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: Top 10 of third quarter 2016

There hasn't been *that* much jpop that caught my eye this quarter, but what there was, was good.

10. Daoko - Daisuki. The third video is the coolest, with industrial robots making it all interesting.

9. Charisma.com - Moya moyashite. This video which makes the duo look almost native manages to return much of what made me like them from the beginning.

8. Yumemiru Adolescence - Leadership. Film everything on a 45 degree slope - that's enough to create something new to lift a whole video.

7. Devil No Id - Eve. Basically trying to momic Babymetal, the initial song still has promise, and they may still eke out something of their own.

6. Wagakki Band - Strong Fate. The classical instrument band cum japanese fantasy cosplayers delivers another diorama of dramatic role play and music play.

5. Daoko -  Moshimo Bokura ga GAME no Shuyakude. The second of the three videos/songs from her triple single is the best, celebrating computer gaming.

4. Passepied - Hyper Realist. One of the best tracks by this stylish band.

3. Reol - Give me a break Stop now. We finally get to see Reol and she is such a cool young lady, with a great track.

2. Czecho No Republic - Dream Beach Sunset. The humor and retro electronica is pitch perfect.

1. Taemin - Sayonara Hitori. The video is almost too much of everything, but the glorious romance and passion combined with Taemin singing in Japanese works perfectly.

Jpop: Reol (れをる)

Invisible, unpictured utaite Reol, behind numerous vocaloid and other cover hits, got a record contract and so it is suprisingly great that her debut video both is possibly one of her best but also allows us to see her in person in a Lady Gagaesque moment.

• Reol - Give me a break Stop now (ギミアブレスタッナウ)
• Reol - Echo (歌ってみた)
• Reol ft nqrse - LUVORATORRRRRY!