Kpop/pop: Far East Movement ft Tiffany & King Chain - Don't Speak

The next song from Far East Movement's Identity album is "Don't Speak", which is an interesting pop/EDM song starring (ex-Girl's Generation) Tiffany delivering another stable english singing performance.

• Far East Movement ft Tiffany & King Chain - Don't Speak

Kpop: Tiffany (티파니)

Tiffany from the female flagship of kpop, Girl's Generation, solo debuted with the mini album I Just Wanna Dance last month with the song "I Just Wanna Dance" with its excellent electronic dance sound and now she realeases this Station project song that really has a nice melancholic mood,

• Tiffany ft Simon Dominic - Heartbreak Hotel
• Tiffany - I Just Wanna Dance

Kpop: Top 10 of the 2nd quarter of 2015

Yes, I'm late here, but due to my four week holiday to China in June/July I never really got around to doing this list and I feel it really needs to be done as it irks my inner sense of order immensely otherwise.

10. Tiger JK ft Yoon Mi Rae - Forever. Loved the melancholy theme in this song with arapper I really respect.

9. Big Bang - Bang Bang Bang / Bae Bae. The return with great videos. And some songs were pretty OK. But it was still somehow *the same* Big Bang and the world has moved on. Sad but true.

8. Exid - Ah Yeah. At first I was irritated at the cowardly ending where they tried to cover their bases by showing of  a "We are still very cute and innocent" message after the rather Rated implicit video. Then I forgave them and just stopped watching that part.

7. So Yumi - Shake Me Up. I'll be honest. I think So Yumi is on the wrong label and she won't get much further than this. A modern trot piece, I still hope she can find her niche there.

6. Jimin & J.Don - God. I just looove Jimin's perky attitude. This isn't fair at all, but it's like one of those tiny dogs showing of an attitude 10 times their size. Her voice is just like a raspy sweet razor to my ears.

5. Girl's Generation - Catch Me If You Can. The choregraphy of this video really blew me off, the camera work and dancing really makes the best out of this EDM track.

4. EXO - Call Me Baby. Such a popular group but this was honestly the first song I really felt for.

3. Kara - Cupid. The girls with the sweet sound returned and were lovely as always. But...I wanted and remembered even better. It was just a little less good than what I expect from Kara, and even though unfair it made me a little disappointed.

2. Jun Hyo Seong - Into you. Going solo really seems to work for this Secret member, and this song is my favorite. It's swingy, focused and it really keeps you in its grasp from start to end.

1. Miss A - Only You. The catchy horns, the refrain that really works well, and four ladies in charismatic top form, this really was the high point of this spring. And then there are the mysterious screams hidden in the background of the sound track...

Kpop: Girls, girls, girls - a recap of this summer's top 10 disappointments

As usual, kpop and summer for me usually means misery. All my favorite groups tend to go into some kind of lazy and tasteless mode where bad songs are mixed with garish videos and unfocused productions, and debuts this time of year doesn't have that extra umph. I really, really want to give them love but usually end up watching them the same way you eat too much icecream because you have nothing else to do and usually likes sweet stuff.
Here's my top 10 "meh" this summer, in no particular order, and please bear with the whining...

1. Hellovenus - I'm Ill. The jury is out on this one, but I just feel it has something mssing. It's basically to generic for a group at this level.

2. NC.A - Vanilla Shake. She was so promising in the start but somehow this average summer release just confirms my impression that, however crual that may sound, she has already passed her prime.

3. Sistar - Shake it. This is just what I am talking about. Take a stylish group like Sistar and add summer and what do you get - just...eye candy without any taste beyond the imminent moment, and a slight queasiness afterwards.

4. BESTie - Excuse me. Up and coming stars, BESTie goes for pompous and a song structure that unharminously oscillates between two levels of sound. Reminds me of Girl's Day's Ring My Bell inits shortcomings.

5. CLC - Like. No, girls, colorful visuals and funny dresses isn't enough. You have to deliver something at least resembling a good song too.

6. Sonamoo - Cushion. I have had my eyes on them since they debuted this winter, as they obviously has a lot going for them, but I have still haven't seen anything from them that breaks through the kpop noise. This is an excellent example - its got attitude, production and they look charming. But where's the extra, the non-generic?

7. Girl's Generation - Party. Is this a music video or a commercial for a Thailand holiday? Or possibly a fan video cut together from various Pepsi ads?

8. AoA - Heart Attack. Oh, you too girls? AoA has done some really great hits, and I really love their sound, it has a kind of sharpness to it that is just perfect. All that is there in Heart Attack (the video is great), but somehow the composition doesn't do it for me. I think it has to do with the song somehow being to flat, it all kind of flows together.

9. Playback - Playback. So, these are supposedly a power debut, much like BESTie last year, but I can't see what they have to offer that isn't already there in kpop. Safe is not safe in such a saturated market as korean pop. Yawn.

10. 9Muses - Heart Locker. Until this year, 9Muses has wisely stayed away from the hot weather and through that kept on producing hot videos with good sound tracks. This unbroken row of hits is sadly broken with "Heart Locker". I must say I think eurodisco actually doesn't agree with 9Muses, at least not in this case. They feel bland in both performance, looks and singing. It is not bad. Just not that good.

Kpop: Girl's Generation - Catch Me If You Can

I quite liked their "Mr Mr" last winter but some of the korean super girl group SNSD's efforts the last few years have been so-so. But the new "Catch Me If You Can" is really something worth watching. This is actually one of the best choregraphed music videos I have ever seen, and I mean it just that way - this was really made for watching, I was transfixed for the whole first watch, and its honeslty not mainly to do with them being nice looking, but even more so because of how well it is cut and timed with the music. It ironically reminds me of TVXQ's superb video with the similar name "Catch Me", another masterpiece of kpop arranged around cool dancing.

• Girl's Generation - Catch Me If You Can (korean ver)