Jpop: Hinoi Team

Sometimes even euro disco can be fun. Like with Hinoi Team's classic 2005 "Night of Fire" together with comedian Choshu Koriki. Pure quality. ;-)

• Hinoi Team - Night of Fire 
• Hinoi Team - Ike Ike
• Hinoi Team - Dancin' and Dreamin'
• Hinoi Team - Now and Forever
• Hinoi Team - Super euro flash

Mandopop: Sophia Wang - Versailles Tears (凡爾賽之淚)

I didn't like "Oh Oh Oh" from January which felt cheap, but the newer "Versailles Tears" is better. Maybe it is a little  pretentious with the theme, and maybe it is not that original, but it has its rhythm and looks that are good enough. I find myself thinking Sophie Wang's latest video is in fact ... cozy, something I imagine wasn't the intention but well that's my idea and it works for me. ;-)

• Sophia Wang - Versailles Tears (凡爾賽之淚)
• Sophia Wang - Oh Oh Oh

Mandopop: No Party For Cao Dong (草東沒有派對)

"No Party For Cao Dong" is a rock band from Taiwan that according to themselves drawa inspiration from grunge, disco beats and moderns sounds. I really like their first video anyway, it has both darkness and hope, a bittersweet song to enjoy.

• No Party For Cao Dong - Mountain and Sea (山海)

Kpop: 4Minute - Hate (싫어)

I'm usually the one to first go 'Yes!' when a pop increases tempo, but in 4Minute's latest "Hate" this is not the case. I didn't like their "Crazy" and "Hate" suffers from the same problems in my eyes that 2NE1 suffered from - as they mature as artist it has more a question of posing and surface than producing good songs. The video for Hate is visually top notch, but the song is just 'meh'. I miss Volume Up soo much.

• 4Minute - Hate (싫어)

Mandopop: Mao Ze Shao - Shake your ass & Naked

I liked the sound of Mao Ze Shao's first video, and so it makes me happy that she has followed up on the ideo of using rhythm in a almost funky way in "Naked" and "Shake your ass". Not being high budget, the video's does what they need to do well.

• Mao Ze Shao - Naked (赤裸裸)
• Mao Ze Shao - Shake your ass (屁股翹翹)

Mandopop: Cyndi Wang - Dare to want, Dare to reject (敢要敢不要)

It has been a while since I wrote about Cyndi Wang, but she has mostly been up to the kind of slow ballads that I find just boring. The new batch of videos from the "Dare To Want, Dare To Reject" has been either just boring, or not good enough. Enter the 5th video, and now I finally find myself getting something in my taste. It is basically a concert ('Cyndi Wants' I think)video plus Cyndi doing a photo shoot, but it is fun to watch.

• Cyndi Wang - Dare to want, Dare to reject (敢要敢不要)
• Cyndi Wang - BFF
• Cyndi Wang - Make A Wish (少女的祈禱)
• Cyndi Wang - A Person's Life (一個人的日子)
• Cyndi Wang - Far Away (遠在眼前的你)
• Cyndi Wang - Angel's Paranoia (天使的偏執)
• Cyndi Wang - A Place I've Never Been (從未到過的地方)

Jpop: Faky - You

I liked the Faky's latest cover, and "You" is another song where they try to deliver modern mainstream pop, which it is in a Japanese idol context I suppose. Nice pictures from Tokyo too.

• Faky - You