Tune

In “Why so serious?” we can notice that Shinee is still on their quest to clarify their music style. As it was the case with “Dream Girl”, “Why so serious” is different than Shinee’s other releases, but still retains a very recognizable Shinee vibe. Also, when for us “Dream Girl” was an easy song to decide if you like it or not, “Why so serious?” is too complex and needs more deliberation to get to the conclusion whether you love it or hate it. Starting from the beginning, “Why so serious” is a compound song composition-wise, a lot is going on, in some places maybe even a little too much. The backtrack is very busy and intricate, with quite an original sound, unfortunately sometimes it works against the boys and pulls the attention away from their vocals. Also, the song doesn’t feel very cohesive. Some parts sound like they belong in a different song, they have a completely different flow than the main music line. The “Why so serious?” part comes out of nowhere, the transition is jarring. Over all, the transitions seem to be the main problem in “Why so serious?” composition. They are choppy and too noticeable. It looks like a problem in a lot of SM’s latest releases, when it seems like a lot of different songs were packed into one. Fortunately, in Shinee’s case it doesn’t ruin the whole listening experience, but it could take some time to get used to for some listeners (especially if they are not Shawols). The vocals, especially Taemin’s, show a great improvement. In some parts he just carries the song by himself. In the end we decided that we liked “Why so serious?” because it’s funky and showcases a different and playful vocal performance, but at the same moment we felt like the song could be equally as good as Taemn’s solo project. It fits right into his singing style, and he had to step in for Jonghyun and take on his lines, that’s why the balance of the song was unfortunately lost. Even when the rest of the members do what they can, they just get overshadowed by Taemin, his abundance of lines and the superb way he delivers them. All in all, we feel that “Why so serious?” is a good, but not excellent song, and it breaks away from the standard kpop pattern. Shinee is experimenting with their style and we like that about them.

Dance

When we think of Shinee great choreography comes to mind instantly. “Why so serious?” didn’t disappoint. Maybe the dance is not as awe inspiring as “Sherlock” and “Lucifer” were, but it’s fun, dynamic and has some really great moments. The choreo is energetic and fast paced to match the quick beat of the song. The zombie moves are entertaining to look at and there are some neat group sequences to look forward to. We’ll have to see the dance version to be able to notice all the little gestures strewn throughout, but in “Why so serious’s” case the slightly psychedelic song is in charge of hyping up the viewers, so the choreo looks slightly toned down on the technicalities. It doesn’t make the dance less interesting or less enjoyable to watch though.

Image

In “Why so serious?” Shinee sports three different outfit concepts. Namely the white and black elegant version, the black and red rebel outfits and then the faded jackets with plain trousers. We feel like Shinee’s stylists took the fans’ complaints to heart and tried to tone the wardrobe down a little. They still didn’t hit the bull’s-eye with the concept, but this time the outfits aren’t as horrendous as we feared them to be. Especially with the zombie theme. The suits look good and casual with the slight elegant undertones. The rebel outfits worked better for some of the members, we think that Taemin’s sweater is not a good combination with those pants. We lean towards the belief that the sweater wouldn’t look good no matter who wears it and with what. We’re also not a big fan of the faded, too big jackets with some weird patchwork on the back and on the sleeves. They don’t let the boys stand out and make them look older than necessary.

MV Originality

After a surprisingly good “Dream Girl” MV SM returned to their old tricks. “Why so serious” MV consists mostly of the boys dancing in some sets. There also is an underdeveloped plot part that is quite unnecessary. Shinee is playing in some white room filled with weird appliances when the faceless girl enters and we get to see a few sequences in which the boys fight for her attention. Apparently they get too rowdy, so when the cop knocks on their door they just cutely hide behind their white decor. That sums up the plot part, there is no conclusion or explanation, or maybe we just don’t get it. We think that the MV would be better with just Shinee dancing, singing and acting cute by themselves. Introducing the faceless girl is like trying too hard on SM’s part to include a plot in the MV that doesn’t need it.

Lyrics

We have to say that the lyrics of “Why so serious?” are quite interesting. Translating literally, they are told from the perspective of a zombie that raised from the grave and found the girl he loves. From then, the zombie guy reassures his girl that everything will be alright, and the difference in their bodies’ decomposition level doesn’t matter. He even feels like he’s coming back to life thanks to her love. There are some great lines in this song and it totally turned the clichéd love song pathos about-face. All the genius madness that is pouring out of this lyrics can be summed up in one sentence – “Why so serious?”.

Summing up, we think that Shinee released another good song that confirmed they are not getting back from the musical path they started exploring with “Sherlock”. They are still experimenting with the composition and sound, but at the same time they already established a very recognizable and unique Shinee style. We only wish that Jonghyun could participate in the MV and “Why so serious?” promotions, but on the other hand he should get all the rest he needs. We’ll wait to see what direction Shinee takes their next step. We bet it’ll be unique and the wait would be worthwhile.

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Tune

“What’s your name?” is a bouncy song with a heavy electronic beat and way too much autotune. We admit that the beat is different than what we can hear in most kpop songs, it resembles a base used a lot in western club music. The background track on its own isn’t bad or jarring, it’s just not pronounced or energetic enough to make the listeners want to move when listening to this song. Then we have the heavily autotuned verses that after a while get quite redundant, like harping on one string. Also, the transition from the verses into the chorus is not as smooth as we’d like it to be. Aside from that, the chorus is the only part of this song, that we can hear some clear and natural vocals. We believe that “What’s your name?” is a good song to listen to during a late night jam, but not exactly the hit material that would make 4MINUTE’s popularity skyrocket. In our opinion, “Volume up” was a song that gave the girls a chance to show off more vocal abilities than “What’s your name?”.

Dance

The dance in “What’s your name?” is not very complicated or technical but it fits the song and is actually quite swaggy. After seeing the teasers we were afraid of Cube giving the girls an over sexualized routine with booty shakes as the center point. Watching the MV we were pleasantly surprised – there’s no such thing. The girls are dancing, and although the routine relies more on their charisma than on some mind blowing moves they still look good and energetic. 4MINUTE looks confident and playful when they dance in “What’s your name?”, they are sexy without actually overdoing it. Aside from one crotch pointing move that we can easily overlook the girls’ expertly balance the sexiness with power. During the second part of the song the dancing seems a little like it run out of steam, the sequences are more static and the moves seem to be slowing down. Besides that, “What’s your name?” was a fun and well-thought-out routine.

Image

In “What’s your name?” the girls went for a less glamorous look, instead opting for the tuned up versions of casual clothes. The outfits are colorful and fit for summer, some of them coming in a little strange combinations, but the girls look cute and young. The big problem are the half stockings Hyuna sports on her thighs. She’s supposedly a hot icon, but those stockings make her outfit look cheaper than it would look without them. They are just ugly and unnecessary and no one, not even Hyuna, could make them look good or sexy.

MV Originality

To say the truth, we don’t really know what’s the plot of “What’s your name?” MV. It’s just rather messy and disjointed. First, the girls hang out in a pink room, then they hit up a painfully cartoon street when they are hit on by various guys. It’s all fine and dandy with a few dancing sequences thrown here and there, then around the 2’15’’ everything gets crazy. Namely, the zombies attacked and the girls try to fend them off with chairs and other appliances (like a hairdryer…). The zombie part then moves to the streets and dances together with 4MINUTE. Honestly, if you see some sense in this MV just drop us a hint.

Lyrics

The lyrics of “What’s your name?” basically tell us about a girl that has her eye on a guy and wants to know him better. Hence she asks what’s his name, phone number, age and so on. She invites him to talk over some drinks, but then stresses that she’s not an easy girl, so he won’t get any ideas. We think that the lyrics could have been better without so many repetitions. It’s a song to dance to so it’s clear that deep lyrics weren’t the producer’s priority.

Summing up, 4MINUTE tries to change up their image and go back to their former glory. We believe that with “What’s your name?”they can entice a new group of fans or convince fans of their older works to believe in them again, but unfortunately we don’t think that this song is enough to let them shine amongst the tough competition in this packed comeback time. We wish them better luck next time and we hope Cube focuses more on promoting them properly as a group, not as Hyuna and her back dancers.

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Tune

“Pretty Boy” is a perfect spring/summer song. It’s very cute and easy-going, Juniel’s vocals are light and moderated to fit the cheerful music. Honestly, we expected a more forceful and stronger release with more pronounced vocals and deeper meaning, but it somehow makes perfect sense to release a cute and breezy song in the spring/summer season and leave the loaded, emotional songs in store for autumn and winter. “Pretty Boy” doesn’t give Juniel a chance to showcase the amazing vocal range, but her voice is steady and pleasant and she somehow makes the delivering of the lines interesting anyway. The composition of the whole song is also very good, it makes the song seem cohesive. The music blends nicely with Juniel’s sweet voice and non-intrusive guitar and creates a very enjoyable and complete feeling release.

Image

In the MV Juniel leaves the oversized sweaters and dons a few very girly dresses. All her outfits in the MV are very cute and eye pleasing. They make her look alluring in the innocent and decent way, at the same time letting everyone see that Juniel doesn’t lack anything in the looks department when compared to other female idols. The clothes match with the theme of the MV and the song itself. The pink jacket coupled with the fluffy white frilly dress and pink combat boots looks like a combination of the sweet image Juniel wants to emote for this single with her more bohemian artistic interests. In this MV Juniel is busting with cuteness without overdoing the aegyo. She feels cheerful and natural, that’s why the whole concept becomes alive with her and doesn’t seem too fake.

MV Originality

The main motif of “Pretty Boy” MV is all the males she comes across going crazy over Juniel. Starting from the beginning, Juniel agrees on a date with, supposedly, a cute boy, unfortunately his real looks are a mystery for her. She concludes that he would look similar to CNBLUE’s Younghwa, and sets out for her date. While she walks the streets in her own little world, she doesn’t pay attention to the not-so-cute men all fighting for her attention (and love). Arriving at the cafe she sees a handsome guy that seems to fit her imagined picture of a date. She shyly waves at him and he waves back. Unfortunately he wasn’t interested in her but in his kids, and Juniel just sits there embarrassed. Then her date shows up – and he’s not what she imagined him to be (he’s played by comedian Kim Gyeong Jin). Then we see a little retrospection of Juniel’s way to the cafe and we can see Gyeong Jin was always somewhere close. The plot part of the MV reminds us a little of J. Lo’s “Papi” music video, with the whole guys going crazy over one girl concept. Nevertheless, Juniel adapts this idea in her own style and with her own unique flair, so the similarities aren’t that obvious. Aside the plot part there are also a few sentences where Juniel sings and plays her guitar, and also attempts to dance. There wasn’t much of a complicated choreo that Juniel herself dances to, so we didn’t include the “Dance” part of our review. Besides, it’s hard to dance and play the guitar at the same time, so we feel it was a great idea to let the hired dancers do their part and let Juniel just sway to the music in some parts. Juniel is best at what she does right now – singing and dancing, and as long as she feels the music she won’t need dancing to make her performances interesting.

Lyrics

In the lyrics of “Pretty Boy” Juniel lists the features she likes in a boy. She likes the cute and youthful type more than the cool movie star like man. We feel that the Korean title does the song more justice, it simply translates into “Cute Guy”. Although Juniel sings about her pretty boy, he’s pretty to her because of his personality traits, not his appearance. The English title coupled with the first part of the MV can be easily misinterpreted as Juniel being superficial, especially by those that won’t bother to check out the lyrics. All in all, “Pretty Boy’s” lyrics aren’t very deep and pertaining to existential problems, but they match with the light mood of the song and the spring season when people supposedly fall in love for the first time.

Summing up, Juniel’s “Pretty Boy” is a perfect release for the season – Juniel spreads playful and sweet atmosphere. We all know that she’s a very capable and talented vocalist, she doesn’t need to prove that in every song, and she needs some variety in her releases. Also, she gives a good example how to be full of aegyo and not come off as too fake. We’ll wait for her next comeback to see how she evolves artistically.

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Concept

Thankfully, in contrast to their jacket images, in this performance PURE went for a clean, simple image. As most rookies, Pure shows uniformity in their image. They look good in black suits and there is nothing strange about their outfits – unfortunately the attires also don’t let them stand out. If a song and dance are mediocre they should at least made their appearance more appealing. Also, for a group marketed by image (like most kpop groups, we are aware) they don’t present any stunning visuals that would put them aside from the rest. PURE doesn’t possess any originality in their image that’s why to us they are just an easily forgettable filler group between more original or controversial acts.

Vocals

PURE braved their way through the performance without lip synching. Their voices were loud enough and they didn’t seem out of breath. On the other hand their harmonies were very messy and we feel that their voices were much too unstable. Some of the adlibs were hard to listen to, they just didn’t fit with the other vocal parts and the beat. The only stable enough and rhythmical part of the performance was the short rap part at the beginning. We think that PURE could become good vocalists, but they still need a lot of vocal training, they especially need to get a greater control of their voices. This “I still love you” performance left much to be desired vocal-wise.

Dance

Although the dance isn’t the most unusual and consists of moves and sequences that are easy to spot in other kpop routines it still manages to look quite good live. PURE aren’t stiff and awkward when dancing, and although they still look like they reenact the moves one after the other instead of really dancing with the music, they at least make it look passable. Their synchronization is also rather deft. The only awkward to look at part of this routine is the part that was supposed to make it more special – the usage of the sticks. The fact that the sticks are white make us think of the walking stick. Secondly, aside from one neat stick twirl performed by one member, the rest of the stick moves are just plain weird. The members just simply pick the sticks up and put them down, and then hold them in their hands. Unfortunately at this point their synchronization failed and the sticks were sticking up at different angles. We feel that they could utilize the props in more difficult or special way. What we can see in “I still love you” routine feels like a wasted chance at doing something great, the moves are too simple, we believe that it would be better to lose the props altogether and it wouldn’t make a difference or could make the routine look more cohesive.

Summing up, PURE is one of those groups that gets lost in the throng of others. They don’t have any distinct features that would make them stand out. Their music and performance style is also too ordinary to keep the viewers attention for long. We are sorry to say, but even if they rely on their looks to keep the fans interested, we don’t see them becoming a big name on the kpop scene. At the rate they are going right now, we would be surprised if they even made a small ripple.

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http://youtu.be/CTSEqEH0FqI

Yet, I don’t know that many bands – I mainly listen to ones from the SMTOWN Company, only because I don’t know any others.

I mostly listen to…

1. Super Junior
2. EXO – Both EXO M and EXO K
3. Girls Generation (SNSD)
4. DBSK – JYJ

That is the names of the bands I listen to daily, there aren’t many others though too.

I’m just asking if anyone has any suggestions on other bands they like… Or other companies or whatever…? Hey, this can be K-POP or not.

Yeah, that’s it really.

Oh, my brothers anger issues have reached all time high, he is constantly shouting and screaming…And sometimes he just randomly leaves the house – I have no idea what is up with him, I don’t reckon it’s the ‘hormones’, I mean, this didn’t really happen with my older brother.

Also – To do with K POP, I am just saying…the boys are very hot.

Take Care xx

c:

Tune

We think that “Shaking Heart” is still not a hit material, but a good song nonetheless. It gives a very simple (that’s a compliment) and clean feeling. The backtrack is not overdone, slightly austere, with a strong, rhythmical beat creating the mood of the song. The composition itself is very good and steady, rap parts and vocals nicely entwining each other, the song feels cohesive and coherent. Because of “Shaking Heart’s” slightly drawling tempo and lack of overdone effects we get a slightly retro feel from this song. Also, the vocals and raps are clear and just in the right pitch. The only thing that this song lacks is a good hook. There is just no part that would stand out and make everyone hum it immediately. Nevertheless, kpop needs more songs like “Shaking Heart” and C-Clown should get more recognition from the wide public, they proved they are capable of creating good music.

Dance

The dance in “Shaking Heart” is well-balanced and fits in with the song. It’s rather slow-paced and toned down, but its beauty lies in all the little gestures coming together. Instead of exaggerated and big movements, this routine relies on well-timed group sequences and details. Even though it doesn’t look like it, there is quite a lot going on in this choreo. We liked the use of hats – it gave the routine a fresh feeling. Hats may not be the most original props, but C-Clown makes the hat moves look easy and effortless, when in reality it’s rather hard to pull them off. Also, the little dance solo included in the MV looked quite interesting and impressive. The execution of all the dance moves was very smooth and it made the routine look light but complex at the same time.

Image

In “Shaking Heart” MV C-Clown replaced stage costumes with stylish clothes. Suits and ties match with the feel of the song and make some of the dance sequences look more refined and in character. Honestly, no strange fashion experiments would reflect the atmosphere of this release better than all members decked out in fine suits. The other set of outfits is more colorful and casual, but still retaining some semblance of formal wear. The members look good and sensual without baring anything, the clothes also let the viewer concentrate on the dancing instead of unnecessary catching the eye.

MV Originality

All praises aside, the MV is one of the most generic and overdone concepts in kpop. Aside from the dance sequences in two different settings we see a slightly disjointed story of a guy being cheated on and then left by his girl (played by Girl’s Day Hyeri). All scenes are filmed in the same room with only a bed and a big feathery swing. In accordance with the lyrics we see the girl and the guy pose sorrowfully at the camera, Hyeri sitting on the swing. In the last few scenes we see that the swing is empty and the guy is mourning alone with her ring in his palm. The other members are doing their emotional solo shots in random other premises. The plot part of the MV seems like an interlude for the dance scenes and in our opinion it wouldn’t make much of a difference if the MV consisted only of the dance.

Lyrics

The lyrics are told from the perspective of a guy that knows his girlfriend is falling away from him and possibly cheats on him with some other guy. He knows what he should do, but when he sees the girl cry and holds her, his heart and resolution start to shake. He’s stuck with knowing she’s not truly his anymore and not being able to send her off and end things, because when he’s with her his feelings are swayed over and over. In the end she takes the final step and leaves him for good. Love and cheating are the subject of most kpop songs and C-Clown was no different. Interesting narration and wording are the redeeming lyrical qualities of “Shaking Heart”. Fortunately C-Clown is not repeating all the clichéd phrases, even though they follow a clichéd plot pattern.

Summing up, we feel that C-Clown are still looking for their own path and niche on the kpop market. We hope they keep up the good work and explore the direction they are going in with “Shaking Heart”. If they continue releasing good songs like this one it would truly be a shame if they don’t manage to leave the shadow they are still currently staying in.

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왜? I’ll tell you why!! >:C

Since I’ve had my YFU interview , I was waiting for an acceptance letter. Well I emailed YFU admissions and asked about how long it usually takes to get an acceptance letter. The YFU admissions counselor for my area emailed back and this is what she basically said ( PLEASE NOTE: I am going to add some comments in between the pieces of the email she sent me);

** Typically within 3-4 weeks after recieving all of your application documents AND your interview, we can let you know an enrollment decision.

^That means you have to send all of the required documents BEFORE getting notice of acceptance or rejection from the YFU program!

• Those required documents include a health evaluation which has to been signed by doctor and dentist
• school certificate is to be filled out by a counselor or school official like that (I recommend a counselor)
• educator evaluation which is a document to be filled out by a core class teacher (basically a recommendation)
• and lastly, a parent-student agreement

**The orientation on May 5th is atually for students departing in the summer/fall of 2013. Since you aren’t departing until the winter of 2014, you’ll actually have an orientation closer to your departure date.

^You guys hear that?! Orientations for students leaving in summer/fall will most likely be happening around late spring times. For those students leaving in winter, orientations will be probably in the early-mid-late fall.

I did not know any of the above information. So I am writing this down so other students won’t have trouble with this. Just remember that not only do you have to fill out those documents but you also have to get a VISA(s), a passport, send in passport photos, and send in candids. I hope this will give you an idea of how important sending in those docments are! Hop to guys! Departure dates and the end of school are coming quickly!!

If this is AKB48′s world and we’re just living in it, Momoiro Clover Z has an even greater task on their hands: tweaking the standard just enough to keep it different, without ever abandoning true blue idol pop. I should confess that AKB48 is my least favorite thing to happen to Japanese pop music in the past decade. This includes, by the way, teen boy bands, Funky Monkey Babys, and Ayumi Hamasaki’s last single. Because we have yet to crown a new diva, one who hasn’t been born before 1990, the Oricon charts and pop culture conversation revolves around girl groups and subgroups. Unfortunately, AKB48′s success may have unleashed an ever larger number of idiosyncratic idol groups, but it’s become difficult to mess with the formula in any substantial way. Take Perfume, an idol group by any definition, who have never truly fit the mold: their best feature — music that doesn’t succumb to traditional idol pop — has also been their commercial downfall. It’s easy to think of Perfume as wildly successful because of their vociferous niche community, but their last number one single was 2009′s “ONE ROOM DISCO.” And more than chart status, looking at a group’s ripple effect is a better indicator of the kind of popularity we’re dealing with. When Perfume hit it big, a spat of similar artists mopping the classic Yasutaka Nakata electro-pop sound debuted, hoping to get their foot in the door it took Perfume almost six years to pry open. In recent years, these groups and solo artists are almost all but forgotten.

In their place are groups like PASSPO☆, whose shtick is travel in general and flight attendants in particular. In addition to the costumes and lyrical content, the group has also invented a dubious vocabulary to make them stand out from groups with other, less classy angles. From their generasia profile: “Their live events are called “flights” while those who are attendance [sic] are usually called “the passengers” who can earn points, called “frequent flier miles.” [...] The group releases three versions of their singles, each name [sic] Business Class, First Class, and Economy Class, with different material inserted in each version.” Lest thou be fooled by the group’s aggressive marketing tactic, rest assured that this is your garden variety idol group, bubbly rock-pop and requisite graduations (may I suggest “that great gig in the sky”?) included.

Of course, groups rocking a large number of members is nothing new. AKB48 had a predecessor in similar idol groups like Onyanko Club and Bishoujo Club 31. Momoiro Clover Z owe a debt to a rarer kind of ancestor like SAINT FOUR. That short-lived idol group churned out spunky synth-rock numbers in colored costumes while performing acrobatic dance routines to rival professional gymnasts. Unlike other groups that emphasized a coy vulnerability, they met the stage head on, bouncing around like loose springs in spandex costumes that evoked superheroes, or Super Sentai knock-offs. These girls didn’t whimper, they roared.

Momoiro Clover Z might be known for trolling the same geek circuit, but they also challenge the AKB legacy and its current spokeswoman Minegishi Minami. Both groups pander to an audience: in Z’s world, it’s what Patrick Macias explains are “bonkura.” To distinguish it from your run of the mill otaku, he says, “Bonkura guys are not anti-social. They will seek out and immediately bond with others who share the same wild enthusiasm for junk culture as they do. [..] All they want out of life is raw stimulation and to satisfy the unsophisticated desires of their eternal teenage boy within.” We’ll get back to that last thought in a second, but to sum up: Junk culture. Raw stimulation.

One of Momoiro Clover Z’s best known singles has the girls carousing around like drunk salarymen for “Rodou Sanka,” singing about the everyman giving it his best at work. Others have them traveling through outer space on bikes dressed as space pirates as a barrage of color hits the screen. When they’re not dressed up in color-coordinated boxing costumes, they’re endorsing anime like the newest reincarnation of Sailor Moon. Wacky and weird videos aside, before you start thinking they’re pushing the envelope with Edo period mythology, here’s another sample lyric: “Looky looky here, I want you to look here / When you look at me my heart pounds and I’m happy.” There’s that (teenage) male gaze again. These are idols, after all.

The newest videos to promote the album 5th DIMENSION are a little different. At some point, in a crescendo mix of orchestra and dubstep, the members’ faces are covered completely by masks. In fact, the only way you could tell them apart (if you didn’t already know each girl by her distinctive height or movements) is by the signature color on their clothes. It’s hard to decide if this is a commentary on the bland, easily replaceable idol industry, or if the girls are just being eccentric again. Yet this isn’t the ridiculous fun of “Push” or “D’no Junjou“; they’re just wearing sparkly costumes with the equivalent of paper bags on their heads.

The real disappointment is the album itself. After the amazing teaser PV of “Neo STARGATE,” it’s too easy to fall into the trap of thinking there’s genuine novelty about to happen in an idol group. 5th DIMENSION seemed like it would at least continue the trend of the group’s quirks, even if those quirks are just deliberately standing out from their peers. But the album is a collection of a lot of the same idol treacle with a few catchier stand-outs. It’s especially disappointing if you’re unable to reconcile the idea that Japanese idols created by a male-dominated industry for male-dominated audiences can’t be idols and also women and also positive role models in image and creativity.

One thing they do differently from other idols is put on children-only and women-only lives, perhaps to let minority fan communities get in on the fun without having to constantly rub shoulders with some of the seedier male fans, otaku and bonkura included. Don’t worry, guys get their own lives too, which is to say, Momoiro Clover Z wants you to have a good, safe time in a comfortable environment. But in essence, this also opens up the dreaded conversation about the extreme, less savory fans of idol groups, the ones that crop up the most in the media and make you just a little ashamed because you bought AKB48′s latest single for the song, not the election ballot.

I’ve spoken about the difference between Japanese and Korean idols before, but in an interview with Robert Michael Poole, the CEO of Something Drastic International Music Promotion, he finds it worth noting that “the majority of the audiences [for K-pop shows] are young girls, not boys. [ ...] The Japanese pop market has typically been all about cuteness, presenting boys with the ideal submissive girl to treat like a doll rather than lust over.” And later: “The J-pop industry couldn’t create a K-pop style group, because Japanese girls being that edgy would be seen as wholly un-Japanese. [... ] It seems girl groups in Japan have actually become increasingly cuter, younger and presented as servants (maids being the ultimate example), with the likes of AKB48 and their many copycats.” While the general tone of the interview highlights J-pop’s innovative inertia, keeping a pop sound that wouldn’t be out of place two decades ago, the two short years since the interview has seen what is perhaps the Hallyu wave’s last crash. Worth noting is the difference in marketing tactic K-pop groups have taken, attempting to deliberately cater their image to reach that coveted male Japanese fan and his spending money at the expense of strong, independent, and mature role models girls might want to see (note T-Ara’s original video for “Bo Peep Bo Peep” compared to the Japanese version).

This is not to argue how much more noble the K-pop industry is — for one thing, the process of training idols has fallen under extreme scrutiny — but rather to examine the function of idols, the freedom of expression and options girls are encouraged to pursue, and what it says about a particular culture’s notions of what boys and young men should come to expect from the girls and women they are presented with, from entertainment, to the boring, mundane interactions of real life.

Are Momoiro Clover Z the same as their idol peers, or are they actually forcing us to question the predominant image of female idols? Are they presenting different choices for talented girls, or delivering the same message through a different medium? When Tomohisa Yamashita goes solo from NEWS and takes risks working with producers like Yasutaka Nakata to make atypical music, or we see the girls of Fairies performing in outfits rather than costumes encouraging listeners to “Flow like a hero” instead of waiting for one, are we seeing a future of optical and musical variety, or will it simply satisfy a tiny niche so the industry can stay busy catering to the male psyches that offer an unyielding mix of loyalty and money?

For now, it seems all idol groups and solo artists with their eyes on the charts can do is avoid releasing singles and albums the same week the AKBs do. Maybe Momoiro Clover Z, with their aggressive sound and daft intersection of idol and junk culture, will continue to provide alternatives to what has become a fetid industry. Idols as they are now want to relieve us of the burden of examination, from the responsibility of honoring the opposite sex with dignity, from looking at the presentation of young women, and men, in the media and what they say about our own attitudes and responses to the easy glamour of pop culture, and from the courage it takes to confront what doesn’t feel quite right.

I’m still waiting for my YFU acceptance letter to come in the mail….sigh…I check the mail box everyday and it’s always something else. I have been waiting 3 weeks and 3 days. GAHH!! I hope it comes soon!

I follow this exchange student blog on tumblr and I saw that they posted a photo of this,

At first I just sighed and stared at it for a while. But then I was like,

Now, whenever I come home, I book it to the mailbox and find nothing there.

I am very impatient at the moment and will definitely flip out when it arrives. Pre-departure orientation is coming up on May 5th which is really close by, considering the fact that next week is spring break and by then, April will almost be over. I’m going to take a guess and call it April 18th when it arrives; my sister said the 21st and my mom said May 4th. LOL we shall see. On a good note, I’m on spring break right now! YAY! Anyway, this was just a quick update on the pain I am feeling right now.

I’ll update as soon as I get it in the mail. In fact, I will video tape myself going to get the mail each day just in case it’s there and you can see my reaction! LOL

The musician known as PSY famed for his YouTube hit “Gangnam Style” which brought in over a billion views and became an internet sensation, has a new song called Gentleman. This new video already stands at over 27,000,000 views in a day. PSY is known for his eccentric style of dress and dance which has been imitated by the general public on YouTube and is a pop culture icon.

And Psy finally announces a new song “Gentleman”, and hopefully it brings as much fanfare as “Gangnam Style”.

He seems to have had a little trouble coming up with choreography that could measure up to the popularity of Gangnam style… It feels like at one point, the whole world was dancing gangnam style (was especially shocked when I saw kids from England dancing and singing to gangnam style at a swimming pool at a resort in Kota Kinabalu… so mind-boggling). Instead of coming up with new moves, Psy decides to bring back choreography from “Abracadabra” by Brown-eyed Girls. As…compensation, one of the members of Brown-eyed Girls, “Gain” makes an appearance here in her signature black leather and smoky makeup.

It’s uncertain whether this video will be as popular as Gangnam style, as most of the humor and styling is very Korean (one would expect Psy to invite more global artists, now that he’s the most famous Korean artist of all time). But some parts of the video are pretty hilarious… the clips of Psy shamelessly showing off his “wet” armpits on a Korean show, …scandalously biting off a long rice cake. Oh, and the scenes from Corso Como in the beginning!

Must be a lot of pressure to live up to his fame / past success. Good luck!

Lee Hi performs “Rose”, the second single of her first official album titled “First Love”. This seventeen year old has consistently been on top of kpop charts since her debut after becoming semifinalist on Kpop Star season 1 (very sad that the season’s finalist, Park Jimin, has not been half as successful). The Korean public continues to love her quirky personality, her soulful voice, and her stage presence.

I love the Hi’s styling here here; everything from her makeup, hair, circle purple lens, pink dress, heels. YG entertianment also did an impressive job with the staging here… the white curtains in the back with splotches of red highlights. The only error in this stage is the lanky, strange-looking dancer in an ill-fitted suit making an appearance towards the end of the song…

Lee Hi’s vocal is also a lot more stable in this performance than it has in the past, like “1, 2, 3, 4″ and “It’s Over”. Whether it be because she’s overcome her stagefright (which has been an issue from her first live performances on Kpop star) or because “Rose” doesn’t have any major choreography in “Rose”, she doesn’t struggle with high notes here and is much more expressive in her gestures and expressions.

Slower, more expressive songs like “Rose” are more fitting for Lee Hi than her previous singles. She is really at her element here!

But who cares who I’ve missed? Chances are that you’ve missed Psy for more than you’ve missed me.

The second half of 2012 (specifically, from July 15 onward) witnessed the explosion of a new cultural icon. He wasn’t new in South Korea, where he’d been around for about a decade, but this was an audacious and astounding outing for the rest of the world; suddenly, some random Korean guy with sunglasses was horse-dancing his way to about 1.5 billion views on YouTube. It seemed like his appearance in Times Square on New Year’s Eve sort of encapsulated his rise to international fame, at least for Americans.

But since then, Psy’s seemingly quieted down. He’s been finishing the tail end of his “Gangnam Style”-based tour across the world, but he’d wanted to move on to something new. I can only imagine that, despite how incredibly grateful he was for his success, doing that song over and over got tiresome. But at the same time, Psy was showing up in Korean interviews expressing a great deal of stress over how to follow up what had been a surprising and insanely successful single. How could he possibly even hope to exit the shadow of that song? He worked on his new songs like crazy, tinkering with them endlessly to try to make at least one of them a suitable global single.

And on April 13, 2013, Psy graced the world with the music video for that new creation, “Gentleman.” If you haven’t seen it, I’m not exactly sure why you decided to read this page. But here it is:

The video has exploded. As of my writing this (Sunday morning of the 14th), the video already has almost 14 million views. The rise in views obviously isn’t linear, but if it were, this music video would crack one billion views in two and a half months.

Of course, I have no idea what you think of the music video or the song itself. (But like I’ve said in the past, K-pop is all about the package deal: the sound and image together.) I personally think that it’s very catchy and that the music video is really amusing. I can easily understand if people reflexively say that this song and video are not as good as “Gangnam Style,” but consider whether that’s just a reflex, or whether it’s because some of the novelty has worn off. As different as this song is, you now have at least some slightly better idea who Psy is. When “Gangnam Style” came out, Psy was just the chubby guy with swag. Now, Psy is the guy who did “Gangnam Style.” So while I’m not entirely certain which song/video I like better, at least keep an open mind. And I cannot deny that it has a pretty infectious beat.

I wanted to offer some of my personal thoughts about the video, on at least three levels. First, some general description of what this song is about. Second, why I think Psy is being pretty ingenious with this song. And lastly, for superfans, some context about all the people you see in the video.

In some ways, explaining the general idea of this music video is probably unnecessary; I think it’s more obvious than last time. In “Gangnam Style,” the general idea was based on the premise that Gangnam is one of the wealthiest and ritziest areas of Seoul. Psy claiming that he was “Gangnam Style” was ironic in that everything he was doing reflected the antithesis, or at least a failure to live up to that image. For example, a rich person may lounge and have a drink… but not at a playground. A rich person may love to stage parties on buses… but not on some random tour bus. Now, Psy proclaims that he is a gentleman. He clearly isn’t acting that way. And the ways that he shows how ungentlemanly he is are really funny, at least to me. He’s being a total douchebag. (That’s the fun of the video; people on YouTube getting genuinely indignant that he’s mistreating all the women, and that a gentleman shouldn’t act that way, are completely missing the irony.) But then he finds a girl (I’ll talk about her later) who somehow likes that and can play the same game. LOVE. <3

I’m not going to go through the lyrics of the song, which you can easily find translated on YouTube. Part of the fun for lots of people may be in never knowing what he’s talking about. I feel like a lot of people take some perverse pleasure in not having any clue what foreign lyrics are saying and somehow bragging about it. I’m constantly surprised when I hear people, even now, say “I STILL have no idea what Psy’s talking about!” Well, of course you’re never going to spontaneously learn Korean. But come on–it’s been nine months, and translations are everywhere! It made me realize that maybe people just don’t want to know–something random or exotic about the video/song dies from knowing the meaning. Maybe. (This may also factor into why the music video doesn’t come with English lyrics in the annotations.)

But I digress. The lyrics here are pretty simple, and there’s several parts that are clearly in English, which help to make it stick globally. (I find pleasure, though, in watching Psy stick primarily to Korean with these global songs. Soft power in action, everyone.) Probably the most notable example is his saying “I’m a mother father gentleman.” I find this profoundly amusing. In my mind, this is so clearly done to sound like “motherf***er gentleman,” and the comments on YouTube make it pretty clear that a lot of people hear it that way. But Psy’s not stupid–he knows he can’t get away with saying that in an international single. So he goes with “mother father gentleman.” And in case you were wondering whether it might actually make some sense in Korean, it doesn’t. He’s just getting away with almost saying something naughty. That is trolling with finesse.

I also think Psy was very astute to maintain continuity between “Gangnam Style” and “Gentleman.” Beyond wearing similar clothing, the general idea behind each song is similar; it almost feels like a sequel or continuation of

Shake ya ass. But watch yoself.

what he released months ago.I’m not saying that the actual songs themselves are similar–I don’t really think they are. But when Psy was deciding what his next single should be, he likely had several options, and one would have been to do something completely different. He does all sorts of stuff in Korea, and it wouldn’t have been surprising for him to come out with a totally new image. In fact, like I’ve mentioned in the past, it’s very common for K-pop groups to have totally different images when they make comebacks with new singles or albums. That’s not to say that Americans artists don’t do that too, but it’s the absolute norm in K-pop. But Psy took the more conservative but likely successful route with an international audience that probably wouldn’t have been as receptive to such drastic change from an artist–or maybe more accurately, a novelty act–that they aren’t familiar with. He struck a balance between creating something new to make his recent fans happy, while also retaining some degree of familiarity to not alienate that casual fanbase that might have jumped ship if they didn’t see the sunglass-wearing, callous, and dancing guy.

Fan service certainly seems like the name of the game here. We see the yellow-suit guy and the elevator guy both make cameo appearances. But at the same time, we see a new series of other individuals. You may not have really given them much attention if you don’t know who they are, but they also stuck out quite a bit–it’s hard to say that you didn’t notice them. Their appearances gave me joy, because they are all co-hosts of my favorite Korean television show called Infinite Challenge. Each week, the seven co-hosts do some random mission, skit, or competition. It’s a difficult show to describe because nothing like it exists in the US. It even has its own genre: “real-variety.” Anyway, the guy in the yellow suit is the main host of the show, and he is one of the biggest TV celebrities in South Korea. The elevator guy is another co-host. You saw them in the past.

The cast.

But then the guy in blue doing the shuffle at 0:30; the bald guy combing his head at 1:20; the two men grinding at 1:23; and the man in the tuxedo “helping” the girl up at 1:28 are the remaining five c0-hosts. They all show up as back-up dancers one minute in. The natural question is “Why are they all in this music video?” It largely has to do with the super-short clip of Psy that pops up at 2:34, where he seems to be doing Mr. Miyagi’s crane technique to the camera. That is Psy showing up on Infinite Challenge back in early 2011, when the co-hosts were competing to make the best collaborative song with well-known Korean artists. When Psy appeared as a guest on the program, he was already very established but not the crazy superstar that he became the following year. Being on the show helped boost his domestic career. (Also, in that clip, he’s tricked into doing that move to show just how ridiculously sweaty his armpits get, which aligns with the lyrics of the song calling him “Wet Psy.” In fact, that armpit sweat was such a hot issue in Korea that during the following weeks after the show aired, “Psy armpit sweat” was a trending search time on Korean search engines. They probably wouldn’t mess with him the same way…) I showed videos of the final product in my last blog post about Psy, but here they are again, where Psy worked together with the elevator guy.

Then, the yellow suit guy and the elevator guy both featured in Psy’s video as personal favors. (By the way, their names are Yu Jae-seok and Noh Hong-chul.) At the end of the year, when Psy was in New York to perform for New Year’s Eve, Infinite Challenge went there to find him and spent three episodes trailing him around before three of them performed together in Times Square. You probably didn’t see him then (because the camera never focused on him, since the people there obviously didn’t know who he was), but the shuffling guy in the blue vest appeared there on New Year’s Eve. On the episodes of Infinite Challenge that featured Psy, it was clear that Psy felt indebted to the show and had become quite close with everyone there. So when it came time to make a new video, it only made sense to invite the whole cast.

Before I throw a ton of more videos at you, I should mention the dance and the girl. The dance, where Psy stands in place and gyrates, is an easy move that clearly epitomizes the K-pop rule of keeping things simple so that they are easily remembered and replicated. But that move is actually from another popular K-pop song and group: “Abracadbra” by the Brown Eyed Girls. The song was incredibly popular in 2009, in the still relatively early stages of K-pop’s international growth. Here’s the dance version of the music video, since the normal one doesn’t focus as much on the dance:

It was really sad to revisit this video on YouTube and to see severely misinformed (stupid) people accuse this group of copying Psy. Psy got the rights to do this dance and made his video four years later.

Notice anything else from that video that links to the dance? One of the members of the group is the girl featured in “Gentleman.” Her name is Ga-In. (The girl in “Gangnam Style,” in case you were wondering, was Hyuna. And whenever you hear these two-syllable names, you automatically know that they are stage names. Typical Korean names have three syllables long.) I’m personally not a big fan of hers, but you may care to see more from her. This is a recent single of hers called “Bloom” (and potentially not totally safe for work):

Okay, time for lots of videos. Here’s the clip of Psy in Times Square. The guy in blue, dancing away by the guardrail at around 2:36, is the shuffling guy. His (stage) name is Ha-Ha.

Ha-Ha’s blue vest outfit and shuffling are not totally random. That is a character he created as a joke in the past that became popular over time. (Go six minutes in.)

Why are the two men grinding? That started on an episode that I really can’t explain, but everyone found the dance, which they called “fiery,” to be funny enough that they alluded to it regularly after this incident. So this isn’t very much context, but… yeah. (Go to 6:56.)

Want to see Psy’s sweaty pits? Here’s where that one-second snippet in the music video is from, and evidence of how shy Psy can really be. (Go to 1:56.)

Psy premiered this song during his #Happening concert in Korea. So if you want to see his first live performance of this song, where people are all experiencing this for the first time, look no further. (English subtitles included.)

Also, stray observation (as reviewers at the AV Club would say): If you look at 0:52, when Psy’s pushing all the elevator buttons, you might notice that there’s no “4″ on the button panel. That’s really common in Korea (and likely in China and Japan), where the word “four” sounds a lot like the word “death.” It’s an unlucky number. I couldn’t think of anywhere else to put that random bit of trivia.

If anything, death is the last thing on my mind. I think Psy’s got a whole lot of life left in him on the international stage. This may not eclipse “Gangnam Style” (or maybe it will), but I honestly think he’s made a strong second international outing and that people who’ve seen him will start to appreciate him as more than a random blip. And it’s largely based on the ideal combination of his living up to the “rules” to success in K-pop and his abilities as a musical artist.

Quite the gentleman, indeed.

If you have any thoughts or questions, I’d love to hear them.

From the start of the song, it’s like a party tune because it’s kind of electric (dubstep?) and some people can say that it has similarities to Brown Eyed Girls’ Abracadabra. Also, the old people behind Psy (his guards?) are all old people which made me think, ‘So, they’re gentlemen?’. And Psy did the BEG’s hip thrust from Abracadabra, soooo … now what?

Around 0:42, you can see Noh Hong Chul doing his famous ‘elevator hip thrust’ on the far right side. Around 0:46, Yoo Jae Suk, the ‘man in yellow outfit’ joins the music video.

The chorus part says “I’m a Mother, Father, Gentleman”. Please don’t mishear it as “I’m Motherf*cker Gentleman” even if I think think this is what Psy wants to really say. And now in the chorus, you can see that they are actually basing the dance step from BEG’s  Abracadbra. Now, on the second chorus, that girl dancing with him is BEG’s (hot) Gain. Maybe they had an agreement about this?

The whole video for me is plain weird especially after I’ve read the English translation. The song is about being a gentleman and yet he does not show gentlemanliness here, so is there a contradiction?

Psy has mentioned this about Gangnam Style.

People who are actually from Gangnam never proclaim that they are—it’s only the posers and wannabes that put on these airs and say that they are “Gangnam Style”—so this song is actually poking fun at those kinds of people who are trying very hard to be something that they’re not.

So I guess that this is what Psy also wants to bring here in this new music video. The exact opposite of being a gentleman which means letting a girl fall and untying her bikini.

The quirkiness and the randomness of Gangnam is also evident here except that this is more of an adult version (?). Also, the music video sequence is almost the same as Gangnam Style if you’ll just look closely. I think that they did base this one from Gangnam Style.

The song reminds me of Super Junior’s Rock Star. Maybe because they are both more on a electronic pop in nature.

IMO, this won’t be able to surpass Gangnam Style. Yes, this would be successful but I don’t think it will Gangnam’s height. But let’s see what will happen. I was actually expecting an RnB song or kind of a ballad from him. What was I thinking?

So for now, I will rate this music video as 4/5.

Psy‘s follow-up single to “Gangnam Style” is here. The single, “Gentleman” is definitely catchy and the video is a bit more scandalous compared to Gangnam, but we all knew he had to amp it up with this release. Psy penned the lyrics and reunited with co-producer, Yoo Gun Hyung who also produced “Gangnam Style”.

The video was just released today and it’s already at 4 million+ views. What do you think, does Psy have another hit on his hands?? I’m digging it.

Mark my words. This song will be bigger than “GangNam Style”

Tune

“Nod Along!” is a very pleasant song. It’s a mix of rap and ballad, the composition is balanced so the song feels cohesive and complete. Background track also is a combination of quite dramatic, symphonic instruments fitted for a ballad with a fast but not intrusive beat during the rap parts. When the song starts we don’t know what we are in for. The instrumental intro blends into the chorus. After that comes the verse with fast and aggressive rapping. The chorus mellows out the verses so the song is harmonized. The instrumental and dramatic mood of the choruses helps to defuse the tension that the verses built. At the first glance (or listen) the parts can sound like they don’t really belong in one song, but in our opinion instead of clashing they complement each other giving “Nod Along!” more sophisticated and original feel. Also, M.I.B’s rapping is very heartfelt and effortless, in some parts entertaining. Coupled with that flow the autotuned part of the chorus turns out a little weak. We are autotune’s no1 enemy, and this time too, we believe that “Nod Along!” would sound even better without it.

Image

In “Nod Along!” MV M.I.B sports the typical kpop image, but we can still see their particular flavor peeking here and there. SIMS and 5zic, as the rap duo in this release took up a bad boy concept in the MV. SIMS looks quite conservative in all black (aside from his hair color), leather jacket and some chains are enough to symbolize his “toughness”. On the other hand 5zic shows us his swag together with his naked chest and abs. Although the jacket he has on and covers only his arms, leaving the rest bare for all to admire, at first looks a little bizarre, in the end he makes it work and manages to look dangerous and hot at the same time. KangNam and Cream duo that was in charge of vocals and choruses had to dress more appropriately to match the dramatic mood. KangNam is dressed the most plainly of the four – a white shirt coupled with a black jacket. Cream sports a white sweater with suspenders and that outfit coupled with his nearly white hair makes him look a little like a lost boy. All in all, the fashion choices worked for them and their concept. M.I.B, although rooted in the kpop hip hop trend, isn’t relying on clichéd and obvious attires associated with that genre to build their image. The music is their main identifying factor, not their clothes.

MV Originality

The MV starts with a car accident – the foursome is shown dramatically finding out that a girl died. Then we get to see Creams individual story – in our opinion the most interesting part of the whole MV. He’s lying in the center of a crime scene – as we find out later he’s dead. As police and forensics are doing their job and collecting evidence Cream looks down on himself lying on the ground. This scene had a lot of potential with its morbid imagery, unfortunately it couldn’t be developed further due to the time limit of the MV and other members’ parts. The whole “Nod Along!” MV is portraying the members partaking in some destructive acts, in our opinion Cream’s sequence was the most intriguing. KangNam is shown as some kind of artist grieving in his atelier. He then turns to some strange capsules, that we suppose symbolize painkillers (or are “The Matrix” reference). In the end the art piece behind him bursts into flames, supposedly to symbolize the song’s lyrics, that there’s no return, no way for the couple to be together again. As a counterpoise to Cream’s and KangNam’s angsty acting SIMS and 5zic are shown acting out the bad boy rapping, cruising through the city in an expensive car. The MV may seem a little messy, as the plot isn’t very cohesive or coherent, but somehow it does well in portraying the different flow and emotions mixed in the song.

Lyrics

The lyrics tell a clichéd story of two lovers falling out and the guy not being able to let go in a slightly less clichéd way. The lyrics are stripped out of the unnecessary romanticism and tell the broken relationship story in a more down-to-earth way. They also focus more on the conflicting emotions of someone that knows that there is nothing to salvage anymore but is not willing to send the other party away, at the same time not being able to fathom the future with or without them. The listeners are spared the “you’re bad/you cheated/I’m gonna find someone better than you and be happy again” part. M.I.B focuses on the feeling there and now and that fact makes the lyrics more relatable and original.

Summing up, M.I.B released another interesting and attention worthy song. We feel that they deserve more recognition and maybe with “Nod Along!” they will manage to reach out to the broader audience, as they are one of the most genuine hip hop inspired kpop acts outside of the underground scene.

Love us or hate us

1kpopreview

I am most positive we all remember Psy’s famous line, “Eh, Sexy lady! Op, op, op, op, oppan Gangnam Style!” That’s right, the Gangman Style recording artist is at it again with his new single, Gentleman. Just so we all understand the caliber of this recording artist, I’ll let in on as fact about his last release. On April 6, 2013 the Gangnam Style video reached 1.5 billion views on YouTube. Now, that’s EPIC!

Last year, Gangnam Style played so much all over the air waves and digital air space you either loved or hated to pieces. It was everywhere in 2012 and simply unavoidable. Whether you love or loath it, you can’t deny it is a catchy tune and it definitely left a huge dent in modern pop culture. Not only did it help K-pop (Korean Pop) breakthrough into Western mainstream music scene, but it also helped create this generation’s Macarena-style dance phenomenon.

Even though the chorus doesn’t sound anything like its big brother, Gangnam Style, some say it has the same kind of catchy lyrics that Gangnam Style hammered in our heads. With that being said, don’t be surprised if this song keeps Psy in the charts. His formula of generic beats and comedy will probably keep him around for a while.

Check out the new song below. Do you think it can keep up with Gangnam Style? Leave your comments below.

Sourece: MuchMusic