The Destiny Hope Posted December 18, 2019 Posted December 18, 2019 Omg I had such a wild night and I didn't expect ATRL to go down kasmdkclasdcasd but YESSS. Rushed through the last elimination and Volume Up, Hobgoblin, Decalcomanie, and WHEN I'M ALONE MAKING IT WOOOO. When I'm Alone was one of the highlights of 4 Walls and their discography I agree and I defo agree that when it came out, that album was overhyped as hell
Red Light Posted December 18, 2019 Author Posted December 18, 2019 Notably, #57 was basically the last piece of fat to be cut, and now all that's left are songs that it pains me to eliminate. The first of these is probably one of the most shocking of all! Spoiler This has got to be one of the most legendary album tracks in K-pop, at this point. That makes sense, as Pink Tape has ascended to a weird godlike status in the K-pop universe, and Shadow is probably the track with the most critical acclaim--it was included in a Pitchfork article as one of 20 Essential K-pop Songs, and Billboard went as far as naming it the best K-pop album track of all time. Regardless of how much you actually like the song, you can’t deny how utterly unique and inventive the track is. The instrumental alone is like nothing else in K-pop before or since, mixing a sparkly synth lead with a woozy music box; a smooth, jazzy bass strum; and a creepy computerized voice sample that sounds straight out of a 1928 Steamboat Willy cartoon. What the voice sample actually says is glitchy and unintelligible, except for one line where it very clearly and unsettlingly sounds as though it’s slowly chirping the word, “Forever.” I loved how my co-writer described it when I wrote my article on Pink Tape a few years ago, saying that the song reminded him of a porcelain doll you’d see set to a music box melody in a creepy movie trailer. It’s not just the “Undead chipmunk” sample that gives Shadow its creepy tone--as a matter of fact, it probably wouldn’t be creepy at all if it weren’t for the childish eeriness of its chord structure. The i⁷-V+/VII-IV⁷/iv-v progression that composes the refrain sounds like a nursery rhyme that’s been remixed to sound like a funeral dirge. It’s not the kind of creepy that jumps out at you immediately, but the kind that just leaves a vague, uncomfortable feeling that something isn’t right. And, in fact, something isn’t right after all--the lyrics. All the lace-covered creepiness of the twee instrumental and chords becomes perfectly clear once you read what the song is about. Shadow offers a first-person perspective inside the mind of a deluded stalker. The English translation reads like a sick diary, with lyrics like, “Every day, I secretly chase after your footsteps,” and, “No one says it, but our date has started,” before amping it up to Annie Wilkes-level psychosis in the second verse: “Day by day, we resemble each other more and more; your laughter and tears, I know it all. Don’t be scared, we’re a fate tied by the sun; it’s our destiny to be together.” While Shadow is a bit off-putting and won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s hard to deny its creative and artistic merit. It’s a song where the chord choices, the instrumental, and the lyrics all work together to accurately tell a story. Keeping all of that in mind, you could probably consider Shadow to be the crowning moment in f(x)’s legacy.
Red Light Posted December 18, 2019 Author Posted December 18, 2019 And then... Spoiler In spite of being professionally described as “Reversed EDM” (I still have no clue what that is and it’s literally the only time I’ve ever seen the term used in my entire life), Airplane is as classic a case of EDM there is, from the archetypal build to rewarding chorus drop, and even coming in at the exemplary 128 BPM. Using one of their usual bizarre metaphors, the song compares the experience of entering a relationship to that of an airplane--accepting the possibility that it could crash and hopping on board anyway. “I was scared of flying on this plane called love that carries us; I already know it will fall down soon.” To aid in that fatalistic tone, there’s definitely a faint wistfulness to Airplane’s chords. Melodically, this is probably one of the most standard tracks in the countdown, which can probably attribute to why it’s so widely beloved. The I-vii°-vi⁷-IVˢᵘˢ² piano and guitar that composes the intro and pre-choruses is the most complex the chords ever get, while the rest of the track runs at a simple IV-V-vi-V, IV-V-vi-iii in the verses, and IV-V-vi-I in the choruses (there are more sus2's and **** in my hookpad link but in this case I’m almost 100% positive I'm wrong). Everything special about Airplane is in the production. There is not a single, solitary second of the three-and-a-half minutes that isn’t radiating with detail. The chorus drops are glitchy harmonies of intricate basslines and synth accents, intertwining and dancing with each other as they start, stop, and sputter their way through each bar. Every euphoric burst of electronic detail is pure ear candy, from the irregular pulse of the sharp, buzzing saw waves, to the heavily-compressed snare lashes, to the single, swooping dubstep wobble at the end of each phrase. The robotic “Come with me. Airplane. Love.” chant abruptly pauses the flow of the instrumental, making each new bar as explosive and satisfying as the last. Out of context, the spoken word halves of the choruses sound like stock phrases being repeated for a hearing test (“Hot dog. Ice cream. Airplane. Love. Baseball. Snowman.”) But it makes the singing halves that much more euphoric, and helps distinguish the final chorus when it skips the hearing test words and loops the singing half instead, offering a perfectly subtle climax to send the song out with a bang instead of a whimper. (A huge pet peeve of mine is a good song that never really goes anywhere and gives you no reason to listen all the way through to the end. Wonder Girls’ Nobody is a good example. Airplane remedies that problem beautifully, and without any flashy jumps in tempo or forced key changes.) It all reaches a glorious peak with the addition of a new synth riff, bearing sonic resemblance to a shaky flute solo. While Shadow sets itself apart from the rest of the phenomenal Pink Tape album as the critic favorite, Airplane distinguishes itself as the fan favorite. I can honestly say that I have not once, since its release all the way back in 2013, seen anybody be less than enthusiastic about this song--and rightfully so. Airplane is a gorgeous piece of pop magic, possessing some of the finest production efforts of the album and probably of f(x)’s entire career.
Red Light Posted December 18, 2019 Author Posted December 18, 2019 Spoiler In 2012, T-ara were faced with what might be the most infamous girl group scandal in K-pop history, thus far. Their self-dawned title of “Queens of K-pop” was fast becoming true, with Roly-Poly being the best selling single of 2011, and every single after that being a smash hit (including Day By Day, eliminated at #82). On July 23rd, rapper Hwayoung sustained a very mild leg injury. The next day, T-ara flew to Japan for a concert, where she demanded a wheelchair at the airport. She then used her non-broken ankle as an excuse to skip rehearsals, and got her nails done. She participated in one performance the following day and then bailed, which prompted Hyomin to write an admittedly unprofessional tweet about, well, professionalism. This led the internet to create ill-informed theories about Hwayoung being bullied. Within days, despite even Hwayoung herself denying being bullied, she had become a martyr, and T-ara were the enemies of South Korea. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the internet, Hwayoung’s sister was texting member Areum on KakaoTalk (boy, this really was in 2012), defending her sister in a hilarious series of threatening texts. This was likely a major contributing factor to Hwayoung’s eventual dismissal from the group. At the time, however, it only gave the bullying conspiracy more fuel, and by August, the ladies of T-ara were some of the most hated people in the nation. So how did they respond? By releasing one of the catchiest, most cleanly produced, most addictive dance tracks in K-pop history. Similar to KARA’s relationship with producers Sweetune, when T-ara gets together in the studio with Shinsadong Tiger, magic happens. Most consider the quintessential Shinsadong-T-ara collaboration to be Roly-Poly, but I’ve always much preferred Sexy Love--so much so that I tend to forget that Roly-Poly even exists. The synth riff that comprises the hook is almost inarguably one of the catchiest melodies in the top 100, gleefully climbing up and down the notes of the E minor scale over an i-iv⁷-V/i-VIIˢᵘˢ⁴ chord progression. On top of that, the main sample used to execute it--a robotic, slightly pitch bent, cartoonish synth lead--is pure ear candy. The bass kick and snare-clap samples that make up the beat are some of the strongest and most well-mixed percussion samples of the decade, as far as I’m concerned, and the bassline that throbs between the beat gives it a trotty, duple-meter feel, which Shinsadong Tiger excels at. If that wasn’t enough, the rest of Sexy Love’s instrumental houses a multitude of different synth accents, as well as a sharper bassline surge that gives it a more modern edge. The verses segue seamlessly to the more ambient VI-VII-i, VI-VII-v-V/i pre-chorus, which makes the manic flurry of electronic sounds in the choruses even more climactic. The cherry on top that makes Sexy Love worthy of being an unsubstantiated K-pop classic, however, is the secondary hook that tops off the i-III-iv-v chorus. The ascending E-G-B-E melody in the i chord is pure, unmitigated pop magic of the highest order. Honestly, I have to believe the only reason this incredible song isn’t a K-pop classic is because of the Hwayoung controversy. It’s not only, to me, the quintessential T-ara and Shinsadong Tiger song, it’s also a quintessential K-pop song.
The Destiny Hope Posted December 18, 2019 Posted December 18, 2019 Is Who & Jazz Club - omg you weren't kidding at the swing kalmdklas;mcasd. I'm honestly not much of a swing person but Is Who is really good! Apple Pie - I'm HELLA surprised this was on people's radar. I swore most people swore off Fiestar with this and preferred their sexy songs over it. I LOVED this song And this graphic was so cute!! Really refreshing, bright, and different from the rest of the others so far - which fits the song Do It - One of Hyuna's best title tracks!!! WHEW. What a ****ing club BANGER The bass in the chorus is ****ing everything! Red, Roll Deep, and Do It were such a 1-2-3 punch Shadow - OMG SHADOW IS ONLY #56????? WOOOOOOOOOOOW HOLY. That's insane. This is really, truly iconic. For sure one of the best b-sides. I really love how your co-writer described it! I can feel that pain of having to cut it Airplane - "In spite of being professionally described as “Reversed EDM” (I still have no clue what that is and it’s literally the only time I’ve ever seen the term used in my entire life)" K-pop's descriptions for songs will never not amuse me. But GEEZ the back-to-back f(x) punching omg. This is really another among the best b-sides. I agree that the glitching/robotic talking in the chorus makes it THAT much better.
Red Light Posted December 18, 2019 Author Posted December 18, 2019 Spoiler I’m going to mention a few times throughout the course of this rate how there are certain songs with instantly recognizable, iconic openings. Brown Eyed Girls’ spaghetti western-influenced comeback single in 2013 hasn’t come to be one of those iconic openings, but it should be. I really can’t word what I want to say any better than this arcadey reviewer when Kill Bill was first released, so I’ll just copy and paste it: “Skitzo genre-mashing and left of center sounds are the latest trends in K-pop, but Brown Eyed Girls already did that two years ago with Sixth Sense. So, how does K-pop’s most exciting girl group still shock in 2013 when everyone is doing what they already did back in 2011? By doing something completely unshocking, of course.” It’s so hilariously true and it’s a perfect example of why I love Brown Eyed Girls so much. Kill Bill is probably the most vanilla song that Brown Eyed Girls has ever recorded, but it’s still got its charming little quirks. The combination of classical acoustic guitar chords and a rustic whistle hook is blatantly inspired by the iconic instrumentals of film composers like Ennio Morricone and Hugo Montenegro--which, of course, also influenced the music scores for Kill Bill 1 and 2. To tie the whole concept together, Kill Bill is lyrically a pretty brutal revenge anthem, with badass lines like, “The girl you thought was easy; the girl who was nice-looking; I’m different now; I haven’t even done half of what I prepared for your trial,” and, “With tears and snot, you look awful; compared to the humiliation you gave me, this doesn’t even come half as close; so stop crying like a child,” while the post-choruses are interspersed with Miryo taunting in English, “Don’t you wanna kill me?” Finally, the song comes to a dark finish with the closing line, “I hope you give up on love.” Sonically, Kill Bill doesn’t even attempt to hit as hard as the lyrics, with one of its most remarkable attributes being its down-to-earth simplicity. The whistle hook is pure, catchy pop gold, and stands out as pretty much the only K-pop song with a whistle hook that I actually enjoy. Granted, that isn’t the melody that elicits such fondness from me--the one that really connected with me was, to nobody’s surprise, a variation of the “25 or 6 to 4” progression that I’ll be praising many more times in this countdown. It’s embedded in the main i-III-V/VII-VI-VII-vii°/i progression that loops for pretty much the whole song, but you can really hear it in the edgier, moodier verses, which for me are the high points. Brown Eyed Girls are one of my all-time favorite girl groups--if not my all-time favorite, for their experimentation and innovation, but with the universally lovable Kill Bill, they prove that all you really need to make a fantastic pop song is three ingredients: A catchy melody, a catchy melody, and a catchy melody.
Red Light Posted December 18, 2019 Author Posted December 18, 2019 Spoiler ^Sorry if that graphic is kind of a bitch to read. Like a lot of girl group members who go solo in K-pop, Sunmi has never quite topped the stunning tour-de-force that she debuted with--but to be fair, when the song you debut with is this incredible, you can’t really expect it to be topped. Building off of a throbbing, gothic synth lead on top of a brutally hard beat, 24 Hours is a ferociously dark and vaguely unsettling whirlwind of thrashing sonic madness. Its psychotic urgency kicks in right off the bat with an anxious ticking that teases the hurricane of unrelenting severity about to hit, shooting from 0 to 100 in the first verse and never slowing. The production and mixing could not be more perfect, drowning Sunmi’s breathy, distressed vocals in the confines of the oppressive synths and pounding percussion, accenting the track with a hazy neurosis. That pounding percussion is among the most well-mixed I’ve ever heard, coming through loud and clear and never once losing its punch or its crispness. The strength of the beat gives it the same brand of addictiveness as other such excellently mixed songs like Apple Pie by Fiestar. 24 Hours, however, is by far the darkest audio addiction, taking its dramatic VI⁷-V⁷/i-i progression and beating it to a bloody pulp. The menacing banger is also accompanied by head-spinningly erratic 8-bit synths that hop and fall at an exhausting pace through practically every note within key, never settling on one note for more than a millisecond, and never offering the listener a single breath until the centerpiece and showstopping climax of the whole arrangement--a vicious and stormy tango dance break that makes for one of the most thrilling bridges in all of K-pop. A remarkable component of 24 Hours is that, in spite of not having a standout chorus, or any kind of switch-up at all, really, until the bridge at the end--it never once sounds anticlimactic or boring or droning. In fact, I think it’s literally the only example that I can think of that sounds absolutely perfect without a strong chorus. The song is so manic and high-energy that really just isn’t any need for one--there’s not much tension to be built because in essence, there’s no “Good part.” The entire 3 minutes is the good part. With its dark production choices, genre-hopping experimentation, and overall provocativeness, 24 Hours is like the GAIN song that got away. Knowing how much I worship GAIN and Brown Eyed Girls makes that a gigantic compliment, but an even bigger compliment is that I consider Sunmi’s shady masterpiece to be one of the best K-pop songs of all time. It’s heavy, it’s addictive, it’s catchy, it’s gloriously mysterious, and it pretty much has no flaws.
Red Light Posted December 18, 2019 Author Posted December 18, 2019 And the last song to be eliminated before the top 50 IS... Spoiler One of the few “One and done” girl groups making up the list, SONAMOO has a surprisingly solid discography, with all around pretty great singles like Cushion and Friday Night under their belt. But their one and only contribution to the countdown stands out as something truly special, being probably the most thorough and authentic-sounding latin pop track of the decade. The acoustic guitar sample that forms the bedrock of the instrumental is one of the cleanest, richest, and most dynamic guitar lines in the top 100, and the amount of intricate fingering styles it features throughout the course of the track is nothing short of amazing. Honestly, the guitar alone could have been sufficient enough for the instrumental--it has that much impact on the arrangement. But I Knew It has one more trick up its instrumental sleeve, and that additional trick is what really contributes to the latin sound that sets it apart--a brash and vibrant trumpet hook in the choruses that blares one of the most infectious melodies of the decade. The erratic barrage of brass climbs up and down through practically every note in the E minor scale, while somehow managing to stay catchy and accessible. The fun and jittery mariachi-style trumpet runs in pretty stark contrast, however, to the overall mournful tone of the track--the primary chord progression is a rather gloomy, dismayed i-iv⁷-VII-III-V/i, much like SECRET’s similarly moody midtempo, Talk That (which I also adore). Even bleaker is the pre-chorus, where a weightier, more electric guitar climbs up a deliriously urgent i-ii°-III-vii°/iv-iv-vii°/v-V/i build. This is in tune to the lyrics, which are marked by frantic, disoriented emotional pleas like, “I can’t see, I’m confused, get me out of here,” “She’s going crazy, all left alone,” and the weirdly addictive chorus hook, “I don’t want love; no pain, no love.” And then the last piece of the puzzle, and the ultimate reason behind my adoration for the song: I Knew It, in addition to its incredibly dynamic rhythmic guitar, also has an incredibly dynamic syncopated drum rhythm. The sharp, crisp bass kick is programmed in one of the most unique patterns I know of in K-pop, particularly in the choruses, where it interacts with the complementary guitar strokes to create a bizarre, unstable, skipping and sputtering groove that somehow makes for one of the coolest and most addictive beats of the decade. To top it all off, I Knew It has a devastatingly satisfying climax with wailing ad-libs that lead to its peaking right at the end. It may be more of a grower than other songs on the list, but once I Knew It establishes a grip on you, it holds on forever. With SONAMOO’s tour de force masterpiece of latin fusion, pain and torment has never sounded so much fun.
Red Light Posted December 18, 2019 Author Posted December 18, 2019 Spoiler Spoiler f(x) losing two songs tonight puts Orange Caramel back in the lead for most songs remaining in the countdown. As a reminder, the orange 50% bars are for the Tier 5 artists who only had 1 song in the countdown to begin with (Dreamcatcher, TTS, Miss A, SISTAR, SPICA, and the mystery group). The only Tier 4-and-up artists (artists with more than one song in the countdown) who made it all the way to the top 50 with no eliminations are GAIN, Girl's Day, and KARA. TOMORROW NIGHT: Luck runs out for two of the Tier 4 artists with 100% health, my favorite song of 2019 is revealed, and two songs WITH THE SAME NAME get eliminated back to back.
K$Ellie Posted December 18, 2019 Posted December 18, 2019 Electric Light is a dated bop Butterfly is decent but not one of my fave b-sides from them Brave New World is also cute I'm not huge on IU, I love Blueming tho Kiss My Lips and I Love You are some of my faves from both artists Never really listened to 9muses but one of their members has been reacting to Loona so I may have to give them a try Catallena is so iconic glad it made the top 80 at least Me Gustas Tu is really cute but not really my fave from them Sonatine is such a pretty song, I've been really into it recently the breakdown halfway through + the final chorus really make the song I like a lot of AOA's sings but Elvis wouldn't be one of my faves omg I just listened to String and it's soooooo cute Hear the Sea is nice but not one of my fave b-sides from them Lie kinda goes off Hobgoblin is PEFECT Volume Up is nice but I prefer Crazy Decalcomania is one of the few Moo songs I tolerate Kiss Later is SO underrated Their 2017 releases were all amazing Faded Love is top 5 on Reboot for me I think on Rewind, Gone and DBP are a bit better When I'm Alone is a cute close Shadow and Airplane are my faves on Pink Tape the Kill Bill video iconic It's so shocking to think that 24 Hours was her debut, easily one of my fave kpop songs of the decade and her best song overall On 12/12/2019 at 3:27 PM, Red Light said: The Dress to Kill album is epic. Dress to Kill serves dark, hypnotic, Blackout-ish bop; Ms. Independent is a production and lyrical mess but I know a lot of people stan and the bridge is epic; and Shh predated the deep house trend by over a year! Tbh even though I know Heaven is probably objectively better, I think I prefer In the Moonlight. I love the way it progresses and evolves. Picky Picky was cute! I don't even remember if I ever listened to Tiki Taka. They really slayed me last year, though. I bet you would like Metronome. Thank you for trashing Nu Abo; was starting to feel like maybe I should have placed it higher after everyone came in and said they loved it. Wait you didn't lie about it basically being a Blackout song I'm deff gonna go back to it once I finally start getting into them but I have a few more artists to go thru first wow Shh sounds like a UK smash Wtf Metronome is so much better than La La La
Red Light Posted December 18, 2019 Author Posted December 18, 2019 13 hours ago, The Destiny Hope said: Omg I had such a wild night and I didn't expect ATRL to go down kasmdkclasdcasd but YESSS. Rushed through the last elimination and Volume Up, Hobgoblin, Decalcomanie, and WHEN I'M ALONE MAKING IT WOOOO. When I'm Alone was one of the highlights of 4 Walls and their discography I agree and I defo agree that when it came out, that album was overhyped as hell I think Pink Tape and Red Light were so good that people had pretty much automatically decided the 4 Walls album was amazing before it even came out. If they had committed more to the chill synthpop sound it could have been their best yet, but stuff like Cash Me Outside made it feel kind of slapped together. 13 hours ago, The Destiny Hope said: Is Who & Jazz Club - omg you weren't kidding at the swing kalmdklas;mcasd. I'm honestly not much of a swing person but Is Who is really good! Apple Pie - I'm HELLA surprised this was on people's radar. I swore most people swore off Fiestar with this and preferred their sexy songs over it. I LOVED this song And this graphic was so cute!! Really refreshing, bright, and different from the rest of the others so far - which fits the song Do It - One of Hyuna's best title tracks!!! WHEW. What a ****ing club BANGER The bass in the chorus is ****ing everything! Red, Roll Deep, and Do It were such a 1-2-3 punch Shadow - OMG SHADOW IS ONLY #56????? WOOOOOOOOOOOW HOLY. That's insane. This is really, truly iconic. For sure one of the best b-sides. I really love how your co-writer described it! I can feel that pain of having to cut it Airplane - "In spite of being professionally described as “Reversed EDM” (I still have no clue what that is and it’s literally the only time I’ve ever seen the term used in my entire life)" K-pop's descriptions for songs will never not amuse me. But GEEZ the back-to-back f(x) punching omg. This is really another among the best b-sides. I agree that the glitching/robotic talking in the chorus makes it THAT much better. Tbh I always looked at Apple Pie as being sexy Fiestar too. The choruses are cheerful but the "Take a bite, babe" parts are super sexual, and the maid outfit in the MV is basically fetish bait. And I always just kind of assumed the lyrics were referring to their ***** being sweet like Apple Pie but I also think Ice Cream Cake is about semen so maybe I just have a dirty mind. Do It actually wasn't the title track! How's This was the lead on that EP, which was also cute but sucked in comparison imo. I haaaated excluding the Pink Tape B-sides from the top 50 and for awhile they were in the top 50 just because of how loved they are, but I didn't want to bump them up just because of peer pressure fjhdkfjaj. I love them so much but the top 50 songs are songs I have like a next-level connection with. 1 hour ago, K$Ellie said: Electric Light is a dated bop Butterfly is decent but not one of my fave b-sides from them Brave New World is also cute I'm not huge on IU, I love Blueming tho Kiss My Lips and I Love You are some of my faves from both artists Never really listened to 9muses but one of their members has been reacting to Loona so I may have to give them a try Catallena is so iconic glad it made the top 80 at least Me Gustas Tu is really cute but not really my fave from them Sonatine is such a pretty song, I've been really into it recently the breakdown halfway through + the final chorus really make the song I like a lot of AOA's sings but Elvis wouldn't be one of my faves omg I just listened to String and it's soooooo cute Hear the Sea is nice but not one of my fave b-sides from them Lie kinda goes off Hobgoblin is PEFECT Volume Up is nice but I prefer Crazy Decalcomania is one of the few Moo songs I tolerate Kiss Later is SO underrated Their 2017 releases were all amazing Faded Love is top 5 on Reboot for me I think on Rewind, Gone and DBP are a bit better When I'm Alone is a cute close Shadow and Airplane are my faves on Pink Tape the Kill Bill video iconic It's so shocking to think that 24 Hours was her debut, easily one of my fave kpop songs of the decade and her best song overall Wait you didn't lie about it basically being a Blackout song I'm deff gonna go back to it once I finally start getting into them but I have a few more artists to go thru first wow Shh sounds like a UK smash Wtf Metronome is so much better than La La La Mess, the text dump. The 9Muses member--fjhdjka I saw something last night about a 9Muses member doing a reaction video to Dreamcatcher too. This must be what one of them is doing in their spare time, I guess... Yes, get into Lie please. I need allies. Oh, I prefer Crazy as well. It just hasn't been eliminated yet. We have the same top 5 on Reboot, although in a different order.
popstar Posted December 18, 2019 Posted December 18, 2019 Slay a bit miss Shadow And Airplane, LOVE! I love this
Red Light Posted December 18, 2019 Author Posted December 18, 2019 I can no longer edit the OP. I get a 503 error every time I try. 45 minutes ago, popstar said: Slay a bit miss Shadow And Airplane, LOVE! I love this Thank ya! Stay tuned for the rest since you apparently have similar taste!
Red Light Posted December 19, 2019 Author Posted December 19, 2019 Okay I'm here. Had some family Christmas drama. Top 50 starting in a few!
Red Light Posted December 19, 2019 Author Posted December 19, 2019 Spoiler GFriend has a habit of “Re-releasing” their own music--Navillera has a very similar chord structure to Rough, and Love Whisper is so similar to Me Gustas Tu that, upon release, it was hilariously referred to in online K-pop communities as “Me Gustas Two.” Yet, with Sunrise, GFriend somehow managed to top themselves in their passion for recycling--and, for the first time in their career, the recycled product was leagues above the original. Sunrise has everything their surprisingly successful 2018 comeback had--a totally orchestral instrumental over a heavy electronic beat, a similar tempo, and as always with GFriend, nostalgic melodies. Yet, out of all the faux-ballads that GFriend has put out over the years, Sunrise is by far the most dramatic yet. In spite of all the melodically melancholic material GFriend has put out since their debut in 2015, Sunrise is surprisingly the first time they’ve used the holy grail of drama-fueled chord progressions--the descending chromatic. And GFriend’s usage of it might objectively be the most striking instance of it yet, with overwhelmingly dramatic string stabs in a post-chorus motif that’s every bit as theatrical as a Beethoven symphony. Since their Summer Rain comeback in September of 2017--which actually went as far as sampling a classical music piece--GFriend has shifted their career trajectory from the reliable distributors of rock-based anime themes, to somber orchestral pop; a smart move, considering it’s an almost totally untapped market in K-pop. What elevates Sunrise far beyond its (unfortunately more successful) predecessor Time for the Moon Night is the fact that Sunrise totally falls apart in the last act--and I mean that in the best possible way. The beat turns irregular, with lots of tragicomic breaks and alterations, with my my favorite instance of this being in the final chorus, when the dramatic cymbals are struck three times to punctuate a specific lyric. Sunrise also has one over on Time for the Moon Night because of its climactic key change, which is complemented by infinitely more frantic, emotional vocals that match the histrionic tone. All of these elements pieced together make Sunrise feel like a slow burn towards a nervous breakdown--cyclically losing its composure after each chorus with its frantic i-V/i-VII-vii°/v-ivᵃᵈᵈ⁶-III⁷-iiø⁷-V⁷/i descent before hitting the last chorus and completely losing its ****. It all comes to a thrilling, dizzying close with one last chromatic descent into madness, this time accompanied by wailing ad libs so shrill and anguished that you’d think they were being stabbed in the gut. Forget K-pop--music in general doesn’t usually get as balls out, hamfistedly dramatic as Sunrise. It’s all totally, unmitigatedly intense and overwrought, and for that, I couldn’t love it more. When I say I like dramatic pop music, this is basically Exhibit A. If GFriend weren’t one of my favorite girl groups before, there’s no doubt they are since the advent of this insane, disconsolate symphonic masterpiece.
Red Light Posted December 19, 2019 Author Posted December 19, 2019 Spoiler As we enter the top 50, every elimination starts to feel like a crime against the brilliance of each song, like I somehow had 50 kids and am being forced to shoot them in order of how much I love them. The fact that this incredible song is being cut at #49 is actually a perfect indicator of just how stiff the competition is getting. I’ll probably be saying this a lot now that we’re getting down to the wire, but this is by far the most painful elimination yet. KARA are best remembered today for classic, anthemic dance-pop tracks like Mister and STEP, but I personally remember them for being the queens of rock in disguise. From Wanna to Jumping to Pandora, you could count on KARA to sneak in elements of metal to the mainstream, and the most blatant example of that is in the intense, emotional Damaged Lady. All of the KARA songs in the countdown have that distinct formula of electric guitars and colorful synth leads, but I would say that of the three examples, Damaged Lady’s sound stems have the most character. The electric guitar is richer and heavier than any other song KARA ever did, and the weird, squeaky, manic synth lead is one of the most unique sounding synths in the entire countdown. Tonally, Damaged Lady has a lot of variety, but all of it matches up with the lyrics assigned to it, and all of it is incredibly poignant and effective. The calmer, more mysterious verses with its light, whimsical synths and jazzy sevenths have a delicate, “Lady-like” feel to them that match what’s happening in the lyrics--a girl holding in her feelings after a blindsiding breakup. This brutally segues with a searing cymbal crash into the wild metal madness of the pre-choruses, with a blaring VII-i power chord riff and a rapidly syncopated rock rhythm (with impressively acoustic-sounding percussion), where the girl basically says “**** it,” and loses it. “Fine, I can’t do it. I can’t be a saint. I can’t be a lady.” And that leads to the anguished outcry of the chorus; the erratic, high-pitched synth squelches sounding like sonic emotions being unleashed and running rampant. “I feel so miserable that I could die, I don’t care about being a lady,” they wail over an electric guitar-driven VI⁷-V⁷/i-i-vii-III progression. What makes all the difference, however, are the ascending i-ii°-III-iv-v riffs in the midst of it. The end result makes for one of the most chaotic and emotionally frazzled choruses in K-pop. One of the last lines of the track is, “It was such a bewildering day,” and that’s just how Damaged Lady sounds--bewildering. Bewildering and angsty and frantic and, well, damaged. Yes, Damaged Lady may be the lowest placing KARA entry of the countdown, but that should say much more about the excellence of KARA’s remaining songs than it should about Damaged Lady being inferior. This song is absolutely beautiful, and it’s one of my all time favorites K-pop songs.
Red Light Posted December 19, 2019 Author Posted December 19, 2019 Spoiler Musically, Orange Caramel tended to stick with a rather predictable formula throughout their career--high-energy trot-reminiscent music with aegyo vocals and dramatic melodies. They did occasionally stray from the norm, usually for ballads or mid-tempo B-sides like Dream of Clara (#75). The most glaringly unusual, gloriously out-of-character song they ever did, however, was the opener for their one and only full-length Korean album: the ethereal, sedative synthpop gem, Bubble Bath. For a track with ‘Bubble’ right in the title, and for a group as bubbly as Orange Caramel, Bubble Bath isn’t all that bubbly. In fact, Bubble Bath is one of the dreamiest, most ambient and understated tracks in the countdown--three adjectives that make up practically the antithesis for Orange Caramel’s typical sound. As noted during the Love O’Clock review at #74, it has a sleepy, cosmic quality that would have been more at home in Oh My Girl’s discography. The “Baba ba ba ba” hook is a simple enough earworm to give the song an immediate appeal to pop fans, while the rest of the track has a long, winding path of enigmatic melodies that take awhile to completely grow on you. The majority of the track is just V/iv-VI repeated ad nauseum, which is simple enough on paper, although not catchy by any stretch of the imagination. What makes Bubble Bath stand out is everything going on above the fundamental chords--synth tones on top of synth tones on top of more synth tones, partnered with remarkably dynamic vocal melodies in spite of the small wiggle room given with the underlying chords. The song feels like a runaway train through dreamland, moving you to the next attraction before you’ve ever gotten a full look at the first. The chorus is when it finally opens itself to a wider variety of chords, and all this does is complicate things even more. The chord is mostly determined by a pumping bassline that gives the beat a disorienting, vaguely polyrhythmic feel, where the chord changes feel like they’re happening offbeat. Not to mention the chorus is when the synths finally go haywire, erratically sliding through all sorts of different pitches as if to distract the listener. If that wasn’t enough, the chord progression of the first chorus (V/iv-III-VII-VI-V/VII) isn’t even used in the second! It changes to VI-VII-V/iv while only barely changing the vocal melody. Subsequently, the second chorus is way less satisfying than the first, which gives the song a lot of tension going into the bridge. And the payoff is fantastic. After a long, suspenseful build-up, the last chorus sweeps in with its original progression, and in spite of it not being anything we didn’t already hear in the first chorus, it totally reinvigorates the song. It’s actually hard to believe how one tiny tweak could add so much energy. The song is a metaphor for “Washing yourself off” after a bad relationship, and the dull tension leading up to the sparkly last chorus gives off the effect of submerging yourself underwater, only to reemerge gasping for air, squeaky clean, feeling cleansed, refreshed, and good as new. In spite of never changing key or tempo or any of those really elaborate stunts, Bubble Bath is a mystical, hypnotic whirlwind with an excellent climax, and an overall structure complex enough to sink itself all the way down into my top 50.
Red Light Posted December 19, 2019 Author Posted December 19, 2019 Spoiler So here’s the thing: With its delicate, jazzy latin ballad feel, Two Women isn’t far off from being a carbon copy of IU’s Between the Lips (#86). And--surprise, surprise--both songs are courtesy of the same producer, G.Gorilla. Yet, there’s something oddly moving about the melodic structure of Two Women that makes it practically incomparable. I don’t think there’s any other song in the countdown that owes its high ranking as much to its melodies as Two Women does. It’s one of the most romantic and intimate K-pop songs to ever enter my ears. The way the track flows and changes over time--again, exactly like Between the Lips--is nothing short of incredible. It opens up with an i-iv-V/iv-iv progression (ignore the no3’s and no5’s in mine, that was just so the beginning sounded gentler) before easing into the long, intricate i-iv-VII-III-VI-V/v-ii°-VI-V/i of the verses, and looping that until the last two bars where it transitions to the choruses with a long, suspenseful v-V/i. The VI-V⁷/v progression in particular sounds mesmerizingly seductive and mysterious, but that’s nothing compared to the stops G.Gorilla pulls out for the chorus. The harmonies practically take gradual baby steps from semitone to semitone, with multiple chords being preceded by their diminished or half-diminished cousins, and others being preceded by suspensions. Slowly and carefully, each chorus tiptoes towards a fever pitch where GAIN squeaks out a shrill high note over an IVᵃᵈᵈ⁶/VI chord, and it’s positively devastating. Instrumentally, the gentle serenade minimalistically combines smooth, binaural acoustic guitars with slow bass strums, as well as graceful violin, piano, and rustic woodwind accentation. The swung 94 BPM percussion is even more minimalistic, with a barely audible bass kick coming in after the first verse, even less audible snap samples, a very light rattle, and some intermittent light snare fills in the last quarter. Every aspect of Two Women is as dainty and soft as the old-fashioned ideal of femininity, and that certainly makes sense, considering the context: It’s on the Hawwah EP, a six-piece collection of songs about guilt, temptation, and sexuality; all told through biblical metaphors. Two Women addresses one of the most infamous biblical no-nos of all, and it’s all so poetic and tasteful that it manages to toe the perfect line between beauty and sin--a guilt-ridden and helpless attraction to another woman. “A bright red flower blooms with lies; its poison spreads when love is whispered; a more fatal temptation than an evil snake.” As a B-side on the Hawwah EP, Two Women is a hidden gem that has pretty much been lost through time--and this is a shame, as I firmly believe this is one of the most hauntingly beautiful K-pop songs ever written.
Red Light Posted December 19, 2019 Author Posted December 19, 2019 Spoiler And here lies the first K-pop song I ever owned. Well, it’s tied with Hurricane Venus, since I bought them both on the same day, but I consider it part of a joint package in being the first song I ever owned. Almost 10 years later, and it still hits harder than more than half of the other electropop bangers included in the rate. That’s all thanks to having some of the darkest and most intense melodies in the entire countdown. But we’ll get to that later. First up, the production: Dangerous is classic early 2010’s electropop, with autotuned vocals, icy synths, and dirty basslines. The beat is relatively slow (105 BPM), but relentless and brutal, with booming, stomping bass kicks and loose, reverb-heavy stadium claps. Something about the tempo of the song and the accents of the percussion gives it a bizarre military chant vibe. Lending in giving that aggressive army feel is the one synth sample that pretty much defines the entire song--the most effectively urgent usage of a siren I’ve ever heard in a pop song (even eclipsing the very similar Nu Abo at #100). And then there’s the real deadly weapons that Dangerous has in its artillery--the melodies. Most notably, the pre-chorus, which in this case, acts more like a hook. Being a four-part chord progression, it’s the most infectious and melodic point of the song. But it’s not exactly poppy and it’s far from sounding light or sugary. In fact, it’s one of the most devilish, serpentine progressions in the countdown: i-III-V/v-IV/VI. The other remotely poppy chord progression is a three-part progression in the bridge, but the bridge acts as the more pensive rest area, with a solemn, doleful i-VI-V/VII. Meanwhile, the chorus is a nearly monotonous graveyard of i chords, with quick shifts back to the i-III-V/v-IV/VI progression at the end of each measure. Along that warpath, BoA robotically stutters out the accompanying chromatic melody in a way that complements the aggressive, militant beat. There’s nothing else technical to mention, and the reason the song is so high up is because of how powerful the mood of it is, so I’m just going to cut out the middleman and list all the adjectives that describe the tone of Dangerous. I’ve already used dark, intense, devilish, serpentine, aggressive, and militant, but I feel like that doesn’t cover it. I love Dangerous because it sounds so menacing, bitter, daunting, formidable, possessed, malevolent, noxious, exigent, and sinister. And immediately after writing that sentence, my handlers adjusted my OCD meds and put a child safety restriction on thesaurus.com. Actually, never mind, there’s one word that sums it all up: In the most energizing, arrogant, badass way possible, Dangerous sounds... dangerous. Duh.
Red Light Posted December 19, 2019 Author Posted December 19, 2019 (edited) Spoiler ^Mess. That graphic lowkey kind of offensive now that I look at it again. That silhouette was the only good background element that I could find when I looked up "Mariachi" on the graphics maker jhffkjfka Yet another example of the great dichotomy of Orange Caramel, with annoyingly cutesy vocals and yet channeled into music that’s loaded with tension and urgency. I don’t know why nobody ever notes just how melodically dramatic and moody most Orange Caramel songs really are, and So Sorry is one of the most extreme examples. This is one of those songs that really has no flaws, in my book. Even Orange Caramel’s baby-voiced vocal affectations aren’t as severe in this one. In fact, when the Catallena single EP was first released, many preferred So Sorry to the title track, and I have to say, almost six years later, I think they were right. So Sorry distinguishes itself right from the beginning, with what might as well be Mariachi music, employing staccato strokes of acoustic guitars under a bright and bold trumpet melody. It runs at a steady 128 BPM house beat, but the rhythmic guitar strokes between the beat give it that more exotic, duple-meter trottiness that makes up so much of Orange Caramel’s catalog. There’s a cool, whirly, erratic synth glissando in the post-choruses and bridge, and other than that, there’s really not much to the instrumental. The continuous, rich, acoustic guitar samples and bright, boisterous trumpet accents are really all it needs, and the sharp bass kick is heavy enough to give the song the proper energy needed to execute the fierceness of its melodies. And that’s really what it all comes down to. So Sorry repeats pretty much the same chord progression in every measure with only minor alterations, but the progression itself is so dynamic and prolific that not a single bar of the track sounds stale--the verses being i-V⁷/i-i-V/i-iv-III-ii°-V/i; the pre-choruses really just being a second half to the verses, but with a v-V/i tacked onto the end; and the choruses being, well, the same as the verses. It’s all remarkably intense and vaguely sinister, which sounds so weird to say about Orange Caramel, but just listen to it here without the cutesy vocals overshadowing the fundamental austerity of the chords. The mock “Pre-choruses” in particular are exceptionally acerbic, with the Bb-F-Db-Bb-A vocal melody at the beginning standing out as one of my favorite music moments of the decade. Orange Caramel will always be fondly remembered by me for their long, elaborate, angst-ridden chord progressions, and that’s what pushes this forgotten B-side to nearly cracking the top 40. It’s interesting, quirky, well-produced, and spectacularly composed, and one of the absolute greatest songs in an already incredible discography. Edited January 3, 2020 by Red Light
Red Light Posted December 19, 2019 Author Posted December 19, 2019 Spoiler 2016 and 2017 were like a bloodbath among girl groups, with disbandments of Rainbow, KARA, 4Minute, 2ne1, I.O.I, Miss A, SISTAR, and Spica. But, in my opinion, the most tragic and senseless of all was the disbandment of Wonder Girls. It will bother me to my last breath that they learned how to play their own instruments, came back in 2015 with one of the best girl group albums of all time, completed their transformation to a legitimate girl band in 2016 by recording this song LIVE in the studio, had a massive, overperforming hit with it--all just to disband the following year. FOR WHAT?! That said, they couldn’t have topped off their career on a better note (that half-ass goodbye ballad doesn’t count). Why So Lonely is one of the best and most revered songs in their discography, not only by the critics, who lauded the ladies’ musical talent and experimentation, but by the longtime fans as well. Wonder Girls were known for their retro-pop signature, from motown-inspired Nobody to an entire album produced to emulate 80’s synthpop in Reboot. Why So Lonely is one of their most cleverly devised concepts of all, taking advantage of their new musical prowess by throwing back to the soft rock that dominated airwaves in the 70’s; thus allowing an excuse to deck themselves out in 70’s hippie fashions and try out a genre they’d never played with before--reggae. Back in 2016, when I heard they were going reggae, I was a bit apprehensive. The 80’s theme of Reboot, as committed and well-executed as it was, was something they’d already had experience with. I knew that with Why So Lonely, it would probably either go really, really right, or really, really wrong. Luckily, it went really, really right: Why So Lonely isn’t just a good song when you look at all the context surrounding it, it’s just a good song in general. It’s a total pleasure to listen to, with surprisingly sharp production quality, expert instrumentation (a special shoutout to Yubin on the drums--the beat is so perfect that it’s hard to believe it was recorded live), and the right mixture of emotional variety in the composition. With bitter, moody i-V/i-i verses; solemn iv-III-V/i-i, iv-III-iiø⁷-V/i pre-choruses; and lighter, more anthemic VI⁷-III-V/i-i-VII, VI⁷-III-V/i choruses with a catchy, pop-friendly vocal hook; Why So Lonely strikes that perfect balance of being instantly lovable and slowly growable. Since their departure, there has been no other girl group quite like the late Wonder Girls, and Why So Lonely is practically the musical personification of everything that put them so many steps ahead of every other girl group in the game.
Red Light Posted December 19, 2019 Author Posted December 19, 2019 Spoiler If nothing else, Red Velvet are the queens of mindless, nonsensical, wordless hooks--incessant chants ranging from the dumbdumbdumbs of Dumb Dumb, the babanana’s of Power Up, and most prominently, the lalala’s of Happiness, Ice Cream Cake, and last but not least, Russian Roulette. But, as simple as Russian Roulette’s hook is lyrically, Red Velvet’s sinfully catchy bitpop confection is surprisingly one of the most harmonically layered girl group songs of the decade. I can’t tell if the song is in Cm, Eb, or Gm (and none of those are even that similar to each other, I’m just a dumbass), but I’m going with Gm because it has the most pleasant-sounding G⁷♭⁹ chord. Whatever it is, the complexity doesn’t make it hard to like at all. Russian Roulette’s melodic formula is one of the most instantly catchy and lovable in the entire top 100. I’d say the opening hook alone, with its edited, haywire vocal clips drenched in four-part harmony before the instrumental even kicks in, is one of the most iconic and recognizable moments in the countdown. Sonically, Russian Roulette shows off the power of contrast--extremely simple, uncrowded verses that consist only of the vocals, a staccato synth surge, and a flowing electronic bassline. The beat is the most pivotal feature of the verses, with a thumping bass kick and whiplash snare pattern that adds even more contrast to the choruses. Yep, this song features one of my favorite quirks: complicated, syncopated rhythms in the verses and straightforward four-on-the-floor pounding in the choruses. The chorus is where the instrumental really fleshes itself out as well--if you could visualize the way a song sounds, the extraordinary gush of colorful synth leads in Russian Roulette would look like some kind of rainbow-hued plastic toy. That said, of course, the first thing that really won me over was the robotically precise chromatic vocal fill during the delivery of the song’s title. Then there’s that tense, anticipatory, percussion-barren bridge, with its wistfully complex IV/VI-VI-V/#vi-V/#vii°, IV/VI-VI-IV⁷ˢᵘˢ²/VI-V⁷/VI progression in clipped vocal harmonies that sound like some kind of roboticized church choir. It’s utterly magnificent, and probably ranks in the top 5 of my favorite bridges of the decade. Then, just when you think Russian Roulette doesn’t have any more tricks up its sleeve, it throws a ridiculously high-pitched synth riff your way that has all the ambitious extravagance of an electric guitar solo. As one of the most undeniably infectious, universally likable, and spectacularly produced tracks in the countdown, it’s pretty much pop perfection. Russian Roulette is a high-pitched, high-energy, high-complexity, high-detail synthpop masterpiece, and is considered by many fans to be Red Velvet’s masterpiece.
Red Light Posted December 19, 2019 Author Posted December 19, 2019 Spoiler SPICA did angst better than practically every other girl group of the 2010’s. Not only does their bleak, tragic single Painkiller hold the distinction of being practically the only K-pop ballad that I actually like, but they managed to pull off a legitimate Russian Roulette metaphor without coming across as tryhard. And it isn’t a silly, facetious Russian Roulette concept either, like in Red Velvet’s song of the same name literally one spot up--no, they actually play the game in the music video, and the lyrics are among the darkest featured in the countdown. Sonically, Russian Roulette is killer, pun sort of unintended. It’s produced by the masterful Sweetune and their handiwork is quite obvious, composing the track with their usual funky basslines, electric guitars, graceful strings, and screechy orchestral swells. Most notable, however--and one of the elements most responsible for getting Russian Roulette so high up on the list--is the usage of a deep, booming timpani sample to accent the most dramatic moments of the song. The whistle tone used as the hook, as much as I hate whistling in music, is actually pretty good as well, and weirdly feels right at home in the rest of the soundscape. But, as is usual with SPICA, the vocals are what really shine, and Sweetune does a fine job of not letting his dense instrumental get in the way of that. Their deep, husky vocal prowess does all the heavy lifting melodically, and the lifting in Russian Roulette is certainly heavy, with a boatload of harmonic complexity. The extraordinarily intricate iv-V⁷/i-i, iv-VII-III, vii°/III-V⁷/i-i-viiø⁷/VII-iv-V/i chord progression of the chorus requires the most expert vocal layering available, and SPICA pulls it off beautifully, particularly in the vii°/III-V⁷/i-i-viiø⁷/VII bars. Even more remarkable is that despite it having such a complicated chord structure, Russian Roulette still manages to be catchy, with the whistle hook just mentioned being a pretty effective earworm, and--as dark as it is contextually--the BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG! Repetition being surprisingly infectious. And, contextually, there’s no denying that Russian Roulette is dark. The lyrics practically read like somebody with Borderline Personality Disorder threatening to end their life after a breakup, with lines like, “If it’s not you, I’ll die anyway; things like this are not a big deal to me,” “I have nothing more to lose; I can do things that are more extreme than this,” “Even if it’s like this, I need to hold onto you.” And the melodrama of it all feels surprisingly authentic--the vocals sound genuinely distressed, and altogether it makes for one of the greatest instances of musical histrionics in all of K-pop. “I will let go of everything and trust you. With your hand, aim… BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!”
Red Light Posted December 19, 2019 Author Posted December 19, 2019 And tonight's last elimination is... Spoiler There are all kinds of K-pop songs that push the boundaries of digestible pop music--boundaries discussed both in prior reviews and in the upcoming reviews of the top 40. There are few songs, however, (maybe no other songs at all), that literally sound ****ed up on purpose. But Tinkerbell does. Behold: The weirdest song of the decade. I suppose the easiest place to start would be the chord structure--which, believe it or not, is probably the closest the track ever comes to even being remotely simple. While it introduces itself with a demonic IV/VI-i-V/i loop, the verses are fairly monotonous. The choruses are really the only sections of the song with some semblance of a catchy hook, if for no other reason but the fact that the two-chords-per-bar have a straightforward and consistent rhythm. It doesn’t offer much relief to the listener, however, since the actual chord progression is a cold, sinister i-VII-VI-V/i, iˢᵘˢ⁴-III-ii°-IV/VI. And that’s the simple part of the song. Sonically, Tinkerbell is already pretty unique, mixing a vaguely latin guitar with beeping synth tones, flute riffs, clipped and distorted vocal samples, and jangly guitars in the chorus. There are also very brief moments of total heavy metal loudness blasting, only to instantly be cut off by one lone, totally offbeat, binaural acoustic guitar strum. Also of note are the clanging industrial snares in the second chorus with no discernible pitch or rhythm, serving no other purpose but to distract the listener and make the track even more chaotic. Oh, and before I forget, there’s also a random, pitch-bent trumpet sample in the second verse that sounds like it was literally dropped in by mistake. And structurally, I don’t know how to characterize Tinkerbell as anything other than a complete and utter mess. The acoustic guitar riffs that form the foundation of the instrumental are glitchy and inconsistent at best; the beat is syncopated to an incomprehensible degree; the aforementioned metal sequences followed by the binaural guitar strums **** up the rhythm beyond all recognition; there are brief moments of literal silence; and basically, every element of the composition sounds like an artist purposefully splattering paint all over what was once a very pretty work of art. With a write-up like that, Tinkerbell barely even sounds like it could be music. But that’s precisely what makes the song so addictive. I don’t like music like this to be pretentious or to classify K-pop as a higher art than it really is--wonky, experimental pop music is still pop music, and if my taste was really that avant-garde, I wouldn’t be listening to it. The reason songs like this end up regarded so highly by me is because they’re hard to get used to, which makes them hard to get tired of. For every ounce of weirdness Tinkerbell has, it has just as much longevity.
Red Light Posted December 19, 2019 Author Posted December 19, 2019 Spoiler Spoiler That leaves Girl's Day as the only Tier 4+ artist (artist with more than one song) to still have 100% health! Orange Caramel's losing Bubble Bath and So Sorry tonight also ties them with IU. TOMORROW NIGHT: Tonight was the last night of relative peace. Tomorrow night the real free-for-all really begins. BIG step up in quality now. A trip back in time, crying over spilled milk (), and three big artists in a row get completely eliminated!
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