kpop song rec volume i
May. 19th, 2022 11:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hereinevitablymy massive kpop playlist recently reached 40 hours. so i figure now is as good of a time as any to start talking about some of my favorites because unfortunately if i was forced to i could probably talk about kpop music for hours... the only barriers being my dignity and the fact that i am actually Shit at describing music that isn't like... concert band music. anyways, the general premise here is that every once in a while (the goal is monthly but who knows what the reality will be.) i'll post about an hour's worth of kpop here, probably a mixture of what i'm currently listening to and some longstanding classics, and talk a little about them. :thumbsup:
1) What You Waiting For by R.Tee x Anda - it was so sick of yg to give anda this banger and then nothing else for the rest of her career under that company. anyways this is perfect dance music for anger-frustration-depression moments aka my entire freshman year where i constantly had this blasting, and i think the addition of r.tee, a dj, on this track adds to that feeling. not to mention anda's voice which i've always loved. anda comeback when please please please...
2) Follow by Monsta X - the persistency of this song makes it very addicting. like the hooks that starts off the song, sneaks in at a lower pitch during the verses, and fully kicks in again at the chorus. also kihyun is one of my favorite male vocals in kpop, and in general i've always enjoyed mx's music style that is noise music while still being Music. it really is a shame that this era was overshadowed by everything that was happening with wonho, because it was one of their best.
3) Love In Space by Cherry Bullet - this is a very recent find as i have not kept up with chebul since early debut (q&a and hands up eras). this song feels like perfect cosmic concept music though—in a similar vein to lalalilala by april, which isn't on this playlist but will be someday, i think that the loud, retro-inspired synths are perfect for the space theme. they invoke the same sort of sparkle and grandness that i think space should. and in general i would not be mad if ggs just kept the retro train rolling because i am loving it. also the bridge on this song is sooo fucking good.
4) I'm So Hot by MOMOLAND - first of all i love this type of intro. like the record player snippet of the main hook thing. second of all this song is so catchy and so good, 100% my favorite momoland track. i'm obsessed with the piano in the pre-chorus and the sax in the chorus like it is perfect. also <3 ahin <3 my girl sounds so good in the second pre-chrous. i will always hold a grudge against kpop stans in general btw for having it out for momoland they were just trying to make fun music. wtf.
5) Katchup by DALsooobin - any dalsooobin fans in chat? dalsooobin in our playlists? dalsooobin in our lives? dalsooobin in our hearts? her vocal color is marvelous and so is the instrumentation with the piano and the snappy percussion. i love how this song develops. i feel like this is a bit of a quirky song, but like... played straight. also it is very impressive to me that she composed this herself. like my stance on kpop self-written songs is that It doesn't mean shit if the song still sucks. but this does not suck. god bless <3
6) U&I by BoA - from the queen herself, WOMAN - The 9th Album. i am so obsessed with the processing they did on her voice during the "so we, we bend // i touch your hand // and i can see // what you believe" part and i think the filter matches the instrumental so well. the instrumental in question being perfect... i luv the sort of echo-y, reverberating effect they put on some of the chords like this song feels like you are floating in a one-person wave pool < guy who has never been to a water park and in fact can't even swim.
7) Glitch by KWON EUN BI - it is very upsetting to me that this did not make more noise like this song is sooo good... a perfect marriage between concept and execution i think. also i've mostly been trying to talk about music here but the choreo is so perfect i've always wanted to see eunbi lean into a vogue style especially given how she's shown interest in similar styles before. anyways this song just feels so chic and fun to listen and dance to <3 like it almost makes me want to put on the singular pair of stilettoes i own and start prancing around the house...
8) Expect by Girl's Day - older gg music seriously felt like discovering gold. the ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh (guy who felt extremely stupid typing that out) in the chorus is so unbelievably addicting and replayable. not to mention that it is a two-part chorus which has always been perfect and delightful to me. the bridge feels crazyy too like they just keep on adding to it and taking everything a step further.
9) Heart Attack by AOA - brave sound has done so much for the summer song enthusiast community... this song feels like pure fucking ecstasy. and i will always be aoa music champion #1 like sure they couldn't all sing or dance as well as some of the other groups of their time but damn did they have the x factor... no other group has ever been able to replicate what aoa music makes me feel. i think a lot of it is vocal tone which is actually so important to me like even more important than proper technique sometimes. anyways this song will always fuck <3
10) Crying by Stellar - re: brave sound has done so much for the summer song enthusiast community. no one will ever luv this song the way i do... like we have a lot of summer ass shaking songs about love and fun but what about summer ass shaking songs about heartbreak and misery? sometimes i Do always feel like crying. this is the summer sadness representation that we needed... and it still goes hard. like when the "brave sound let's go get it" followed by the synths kicking in hits... ><
11) CUPID by KARA - um i actually discovered this song through a bait and switch edit someone made by putting it over the sticker mv LOL. but i've been obsessed with it since like are we hearing this chorus? Vocal Tone Matters So Much. also this is so niche and specific but i luv it when people spell things out in kpop. this song is just fun! it's a fun song! there is nothing wrong with that. also i luv the rap section.
12) Abittipsy by YOUHA - idk how to say this without sounding extremely cheesy but this song sounds like arriving somewhere. something about the bells in the intro and how hard the synths go. speaking of which this is once again proving the excellency of retro inspired concepts like it is perfect... i have never gone rollerblading in my life and i've only gotten drunk a few times but this makes me want to go rollerblading while drunk something something hashtag the power of music baby. also the little hiccup at the end is such a cute touch
13) Oh! my mistake by APRIL - this is still retro inspired. i remember everyone being fucking obsessed with this song when it came out and for good reason too. this song sounds so sparkly but there is also a touch of uncanny valley tucked in there which i really appreciate—like in the very particular way that they say "oh my mistake" as well as the rap section. the bridge fucks too. it really is a shame that april turned out the way they did because before their downfall they were well on the way to becoming my token 4th gen gg post-izone disbandment and pre-izone redebutation.
14) Gravity by EXO - seriously one of exo's best bsides ever like um. the only way this song could get more perfect is if there was more kyungsoo presence and lines in the bridge. but that is me with every exo song ever. like the fucking ldn noise. top kpop producers ever for me. behind some of sm's greatest hits. this song makes me feel crazy... trying to talk about how perfect i think it is is like I Am Constantly Trying To Describe Something Incomprehensible. this was my second most listened to song in 2021 and it was only topped by panorama by izone. last.fm tells me in fact that i have listened to gravity a cool 2,062 times. like it really is like when men can sing and when they have sexy banger instrumentals to sing over... when people understand how to make space concept music <3
highlights for me are baekhyun's adlibs at the beginning, jongdae's "ajikdo nan ajik", kyungsoo's little interjection, the percussion throughout (there are little splashes of cymbal throughout that i find particularly delightful. more of that), and the fucking bridge. this bridge is like... it is my opinion that no one should be listening to exo for their raps because why would you when they can sing like that? but the rap in this bridge is seriously insane and i think part of it is just the double breakdown. like i have memorized the timestamp where this part starts (2:30) and it has yet to get old.
anyways if my rambling is entirely incoherent to you, here is a video by ldn noise themselves talking about the process of creating this banger <3 well worth the watch in my opinion because it is super cool to see just how many cool sounds are tucked into this song.
15) LUNA by ONEUS - oneus are my nugu(ish) bg token pick. they make really good music that is almost reminiscent of older groups like vixx (fly high) at times. also as a bonus, literally no one on my timeline ever talks about them beyond a one-off tweet, so i have zero exposure to their fandom <3 anyways this is another one of oneus's dives into mixing more traditional korean music sounds with modern beats (their first tt of this variety being lit). this sort of concept is already one that i am extremely partial to, and i think oneus do a really nice job of putting their own twist on it. one thing i always love about oneus is that they often switch up each iteration of the chorus, and luna is no exception. if you too are looking for a smaller bg's music to champion, would highly recommend checking them out :)
16) Set Myself On Fire by TAEYEON - literally songs with concepts made for me... this comparison that i am about to make may be a bit of a stretch, but in my formative years i was fucking obsessed with tove lo's queen of the clouds album, including the song love ballad—which very specifically had a line that went "pour gasoline on me // oh yes i'd burn slowly // so that you'd feel // i am for real." basically what i'm trying to say here is that i like music that is about setting yourself on fire. 10/10 lyricism would put on top of an angsty aesthetic instagram story.
17) OPEN YOUR EYES by IZ*ONE - one of izone's best bsides i will proclaim. i'm talking about my cringe middle school music taste again, but i used to be really obsessed with chillstep music, and this song kind of reminds me of you are truth by anima. it's a lot more fast paced than you are truth, and obviously has izone's vocals on top (side bar: this song is very jo yuriz heavy which is perfect to me, jo yuriz lover), but the sounds used in the instrumentals have a same sort of nostalgic feeling. anyways i am obsessed with this one. also when i was a kid, this sound reminded me of falling into a pool of grapes?
18) Goodbye by 2NE1 - first of all i cannot believe the coachella reunion happened. i am the best enjoyers winning in 2022? crazy. second of this song really appeals to the part of me that just really fucking loves the sound of the guitar. we have got to bring her back... reject modernity (noise music) embrace tradition (guitar music). this is just a really good song to jam to. like it is very simple, both in instrumental and message, but i think that makes it all the more potent. not to mention once again VOCAL TONE MATTERS SO MUCH... sometimes i am against it but there is a reason behind yg making so many of their idols fake their voices... it isn't always just incompetency. also it really is like Does Anyone Know How I Feel?
1) What You Waiting For by R.Tee x Anda - it was so sick of yg to give anda this banger and then nothing else for the rest of her career under that company. anyways this is perfect dance music for anger-frustration-depression moments aka my entire freshman year where i constantly had this blasting, and i think the addition of r.tee, a dj, on this track adds to that feeling. not to mention anda's voice which i've always loved. anda comeback when please please please...
2) Follow by Monsta X - the persistency of this song makes it very addicting. like the hooks that starts off the song, sneaks in at a lower pitch during the verses, and fully kicks in again at the chorus. also kihyun is one of my favorite male vocals in kpop, and in general i've always enjoyed mx's music style that is noise music while still being Music. it really is a shame that this era was overshadowed by everything that was happening with wonho, because it was one of their best.
3) Love In Space by Cherry Bullet - this is a very recent find as i have not kept up with chebul since early debut (q&a and hands up eras). this song feels like perfect cosmic concept music though—in a similar vein to lalalilala by april, which isn't on this playlist but will be someday, i think that the loud, retro-inspired synths are perfect for the space theme. they invoke the same sort of sparkle and grandness that i think space should. and in general i would not be mad if ggs just kept the retro train rolling because i am loving it. also the bridge on this song is sooo fucking good.
4) I'm So Hot by MOMOLAND - first of all i love this type of intro. like the record player snippet of the main hook thing. second of all this song is so catchy and so good, 100% my favorite momoland track. i'm obsessed with the piano in the pre-chorus and the sax in the chorus like it is perfect. also <3 ahin <3 my girl sounds so good in the second pre-chrous. i will always hold a grudge against kpop stans in general btw for having it out for momoland they were just trying to make fun music. wtf.
5) Katchup by DALsooobin - any dalsooobin fans in chat? dalsooobin in our playlists? dalsooobin in our lives? dalsooobin in our hearts? her vocal color is marvelous and so is the instrumentation with the piano and the snappy percussion. i love how this song develops. i feel like this is a bit of a quirky song, but like... played straight. also it is very impressive to me that she composed this herself. like my stance on kpop self-written songs is that It doesn't mean shit if the song still sucks. but this does not suck. god bless <3
6) U&I by BoA - from the queen herself, WOMAN - The 9th Album. i am so obsessed with the processing they did on her voice during the "so we, we bend // i touch your hand // and i can see // what you believe" part and i think the filter matches the instrumental so well. the instrumental in question being perfect... i luv the sort of echo-y, reverberating effect they put on some of the chords like this song feels like you are floating in a one-person wave pool < guy who has never been to a water park and in fact can't even swim.
7) Glitch by KWON EUN BI - it is very upsetting to me that this did not make more noise like this song is sooo good... a perfect marriage between concept and execution i think. also i've mostly been trying to talk about music here but the choreo is so perfect i've always wanted to see eunbi lean into a vogue style especially given how she's shown interest in similar styles before. anyways this song just feels so chic and fun to listen and dance to <3 like it almost makes me want to put on the singular pair of stilettoes i own and start prancing around the house...
8) Expect by Girl's Day - older gg music seriously felt like discovering gold. the ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh (guy who felt extremely stupid typing that out) in the chorus is so unbelievably addicting and replayable. not to mention that it is a two-part chorus which has always been perfect and delightful to me. the bridge feels crazyy too like they just keep on adding to it and taking everything a step further.
9) Heart Attack by AOA - brave sound has done so much for the summer song enthusiast community... this song feels like pure fucking ecstasy. and i will always be aoa music champion #1 like sure they couldn't all sing or dance as well as some of the other groups of their time but damn did they have the x factor... no other group has ever been able to replicate what aoa music makes me feel. i think a lot of it is vocal tone which is actually so important to me like even more important than proper technique sometimes. anyways this song will always fuck <3
10) Crying by Stellar - re: brave sound has done so much for the summer song enthusiast community. no one will ever luv this song the way i do... like we have a lot of summer ass shaking songs about love and fun but what about summer ass shaking songs about heartbreak and misery? sometimes i Do always feel like crying. this is the summer sadness representation that we needed... and it still goes hard. like when the "brave sound let's go get it" followed by the synths kicking in hits... ><
11) CUPID by KARA - um i actually discovered this song through a bait and switch edit someone made by putting it over the sticker mv LOL. but i've been obsessed with it since like are we hearing this chorus? Vocal Tone Matters So Much. also this is so niche and specific but i luv it when people spell things out in kpop. this song is just fun! it's a fun song! there is nothing wrong with that. also i luv the rap section.
12) Abittipsy by YOUHA - idk how to say this without sounding extremely cheesy but this song sounds like arriving somewhere. something about the bells in the intro and how hard the synths go. speaking of which this is once again proving the excellency of retro inspired concepts like it is perfect... i have never gone rollerblading in my life and i've only gotten drunk a few times but this makes me want to go rollerblading while drunk something something hashtag the power of music baby. also the little hiccup at the end is such a cute touch
13) Oh! my mistake by APRIL - this is still retro inspired. i remember everyone being fucking obsessed with this song when it came out and for good reason too. this song sounds so sparkly but there is also a touch of uncanny valley tucked in there which i really appreciate—like in the very particular way that they say "oh my mistake" as well as the rap section. the bridge fucks too. it really is a shame that april turned out the way they did because before their downfall they were well on the way to becoming my token 4th gen gg post-izone disbandment and pre-izone redebutation.
highlights for me are baekhyun's adlibs at the beginning, jongdae's "ajikdo nan ajik", kyungsoo's little interjection, the percussion throughout (there are little splashes of cymbal throughout that i find particularly delightful. more of that), and the fucking bridge. this bridge is like... it is my opinion that no one should be listening to exo for their raps because why would you when they can sing like that? but the rap in this bridge is seriously insane and i think part of it is just the double breakdown. like i have memorized the timestamp where this part starts (2:30) and it has yet to get old.
anyways if my rambling is entirely incoherent to you, here is a video by ldn noise themselves talking about the process of creating this banger <3 well worth the watch in my opinion because it is super cool to see just how many cool sounds are tucked into this song.
15) LUNA by ONEUS - oneus are my nugu(ish) bg token pick. they make really good music that is almost reminiscent of older groups like vixx (fly high) at times. also as a bonus, literally no one on my timeline ever talks about them beyond a one-off tweet, so i have zero exposure to their fandom <3 anyways this is another one of oneus's dives into mixing more traditional korean music sounds with modern beats (their first tt of this variety being lit). this sort of concept is already one that i am extremely partial to, and i think oneus do a really nice job of putting their own twist on it. one thing i always love about oneus is that they often switch up each iteration of the chorus, and luna is no exception. if you too are looking for a smaller bg's music to champion, would highly recommend checking them out :)
16) Set Myself On Fire by TAEYEON - literally songs with concepts made for me... this comparison that i am about to make may be a bit of a stretch, but in my formative years i was fucking obsessed with tove lo's queen of the clouds album, including the song love ballad—which very specifically had a line that went "pour gasoline on me // oh yes i'd burn slowly // so that you'd feel // i am for real." basically what i'm trying to say here is that i like music that is about setting yourself on fire. 10/10 lyricism would put on top of an angsty aesthetic instagram story.
17) OPEN YOUR EYES by IZ*ONE - one of izone's best bsides i will proclaim. i'm talking about my cringe middle school music taste again, but i used to be really obsessed with chillstep music, and this song kind of reminds me of you are truth by anima. it's a lot more fast paced than you are truth, and obviously has izone's vocals on top (side bar: this song is very jo yuriz heavy which is perfect to me, jo yuriz lover), but the sounds used in the instrumentals have a same sort of nostalgic feeling. anyways i am obsessed with this one. also when i was a kid, this sound reminded me of falling into a pool of grapes?
18) Goodbye by 2NE1 - first of all i cannot believe the coachella reunion happened. i am the best enjoyers winning in 2022? crazy. second of this song really appeals to the part of me that just really fucking loves the sound of the guitar. we have got to bring her back... reject modernity (noise music) embrace tradition (guitar music). this is just a really good song to jam to. like it is very simple, both in instrumental and message, but i think that makes it all the more potent. not to mention once again VOCAL TONE MATTERS SO MUCH... sometimes i am against it but there is a reason behind yg making so many of their idols fake their voices... it isn't always just incompetency. also it really is like Does Anyone Know How I Feel?
