Kpop: Hellovenus - Mysterious

A story, strong colors, and easy-tho-listen-to song with a charming refrain - and charismatic ladies. "Mysterious" has all of the classic girl pop music video. Hellovenus' song is not great, but it delivers on all the necessary points. And the whistle adds the necessary character.

• Hellovenus - Mysterious

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: Hellovenus - Sticky Sticky (끈적끈적)

Finally we see the return of Hellovenus (with some member changes), and their new "Sticky Sticky" song for sure is a pro production. But I must agree with most of the commenters - by now this theme has already been done so much (take AoA, who does it with better songs) and the song doesn't stick out in any way. It's perfectly OK. Which must be a bit of a disappointment.

• Hellovenus - Sticky Sticky (끈적끈적)

Kpop: Hellovenus - Do you want some tea? (차 마실래?)

I could sum Hellovenus third single and video as "lots of Aegoo and Aigoo", with which I mean that they with "Do you want some tea?" continues their style (and color palette) from the first two singles, but with what I would say is a slightly weaker song which translates into a missed opportunity as rivals like 4minute and Secret similarly wasted their recent releases in the same way by producing so-so followups to their winter hits. It is not so much anything being bad as it is that nothing really hooks you. Like a sweet but anonymous candy. Also, read Asian Junkie's hilarious but good point about drugging your date.

• Hellovenus - Do you want some tea? (차 마실래?)