Finally, we're here. My top ten. Kudos to all 10 of you who actually read this.
As always, if a song was previously covered in the 6-month list, a link to the original review will be posted.
10. Peek-A-Boo -Red Velvet
My concept is Red Velvet murdering unsuspecting white boys. Conceptually, this video needs no words. I'm also a huge fan of the sound. This is as soft as I've ever heard RV on a track. Even on their 'Velvet' tracks, they tend towards heavier vocals, so it's pleasantly light here. Not that they stray from the usual brassy singing, but it's less here. The instrumental is also very interesting to listen to. It's incredibly haunting in a synth sort of way, which makes it very eerie when paired with the vocals. The chorus in particular sounds a little bit like what I would hear in a comedy filled horror, as it truly sounds like the girls are trying to play a very deadly game with someone. The repetition is awesome as well. I also even like Irene's 'Peek-a-boo's' at the end, even when no one else did.
9. The Real - N.Flying
I would like to thank Based Hoeseung (are we still saying that??) for giving me a reason to listen to this band. This song sounds like something Hedley would have released when Hedley was good. It's pop-rock at it's finest, and I really wasn't expecting something like this to come from kpop. I love the mixture of rap and vocals; unlike most rappers in idol groups, this guy is actually pretty decent. This song has the fucking best bass line of any kpop song this year and you can fucking fight me on this. It really makes a difference in musical quality when you know for any absolute fact that the instruments on the track are actually real and not heavily masked synths and samples. I expect FNC to fuck this up somehow, but I'm remaining hopeful.
8. Take My Hand - April
April fucking killed it this year. All three of their releases were on my top 50 at some point, and that's pretty impressive. First of all, the instrumental is phenomenal. It's all synth and samples, but it's done just so well that I don't even fucking care. Listen to that drum beat; it gets in your head. The melody line is so bright and airy in the verses, but fills out wonderfully in the chorus will some string samples. I'm not holding out for live strings in a kpop song, but I would love to be proven wrong. Vocally, Jinsol holds her on, but it's Chaewon who soars. This is airy, girly pop at it's finest, and other girl groups should take note.
7. Can't Sleep - AOA
Read my original review of this song here.
6. One Last Time - Girls' Generation
It's been established that I love ballads, and Girls' Generation happen to be the queens of ballads. 'One Last Time' is a shining gem on their discography, which is already fantastic. The piano part is written beautifully, and allows for the feeling of the song to extend beyond the lyrics, which tends to be a big problem with international fans listening to Korean ballads. For a ballad, the drum beat is surprisingly strong, but I suppose that goes with the whole mood of the lyrics. Vocally, this has to be one of the strongest of SNSD's ballads, and was definitely the strongest song on the album. All the girls have a chance to sing their heart out, and Hyoyeon and YoonA even get to sing in their range. Seohyun's voice in particular was made to sing this sort of track. The harmonies on this song are what really get me. You can hear the individual voices in the mix, and the harmony is strong at the most impactful moments. It truly feels that this is our one last time with SNSD, so the song holds even more meaning. Truly wonderful.
5. Yesterday - Block B
Read my original review of this song here.
4. Don't Recall - K.A.R.D
Read my original review of this song here.
3. Good Night - Dreamcatcher
Read my original review of this song here.
2. Chase Me - Dreamcatcher
Read my original review of this song here.
1. Fly High - Dreamcatcher
Yes, it's true, I'm a slut for Dreamcatcher. This group so amazingly puts together my love of rock music and groups of girls dancing, and I can't believe it took so long for them to exist. What this song has over their other two releases is the moments of contrast. Most of the song is brighter (only in comparison to their other tracks and not the rest of kpop), but there are wonderful dark rap lines that show the duality of this group. This is yet another kpop song this year with a kickass bass line and beat, but it also has these awesome electric guitar moments only seen in kpop before during GFriend dance breaks. I have listened to this song countless times since it came out, and way more times that any other song on this list, so it received the coveted number one position.
Thank you for enjoying my list! Yes, I really did like Dreamcatcher's releases over any other songs this year. I listened to them far more times than literally every other song because they're just so my style. This list in general, however, was truly an eclectic one, maybe because my music taste has always been like that. Hopefully the ear I have gained for music over the years has put together a good playlist for you all.
Thanks once more. See you soon.
As always, if a song was previously covered in the 6-month list, a link to the original review will be posted.
10. Peek-A-Boo -Red Velvet
My concept is Red Velvet murdering unsuspecting white boys. Conceptually, this video needs no words. I'm also a huge fan of the sound. This is as soft as I've ever heard RV on a track. Even on their 'Velvet' tracks, they tend towards heavier vocals, so it's pleasantly light here. Not that they stray from the usual brassy singing, but it's less here. The instrumental is also very interesting to listen to. It's incredibly haunting in a synth sort of way, which makes it very eerie when paired with the vocals. The chorus in particular sounds a little bit like what I would hear in a comedy filled horror, as it truly sounds like the girls are trying to play a very deadly game with someone. The repetition is awesome as well. I also even like Irene's 'Peek-a-boo's' at the end, even when no one else did.
9. The Real - N.Flying
I would like to thank Based Hoeseung (are we still saying that??) for giving me a reason to listen to this band. This song sounds like something Hedley would have released when Hedley was good. It's pop-rock at it's finest, and I really wasn't expecting something like this to come from kpop. I love the mixture of rap and vocals; unlike most rappers in idol groups, this guy is actually pretty decent. This song has the fucking best bass line of any kpop song this year and you can fucking fight me on this. It really makes a difference in musical quality when you know for any absolute fact that the instruments on the track are actually real and not heavily masked synths and samples. I expect FNC to fuck this up somehow, but I'm remaining hopeful.
8. Take My Hand - April
April fucking killed it this year. All three of their releases were on my top 50 at some point, and that's pretty impressive. First of all, the instrumental is phenomenal. It's all synth and samples, but it's done just so well that I don't even fucking care. Listen to that drum beat; it gets in your head. The melody line is so bright and airy in the verses, but fills out wonderfully in the chorus will some string samples. I'm not holding out for live strings in a kpop song, but I would love to be proven wrong. Vocally, Jinsol holds her on, but it's Chaewon who soars. This is airy, girly pop at it's finest, and other girl groups should take note.
7. Can't Sleep - AOA
Read my original review of this song here.
6. One Last Time - Girls' Generation
It's been established that I love ballads, and Girls' Generation happen to be the queens of ballads. 'One Last Time' is a shining gem on their discography, which is already fantastic. The piano part is written beautifully, and allows for the feeling of the song to extend beyond the lyrics, which tends to be a big problem with international fans listening to Korean ballads. For a ballad, the drum beat is surprisingly strong, but I suppose that goes with the whole mood of the lyrics. Vocally, this has to be one of the strongest of SNSD's ballads, and was definitely the strongest song on the album. All the girls have a chance to sing their heart out, and Hyoyeon and YoonA even get to sing in their range. Seohyun's voice in particular was made to sing this sort of track. The harmonies on this song are what really get me. You can hear the individual voices in the mix, and the harmony is strong at the most impactful moments. It truly feels that this is our one last time with SNSD, so the song holds even more meaning. Truly wonderful.
5. Yesterday - Block B
Read my original review of this song here.
4. Don't Recall - K.A.R.D
Read my original review of this song here.
3. Good Night - Dreamcatcher
Read my original review of this song here.
2. Chase Me - Dreamcatcher
Read my original review of this song here.
1. Fly High - Dreamcatcher
Yes, it's true, I'm a slut for Dreamcatcher. This group so amazingly puts together my love of rock music and groups of girls dancing, and I can't believe it took so long for them to exist. What this song has over their other two releases is the moments of contrast. Most of the song is brighter (only in comparison to their other tracks and not the rest of kpop), but there are wonderful dark rap lines that show the duality of this group. This is yet another kpop song this year with a kickass bass line and beat, but it also has these awesome electric guitar moments only seen in kpop before during GFriend dance breaks. I have listened to this song countless times since it came out, and way more times that any other song on this list, so it received the coveted number one position.
Thank you for enjoying my list! Yes, I really did like Dreamcatcher's releases over any other songs this year. I listened to them far more times than literally every other song because they're just so my style. This list in general, however, was truly an eclectic one, maybe because my music taste has always been like that. Hopefully the ear I have gained for music over the years has put together a good playlist for you all.
Thanks once more. See you soon.
Comments
Post a Comment