K-pop End of the Year Show 2013 Comebacks

Another year has ended and this later half has been just as busy as the beginning. Some people are making their millionth comeback of the year and others are making comebacks after what feels like a painful amount of time. For the half time show back in July, I chose songs I liked whether I had already reviewed them or not, and at the end I felt like I had become rather redundant, so I'm going to just stick with the artists that I liked but didn't review this time around.

I'm going to only slightly contradict myself now and mention B1A4's "What's Going On?", Block B's "Very Good", and VIXX's "VooDoo Doll" because they all won their first award with these songs and I have a great love for all of these groups. It was even better because they were all up against really big groups so the wins were that much more incredible. The only thing that would have made this better is if U-KISS had won something for "She's Mine" because seriously, why can't those guys catch a break, they're awesome.

Debuts            Solos and Sub units            K-pop Half Time Show 2013

 

Comebacks

Girls

 

Tiny-G "Miss You"

When I first heard this song, I didn't really like it. I felt that it was too repetitive and I was still grooving to "Minimanimo" because, let's be honest, that song is awesome. I think what threw me was how different this song was from "Minimanimo" and I obviously wasn't ready for that. This song has a more mature and sexy feel to the candy colored before mentioned song. They also kept it in the realm of classy/cute sexy and there can always be more of that and less of the overt sexy that was the trend this year.

Miss A "Hush"

Whenever I think of this song all that comes to mind is jji jji party, Block B what have you done to me? It's also recently been ruined again since Min got punched by a back up dancer during a performance. I'm not a huge fan of Miss A but I do like that they have a powerful image. I was really impressed with this song because it did have a different sound than usual since it wasn't written by JYP and I wouldn't be opposed to them continuing with this sound for a while, nothing against JYP. The video was also interesting and kind of creepy. All the head shots of them singing and staring into the camera was so haunting looking and then at the end when their faces changed from one to the other was a cool effect.

SPICA "Tonight"

This is one of the videos and songs that grabbed me the moment that I hit the play button. I didn't really know anything about SPICA before this song, and I still don't, but they have song amazing vocals. This song is so fun and the video represents that too. The whimsy in the video and the bohemian style of the shoot fit perfectly with the song. The video also seems really candid even with all the obviously staged parts of it. These girls look like they are genuinely having fun during this shoot and seeing this I hope that they can get some more followers in the future. 

 

Rookies

Ladies Code "Pretty Pretty"

Ladies Code debuted in March 2013 with the song "Bad Girl", because everybody this year was a bad boy or bad girl of some sort it seemed like. This was their comeback song and I think that I like it a little more than their debut song. I'm still not totally sure how I feel about them but they have killer vocals and they have a definite style. I am looking forward for what they put out in the future. 

GI "Gi Yeuk"

So, I'm kind of in love with these girls. I'm also glad that they put out a MV for this song because I like it better than "Don't Lie". This song has a really cool Bollywood sound and that isn't something that you hear everyday. GI is also a group that you don't see everyday. I like that in their videos they are dancing and wearing baggy clothing and looking fierce rather than being super aegyo and sexy because there is more than enough of that going around.

Boys

MIB "Master"

This is one of those songs that within the first ten seconds of hearing it, I went to iTunes and bought it. I think that the reason that I liked it so much it because it has such a smooth sound. This song also came out about the same time that Kangnam made a cameo on I Hear Your Voice as the guy who stole Soo Ha's bag, so when I watched the video I had the "why do I know you?" dilemma. They have also put out another video which I didn't love right off the bat like this one, but now, I also love their new song. What I don't love is Sims little goatee thing. It's kind of creepy and it makes his chin looks dirty.  

SHINee "Everybody"

When I first heard this song I was a little underwhelmed because it was so dubstepy.......no wait, it's actually compextro. Yeah, whatever. I have come to love it though. It is a fun song and SHINee hasn't done anything that sounds like this before. This was predominately a dance video though, let's be honest, that dance was freaking amazing and Taemin is a beast. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar. 

Drunken Tiger "The Cure"

Okay, so technically this is a solo thing, but Yoon Mi Rae and Bizzy are in it, so I am making the executive decision to put it here. Tiger JK is one of those people that I only occasionally listen to since he is a rapper and I have never been one to listen to rap, this song is fantastic though. Even though it is a rap song, it has a melody line since Yoon Mi Rae is in it and instead of a "normal" rap beat, it has a reggae feel to it. This is one of those songs that makes you feel good while you are listening to it, and then it sticks with you as you go on with your day.  

Rookies

Airplane "Give Me a Chance"

I'm so glad that these guys are finally back because I fell in love with them when they debuted earlier this year with "You Are Pretty". Something that I mentioned about them before is that since they are a trio, I can hear all the members and they are have a sound that is their own. I don't know their names, but I think that I am in love with the member that sings the "kajima~" part. It's so clear and wonderful and I always have to sing along at that part too. I say that anyone who doesn't also jam to that part as well is a liar, because how can you not? 

24K "U R So Cute"

When I heard this song in July, I really liked it, but I didn't take the time to actually look into this group because if I looked into every group that I thought was interesting, I wouldn't get anything done, ever. While going back over the things I liked I found this one again and looked into the group more. They debuted as 4K and then added two more creating 24K and I think that it is pretty safe to say that I am hooked.

~ Alora

K-pop Half Time Show 2013 Debuts

I have noticed that with the creation of this blog I know a lot more about rookie groups. I am paying more attention to everything that is happening in K-pop and I am so glad for that! There are all of these great rookie groups that I would have never known about otherwise had I not searched for them. 

There is so much going on in the K-pop world that it is hard to become big when there are so many other established groups out there. There is so much talent coming from small companies that get crushed by other companies like SM, YG, and Cube, it is easy to over look some of them. Don't do it though! Go love the little people who sing these songs!

Comebacks      Solos and Sub Units

Debuts 

Girls 

Heyne "Dalla"

I am kind of obsessed with this song right now. The first time that I heard it I wasn't sure how I felt about it because she has a very cute voice, it's almost at a J-pop level just to give you an idea. The video is also very cute and collectively all those things are totally not me. But now, for some unknown reason, I absolutely love this song. There is a comment on Youtube at the moment that says "Her voice is the sound of honeybees, candy, baby animals, and rainbows all having an orgy" and I completely agree with that statement. It just makes me really happy and I think that it is a really good song to be listening to right now that summer has come upon us.   

~ Alora

GI (Global Icon) "Beatles"

This debut was picked by Becca and I have to say that I agree. I was excited to see them debut because they seemed to have quite a different concept from most girl groups; especially girl groups this year because it is all about "sex sells" right now and this video showcased their vocals and dancing without wearing next to nothing. Sure it was a little heavy on the auto tune, but listening to their debut stage shows that they aren't just a bunch of cute faces. I hope that they stick with this concept and it isn't just a gimmick to get them popularity in the beginning. 

~ Alora  

Most awesome bad a** female debut - Becca

Boys  

Never Mind "Shooting Star" 

I am super obsessed with this group right now. They are just so wonderful and my life is better for discovering them. They have a really interesting sound for K-pop because they don't sound like a K-pop band; they sound like something that I would hear over the American radio, aside from the fact that they are singing in Korean, of course. To make them even cooler, they write, compose, and arrange all their own music! Please excuse me while I commence drooling over them. Bands are very unrepresented in the K-pop scene and I hope that these guys do really well because I will probably buy everything that they put out. These guys have one other video called "Hoi Hoi" go check it out!

~ Alora

PURE "I Still Love You" 

I love a good piano track and this music video delivers just that. The only problem with this group, and it is a problem, is that they do sound just like any other group and that makes me sad because they do have strong vocals. Hopefully in the future they can create a more solid sound because I would like to hear more from them.

~ Alora

 BTS "No More Dream"

The fact that I love this song so much baffles me because it is totally not my style. I don't mind some rapping, but I need a melody line to keep me happy. This doesn't really have one, but the first time I heard it I just wanted more. I am excited to see what else that they put out in the future. Something that I wonder about is if they will ever do a cutey boy concept because I have seen some pictures of them being really cute. Rap Monster being cute.......cue the goosebumps.

~ Alora 

LC9 "MaMa Beat"

Oh man this song, or should I say this video? After I watched the video I was in a state of shock and I realized that I had no idea what the song sounded like because I was so caught up in what was happening before my eyes. Once I listened to it again, without watching the video, I realized that they did sound pretty good. I am also kind of in love with King and his ridiculous hair, also, that boy can sing! They recently did a cover of Nelly's "Just a Dream" that I am still drooling over and it totally focuses on their vocals so you can get a better feel for all of their sounds. 

~ Alora 

Most disturbing music video award - Becca 

History "Dreamer"

This song doesn't really do it for me, so I'll just let Becca be happy about it, don't tell her

This song is so freaking good, please give me more award - Becca 

Airplane "So Pretty" 

This song came out on January 6 and these boys have been MIA since and it makes me really sad. I like that they are a smaller groups since lately the trend has been to produce these monster groups. It is easier to hear all of their vocals this way, and man do they have vocals. They voices are all very clear and they do seem to seem to have a sound down that is their own, unlike another group that I have mentioned. The video was also pretty funny, but who puts on half a face of make up and then leaves the house? 

I like this song, but it seems like maybe you fell of the face of the earth... that's too bad award - Becca

Mix

MFBTY "Sweet Dream"

I put this here slightly tentatively since all of the people in this group have already made names for themselves. This group is a new thing though and that is how I justify putting it in the debut section. One of my favorite things about these people is that they are so diverse and they are making a large impact on the music industry by doing something different. I also think that it is really cool that Yoon Mi Rae and Tiger JK are married and have a kid and you can see how much that they love each other when they are together. 

~ Alora