East Asian pop update Jun - Aug 2018

From: Pristin V - Get It

It has been an unusually good summer for kpop, with some japanese and chinese tracks too.

Apink - I'm so sick. If you know about kpop, you know about how it all goes south during summer with songs that may have fan-service videos of lightly dressed boys and girls, but which musically often fails terribly. Apink proves me fantastically wrong with what may be the video of the year. Pure kpop classic.

SF9 - Now or Never (질렀어). Almost perfect. Those bass rhythms are a killer.

Yubin - Lady (숙녀). Sultry retro from Yubin, of Wonder Girls fame.

ONF - Complete (널 만난 순간). Oh My God, so catchy and charming. That refrain...

Reol - Saisaki (サイサキ). She oozes with that sub-culture electronic style unique for Japan.

Elris - Focus. Good song but it is the dance number that makes the video me come back

Laboum - Between Us (체온) and Love Game proves again that Laboum is a underestimated group. Between Us may be the "real" video, but "Love Game" proves again (like with Elris ' Focus' above) that a good dance video can deliver on all accounts.

Saturday - MMook JJi BBa (묵찌빠). If this is not the new Crayon Pop, I don't know what! Momoland have touched upon the Crayon Pop concept, but Saturday perfects it soundwise and style; nerdy and super catchy. Now just add some vimsical dance act and all is the same.

Jvcki Wai - Anarchy.  This is actually from 2017, but I discovered her just recently and I love her singing, with pronouncation and all.

Twice - BDZ. The song from their Japan debut album with the same name has a lot of "story" in it, the music piece in itself buried in the middle.

Norazo - Cider(사이다). Channeling that PSY craziness...

Rocket Girls(火箭少女101) - Calorie (卡路里). A satiric(?) song about pressing down your calorie intake, that can be heard in the movie "Hello Mr. Billionaire! (西虹市首富)".

Oresama - Hot Hashiru(ホトハシル), an ending song for the anime "Muhyo & Roji's Bureau of Supernatural Investigation".

More interesting videos:
Leo - Touch & Sketch. Leo from VIXX
Varsity - Flower. Good new song from this boy group.
f(x) - Signal. The track is so so, but I do have a soft spot for them, and I like the retro vibes
Pristin V - Get It (네 멋대로). A nice enough debut from a Pristin sub-group in glorious 4K.

Jpop: Oresama - Trip Trip Trip

My liking for Oresama keep increasing for every time the duo evolves their special brand of happy comic styled vides and songs where the singer Pon really has managed to find her special id that differentiates her from the legion of happy young idols out there in jpop, of course helped by the composer Kojima Hideya. The new "Trip Trip Trip" is maybe their best video so far, and I don't even care which anime it is for this time, the video stands so well on its own.

• Oresama - Trip Trip Trip

Jpop: Top ten of the 4th quarter of 2014

A little more rock and indie music than usual these last three months of 2014, and maybe because of that, all the more interesting.

10. Who the bitch - Tokio. I liked the sound of this rock/pop track.

9. Crossfaith - Madness. The popular heavy metal band didn't create a new hit with Madness, but is still interesting.

8. Czecho No Republic - Oh Yeah!!!!!!!. Somehow a very likable trio that makes me happy.

7. Oresama - Ookami Heart. Very pleasing video and a retro sound to match.

6. Sakanaction - Lotus flower. The weaker of the two new releases (due to a getting a bit repetitive) from Sakanaction is still a great song.

5. World Order - Information Empire. Love their dance performance antics as usual.

4. Sakay Yu - Headphone Girl. A refrain that sticks, and Sakai really managed to follow up on his Summer Again.

3. D-Lite - Naruba Gwisun. Daesun from kpop stars Big Bang makes a really, really remake of one of his catchy trot songs for the japanese market.

2. One Ok Rock - Mighty Long Fall. This is one of those few japanese songs that actually could be played outside Japan without it being extraordinary, as the song is in english and the sound is international rock.

1. Sakanaction - Sayonara wa Emotion. Sober and still gentle, melancolic and yet hopeful, this song is the epitome and essence of what Sakanaction is.

Jpop: Oresama (オレサマ)

Oresama (a duo from Tokyo mostly active in Shibuya, Tokyo) does the ending theme for the anime Wolf Girl and Black Prince with their new song "Ookami (Wolf) Heart". The standalone video is a great comic styled 80s celebration which suits the sweet and funky synthpop perfectly.

• Oresama - Ookami Heart (オオカミハート)
• Oresama - Trip Trip Trip
• Oresama - Wonder Drive