Music and more Music.
Matthew. 21. (Aspiring?) Writer. "Music Lover". Asian Pop Fanatic. FuckYeahRihanna Admin. This is what I waste my time with.
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So we’re now on to part 4 of my 2011 K-Pop singles. The ones that were REALLY amazing, but just not amazing enough to make the the Top 10.
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20. Dal★Shabet / Shakalaka
Candy coated rugrat Pop from E-Tribe (Gee, U-Go-Girl) which feels like all the toy pieces are constantly being thrown against the wall. A variety of wacky and unexpected sounds ensue - from the jingly 808 beats that make up the core of the production, to the smaller details, like the hand-claps in the chorus, or the fatter synths which emerge in the second verse. Even those ever-so sexual “uhhh“‘s during the post-chorus break become a part of the music. There’s no telling where the singers end and the production begins.
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19. e.via & Mini / Mirro of My Soul
K-Pop’s roots in 90’s Hip-Hop and R&B are no more apparent than on “Mirro of My Soul” - a funky (and bluesy, and lazy) singer-rapper collaboration between soul songstress Mini and critical darling e.via. Famed for her lightning quick skills on the mic, here e.via slows it down to a pace the rest of us can follow, though she loses none of her trademark cool in the process.
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18. LeeSsang / You’re The Answer To A Guy Like Me (feat. Harim)
The sung-rap collaboration from a male perspective - between long-standing Hip-Hop duo LeeSsang and soul man Harim.
Foreign rap is often hard to get into as an outsider, if only because the crux of most hip-hop is the lyrics themselves. Without that vital piece of information it becomes a challenge. Emcees Garie and Gil, however, flow nice enough to where understanding the lyrics isn’t so much of an issue - the meaning pours out of their delivery, and is tirelessly and lovingly apparent in every bit of their inflection. The way this makes me feel - the beautiful, overwhelming sadness, but with glimmers of nostalgia - transcends language (as does all good music, it should be said). Harim’s note just past the 2 minute mark - a simple, extended ‘oh’ - sums up meaning more than words ever could.
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17. 2NE1 / LONELY
Few do pop pyrotechnics quite like 2NE1, but “LONELY”, at least in style, was a welcome breath in between the relentless pace of club behemoths like “I Am The Best” and “Can’t Nobody”. In content, though, it was just as weighty, if not more so.
“Baby I’m sorry, even when I’m with you, I’m Lonely”
Now there’s a devastating thought. The idea that even in a relationship you could be lonely. That sometimes love isn’t enough, and that true loneliness comes from within. Depressing, actually.
Only 2NE1 could have pulled this off, or, at least, are the only ones ballsy enough to release a guitar driven ballad as a first single. Unexpected and brilliant. A major moment for this group.
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16. BEAST / Fiction
A thing of beauty in that the production alone could probably make you weep even before any of the vocalists open their mouths, though once they do it’s all but over for anyone still trying to hold on. This again excels where most of the best of K-Pop does - seamlessly blending rap and sung bits and getting the most emotion out of both.
Also - if the Orchestral Version of the song isn’t the prettiest gosh darn thing I’ve ever heard, then I don’t know what is.
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15. Rainbow / TO ME
A song that’s breathtaking beauty is only outmatched by its astonishing power. Constantly winding and unwinding - the piano groove just fluttering round and round in circles endlessly as the vocals rise and fall. The glamorous strings ducking and weaving in between the chorus’ verbal punches - those “EH! OH! EH! OH!” bits, punctuated by the endlessly saucy “COME COME COME COME TO ME” is enough to lay the listener out flat (is it any coincidence they’re in a boxing ring in the video?) More hard / soft contrast as the song goes on - the gorgeous, billowy middle 8 followed by Woori’s blazing rap break.
It leaves you no room to breathe, but by the end you’re so in awe of the gorgeous swirl of beauty that you can’t wait to do it all over again.
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14. CHI-CHI / Longer
Another one of those ‘if it were in English by an American or European artist everyone would love it’ types.
Inherently catchy with its title wave of a chorus, though I also can’t help but feel how dangerous and sexy this sounds, especially in the verses (this, of course, contrasted with the fairies in a winter wonderland image of the above single cover - oh K-Pop, never change). These girls aren’t from any of the major companies, only helping to heighten the sense of trashiness that makes this such a fun, summery romp.
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13. Girls’ Generation / THE GREAT ESCAPE
In a perfect world all songs would be as seamless and joyful as this - and it would be GRAND.
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12. BIG BANG / TONIGHT
As Maddie puts so perfectly in her yearly K-Pop roundup, “TONIGHT” is the sound of the biggest band in the world. It’s spaceship pop - forget earth, once that beat hits liftoff at the 16 second mark you’re on Mars. All parties sound confident and have perfect handle over the various controls. You’re in safe hands - and even if you’re not exploring the outer reaches of space, it’s high-flying all the way.
Also, how fucking gorgeous are the lyrics? Taeyang, during the first line of the chorus:
“I look for you, oh-eh-oh, below the moonlight that illuminates me”
The view from Mars is beautiful, isn’t it?
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11. Kahi / Come Back, You Bastard
Ladies,
Gentleman,
Calvin Harris,
World,
THIS is how to put an instrumental break in a Pop song.
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Hey guys! This year I’ve compiled my favorite Korean songs - both singles and album tracks - as a list of 50. Just like last year we’ll be counting them down, 10 at a time, until we reach #1. Read below for my first picks, and stay tuned for parts 2 - 5 coming up soon!
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50. ZE:A / Here I Am
Just as trashy as it wants to be while also sounding quite gentlemanly at the same time. Maybe it’s because they’re wearing suits in the* music video. Just ask Pitbull, a suit and tie can make any sleazy club banger sound up to 12% more classy.
*AWFUL
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49. Orange Caramel / Shanghai Romance
Sha! Sha! Sha! - How can you not appreciate that bit?
“Shanghai Romance” sounds like all of Orange Caramel’s other singles put together, but when your other singles are also quite good you’re allowed to do that, so say the rules of Pop.
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48. ALi / Don’t Act Countrified (feat. JunHyung)
The funky beat from TLC’s “Waterfalls” didn’t just dissolve back into that huge puddle at the end of the video - it simply traveled across the ocean until it reached Korea about 15 years later. Soul is universal, and it’s alive and thriving in K-Pop. This one will creep up on you.
Also - “Countrified” is officially the oddest fucking word we’ve ever heard. And while the song title also translates as “Don’t Act Foolish”, Countrified is just so much more fun.
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47. AA / So Crazy
Rookie talent was in short supply in 2011, so it’s a good thing these guys came along and broke us out of that rut, ridiculous facial expressions and inanely amazing dance routine included.
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46. LeeSsang / Grand Final (feat. Jung In & MC Nal Yoo)
This party jam by LeeSsang sounds like it’s up to something naughty, but it’s actually about rowing. Yes, BOAT ROWING. Forget about all that ‘putting your hands in the air’ nonsense - 2012 is going to be all about putting your oars in the air. To a dubstep beat, of course.
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45. Girls’ Generation / TRICK
No one cares if “The Boys” makes a bigger impact; “TRICK” is the god damn single that should have been. Teddy Riley can continue tripping over his keyboard trying to think of something that goes down this smooth.
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44. Nine Muses / Figaro
Asian Disco was kind of a big ‘thing’ in 2011. No, seriously. The Japanese were at it, and so were the Koreans. They were quite good at it too, as Nine Muses showed us.
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43. KARA / Rider
Okay,
Korea,
it’s really about time you started doing the whole ‘second single’ thing.
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42. Brown Eyed Girls / Hot Shot
Sure, you could say that this is just Ga-in’s solo material + 3 backup singers.
But then we’ll say we like it that way. Korean tango was still ‘hot’ in 2011.
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41. After School / Virgin
It’s actually kind of epic when you think about it. Okay, yes, the title sounds like the name of some low-budget Asian porno, but, THE SONG!!!
A lot of songs of this sort - the ‘CLUBBING’ kind - are all about being a superstar. Or at least feeling like one. Escapism. And hey, sometimes that’s good! But this one takes a different approach. I guess when one thinks of the idea of ‘superstar’, you think of someone who’s a pro - good at what they do. So, in a club, you could say this would be someone who’s rather experienced and obviously goes there a lot. In the case of “Virgin” the lyrics actually enhance appreciation.
“From this moment on / I am a Virgin
Virgins used to know nothing / Those days are gone
Now on the stage again / it feels like the first time”
So while the beat might trick you into thinking this is just another one of those ‘going out and dancing’ sort of affairs, at the heart of matters is this idea of a ‘Virgin’. But even then, it’s not as simple as it seems. After School aren’t saying that they are virgins to this stage, they’re saying that - FOR TONIGHT - they are virgins, and are going to experience it like the first time.
You could say the characters in the story are in fact ‘superstars’, but are tired of being so and just want to get back to that feeling of ‘the first time’. The newness and the excitement. That human experience. There are loads of dance songs cluttering the charts nowadays, but few so beautifully understand the humanity like “Virgin”.
