Death, taxes and Vilppu posting three times in a row. But at least it will all be over by tomorrow.
I know there is at least one person who is also reading the rules for the third time in a row and thinking, „still more varied than Blackpink discography” am I right.
- Eligibility period: December 25, 2021 until December 24, 2022. Yup, I’m not a fraud who writes December off completely, even though most labels do.
- Qualifications: music video or at the very least a proper live stage. If the group themselves couldn’t have been bothered to get the song out there then, I couldn’t have been bothered to listen to it either.
- Stuff which has videos but is still inelligible: OST songs, Christmas music, covers which don’t change the source material to a satisfying degree. What is a satisfying degree knows only me in the future who will be forced to put a cover on the list.
- I always put a point right here and then forget what I was going to say. Maybe one day.
- There is a chance you will disagree with a position or two here. That is obviously punishable by law, as my opinions are the end-all be-all and should never be disputed.
- Have fun.
- Or not.
25. Love x Stereo – All3
2022 has been a surprisingly outstanding year for a good chunk of lesser-known names who often completely outperformed all the big fish in the water, despite having maybe a tenth of the budget and not even as much support from one-eyed fans all around. Love x Stereo are as good an example as any, a group so consistently irrelevant, I got my comment read live during one of their Youtube shows because there was virtually only one other person watching. Keeping that in mind, they were also rich enough to get their own studio, and record with some Korean underground artists who achieved some notoriety in those circles, so maybe it’s just international audiences who suck, and that would only go to prove what everyone’s been always thinking. In either case, Love x Stereo kick some serious ass, and „All3” is some of their best ever work, taking rhythmic and melodic inspiration straight from groups like Massive Attack and Portishead, but marrying them with a more modern-sounding electronic production, which makes it so the song feels more spacey and airy. Although I really like a lot of the material by both bands mentioned, their stuff may also come off as stuck in a box at points, and none of that is present here which is a definitive step in the right direction and a reminder to get Love x Stereo’s stuff off Bandcamp.
24. Viviz – Bop Bop!
Disco was one of the sounds which gradually evaporated from kpop over the course of the past year, and I’m honestly really glad for that cause at one point, it felt like the only type of upbeat music any group was capable of making. And frankly, few managed to get anything good out of it, repeating a lot of the same mistakes disco records did in the 70s, primarily over-relying on groove in favour of interesting melody and harmony. One of the very few acts to break the mould was Gfriend with the excellent „Mago” and whoever wrote that song for them must have also got actively interested in half-Gfriend, as „Bop Bop!”, while surely not quite as amazing, is far above average as well. Where Viviz really win me over is the chorus – the first half where it’s mostly just the girls talk-singing over a heavy bassline is fine, I suppose, but nothing all that memorable since everyone else was also doing it at the time. However, that is also where everyone else would have stopped at, meanwhile „Bop Bop!” plays its ace card right at that moment, changing the harmony and adding a strings counter-melody for the chorus’ second half. Not only is that an inspired choice, it also puts the previous, less interesting on its own section into a better context. The girls also look the best they’ve ever had, finally free of Hybe’s disgusting influence, and allowed to be as sexy as they please, which evidently also pleases Eunha to no end, so even if the song is not exactly up your alley, you may get some other use out of it.
23. Be’O – Love Me
In a shocking turn of events, however, Viviz did not have the best song on their new label this year. Mind you, I would never otherwise know it nor do I care – ACAB (All Companies Are Bad), with JYP being the least bad solely because JYP himself is a tad more self-aware than all other CEOs which makes him pretty funny occasionally. The little label fact was just something I found while researching Be’O because why the hell did this loser come out with such a great song out of nowhere. Turns out he’s a rapper and every other track of his I’ve found was utter rubbish but not „Love Me”, and a lot of why it doesn’t suck comes down to it just straight up not being a rap song. I can’t properly judge his rapping skills due to the language barrier but his choice of beats was always piss-weak, and therefore, a pop track that’s kind of whiny and sad, with Be’O begging the girl he likes to love him over and over, fits him like a glove. The guitar work here is actually really good, a simple but effective riff that’s strong enough to drive the song forward, and paired with some catchy hooks, it has just enough life to keep you interested but isn’t too complex so it doesn’t take away from the song’s main straightforward appeal. Who knows, maybe when Be’O laments to love him, love him, love him, he’s thinking of one of the Viviz members, and who could blame him, and maybe now he sucks because SinB did bang him in the end, in which case, I hope an instant rejection is in place, so he can come back to being a talented loser.
22. Twice – Talk That Talk
Back at the start of the year, I got my first serious corporate job, as a dealing agent in FDS (Funds Delivery Support). I can only assume that sounds just as cryptic to you as it did to me 11 months ago, so just imagine that you open UberEats, pick a McDonald’s burger, and expect it to be delivered to your house, but in this scenario, you are a multi-million company placing a deal ranging from a modest few thousand to literally over a billion dollars, and I’m that delivery guy. It’s honestly quite crappy, as I’m definitely not paid enough to be putting up with all the bullshit thrown my way and at the same time, I’m still probably on someone’s „eat the rich” shortlist, but all things considered, I’m lucky to have the job and over time, I believe I’ve got pretty good at it, if me, being a mere junior, the lowest possible seat you can have, being invited to pretty important meetings which aim to discuss problematic cases is anything to go by. The job has also confirmed a bunch of universally true things I’ve pretty much always known anyway. Customers suck no matter what they’re buying and they are never in the right, no matter how much customer service licks their assholes. If you’re hard-working and good at what you’re doing, you’re going to be taken advantage of, but in a place which isn’t a complete torture chamber, you will also gain some unspoken respect and have your word matter more. Twice always have excellent songs… wait, did I not learn that by doing my job? Oh well, then I guess listening to „Talk That Talk” did it, I mean, I am pretty tired lately, at least I didn’t accidentally contribute to a significant extra cash flow out recently… again.
21. Hong Jinyoung – Viva La Vida
If one thing remains unchanged throughout each year in kpop history, it’s that trot is just never going to realistically become a serious competitor. And why would it even? In many ways, trot singers look and behave happier than overworked idols, for one, they probably are allowed to eat every once in a while, and even when they have to pull some crap out of their asses, which is most of the time, at least they seem to have a healthy amount of distance about it. It’s just a shame that the music is mostly pretty weak and outdated by about 30 years in every 97 songs out of a hundred, and thank god, there is Hong Jinyoung to provide the remaining three. I don’t know if it’s her undeniable hotness, legitimate music talent and knowledge, or stellar ability to forge documentation, but she seems to always attract the better songwriters to help her out, and „Viva La Vida” is no exception. Despite the mortifyingly Latin title, the song has nothing to do with Latin-pop and just trots out straight away, keeping all the genre’s main components (bouncy rhythm, the same three instruments making for the sonic texture) but besting nearly all of it, by having someone write a proper melody in place of the usual novelty nonsense. Where the average trot singer would be trying to show off how zany and random they are, Hong Jinyoung soars through the ascending chorus, showing once more there is a reason why that one random trot of the year award went her way about 328 times in a row.
20. Purple Kiss – Nerdy
Ok so when Mamamoo’s „Hip” came out, I thought it was okay but also severely lacking in what it could’ve been. The three rotating chords and hardly any melodic variation just didn’t quite do it for me, despite the song having a fantastic rhythm track and more than enough catchiness. So if you told me that „Hip” just got a re-work which fixes the issues I had with that song, I would be pretty damn ecstatic. Obviously cut from the very same cloth, „Nerdy” is driven by a similar bassline and will probably get stuck in your head for just as long, but in the end, is the far superior track due to a few smarter choices. The minor key sensibilities give the song a slightly darker edge which works well against the upbeat, almost ska-lite chorus, and creates a cool contrast. That would be enough to make it work as it is, but the song also knows to break itself up in a few points, be it with a slower pre-chorus or an unexpected retro-style dance break towards the end. It’s little touches that never go on for too long but add just enough variety to make repeated listens more rewarding. Finally, what was the biggest weakness of „Hip”, rap sections where the track slowed down to funeral tempo for no reason, is also present here but to everyone’s relief, it lasts maybe for three seconds max, which is about as long as any shoehorned trap part ever needs to be.
19. Doorlesshouse – Behind Your Dream
With the psychedelic presentation and Cocteau Twins type sound, this song kind of reminds me of a dream I had a couple of years ago. I was in high school and there was a sudden public emergency that the entire world is about to go extinct because we were to get hit with an enormous meteor. The only safe place was the entirety of Latin America who had a huge wall – and coincidentally, not the Trump wall – built all around them, and nobody in the world questioned it, it was just generally known and acknowledged it would prevent the catastrophe and everyone in that part of the world would be left unscathed. By some miracle, I was able to catch a ship with no issue and arrived in there safe and sound, but the thing is my dreams never end well for me, so my stupid conscience required me to sail all the way back to Europe to save my friends. Back at the school, I was stunned to be welcomed by what was essentially a conservative debate trying to convince everyone else the meteor was a hoax even though at that point it was undoubtedly visible in the sky and soon to hit us. I’ve never seen Don’t Look Up but I believe the plot of that movie is just about my dream, except somehow worse, I surely have not heard many good things about it. Anyway, this song is excellent.
18. Synsnake – Flip
One of my favourite ways of doing metalcore, the bastard child of all metal subgenres, is not at all but then I guess, if you absolutely have to, then I’d advise to move the centrepiece of the song as far away from metalcore as possible, and only have some complimentary elements of that crap to go along. I’ve known about Synsnake before, and they usually struggle to keep the balance quite right, often opting for too much of the silly screamo vocals and random electric guitar bits and pieces which never really gel together to form a proper riff. „Flip” is a bit of a different beast, however, and upon first listen, you probably wouldn’t even guess it has anything to do with metal at all. Starting off as a straight pop track, the song takes a good while of build-up to get to the more aggressive parts, and that’s precisely why it’s so much better than anything else the band has put out. The pop sensibilities of the song are honestly really good, with cool melodies and instrumentation all around, and once the metalcore bits roll around, they aren’t aimless and annoying like the style usually is, as they have the foundation to play against. The track never wanders off too far into either fluffy direction, as the base remains consistent, and therefore the genre-shifting comes off as a fun call-and-response almost way to create contrast. Lessons to be learned here, Not that any naMes are beIng named XX.
17. Dami – Beauty Full
I feel like at this rate everyone’s well and fully aware and tired of me prefacing Dreamcatcher song reviews with the exact same complaints which eventually end up in praise anyway, so let’s do it one more time. All year long Dreamcatcher failed to deliver the excellent track I was hoping to get from them, and even if „Vision” got close, it still suffered from all the usual problems Dreamcatcher music has – guitars too muted and too far back into the mix, a lot of fluffy slower sections which weaken the impact, too much pop style singing getting in the way of heaviness. As it happened, each member of the group got to also put out a solo this year, and while the quality varied greatly, from drab R&B, to surprisingly decent and brisk disco, the undisputable winner was Dami, whose „Beauty Full” is basically an Avril Lavigne song but with verses better than anything Avril’s done since about 2003 and a chorus catchier than anything Avril’s done ever. The pop rock revival emerging from Tiktok artists is honestly quite weak, as few of them seem to know any chords past the four present in every song ever but if more of them sounded like this (and had lyrics which aren’t the corniest third-grade get-back at an ex), I would be in favour of the trend.
16. Hong Jinyoung, Frawley – Girl in the Mirror
Did I mention Hong Jinyoung is always pretty good and far above the competition? Here she’s teaming up with some random Western artist I’ve never heard of and comes up with results even stronger than „Viva La Vida”. As previously mentioned, trot heavily suffers from often opting for some really outdated sounds and production style, and every song from the style that’s worth a damn has to have either stellar songwriting to take away from the weaknesses, or to have some obvious more modern influences pushing it forward. As it happens, this track has both, with great pop production clearly up to par with anything else on the list, and note choices which don’t really have much to do with trot at all, but which are catchy enough to carry the track on its own strength. I especially like how the melody goes up for the „the gi-irl, the g-irl” part before dropping down again to finish the phrase, it just sounds cool. In case you haven’t noticed, Frawley actually contributed vocally, she sings the second verse and second chorus, but her voice is so similar to Hong Jinyoung’s, it took me a while to figure it out. What I believe to be a far more significant contribution from her, is the English lyrics which are solid and coherent all throughout, not an everyday feat for a pop song in general, much less a Korean one, and once again a reminder that Hong Jinyoung outsold your fave.
15. PRSNT – Take That Back
Picture this – it’s year 2017 and someone tells you Hyuna has not just been kicked out her label but is completely struggling on the new one, got engaged and broke said engagement, just looks like an amalgam of different sorts of plastics by now, and has just been completely outdone in just about every way by a fellow 4Minute member. Ok, so the first few were probably to be expected, but the last one sure had to get at least a giggle out of you, don’t lie. As it turns out, it’s now 2022, and Jiyoon, one of the least memorable members of that group, got about a hundred times hotter, and more importantly, joined a band and releases consistently good music. It’s not everyday that I recommend a kpop album but if you absolutely need to waste your time with those, you probably won’t get any better pick than „Crazy Driver” which is all killer and no filler. The old-school club number „Like a Butterfly” almost made the list but ultimately, „Take That Back” turned out to be the superior song, with a whistling, maudlin chorus led by a cool vocal melody with great backings, and especially outstanding in all the sections where the vocal distortion kicks in. It sounds genuinely amazing here and properly fits the material, something kpop fans who still think their bias miraculously hitting that note and sounding the exact same each time for the last 7 performances is their unmatched talent, and not some form of external help, could really take a listen to.
14. CSR – Loveticon
I don’t think people who complain about how kpop entirely sucks now (but will continue to listen, no matter what) and how X was the last good year really listen to it. Is it mostly good? Obviously not, not even half of it. At best probably about 5% of anything that comes out is worth listening to, but that’s actually not at all any different from the year when you got into it and therefore view that period through rose-tinted glasses. The one thing that did maybe somewhat change is that the big groups almost all shat the bed this year, barely releasing anything of note, and I suppose it does indeed blow if that’s all you’ve got your eyes on. I’m specifically biting at girlgroup fans here actually, as I’ve seen maybe two of them acknowledge CSR, among a few others, bringing back the upbeat, lightweight pop sound back that they’re supposedly so badly missing. Fast beats, cool guitars and chanting which actually fits in place drive „Loveticon” forward beautifully, and there are just enough oh-oh-oh’s here to get stuck in your head, but they don’t also overdo it in the annoying millennial whoop kind of way. Then there is also a rap break which doesn’t break the track’s flow and a chorus with an instrumental so good it could work without any vocals on top of it at all. Sure, I too wish Crayon Pop or April could stick around for a bit longer but to all you whiners out there, cool stuff like this is about three clicks on Youtube away.
13. Sonic Stones – The Beginning of the End
One rule that I try to stick by listening to new stuff is to listen to it all the way through before fully writing it off. That bites me in the ass more often than not, and I probably could have saved hours of my life by shutting trap off three hi-hat beats in, but every once in a while, my patience will get rewarded. While not entirely applicable in this case personally, it’s definitely something I’d recommend doing with this track if you don’t like the acoustic start. It’s not even a full minute long and once that is done, you’ll get hit with some of the heaviest Korean music you’ll get to hear this year. It’s not quite metal and there is a conscious effort to keep the vocals clean, catchy and within the realms of what’s considered „acceptable” within the frames of pop music, but the focus is also very clearly on the loud guitars with high quality riffing, and some great drumming. And even if that slower, quieter intro is somehow too much for you to bare, Sonic Stones catered to your needs on the album version where the song is split into two separate tracks, and you may get right into rocking straight away. Has oppar been this considerate in the past few months, I highly doubt.
12. StarryWave – Glow
Mind you, it’s even better when they really do rock it out straight out the gate, with no fluff, and even harder than Sonic Stones. At first, I didn’t even think this song would be eligible for the list, due to the Japanese stylisation of the Youtube video title, and although I try to be as inclusive as possible, there is no way Japanese music made specifically for the Japanese market, with no ties to kpop whatsoever, would qualify for inclusion. Having said that, maybe next year I should become a j-metal blog, now how fun would that be for precisely nobody except me. A Christmas miracle, if you will. Anyway, back to the song at hand, and it definitely is Korean, confirmed, and that’s all the better cause now I can talk about how great it is, with heavy guitars present and correct, a powerful and charismatic performance, and a lot of longer instrumental sections so the players can really show off, and that kicks ass because there is time and place for that as well, and here this absolutely is the right time and place. I’m not entirely sure about the use of the electronically generated synths instead of a keyboardist, it just sounds a little jarring in the context, but then this band don’t look like they have a whole damn lot on their plate, and in the end, it works anyway, because what those synths are actually playing is all neat, and unfortunately, if AI creations made for good art, I would also have to stan. Avatar Aespa revolution 2023?
11. Apink – Dilemma
When you’re always performing well above average, a slight hiccup will always be noticeable, even if that still ends up outdoing all your peers. I found that out twice this year, once when I couldn’t take any days during Christmas off because apparently I’m so necessary during this busy period the team would fall apart without me, which is why you’re getting a really rushed, half-baked version of this post (as if it was ever going to be any more interesting or less rambly), and the other time was when Apink dropped yet another obviously amazing track that people were mostly lukewarm about. „Dilemma” is actually a much weirder song than their last few, even if covering some of the very same textural ground, with a ton of different, seemingly disconnected sections that end up working together because the general melodic writing remains consistent throughout. The clear highlight in my eyes is the excellent keyboard riff during the hook part which not only just sounds bizarre and awesome on its own, but also creates a catchy call-and-response with the vocal parts, and the following chorus which calls back to „I’m So Sick” is pretty damn good as well. The only part I’m not all that wowed about is the slow rap, yet another odd addition but in this case also a largely unnecessary one. It truly speaks to how strong everything else about the track is when in such a competitive year, a song where as much as almost 30 seconds could be chopped out still makes it so high up, and there is no telling how high it would climb up if it was replaced with something more appropriate.
10. Hynn, Gwangil Jo – Orpheus
And now I can finally breathe a sigh of relief because we’ve got to the list’s obligatory ballad. „Ew”, you groan, „don’t you have any morals?”, you ask. That’s exactly right, I’m basically a monster. That also means no one is reading anything else here, if anyone’s even made it this far, so I may basically say anything. A while ago I helped my boyfriend buy a laptop which was money best spent, as rarely do I see such pure happiness and gratitude in anyone. He had me watch him play the new Pokemon game on a Switch emulator he downloaded – also smart, as the actual Switch is a garbage, terribly underpowered device – and even though I know next to nothing about it, it was a true joy to watch him play and the new gen Pokemon Maushold is the prettiest little thing I have ever seen. I hope I get to watch him play some more very soon but due to the long distance form of relationship we have, that is sometimes hard which really sucks. My one-year at the company is coming soon, and along the way, a highly likely promotion from junior to specialist. I’m honestly at a bit of a crossroads regarding that cause I know there are a lot of people doing similar stuff to mine and earning considerably higher, so I have to snoop out and see if there is anything else I could maybe apply for. A really nice guy from the company has recently left and I scooped out where he’s transferring to so who knows, maybe I might find myself following his steps one day. One of my closest high school friends has recently died which really took a toll on me, and his funeral got me angry at just how hopeless church is at anything other than molesting young boys, but I think I’m starting to come to terms with him being gone. This song is also great and I wish more ballads were like it but there aren’t. So you see, despite some hardships, I’m doing pretty well right now. Glass half full.
9. Vincent Park, Griffy – Guilty Pleasure
I hate the term „guilty pleasure” with a passion, it’s right down there with „so bad it’s good” and people differing between what’s supposedly good and what they like. There is this air of superiority snobs who do jazz and classical music give off, and then you have metalheads who are so tough yet so fragile when anything moves at speed 3 BPM different from what they’re used to. Do you really care you’re going to be judged to by those circles for liking something simpler and more straightforward? No? Well, that’s a good first step, the next is weeding out the aforementioned phrases from the way you speak about music and art in general. Why should you inadvertently explain yourself for liking something when the entire point of art is to have its quality completely subjective and non-measurable by any rigid frames? While there are elements which have a level of objectivity to them, e.g. a mix where you can hear all instruments is probably generally preferable to a wall of indistinguishable noise, and there is probably a reason why every other pop song uses a I-IV-vi-V chord progression and not a tritone, but that also doesn’t mean the „worse” stuff cannot be purposefully or imaginatively, nor that you have to dislike it. Half the point of me starting doing these lists in the first place was to help me form my own opinions that I would be confident in sharing, and I think I’ve done well since, and it would honestly mean a lot if it helped anyone else too. None of that applies to this song by the way, it’s so obviously fantastic they didn’t even bother with a flashy music videos, and just ripped some old public domain cartoons off for it, but it is also a good place to have all that shared. Cheers!
8. IVE – Love Dive
The last time I checked, Kim Garam’s name was actually cleared enough that even some of the most air-headed Korean netizens started to pounder on the possibility of her not being an evil bully after all, but for what it’s worth, I found some of the allegations pretty funny, and easily the best (and confirmed!) was the picture of her and her classmates with a bunch of table drawings, one of which being an „IVE down, Le Sserafim up” text. Whoever was responsible for IVE’s music at the time must not have got scared Garam would come to their house and cut three of their left-hand fingers off, unlike half of her former primary school, and bravely stood up to the challenge by making IVE the group to truly go all the way up both the irrelevant charts and my listening charts. „Love Dive” does so much right I half-wondered if the producers didn’t study my usual kpop complaints and specifically made a song that would avoid all those mistakes. For one, it’s a very rare example of a kpop track subscribing to the „less is more” style of production, there is really not that much going on in the backing track, which is the correct choice, as the strong melody writing carries the verses on its own, and once it gets to the ooh-oohs, there is tons of space in the mix, something truly refreshing. Then there is the chorus where the vocal line is slightly off-rhythm, with each phrase happening just before the beat hits. I had quite a bit to say about that when NewJeans did it but the difference here is that IVE’s production is anything but overcrowded and when stripped down to one keyboard line, a drum machine and sparse singing on top of it, it’s nowhere near as stifling. Then you also remember the song cleverly avoids any cliches and tightly keeps to the tone it sets at the start, amazing. I don’t know if Garam is out there sacrificing a goat to have Wonyoung tragically drop down the stairs at IVE’s next public event but either way, I’m afraid she may have lost this one.
7. Sorn – Sharp Objects
I don’t know what we’re supposed to be mad at Sorn for this week, I remember a while ago it was that her friend wore a racist Halloween costume, and another time that her dad is a politician, even though I’m not sure if anyone was even able to disclose his actual politics. As both of those things were obviously very much Sorn’s own wrongdoings, I took it upon myself to get upset further, and why not start with „Sharp Objects”, her debut solo single. Terrible straight away, ripping its name off that HBO show, does she not have any sympathy for Amy Adams who still has not won an Oscar and who has not been in a good movie in what seems to be 84 years by now? Just downright cruel. What’s with all the mannequins here too? Is she implying that all other idols around her are plastic creatures she might only get hurt by interacting with? Hm, I don’t really know for sure, but I’m just going to assume that’s the case, she just is that sort of evil. That black lipstick is so stupid too, like gothic girl culture is something she can just appropriate like that. I’m getting mad just thinking about it and I’m also getting mad cause me getting mad is suddenly interrupted by that damn sha-sha-sharp hook getting ingrained in my brain, and the hell is this keyboard riff, that’s catchy as all hell too! I might have to listen to the verses to calm down instead, sure they won’t be anywhere near as stupidly good… wait, there is a sensible build-up here, with cool synths and mood darkened up noticeably which suits this type of production and the song’s theme very well too? Ugh, thanks a lot for ruining my day with quality music and nothing any sane person would ever reasonably throw a fit over.
6. Key – Another Life
Mind you, not even Sorn had an 80s style song as good as Key this year. I wonder what the labrats at SM think of it, trying so hard to uphold the reputation of a modern and forward-thinking company, yet having their crowning jewel be a track so unabashedly retro. Of course, the 80s did not sound quite like this and there is a lot of very modern-sounding choices the track makes – right from the start, the lower end of the mix is ruling over everything else, with a bass so deliciously rich, I might even forgive Key’s company for destroying the environment every other day of the week. With a backing track so good, there was really no need for much else in the way, and Key is clearly aware, wisely using his voice sparsely and mostly letting the instrumental do the talking, and once vocals appear to a bigger extent, the lines are memorable and straight to the point, with nothing to clutter the strong rhythm. The only thing that doesn’t work super well about this track is the post-second and final chorus hook which gets too close to millennial whooping for comfort, and while it’s nothing all that significant, it is a bit of a misstep that kept Key just behind all the tracks about to follow.
5. Youha – Last Dance
Some songs are instant hits, and with how kpop operates, that is undoubtedly the point, and there are some which take time to creep on me. Although I thought „Last Dance” was good right from the start, it wasn’t until a few listens in that it truly dawned on me how great it was. Starting off with what is essentially an R&B template, Youha moves into some pretty unexpected sonic territories, which is a win in itself – the best R&B songs are the ones that take the core ideas and re-work them into something completely different – but what really strikes me here is the minimalism. While the track progressively adds more and more production elements, there is consistently a lot of empty space across the mix, and even in the bigger vocal chorus, it’s mostly the backings that do the heavy lifting. I don’t know if Youha writes her own material – if so, wouldn’t surprise me – and even if she doesn’t, whoever does it for her must be a frequent collaborator who not only understands Youha’s strengths but also just music in general, as there is a lot good to „Last Dance” that was similarly good to „Abittipsy”, even if the tracks are pretty noticeably different in the actual sonic textures used. It’s not often that the Korean industry opens the door for new female soloists but I think regardless of chart performance, this one is here to stay.
4. ILY:1 – Que Sera Sera
Hey, look, a group doing a youthful concept where every member is a legal adult, how amazing is that. Showing you don’t actually become a fossil at 18, even though I’m sure many stans would disagree with me on that, and you don’t have to feel weird supporting it, a double win. Of course, it’s supposed to make you think these girls are actually underage and with the pitch being raised to some unbelievable heights, they’re also made to sound at least half a decade younger. There, I know you all NewJeans fans are happy that someone finally pointed out that paedophilia is one of kpop’s pillars, I hope now singing along to looking at my cookie is not weird at all. What I might patronise you on, however, is that NewJeans don’t have anything even half as amazing as ILY:1 – the hell are you doing. While the saccharine vocals might be a bit difficult to stomach at first, everything underneath is stellar, with the keyboard fully stealing the show. I don’t know the exact setting but it just sounds cool as shit and is such a good foundation, the high singing really stops being a problem, especially once the song slaps you across the face with one of the most explosive and full-sounding choruses of the last months, and while your mouth is still hanging agape, the track gets even better and breaks into a wonderful two-part bridge section that’s heavily reminiscent of „Ah Choo”, just about the best place you can ever take your bridge to. See, maybe if „Hype Boy” sounded like this, I’d be more willing to support child labour but it doesn’t, so I don’t.
3. Jambinai – Once More from the Frozen Bottom
Jambinai are also here to stay, as there is really no one else out there sounding quite like this. The band’s sound has definitely evolved over the years, in ways that were kind of expected, going from fully ethnic and deeply rooted in Korean tradition, to a more of a metal hybrid sound in recent years, and I get why someone wouldn’t enjoy that change. For me, however, this is probably the best version of themselves, striking just the right balance, even within this specific song which is split into two halves. The first two minutes are just moshing it out straight the gate with the traditional instruments given equal importance to electric guitars and a more standard drumkit. Once that is done for, the actual vocal part kicks in, and it’s brilliantly layered, haunting and even though the track significantly slows down by then, the sense of urgency remains all the way until the explosive finale. It’s just a master work from people who know exactly what they want and know perfectly well how to achieve it, with some very complex musical tricks that never feel like showing off, and are appropriate for the material. I admire the obvious passion that comes off from all the musicians here as well – they always play like their lives depend on and who knows, maybe they do, they do kind of have a satanic look going for them.
In any case, it honestly felt bizarre putting this song anywhere on the list, it didn’t feel quite right at any spot, and it’s probably the one time I’d agree that what feels like the best song actually isn’t. Ultimately, the following two just barely edged it out. I’m telling you, this was a good year.
2. CSR – Pop? Pop!
I’m never sad when groups disband or members leave, as one, it means they might just have a shot at starting a happier, more stress-free part of their lives, and two, with how rare it is for any group to have an in-house songwriter, whatever a good group were going to release next is just going to the next hot thing, and so on. That said, there was a team unluckily named OnePiece who seemed to vanish right as Lovelyz also did. There is a steep quality difference between all the stuff they wrote and produced for that group, and everything else done by someone else – the aforementioned „Ah Choo”, „Candy Jelly Love” and „Destiny” are all outstanding, and all are their creation. Surprisingly complex, with unique harmony choices and sleek production, honestly few people were even attempting songs that sounded like that, so I’m really happy the creation of CSR was enough to wake OnePiece up from their long slumber. As it turns, „Pop? Pop!” is pretty much just as good as those Lovelyz tracks, a ride from start to finish. There is so much happening here, it took me a while to even take it all in – should I focus on the kick-ass syncopated riff during the hook, the extended orchestration which blows a lot of life into the verses, the classic yet still effectively fake-out slow build-up to the final chorus, or just straight up the chorus with the girls sliding beautifully against the strings melody. In hands of anyone less skilled, this would’ve honestly easily turned into an overblown mess, especially with the bassist constantly doing some crazy shit in the background, but it all ties together by the general lightweight feel it has, and the sort of discipline that only people who are both highly experienced and crazy talented have. As it happens, OnePiece are both, and I sure hope to hear more of them – and CSR! – in the future.
And now… may I have a drumroll?
Thank you Chanyeol, always helpful to whoever may ask.
1. Team Pathfinder – Ask Me
Whenever I sit down to write about what made me like the #1 pick so much it became what it is, I spend the next 10 minutes grimacing and often deleting all of it, only to eventually settle for attempt number 3249 at doing it justice. I’m still going to do it in the future because at the end of the day, I actually really like it, and I believe year by year my reviews get better, as I expand on my knowledge, am more assured in my choices due to a larger listening experience, and just get better at writing by the sheer power of practice. However, not this time. What you’ve got here is a disgustingly positive song about having fun and enjoying your life to the fullest because that’s what every corny motherfucker has to sing about, and right now I’m going to do just that and leave you right here. Take care, everybody, hope 2023 is safe and warm for all of us.
kpop for the average joe 