Kpop: Top 20 second quarter of 2013

My personal list of best kpop songs for January - March was so full of good songs that I had to expand it from 10 to 20, but after that I have seen several disappointing returns for many groups, especially the female ones. This meant that I was prepared for a more meager list this quarter, but it actually wasn't hard to find 20 videos I like much enough to repeat my blessing of them. Here they come:

20. Lee Hyori - Going Crazy. This is more like an honorable mention, but she has really done some fun and different videos. I honestly don't listen to them at all as mp3's, but the visuals are just excellent.

19. G-Dragon - Michi Go. Well, this video is more than PSY's comeback Gentleman the funny video to watch and laugh at (and then forget) this late spring/early summer.

18. 4minute - Is it poppin? Again a somewhat disappointment in the relative sense from 4Minute, but it is OK.

17. Gavy NJ - Farewell Cinema. I actually often begin to laugh when I see the trio sing, because they really put their all into it, so much it goes over the top. But it is a bit unfair, it really is a nicely crafted melodramatic (ah, sorry again) ballad. With subtitles (thx LOEN).

16. Lyn - Breakable Heart. If Gavy NJ makes me laugh, Lyn actually manages to touch me for real. This is a korean ballad that goes straight into the heart.

15. WonderBoyz - Tarzan. The video is a classic Tarzan movie themed nostalgia trip that works really well and the song, albeit repetitive, has some great sound bites.

14. Pure - I still love you. Another nice uptempo song from a rookie boy band. Nothing stranger than that.

13. Girl's Day - Female President. They did the best song last quarter, so its hard to beat that. Even though the song isn't near as good as Expect, the new video is quite nice too.

12. 9Muses - Wild. Its hard to put the finger on exactly what 9muses style is, but its a kind of sexy ladies in a dance box thing. In this video they went the furthest they have done up till now.

11. After School - First love. My first thought was - pole dancing in 2013? - but after listening to it a few times it is actually not a bad song at all. And it *is* a lot of eye candy.

10. Shinhwa - This love. The old guard know what they are doing, and they do it well.

8. Boys Republic - Party Rock. The name say what it is about. Song beats you have heard before, rearranged in a nice way.

7. MBLAQ - Smoky Girl. The question we all want to know is what about the girl is "smoky" or if its another case of engrish, ie they meant "Smoking"=hot?... ^_^

6. Andamiro - Waiting. She has a really distinct style (and looks) for kpop, in what I would call Italopop goes korean.

5. Crayon Pop - Bar Bar Bar. I really just looove Crayon Pop's dance videos and would have put this even higher on my list if it wasn't for my saner self realizing it may get a bit repetitive to listen to more than five times a day...

4. Heo Yeong Saeng - The Art of Seduction. This is really a March track, but I managed to miss it on my reviews then, it is such a good video it gets another chance here! The story line and song is just what brought me into kpop, it really makes me happy every time I hear it.

3. Chocolat - Black Tinkerbell. They continue to make good tracks, and hopefully will soon rise to more fame as they sorely deserve.

2. 2PM - A.D.T.O.Y. I'm a guy, but I can still say this is such a sexy video and song, am I not right?

1. Sistar - Give it to me. What Sistar and Crayon Pop does so good is that they have found their sound and niche, and evolved qualitiatively around that central theme. While Crayon Pop does their goofy dances, Sistar does sensual grown-up woman in a classy style (that never gets vulgar) combined with music that is just right for the setting. Perfection in its simplicity.