Kpop, Kpop, and Kpop: The Discussion Thread

While not explicitly kpop, Humming Urban Stereo has a new album out that features a couple kpop celebrities like G.NA and Narsha. It's called "REFORM" and is definitely worth checking out if you's got the time.

(ALSO "11 MINUTES AGO" @onimonkii WHAT ARE YOU DOING STILL UP MAN)

@onimonkii: I didn't find it weird at all. The product placement doesn't even appear in the video (unless I missed it?). Also, what's a "cf song?"

He's not the only one. KPOP never sleeps...

@wemibelec90 said:

cf stands for commercial film. basically just an ad. the individual versions you linked are on the baskin robbins korea channel :x also here's one nine muses did in china for some potato chips i guess. and yes i'm still awake. yes i regret it.

Girls' Generation Visual Dreams for Intel, is still one of my favorite CF songs.

New Psy is out.

Though it seems more of a Snoop Dogg ft. Psy song, than the other way around.

Another bit of a lull but I managed to track down a few things I like or that are at least somewhat interesting.

Another new group (at least I think?) Bob Girls has released their video for No Way. The best way I can describe it is simple, both in production and the video itself. Still, the voices are pretty good and there seems to be some potential.

Next up is Cherry Filter, a group that has apparently taken quite a break, with a video for Andromeda. The song is a poppy-rock song that interestingly switches between a male and female lead singer, a unique touch. I think the song is alright, but it has its iffy parts. The video is pretty neat, though, with its Sin City-inspired style.

Park Shin Hye, a quite famous Korean actress, has released her first music video, My Dear. This is a VERY mellow song that lets the singer's voice, a very cutesy and lovely voice, do all the work. It's nothing special, but I thought it was quite pretty.

Finally, my favorite release of the week--a video called Ten Strangers (my best translation) from a relatively unheard of artist named Thornapple. The song starts out as soft-rock with an excellent beat and dreamy vocals. Out of nowhere, about two minutes in, it jumps up in intensity and shows the guitarist's skills off quite nicely. I really like the sound of this artist and look forward to finding more of his work online.

bob girls are the new girl group from chrome entertainment, crayon pop's company.

I find Kpop to be a lot more threatening than JPop.

More songs! Yay!

Longtime artist Lena Park has released a video for her new single Double Kiss. This is a funky and addictive song, with some pretty decent vocals (and a chorus that sound eerily familiar, but unplaceable, to me). I really like the video's visual style, a neat mix of wireframes and digital noise.

Mamamoo is back with their "official" (?) debut, Mr. Ambiguous. The other thing they've done this year, ?, felt like it wasn't really theirs, instead focusing on Bumkey. This song is most definitely more unique and original, with some great rhythm and choreography. It's a fantastic first release, joining the list of astoundingly good debuts this year in KPOP.

Finally, I have Hey! Come On from yet another debut singer, Prin.Jerry. This is the acoustic version of the song, which I vastly prefer to the regular version that is ruined by the rapper. The vocalist has a beautiful and powerful voice that makes me excited to hear more from her in the future.

It seems like things may start picking up again...finally. These latest releases have been quite excellent.

I can actually contribute! :)

For any Crayon Pop fans: Zan Zan single Chicken Feet featuring ChoA is actually pretty good, better than the official release of same single I think.

Plus they released a new single as part of an OST for a tv show: Hey Mister and it is pretty fun.

aoa is back with another brave brothers sounding ass brave brothers song with plenty of jimin "hey"s to keep me satisfied, called short hair. there's an mv too but this is really ideal.

I saw them perform last night in Seoul. Holy Christ.

Another flat week, at least for my tastes. Not much to really talk about. I did enjoy After from J-Min quite a bit. Absolutely gorgeous, if not a bit slow-paced. Also, the "oohing" chorus reminds me of that similar part from Pearl Jam's "Last Kiss," I just realized. Odd.

I've been listening to MAMAMOO's songs lately. Surprisingly their songs are my favourite this year. Some of them might even be my top 5 kpop songs this year. They seem to be sticking to this concept and I'm quite happy about it. Their live performance is great too!

Don't Be Happy is their first MV pre-debut. The Electro swing bit at the end is kinda amazing.

Peppermint Chocolate is their second MV before their official debut.

Mr.Ambiguous is their debut song.

Holy shit, there was a K-Pop thread on Giant Bomb this whole time? Amazing!

Now I kinda wish I still followed K-Pop. The only time I'll discuss or listen to it is when I'm drunk nowadays :(

this week is already full of BANGERS thanks in no small part to fiestar's new song "one more" and f(x)'s new song "red light"

if that's not enough for you, here's lu:kus with their debut mv, some of these guys used to be in the group x-5, but had to leave to debut under another company after this happened...

and rookies scarlet are back with "hip song"

Wow, that new f(x) song...is just awful. It sounds like a godawful cacophonous mess of sound, complete with bland singing. No offense to anyone who likes it, but that might be the worst KPOP song I've heard all year (going off my first listen).

I'll add a couple things that I enjoyed this week.

Sin by Planet Shiver is a pretty typical House EDM song with some nice composition. There's a hell of a build before it actually starts the beat, but it's well worth the wait.

I really like Zizo's Run too. A nice easy beat and some pretty decent, flowing rap from the artist. A few nice touches in the video too, like how the sound dims when he's in another room on the train.

This is the first time I've ever clicked on this thread. I'm so confused. I've been to Koreatown?

Really really like the new f(x) album, Red Light, though maybe not quite as much as their previous ones, I mean Pink Tape did set the bar pretty damn high. Every song is unique, further establishing f(x)'s awesome style. The title-track could be better, but it definitely has started growing on me, similar to how SNSD's IGAB did, which at first sounded like a retarded mess. Favorites would have to be Dracula and Milk for sure, also really like Butterfly, Boom Bang Boom and Paper Heart.

Can't wait for the Girl's Day comeback on the 14. The teaser looks very promising.

After a few more listens of Red Light, I still absolutely hate it. I'm sure no one cares, but I just have to keep repeating it out loud or I feel like I'll lose my sanity; it seems like everyone else in the world likes it.

Every other song on that album, though? Amazing--just as good as, if not better than, last year's album. Still, it feels weird to actually hate the "main" song of an album.

Anyways, I have a few new videos to post.

First up is a video from G.O.D., a group that (apparently) hasn't been around for about a decade. They haven't lost their touch, it seems as their new video, Saturday Night, is pretty excellent. It features some genuinely funny acting and an actually understandable plot. The song is pretty catchy as well.

Always a Child from Evening has another fantastic video. It manages to capture that period of transitioning from a carefree child to an adult extremely well--and by using Bubble Bobble to do so! The song is just okay, but I like the video a lot more than I was expecting.

Joayo seems to be a group of Korean college students who make music and videos together. Their second video, You've Got Mail, features a guy in a Darth Vader costume doing some ridiculous, yet somehow adorable, things. I enjoy the song a great deal too, especially the chorus.

Finally, Henry is back with another video titled Fantastic. Even though he already impressed with his piano skills, Henry apparently wasn't satisfied and needed to show off his fantastic violin playing. It's a pretty catchy song that uses the strings beautifully.

Here's that new Girl's Day video, Darling. Not really impressed. It's an okay enough summer song, with some decent lyrics and nice mambo-y composition, but it just feels empty and manufactured to me. I really miss that old GD attitude. Better than Something but greatly inferior to even last year's releases.

Fairly mediocre song, but a video that consists of hilarious shots of Hyeri trying to be sexy with cupcake icing and shots dedicated to Yura and Sojin's butts ain't too bad. It's definitely no Female President though; a song that essentially helped form my weird interest in this genre.

In other news, that new f(x) album is probably my favourite release of the year, which is definitely not something I thought I'd ever say.

I've been listening to Park Ji Yoon - Yoo hoo. I like her songs, they always have a fresh vibe.

A decent week for releases, if you ask me.

J-Min is back with another video off her upcoming album, Shine. This is a very easy-rock style song with some pretty decent vocals. It doesn't really stand out, but I enjoy listening to it.

AEAO from Dynamic Duo has a pretty damn good beat, mostly thanks to the team-up with DJ Premier. This song has an almost trance feel, intercut with record scratches and some excellent rapping.

A newcomer in the KPOP scene, Parc Jae Jung has released a video for Ice Ice Baby (no, it isn't just a cover song). It has an interesting sound that mixes up from a psychedelic opening to a funkier beat. It sounds pretty different from everything out there.

A supergroup of sorts named Lucky J has also formed this week and come out with Can You Hear Me. The three members (two guys and a girl) each bring something unique to the song, yet meld together surprisingly well.

Finally, another newcomer group going by Ye-A has released Up and Down. Both the video and the music (to a lesser degree) remind me of early Girls' Generation--just without as much punch. It isn't the best debut, but I can see some potential.

Just found out about this thread and wanted to join in! I don't think Wings has been mentioned here yet. They are a new group and Blossom is their latest single, featuring Baechigi.

Another decent, but not great, week of KPOP videos. Here's what I have to share.

Delight is back (with new members and a new name, if I read it right?) with Hate You! This is technically an EDM song--one trying to masquerade as an upbeat pop song at the beginning--but it's a pretty promising song in my opinion. The bridge is fantastic and leads into an decently memorable chorus.

Heyne is a relatively new artist who just released a new video for Red Lie. I don't think the song itself is very interesting, but I do like Heyne's voice quite a bit--a bit deeper and sassier than your average cutesy pop star. It does feel a bit like she's trying to crib some style from Kyary (yikes, a JPOP reference! Don't shoot me!), but she does it well. I like the video too, which uses some frame tricks to great effect.

This last one is the most interesting--Wish List from Taurine. It's a very unique sounding song, reminiscent of a much older sound complete with (fantastic) harmonizing vocals and a jazzy beat. The lyrics are a bit silly and the song lacks energy, but it's a fascinating change of pace for the genre.

S.M. drama...

Lots of rumors about f(x), mostly concerning Sulli who has not been showing up to promotions and stuff. I hope this mess clears up soon as f(x) is one of my favorites.

They also revealed a new girl group called "Red Velvet" and have a teaser video up for their first release "Happiness". Supposedly debuting on august 4th.

Also that Hyuna mini-album. I'm not a huge fan of hers but I guess it's ok. Dat MV though.

New Bestie is also mediocre but hey more Dahye is always good.

i love jimin

@onimonkii: Great song. I wish more groups did acoustic versions.

Sad that the drama around Sulli has happened, the Red Light album was the first Kpop release I actually enjoyed in 2014. The world can use more All Night performances.

An interesting week, mostly in news. The whole debacle around that Happiness video from Red Velvet is a bit dicey (some poor taste in imagery used in the video, it sounds like), but I didn't actually watch the video for myself (although I did see some stills). Not sure what to think about all that. On the topic of videos, however, I did manage to find a couple interesting songs.

I heard Daybreak (from Hot Fresh) last week and could have sworn it was entirely in English then. Now, it seems to be in Korean. Am I crazy or did it actually change? Anyways, this song has a fantastic beat that completely makes the song. The video is a bit odd, since it's a white guy singing the song even though the group is Korean, but it does the job, I suppose.

Considering how many groups are using the "sexy" concept nowadays, it's nice to see a group like Clazziquai Project doing it in a more tasteful way (in my opinion, at least) in their video for Madly. There's also some fantastic choreography, enticing imagery, and a nice easy beat. Not my favorite song but a nice change of pace.

i don't think anyone posted about maybe my favorite of all the recent releases, hyuna's red yet, but there's a dance practice video. what a fun song.

I have a few things to post, I suppose.

Here's that Red Velvet video for Happiness, which has apparently (?) been edited to remove the offensive content. I went ahead and gave it a listen and it's not too bad. It feels a bit like a mix of f(x)'s Rum Pum Pum Pum and I Got a Boy from GG to me.

Now here's a fun little video from Henry. He uses a bunch of simple looping samples--using everything from a breaking voice to his voice--to recreate a bit of Cho Young Pil's Bounce, a personal favorite of mine. It's a bit too short and the samples are mixed a little strangely, but it's a pretty impressive video. It just shows that Henry is very talented and he knows it.

@wemibelec90: The guests on that Yuna Kim song are Tiger JK, Yoon Mirae, and Bizzy. I admit their part in that song is pretty boring/weak, but the latest Drunken Tiger album is pretty good. And anything off Sky Is The Limit is pure awesome.

@shapeofdespair: I've listened to some Drunken Tiger. I really enjoyed The Cure from last year (the song, not the album), but I don't like most of their other stuff. A little too intense in the rapping department for my tastes.

Secret's back with a sexier video for I'm In Love. As someone who prefers their cutesy stuff, I'm not really a big fan of the video--at least it does the "sexy" thing a tad more tastetfully, I guess? The song is pretty good, but I really get turned off when it slows down.

Shinee's Taemin is doing his first solo album--the video for Danger off it has been released. It's an interesting style, very spartan in instrumentation until the chorus and then fading back out again for the verses. I think the beat is pretty great, but it has a few weak points. Still, overall it's a decent debut.

Fans of the Peppertones rejoice(?)! They just released a whopping five new videos on CJEN's channel, my favorite of which is probably Good Morning Sandwichman. A nice and easy song to listen to with some pretty awesome bass playing (as seen in the video). I think these are all off an album they just released, for anyone who's curious.

86% of KPop fanboys love the genre for the videos. 96% of the posts about KPop are the videos and 99% are of all-girl groups. I'm a scientist. Trust me.

there's so many new songs out i don't want to write about them all, they're all good just check them out, cool thanks

kara - mamma mia

orange caramel - my copycat

bts - danger

stellar - mask

lip service - too fancy

sunny hill - monday blues

@onimonkii: Man, you took all the good new videos. Now I have nothing to post...

@wemibelec90 said:

we can just talk about how orange caramel is the best & i feel bad for the rest of after school. or how new kara is weird & different but still kinda good. also how stellar is like the most improved group compared to their debut

A new Sistar song this week: I Swear. It starts out pretty strong, especially with the instrumentation, but loses a bit of steam once the song actually starts. Still, for a summer song (which I usually hate), it's not too bad.

Super Junior has also returned with Mamacita. This song has some pretty unique and interesting instrumentation, especially at the beginning of the song. It manages to keep pace throughout the song, but the first minute or so is definitely the best part. The chorus isn't half-bad either, with some catchy lyrics and and a decent beat. I'm not the biggest fan of the vocalists in this group, but the beat is at least worth a listen or two.

Finally, there's a new Baechigi song called Boy Jump that is quite good. It features some superb spitting and works pretty damn well--even with the extremely flat and repetitive beat. Unfortunately, that beat really holds this song back, as it gets really tired by the end. Also, there are a good number of guest spots from the likes of singers like Ailee and WhaSa.

the volume is strangely low on this mv, but exid's first new song in 2 years "up & down" is kind of incredible and catchy as hell

the members have been active otherwise though, you may remember LE from hyuna's "blacklist", and hani from r.tee's "we got the world"

A bit of a depressing week in KPOP news. Following a car accident, two members of Ladies' Code have passed away (one almost immediately and the second today). A shocking and tragic blow to a rather promising group with some great songs. Truly a huge bummer.

Let's listen to some videos from this week to try and feel better, shall we?

Orange Caramel is back with another video titled The Gangnam Avenue. This is a much less originally unique song than the group's usual strange fare, in my opinion, but I still really like the beat and rhythm of the chorus' vocals. The video is pretty plain too, which is a bit of a bummer. Better than My Copycat, but not as good as Catallena.

Also interesting this week is Puer Kim's Bank. It has some pretty interesting instrumentation, with a funky bass line running underneath the song throughout. I think the vocals are okay, but the singer feels a bit monotone for most of the song. Worth a look.

Finally, I have Nasty Nasty's (a new sub-group featuring members from different groups) new video, Knock. This song features some fantastic saxophone, layering throughout the song in a slightly repetitive but pleasant way. As for the vocals, I think the girl's voice stands out over the others', but each has their strengths. I'll be interested to see what else comes from this group.

new t-ara song called sugar free

this could not be any less t-ara while being pretty goddamn t-ara, if that makes any sense.

like i've been listening to t-ara for almost 6 years now, and i can't pick out a single one of their voices in this song. BUT this sounds incredibly like one of their high energy dance songs like sexy love taken to the next level of club-banger-y-ness.

@onimonkii: Yeah, I see what you mean. Reminds me a lot of that T-ARA N4 actually, just with the beat turned up a notch or two and a bit more effect on the voices. Still, it's pretty good after the somewhat weak opening bit.

New T-Ara makes me a happy bear. If only the people who put their videos together would learn to stop with all the headache-inducing rapid cuts.

Looking forward to some mean remixes of this in the clubs in Seoul

good news then!!

Fantastic. That IS good news

Not a huge week, but I still managed to find a few songs.

New 2PM, Go Crazy. It has a pretty good beat that has me tapping my foot throughout, but I really don't care much for the group's vocal style, particularly in the chorus. It's a bit too abrasive for me--and kinda ruins the song--but it may appeal to someone.

Also a new video from John Park, called simply U. It sounds out sounding a bit ominous, but it quickly breaks into a mellow but extremely catchy song. It kinda feels like it fell out of early-2000s American pop-rock, yet somehow manages to make it work.

Finally, I have something a bit crazy/abrasive that may not be to everyone's tastes--but I just had to include it anyway. Hitchhiker's Eleven is more of an EDM song than a pop song and it's absolutely insane. One of the weirdest videos I've seen this year paired with a harsh-sounding, but somehow still kinda appealing, song. It's at least worth seeing once through just for the video.