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Baby Boy - the Cuter than Cute Philosophy of a KMV Explained.

6/5/2015

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'Aggressive' and 'Adorable' are NOT Mutually EXCLUSIVE: 

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           High4 is not a band I've been terribly enamored with I loved their debut, but most of what they've done since just hasn't struck my fancy. This one is extremely different; I like it so much that it's even jumped the queue of MVs I should be reviewing! 
           From the moment I first saw it, my only reaction has been "Yep. That's it. We're done here. The most adorable song humanly possible has been produced. We can all go home, now". And that feeling hasn't dissipated at all in the two days I've been watching it while pretending to care about other things. And now I just HAVE to explain the full extent of its intricate weave of imagery, because there's much more than meets the eye to this release and it would be a shame for anyone to miss even the tiniest detail. What seems at first like a mess of contradictions is actually an array of perfectly inter-locking pieces that create a dynamic and accurate depiction of an enchanting reality.
           Kpop has done things were 'cute' and 'gangsta' overlap, there's been other examples of aegyo mixing with straight-up awesome, but nothing else I've ever seen does it quite like this; nor nearly this well. Most other versions of an attitude that resemble this one use aegyo to straightforwardly mix in a dose of adorable, but this release takes that a leap forward by avoiding straight-aegyo, for the most part, and using a more sophisticated weave of more traditional imagery to convey the idea that the object of the narrator's affection is a singular point of exception in his world. Every single detail in the visuals plays off the notions in the lyrics, leading to an achingly cute final product that takes its message more seriously than I would have ever guessed just by glancing at the colorful screencaps.
           It also has something very important in common with Beyonce (but we'll get to that later).

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Just Tell Me - THE (SURPRISINGLY) Sweet PHILOSOPHY OF A KMV EXPLAINED.

5/14/2015

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True Love Is Hard to Define, But It's Pretty Easy to See...

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        With their lovely So Too Very Much release in February, and their March activities in Japan, I wasn't expecting anything new from these guys for a while yet. I've been pleasantly surprised by their Korean return and the release in question is itself absolutely fantastic. And when I say fantastic, I mean FANTASTIC. This is easily going to stand up as one of the very best releases of the entire year, it's going into my history books as one of the most fabulous releases EVER.
          From the set aesthetics and the basic styling, it looks like Just Tell Me can't possibly be anything to terribly spectacular. MYNAME isn't really a band with a track record of deeply meaningful or profoundly impacting releases, so when combined with a concept that looks to be more of the same old, hiphop-grunge-but-still-clubbing-chic that's been flooding the market lately there was really no reason to suspect that this release would be incredible. Honestly, there were a dozen pressing reasons to think this release would be anything but awesome, including the fact that MYNAME has already had a comeback this year, and they've had activities in Japan, so theoretically they haven't had much time to spend on this; not to mention the fact that the concept seems blandly unoriginal and the the Choreo from the teasers has some moves that stand out as painfully frequent instances of recycling moves.
          HOWEVER, to anyone who believed the teasers or who concluded on a cursory examination that it really is just another sex-focused grungy hiphop club thing: YOU GOT PLAYED. The whole thing is one big joke on us and the best part of it is that our expectations were used against us by preparing us for something mediocre, but what they gave us was something FABULOUS. Unfortunately, there are still a ton of people who are taking the release at face-value and as it's easily the best thing MYNAME has ever released, I will not suffer it to be maligned by people who won't give it more than a cursory look to allow the true elegance, sweetness, and complexity to unfold.

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Xiah Junsu's "Flower" ... Crazy Mess or Cultural Critique?

3/6/2015

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THE PRODUCTION COST OF "FLOWER" IS THROUGH THE ROOF, BUT DID JUNSU GET ENOUGH BANG FOR HIS BUCK? THE MESSAGE IN IT IS A HAZY, SILENT SCREAM TO THE VOID, MADE WITH FLASHY SYMBOLS AND GLITZY VISUALS BUT WHAT IS IT REALLY SAYING?
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          There is a HELL of a lot going on in this MV and some of it is really not all that slick. There's a ton of good stuff going on, but there's a lot that I'm disappointed in as well. I keep waffling back and forth. Junsu's voice is unquestionably one of the best in Kpop, but it's usage here doesn't make it obvious... And while there's a lot of gorgeous symbolism in the visuals, the way they're strung together without exposition leaves me less than impressed... Arguably, it's a flashy, but poignant critique of the whole nature beneath Idol culture, one I personally find unduly antagonistic. 

           But in order to critique it fairly, I think I should start by explaining what on earth is happening in it:

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The Awesomeness of Amber & What "Shake that Brass" Might Mean for Kpop

2/12/2015

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Amber has always been a brightly unique individual, in all the most wonderful ways.

This is particularly true when she is viewed as a successful superstar within the confines of the Kpop world. At this point however, the confines of that world might be changing to suit her, rather than the other way around. Shake That Brass is a great release on it's own, showing off Amber's special flair with a brush of comic hilarity. Humor of this scale is the sort that has the potential to easily normalize even the craziest of concepts and I believe that it can push this release to the next level. Kpop is evolving and becoming a world-wide phenomenon in a way that can't be ignored and Amber's unique depiction of what it can look like (and sound like) to be a successful woman in Kpop might help the rest of the world embrace the musical revolution with open arms. 

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2014 Rookie Round-up!

1/2/2015

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          The last time I posted in this section was for the 2013 rookie assessment. Even though I haven't been here analyzing the year's events (distracted by things like graduating from college and whatnot), I've still been playing close attention and this year's crop of rookies was actually quite presentable. I've been pretty impressed by what I've see this year, so here's the groups that really caught my eye this year (in more or less order of debut):
LipService
Kiss & Cry
1PS
Wings
Mamamoo
Purfles
Sonamoo
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Got7
UglyPumpkin
BigFlo
HALO
Legend
Madtown
UNIQ


         To be honest, I almost forgot about Got7, but in a good way. I hardly thought they'd only debuted this year, I've gotten so used to hearing about them and seeing them around when I was in Korea that I totally forgot they weren't old hands at the industry. Honestly, I haven't liked any of the songs they've released with their MV promos, but at the same time I've loved a ton of the music they've had on their releases, but haven't promoed.

          UglyPumpkin was one of the first rookie groups to distinguish themselves for me. They're a nicely chill group with smooth vocals and fabulous rap that doesn't need intensity to be energetic.
          Other than the fact that they seemed to have dropped off the face of the earth after their debut, they kicked off their careers extraordinarily well.
          Now BigFlo's debut with Delilah wasn't overwhelmingly wonderful, but it was a fairly solid debut and I found myself getting it stuck in my head. Their follow-up in Bad Mama Jama was similarly unimpressive, yet catchy and cool enough to linger around in my memory. All in all I didn't peg them as the future of Kpop, but I think they've got a good chance of being a part of it, even if they're not leading the wave. LipService served up almost exactly the same story with Too Fancy, but I found theirs a bit more impressive due to the fact that a girl group was rapping in a way that didn't make them sound like little kids. They almost undid their work in their YumYumYum follow-up, but the cutesy there was more satirical than anything else.
         HALO wasn't actually on my radar right away. I somehow missed Fever until after Come On Now came out. Fever was an okay song with an okay MV, but I was really blown away by Come On Now and I'm not entirely sure why. I mean, the choreo's cool, but the MV doesn't show it well, the set and styling all feels pretty recycled, and the song isn't any sort of revolutionary, but still feels just fresh enough to be awesome. The mellow charm of the sweet toned vocals in contrast to the bass heavy beat and the snazzy sound effects just creates a perfect mesh of sound. I like 'em.
        Domino Game was a fairly impressive way for Kiss & Cry to hit the Kpop scene. Great vocals and some epic styling, and of course a killer beat. The Choreo was fabulous and the MV was glam as hell, so these girls seem to be a complete package. 1PS is quite lovely as well, though I wasn't quite as enamored with their debut as I could have been. Sonamoo was fantastic, but considering their rep as the female BAP, I was honestly expecting more. I mean the wardrobe was fantastic, it's nice to see girl groups in real cargo pants for once, but the girls were still more like underworld accessories than actually fearsome gangbangers.

          Legend practically exists in a league of their own. Their debut with Left Out was one that left me nearly speechless: gorgeous guys, epic moves, fab styling, and some hella awesome integration between melodic lines and rhythms. Lost kept the bar high, but it did bring things back down to earth and make them feel a bit precariously situated. Lost was so similar to Left Out in how it was set up that it risked making them seem limited in how they could adapt. But all my worries were laid aside in face of their November release: I Wanna Know. This track proved a lot of things, but mainly it showed that they didn't need a borrowed acoustic melody to lend a sense of legitimized weight to their music. They did this song all on their own with only synths and basic loops in the background. Their mellow voices and the striking synths somehow blend together to make the track beyond words of wonderful.
          My outrageous expectations were mostly due to Purfles' earlier and epic debut. 1, 2, 3 had like half the budget and certainly less than half the hype, but damn did they deliver. The song is intense and the vocals were utterly uncompromising and beautifully strong. It was much more like what I was expecting for a group called the female BAP than what TS delivered in Sonamoo's Deja Vu. The whole whisper-whisper thing was kind of insultingly sultry rather than smooth, particularly in comparison to how Purfles managed to not only make the song sound strong and vibrant but also created a catchy kpop track that wasn't a letter of love addressed to a guy. This track BFF lovin' in all the right ways and it's so perfectly non-romance-obsessed.
         Additionally, the MV shows epic styling and keeps their cool demeanors up while still showing off the fact that they boys are all massive idiots. It's a strangely lovely mix of mischievous and masculine and I really do love the effect it adds to the MV.
         Next on my agenda is the girl group that I've decided to hand the crown to. Wings is a duo that easily makes this year's top rookies in the girl group category. They have some incredible vocals and some absolutely heart-wrenching concepts that are carried out with a beautiful flair for the poignant understatement of true drama. Both Hair Short and Blossom have fantastic visuals that tell wonderfully empowering stories while not losing out on things like choreography and glamour shots. Their vocals are strong and dynamic, and beautifully flushed out with a full-bodied ring of lightness. I have no qualms at all about handing them the title of my favorite rookie girls of 2014.

         The only other girl group that caught my eye this year was Mamaoo, which I thought for sure had the honor of being my favorite in the bag. I mean, Mr Ambiguous is a fantastic track and the girls are some of the best female performers I've seen in Kpop for years. The only thing Wings won them out on, truthfully speaking, was the MV. The message and the way it was delivered in both videos by Wings was outstanding. Mamamoo's tracks were great but their MVs were... classy and colorful and lovely, but they didn't really make me think about my life or the universe. Piano Man, like their first MV, was gorgeous, but it wasn't revolutionary, so Wings is the one that wins it.
          And now at last we've come to Madtown. These guys retroactively blew me away. I wasn't thrilled with their debut MV. Seriously, 30 seconds with no music and no explanation did begin to wear on my patience. It was trying to the point that I didn't give the song the chance I should have. On a first listen, the song doesn't sound put together or polished, but it's not supposed to. It's raw and expressive in a uniquely gritty way that the other 'rough and tumble' groups like BAP and Bangtan can't touch. It got stuck in my head somehow and it took me forever to figure out how what song it even was and by then it was too late to let it go.
         Up next we're back to the boys and UNIQ is one I've been excited to talk about. Their debut track was spectacular. Falling in Love is one of the best debut's I've seen in a while, it's simply gorgeous. To look at the MV's very flashy and there's some clearly recycled elements in the set and the wardrobe, but the arrangement is fresh and fun. The harmonies and the melodic leaps take the listener on a wild ride that really makes the happy anxiety of falling in love come to life. Sadly, the rest of their year has been less impressive, but they're still up high on my to-watch list.
         The track is epic, it moves and it fantastically balanced with fabulous decorations in both high and low registers that keeps the whole thing fresh and interesting as the rap and vocals weave their way through the sound. The MV is gritty and gorgeous and oh sweet shisus that chroeo. I was not expecting that for some unfathomable reason. JTune is known for greatness in things like choreo, but this is almost unreal it's so awesome.
They win my crown for best Rookie boys of 2014. They've only had a few months to prove themselves, and I haven't seen any follow-ups but still...

It's Time to Congratulate my 2014 Baby Bands:

Wings

&

MADTOWN

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Battle of the Baby Bands: 2013's Rookie Rockstars!

2/13/2014

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With the door on 2013 shut once and for all, it's time to name my 2013 Baby Bands!

        This year had an interesting show for rookies, and deciding on my final favorites has been anything but easy, in some ways. And yet, the victors are clear.

    Keep reading to find out who won and why!

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2013 - The Not-So-Good, the Straight Up Bad, & the Just Plain UGLY...

1/1/2014

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        Every year, we all make a big deal about the year's best, about all of the really good things that happened. It's great, right? All that positivity going into the new year? Well, maybe. But I've always felt that a healthy dose of skepticism helps keep things in check. Boundless optimism means nothing if all you do with it is make the same mistakes as last year.
    So, in the interest of figuring out what went wrong this year, in order to weigh it against what goes wrong next year, I'm going though my biggest disappointments of 2013.

From B.A.P's lack luster follow-through, through the actively offensive M!net 'reality' show #mykpop, all the way up to so-called experts deciding 'mind-blowing' and 'successful' by made up rules...

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Kpop: Transmedia Marketing Like You’ve Never Seen Before.

12/15/2013

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            As I've said before, I was recently required to write two academic articles on subjects that interest me. Peter Pan was my first article, and as you can easily guess, Kpop was my second one. This was written for an audience that knew almost nothing about the industry and serves as an introduction that gets at the deeper things in Kpop: where it came from, what it really is, why it works, and how come it's so incredible.

South Korea is the pinnacle achievement of multi-media internet communications in the modern world. Nearly all communication in South Korea is almost entirely dependent on the digital world and as broadband has developed, newer forms of communications are beginning to dominate. Even as a country with a comparatively small population, South Korea boasts the second largest number of bloggers in the world. That number is surpassed only by the United States (Choi).
The current reality of the situation is that South Korea is a fully wired world, the State’s citizenry is continually bombarded with digital media. For many of South Korea’s industries, this has posed a serious problem. Adapting to the sudden demand of the market that a productbe everywhere at once, all over the internet, has been difficult for the slower-moving companies, especially the ones like grocery stores that had never before needed to advertise.
Now, nearly every industry is clinging to the one industry tht boomed under the new pressure: Kpop. Read HERE.
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The Peter Pan Mythos; Never Growing Up Means Never Standing Still

12/15/2013

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            This isn't quite Kpop, or even music related, but I personally find Peter Pan terribly interesting and thought I would share. We recently had to write academic articles for publication in one of my college classes (Transmedia Fiction, if you're curious) and one of my articles was on the topic of how Peter Pan's legend has evolved over the years, and how certain parts of his legend have been entirely forgotten:

            Flying effortlessly onto TIME 100’s List of The 100 Most Influential People Who Never Lived, Peter Pan has carved out a slice of History. Generally speaking, the average college student of 2013 is probably most familiar with the Disney’s 1953 animated film Peter Pan, but that is certainly not the original appearance of the Peter Pan character.
            Peter Pan’s very first appearance was a side note in J.M Barrie’s 1902 novel The Little White Bird,which was conceived as a partly whimsical fantasy story and partly comedic social commentary, both with extraordinarily dark undertones. Peter Pan’s story started out as a just a few short chapters (Chapter XIV – XVIII) in the Little White Bird, a section which was later adapted into its own novel (Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, 1906). The Peter Pan story was transmedia from its very beginning as the very first authorized adaption of the story was Barrie’s 1904 play, Peter and Wendy (which was adapted to take the story back into novel format in 1911, Peter and Wendy).

For the full article, please visit the ENGL359 - Transmedia Fiction Course Blog.
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Rocking - The (surprisingly) Deep Philosophy of a KMV Explained.

9/3/2013

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Meaning comes in Many Forms, some of them catchier than others...

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Teen Top is not a band known for their incredible story-telling or deep-seeded philosophizing or even for good music at all really. If we are to speak realistically, Teen Top is known by everyone, including their more honest Angels, as a group fabulously funny, super sweet boys with tight, intricate choreography, massive issues with role-distribution & MR, interesting hair, and a high-energy synthy sound that plays into lyrics that don't really make sense but are super catchy anyway...
At first glance, Rocking seems to be more of the same, but is it? Not at ALL. As one of the catchiest songs to have been released this summer, and as one ingloriously (and incorrectly) placed in the category 'apparently blithe and simple', I decided to take a closer look (in all honesty, it was more of a violent reaction of righteous indignation than a level headed decision, but the point still stands). Rocking is the best thing Teen Top has ever released and I will not suffer it to be maligned by those who won't look closely enough to see that between the complex meaning built into the choreography, the variegated meaning of the lyrics, and the over all visual blast of color and movement, it's one of the top ten music videos released by anyone this year at all.

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