There are two answers to this: 1) Because I can discuss the newest releases in a way that I probably shouldn't on the other website, at least not without it being an op-ed piece. Besides, it's happened quite a bit that a new song has come out, but I don't notice it until a week later, at which point it's pretty useless to write about it. Those K-pop lovers are pretty much on it when it comes to release dates... And 2) Because up until the end of July, I had a standing lunch date with a friend every Monday and one of the topics that would inevitably come up would be the latest K-pop releases and what our personal thoughts on them were. Unfortunately, now that friend has left the country and probably won't be returning, that is if she can help it, so I am left alone with my opinions and nobody really to vent to. Outside of Facebook and a few very confused individuals in my inner circle, that is.
Of course, there's always answer No. 3, which is: Because I can and it's fun.
I will try my best to include posts about music that isn't K-pop, but since I already wind up paying more attention to this type of music out of habit/"necessity" anyway, it's just easier for me to write about songs that belong to this category.
So, let's get started, shall we?
1. B.A.P - That's My Jam
One of my favorite K-pop boy bands and groups in general, B.A.P also seems to be one of the overall faves of K-pop fans worldwide. They have both plenty of talent and personality, so it's always interesting to see what they can come up with for each new song and album. That being said, That's My Jam is not my favorite song of the week. It's a great party song, there's a lot of great energy, I know I'll have no issues working out to it and I do thoroughly enjoy the video (I mean, they spoof everything from reality and talk shows to whole channels to their own music videos...), but unfortunately, it came out the same week as Black Pink's debut songs (which I will mention here in a bit), and I happened to like one of those a tiny bit more.
2 (and 3). Black Pink - Boombayah and Whistle
Boombayah:
BLACKPINK - WHISTLE [MV] von svaensk
This has probably been one of the most highly anticipated debuts of the year...mainly because it's been several years in the making. I can't really say that I was too excited for this group though, but that's more than likely because way too many people were losing their isht over them. Now, before I move on to the videos (yeah, one song wasn't enough...they had to follow the trend of releasing multiple videos to multiple title songs), I'm just going to get something out of the way and the hardcore K-pop fans probably aren't going to like it: 2NE1 2.0. For those of you who don't get it, and nobody expects you to, 2NE1 is another group signed to the same company as Black Pink and up until May of this year, they also had four members. In addition to that, the sound is also kind of reminiscent of 2NE1. If you don't believe me, look up the mashup for Black Pink's Boombayah and 2NE1's Fire. There's a reason they go so well together. However, Black Pink, as pretty as they are, seem to have more uniform of a look than their seniors do. What I mean is, that the only one who, initially at least, really stands out is Lisa, visually speaking. Of course, those who are used to looking at these girls can tell them apart. The untrained eye would have a couple of issues figuring out who is who though. 2NE1, on the other hand, featured four uniquely different personalities and you could tell by looking at them. All points of comparison aside, I certainly wasn't mad at their debut. One can be as aggravated at YG Entertainment and its tendency to flake and procrastinate as one wants, but it did deliver in this case. Whereas Whistle delivered my favorite line of the week ("Make 'em whistle like a missile"), Boombayah has to be my favorite song of the week. And it also features the very relatable line "I don't want a boy, I need a man" because ain't that the friggin' truth.
4. I.O.I's subunit (oddly enough still called I.O.I because that's not confusing at all)- Whatta Man
I wanted to like this song and video more, I really did, but it kind of bothers me. The song is decent, I actually don't have any major complaints about the song itself. It samples Linda Lyndell's 1968 hit song (or if you're a bigger fan of 90s hip hop: Salt-n-Pepa's and En Vogue's cover version), which is what really drew me in, but the video...bothers me. First of all, the half-assed und mostly unnecessary hair flips. If your hair's up in a ponytail, you don't need to flip it! If you're already halfway across the room with your back turned to the intended target of your sassiness, no flipping of the hair! You missed your chance! And don't pick up your hair and then semi-listlessly drop it! But I can't really blame those girls, can I? The director probably wanted them to "switch it up" and "keep it fresh." Then, of course, there are the outfits and the dance. I appreciate that they tried to incorporate the Mr. Universe stance into the choreography, but what works for BTS (most of them at least) and their more pronounced biceps, doesn't really work for the slender arms of I.O.I. As for the outfits, the group's agency claimed that they had no idea why anyone would think that they were sexy. Well, umm, maybe it's because they stuck them in semi-tight leather outfits with some interesting harnessing details. Of course, it would be wrong to call the girls themselves sexy (even if I might have inadvertently done so in one of my articles...I know, I'm part of the problem, not the solution...I'm trying to work on it), especially considering that the face of the group (and yes, there is a face of the group...usually the most visually appealing one) is, as far as I know, still 15. Even if she isn't anymore, that would still only make her 16. So, to make a long story short, the song and concept probably weren't the best choices for the group. Sure, they have decent enough voices, but the song would have been a better fit for a group like Rainbow, whereas the concept is more up Nine Muses' alley.
5. INX - Alright
This isn't my favorite song. While I do appreciate seeing a man tied up and in a blindfold (oh what?! Are we really surprised by that statement?), and parts of it kinda sorta reminded me of MBLAQ's Smoky Girl, I wasn't really wowed by it. Maybe that's just because I'm comparing it to some of the other releases because it's certainly not a bad song. I'm just not as impressed by it comparatively speaking nor do I have that much to say about the group or the song and video (I know, you're all relieved by that).
6. J-MIN - Ready For Your Love
As some of you may already know, I am not the biggest fan of the slow jams. I have to be in a certain mood and in a certain setting for me to enjoy slower R&B songs or ballads of any type. However, I can still say that this is a good song and video. In terms of choreography, it's non-existent, which is always a nice change of pace for K-pop. And soundwise this reminds me of those pop songs from the early/mid 90s (you know, like Seal's Kiss From A Rose), which isn't actually a bad thing. J-MIN does have a beautiful voice after all. Even though it won't be a go-to song for one (or any) of my workouts, it is one of those songs that I enjoy singing along to or have playing in the background.
7. Jun.K - Think About You
Jun.K - Think About You MV [English subs... von LoveKpopSubs
ERMEHGERD!!! Look at Jun.K and those yummy abs of his!!! I'm kidding...mostly. Of course, the guy shows off his body and why shouldn't he? It's part of his job, after all. I mean...I'm not entirely sure if he actually gets paid to take off that very sensible cardigan of his, but he's selling a fantasy to all of da ladies while singing about how he thinks about them. It is quite the sexy song, and if you like R&B in general or the music from his probably more familiar contemporaries Drake or Usher, you'll probably enjoy Jun.K's music too.
8. MONSTA X - Stuck
If I were to sing a song about this song, I would call it Conflicted because that's how I feel about it. I like some parts of it, but then others not so much. Then again, I'm not really that into MONSTA X... In general though, I would say that this is still a fairly decent song. Even if the lyrics might come across as borderline stalkeriffic, but hey, no judgment on my part.
9. Stellar - Love Spell
As much as I love Stellar and I want them to do well and I'm glad that they're slowly able to distance themselves from their sexy image, especially since it turns out they didn't necessarily want to be stuck with it to begin with, this is not really my favorite song of theirs. It's nice and sweet and I'm okay with having it play in the background or listening to it while enjoying the nice weather outside, it's not really at the top of my playlist.
10. Suran - Paradise Go
[MV] SURAN(수란) _ Paradise Go(떠날랏꼬) von suzu151091
Believe it or not, I am completely unfamiliar with this artist. (Say whaaat?!) Granted, I'm also completely unfamiliar with J-MIN, but at least I was aware of her existence. I had never even heard of Suran until I saw this video. This song follows another trend in K-pop: tropical house. It seems that every other song that has been released this summer has at the very least featured some elements of tropical house. Or maybe that's just my impression. However, I don't necessarily mind it and her voice actually is very well-suited to the genre.
11. UP10TION - Tonight
Oh UP10TION... Really? We went the cute route? I think it's fine, but it's not my favorite song of theirs. Actually, I've only really liked one of their songs so far... Okay, it's a fun and very lighthearted song...so again, something that I could only really listen to under very specific circumstances.
And finally 12. Y TEEN - Do Better
Y teen (MONSTA X) & (Cosmic Girls) - Do Better... von svaensk
Consisting of MONSTA X and part of Cosmic Girls, I did want to like this collaboration because I think it's great when K-pop goes co-ed. However, this wasn't really my cup of tea. Parts of it were promising, but most of it just was a bit too High School Musical for me. Then again, maybe MONSTA X is to blame...or maybe I should just start listening to more MONSTA X, maybe they'll grow on me, which would actually be fairly typical of K-pop...
Hopefully, this was at the very least mildly entertaining for you guys and maybe I can continue doing this if not on a weekly basis, maybe on a monthly basis, but with a slightly different format.
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