Kpop: Orange Caramel: The Gangnam Avenue (강남거리)

I was actually a bit dissatisfied with the popular "My Copycat" released two weeks ago, and while the new "The Gangnam Avenue" strikes me as vaguely generic eurodisco, it is still somehow more listenable then My Copycat. The same goes for the video concept, as I think My Copycat has a overthought and somewhat pretentious idea. Sometimes new isn't better. Enough of the nagging, enjoy the new video which is about being dumped and moving on. The comedian Jo Seho appears in the video (NO, it is not PSY), which keen kpop fans may remember already did a funny version of an old trot song with Orange Caramel on Immortal Song 2 in July.

• Orange Caramel: The Gangnam Avenue (강남거리)

Kpop: Orange Caramel - Catallena(까탈레나)

My first and favourite kpop group Orange Caramel is finally back and I will be the first to admit that it is the visuals rather than the music that is the thing with "Catallena", but then Orange Caramel has always been very strongly tied to their cute + a little weirdness concept and this time they deliver top notch visuals. One can read much into the story of the girls being dressed as sushi fish on sale, but the text is actually about the girls singing about another girl who is so charming and attractive that they are falling in love with her, a concept that is not quite so mainstream in Korea even done as innocently as this. Anyway, with guests like the comedian Kim Dae Sung this is a kpop video not to miss this year.

• Orange Caramel - Catallena(까탈레나)

Kpop: Orange Caramel (오렌지캬라멜)

It was the three women of After School Sub-group Orange Caramel that got me started on kpop and korean culture in general when I by chance clicked on their song in the YouTube side-bar. Their theme is a very cutesy look and the music videos are very stylized even for kpop videos, Aing being an good example of it, it all adds to a guilty pleasure watching them ^_^. At the same time their tracks are such that the refrains sticks in your head even though (I at least) don't understand any of it. Its a case of letting go of the gray daily life and escaping to a happy world of egyo kpop.
Update: two new releases: they have two new tracks the latest month. It's the second single from their japanese Lipstick album, a cover named Lamu No Lovesong, and a must see Christmas track featureing the boys from No'est as a bonus with the nifty title of "Dashing through the snow in high heels".

1. Orange Caramel - Catallena(까탈레나)
2. Orange Caramel ft Nu'est - Dashing through the snow in high heels (흰눈 사이로 하이힐 타고)
3. Orange Caramel - Lamu No Lovesong (ラムのラブソング, a cover)
4. Orange Caramel - Magic Girl (마법소녀, my first kpop song...)
5. Orange Caramel - Aing (아잉♡, story theme goes over the top, aygoo!)
6. Orange Caramel - Bangkok City (방콕시티, the headwear!!)
7. Orange Caramel - Shanghai Romance (샹하이 로맨스, Baby, sha-sha-sha-...)
8. After School - Bang (The global unit that these girls are a part of)