K-Pop Nine: A New View on K-Entertainment

Listen, I never promised consistency in posting.  I hope everyone had a good New Year's celebration. I drank a shit ton of wine, ate lobster, and smoked just the tiniest bit of weed while getting rejected by men on online dating sites. Here's hoping that in 2019 I can actually keep up with writing this blog.  20. To Heart - fromis_9 While the way I wrote about Glass Shoes  made it seem like that track was fromis_9's debut, they really didn't debut until January 2018 with To Heart . The track, for the most part, just sounds like a stereotypical APink-knockoff that wouldn't really turn heads. And it really didn't, considering that the song itself didn't have a lot of success. Now I like this song for a few reasons. Firstly, there's a real string section! You can hear real violins! It's fantastic. It's even lampshaded in the video itself with Gyuri playing the song on her violin. It's absolutely fantastic and sets the mood for the e...

Yeah,  so I'm bad at remembering to write these out for whatever reason, so expect that these are going to worse and worse in quality as we get close to the end.  30. Crush - Weki Meki Ever since the group was announced, I've been in Week Meki's court. Doomed from the start, I was the only one who liked their debut track,   I Don't Like You Girlfriend , as it was critically panned by literally everyone. Their first comeback La La La fared no better in the eyes of the public. Crush , however, was a leap forward for them, even if it came at the cost of almost all originality. I can't believe that that's a good thing, but it is. There's really nothing super exciting about this song; it's a generic pop song that literally any other group could sing. It's saved from mediocrity due to Yoojung's great rapping; she really makes or breaks the track. In general, this song benefits from having a great hook in the chorus. It gets caught in yo...

Okay bitches  here we go part 2 I definitely remembered to start writing this one up yup yup yup 40. Hi High - LOONA It saddens me that Hi High is so down low on this list, like FavOriTe before it, but honestly it's because LOONA's title track as a group have not lived up to the extraordinary hype of the solos. That isn't to say that these tracks aren't amazing, which in comparison to every other girl group they are, it's just that they don't match up to the solos (well, most of them). As far as LOONA songs go, this one is a little bit more generic, as the group aimed to go more public friendly with their debut. It's bright and airy and definitely a summertime song. It uses electronic sounds to create an almost magic effect (I mean that thematically). There's this rift that goes thorough the song that's just frantic and wonderful and gives a sense of both whimsy and fear. The bridge does a great job of slowing things down before it gets...

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 li...

I don't have any pre-amble for you all, so we'll just get right down to it. Once more, if a song was present in my half year list, the original review will be linked beneath the video. 20. Heart Attack - Chuu (LOONA) This song is an absolute joy. The main criticism I heard about it was that it was too generic, but it's awesome in that regard. Unlike every other LOONA song in existence, there's not too much going on. However, that doesn't mean the instrumental isn't fantastic, and Chuu is the strongest vocalist in the group thus far. I also love that the chorus has a different feeling from the verses; it's far more upbeat and has carol elements that fit the Christmas theme. I also greatly appreciate how some of the lines in the chorus sound more like talking then singing, it gives a nice contrast. It was also really kind of BBC to lets us finish off the year with a good old fashioned lesbian video, which is 100% the type of content I signed up for. ...

Yeah so I didn't post this yesterday. It was New Year's Eve and I was a little busy taking shots of screech so fucking sue me I can get drunk on New Year's if I want to. Same rules apply. If a song was in my Top 50 of the first half of the year, then a link to my original review will be there. 30. Always - Produce 101 Read my original review of this song here . 29. Gashina - Sunmi This is literally the first time I have ever cared for anything related to the Wonder Girls (minus Hyuna), and I'm so glad this is what brought me in, relatively speaking. I actually didn't listen to this song when it first came out, but everyone and their grandmothers was covering the goddamn dance so I had to see what the fuss was all about. I love how drone-like the chorus is, and how her mid soprano voice glides over the running bass in the verses. I love listening to lower toned female voices, being one myself, and Sunmi's voice is a fantastic example as to why. Th...

Okay, so this is part 2 of this 5 part series where I tell you what my top 50 kpop songs of 2017. Before I start, I realized that I fucked up and forgot to put I (Knew It) by Sonamoo anywhere in my top 50. I'm going to keep it like that, but just know that it should be somewhere in the top 15 because that song is a fucking jam. Reminder that if a song was reviewed in my first half of the year list, I will link to that initial review. 40. Glass Shoes - fromis_9 So I already discussed this song here , but just know that I actually really like it, and have liked it more and more since I first listened to it. I wish that the dance was a little bit more thought out, and I feel like their vocals have been wasted, but whatever. This is only a pre-release, for whatever reason, so it doesn't have to be amazing. It will be interesting to see what Pledis (and probably Bumzu) do with this group. Like, seriously, was taking fromis as a group Pledis' way of saying thank you fo...

Hello everyone! I'm back with my top 50 songs of the year! I meant to have had this posted a few days ago, but I had some issues with my new laptop so it didn't work out quite how I planned. Nevertheless, let's get going. Songs that were present from my top 50 list of the first half of the year will contain a link to the original post they were mentioned. 50. Ko Ko Bop - EXO I absolutely adore this laid back song from EXO. I was actually in England when this song came out, and I immediately loved it and was humming it constantly and annoying my sister with it. Chen and Bakehyun particularly shine in this song (but when do they not), and I don't mind Sehun's rap in this; it works and I appreciate it for that. But all I can think about listening to this song is how Lay would have killed this concept. SM, either confirm he's out or bring him back in don't leave us like this. 49. Energetic - Wanna One So we all know at this point that I'm tras...

Here it is, the final instalment of this series. This is my top 10, which are my favourite songs released so far this year. There are some that I think everyone will have on their list, and others that I think you'll side eye me for liking so much. Okay, here we go! 10. Always - Produce 101 I fucking love ballads, okay. I fucking love them. I love sentimental shit, and after all the crap Produce 101 put me through, this is the sentimental shit I deserve. It's just very melodic and soft and beautiful. I especially love the bridge sung by Daehwi and Sungwoon, as well as the soft repetition of the chorus by Jaehwan and Dongho. The rap parts are alright; they're unfortunately necessary when you have a group with a few dedicated rappers. I'm also pretty sure this is the first time I've ever heard Daniel rap. 9. Lonely - Sistar Remember what I just said about sentimental shit? It applies here as well. As a goodbye song, 'Lonely' executes it so much bet...