Song Review: Heaven by Ailee

Note: Thanks so much to Shanise at Camisado Mind for first recommending this song to me.

I first heard of Ailee several months back, and I knew she was Wheesung's protege in the K-pop scene, but I didn't pay much attention to the buzz that she was going to be the next big thing. But it turns out that 22-year-old Ailee is downright special, and I'm glad she's making her debut now because K-pop could use some more strong solo singers who are more about pure vocal talent than about choreography and concept.

As a song, "Heaven" subverted my expectations entirely. I was a little bored by the introductory couple of lines because I have trained myself to expect boredom from slow, pretty ballads. I thought Ailee was heading into Slow Pretty Ballad territory, and I braced myself for dullness but was utterly shocked when the chorus grabbed my attention again and didn't let it go.

Ailee starts off singing gently and there's a lovely little bit of piano and some guitar, then more serious beats as the song gains momentum and builds to a full-bodied chorus. By the time Ailee hits the serious high notes and wailing toward the end of the song, you're just all up in it. You can just barely hear a man's voice singing the backup lines in the final chorus, and that adds a nice layer to the song, as if the guy is singing back to the girl and agreeing with her that when they're together, life is like heaven.

The lyrics are happy ones (you can read an English translation HERE), about fully appreciating another person and loving them deeply, but there's just a touch of desperation about the words, as if there's some part of the story we're not fully getting. The repeated "heaven, heaven, heaven" lines give me cold chills, and Ailee sounds a bit like Evanescence at just a place or two. The English lines are spot-on perfect because Ailee is a Korean-American hailing from New Jersey. I really hope the K-pop industry keeps backing these Korean-American artists, because there's something so amazing to me about a singer who can pronounce two languages flawlessly, and I think it makes both Korean and English speakers warm to them.

And my goodness, I love Ailee's voice. She makes you feel the emotion in her words, and she wholly commits to the song like a singer is supposed to do. She presents "Heaven" like it's a heartbreaking, sing-from-the-bottom-of-your soul song. As a listener, this is not a life changing song, but it is totally the kind of song that could define a season in your life: this could be your Winter 2012 song! Check out "Heaven"--you'll be crooning this one for awhile.

My Grade: 4.5 of 5 stars?

Watchable bonus: Here's the sad, sad, super-sad video for "Heaven". I thought that I spotted Kikwang from BEAST at the end of the MV, and I was right! It's him. :-)

Song Review: Heaven by Ailee Link Free Download

Song Review: "What Is Love?" by EXO-K

EXO is an interesting debut band. They're coming to us from SM Entertainment, which is one of the big three record labels in Korea (and actually, I think they usually rank as the single biggest company). SM hasn't released a new band since girl group f(x) in 2009, so their latest project was really hyped, with tons of photos and teasers and internet buzz.  EXO Planet is the official name of the group because they're composed of 2 different sub-units, EXO-K and EXO-M, who will perform the same songs in Korean and Mandarin respectively and who will simultaneously be pursuing markets in two separate countries. It's still not clear to me if they'll ever perform together as a 12-person unit, but hey, Super Junior pulled it off, so it's do-able.

At any rate, neither part of the band has officially debuted yet, and this first song, "What Is Love" isn't being marketed as a real debut song--it's more of a hint or an appetizer of what the band is going to be like. SM is calling the song a "prologue". What exactly is a prologue? To my knowledge, no other bands or labels are doing this, but I don't think it ends up making much difference either way whether "What is Love" is a prologue or a an official lead single, because the song is smooth. Really, truly smooth.

It's an R&B ballad that I genuinely like, and I'm generally not fond of either R&B or ballads, so that says something for it. It sounds like there's a sitar playing a repeated line, plus some bongo drums, but the main sounds you hear are the layered voices of the two singers. There's not a lot of electric interference or obvious Autotune or any of the bells and whistles I expected.

The lyrics are really sweet and endearing, about caring about a girl, becoming a better person when she's around, and wanting to comfort her and make her smile. Awww. That's precious. You can see an English translation HERE. The "girl, I can't explain what I feel" line sounds cheesy, but the rest of the song actually manages to sound quite sincere, which is part of why it succeeds. I like how the chorus has just enough English to keep you hooked and thinking you�ll be able to sing the next line, even though you can�t. "I lost my mind....something, something, something...get in slow motion... something, something, what is love?" 

I was surprised that the song is really just a duet: only two of the EXO-K members sing on this track. Their names are D.O. and Baek Hyun, and they really do seem to have the pipes to make the song succeed, but with these two doing so great on their own, I'm not sure how the full 6-member group is going to function. D.O. seems to have the smoother, more traditionally "pretty" voice, while Baek Hyun's voice has a bit more character and the ability to kill those high notes.

"What Is Love" is one of those songs that just plain gets stuck in your head. I can normally tell my favorite song of the week by taking note of what I'm humming while washing dishes or doing laundry, and "What Is Love" wins the stuck-in-my-head award for the week. Is EXO deserving of all the hype? I still don't know enough to be sure, but their first song is imminently listenable.

My grade: 4 of 5 stars for the song.

Watchable bonus: Let's start with just the audio.

And here's the EXO-K music video, which features a solar eclipse, some mystical artifacts, a swamp that looks like the Dead Marshes from The Lord of the Rings, and Kai channeling Gene Kelly and dancing with a jacket. It's an okay video, but I will say that I first heard this song while while watching the MV, and thought �Eh, this is just okay". It wasn't until I listened without the visual that I  loved the song.

Note: Chen and Lu Han of EXO-M sing the Mandarin version of "What Is Love". It's essentially the same song and same video, just with the Korean lyrics and band members replaced with Chinese counterparts. I'm not sure what I think about this strategy. It seems like EXO-M is getting a little shortchanged in the deal, since they're not getting as much press. Example: at the time of writing, the Korean version has almost 2 million views as compared to just over half a million for the Chinese version.

Song Review: "What Is Love?" by EXO-K Link Free Download

Song Review: Warrior by B.A.P.

I rarely review individual songs, but K-pop rookie group B.A.P. had such a fun debut song, I just couldn't wait until their official EP release to review it. It took me awhile to get used to their name because in my mind, B.A.P. stands for Black American Princesses, due to the the 1990's comedy movie of the same name (starring Halle Berry!), but in the case of this band, it's supposed to mean "Best, Absolute, Perfect". I don't know if they're perfect, but they're certainly the best debut band I've seen in K-pop.

I was slightly familiar with a couple of members of B.A.P. before their debut. Bang Yong Guk has had a solo release and been featured on a song with Yosoeb of BEAST, and I grew to appreciate his serious rapping style. Then Bang did a duo song called "Never Give Up" with Zelo, the youngest member of his own band, and I thought that song was pretty cute and uplifting even if it contained some clashing music styles (namely pop, rap, and gospel choir singing). I'm guessing that "Bang & Zelo" is an official subunit of B.A.P. and that they'll be releasing more duo music in the future, which ought to be something to look forward to.

Anyhow, with Bang and Zelo, B.A.P. has two very good rappers with distinct styles--Bang has a low rumble-roar of a voice, and since he's the first person you really hear on "Warrior", he catches your attention. Next are some nice, fierce stretches of singing in the verses, followed by an epic chorus. I feel like you could do just about anything difficult while listening to the chorus of "Warrior"--chop down a tree, climb a mountain, bake a souffle. Anything that's hard to do, this chorus will give you the adrenaline to face it. Waaarrrior! Digidigidom digidigidom. Waarrrrrrrrrrior!!!! I'm just plain partial to warrior-themed songs.

Zelo's rap section is faster, has more finesse, and practically begs to be memorized. Even across the language barrier, it sounds great. I also like Zelo's repetition of "get down", because when most people say that in a song, they mean "let's party and have fun!" In this song it feels more like a quiet, literal warning to duck out of the way of something dangerous.

Lyrics: The lyrics are definitely a social commentary of some sort, but after reading a few different English translations, I'm still not positive which issue is at stake. I think it may be about gang warfare? There's definitely some discussion of standing up for others, avoiding hypocrisy, telling the truth and being a "warrior". Though frankly, I'm just thrilled to see lyrics that aren't either about love or about bragging. It's a step in a more diverse direction.

English: There's a bit of English here and there. I would say that Zelo's pronunciation is better than Bang's, because when Zelo says an English word I always know that he's switching languages, but when Bang switches to English, I have to check the lyrics to make sure that it's not still Korean.

In summary: Now this is how you debut. I don't know much about B.A.P., but I do know that they have two good rappers and at least two good singers (though I don't know which two they are). "Warrior" is a bold song with a strong brass section, warning whistle noises, and infectious raps. No part of the song is repeated too often, so you're left wanting more rather than wondering why the song is going on for so long.

My grade: 4.5 stars for the song.

Watchable bonus: Here's the music video for "Warrior". I giggled a bit when I first saw it because it is so stylized and faux-ghetto, but it has since grown on me. Giant evil rabbits! Skulls, condemned cars, sledgehammers, wind, and fire! The most difficult thing about the MV is the inability to distinguish the members of the band. I had to keep doing recounts to figure if there were 5 or 6 members of the band because they blended together a little too well. But their puppet-dance is pretty great, as is the mimed representation of guns.



And here is a helpful lyrics video, complete with romanized Korean lyrics and English translations.

Song Review: Warrior by B.A.P. Link Free Download

EP Review: 100% Ver. by MBLAQ

100% Ver.
MBLAQ
J. Tune Camp, January 2012

Track List:

1.	"Run"	3:12
2.	"This Is War" (????; Jeonjaeng-iya)	3:51
3.	"Scribble" (??; Nakseo)	3:35
4.	"She's Breathtaking" (??? ??; Anjjilhan Geunyeo)	3:15
5.	"Hello My EX"	3:46

On MBLAQ's 4th mini-album, they bring some really fresh sounds and seem to live up to their full performing potential, so this record is a great way for K-poop fans to kick off the new year.

I'll start by praising the intro track. "Run" has a distinct horror-y beginning, which is an immediate attention-getter. The lyrics are the usual sort of "we're-so-cool" bragging about how this band is the best and you'd better get out of their way, but what's great about the lyrics is that they're simple and they're about 50% English, so it wouldn't be hard for an English speaker to learn the song for themselves. Their pronunciation is very good, and it's actually kind of ghetto in places, which works since this is a fast song with swagger to it. The rapping works nicely (Mir is always reliable for good lines), and overall they seem more like an actual rap crew on this song, which is a compliment--it means they don't sound like just another boy band.

And my goodness, who handled their awesome production on this song? "Run" has all kinds of sound effects, like an actual movie is playing in the background. We've got screams, barking, and what sounds like branches shaking, windows breaking, and metal scraping. There's an entire action film going on in the background! The evil laughter also reminds me a little of Michael Jackson's "Thriller". To give you an idea of how much I like this song; for reviews, I normally write down a few of my initial thoughts about a song as I am listening to it for the first time. After the first 30 seconds of "Run", I gave up on writing and just listened because the song was too engrossing for me to listen and type at the same time.

"It's War" is another intense song, that has a pretty intricate story to the lyrics. It's one guy swearing to make another guy's life miserable because Guy #2 stole his girl, but the English translation sounds pretty complicated, like a movie script shrunk down to fit a three-minute song. It starts with a swelling orchestra, the singing is solid, and the tune is memorable. I truly like songs with "big" sounds like intense strings or a serious brass section, and "It's War" really delivers on that massive sound. I kept waiting for a key change and even more intensity, and when they got to it, it just made the song even better.

"Scribble" is a good R&B ballad with some of those Spanish influences seen on MBLAQ's last album. "She's Breathtaking" is translated as "Jittery Girl" in many places, but whatever you want to call it, it's the fourth track. It has several lines of dialogue between a guy and a girl, which are basically bickering. This almost sounds like a Christmas song to me--listen to it without looking up the lyrics, and you'll know what I mean. There's something about the beat and bright sound that makes me think they're singing about Santa and snowflakes and presents under a tree. They aren't--they're singing about obsessive love verging on stalking, but anyhow it sounds Christmasy. "Hello My Ex" is nicely produced and is about hoping for reunification. I like the first part of the album best, but the later tracks still don't feel like filler.

I hadn't listened to MBLAQ before their Mona Lisa EP, which was intriguing but not perfect. At the time, I mentally filed them as a band of interest, though they still didn't make my list of favorites. But in my opinion, with this new release MBLAQ has changed from "A band that will probably do cool things in the future" to "A band that is doing super-cool things right now". With the great vocals and rapping, plus the amazing production on this record, MBLAQ's clearly at the top of the K-pop food chain.

My grade: 4 of 5 stars, just for the first two tracks.

Must-listens: "Run", "It's War"

Watchable bonus: Here's the music video for "It's War". It features a love triangle, boomerang bullets, and the guys dancing in what appears to be Klingon armor. I think Joon's an assassin and Thunder is a regular guy who's his friend, and some poor sweet girl is caught between them. But other than that, I have no idea what's going on in this MV. Why did Joon save the girl instead of killing her? Why is Thunder digging through a junkyard, and where did he learn how to treat bullet wounds? What is going on with Joon's ricocheting gunfire?

EP Review: 100% Ver. by MBLAQ Link Free Download

EP Review: Funky Town by T-ara

Funky Town
T-ara
Core Contents Media, January 2012

Track List:

1.	"Lovey-Dovey"	03:35
2.	"?? ?????" (Uri Saranghaejjanha, "We Were in Love") (duet with Davichi)	03:35
3.	"Lovey-Dovey" (Club Remix)	03:47
4.	"Cry Cry"	03:18
5.	"Goodbye, OK"	03:05
6.	"O My God"	04:06
7.	"I'm So Bad"	03:12
8.	"Cry Cry" (Ballad Ver.)	03:19

T-ara's fifth mini-album is actually a repackage of their fourth mini-album, Black Eyes. It's the Black Eyes EP, but with the addition of two versions of "Lovey Dovey" and a collaboration song with Davichi. I don't mind repackaged full-length albums because sometimes they have a difference of 5-6 songs, but in this case, I'm not sure why two EPs that are so close in their composition were released just two months apart (November to January). Anyhow! On to the music.

"Lovey Dovey" has that electro-clubby feel and to me, "Lovey Dovey" sounds a lot like their hit song "Roly Poly" part 2. Not everything's the same, but hearing the repeated English phrase "lovey-dovey-dovey, lovey-dovey-dovey" reminded me of "lolly-polly, lolly-lolly-polly". But the "woooooooh" part actually rocks and is a bit of an earworn, and the production on the song is very pleasing. I get totally caught up in the intriguing mix of electronic loops. The lyrics are about a girl seeing happy couples and wanting to find a special person with whom to be lovey-dovey, also, so the lyrics match the title.

"We Were In Love" is sung with a female duo called Davichi, so with the seven members of T-ara, that's a pretty full track. It starts with a nice wistful sound and a good melody which is very moving if you're in the right mood, but I rarely connect with slow songs. The rapping section is either the best or worst part of the song--again, depending on your mood. I actually like the mix of rap and serious classical sounds, because I think the girls make it work.

"Cry Cry" sounds like it has a Latin choir singing at the beginning, then it gets some Spanish beats. And some Broadway piano? With all the genre-mixing, it only takes about 30 seconds to know that this song is a really good one. To me, the chorus is a bit less catchy than the verses, but that's the only problem I have with the song. The lyrics seem to be nicely done, judging by the coolness of the English translations I've found.

"Goodbye, OK" has an old-fashioned disco sound that just doesn't fit in with what I enjoy, though at its better points, it's somewhat similar to IU's music in "Last Fantasy". Next up, the music in "I'm So Bad" makes me think of G-Dragon's "Heartbreaker", which is a compliment--you can almost sing one song while the other plays. It's a fun tune with a nice amount of variety. The "Cry Cry" ballad doesn't work for me, again because I'm not big on ballads and because the slow treatment takes away the bite of the song.

Before listening to this EP, I had generally positive feelings about T-ara; while I disliked their previous release "Bo Peep", I really enjoyed "Roly Poly" and "Yayaya". Now I think the girls are getting better production and better songs, and since they're not always singing at a high pitch anymore, they might just be taking the next step to truly being a top K-pop band. They're a fun group to listen to.

My grade: 3.5 of 5 stars

Must-listens: "Lovey Dovey", "Cry Cry"

Watchable bonus: Here's the audio for "Lovey Dovey". "Wooo-ooooh, wooo-oooh!"



And here's the MV for "We Were In Love". It's just the girls looking very sad and very pretty, but their other MV's are all extra long mini-movies, so this sort of balances them out.

EP Review: Funky Town by T-ara Link Free Download

Top Ten Best K-Pop Songs of 2011

It's time to count down my personal K-pop favorites from 2011! I only discovered Korean pop in the second half of this year, so my tastes aren't really varied yet. Plenty of the best songs I discovered this year were released in previous years, but I've kept myself from cheating and putting older songs on the list. Just barely.

The Breakdown: I've picked 6 songs by guy groups, 4 songs by girl groups, one song that's a Japanese remake by a K-pop band, and there's one band who gets mentioned twice on the list. None of the bands are rookies. I did like some of the groups who debuted this year, but I decided to pay attention to the more established acts for this end-of-the-year list.

#10--- "Goodbye Baby" by Miss A

These girls are always bringing the attitude. Jia in particular owns this song because she gets the lion's share of the verses and really nails the rap segment at the end. How fun would it be to sing this at karaoke/noraebang? "Goodbye Baby" is laden with assertiveness but it still has a really pretty melody, so you don't necessarily have to sing it in an angry way. Suzy's parts sound downright precious, though Min isn't taking any nonsense with her half of the chorus. Here's a radio performance from Miss A, and though they all seem a little tired, they're still very cool and I love Jia's coppery hair!



#9---"Replay" (Japanese Version) by SHINee

SHINee hasn't made any new Korean music this year, but I had to include them on this list. I even considered cheating and listing one of their songs from 2010, but instead I went with the Japanese re-release of their song "Replay". I really like the original song in Korean, but it does sound decent in Japanese, unlike many other re-releases. In the old Korean MV, their wardrobe was black, red, and denim and mostly looked like what teenage boys would wear, but in the new one they're sporting scary pastel pants and rainbow hightops. Then there's the fact that in the Japanese version, some of Jonghyun (the best singer)'s lines are given to Taemin (the best dancer). What's the purpose of this? So anyhow, I skipped the MV--here's the audio.



#8---- "A-CHA" by Super Junior

I really like Super Junior. By which I mean, I like about three songs off of every album they release (a high ratio for me, because I'm picky). "A-CHA" is a great angry song, because it's like the guys are trying to play it cool and still be kind of aloof as they tell someone she'll regret saying goodbye. Even the overdone electro-synths and the shouty chorus are super fun because this is an over the top song deserving of loud vocals and even louder instrumentation. As for the video, people have complained about its lack of cohesion, but I think most folks secretly love it. How can you not like a video with capes, gloves, card tricks and fire? And I still say that Eunhyuk's raccoon hat is one of the best things to exist, ever.



#7---- "Heart to Heart" by 4Minute

It scares me how much I like this song. It's such a girl anthem! Yes, it's supposed to be addressed to a boy, but it's just as easy to picture a bunch of female friends singing along to this one as they drive around town. When 4Minute does the big key change right after Hyuna's rap, it's impossible to avoid belting out the chorus in increasingly louder segments...Let's Have a Heart TO HEART TO HEART *resumes normal volume* Also, I love how Gayoon and Jiyoon have strong voices that shine out during the emotional parts. Here's a video of them performing the song for a radio show. I love this video because it shows the girls laughing and joking around, just being teenagers and having fun. And then there's Hyuna's shirt with its unusual slogan...



#6---"Ugly" by 2NE1

When  first heard this song, I thought it was a sad ode to low self-esteem, but that's far from the truth. Now I think that the song is more of a send-up of the culture---any culture---that puts extreme pressure on women to look perfect. This song makes us remember that everyone feels inadequate at some point, and we don't have to give in to our feelings of inferiority. I love how the song shifts from a contemplative ballad style verse to a rock anthem chorus that's all in English, no less. The video is great because 2NE1 are dressed in the wildest, most audacious and messy outfits and they really don't seem to care. Rock on, ladies.



#5---"0330" by U-KISS

I have no idea how you pronounce the name of this song, I just know it's great. Every single part of it is singable, from the recurring verse-chorus to the different rap parts, and the melody sticks in your head. It's a ballad that doesn't slow you down, and a sad song that doesn't actually depress you--for a song about separation, it's surprisingly energizing. The MV shows one of the guys pretending his deceased girlfriend is still alive. SAD. But then everyone sings and all is right with the world again.



#4---"Be My Baby" by the Wonder Girls

When I got into K-pop, I didn't know who the Wonder Girls were, ironically because they had spent several years promoting and touring in the States. (Sad reality: K-pop acts seem to be more popular with American listeners when they stay in Korea.) The song has a happy, bouncy, retro feel to it and I love the smattering of English at the beginnings of the lines. I like Sohee's verses very much, and even Yubin's out-of-nowhere rap bridge has grown on me. Here's the music video, which definitely has some similarities with Beyonce's "Single Ladies" MV; they even had the same choreographer. What impresses me if how the girls manage to dance up and down those stairs in heels. And the floor itself is moving at one point?



#3---"Fiction" by BEAST

This song is gorgeous. I think I can forgive producer Shinsadong Tiger for his work on that "Bo Peep" song by T-ara now that he has made this gem. "Fiction"  is such a stand-out song, it sounds good in almost any medium. The original is golden, the orchestral version is arguably better, and it sounds surprisingly good at live shows, which is a rare feat. Plus it has this lovely sad video with its downcast, shuffly hands-in-pockets step that has been dubbed "the penguin dance". Aw, don't be sad, BEAST. Everyone loves you.



#2---"Knockout" by GD & TOP

The GD/TOP duo is simply one of the best things ever to happen to K-pop. I love their band Big Bang, but these guys come up with some even more creative stuff when they're on their own. "Knockout" just doesn't sound like anything else on the radio waves, despite it being a really catchy rap song. GD & TOP's voices are very unique--you know it's them when you hear one of their songs, and they never ever blend in. I've heard a lot of younger rappers who sound like TOP, and a few precocious lads who are trying to imitate G-Dragon, but no one I've heard yet has flows to match them.



#1--- "Neverland" by U-KISS

This might just be my first real K-pop song. "Ring Ding Dong" by SHINee was the first K-pop song I ever heard, but though I really liked it, I wondered if it was a fluke. Surely Korean pop couldn't be that much fun all the time. But then the next song I heard was "Neverland", and I knew that this genre of music really was awesome. In the original MV of "Neverland", I like the arctic theme that U-KISS has going on (they're dancing in an arctic snowscape, then dancing in a basement, then in a...walk-in freezer?), but I went with the audio instead.



The end! So what were your personal favorite K-pop offerings from 2011? Who are you most looking forward to listening to in 2012? Which band should I check out next?

Leave me your blog address, or your Twitter name or a link to your fansite, and I'll link to you and give you a shout out when I review your suggested band!

Top Ten Best K-Pop Songs of 2011 Link Free Download