Kpop: Top 20 of 2013

Having done the top 20 kpop lists for the first, second, third and fourth quarter of 2013, it is mostly a question of choosing 20 out of a total 80, even though there will be one outsider making it in the final top 20. To be fair, I will try to be a little extra critical towards songs from the latest quartet and try to judge which of those will loose their appeal.

First, though, 14 songs that made the first cut but not the later ones. All good but not top 20. Usually because of them not making it as well when judging them by the times I actually listen to them (i.e. without the video). Here they are:

• Crayon Pop - Bar Bar Bar. This is really one of the most interesting tracks of the year and it has the third most hits on my blog ever, but honestly - I *never* listen to it without the video. I had to think twice before leaving it out of the top 20. Sorry, girls. I really love what you are doing but your other songs didn't rely solely on the visual gimmicks. I am not saying my favorite rookies of 2012 has lost it, just that the songs need to be good too.
• Lee Jung Hyun - V. Again, I love the video, but never listen to the song.
• My Name - We are the night.
• BoA - Disturbance. The queen of kpop is still going strong.
• Sistar19 - Gone not around any longer.
• After School - First love.
• MBLAQ - Smoky Girl. Great hit potential, yeah, but…wasn't it a little repetitive?
• Seungri - Gotta Talk To U.
• LC9 - Ma Beat. Memorable for its comic book-like violence.
• Troublemaker - There is no tomorrow.
• Ladies Code - Pretty Pretty. This is actually a song from the third quarter that in hindsight should have been a part of that top 20 list, even if not in the highest spots. It has that special thing that makes its interesting, and it actually grew on me over time.
• Song Jieun - Spotless mind.
• Andamiro - Waiting.
• Mr Mr - Highway. This was the last to be cut from the top 20. Sorry guys, but still, you are really good.

The final list was really hard to reach without leaving out really great songs but here it is. Seen over the year, it is actually quite even with 4-5-5-6 songs from respective quarter.

20. Heo Yeong Saeng - The Art of Seduction (#4 Q1). A charming song and have ever been week for the "entrapment" videos of kpop...

19. Vixx - On and On (#3 Q1). I much more prefer this one to their recent Voodoo Doll as this one is a better song.

18. Boyfriend - I Yah (#5 Q1). The refrain has it all.

17. 9Muses - Wild (#12 Q2). The first song of the year was another god pop song, with a rather explicit video even for 9Muses.

16. Bebop & H.U.S. - Maem Maem (#10 Q3). One of the few indie hits to make it into the total top 20 for the year, it's a charming little piece from the duo (and H.U.S.).

15. Kara - Damaged Lady (#5 Q3). It is a little ironic that the last good song from Kara may be Damaged Lady, but it is better to leave this way. If it really is the end ... we will see in 2014.

14. After School - Heaven (#2 Q3). It has faded somewhat since the realize earlier this year, but it still stands (together with Shh) as an excellent example on how to mix jpop and kpop ingredients the best way.

13. 9Muses - Glue (#6 Q4). Their last single this year, they go all out in a basic video focusing on the members natural sexiness, but again, the song delivers too.

12. 9Muses - Gun (#5 Q4). Their best song and video this year. Really, they got all their three songs on my top 20, that is impressive, but Gun also shows us how good they are in a perfectly styled diorama about 9 girls "working" at  a gas station.

11. Dasoni - Good bye (#2 Q1). I honestly rather have EXID deliver new songs, but on the other hand, the debut of the sub-group Dasoni was really great. A clear and precise hit number which makes me wish there was more.

10. Chocolat - Black Tinkerbell (#3 Q2). I hope this was the breakthrough that needed, as I really think they got potential. A steady, quality pop song.

9. 2PM - A.D.T.O.Y. (#2 Q2). No girls, not "a toy", even if one may think so from the video. This is instead an impressive feat of intense rapping made rhythmic and attractive to me in the way only kpop can.

8. Sunmi - 24 hours (#3 Q3). The video was almost hypnotic in its deliverance the first time I saw it, with a visual language that is quite impressive. Passion and romance intertwined in a way that is almost erotic in a sensual way.

7. Girl's Day - Expect (#1 Q1). Yes, it is the "suspenders" video, but it is also a well executed kpop hit that missed top 3 due to it still being a little dependent on its video to last.

6. U Sung Eun - Healing (#4 Q4). The passion and soul of this song, the tender tempo changes and the dance scenes makes this the most beautiful song this year.

5. Yong Junhyung - Flower (#2 Q4). Best described as this year's version of 2012's Yang Yoseob's hit "Caffeine". A really cool song that is an excellent example of kpop masculinity.

4. Tiny-G - Miss you (#3 Q4). I had not imagined that this would end up so high on the list for 2013, but this is maybe the song which, together with the number one spot, has kept its freshness in my head even as time passes. I therefore places it above Yong Junhyung, because I think that in six months this song will probably have been played more.

3. Jewelry - Hot & Cold (#1 Q3). It is a very lovable and at the same time mature video in a way that suits me splendidly.

2. AoA - Confused (#1 Q4). Rookies last year, they return with a mature number oozing with quality. There is really nothing missing in what they did with the potential of this song type. Sistar won this year just because they chose a more winning tone from the start, not because AoA failed in any way.

1. Sistar - Give it to me (#1 Q2). I have known this since June that they would win this year. The four ladies of Sistar wins this not due to their choreography, or the lyrics, or their beauty, which are all top notch, but because of the drama and passion of the song. After six months it (honestly) still touches me each time I listen to it.

Trip to Sapporo: Day 6 - Igloo

(Click here for first day, yesterday or for all trips)

Everyone being a bit on the lazy side, a few of us had decided to build a igloo, i.e. a house of snow, on top of the BUIE Gakuen building. The snow was there after several days of precipitation, but the even temperature below zero meant the consistency was powder snow. We did what we could and built a foundation of about 50 cm. Now it is just a question of waiting for the right kind of block-building snow.

And this is how it will look when finished:

Nah, just kidding, this is the Sapporo Dome stadium.

(Click here for the next day)

Kpop: Top 20 fourth quarter 2013

Time for the final top 20 list of 2013. As usual, when I sum up a quarter, I get pleasantly surprised of how many good songs there are out there in the famous but small world of kpop. As usual, even if this may be a list of videos, I prioritize good songs over visual candy.

First, a honorable mention goes to the following five videos:

Park Ji Yoon - Mr Lee. She's got style.
Zion T - Miss Kim. The first song of Zion T that I actually liked.
Tren-D - Candy Boy. A retro-sounding debut which I liked.
Kahi - It's me. Cool solo-debut from ex-After School member.
Seo In Young - Love Me. There is something about her. She mixes western style with kpop.

Now the 20 finalists, let us start from the bottom:

20. Pa Hul Za - Indocaresia. This is not your usual kpop. It is more like PSY on Viagra and a number of LSD drugs…

19. Im Chang Jung - Open the door. If Pa Hul Za is psychedelic PSY, Im Chang Jung is the nice guy version.

18. After School - Shh. A perfect marriage of kpop and jpop that is super-classy but may be a little too strict for its own best. It reminds me somehow of a Japanese high-class business district. Beautiful architecture but somehow distant. Fascinating, still.

17. Brand Newjiq - Stay by me. Silky voice and jazzy feeling, I can't resist this soft song with a Gary Moore-sounding guitar.

16. Miss A - Hush. This may be perfect example of the classical high-quality kpop video. Sexy song and dancing, but maybe a bit repetitive for me as it misses some genuine passion. It's like it is too perfect.

15. Troublemaker - There is no tomorrow. I am a bit divided about this one. Im not sure whether to love it or be like "meh, it is to calculated". But it is one of the more interesting kpop videos of the year.

14. T-ara - Number Nine. This is T-ara's best track this year, and it is good. Still, I am missing that super-hit this year.

13. Norazo - Wild Horse. The point with them is that beyond the comedy, the songs are really good too. Wild Horses doubles as a rewarding rock song too.

12. Lady Cube - I'm singin' for you. This saved my kpop-Christmas, when this duo came wading through a sea of miserable Christmas ballads.

11. WHoWho - Her. This is the kind of indie music that you can find be it Korea, America or Europe, and it is really enjoyable.

10. BESTie - Love Options. The new Kara? Yes, it may very well be so.

9. Song Jieun - Spotless Mind. OK, so she may be taking the vulnerability and doe-eye thing to far in this video but I think it strikes a chord in many hearts, so she is forgiven. A passionate track from the Secret member.

8. Jaurim - Icarus. 15 years in the business and still going strong.

7. Heyne - Love007. I know her voice may not be for everyone, but this song is of the kind that sticks in your head or like a chewing gum you can't stop chewing.

6. 9Muses - Glue. …and the song is really good, too.

5. 9Muses - Gun. Yeees, I like 9Muses. The thing is, this video has just so many nice production qualities - the setting, the song, the humor, and of course, the girls. It just makes me happy every time I watch it. This is how kpop should be, flirtatious and uptempo without any pretensions.

4. U Sung Eun - Healing. Perfect in every tone and with a video that is a celebration of dancing and passion. I may listen to other tracks more, but this is the one that heals me when I listen to it.

3. Tiny-G - Miss you. Oh, the rhythm in this song is a real killer, it's to die for. The small miss's of Tiny-G has delivered their greatest hit so far with "Miss You".

2. Yong Junhyung - Flower. This reminds me very much about Yang Yoseoub's song "Caffeine" from earlier this year; melancholic and stylish with a video that is spot on.

1. AoA - Confused. So, while 9Muses delivers stable hits, some other groups are sure to top them now and then, and this time around it is AoA who did it. Even though Elvis was a good debut, with this new offer they take a definite step up in their careers. There is nothing confusing about this track, the seven girls of AoA is visually and song wise so right - "Confused" is just heaven.

Jpop: Sakanaction - Eureka (ユリイカ)

This will be the ending song for the movie Judge! which has Japanese premiere on the 14th January. It is Sakanaction's 8th single and a little daring but done in a very restrained and tasteful way I think, i.e. the same way as their music has always been.

• Sakanaction - Eureka (ユリイカ)