Optix12

I haven't posted in a while and part of that was I did not have enough on my list to warrant a post however after remembering Cjenn Music is a youtube channel that has lots of kpop i found a bunch of music that I can add to the list so here goes:

1 of 1 - SHINee : May as well start with the biggest group on the list. Shinee are back and have a new LP album out with this feature single. The song and the music video both have inspirations from the 90's and I really dig it. Not my favourite Shinee song but I do like it.

Wings Comeback Trailer: Boy Meets Evil - BTS : Ok, it is not quite an actual full song, and more a trailer announcing BTS are coming back with a new album, but its quite long, features some great dancing which BTS are known for and BTS are my favourite boy band so it goes on the list. Musically I like the song too and hope that it is on the album and cannot wait for more BTS.

Time Travel - Beenzino : I said before that I wanted to get more into Beenzino and this is a pretty good song from him recently. I do like his style and the music video is also pretty good as well.

Sugar Rush - Gemma : This is a new name to me and it is not a bad song although very simple until the chorus kicks in. I do like the chorus . Also this is the Chinese version and there are Korean versions out there.

Home - Ailee featuring YoonMirae : I won't lie, I listened to this song because I saw YoonMirae featured on this song. What I was greeted with is a great R&B styled song with some good vocals. That and Yoonmirae always does great work, arguably one of the best lady rappers in the kpop game right now.

Dab Dab - Moon Byul and Hwa Sa of Mamamoo : One of my favourite girl groups this year seems to have recorded some special live music videos for songs that they haven't put out as singles and dab dab is one of them. I chose this one particularly as it has a fun style to it musically and features the two rappers from the group who can also sing quite well.

New York - Mamamoo : This completely slipped my radar and I got so excited when I realised this was a thing earlier today. I like Mamamoo a lot and seems like they have a fun song similar musically to what they released earlier this year (although I don't think it beats 1cm from them). Their music video is also fun and cute .

Years - Alesso and CHEN (STATION) : To end this another station track but another interesting one featuring a swedish trance house master Alesso. Station tracks continue to be very interesting to me and seems like they largely cater to a more dance music genre which I wonder if they are trying to break into Korean nightclubs or not. Either way this is a really fun trancey song to listen to.

That is it from me and I think it is safe to call it that the summer of Kpop is over so hopefully if I have time in my next post I will try and create a rundown of my top 5-10 or so summer songs and proclaim (my) number 1 summer banger.

Got my ultimate edition preorder in and im set to go. Will try and get into the GB community group when it appears like the last 2 games but...

GT: Optix21

It has been a few weeks and the Kpop train keeps on a-rolling.
This update has less in forms of big names and content, but the quality is still really up there and features a few new names to me.

Russian Roulette - Red Velvet : I may as well start with my favourite song. Red Velvet have been great so far with their last big single "Dumb Dumb" and now Russian Roulette. Featuring infectiously cute and a catchy chorus it has been a close most played song by me in the last week (pairing with Laboum).

Poco A Poco - Acoustea : Very cute almost acoustic slow but fun song to listen to. I really enjoy this song but know nothing about the ladies that sing/perform it.

Green Horizon - Punchnello : Accidentally I clicked on this and now I am a big fan of Punchnello, who is a very good K-rapper. Naturally the subtitles being in Korean don't help whatsoever but his flow is great and I enjoy the music video.

JamCome On Baby - Yoonmirae : From one great korean rapper to another Yoonmirae also released a new song but has a different feel to Punchnellos. This track is more R&B styled and I can only imagine it is part of a mini EP or something coming out later.

Mr Potter - DIA : A new girl group to me but they have a fun cutesy song and after a few listens the song has very much grown on me. Live they also did a "Rock" version of this song and for some reason decided to play the song a second time for more crowd hype, I mention this because it has one of the biggest Keytars I have seen in the video.

Carnival - Gain : With possibly the best video in this list Gain has come back with a new mini EP and with her usual artsy style. This song is very much growing on me quickly and has a great theme musically and visually.

$10 - Hitchhiker (Station) : I am still not sure how to name these Station tracks or what they are but either way a new Hitchhiker track! Thats all you need to know!

I have been putting off an update in new music but I guess now is as good as any to start a new update (sorry this list is massive)

How's This? - Hyuna : I figured lets start with the biggest name in this list. Hyuna is arguably one of the biggest lady solo artists in the last few years and has usually kept her songs relevant by involving western influences within her song. This song however seems disjointed and takes her party themes that she has worked with lately to a new level. I personally don't think this is a good song and probably should not have been the lead off single for her latest mini album (A'wesome)

Morning Glory - Hyuna : Off the same mini album Morning Glory maintains its summery vibes but also has a relaxed tone to the song as a whole. While this doesn't usually follow Hyunas main songs about partying, I feel this is a much better single to come off the album both musically and from the video.

Lip 2 Lip - 9Muses A : Seems like 9Muses made a sub group called 9Muses A and decided to create a fun cutesy song together. Its a pretty good song but it doesn't quite interest me as much as other 9muses songs might.

Chocolate Cream - Laysha : Not a bad song from Laysha with an interesting chorus but I can't help that Laysha seems to have a different main goal with their music video than creating a good song. This song definitely wins most provocative song so far of summer.

Hothae - Badkiz : I have never heard of this group before but they bring a really good summer track with HotHae. The chorus is one of my favourites lately (mostly because i like booty shakin and funky horns). One of the biggest problems coming from this song is it apepars like 50% of it is focused on the ladies waists and uhh, sure, its not as bad as Chocolate Cream at least.

Moonlight Shower - Bambino : To me Bambino is a group that have the same style of songs and music videos as Laysha. This has changed my mind of them as they bring out a super fun summer banger that does not need to go to the levels that Chocolate Cream need to (even though there's a car washing scene)

Listen to my world (A-ing) - Oh My Girl : Speaking of summer I had to include this song as usually I am not a fan of Oh My Girl but when you collaborate with Skull & Haha on a track you will instantly win me over. Bringing Caribbean themed vibes to an Oh My Girl song really works well and meshes a cutesy fun summer together (not to mention it has the cutest damn MGM intro copy)

Chu - A-daily : While it has potential themes for a new girl group the song has a fun beat to listen to, a catchy chorus and somehow reminds me of early T-ARA songs so that can only be good.

Molae Molae - I.B.I. : This song oozes new aegyo girl group through the song and the music video. It is pretty decent but usually I don't really like songs like these.

Whatta Man - I.O.I. : Out of nowhere comes an interesting song from I.O.I. where they pull the bigg line from Salt and Pepas song Whatta man for their chorus. While it sets a good R&B base for their song the song is pretty fun overall however it slightly feels out of place similarly with How's This? by Hyuna where the producer fell in love with 2 or 3 drum samples and proceeded to spam it throughout the song.

Shooting Love - Laboum : I am not usually a Laboum fan but this song has a ton of energy and fun within it. It definitely has a summer song vibe to it.

Secret - Yuri and Seohyun : Can someone tell me what these [STATION] songs are for the SMTown artists (the 2 featured here are from Girls Generation) as a lot of them have very interesting EDM based tracks and this one is no different. Combining two good vocallists with a great drop in its chorus and a fancy looking video it really wants to push as a club banger and I could easily see this being remixed and played in clubs in South Korea.

Over - Two X : A very muted song until the chorus actually kicks in, the singing is most prominently featured in this song. Oh it also features a fun little rapping breakdown (am I just noticing this now or is it a staple to have at least 1 lady in your group be able to do the rappy bit?)

Cinderella - Tymee : This song has not immediately hit me but I will still link it as it features a really cool music video and I do in general like lady South Korean rappers (plus it prominently features funky horns and I can never have enough of those)

Whistle - Blackpink : BlackPink are a new girl group and ohboy did they come on the scene in a big bad way. This song features a very minimal r&b type of bassline and overall has a very minimal urban style to the whole song. This is their second song they released on the same day.

Boombayah - Blackpink : The slightly bigger and more well known song Boombayah still has an urban style theme with rappers and style emanating everywhere but has a faster bpm and features a dancier tone to it all. This group came out with a massive fan group that I haven't seen since TWICE so it will be interesting when both groups might drop new music at the same time.

Give it to me - Agust D : What might be the bigger debut that I have seen in the last few weeks is Agust D. A solo name for BTS' Suga (so you can see why he was an instant hit).

Agust D - Agust D : These two songs however are really really good and help highlight the other rapper that is in BTS that might have been overshadowed by RapMonster in the last year or so and gives me more insight into his skill. I look forward to hearing more songs from him under this name.

Sorry this list is massive but I have forgotten about updating right when a bunch of new songs decided to come out. It is almost nearing the end of summer so all the fun upbeat kpop songs might start to go away, we will see how September unfolds.

While trawling through youtube I found a few fun Jpop bands that I figured I would highlight in here which I don't think have been mentioned before.

JuJu - Playback

I found this song on a compilation album recently and thought it had a superb summery feel which is really appropriate currently. This is the only Juju song that I have listened to so far but I really like it.

OreskaBand - Carry On!, Hands Up Girls and Nexspot

I really love my ska music and figured one day to youtube search "ska jpop" which led me to this girl group. I am really glad I found them as they they aren't 100% what you would think with ska punk but have a more relaxed vibe to their music which appeals to the pop enthusiast inside me with songs like "Hands Up Girls" while their latest Nexspot shows them with a very similar sound to The Transplants.

Frederic - Oddloop & Only Wonder

I stumbled onto Frederic thanks to youtube related searches and I really enjoy their slightly faster pace to their songs with really high pitched/clean guitar playing in the chords. Only Wonder is their latest song and seems to keep the bands theme and sound intact. Their music always seems like a bunch of fun to me.

@wemibelec90 That HuaHin song is super good and thanks for explaining the differences with that Youth day and night song, I couldn't tell the difference when I first listened to the two tracks.

Seems like a bunch of kpop is coming out so I will try my best to list as much as I can without creating a monster list.

HelloVenus - Paradise : This song JUST came out and seems like a fun summer tune which is somewhat surprising as HelloVenus manages to keep it above the belt for the most part, sadly initially it does sound very forgettable compared to the other songs that have been out lately.

Stellar - Crying : Speaking of groups who usually have more to show in their videos, Stellar also came out with their summer song and has a similar airy feel to it like HelloVenus has. Also somewhat forgettable in my opinion but has some fun summer dance music themes to it.

Seventeen - Very Nice : Seventeen are back with a super popular song with an extremely catchy chorus. The chorus honestly makes this whole song for me.

NCT 127 - Fire Truck : This is the epitome of why I ironically like Kpop. If this was sung by your generic western person it would be played every night maybe two or three times in an awful club and I would hate it completely. Yet I think this is a superb song.

BTS - Save Me: I missed this but BTS released a new song which seems super popular, and while it is not a summer tune it still has some good parts to it, especially the chorus. It 100% feels like it is ripping off that Justin Bieber song, you know that one that's playing in the clubs as of writing this.

Unnies - Shut Up : The story with this is these ladies are all working together on a tv show from various entertainment industries in South Korea and decided to put out a song together. It takes a while to get into it but I think it is a pretty great song.

Sonamoo - I Like U Too Much : An extremely cute song from Sonamoo which scratches my girl group kpop itches but it doesn't quite get there for the summer banger list.

Hobby - Lets Play House : This is a real interesting one as it has a funky video from a brand new group called Hobby and there is heavy links/rumours that Primary is part of this. A really downtempo funky beat goes a long way with this one.

Dynamic Duo, Primary, Boi B, Crush - HighfiVe : Speaking of Primary, he worked with the listed mcs to create this great song. A lot "harder" than your usual Primary song but it is some really good Korean hip hop.

MelodyDay - Color : Melodayday came out with a new single which has a nicely colour treated music video and not a bad song. Also it just hit me as of listening to this while posting, so many songs this year are trying to use some form of horn or trumpet in their song.

Wheesung feat. LE - Hold Over : LE lends her superb rhyming skills to this song which is pretty fun to listen to and reminds me of how bad I look at nightclubs. It also features another DHL shirt, is this a fashion thing now in South Korea?

Skull&Haha - Dont Laugh : A complete surprise as I casually clicked the link for no real reason but boy am I glad. With a really relaxed beat and some great vocals from the two guys it has instantly launched it self near the top of my summer banger list. Sure the music video is weird and im not sure if it matches so well but I think the song it self overcomes it.

Sorry for the massive list, I even cut off some songs I thought were not as relevant.

I had no clue 4Minute were disbanding, though I agree with you they put out some great work to end it (for now) and I am sure Hyuna will continue on with her solo stuff.

I told you guys in the previous post I would grow to like the new EXID song, and I did, I think it is pretty great, but there are one or two that have come out since which I think are slightly better.

It has been a little while since there has been an update so I will post some new songs:

BADA - Amazing: A new name to me but she has released two songs very recently, this and "Flower". Personally I like this one as it is a little more upbeat and fun. I can only assume she is going to release an EP or mini album.

BoA X Beenzino - No Matter What: A fun song with more cartoon/animated themed visuals for the video. On first listen it has a catchy beat that I feel would feel right in place at Coachella or the like and great vocals from BoA as always.

EXO - Monster: I am not that big an EXO fan but this is likely to get many plays and views because its EXO. I don't really like this song to be honest but im sure that is partly due to me looking for more upbeat songs lately. some EXO fans here might enjoy it.

Sistar - I Like That: Sistar threatened and finally delivered their first song of 2016. It has some funky horns similar to Bestie - Excuse Me from last year but it doesn't capture quite that super fun feel of summer and seems to be going for more an upbeat relationship based song instead.

021 - Show Me: Brand new name to me who have just released their MV and seem to have a slight 4minute - Crazy feel to their song. It is a decent song and I feel if i give it a few more listens it could easily sneak onto my most played list.

San E & Raina - Sugar and Me: San E and Raina team up again to create another sweet song together. I like this song quite a lot from its fun video, its casual beat and Raina. Everything about this song is cute and fun to listen to on a summer day. I need more Orange Caramel in my life.

Kisum - No Jam: Kisum released a new song, and what a song! It has instantly jumped to my number 1 Summer banger of 2016 so far. Part of that is due to my fandom for Kisum but I also think it has the most playful, catchy, upbeat sound to it and having Kisum do her thing over it always works perfectly for me.

There are more songs which came out in this time period but these are the main ones that stood out to me.

A few new songs have come out very recently so il cover them in this post...

Heize ft. DEAN - Shut Up & Groove: A very recent song as of posting and brand new names to me but not a bad song overall, more of a relaxing song over a summer song that I would be looking for at this time in the year.

Luna - Free Somebody: I like this song but it also instantly puts me off and I think that's because it sounds like the most generic club music you could find nowadays (missing the backing dudes going "Hey"). I do like the music video for this though with the animated segments.

Fiestar - Apple Pie: Fiestar are back with their opening salvo into the summer wars. I like this song as it is somewhat catchy, has a good chorus and has a fun music video to go with it.

EXID - L.I.E: EXID are back with their first song since hot pink and I honestly don't know. I really like EXID but since hot pink I have taken a turn against them. Don't get me wrong this is a pretty fun upbeat song and a whole lot better than hot pink but im just not into it yet. I bet you the next time I post I will update my stance and say i have played this song a whole lot and love it now though.

Kisum - 2 Beer: KISUM IS BACK! I cannot get enough of Kisum so my views will be biased but she kills it on another track here. I wonder who produces her music as they always create a good track for her to do her thing over. Also apparently a summer album/EP coming from her later on so I look forward to more songs from her. This song is easily my highlight of this post (why not beers though?)

ITS HAPPENING
I am going to call it, the summer season is here and with it, so come all the more upbeat summery songs. Since my last post a bunch of new songs have come out (and some that i missed):

BTS - Fire - BTS are back and bringing their usual highly choreographed boyband material and they don't disappoint with this one as it has a really catchy beat underneath a middling vocal track.

CocoSori - Exquisite! - Their first song titled Dark circle was very fun and somewhat catchy but honestly this song doesn't do it as well as the last time and personally i'm not the biggest fan. I think its the very weird out of place breakdown and no general story of sucking the life out of a broccoli man to make him all old.

I.O.I - Dream Girls - IOI are back and bringing out a pretty good song. Not much to say honestly as i'm not really a fan but they must have spent a bunch of money on shooting this video. speaking of...

TWICE - Cheer Up - TWICE the super popular almost out of nowhere group are back with another polished well made song which highlights each ladys "persona" in the band better. Its a nicely sung song with a decent backing track but my god don't teach dumb mind games like this to girls/teenagers, dudes don't appreciate shitty mind games.

AOA - Give Me The Love - AOA released a new full song after their side group released an EP and Jimin did some solo work they team up and draft in Takanori Nishikawa to produce some great supporting vocals. I really dislike that AOA moved to AOAVEVO as I rarely check that channel for updates (which is why i missed this song all this time) and also Vevo stuff almost always is blocked in the US, not to mention no subtitles on the songs (so enjoy this alternate source).

Thats it for now but I have a feeling more songs will be on their way