy, but urgent bridge, and then you have this scream-type chorus. It's the type of melody that's very simple to pull off so it stays good across a skill set as wide as SNSD's, but without compromising the fact that, you know, it still has to be an actual melody with actual singing involved majority of the time.

As much as the melody drew me in, two things kept me hooked -- the instrumental and the production.

I love the instrumental because despite the fact that it has this very dance/club sound going on the entire time, it doesn't forget the fact that dynamics exist and thus need to be taken advantage of. I love the synth loop at the beginning, and I love how it works with the bass line to give the verses a sense of urgency. And then the build-up starts at bridge, which is my favorite part of the song, and it just ups the urgency even more so that once the song actually explodes with two nice, sharp punches courtesy of the melody and the instrumental, it just blows you away.

And finally, the production on this song is really mind-blowing. The vocal treatment is spot-on -- the verses have character, the bridges have the clarity to show off the high notes, and the choruses have the power to go full steam ahead. And then you have this very clean, very silky, treatment to the entire song, and it just smooths everything out.

"Animal" is a stunning song, it's beautiful but it also literally stuns you. It's songs like this that made me like girl groups in the first place -- they're feminine, they're gorgeous, but they have substance to their kick. But beyond being a girl group song, "Animal" is really one of the most outstanding pop songs of the year. This, my friends, is pop music masterclass.

[#6] Miss A - "No Mercy"

From: "Touch"
Format: EP
Released: February
Territory: South Korea
Previous Best of Appearances : #21 -"Goodbye Baby" (2011)

As much as I poke fun at JYP, and everything from his comments on K-Pop Star to his A&R decisions to his compositions, it's not as if he's completely devoid of ability. If he was then he would've never made it that far. "No Mercy" was one of his more brilliant moments this year, even if it was written by Hong Ji Sang (who, coincidentally, also wrote "Don't You Know", my favorite song from 2PM's "Hands Up") and not JYP.

If there's one song on this list that has been my jam for almost the entire year, it would be "No Mercy". I mean I liked "Lips" and "Rock N Rule", but from the beginning there was something more in "No Mercy". When I reviewed the devastation that was "Touch" earlier this year, I said that this should've been the lead single, and I stand by that.

What made me like "No Mercy" at first was the fact that it was so Miss A. It captured that playful spunk to their image, but at the same time it also channeled the mischievous sexiness that they also have. All that in one song? I'm in.

Again, there's a nice contrast between the melody and the instrumental -- the melody is smooth and feminine, but then you have this very funky, almost gritty instrumental. It's that contrast that gives the song direction, really, because individually the melody and the instrumental sound pretty flat. When they come together though, it's like getting mini explosions every measure.

It's also a very confident song. Again, with a contrast as obvious as the one here, it's very easy for one or the other to shy away -- they don't. The vocals are snappy and brave, they give the melody a nice, hard kick, but they also give it a smoothness and grace that only female vocals can give.

I also really like "No Mercy" because despite the fact that the instrumental has all this funky going in, it's such a graceful, pretty song. Which is pretty much why it became "my jam". It's something you can head-bang and dance to, courtesy of the instrumental, but it's also something that's easy to sing along to, courtesy of the melody. It's mainstream, but it's good, well-thought through and confidently delivered, mainstream. Add that to the fact that the production on this is fantastic and it's genuinely a really good song to start with, and you have magic, I tell you, magic.