Pazz & Jop fizzles and flops when it comes to K-pop

34 Pazz & Jop voters listed Korean music on either their singles or albums ballot, as opposed to last year's lonely 18, but if you subtract out those whose only Korean vote was for K-pop's first American hit, the number falls to 10. I won't say that "Gangnam Style" failed to whet anyone's appetite or stoke anyone's curiosity, since I don't know how many people's long lists contained Korean content that didn't make their top tens.* And our sample size is pretty small anyway.

Here's who voted for K-pop that wasn't just "Gangnam Style."** I've put in bold those who didn't vote K-pop in 2011 (though Marsh and Considine included stuff from 2011). "Paparazzi" and "Sherlock" are in Japanese. Luke McCormick is new to me.

Vijith Assar - Ga-in "Bloom"
Justin Chun - Dal★shabet Bang Bang, Dal★shabet "Have, Don't Have," SNSD "Paparazzi"
JD Considine - TaeTiSeo "Twinkle," Psy "Gangnam Style," 2NE1 "I Am The Best," Wonder Girls "Like This"
Chuck Eddy - Trouble Maker "Trouble Maker," Psy "Gangnam Style"
Kevin John - G-Dragon "Crayon"
Calum Marsh - Miss A Touch, SNSD The Boys, Miryo Miryo AKA Johoney
Luke McCormick - G-Dragon "Crayon"
David Cooper Moore - Sistar "Alone," Orange Caramel Lipstick, Orange Caramel "Lipstick," T-ara "Lovey-Dovey."
Brad Shoup - SHINee "Sherlock" (Japanese ver.)

This is assuming I didn't miss anything.

"미료(MIRYO) 'DIRTY' MUSIC VIDEO Full ver." (Watch on YouTube)

I voted for 14 K-pop tracks and albums, which I admit is an absurd number. Last year I voted for 12 (well, 11 for K-pop and 1 for trot).

Nothing from K-pop other than "Gangnam Style" got more than 2 votes, unlike last year, when GD&TOP's "High High" got 3, HyunA's "Bubble Pop!" got 5, and 2NE1's "I Am The Best" got 7. I'm surprised Sistar's "Alone" didn't get anyone other than Dave and me.

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( Footnotes )

Country & Eastern, Part 2

Posted these on Rolling Country:

POST ONE:
Jiyoon and Gayoon of the great K-pop girl group 4minute are billing themselves as 2YOON and have just released a country-dance-pop (or something) EP called Harvest Moon [EDIT: But see below]. I'll report back when I hear it. In the meantime, there's the single, "24/7," which subdee calls a mess — certainly has more of a mashup sensibility than a country sensibility. The first vocals you hear are a rap. My thumb is wavering but in the up direction. Jiyoon's climbing-and-falling wail in the prechorus is the best part (shows up first at 0:28 thru 0:33), though I'd more likely envision Robert Plant singing it than Miranda Lambert. There's a teaser with a very problematic cultural stereotype that unfortunately I find funny (and sounds more like Steppenwolf than Hank Williams). I'm sure 2YOON dance better than any of their country or rock counterparts.

"2YOON - '24/7' (Official Music Video)" (Watch on YouTube)

I would like the EP to be great, so that on next year's ballot I can list Shinsadong Tiger, Kim Da Hoon, and Lee Sang Ho as Country Music's Three Best Songwriters Of 2013 [EDIT: But once again, see below].

(xhuxk, you've got a Shinsadong Tiger song on your 2012 P&J ballot.)

( Paucity of country, total absence of Tiger )