Five years of Kpop: My top 20 ever

This february I celebraty five years of blogging. The world is actually moving on from blogs towards other arenas, but in my small world I'm still going to share the 20 videos that I subjectively see as the ones I still like, ones I would listen to as much as watch. There are many great kpop videos out there to watch, but to be the best the melodies and songs themsleves also have to be spot on. I sometimes call them "no skip"-videos as I never feel the urge to even skip a short segment of them.

There is no internal order, I have ordered them after the name of the artists(s). So here goes nothing...my top 20 of all time. Enjoy!

A) 2PM - A.D.T.O.Y. The guys of 2PM sits upon a scene and just sings and shows of their great charisma and delivers a great musical performance.

B) 4minute - Volume Up. That saxophone gives me the chills every time, but the drama of this song in geenral is unsurpassed among girl groups. if I every decided to drive a car in extreme speeds, this would be the song for it.

C) 9muses - News. I was surprised to realize that it was actually one of their oldest hits that still is my favorite. The group that for several years produced stable melodies with honest but tasteful pin-up videos is not the smae anymore, but they still have left a nice inheritance.

D) Bubble X - Hit It. The one and only "indie" song to make it into my top list. Its not that there aren't that many good indie songs, its just that this is the only one that delivers the whole package with a perfect song and great video.

E) Dal Shabet - Big Baby Baby (B.B.B). The refrain actually distracted me at first then became the thing that together with the retro visuals made med love it.

F) Exid - Every Night. This song had such a distinct Id, all their vocals having such character, the refrain and all of it being just so soulful.

G) f(x) - Hot summer. This song is together with "Electric" iconic for the cool girls of f(x), and "Hot summer" wins narrowly for being one of the few sommer kpop songs that is actually good.

H) Girls Day - Expect. This was the big turning point for the group as they went from a group among others to the mature and sensual ladies that was just unresistable with whatever they do. The success for Girl's Day I personally believe is one of the points when the kpop industry in general started to let go of some of its inhibitions about sexuality.

I) Kara - Step. They have given us so many great songs with "Step" showing of what they do best with a refrain that just is such a happy and unsurpassed extacy of pure happiness.

J) Orange Caramel - Magic Girl. My first kpop song ever and even though it is kitchy and naive it is also have a great melody that is just unresistable.

K) Secret - Talk That. There is no denying, this is one sexy video, but the song is what makes it sensual not the visuals, they just heighten it.

L) SHINee - 1 of 1. I always expected the classic "Ring Dong Dong" to be their best song but then came this 2016 retro perfection and I was completely sold on it.

M) Sistar - Give it to me. The melancholy in this show number balances happiness and sorrow in a way that Sistar always has done so well, without needing to loose tempo ever. The song always gets to me.

N) Stellar - Marionette. If Girl's Day opened up "sexiness" for the kpop community as a whole in a relatively milder way, this song with Stellar was a much bigger jump as the video became known for its explicitness. Even though it was seen as slightly plump, many have followed in their steps and Stellar themselves has evolved the concept to an almost metaphorical level later on.

O) T-ara - Roly Poly. They have a lot of hits, but this one is the one that always is my number one for its happy baseline and unresistably dance-friendly refrain.

P) Tey - Dangerous. Not to belittle Tey's talent as a kpop artist, but this is one of those "one hit wonders", as the song far surpasses anything else I have seen (or will see) from him.

Q) Tiny G - Miss you. This odd and small group is tempting to pass over, but this song is just sucks me in every time like a chewing gum that don't want to let go.

R) TVXQ - Catch Me. It's a tough choice between this and "Mirotic", but "Catch Me" is unprecendented for me in kpop in general in the level of visual, almost physical, drama that builds up in the video, which also carries over to the song very well.

S) Up10tion - Attention. The best kpop song of 2016 is a sweet song that carries you all the way with a tempo that find a sweet spot between the more common "ballad slow" and "dramatic speed" that defines most good boy band tracks.

T) VIXX - Eternity. They boys of VIXX have always had a thing for giving us videos with a strong story and drama, and Eternity is the one I would choose (in hard competition) as the best one.

Mandopop: Top 20 of 2016

I have said it before and I will say it again - I do think the Chinese musicsphere hasn't yet found it's own sound as a whole, and how can it - with so many people being part of it?
My favorites of 2016 shows this, being an eclectic mix of corny KTV songs, beautiful but almost overstyled videos, and very good and funky tracks of world class quality.

20. Yuki - Oh My! Is this the end of Yuki's troubles and a start of a more normal artistic life? Who knows, but one can hope.

19. Ma Ning - Anyway, it's all me. Quite gay and very watchable, Ma Ning does a fascinating musical diorama with this video.

18. Jane Zhang - Dust My Shoulders Off. Enlisting Timbaland and making a gorgeous video refrencing so much modern pop history/art, Jane Zhang really made something not to be missed.

17. Jeannie Hsieh - Boom Boom Par. She does another one of her crazy but so intensively styled videos. Slightly irritating and very addictive.

16. Leah Dou - Brother. She is such a cool young artist, and no surprise as she is Faye Wong's daughter.

15. Sophia Wang - Versailles Tears. A kind of odd historical time piece that actually works quite well, the melody and song is clear and well tuned.

14. Michiyo Ho. Part of the collective Red People from Malaysia, she has really started showing off her qualities this year, with lots of funny and ironic themes.

13. Astro12 - Waiting For You. This idol group had yet to show off all its members, so it was just a trio that performed this song. The song shows good promise so we will see what 2017 holds.

12. One Two Free - Kiang. The ironic and iconic duo again creates a great theme for funny and crazy video.

11. Xue Zhiqian - Beginner. A white haired vampire and some gothic themes in general suited this song perfect.

10. Mao Ze Shao. Both her videos have great rhythm and feel, if she gets a little better styling and quality of her production, she could ge really far.

9. Li Yunchun - Sense of Presence. The electronic sound is what Chris Lee has been about the last few years. I do hope she keeps at it.

8. Vanness Wu - Boom. The singer and movie star is really channeling a lot of Michael jackson in this video, but you know what, he does it in a great way.

7. No Party For Cao Dong - Mountain and Sea. The dark passion is the strength of this indie song, so strong that it almost pulls it down, but then comes the airy strings and it lifts again.

6. Hebe Tien / Zhang Xiaoqi - Useless. After watching the video of Zhang Xiaoqi performing the song I still think it is such a great performance, quite perfect.

5. Qi Qi Ge - People of the Prairie. Like an anthem, Qi Qi Ge sings with such feeling that all thoughts of this being nutty folk music disco is put away.

4. Zhengyue Shiwu - Little Grape. Yes, it is one of those cheesy song made to be sung at KTV (karaoke), but oh I love it none the less. The warmth and happiness can't be stopped.

3. Milk@Coffee - We're missing just a little. Such a trivial song, it doesn't make much noise for itself, but the mood and lyrics are in such melancholic harmony.

2. S.H.E. - Irreplacable. Just as the year was ending the famous trio from Taiwan returned with a bang, this song is really irreplacable in a discography of their songs.

1. Dizzy Dizzo ft E.So - Who loves who. This song again proves that the chinese really can do funky/retro really well, and even the rap (not something I warm up to usually) is just perfect. The amvience and sound is just right.

Jpop: Top 20 of 2016

The year of 2016 in Japanese pop has for me been less idols and more electronic and synth songs. Still a lot of strange and freaky, but in a more tempered way.
So here is my top 20 songs in some kind of order.

20. Ladybaby - Renge Chance! The bearded Australian doing maid cosplay with a heavy metal voice returned with an ode to ramen! Of course!

19. Natsu no Mamono. Cos-players and crazy live festival organizers, one has to love their videos, so full of just plain fun.

18. Awesome City Club. I like their sound, full of air and happiness.

17. Sasanomaly. Yes, the music is fine, but really, it is the videos you can't miss. They are arts-and-crafty litter masterpieces!

16. Fake - You. At first I felt like, hmm, it's OK for this kind of model group. But go beyond the surface and the song is a polished pop hit that has no unused space.

15. Haraeki Stage Ace - Rockstar. Passion and energy in this fighting track. Now can you please start posting full videos...?!

14. Suchmos - Stay Tune. It was like Jamiroquai had landed in a pop song in a good way.

13. C-ute - Dreamlike Climax. Mixing classical music and pop may sound odd, but it worked really well for C-ute, the drama of song and dance harmonizing with the classic melody.

12. Stereo Japan - Dancing Again. Good song but those breaks with super funky sounds made all the difference.

11. Babymetal. An anticipated comeback for the jpop metal girls, with The One and Karate holding up to expectations.

10. Oyasumi Hologram - Neuromancer. This indie duo delivered a track with a superb nerve that really made it stand out.

9. Reol - Give me a break Stop now. She finally showed herself in a full video, and such a great video it was - cool and catchy, so a great way to debut!

8. Cherrsee - White Shirt. While this is unabashed "Brave Sound in Japanese", it is still high quality and polished pop.

7. Czecho No Republic - Dream Beach Sunset. When they get their synths right, CNR is such a great group. Like here.

6. Cicada - Yes. The voice and the sound of "Yes" is soft and inviting, silent passion in harmony.

5. Have A Nice Day! ft New World's Girlfriend - New Romance. This song proves again that feeling and that extra 'it' always beats static perfection.

4. Taemin - Sayonara Hitori. Even though the video sometimes passes over to gaming territory, it is still a great ballad, with drama and a song without dead spots.

3. Niji no Conquistador - ↓Alien Girl in New York↑. The passion and the humor made me instantly love this song by the idol girls of Niji no Conquistador.

2. Frederic. The group may not have changed their basic concept so much, but "Only Wonder" was another great example of their trademark sound, and I do think their later "Night Step" marks a new step in a kind of darker and fresh direction.

1. Metafive. Even though the participating artists may have seen their best days, the stylish mega-group had high expectations on it when it debuted early this year, but they have surely delivered. Both "Luv U Tokio" and "Musical Chairs" are music perfection.