This time he is casting his discerning senses over some more girl group releases from the past few months, he even sneaks in some J-pop at the very end, but as it is some J-pop I most wholeheartedly endorse, I'm letting it slide.
Also i'd like to point out that Nunas Know Best do not necessarily agree with the views and opinions of Oppa Knows Best, more specifically - I personally cannot abide by having T-ara lumped in the "not so good" category and being surpassed by lesser mortals such as Chi-Chi, KARA and Girls Day ... but maybe that's just me.
In true k-pop entertainment style, I ask you to please give him a moment of your time...
- BUNNY
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Oppa Knows Best #2
Hello everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to sit down and listen to some KPOP due to work and life getting in the way. However, I recently managed to find the time to ignore real life for a while and assess quite a few new tracks that have been released in the last couple of months. As with most non-mainstream genres of music, it takes a keen ear to discern between the subtleties of good songs and bad songs, and while I am not claiming to be an expert on KPOP, I know what I like and what I don’t, and enjoy writing about them both.
So lets start by getting the not-so-great songs out of the way.
Davichi – Don’t Say Goodbye
This song sounds like every melody has been taken from a different 80’s pop ballad, stitched together to resemble some kind of non-ironic motivational ballad aimed at the overly sentimental. However rubbish I may find the song, they do seem like lovely girls. I found this fan blog http://sinyanmei92.blogspot.com who has screen grabbed every different facial expression that they make during one of their performances. Here are my favourites:
She looks like she is going to cry!!!
One of the girls, Kang Min Kyung (aka Minkie) has her own blog, and it looks like she came to the UK recently. Here is a picture of her feeding some geese in York:
Jaurim – IDOL
I really, really, really hate this type of cheesy poppy-rock song, but it’s not often you see KPOP guitarists rocking out with a flying-V guitar.
Brave Girls - Why so often?
This song has numerous problems. First off, starting the song with a random rapper non-ironically trying to gangster it up and introducing the band is a very bad idea. The song itself is a weird calypso-summer-beach-pop song that has way too much saxophone. There are also too many stupid calypso drum fills all the way through, which are just awful and really shouldn’t be used in any music made after 1982. They should have stuck with doing stuff like this song,
I much prefer them when they’re strutting about in clubs and partying. Get off the beach and into the club!!!
Sistar – So Cool
I liked this song when I first heard it, but listening back to it again I find it a bit too boring to really enjoy. The beat just pumps all the way through the song, dragging everything along in a quite predictable way. There aren’t enough breaks or fills or crazy vocal breakdowns, it doesn’t really have enough that jumps out at me.
T-ara - Roly Poly
I just read somewhere that this is the highest grossing KPOP song of 2011 so far, which is worrying as I really don’t think it is that great. It starts off ok with an intro and verse that is quite interesting, setting it apart from other songs which just sound like generic R+B or dance songs. Stealing the “ha-ha-ha-ha” part from the Beegee’s is pretty cool, but I always found that song annoying as well. The main thing I don’t like about this song is the chorus, which is in quite a different style to the verse, which makes the transition feel a bit out of place. Plus, there is a “rap” part near the end which is just completely pointless. So, basically I think this song has too many different musical styles battling each other, and the result is that the song isn’t very cohesive. What do you think? I am wrong to be hating the most popular song of the year?
Now that we have the slightly rubbish songs out of the way, lets get onto the good stuff!
Dana and Sunday – One More Chance
So apparently these two girls are a sub-unit from a band called The Grace, who released a few rubbish ballads back in 05/06. Not sure what the rest of the band are up to, nor if The Grace are planning a comeback, but if this song is any indication, they have the potential to be awesome. The song starts off slowly with some catchy riffs which complement the vocal melodies really well. It builds up really well with them showing off their vocals gradually throughout the song, and it doesn’t have any annoying interludes which take you out of the rhythm of the song. This might be a future favourite of mine, keep up the good work!!!
Dal Shabat - Bling Bling
I didn’t like the last song of theirs that I heard, it just sounded really childish and annoying. I quite like this song even though parts of it remind me of Repulica’s “Ready To Go”, which is normally the sort of poppy-rock stuff that I really, really hate. Another bit reminds me of the intro theme tune to a Ghost In The Shell series as well. Apparently stealing melodies from other songs and mashing them together works, because this song is awesome. Does anyone else want to go to a Bling Bling Disco?
Chi-Chi – Longer
I don’t have much to say apart from that this is an absolute banger! If I was drunk and they played this song I would be ruling the dance floor.
KARA – Step
I only heard this song recently, but I think it’s pretty good. It’s pretty pumping and the chorus is really catchy, although it does teeter on the edge of sounding something like Shakira or someone like that. It also has a weird breakdown where it sounds like its going to break down into some kind of ballad, but it seems like they did it to trick you before going back into a chorus. Overall, good song, but lacking some dynamics between verse chorus which would have made it slightly better.
WINNER!
Girls Day – Don’t Let You’re Eyes Wander
Yes it’s true, the amazing girls of Girls Day have once again made one of the best (in my opinion) songs of the moment. This isn’t a cheesy ballad, neither is it cobbled together from lots of disparate types of genres, this is what Girls Day do best, making awesome, positive attitude dance classics. The best this about them is that they sound like they are having so much fun singing it (although they probably had to train for 12 hours a day prior to the songs release, but they still emerge smiling). I don’ t want to analyse the song too much as it would take the fun out of listening to it, so just sit back and bask in its awesomeness.
P.S.
Is it wrong of me to really like this JPOP singer? I came across きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ(or Kyary Pamyu Pamyu) a while ago, and I am slightly addicted to her songs. She has a really great vibe going on; her songs aren’t massive club anthems, nor are they unbearably cheesy pop songs, they just have loads of great melodies and really catchy vocals. The video for this song is also one of the trippiest things I have seen in a while.
This song is also pretty awesome.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy my commentary on various songs. If you disagree with me in anyway please let me know, and feel free to recommend any songs that I may have missed!
If you want to you can find me on twitter.
I will follow back!
xxx
3 comments:
Another excellent post Will, it made me listen to a whole Davichi song for possibly the first time ever, although, i'm not sure i'll be doing that again.
I decided Jaurim is not even worthy of her own 'tag'.
That Brave Girls song is actually the 'remix' version, which is a vast improvement and yet still a horrendous song, I already had to make a post about my distain for its reggae vibes and the fact that one of them performed this song in a Smiths T-shirt!! It does worry me that you are put off by the random non ironic rapper, thats a staple ingredient of k-pop. In fact its basically mandatory to a lot of solo female artists whose singles 'feature' rap talent and boy band's always have a designated rapper often whos only line is to introduce his own band over the opening bars. but agreed, Brave Girls should have stayed in the club. Its also worth noting they are the girl group of Brave Brothers who as well as releasing their own album are famous producers/composers of a mountain of beautifully overproduced kpop club bangers! (in my opinion)
In answer to your question, yes you are wrong to be hating on Roly Poly, well not wrong, we remain open to your personal opinion here at Nunas.. but you are certainly not right!! This is from their John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever inspired concept album (really), and T-ara are my favourite girl group for over the top, themed, catchy pop songs with super fun dance moves. I recommend their most infectious / irritating (to some) Bo Peep Bo Peep and the non PC representation of Native Americans in YaYaYa! I truly love them, I might even have to write my own post telling you why.
I'm not really on the same wavelength for a lot of your preferred girl group choices. Dana & Sunday are still a snoozefest as far as im concerned, I have no idea what you get from the Chi-Chi song but i'm very happy for you. KARA are ok, but as usual, never great, they just can't ever surpass the brilliant "Mister". I do like Dal Shabat, but I liked their last singles too, even their filler tracks on mini albums are pretty great.
Girls Day, its no Twinkle Twinkle, but its alright. this new song sounds really J-POP to me!!
I wonder If I should start giving you tips into that deep dark world of japan? well..
seem as you enjoyed Kyary, her producer is Yasutaka Nakata also responsible for a wonder j-pop trio PERFUME (as well as his own duo CAPSULE). Perfume have a lot of perfect songs, off the top of my head, check out Voice, Chocolate Disco, and their newest song i think is Laser Beam. I think we should all bow down and worship Yasutaka Nakata now.
sorry for the lengthy comment! even if I dont agree with you, its always a pleasure to read someone writing enthusiastically about K-pop, I hope you'll continue to write some more whenever you get the time.
xx
Davichi they so kawaii >w<!
Hello Will!
Sorry this has taken such a long time for me to read properly and comment on. I am a terrible blogger and an even worse friend, I apologise.
First of all, well done! what an excellent and lengthily post.
I second Bunny and her Daivichi comment. It was my first time, and though I am sure that they are very nice girls, it may have been my last time too, sorry.
As for Jaurim, I kind of enjoyed it. She didn't hold my attention 100% but I decided that it is not terrible, and I really did appreciate the flying V.
Oh Brave Girls, how much better I always hope you will be. Skull was not a good idea - in my mind he will never be a good idea. I'm sure he's respected and all, however, thanks but no thanks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTOEaMVfN1E Point proven.
And this version that you are discussing, I agree with you on every point. The saxophone is horrific, as are the drum fills (if you can even call the computerises noises that). There is one sound I think I like, but heaven knows how to start describing it/attributing a name.
Sistar. The intro is amazing, it gets me so excited, ready for a club banger, but seriously, the rest of the song is so nothingy. Brave Sound is usually such a seal of approval, but not really this time. I like the line about ice tea (?) but that's the only bit I ever remember.
I know we have sort of had this out in real life, but I feel that I just need to put it down in writing. ROLY POLY = One of my favourite songs of the summer. (period). It has all I need from a catchy pop hit, I can singalong to the chorus and the jokey English rap ('I like it like-a dis, I like it like-a dat...'), have fun with pronunciation, wail in high pitch, mimic a small part of the dance, wish I was wearing/imitate some of their clothes (which they change a lot)...many reasons. The most important one may be the ITALO version of it! I literally listen to it EVERY DAY. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Xolk2cFzlo
Do you find it any better? Please say you like it.
Dana & Sunday, it was my first time listening again. I'm a terrible K-popper. I quite liked it. I think it may be the squeaky recorder voice, as well as the low voices/high pitched squeal combination. I don't know if I liked it enough to research them more right now, but I will be sure to listen to the next song the release. Thank you.
With Dal Shabet I think I had had my fill of retro disco theme by the time it came out, but listening again it is pretty great. The costumes are pretty lame though, and it does remind me of something that may be sampled on Fun House, though that is not necessarily a bad thing. It wouldn't take too much persuasion to get me to a bling bling disco.
For Chi Chi I was genuinely excited to see what they came up with next as I really really loved 'Don't play around' and the fun chants. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy0fSw-yb6o
But I think I find longer a bit boring in comparison, I'm sorry. But knowing you would wipe the dance floor with it, when I hold my next UK K-pop party I *promise* to play it!
Even though I am not a fan of KARA (and may have a bit of vendetta against Goo Hara, who stole my Junhyung) I do like this song a lot. In fact, Katie just messaged my telling me to listen to it as she also (reluctantly) likes it a lot. The costumes are a bit 2NE1, but no one can blame them for taking inspiration, we all do!
Girl's Day - 'Don't let your eyes wander', how apt! You are very loyal indeed. 'Positive attitude dance classic', I like this terminology lots, especially for songs that sound a little like they are sung by singers who forgot to take their ritalin in the morning.
Finally, just to say that I 100% support your J-pop ventures (I too have come full circle). Please trust Bunny to answer any question you may have. And enjoy, it can be a bumpy if fun road.
x
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