2014 is already half over, and it has been a fantastic six months for K-Pop. Here are my top 8 Korean pop tracks of the year so far, in order of release.
Royal Pirates - "Drawing the Line"
What a way to kick off the year! 2013 newcomers Royal Pirates had me at hello with the funky 16th-feel and skanking Strat intro for their January track, "Drawing the Line". The song drives along with a pop-rock chorus, a great hook and a fun music video - and who can say no to a REAL melodic guitar solo, actually played by a band member and not a session musician? Plus, it helps that these boys are very, very pretty. Hello there, James Lee.
B.A.P - "1004 (Angel)"
I didn’t consider myself a B.A.P fan until I saw them live in Melbourne in May. WOW. "1004" (which is pronounced "chunsah" in Korean, which also means "angel") has all the hallmarks of a killer k-pop track - a super catchy chorus, a standout dance routine, a fantastic beat and a great guitar riff, making it not just one of my top tracks for the first half of 2014, but my favourite B.A.P song to date.
TVXQ - "Spellbound"
Black and white suits. Big band horns stabs and smooth, smooth bass. The sexiest poker game ever. Incredible co-ed choreography and that cheeky Changmin. A freaking saxophone solo! Everything about Spellbound has me… well, spellbound. Can we keep this sexy retro TVXQ please? I wholeheartedly approve!
ToHeart - "Delicious"
I love SHINee, and I really like Infinite, so the coming together go Key and Woohyun was always going to be a great collaboration for me. Once you get past the unnecessarily long intro (which is about 1:05 if you wanted to skip) there’s a funky pop song and some fantastic Engrish to be found. “Come on girl, love is so nutritious. Come on girl, love is so delicious.” Don’t tell me that isn’t fantastic. The video is cute, even if it does use most of the cliches of an SM MV, the fashion is colourful and the friendship between these two adorable idols is obvious.
Orange Caramel - "Catallena"
Girl groups aren't my thing, but I have to make an exception for Orange Caramel. This song has quite literally taken over mine and my friends’ lives since its release in March. “Hoi hoi hoi” is now in regular use in our everyday conversations, we have fashioned ridiculous headpieces for ourselves from aluminium fish to plush easter bunnies to soft drink cans, and so help us - if the song is played while we’re in a Korean restaurant, we will dance the whole damn thing at our table. The video is unusual, the dance version is hilarious and we still aren’t sick of it. What the hell.
Akdong Musician - "200%"
This brother-sister duo caught me completely off-guard. At just 17 and 15 years old respectively, Lee Chan-Hyuk and Lee Soo-Hyun are punching well above their weight not just as musicians, but also as masterful composers. Their video for "200%" reflects this perfectly; a beautifully shot, lighthearted story of young love… with a twist towards the end that brings their youth and naivety back into focus.
Block B - "Jackpot"
I’ve always loved how Block B don’t take themselves seriously at all, and they’re at it again in 2014 with "Jackpot". This track does what I like to call "K-pop whiplash" like nobody’s business with more tempo, genre and feel changes than you can poke a stick at. There are elements of swing, cabaret, funk, dance and disco, and the video nods to ALL of them with its sets and costuming - coloured suits with bow ties, finger-waved hair, showgirls in feathers and sequins and even a girl on roller skates. It’s fun. There’s no other way to put it.
GOT7 - "A"
This song only dropped a week ago but I’ve had it on high rotation ever since. I love the late 90s/early 2000s R&B sound and the cruisy vibe of the song, and the hook was in my head all day after the first listen. The synth strings, block piano chords and layered vocals all leave the song a lot of room to breathe, which you don’t hear much in the over-produced world of K-pop, and though the video is a bit cutesy, it doesn’t go as far as some other boy groups who have followed up dark and masculine concepts with sugary sweet aegyo MVs. Well done, GOT7 and JYP Entertainment - you have my attention.
