Wednesday, January 31, 2018
[MV] LOOΠΔ / Go Won - One&Only
Go Won is the 11th member of LOONA!
There will be just one more introduced, a final sub-unit with her, Yves, Chuu, and Go Won, and then a full group debut?! We'll see!
This track has some 3D effects with parts of the instrumental pulsating between your ears if you use headphones.
[MV] DEAN - instagram
Subtitles are available on the video.
DEAN got an all-kill on the charts with this at the end of December.
Lots of folks were hoping for an MV.
[MV] Kate Kim - So Long, Baby
Pretty tight.
She was using simply KATE before, so I think I'll change her tag to Kate Kim for her older stuff, too.
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
[MV] 1LLIONAIRE X AMBITION - No Switchin' Sides
Dok2, The Quiett, Kim Hyo Eun, Hash Swan, and Changmo.
Monday, January 29, 2018
[MV] Red Velvet - Bad Boy
More towards the velvet side of things with an R&B groove. I like it, but then SM's insistence to include odd sound effects. The walking/heel clicks that repeat a few times are driving me nuts. It's like Red Flavor all over again. Lol.
The MV has a frustrating amount of cuts for me and feels a bit discombobulated, but they look stunning!
[MV] Yoon Jong Shin - Slow Star
The skater is Lee June-hyoung, who has qualified for the Winter Olympics.
Friday, January 26, 2018
[MV] Yuri X DJ Raiden - Always Find You
Station2 #41
#40 was a Michael Jackson tribute with BoA and Siedah Garrett, covering Man in the Mirror.
There's also an English version of Yuri's track. I'll put it after the cut.
[MV] Cho Jung Chi (feat. FROMM) - Perks of break up
Cho Jung Chi composed (along with his wife, Jung-In) and I think he's the guitarist.
FROMM singing.
Love the video. The dancer is fabulous.
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
[MV] fromis_9 - To Heart
Pure catchy girl group fun at its best, imo. Excellent follow-up to their debut/pre-debut.
[DEBUT] Celeb Five - I Wanna Be a Celeb
I have no idea if they'll do more than this or if it's just a one-off thing for fun. Celeb Five is a group of comedians: Song Eun Yi, Shin Bong Sun, Ahn Young Mi, Kim Young Hee, and Kim Shin Young. Super Junior's Shindong directed it.
This video/dance is a parody(?) or tribute(?) to Tomioka Dance Club, which is a Japanese performance team who had an 80s inspired piece go viral. They've appeared on a ton of Japanese shows since then. They're absolutely worth a watch if you've never seen them perform before.
[MV] Jonghyun - Before Our Spring
This one is a tribute from the company. It's a compilation of little clips from throughout his career. The song is the final track on the album and is the most emotionally resonant to the circumstances, so I wouldn't recommend watching/listening if that would be too overwhelming for you.
I'll put a translation of the lyrics in the full post.
I'll put a translation of the lyrics in the full post.
Monday, January 22, 2018
[MV] Jonghyun - Shinin'
*deep breaths*
SM Entertainment announced that all earnings from Jonghyun's album will go to his mother and a foundation for people seeking help. His family gave their full support for its release as it seems that was his intention.
Many fans are choosing to purchase the album now, but will refrain from watching the music video or listening to the album until they are emotionally ready to do so. Please, do what is best for your own feelings. You are under no obligation to experience Jonghyun's final work the way anyone else is. Honor your own needs.
I have listened to the album. I did that first before watching the video. It's very beautiful. Mostly upbeat and playful. It's quite on-trend with lots of house/tropical influence, but with that underlying jazzy/bluesy sound that feels characteristic of his overall work. Jonghyun's stunning voice is the star of the whole show, as it should be. The vocal production is absolutely gorgeous.
For me, it was a cathartic and relieving experience, which I'm grateful for.
Thank you, Jonghyun.
SM Entertainment announced that all earnings from Jonghyun's album will go to his mother and a foundation for people seeking help. His family gave their full support for its release as it seems that was his intention.
Many fans are choosing to purchase the album now, but will refrain from watching the music video or listening to the album until they are emotionally ready to do so. Please, do what is best for your own feelings. You are under no obligation to experience Jonghyun's final work the way anyone else is. Honor your own needs.
I have listened to the album. I did that first before watching the video. It's very beautiful. Mostly upbeat and playful. It's quite on-trend with lots of house/tropical influence, but with that underlying jazzy/bluesy sound that feels characteristic of his overall work. Jonghyun's stunning voice is the star of the whole show, as it should be. The vocal production is absolutely gorgeous.
For me, it was a cathartic and relieving experience, which I'm grateful for.
Thank you, Jonghyun.
Sunday, January 21, 2018
[DEBUT] Holland - Neverland
I believe Holland is completely independent. No label. He funded his debut with crowd-sourcing.
His vocals seem a little weak along with the production. But it's super important to have representation for openly gay artists and same-sex relationships in Kpop, so I'm here for that!
The video is very sweet.
[MV] EOS - A luminous cat
Had to look them up. It's a three-man production team that debuted in like '92 or '93.
But the last thing they did was in '95? That's a bit of a gap! Kinda fun.
[MV] JIMIN (AOA) - Hey
No noticeable difference in audio quality between the uploads this time.
[FNC upload]
[WKorea upload]
[MV] MIGYO - Nevertheless
Official channel link
MIGYO (DaHye) was in both Bob Girls and LoveUs, but both have disbanded.
This is her solo debut.
[MV/MEDIA] THE UNI+ (B and G videos)
I haven't continued to watch The Unit, but there are four new music videos for the B and G groups so I'll put them all together in one post.
The rest in the full post.
The rest in the full post.
Thursday, January 18, 2018
[MV] Sunmi - Heroine
Supposedly this is like a prequel to Gashina.
It's really interesting. A bit jarring on the first listen, but a few more and it's pretty satisfying.
The chord progression is very common, but I like the punchy brass and bass. That makes it for me.
Trying to figure out if the lyrics are sarcastic... lol. I'll just pretend they are.
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
[PROMO/CF] Jay Park (feat. Woo Won Jae, Jessi) - RUN IT
Nike's new Just Do It campaign with some Olympics flavor.
GRAY produced.
Monday, January 15, 2018
[MV] Wooyoung (2PM) - Party Shots
This is a combination of my least favorite trends from 2009 and 2017 in one track. Lol.
Sunday, January 14, 2018
[AUDIO] Park Hyo Shin - Sound of Winter
I basically never post anything without a music video, but it doesn't seem like this one is getting an MV and it's too beautiful to not post. Can't go wrong with Hyo Shin. It's quite a long track, but worth closing your eyes and just spacing out while listening.
Thursday, January 11, 2018
[COVER] Weki Meki - Butterfly
Remake of a Loverholic's track from the OST for 'Take Off', which was a movie about Ski-jumping. Might hear this song a fair bit in relation to the upcoming Olympics.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
[MV] OH MY GIRL - Secret Garden
Official channel link
Just listened to the mini-album. This is probably my least favorite on it. Love O'clock, Sixteen, and Magic all have the kind of distinctive percussion I associate with Oh My Girl and I prefer them much more.
Monday, January 8, 2018
[MV] INFINITE - Tell Me
Official channel link
First release since Hoya's departure from the group.
Perfectly decent track. I just feel like they've been losing their unique flavor over their last few promotional periods. Sounding more like everyone else now.
Saturday, January 6, 2018
[MV] Jo Woochan, Park Hyunjin, ACHILLO - OGZ
Cube channel link
Starship channel link
These kids are rapper trainees. They were all born in 2005. Woochan (SMTM6) is from Cube. Hyunjin (K-Pop STar 6) and ACHILLO are from Starship. It's a temporary group known as OG School Project.
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
[MV] Song Ju Hee - Twenty-something
I think Lime and Yooyoung are the rappers. All three from Hello Venus.
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
[MV] Planetarium Records - Blah
Collaboration of Planetarium records artists: Kei.G, Jung Jinwoo, Villain, June, Gaho, and Moti.
[MV] TRCNG - WOLF BABY
It's horror-themed, but very comedic/light-hearted.
Like a cute version of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'.
Official channel link
Like a cute version of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'.
Official channel link
Monday, January 1, 2018
[PLAYLIST] KPOPPY's Best Of 2017 : The Eclectic Mix
I'm looking back at 2017 with a heavy sigh. I think my playlist might reflect some of my mood. Fair warning. It was a tough year personally and I found myself more and more gravitating towards emotionally resonant or calming material.
Characteristics of Kpop for the year? I believe we're finally nearing the end of the Tropical House bonanza. The relentless 'Frankenstein' tracks, which were packed full of too many disparate ideas in the first half of the year, have mellowed out. Kpop has felt more coherent from track to track in the last few months. Still lots of trap percussion. Too much, probably. Moving more towards Future Bass as the tropical stuff fades. Things felt like they got kinda nuts in 2017, so I'm pondering if we'll move towards even more traditional structures and sounds (Despacito clones, for example) or we'll move in an entirely different direction.
I don't typically mention fashion, but there were distinct trends. The ladies traded in their high-waisted shorts for cheerleader skirts and skater dresses. That started in 2016, but it was pushed super hard this year. Flats and kitten heels are still pretty standard, which I continue to love. Stay out of the high heels as long as you can, girls! The gentlemen really fascinated me. There was almost a uniform that developed. Huge over-sized button-up dress shirts, half-tucked into slightly too-short pants, chokers, and dangly earrings. No complaints from me. Men with long, elaborate earrings is apparently something I'm into. Ahem. The more you know...
Mullets can disappear forever though. Please. PLEASE.
Kpop got very cosmic. Lots of big space themes. Star fields, celestial bodies, nebulae. Eclipse imagery was pervasive. Suns and moons. This really intrigued me considering the major eclipse story of the year was across the continental United States. Nothing in Korea. Kpop is absolutely serving a global marketplace, if there was still any doubt.
The rules, as always. Only songs with music videos. No OSTs. All Korean language. No repeating artists (tweaked this one a bit for one case -- sue me).
Okay, music! Let's go!
MY TOP 30 ECLECTIC MIX for 2017 in chronological order only:
[The full playlist link on Youtube]
- SEVENTEEN - HIGHLIGHT
- NCT 127 - Limitless
- DAY6 - I Wait
- I (feat. Tiger JK) - I Wish
- Dreamcatcher - Chase Me
- KLANG - THE WANTED
- BTS - Spring Day
- Taeyeon - I Got Love
- Subin - Circle's Dream
- WINNER - REALLY REALLY
- LABOUM - Hwi Hwi
- VIXX - Shangri-La
- Kim Lip (LOONA) - Eclipse
- MARMELLO - PUPPET
- SHANNON (feat. Lil Boi) - LOVE DON'T HURT
- The Barberettes - Summer Love
- The KOXX - Blister
- Lim Sooyeon - Cigarette
- LONGGUO & SHIHYUN - the.the.the
- The Rose - Sorry
- DMEANOR - Right Here
- SUNMI - Gashina
- Hoody - HANGANG
- PEEJAY X Zion.T - NA B YA
- Jimin (BTS) - Serendipity
- MXM - I'M THE ONE
- Jay Park x Double K x Boi.B - REBORN
- THE SOLUTIONS - Thumbs Up
- Wanna One - Beautiful
- Younha - Parade
I'll highlight a bunch, add in some more thoughts, and include honorable mentions in the full post. I have a bunch of b-side, English, and otherwise interesting tracks I want to mention this year.
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