Saturday, December 24, 2016

Happy Holidays from KPOPPY!

It's the annual holiday slow-down for Kpop releases, so I'll take the opportunity to wish the regulars a very happy holiday season. I hope you all get to enjoy time with friends and family. And if you can't do that, take some time for self-care. Eat delicious things, watch fun movies, marathon TV shows, catch up on sleep, and be kind to yourself... especially with all the unsettling things happening around the world.


SEVENTEEN and Gugudan put some adorable Christmas versions of recent tracks up today. Super cute.
Enjoy!


SEVENTEEN - BOOMBOOM (Santa version):



Gugudan - Wonderland (Santa Girl version):

[MV] EVE (feat. Heechul) - Melody



I had no idea EVE was still a thing. Been a while.

Thursday, December 22, 2016

[COVER] Wendy - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

With Moon Jungjae and Lee Nile.



Station #46

[MV] SS301 - MY UNIVERSE

[MV] NADA (WA$$UP) - Seorae Village

[MV] Sugardonut - A Song Of November



More lovely scenes of the protests!

[MV] SF9 - So Beautiful



Official channel link

[MV] G2 (feat. GRAY) - 1999

[OST] Junsu - The Way Things Are (+ 'Cake Love')



For the musical 'Death Note' running in January.

Junsu also just did a collaboration with The Black Skirts. Only a lyric video, but I'll put it in the full post because it's pretty cool, so I'm having a fangirl moment.

[MV] Risso - Baby Baby Baby

[MV] Kim Jinsol - Beauty

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

[MV] Kang Hyun Min X Mad Soul Child - It's Me

[MV] 2BIC (with Kassy) - Missing You

[MV] BolBBalgan4 - Tell Me You Love Me

[MV] NCT 127 (feat. SR15B) - Switch

[MV] Jimin Park, D.ear - Look Alike

[MV] SoulstaR - Stick With Me

[MV] Yoon Jong Shin - Anyway It's Christmas



Poignant animations.

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

[MV] Apink - 'Cause You're My Star



Official channel link

[MV] LOOΠΔ / HeeJin, HyunJin, HaSeul – The Carol



3/12
Made of money, I tell ya!

[MV] LOOΠΔ / HaSeul - Let Me In



HaSeul is the 3rd member introduced for Loona. 9 to go!

I've also come to the conclusion that this company is made of money.

[MV] TheEastLight - I am what I am

[MV] VAV - Here I am



Still trying to understand why the mix on this group never sounds right.
There's always this disconnect between the vocals and track. They fight each other.

[MV] Junoflo - Deja Vu

[MV] sAewoo & YUNHWAY - $.E.D

[MV] C.O.G - Who

[MV] glowingdog - The Hermit

Monday, December 12, 2016

[MV] BIG BANG - Last Dance



Huge long-awaited comeback to finalize the MADE album. And it will be the last comeback as a group until all the members complete their military service.  I believe TOP will be enlisting first... February-ish? Enjoyed hearing him sing for this track.

[MV] BIG BANG - FXXK IT

[DEBUT] K.A.R.D - Oh NaNa



Official channel link
KARD is DSP's new co-ed group. The final roster is being kept secret by DSP. Apparently there might be 7 total members eventually.

[MV] SKA WAKERS - Peacetime



Really wanted to post this one considering there likely won't be much material related to the peaceful protests and impeachment of President Park Geun-hye from mainstream artists.
It has been a huge deal in South Korea, so I'll take this opportunity to mention it.
The Ask a Korean! blog has a series of great articles following the debacle. Here are two:
The Irrational Downfall of Park Geun-hye
Impeachment: Where does Korea Go from Here?

[MV] SLEEPY - Oh Yeah



Official channel link

[MV] Danpyunsun and the Sailors - National Anthem

[MV] Brand New Music - Already Christmas



Official channel link

Yang Da Il, Chancellor, MC GREE, As One, and Kang Min Hee.

[MV] LYn - 20th Century Carol

Friday, December 9, 2016

[MV] JESSICA - WONDERLAND



Pretty!

[MV] SS301 - REMOVE

[MV] BEAT WIN - Rising Sun



Strong contender for most unintentionally cringe-y video of the year.

Edit: Little kid version... ?

[DEBUT] GLABINGO - 'AS FEEL' and 'Memories Latte'

AS FEEL:


Memories Latte:



Official channel link

Pretty strong debut for a solo R&B dude.

[DEBUT] Villain - Rainy Night

[MV] DARI (feat. XOi) - Time Line



Dari is a member of DMTN.
Solo activities while the group is on indefinite hiatus.

[MV] DTSQ - MIND GAME

Far East Movement - IDENTITY ( Kpop collaborations)

Last month, Far East Movement released their IDENTITY album. It features a handful of Kpop artists on some pretty great tracks, so I wanted to feature them all in one post!
There are currently two three full relevant MVs. I'll put all of the audio tracks and other teasers in the full post.

Don't Speak
  • Featuring SNSD's Tiffany
  • Far East Movement and King Chain


Freal Luv

  • Featuring EXO's Chanyeol
  • Far East Movement, Marshmello, and Tinashe


Fighter
  • Featuring Yoon Mi Rae
  • Far East Movement and Autolaser


This one made me cry lots. Lots and lots.

Hyolyn, Jay Park, Urban Zakapa, and Loco are through the jump...

Friday, December 2, 2016

[OST] G2 - Young & Alive



From the Entourage OST.

[OST] Chanyeol, Punch - Stay With Me



From the Goblin OST.

[MV] Microdot - Shake It

[MV] LABOUM - Winter Story

[DEBUT] dob - Deep Sleep

[MV] Double K (feat. Seo In Guk, Dok2) - OMG

[MV] Starship Planet - Love Wishes



Official channel link

Junggigo, Mad Clown, Hyunseong (Boyfriend), Brother Su, Yoo Seungwoo, and Kihyun (MONSTA X).

Thursday, December 1, 2016

[MV] National Pigeon Unity - Supertask

[MV] Hyoyeon - Mystery



Station #43
I really like Hyoyeon as a performer. Nice to have something solo for her. The chorus seems really flat to me unfortunately. Love the feel of the rest of it.

[ADMIN] Yep, KPOPPY is down...

Sorry about that. I get a very slow and steady amount of traffic to the KPOPPY site and blog with very limited bandwidth needs. But there was a sudden and unexplained spike just over the last couple days.

Edit: It's back up now! Yay! I'll leave the graphs in the full post for the lulz.

Friday, November 25, 2016

[MV] National Pigeon Unity - Molotov Cocktail

[MV] Mad Clown (feat. Lee Haeri) - Lie



Official channel link

This reminds me a lot of old Leessang.

[MV] STEREOTYPE - Falling

[MV] Zitten - The First Snow

[OST] Yoon Mi Rae - You are my World



The Legend of the Blue Sea OST

[MV] Adios Audio - Bam Bam Bam

[COVER] Jo Jung Suk, D.O. - Don't Worry



Original by Jeon In Kwon.
Re-made for the film 'Hyung'.

[DEBUT] H.U.B - The Time We Spent Together

[MV] TAK (feat. SURAN) - VOICE



Barely an MV, but it's Suran on an EDM track!
Kinda cool!

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

[MV] Kim Sejeong - Flower Road



Zico produced!

[MV] JeA - Winter, It's You



Also a short version of You o'clock:

[MV] BADKIZ - Ear Attack 2



Ear Attack was actually their debut single in 2014. This is a re-release.

[MV] Leebada - Drug

[DEBUT] wetter - who

[MV] Park Juhee - The Way To Love

[MV] SISTAR (with Giorgio Moroder) - One More Day

Light warning for domestic violence theme... nothing too graphic.



Official channel link

Absolutely no idea how this collab with Moroder came about.
EDM legend and a half.
Also, the video... kind of a nice leap for LGBT representation!

[MV] 2LSON (feat. WINee) - LUB DUB

[MV] SIXTH SENSE - Don't Go

[MV] KREAM - Good Morning

Saturday, November 19, 2016

[MEDIA] 88rising - Seo Taiji is the OG Legend of Korean Music



Bringing some attention to this channel. There's some strange stuff in there. A similar style to VICE. Mostly far East Asian culture related content. They've had a handful of videos related to Kpop, but I thought this quick one on Seo Taiji was pretty cool.

A touch of Kpop history for your weekend.

[OST] Reddy (feat. Kim Boa) - Even You



From the Entourage OST.

[OST] Samuel Seo - Entourage



From the Entourage OST.

[MV] Heechul X Min Kyunghoon - Sweet Dream



Station #41

Oh, heavens. Lol. This is related to episode 51 of Knowing Brothers. It's a show hosted by a bunch of celebrity dudes who have all been through big scandals. They're mostly taking the piss out of each other the whole time.

The woman featured in the MV is Twice's Momo.

[MV] Chancellor (feat. Dok2) - MURDA

NSFW: Adult club, exotic/pole dancing...



Official channel link

[MV] JOOSUC (feat. Sanchez) - I Kno

[MV] CANDO (Feat. Louie) - Good Night

[MV] SG Wannabe - Missing You

Bit of an upsetting jump-scare at about 2:50.

[MV] Kebee - YA

[MV] KNK - U



KNK was supposed to have a proper MV out a few days ago, but their company announced the release would be cancelled due to quality issue. Quite a shame.
At least they put this performance version up.

[MV] VOISPER - Learn To Love

[MV] Ashmute - Heaven

[MV] Sugardonut - Piece of Yellow

[MV] JUNGGIGO (feat. Paloalto) - Hey Bae



Official channel link

[MV] CAR, THE GARDEN - Gimme Love

Thursday, November 10, 2016

[AUDIO] MoonMoon - Contrail



I just love this song, so I'm posting it retroactively.

[MV] Sunday X Kim Tae Hyun (Dickpunks) - Still



Station #40

[MV] LOOΠΔ / HyunJin – Around You



Full length MV (10:32)

LOOΠΔ (Loona) will be a 12-member girl group. Each member will debut with a single as "Girl of the Month" over the next year until the full group is formed. HyunJin is the second.

[MV] Standing EGG - VOICE



Official channel link

[COVER] Yoo Seung Woo, Yoo Yeonjung - I will be on your side



The original is by an artist called 'Coffee Boy'.

[MV] IMFACT - Feel So Good

[MV] HiNi - Coming Home

[MV] MAS 0094 - Starlight

[MV] Kyuhyun - Blah Blah

[DEBUT] MOMOLAND - JJan! Koong! Kwang!



Official channel link

[MV] ASTRO - Confession

[MV] Kyuhyun - Still

[DEBUT] D.I.P - FIZZ

[MV] T-ARA - TIAMO



Pretty video.

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

[ADMIN] A little delay...

A bunch of new releases over the last day. But I'm thoroughly exhausted and trying not to despair over the political situation in the US right now. I'll crawl out of the fetal position in a day or two and catch up.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

[MV] Hyolyn - Paradise



Official channel link

Hyorin always looks like she's having the greatest time performing and I love that.

[MV] EXO-CBX - The One



A bit of comic relief.
I believe this was played at their recent concerts.

[DEBUT] VICTON - I'm Fine



Official channel link

They put a trailer out last week.
Performance version of 'What time is it now?':

[MV] SEVENTEEN SVT - Check-In



Late to posting this.
Promoting the first mixtape of SEVENTEEN's hip hop subunit SVT

[MV] The Stray (feat. Kriz) - Deep



Smoooooth.

[MV] offonoff - Photograph

[MV] Eyedi - Not lonely

[MV] Danpyunsun and the Sailors - Giant

Sunday, November 6, 2016

[MV] MAMAMOO - Décalcomanie



EDIT: The original MV has since been taken down and replaced. Looks like there were enough complaints about Solar's scene that they removed those clips. I'm pleased with that result. I'll leave my initial reaction intact. Very glad RBW was least able to change that little bit.

Oh MAMAMOO, and the mixed feelings you give me...

The song is good. I especially liked the intro part although it becomes a more standard pop song for the rest.
The MV though. Oh, the MV. They look absolutely fantastic. The part with them in menswear and the mirrored performance was rad. I wish that had been more fully explored. Instead there is this long interlude that removes you from the song as you watch each member 'played' by some dude. And there are all my least favorite romantic tropes. Wrist-grabs. Turning someone around bodily. Trapping someone against a wall. With the kiss scenes, consent is pretty clear with a couple of them. One is dubious. And then Solar's looks like a full-on sexual assault. It turned my stomach and poisoned the whole well for me.

So I'm upset about that.

My hope is there will be a performance version without the uncomfortable interlude.
I kinda feel the genre of song, which is borderline country, doesn't fit with the MV concept at all.
But I think they'll work it out for the live performances. Don't they always? XD


(flashbulb strobe lighting in the 2nd half)


They also released a concert MV for 'Tears'. I'll put that in the full post.
It's pretty cute with messages from family members at the end. Emotional. T_T

[MV] B.A.P - SKYDIVE

WARNING: Copious amounts of gratuitous gun violence and some imagery of a woman who has been tortured/killed. (Same style as One Shot)



Official channel link

The classic 'Women in Refrigerators'. . Gotta say I'm a little tired of it as a concept for boy groups in Kpop.

[MV] BTOB - I'll be your man

[MV] ToppDogg - Rainy Day

[MV] BASTARZ - That's Right

Saturday, November 5, 2016

[MV] Sam Kim - Seattle



Lee Jin Ah on piano!

[MV] Hyukoh - MASITNONSOUL



Partly an MV. Partly a promotion for the new Kdrama 'Entourage' based on the American TV series of the same name. We can expect a bunch of big names on this OST.

Thursday, November 3, 2016

[DEBUT] TheEastLight - Holla



A fairly fresh sound among the other pop/rock bands.

[MV] KANGTA - Diner

[MV] BOYS24 (Unit Yellow) - E



I don't have the best understanding of how this show worked. But 'Unit Yellow' seems to have been the primary winner of the BOYS24 survival show. Units White, Green, and Sky, might also have MVs eventually? Not sure.

Performance version with all winning units:

[MV] Yang Da Il - Don't Leave

[MV] WABLE - Wind Petals

[MV] Rainbow Arcade - Again, Morning



Nice sound.

[MV] 24 Hours - Our Night

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

[MV] Taeyeon - 11:11



Live Acoustic Version in the full post...

[MV] JENYER - I DO



Not totally sure if 'JENYER' is the correct name yet.
This is Jiyoon from the now disbanded 4Minute with her solo debut.

[MV] MC MONG - 'Tears' and 'Visual Gangster'

Tears (feat. Darin of Highcolor):


Visual Gangster (feat. Eunji of Apink):

[MV] Reddy - Ocean View

[MV] KATE - I Don't Wanna Go

[MV] LiVii - Beautiful Creature

[MV] Hanumpa - Howling

[MV] BLACKPINK - Playing with Fire



Jam.
I like that the sound is more cohesive than their debut releases.

[MV] BLACKPINK - STAY



Definitely Lonely 2.0.

[MV] Berry Good - Don't Believe



Lots of stuff derivative of that Major Lazer kinda sound now.
I think it works well here.

But the styling for the performance shots is borderline unforgivable. Yikes...

[MV] Hyolyn (feat. Jay Park) - One Step



Official channel link

Thursday, October 27, 2016

[MV] Crucial Star (feat. Kim Na Young) - Fall

[MV] Sung Si Kyung, Jung Yumi - Andromeda



So gentle.

[MV] NC.A - Next Station

[MV] Paloalto - Victories

[MV] Superkidd - Sunance



This put a smile on my face. So cute.

[MV] Jay Park X 1 MILLION - All I Wanna Do



Loco and Hoody featuring on the track.

Really appreciate this choreo vid. 1MILLION is a popular dance studio/channel on Youtube. Cool to feature Youtube dancers for Jay park, who re-started his own career after 2PM by starting his own channel and getting involved in dance communities online and in the States again.

Here's the 'Making Of' on 1MILLION's channel

[MV] Hyungdon & Daejune - Sexy Side



Lel.

[MV] Kei (LOVELYZ) X THE SOLUTIONS - Beautiful



Unexpected, but refreshing collab!

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

[MV] MIRYO, GIANTPINK - Rock-Scissors-Paper



Official channel link

Both of these women were contestants in Unpretty Rapstar 3 and Giant Pink was the winner.

[MV] Hyolyn (feat. Dok2) - Love Like This



Official channel link

[MV] Jay Park - Me Like Yuh (English)



Sometimes I wonder if Jay Park ever sleeps.
Dude puts out a lot of work.
His 'Everything You Wanted' album released back on the 20th.
The Korean version of 'Me Like Yuh' featuring Hoody on the album is probably my favorite track.

[Later edit: A choreography video is now available with the full Korean version]


I hadn't posted his 'Aquaman' video, because I get pickier with stuff that's all English... and the lyrics are rather NSFW explicit. Albeit, hilariously. Ha!

I'll throw it in this full post since we're swimming in the same space, categorically-speaking.

[MV] SPACECOWBOY (feat. Woo Joo) - Insomnia

[MV] COUNTER RESET -- 'Do your Best' and 'Tomorrow'

DO YOUR BEST:


TOMORROW:

[MV] HIGH4 20 - Weekend

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Monday, October 17, 2016

[MV] Big Brain - Sick

[MV] WE ARE THE NIGHT - You Are In



Official channel link

[MV] Kim Na Young - Watch Memories

[MV] IOI - Very Very Very



This will be IOI's last promotion as a full group.

[MV] SEVENTEEN - Healing

[DEBUT] OhBliss - BUNNYBUNNY



The melody is weirdly very similar to AOA's 'Like a Cat'.

[MV] Aisle - Happy Magic Candy

[MV] I'M - Try



Seogoong is a former member of ToppDogg.
This is his solo debut.

[MV] Roydo (feat. KittiB) - About You

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

[MV] LADIES' CODE - The Rain

Gentle warning for flashing lights.



Absolutely loving the Ladies' Code look and sound. Really like that Monotree style of late.
The MV has a bit too much of the fast jumps. Still gorgeous.

[MV] Khalil Fong (feat. Zion.T & Crush) - Flavor




A Chinese/Korean collaboration. Sounds pretty cool.

[MV] 100% - Better Day

[MV] DAVICHI - Beside Me

[MV] MC GREE - Dangerous



Official channel link

How to be an insane boyfriend. Lol.

[MV] Shin Yong Jae - Lean On

[MV] Hwang Chi Yeul X Eunha (feat. Lil Boi) - Firefly

Thursday, October 6, 2016

[MV] SECHSKIES - THREE WORDS



Dude. I'm teary-eyed.
About 16 years since they disbanded. Lots of fun to see these guys performing together again this year. Congrats to Sechs Kies!
Been a handful of 1st Generation resurrections recently. Apparently SES is trying to do something too. Gotta be emotional and thrilling for those oldschool fans.
Btw, Tablo did most of the lyrics/composition.

[MV] Alesso X Chen - Years



Station #35

[MV] M.C THE MAX - You you and you

[MV] Minhyun&JR (NU'EST) - Daybreak

[DEBUT] Ants - Pretty

[MV] Lee Seung Hwan - Just Goodbye

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

[DEBUT] SF9 - Fanfare



Official channel link

FNC's first boy group debut!

[MV] KIXS (feat. Uji) - Regret

[PROMO/CF] DΞΔN - Put My Hands On You



Collab with Saucony Shoes.

[MV] VOISPER (feat. Jeon Miri) - Heart

[MV] Stella Jang - Transfer

[MV] Scarlet Mojo-Pin - I Feel the Swing



Makes me want to get up and do the Charleston.

[MV] Soumband - Road

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

[MV] SHINee - 1 of 1



WHAT YEAR IS IT?!
Someone had so much fun styling this.
Great vocals. A little New Jack Swing. The melody is surprisingly similar to Married to the Music. Interesting choice.
Can't wait to see them perform it live. Those pure choreography shots are killer.

[MV] Ailee (feat. Yoon Mi Rae) - Home



Official channel link

Interesting drag on that trap beat.

[MV] LOOΠΔ / HeeJin - ViViD



LOOΠΔ (Loona) will be a 12-member girl group. Each member will debut with a single as "Girl of the Month" over the next year until the full group is formed. HeeJin is the first.

[MV] JERO, Dok2 - Paradise

[DEBUT] SIXTH SENSE - Feel Me



Honestly, not too bad for a super low-budget debut.

[MV] Kim Seulong - JACK POT



This is pretty tight. Nicely jamming rock track.
Not to be confused with 2AM's Lim Seulong.
I think this guy debuted back in April. But this is his first MV.

Thursday, September 29, 2016

[MV] Dalshabet - FRI. SAT. SUN



Official channel link

I like that quick hook melody right at the top of the chorus.
Not loving the rest. The tempo changes are interesting though!

[MV] Park Hyo Shin - Breath



Another one of those lingering Hyoshin ballads I keep playing.
Like Wild Flower.
So pretty.

[MV] JUNGGIGO - Nocturne

Kinda NSFW for sexy-times.



08 00

[MV] Lim Heonil - GOOD

[MV] RIOT KIDZ - Stereotypes



These guys have been around since 2011, I think? just super-indie.
All English, but the sound took me back to my middle school days. Like Blink 182, Sum41, early 2000s pop punk. Had to post because... nostalgia.

Monday, September 26, 2016

[MV] Kanto (feat. Eddy Kim) - Lonely



Official channel link

[MV] Crayon Pop - Doo Doom Chit



They're back! Without helmets!

#JusticeforACSIIcats

⊂_\
      \ \   Λ _ Λ             
           \ (  ⁃ㅅ⁃ )
                 ⟩     ⏜\
                /         へ \
               /        /      \  \
              /        /        \_⊃

[MV] Apink - Only One



Official channel link

[MV] Fromm (feat. Giriboy) - Pieces of You and Me



Every frame a painting.

[MV] The Barberettes - Love Shoes

[MV] Tim - Drawing

[MV] Crystal Tea - Express Boyfriend



Very Jrock.

[MV] BTS (J-Hope) - WINGS 'Boy Meets Evil'



A lot of BTS stuff this month. I think this is just the intro track.
They all had short films leading up to this. I'll compile after the cut.

Friday, September 23, 2016

[MV] BADA X Ryeowook - Cosmic



Station #33

Apparently this was a dream collaboration for Ryeowook, which is very sweet.
He will be starting his military service on October 11th.

Saturday, September 17, 2016

[MV] Yoo Jaesuk X EXO - Dancing King



Station #32

Been a slow week for releases due to the Chuseok holiday.
Wasn't totally sure if there would be a Station, but there is! And it has Jaesuk in it!

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

[MV] DIA - Mr. Potter



I feel like I just dove head-first into a pool of rainbow sherbet. XD
Harry Potter and Beatrix Potter? Kinda?

Thursday, September 8, 2016

[MV] Gain - Carnival (The Last Day)



Well, this was refreshing.
You can always expect big concepts from Gain. Does not disappoint.

Same production/writing team that worked on IU's Modern Times stuff, so if it sounds like Red Shoes there's a reason for it! I love hearing this style in Kpop.

[MV] MOBB - HIT ME and FULL HOUSE

MINO (WINNER) and Bobby (iKON) just released solo stuff and here they are as a collab duo.
This is what we call smart marketing. Lol!

MOBB (feat. KUSH) - HIT ME



MOBB - FULL HOUSE



I really like Hit Me. Super fun.

[MV] IRON - Rock Bottom

[MV] KSUKE x AMBER - BREATHE AGAIN



KSUKE is a Japanese DJ.
Pretty cool little collab.

[MV] SM X BANA - Pit-A-Pat 250



Station #31

Another electro-trippy Station this week.
Immediately made me think of LiVii's recent 'Luna' sound-wise, but Luna has way more substance for me.

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

[MV] Red Velvet - Russian Roulette



Watch Red Velvet try to kill each other.

Lol. I like the concept. Not loving the styling though. Hair and makeup. That odd blush across the nose looks like they've all been sunburnt or recently smacked in the face.

[MV] Bobby- HOLUP!

Warning: Flashing/strobing lights... rather psychedelic in parts.

[MV] NELL - Vain Hope

Thursday, September 1, 2016

[MV] HALO - Mariya

[MV] Hitchhiker - $10



Station #30

I don't think I posted Hitchhiker's previous release because it felt too disconnected from Kpop, but since SM is throwing him on Station, I'll go right ahead. Hitchhiker is one of SM's resident producers. He's made and contributed to some huge Kpop hits, included BEG's Abracadabra.

All of the music and animation is created by him for his own work.
You're always in for a sonic/visual adventure with Hitchhiker. Lol.

Previous video: '11'

[MV] Swings - Your Soul



Good dancer, but the body paint and hair is obviously going to be discussed.
Some of the most blatant blackface I've seen in a while.
I've seen a few folks arguing that the dancer is representing a 'soul'. Well okay, but why is a soul painted black and wearing black braids?
If you're gonna go there, paint her green or blue and no hair or something not ethnically/racially connected.

Strange choice.
I wonder if it was Swings or the dancer or August Frogs who wanted it this way... ?

Later edit: The video was removed due to the blackface it seems...

[COVER] Kei (Lovelyz), myunDo, BUMZU - Y



Original 'Y'

[MV] Choi Gogi, Yu Catnip - Suddenly

Friday, August 26, 2016

[MV] ELO - ROSE

[DEBUT] KREATURES - Some Say

[MV] Triple T (feat. JYP) - Born to be Wild

WARNING: Be very careful watching this if you have light sensitivities. I get ocular migraines sometimes and I had to look away for most of it. Ouch.



Station #29

Triple T is Hyoyeon (SNSD), Min (missA) and Jo Kwon (2AM). JYP produced the track.
Seeing the teaser announcements for this was a trip.
JYP on an SM track?!
I wish the MV wasn't such a mess of filters that we could actually see them dancing properly.

Jo Kwon needs to be in things more.

Thursday, August 25, 2016

[MV] SPICA - Secret Time



Dancing on ALL THE TABLES!
Thrilled to see SPICA back in action after their company being a sh*tshow.
I don't think it's the type of thing that'll be a hit, but I personally love it.
Vocals!

[MV] I.NA - Like a Sunshine

[MV] Django (feat. Paloalto, Kim Hyemi) - Play on, Playa

[MV] Urban Zakapa (feat. Beenzino) - Thursday Night



Lovely!

[DEBUT] I-REN - butt



Considered not posting this at all, but it's a good opportunity to mention the fragmentation tally. I assume this group is yet another of those erotic performance troupes... so that's their thing.

But (heh) the response to this is pretty clear. It makes people uncomfortable. They might pin it on being really sexual or what the women are wearing. And maybe that's really what it is for some folks. But just imagine this same video if you could almost always see their faces and expressions? What if you could actually see the choreography? Wouldn't that improve the way you felt about it? Less voyeuristic and more an appreciation of the full performance.

There's like 15 seconds worth of this video with direct camera angles at their faces. 15 seconds of them as people. The other 3 minutes is a parade of hyper-sexualized body parts. I don't know what it feels like to be sexually attracted to women, but I would guess that someone who does know would prefer way more substance than this. It's basically soft-core porn masquerading as a pop act... poorly.

And knowing some of the dark industry stuff about sponsors and that kind of thing makes me further uncomfortable that I'm watching an advertisement to buy these women for their 'services'.
/ramble-rant

79 03

Monday, August 22, 2016

[MV] Two X - OVER



Didn't even know this group still existed.
I think they might have been active in China?

05 06

[MV] Geeks - Divin'



Official channel link

[MV] LABOUM - Shooting Love



Official channel link

Gotta appreciate the energy here.
I see you LABOUM. I see you.

Performance version:

[MV] Ailee - If You



Lovely gospel kind of groove to this one.
Don't often hear an organ in Kpop!

[MV] Jimin Park - Try



Sounding great as usual.

[DEBUT] VX - What You!



These guys debuted and were active last year with 'Fantasy', but this is their first MV and they'll be participating in music shows for the first time. So I'm calling that a debut.

[MV] Puer Kim - Pearls



Official channel link

I think it's all in English... ?
But it's that The KOXX kind of abstract English. More about what it sounds like than what it says.
Love Puer's voice.

[MV] HyunA (feat. Qim Isle) - Morning Glory

[MV] Bambino - Moonlight Shower



Pretty tame for Bambino. Lol.

[MV] ROMEO - Treasure



Official channel link

[MV] Soul One (feat. EVO) - No Jam

NSFW: More naked cartoon ladies, boobies and sexual context.


15 00

Friday, August 19, 2016

[MV] Jay Park (feat. KIRIN) - CITY BREEZE



I am thoroughly transported to the early 90s.
This is some Immaculate Retroception realness. So fun.

[MV] Tymee - Cinderella

[MV] NELL - Dream Catcher

Minor warning for flashing lights.

[PROMO/CF] Yuri X Seohyun - Secret



Station #28

Advertising collab with Pantene hair products.
So much hair swoosh!

[MV] CL - LIFTED



This is finally CL's OFFICIAL official debut in the US.
Exhibit A for why I prefer not understanding Kpop lyrics. Lol.

My initial reaction was "derivative"... which probably sounds snooty.
I have some conflicted feelings. The relaxed vibe of the track is really nice. I think that works. But the lyrics are entirely about getting high and drinking, which I suppose there's nothing wrong with... it's just so common and tired in American music right now.

Also some potential issues with casting almost entirely black men for the video and essentially using them as props to show how cool CL is. Appropriation issues come up a lot with CL and YG in general. This certainly isn't helping things.

The dudes trampolining (?) up that wall she's sitting on was neat. Most everything else feels like pandering to particular demographics in a rather cringe-y way. MRJ expressed a lot of my concerns in his review.

I've been rooting for CL hard since she debuted. Fantastic performer. I just think everything she did with 2NE1 early on was vastly superior to all the stuff she's done recently. I wish she could bring something vibrant and distinctly 'Kpop' to the US market, instead of something like this safe, corporate, cliche-filled creation.

[DEBUT] MASC - Strange



Official channel link

[MV] Agust D - give it to me

[OST] Junsu - Grow Old Instead of Me



For the upcoming musical Dorian Gray.
Likely his last theatrical run before enlistment.
The video was shot in Prague and the location is gorgeous!

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

[MV] NiiHwa - XYZ



Ooo... the simplicity of this track is ... mmmm.

[MV] EXO - Lotto



Chinese version

All that autotune/vocoder makes me feel like it's 2009. Heh.

[MV] Guckkasten - ULTIMATE



Guckkasten still rocking that OGN promotion for League of Legends.

[MV] StellarJet - Right Before A Storm

[COVER] SPICA - Get Lucky



Praying for SPICA's comeback to be awesome.
In the meantime, lovely little ditty of Daft Punk/Pharrell's Get Lucky... acappella with cups, in 360!

[MV] Hanhae (feat. Jeong Eun Ji) - EYESCREAM



Official channel link

[MV] I.B.I - Molae Molae



LOEN put these five together as the underrated Produce101 contestants that deserved more attention.

Monday, August 15, 2016

[MV] Agust D (Suga) - Agust D



This is Suga from BTS. He just released a mixtape [Soundcloud].
Apparently the name is 'D Town Suga'... backwards. D Town referring to Daegu.
Interesting solo project.
My favorite track on the mixtape is the collab with SURAN. Pretty cool.

[MV] BADKIZ - HOTHAE


28 00

Sunday, August 14, 2016

[MEDIA] YOUTUBERS REACT TO K-POP #5



Featured videos:
  • EXO - Monster
  • IOI - Dream Girls
  • Keith Ape - It G Ma

[MV] VIXX - Fantasy



Dark VIXX is back!
Pretty cool. Seems to have some mix issues... could be a Youtube compression thing again. It's a bit muddy or muffled.

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

[MV] 24K - Still 24K

NSFW: Weirdly gratuitous gun violence...



Official channel link

Never fails to amuse me how knives get blurred in Korean media, but people getting shot in the head... no blurring necessary? Lol.

[MV] JERO (feat. Giriboy) - Airplane



He has been J'Yo as part of Lucky J.
Going by JERO as a soloist, I guess?

[MV] BeatBurger - VAGABOND

[MV] Sanchez (feat. Killagramz) - Claustrophobia



Official channel link

[MV] Jun.K - Young Forever

[MV] 220VOLT (feat. Gyro, Mirror Boy, D.Ham) - Night Glow

[MV] JAENEY - Tell Me Why



Official channel link

Nice voice.
I think this is actually Jaeney's debut. Here's an Adele cover.

Monday, August 8, 2016

[MV] I.O.I - Whatta Man



HYPE!
This is what I wanted from IOI, post-Produce101. But we got some relatively low energy cutesy stuff. BUT NOW THERE'S THIS!

Is it cheating a bit by building almost the entire song on the Salt N Pepa / Linda Lindell hook? Yes.
Do I care? No.
Is it the kind of repetitive I usually don't like? Yes.
Do I like it anyway? Yesssssssss.

Chungha's (black hair) choreo looks great as well.
It's a shame a few of the other members have already moved onto their groups and aren't involved here...

[MV] Jun.K - Think About You



Caught me off guard for Jun.K.
Not into the styling of the cap and 'locks' look.
Sounds great though.

[MV] J-Min - Ready For Your Love



Rather gorgeous.

[DEBUT] BLACKPINK - WHISTLE and BOOMBAYAH

WHISTLE:



BOOMBAYAH:



At long last, YG's new girl group.
Whistle is interesting. Definitely feels like 2NE1 for the new generation... more than I thought it would.
Boombayah got a little too much Frankenstein treatment for me.