HyunA Is Red (Top Singles Through Third-Quarter, 2014)

[koganbot]

Distracted, scattershot listening, with some good discoveries nonetheless. Pretty much totally ignored hip-hop, but it kept pushing its way onto this list anyway, either as guest spots or per se. A couple of non-gender-reversible videos by Tahiti and A.Kor. A lot of hard-rocking aggression in my top ten (top twelve if you go down to Future), the non-"rock" (Chainsmokers, HyunA, Nicki) rocking as hard or harder than the "rock" (Kate, Courtney, w/ BiS kinda both rock and nonrock). I guess you could call Orange Caramel aggressively silly, too. HyunA is the highest newbie, a vortex of fake mayhem and real power — also with a problematic couple of seconds that you might miss but it's worth saying a little about: war whoops that are made explicitly American Indian in live performance, the problem being not Oh noes! appropriation! or the inaccuracy, but that even when the portrayal of Native Americans as fighters is positive, as warriors! as braves! as admirable and courageous! they're rarely portrayed as anything else [EDIT: as anything other than fighters, that is]. But fwiw, the suggestion of being overrun by whoops makes this particular song stronger emotionally, the song being an overload as it is. The lyrics, by the way, are a takeoff on a Korean kids' song, or so Google informs me. Kids go "Monkey's butt is red, red apple, apple is delicious, delicious banana, banana is long," etc. So HyunA's song goes "Monkey's butt is red, red is HyunA, HyunA is yeah..." so, implied, HyunA is delicious (some haters went, "So HyunA is a monkey's butt," but that's the Internet).

1. Wa$$up "Jingle Bell"
2. The Chainsmokers "#Selfie"
3. HyunA "Red"

Watch on YouTube

4. BiS "STUPiG"
5. Kate Nash "Sister"
6. Courtney Love "Wedding Day"
7. Orange Caramel "So Sorry"
8. Tinashe ft. Schoolboy Q "2 On"
9. Nicki Minaj "Lookin' Ass Nigga"
10. Crayon Pop "Uh-ee"
11. After School "Shh"
12. Future ft. Pharrell, Pusha T & Casino "Move That Dope"
13. Shakira ft. Rihanna "Can't Remember To Forget You"
14. T-ara "First Love"
15. Puer Kim "Manyo Maash"
16. Danity Kane "Bye Baby"
17. Badkiz "Ear Attack"
18. PungDeng-E "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5io392fL2Qo">잘탕 (잘 시간이 어딨어)"
19. GP Basic "Black Bounce"

Watch on YouTube

20. Serebro "Ya Tebya Ne Otdam"
21. Dal★shabet "B.B.B (Big Baby Baby)"
22. Ca$h Out "She Twerkin"
23. T-ara "Sugar Free"
24. Arcade Fire "We Exist"
25. The Hold Steady "I Hope This Whole Thing Didn't Frighten You"
26. JunglePussy "Fuck Texting"
27. Shakira "Empire"
28. Jiyeon "Never Ever"
29. Mia Martina ft. Dev "Danse"
30. Infinite "Back"
31. Neon Jungle "Braveheart"
32. Lady Gaga "G.U.Y."
33. Zizo ft. Nan Ah Jin "Spy"

Watch on YouTube

34. Tahiti "Oppa, You Are Mine"
35. Bass Drum Of Death "Black Don't Glow"
36. SNSD "Mr.Mr."
37. Kim Wan Sun ft. Tiger JK and Bizzy "Goodbye My Love"
38. Shakira "Dare"
39. Scarlet "Hip Song"
40. Tyga ft. Young Thug "Hookah"
41. Louie ft. Boy Wonder "Twilight"
42. Low Pros ft. Young Thug & PeeWee Longway "Jack Tripper"
43. Ray.B "살만한가봐"
44. Plan B "Candy"
45. After School "Rock It"
46. Infinite "Last Romeo"
47. Cam & China "Do Dat"
48. A.Kor "But Go"

Watch on YouTube

49. Choi Sam "Answer"
50. Yemi Alade "Tangerine"
51. T-ara "LA'booN"
52. Brantley Gilbert "Bottoms Up"
53. Rascal Flatts "Rewind"
54. Switch "39˚C"
55. Yelle "Bouquet Final"
56. Polly Scattergood "Subsequently Lost"

Some notes on newbies:

A.Kor "But Go": Lil Jon–like shout-outs, CL-like joyously cute toughness, 2NE1ish mideasternisms.

Choi Sam "Answer": Almost subliminally deep electronic wobbles undergird rapping that seems to work from Korean talk as much as from hip-hop. Most distinct track on this list. (H/t Mat.)

Scarlet "Hip Song": Wears its electronics on its sleeve while going in its structure for the feel of a quick little rock 'n' roll knockoff, using the first eight bars of the 12-bar pattern, the voices as blippy and instrumental-like as the instruments.

Okay, briefly on the warrior thing. Historically you had descendants of Europeans going in and invading and displacing American Indians, with the invaders thinking of themselves as pioneers and settlers (albeit with an advanced guard of gunmen and celluloid desperadoes), whereas the people who resisted the invasion are rarely portrayed as anything but warriors, so are shown as fundamentally war-like. That's a ridiculous imbalance, no?

Anyway, that's all I've time for, may be off-line for a day or two. I don't feel censorious towards HyunA. Some persistent truth and education would be more useful, though not enough money's appropriated for education these days.

Watch on YouTube

[Reminder, I've had to disallow anonymous posting, but if you hit the down arrow you can post using your Facebook or Twitter accounts, and Google+ and a couple more things; the dropdown menu will tell you.]

Comments

The Internet is a monkey's butt

[koganbot]

Wrote this post in a rush, so some of my language may be ambiguous. E.g., my wording may imply that I believe the Internet is a monkey's butt.

[askbask.livejournal.com]

I think my top k-pop songs '14 list might be a bit slim on idol groups so far.. maybe something like

1. KittiB - Wake Me Up
2. Hoody - Baby Oh Baby
3. Choi Sam - Answer
4. Neon Bunny - It's You
5. Lipservice - Yum Yum Yum

Maybe add f(x) there. I've liked lots more of course but those stand out for getting me giddy with excitement.

[askbask.livejournal.com]

Probably my song of the year so far is this Morning Musume 14 single called "Your Bright Smile is Like The Sunshine" that's odd in a characteristically laboured way where all the heavy pushing and pulling and huffing and puffing done to work its way to an uplifting, light-on-its-feet chorus actually does make it all the sweeter when we get there, even if the chorus too, eager to please, can't help but add more syllables than fits.

3rd quarter already?!

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

I don't have a clear album front-runner yet. The ones that are in contention don't jump out as great, just "really good."

I am constantly lagging behind on K-pop, but I really like both After School and f(X) albums. (Is f(x) pronounced "Eff ex" ("effects") or is it "Function"?)

So here are a bunch of albums not many people seem to be talking about:

Got a Girl - I Love You but I Have to Drive Off This Cliff Now [proper capitalization of this album is very confusing.]
Cibo Matto - Hotel Valentine
Duck Sauce - Quack
Big Freedia - Just Be Free

Here are ones that lots of people are talking about

Miranda Lambert - Platinum
Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire for No Witness
YG - My Krazy Life

And here are ones that I'm not even sure I like but also seem to be showing up in my Top 10-20:

Lily Allen - Sheezus
Robin Thicke - Paula
Nick Cannon - White People Party Music

Meanwhile, I discover that Stromae's album came out in summer of 2013 and probably shouldn't count toward this year, even though it is great.

My songs/singles list is a total mess.

Re: 3rd quarter already?!

[koganbot]

I could do a list of singles from 2013 that I missed. All December 2013 singles are eligible for my 2014 list anyway, and I'm willing to count a slow riser from earlier if it had significant impact in 2014. I think the only thing on the current list that's from 2013 is "Jingle Bell," which was December 17. But anyway, here are several that would have been on last year's list (and the top one would have likely been Pazz & Jop) had I heard them. I was an especial dumbass for not checking up on Serebro, given how highly I'd ranked them in 2012:

Serebro "Mi Mi Mi"
Tyga ft. Justin Bieber "Wait For A Minute"
Sage The Gemini "Gas Pedal"
Chris Young "Aw Naw"
Davido "Skelewu"
Mapei "Don't Wait"
Banda MS "Hermosa Experienca"
Serebro "Sexy Ass"
Kach "Tension"

And there's PTAF's original "Boss Ass Bitch" from 2012 (which could still be considered 2014 for year of impact, but I'd only have brought it forward like that if I was going to put it in my top ten).

A monkey's butt is art

[koganbot]

I neglected to mention this line (from the pop!gasa translation of "Red"):

My cuteness that makes you wanna bite me is like art

[askbask.livejournal.com]

[koganbot]

Favorite YouTube comment: "This mv shows to us our fathers are working hard nor fired by their company and lifes are hard to live."

The melody sounds familiar. Anyway, I hadn't heard this. Thank you.

[koganbot]

Ah, she did a cover of "What's Wrong With My Age?" which I found fairly ridiculous but somewhat enjoyable; she rather strangely mixed trot with rockabilly/rock 'n' roll rhythms (which isn't unreasonable, given the melody, but for better or worse it came across as a novelty). Her voice is wavery, and I'm not sure what I think of that. I'm more used to LPG's direct vocal attack. But "Cheer Up" is terrific despite the wavers. The melody would make a good theme song for a western, if anyone still made westerns.

[askbask.livejournal.com]

Love Batter was a big hit, she went quiet but has been quite active lately , to me seemingly one of the more famous trot pop stars.

[koganbot]

Seems to me I remember "Love Battery" from when you shared it several years ago. The video is pretty memorable, and the melody is familiar. In any event, a "2014 version" of "Love Battery" is on her new EP, Life Note, which is quite good (also has "2014 versions" of "My Love" and "Boogieman"; and of course it has "Cheer Up").

She seems a lot younger than most trot singers. I wonder if she's the equivalent of Yolanda Perez, a young banda singer from L.A. who hit big about a decade ago, her material seemingly aimed at both young and old.

LPG are relatively young too (in fact the lineup did a complete revamp at the end of last year).

[askbask.livejournal.com]

One of the top 20 popular artists of the year according to Gallup

1. IU (12.9%)
2. Girls' Generation (12.4%)
3. SISTAR (10.8%)
4. EXO (9.4%)
5. Lee Sun Hee (8.4%)
6. Girl's Day (7.9%)
7. Lee Seung Chul (7.8%)
8. Cho Yong Pil (7.2%)
9. B2ST (5.5%)
10. Jang Yoon Jung (5.2%)
11. Ailee (5.1%)
12. A Pink (4.1%)
13. Big Bang (3.8%)
14. Kim Dong Ryul (3.6%)
15. Seo Taiji (3.1%)
16. Kim Bum Soo (3.0%), Sung Si Kyung (3.0%)
18. g.o.d (2.9%)
19. Tae Jin Ah (2.9%)
20. Hong Jin Young (2.6%)

[koganbot]

Interesting how different the Gallup list is from Twitter's:*

In Korea
1. EXO
2. B2ST
3. Infinite
4. Super Junior
5. KARA
6. Block B
7. VIXX
8. Teen Top
9. B1A4
10. Big Bang

Globally
1. EXO
2. Super Junior
3. GOT7
4. SNSD
5. B2ST
6. Infinite
7. 2NE1
8. Big Bang
9. DBSK
10. 2PM

(Notice how dominated by boybands the Twitter list is. And that GOT7 broke bigger internationally than at home [wonder if the Thai member had an impact on that]. And that 2NE1 are bigger internationally than locally too. And that DBSK are still a thing. On Twitter, that is, whose usership is surely not distributed evenly in a number of ways. I've been paying little attention to charts or polls, so had no idea GOT7 had gotten big.)

*Or at least from what someone on Omona The Didn't! says was Twitter's list (they didn't provide a link).

[askbask.livejournal.com]

Interesting, but not too surprising. On twitter or tumblr you'll find the zealous fans, the majority of whom are boy band fans, and are the same fans who make boy bands the dominating force in physical retail.

Curious with Kara in Korea, though.. could some Japan data have contaminated the stats? I just don't see Kara as the hottest girl group topic.

[askbask.livejournal.com]

The more wavery the more traditional