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Introduction

Hey guys, Seffy (xJieun) here. This is my 2nd blog within a few days. I've gotten into writing them again! So I'll be writing this one expressing one of my interests, and it is also good practice I reckon.

Okay, so I have a huge interest in Korean music. There have been a few songs that I've listened to quite a lot recently, and I'd like to share some of them here. I was going to post it in the "Korean Music Discussion" thread, but it would've been TL;DR.

I'm not an expert on music or analysing music videos, but I will be talking about what I think of the song and/or the music video in the best way I can possible, and give it a personal rating if possible.

If you haven't listened to Korean music before (which I'm sure quite a few of you haven't), have a listen. And if you are a fan of K-Pop and haven't heard these songs, have a listen as well! When you read through this blog, you will notice they're mostly girl groups, and also some of them sound really bubbly/cute... I just like songs like that lol.

Here are the songs:

Sunhwa and Youngjae - Everything is Pretty



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMrR0Mxp5AE

First and foremost on the list is "Everything is Pretty" .Released on youtube 27th December, 2012, this is the cutest song I've ever heard for the entire year. It was performed by Secret's Han Sunhwa and Youngjae from B.A.P.. The music video isn't elaborate as it was pretty much just all shot within the recording studio. Sunhwa is just absolutely cute in it. As for the song, it is so good! Youngjae's vocals in this song is really great. Sunhwa's vocals in the song are really nice and sweet, I love it and it fits the beat so well, which is lovely to listen to. This song is a 10/10 for me, and Flawless/10 for cuteness and the video. I really like videos that were just shot within the recording studio and shows the singers having fun, and not having elaborate sets. Nice and simple.

Girls' Generation - I Got a Boy



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq7ftOZBy0E

So the video for this song came out within the last 24 hours, and Tazerenix linked it to me, DUCKVILLELOL and the others in the chatbox. We all listened to it, and DUCKVILLELOL pretty much described the song for all of us (props to him, cos this was a perfect description):

"Today 6:46 PM: DUCKVILLELOL: yeah I got a boy sounds really bad, 5 minute differing tempo song, plz stahp.
Today 6:47 PM: DUCKVILLELOL: I like the colours but it's a little too bouncey to have so many colours :S Maybe if there was just a simple stable tempo it'd be a good MV
Today 6:48 PM: DUCKVILLELOL: And yeah like I said... tinted contacts on my two faves yuri and yoona... ugh. Such a turn off "

He is correct on all fronts. I really wish I can like this song, but when you listen to it, at first it sounds nice... nek minnit the tempo goes everywhere. I don't even know what the chorus is. It just didn't sound as good as I thought it would be, quite disappointed. However, not everything is bad, the choreography was very nicely done though in my opinion, I loved it. Of note, they ruined Sunny's hair... and I mean ruined it. WHY DID THEY DO THAT? It makes me cry. However, out of all the teaser photos, her snap back hat was the best, and I usually hate these SWAGbominations..



Out of all the teaser photos, Hyoyeon had the best one. EZ.



Woops, got a bit sidetracked, moving on..

Not a bad song, but I just could not bring myself to like it because the inconsistent tempo (and how bad the transition to the tempo changes were) ruined it. 5/10 for me, unfortunately. If the tempo was consistent this would've been easily an 8 or higher. However, for the music video and choreography this gets an 7/10, the choreography was excellent but the video wasn't the greatest, tons of eye candy but didn't suit the whole song. And also, Sunny's hair /cries.

Girls' Generation - Dancing Queen



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXZxc8GSXnI

"Dancing Queen" is MUCH BETTER than "I Got a Boy" in my opinion. It's up to you guys how much distance you want to put in how much better this song is than "I Got a Boy". This song is just great to listen to, the beat is nice and upbeat, it makes me feel happy lol. The girls' vocals really deliver here, very nicely done! I love the choreography in this song.

A bit of history lesson for you guys! Don't worry, it's not painfully boring. When I watched the video, it reminds me of Girls' Generation from their "Gee" days. And the reason for that is... this was meant to be the song they released back then. However, due to the copyright issues, they couldn't and released "Gee" instead, and that was a really good move because "Gee" is one of the, if not the best song from the group. So glad that they were able to finally release this song! If you didn't like "I Got a Boy", you'll love this one! How this song reminds me of the "Gee" days really was refreshing for me and this song deserves a 10/10, and so does the music video because it is just that well done to me.

B.A.P. - Warrior



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tLooPlf2Sw

I don't actually listen to the guy bands that much, just a few. But my friend linked this one to me recently and I love it. The song is just badass, especially that beat, it gets you pumped up! Bang Yong Guk's and Zelo's rap verses were just bloody amazing. For a group that debuted recently (early 2012 if I recall), B.A.P. has really given a great first impression, and Yong Guk and Zelo showed that their skills are up there with the biggest names in K-Pop. The vocals in this song were pretty good as well, well done boys.

The video just adds to that badass tone of this song. Smashing a car with a sledge? Damn son. The main selling point in the video is definitely the choreography. IT IS AWESOME, especially the dance break. That part of the video is just the best. 10/10 for the song, it felt really different to most of the boy band K-Pop groups, and is absolutely badass and gets you pumped. Flawless/10 for the music video, that choreography is one of the best I've seen and they just all looked badass, fits the song!

Epik High ft. Lee Hi - It's Cold



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhBon4p7tV8

I've been listening to Epik High since 2005, they're one of the best Korean hip-hop/rap groups out there. And with this song, they delivered! Having Lee Hi as the vocals for the song really goes nicely, especially during the start where it is just piano and her vocals. The song nicely transits into the beat, and it is a nice beat, it has some violin and piano, and it's really good to listen to. It suits the flow of rap from the boys.

It is a shame that this song doesn't have a music video. And also, of all the songs that they did put out in 2012, this is the only one I've really liked. I'm not sure why, but the songs that they made MVs for were just really not as good as this one. This is one of their songs that really remind me of what Epik High songs really were like back then, and I love that. 8.5/10 for me, it's really great but it isn't the greatest Epik High song for me, that title goes to "Umbrella" which features Younha.

Dazzling Red - This Person



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRXJfV74c9w

Dazzling Red is composed of Nicole from Kara, Hyorin from Sistar, Hyosung from Secret, Hyuna from 4Minute and Nana from After School. They were a part of this collaboration called "The Colors of K-Pop", which was made up of 2 girl groups (Dazzling Red and Mystic White) and 2 boy groups (Dynamic Black and Dramatic Blue). Unfortunately, they didn't make a music video for it, but you can watch the live performance on the internet.

This song reminds me quite a lot of some of Sistar's songs, primarily "Alone". Then again, this was produced by the Brave Brothers, who produce songs for Sistar as well. "This Person" is nicely done though. What reminds me most of "Alone" is pretty much the beat, so it is a good one definitely. Hyuna's rap fitted it as well and it flowed nicely. I don't really know which one is Nicole's or Nana's vocals, but both of them were great and stood out from each other. Of course, Hyorin's amazing singing still comes into play and Hyosung's was good as well. 9/10 for me, and the live performance, well... five of the hottest girls in K-Pop, what could go wrong?

Mystic White - Mermaid Princess



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Num_iXu2U1Q

Mystic White is composed of Jiyoung from Kara, Bora from Sistar, Sunhwa from Secret, Gayoon from 4Minute and Lizzy from After School. On a side note, some people may have noticed Namakaye, Antelopes and I say "Aing!" on chat lately, it was because of Lizzy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDjbg2rHzaI Aing!

Anyway, back to "Mermaid Princess". It sounds nice and upbeat, and has a very nice guitar intro and saxophone solo near the end. I think the people that got this group together did a good job at picking who would be in it. Sunhwa, Jiyoung, Lizzy and Gayoon's vocals are nice to listen to, and Bora's rap is just amazing. With this song, I don't think I can imagine other singers sing it aside from them five. Also no video for this one, shame. But they did do a live performance as well, which is available on the internet. The live performance was really nice to watch.

Definitely a 9.5/10. The beat is great, it feels happy and I can't really say anyone can suit singing this song better than Sunhwa, Jiyoung, Lizzy, Gayoon and Bora.

In terms of Dazzling Red and Mystic White, I personally like Mystic White better. Their song really is just nicer to listen to. I haven't listened to Dramatic Blue and Dynamic Black yet, but I've heard they weren't great, but you guys might give it a listen and see how it goes for you.

Ailee - I Will Show You



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCEcWcIww5k

Excrept from SC2SEA chatbox earlier tonight:
"Today 8:35 PM: Cute: Ailee is where it's at these days."

Mr Cute is right on the ball. Ailee is just an amazing singer. I first heard of her when someone linked me a youtube video of her singing Rhianna's "Unfaithful" on an American TV show called Maury (it's a show that pretty much has the "YOU ARE/ARE NOT THE FATHER" stuff, and also other weird situations). Ailee's got one of the best voices I've ever heard in my life, and it is a shame that she didn't get famous in America, but moving to Korea to pursue her music career was indeed a great move I reckon.

Now for the song, it starts off with a soft, sad piano, and her soft vocals... and then the tempo and tone just changes and her vocals just become one of the strongest, and most powerful ones you'd hear and the beat just goes from sad, to very powerful. Really, I can't say anything wrong with this song, Ailee just delivers her best ability here, and the change in tempo was so nicely done. The music video was really good as well, it shows a gloomy looking girl with glasses that no one likes, turning into really beautiful girl that every guy would want to go for. I love it, it fits with the title and the song itself.

Flawless/10 for the song because it's perfect and 10/10 for its music video. The choreography wasn't the greatest, but I think the rest of the video is the main selling point.

Secret - Talk That



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V1-J4LNh9o

Last but not least, Secret's latest single, "Talk That". Yes, Secret is my favourite girl group, yes my idol Song Jieun is in this group, yes I love them all, and yes they are very sexy or very cute. Unlike the other songs here, I've listened to this one more times than them (880 times on the iTunes play count because I always put it on repeat and sometimes it is on overnight on iPod). Also, this one would have quite a long review because I've looked into this more than the others. This is because of all the songs on this list, this was the first one I heard in terms of the sequence I first heard these songs from.

The song is amazing. I think it's better than "Poison".

"Say what? Better than "Poison"? But the song was so good and they were sooooo sexyyyyyyy!"

Yes, "Poison" is a good song, and yes they were sexy, oh hell yeah I agree to that. But, "Talk That" is just better. Not by a mile, but it is better. "Talk That" is the song that tells of a person who's in their sorrows because of the betrayal of their loved one (for example, cheating). The song is a total 180 degree turn from both their cute image, and their sexy image. It doesn't have that retro-ey style that their cute and sexy songs both had. For an example of a very cute song, "Starlight Moonlight" definitely wins it for me (and is my absolute favourite Secret song), and "Poison" is definitely the best example of their hot, sexy image.

Instead, "Talk That" has more of an dance pop feel to it. It wasn't an upbeat one either, it was a dark kind of beat, really gloomy. And that suited the lyrics, very well. If you find the English translation for it, you'd really feel the song... I did, far out. :/ In terms of the vocals, Han Sunhwa definitely showed improvement. I really loved how she started the song. Jeon Hyosung and Song Jieun did the chorus perfectly in my opinion. However, the one that stood out for me here was Jung Hana (Zinger). Zinger is the group's rapper, and she does an excellent job at it, one of the best in terms of female rappers in my opinion. However, for "Talk That" she sang a verse in vocals for the song. Weird right? Zinger doing vocals outside of chorus? She's done it before ("Starlight Moonlight", right before the song's chorus), but with "Talk That" she's shown tremendous improvement. I really like her tone for the song too, it's deeper pitched than the others, and really delivers that 'dark' feel the song gives. The song definitely is a Flawless/10 for me. It was just perfect.

Now for the music video. I've watched it countless times, lol. And I never get sick of it. The music video was so well done, and shows what the song is about. You'd see Zinger smiling, and then the next thing you know she is shattered and then see a letter being burned. And Jieun kisses a guy, then leaves crying (this part made me sad). It was visually strong, and each member really showed strong emotions in it. However, I do think the choreography could've been done better. It was ..sexy yes it indeed was, but it wasn't really much outside the chorus. And also there was a lot of backup dancers, too much I think. However that choreography in the chorus was great, and Hyosung's dance solo, flawless. Video is a 10/10, despite the choreography being mainly only good in the chorus and Hyosung's dance, the rest of the video was just really great and perfectly fitting for the song itself.

Concluding words

That's pretty much all I'm going to cover for this one, it really is quite a read if I'm honest. Oh and also I was meant to submit this earlier, but I closed the tab by accident, didn't save it and I had to re-write this all over again! So I've been on the writing path for hours. Thanks to TheGentleman for giving me a tip on making sure this doesn't happen again!

Thanks for reading my blog, even if you only read it for a bit. Also, please leave some feedback if you can, I greatly appreciate it. I'm really liking writing blogs and would love to blog about more things, and the feedback will allow me to improve upon my blogging skills. Thank you!

- Seffy