Kpop: CocoSori - Exquisite! (절묘해)

With their weird theme and special design latex clothes, the debut "Dark Circles" of CocoSori was very much worth noticing. The 2nd single "Exquisite!" keeps the colors and the clothes, switching theme to a correspondingly colorful American 40s look, but the song steps up the tempo significantly and adds odd almost metal-esque interludes now and then. It leaves me feeling the song is slightly schizophrenic but the video is still a "should see". Getting high on candy and fighting a cat boss with laser beam eyes is not to be denied...

• CocoSori - Exquisite! (절묘해)
• CocoSori - Exquisite! (Dance version)

Kpop: Top 20 of the first quarter of 2016

The 80s retro has been coming on heavy this winter in kpop, but not is all successful. The surprising winner is a group that manages to use the best of the sound while still moving forward.

25. 4minute - Hate. Hoping they will drop that lame posing, it was still a cool video.
24. Taemin - Drip Drop. Cool dance number and suitable beats to match.
23. Six Bomb - Wait 10 Years Baby. I actually like this for its cheapness, pink dresses and all.
22. Hong Jin Young - Thumbs Up. The trot queen in my eyes.
21. UV feat Lee Sang Min - Oh Yes. Almost to short to qualify as a music video, but oh so fun.

Final 20:

20. Grace - I'm Fine. The debut song wins on sheer mass of references and stance. She goes all out in the video and it wins her a spot on the top 20.

19. Anda - Taxi. This is kind of the exact opposite of Grace's video - cheap and without complications, this is all about the track, another super italopop-sounding track.

18. Got7 - Fly. Another nice sound from the boys which, yes, made you want to fly.

17. Lucky J - No Love. Jessi's voice and some key instruments is what drew me to this track.

16. Snuper - Platonic Love. A celebration of the kind of pop norwegien pop did, in a suitable 80s setting was hard to say no to when done this nice.

15. Ladies Code - Galaxy. The three girls managed a worthy comeback after the tradgedy 1,5 years ago, hopefully they will keep on fighting.

14. Azin - Delete. This song and its album promises much and I hope she continues on this path.

13. Turbo - Again. These kind of comebacks generally makes me rather sceptic but this time it works. It may sound a bit not 2016, but it is still good.

12. Nu'est - Overcome. At times a dramatic video, but I'm guessing the androgyn looks of Ren is what fascinates most people.

11. Fiestar - Mirror. I'm actually a bit surprised I didn't place this higher but somehow the excellent concept and video missed having a working hook.

10. Kim Jaejoong - Love You More. Ever since the debut Mine I have had hopes for his solo career and here he shows that promise again.

9. CocoSori - Dark Circle. This is the oddest song of this list, with a male personificication of Broccoli being eaten by the two girls. Strange but charming.

8. School OZ - One Day One Chance. Combining fantasy, kpop and musical can't really go wrong in my eyes. This was a real winner for me.

7. Brave Girls - Deepened. Writing this, I just realized what the thing woth this song is - it feels like a dream somehow. The production creates a kind of musical haze where we dream of the girls. Even the rap suits the ambience.

6. Dal Shabet - Someone like U. The girls gives us one of the better 80s retro songs in kpop this winter.

5. Stellar - Sting. They have embraced sexual innuendo fully and made it their home town. And what a happy and lively home town it is! ;-)

4. Mamamoo - Taller than you. The attitude, the charisma. These girls rule!

3. Jun Hyo Seung - Find Me. Hyoseung does what Fiestar wanted to do, combining sexiness with an actual working song. It is all there and then some.

2. Fantastic Drugstore - Before Sunrise. Great voice and competent indie pop made this a given favorite.

1. Bubble X - Hit It. The duo found that perfect sound and feeling with "Hit It", attitude without losing tempo, happiness without kpop blandness, and just a general flow that is perfect. They may play on 80s retro but their sound is here and now.

Kpop: CocoSori (코코소리)

New duo CocoSori starts off with Dark Circles which is a great video if you like stuff like Orange Caramel and som jpop groups does - ie colorful and slightly weird in a cute way. They started of doing cosplay, which also gave them the chance to be the first kpop group to use Atsuko Kudo latex clothes.
The song's theme seems to be about how broccoli can cure dark circles but this theme is taken into a crazy direction by the broccoli being played by a green man giving it a kind of slight romantic undertone which is just great fun, especially as the girls play their roles with great gusto. They seem to have been into some cosplay too, but I'm not a 100% sure. Great start anyway!

• CocoSori - Dark Circle (다크서클)
• CocoSori - Exquisite! (절묘해)
• CocoSori - from the school idol project