Thursday, January 1, 2015

[PLAYLIST] KPOPPY's Best Of 2014 : The Eclectic Mix



2015 has arrived! Happy New Year!

There are a zillion top Kpop lists out there. Every fan will have their own unique favorites. My list is not strictly mainstream Idol pop. I like to see an odd spectrum of different styles. The main thread that runs through my top 30 is that each entry has synergy between the video and song. The song offers something pleasing to the ear, is often catchy, and makes me excited when it shuffles onto a playlist. And ALSO that the video amplifies the experience of the song visually, ideally offering something inventive or at least a comprehensive vision in terms of aesthetics.

Link to the full playlist on Youtube

The order is purely in chronological publishing order. But I'll be pulling out some highlights for this post. Onward!

1. Puer Kim - Manyo Maash


Manyo Maash was the perfect start to my year. Fantastic debut, unique sound, dark video. Love everything about it. Her second single 'Bank' is also a rad song and video. I want more Puer!

2. SPICA - You Don't Love Me
3. 40 - Counting Stars
4. Neon Bunny - It's You
5. Orange Caramel - Catallena

6. Lee Seung Hwan - What Happens Only To Me

A video that I haven't seen on any other list. Interesting vocals, the chilling build to a much larger choral sound, and the video is exquisite theater with a beautiful color palette.

7. Park Hyo Shin - Wild Flower
8. Eric Nam - Ooh Ooh

9. Jay Park - Metronome

Unconscious/restrained/struggling women showed up in a lot of 2014 videos for some reason. It's forgiven here (kind of) for being in an overall great video. Love the repetition of metronomes, pendulums, and swinging objects. And the song has been stuck in my head since April.

10. Akdong Musician - Melted
11. 15& - Sugar
12. Kim Yeon Woo - Move
13. AOA - Short Hair

14. f(x) - Red Light


f(x)'s comeback was one of the very few girl groups not falling into the 'overtly sexy' or 'sugary cute' categories. In a year of seeing the same styling over and over again, Red Light was a breath of fresh air.

15. Block B - HER
16. Ra.D - As Always
17. HyunA - RED
18. Taemin - Danger

19. Orange Caramel - My Copycat


Catallena is probably the stronger song and was also a major highlight of the year. But My Copycat brilliantly tapped into all our nostalgia in a delightfully colorful way. I'm hoping Orange Caramel continues down this road.

20. EXID - UP&DOWN
21. John Park - U
22. IU - Sogyeokdong

23. Kiha & the Faces - Mine


Got a great song and no budget? Just dance like a spaz in a warehouse with a few costume changes. This is my favorite music video of the year. No joke. This is forever my jam.

24. VIXX - Error
25. Epik High -Born Hater

26. Purfles - 1,2,3


One of the strongest debuts in all of Kpop. I love the transition in and out of the bridge. Some tight production and good vocals on display.

27. MATE - BABY
28. Hyolyn x JooYoung - Erase

29. MAMAMOO - Pianoman


MAMAMOO completely owned everyone right out of the gate. I would prefer to put Mr. Ambiguous in this list for the song and video, except for the long minutes spent pranking these ladies to the point of tears... ruining an otherwise perfect MV for me. :(
Luckily Pianoman featured these brilliant women, right at the end of the year, with appropriate focus.

30. Guckkasten - Transformation


My favorite 'classic' Idol group videos are Block B's HER and AOA's SHort Hair.
My album of the year is JYJ's Just Us.

3 comments:

  1. Great list. I agree with everything you have to say about Mamamoo (my personal favorite group of the year). I have no idea why they had to tack on that prank in the middle of the video. They least they could do is release an edited version of Mr. Ambiguous that skips the nonsense.

    Thanks for the great blog. I'm constantly checking in to stay on top of all things K-pop.

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    Replies
    1. I was so hopeful there would be a prank-less version of Mr. Ambiguous, but after a couple months I had to admit to myself it would probably never happen. That was a sad day. Lol. I'm with you about MAMAMOO. Sooooo good. They have a ton of potential to continuously put out fantastic work for a long time. Looking forward to it!

      I just checked out your selections for 'Must Listen' tracks for the year. Perfect choices! I'm so glad you enjoy the blog. Thank you!

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    2. Wow, thanks for checking out my list. You rock! The only reason I ever heard Seo In Young's "Thinking of You" was because of Kpoppy. Cheers!

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