Best of 2009: December #8 - #3

YES! We've made it to the end of the year. FINALLY! 8 songs this month - let's get started.

#8: The Banned of St. Trinians - Up and Away

This is the 'chic' part of British music - the sophisticated one. At least it is for me. It's edgy, it's young and it sounds Brit though and through. I love the vocals on this and the chorus is very catchy. Thank God for a song without processing. Hahah.

#7: Girls Can't Catch - Echo

They may sound way too much like The Saturdays but I dunno, Echo as a song is pretty good. It sounds a heck of a lot like The Sats and the verses may be a little bleh but the chorus is catchy. The vocals are OK, a little resonant to my ears, but the hook does the trick on this song.

#6: Supernova - My Destiny

I honestly think Supernova should concentrate on Korea before they even try breaking Japan. I know DBSK went over there in their early days but they already had a name in Korea when they made their first attempt - Supernova only got popular for their project group with T-Ara. But that aside, when I first heard My Destiny I thought it was good, processing aside. THe melody competent, the vocals good and the over-all song very current. When I listened to it more though, I realized that it sounds a lot like the work of a certain swedish producer - RedOne.

Just when I thought it sounds like a RedOne song, turns out it's too close to RedOne for comfort. Can you guess? So I did some digging and My Destiny is called Just Like That in Sweden - it's a cover of a Danny Saucedo song. Believe me, when I found out I was banging my head on the computer table. IT IS SWEDISH. So that's why I kinda liked it. Though I'm sorry to say it but the Danny version is better. Oh well. Also note that I discovered this BEFORE I saw the info on the YT video below. Just to clarify. Hahah.

#5: SNSD & Super Junior (part of them) - S.E.O.U.L. Song

It's the stereotypical advertisement song/"jingle" with stereotypical SNSD and Super Junior vocals - not good, not bad. The only problem is that I just can't stop listening to it and I like the cinematography of the video (LOL). Besides, the more I listen to it the more I actually start thinking it's a pretty good song. I mean it'll never be the next Genie or anything like that but you know, it's better than a lot of other crap that's out these days.

#4: Katharine McPhee - How

I seem to be one of the few who enjoyed her first album to a certain extent (heck, I have a physical copy of it! But that was mainly because I didn't know where to get albums back then) but on Idol I didn't like her - the season she was in pretty much failed. Well she's back and after a few fails after her first album, I'm pretty glad to say that I kinda liked this new song. It's a new sound for her but for some reason it doesn't seem far from what she used to do - even if it is. It's a logical leap and I love it. I love the real drums, I love the melodies and her vocals fit this kind of song. It gets epic later in the song and I love that too. How  by  popreviewsnow

#3: Brave Brothers feat. 2 guys from U-Kiss - Finally

The first thing that led me to this song was the rather strange video (see below) and at first listen it's one of those generic R&B mid-tempos that all sound the same. It still is. So why the crap is it on this list? For two reasons, actually. The first is the chime-like part at the beginning (it's computer generated and all but yeah) - it's GORGEOUS. Add the sparkly stuff after that and that alone is enough to make me melt. It did. The second reason is a more obvious one - the melody. It's probably one of the most beautiful melodies I've heard all year - it's flat-out gorgeous. I was humming it in class the other day and I was like "damn, this is gorgeous".

Back to normal.

So I'm sitting here in front of the computer after a 13-hour day that started at 6-ish AM with a horrendously hot and uncomfortable flag ceremony in an impossibly small and crowded function hall. For the rest of the morning all the way up to lunch time I had a nagging headache that was throbbing so hard the pain was excruciating. Then after a boring PE class about the history of volleyball I had an absolutely torturous drafting class that involved me drawing all these messy lines in the strangest places followed by a fun journalism class - the only problem was that I have to work with the girl who ruined my freshman year, turned my life upside down and made me swear to beat her at everything she ever loves and wants to do as revenge (which is pretty much writing - I can easily cream her at that.) for the rest of the semester. Probably the best part of my day was when during choir rehearsal we were given this song that made me want to faint while I was singing the melody.

That was my day. Phew.

The point is, I thought I'd unwind first before attacking the mountains of homework I have yet to even start (and a spanking new textbook with the plastic still on.) because it's not use trying to study when I'm this tired. I even drank like two bottles of tea!

So anyway, here's what has happened during my 'lock myself into KPOP mode for the next month' phase that I didn't even bother to mention. I guess this is a long overdue new music post.

• First thing's first. Towards the end of May(iTunes tells me May 27..) I come across a new Pixie Lott song that was probably the most beautiful one out of her current repertoire - Without You. It's a melodic piano riff-based R&B mid tempo but the melody and Pixie's voice make everything that says this is just another one of those songs seem irrelevant. Gorgeous middle 8 as well. YAY.
• I do love Iceland's Eurovision song - it's so nice for lack of a better term. I have the girl's album but I haven't had the chance to listen to it yet. I'll make time over the weekend, I promise.
• I'm slowly falling into the Kristina DeBarge bandwagon. I've never actually heard the first song that came to attention over the blogs but I do love Powerless, it's so much like Battlefield but not in a really good way.
• Ashley Tisdale. Ashley, Ashley, Ashley. I've heard her new album in full and I'm not impressed at all. There's probably one or two songs worth listening to but nothing that'll make me adore her for as long as I live for that one song. These HSM sophomore albums are really disappointing me - first Vanessa with the horrid excuse for a song that was Sneakernight then Corbin with a boring album and now Ashley with no brilliant songs. I still think Headstrong was and still is the best HSM alumni album EVERRRR.
• My beloved Karina leaked a new song - Love Is. I do love this song but she should really get the attention she deserves, she's so freakin' talented and her songs are like really, really, really brilliant. I cannot wait for her second release - if she does get one.
• Really late but I just found ex-Clique Girlz(What's happened to them? I haven't heard anything new.) member Ariel's solo song and it's not bad at all. Not what I was expecting from her but this is certainly better than anything I'd imagine she'd do. It's a gorgeous song but the verses need a little tweaking - over time the chorus has a tendency to be too sharp on the ear but other than that, it's good.
• Oh yes, The Black Eyed Peas(are they still number one?). They were the gigantically legendary group here when I knew nothing about music and only knew what I was being fed over the news and stuff like that - not a very good time for me. Not that I've developed my own tastes in music I'm not so much for them anymore. I despise rap, remember? They're not bad, they make great music if you take the technical and musical aspects but the music just doesn't appeal to me.
• I tweeted this a few days back but I just discovered recently that Usher has a protege. He's Canadian and FOURTEEN. When I heard that I was like 'you have got to be kidding me'. Another one of those YouTube sensations (although he kinda murdered Elliot Yamin's Wait For You) and if controlled a bit the boy can sing. What's more, he sounds his age! Hurrah. I love the song - it's so, so, YEAH.
• One of the songs that really moved me during the special but I didn't have the time to write about was Britt Nicole's The Lost Get Found. I don't know if I discovered it late or something but I absolutely adore it to the point that it was all I'd listen to for a whole afternoon while writing up posts and making homework. This was one of the songs that moved me partially because of the lyrics but more because the melody is insanely brilliant. It's honestly become one of my I'm in a bad mood so I need some cheering up and inspiring songs.
• I've said on a few comment sections that the new Mariah song has not impressed me. I've heard this all before, the auto tune, the melody - it didn't move me.
• I honestly can't believe I didn't bother listening to Girls Can't Catch earlier - I LOVE Keep Your Head Up. It makes me think of Up but it doesn't completely sound like it. Dammit. WHY make songs this brilliant? WHY?! Hahah.

I'm exhausted even after drinking tons of caffeine - I'll just go to bed now and do my homework tomorrow morning. I'm a delinquent student when it comes to geometry, algebra, chemistry, history and pretty much anything that doesn't have to do with English and writing. Hahah. Good night guys!