Frank Kogan

From Korea, middling sellers or out-and-out commercial failures that I like a lot. Alphabetical order.

A.Kor "But Go." On the 2NE1 template, being haughty and inviting at once.

Badkiz "Ear Attack." Shouts, whistles, social seriousness, and a squiggle from "Party Rock Anthem." (I wrote about the vid here.)

Choi Sam "Answer." Beat rumbles tectonically; voice dark like rubber that won't go elastic.

Delight "Hate You." Sentiment is evergreen, voices are rough.

GP Basic "Black Bounce." The singers circle relentlessly.

PungDeng-E "잘탕 (잘 시간이 어딨어)." PungDeng-E PungDeng-E Go! PungDeng-E PungDeng-E Go! What others are getting from Lip Service's "Yum Yum Yum" I'm getting from these kids.

Ray.B "살만한가봐." The pang of an '80s New York night, now done better in Seoul than anywhere else.

Scarlet "Hip Song." Also a hiccup song, the vocals jumping and stuttering in rhythm.

Switch "39˚C." Bleary nights, wandering from club to club. [UPDATE: Track seems to be off the Internet, but here are the lyrics.]

Wa$$up "Stupid Liar." Slow, brooding, bruising. This group has depth and variety, if anyone's ever going to notice.

Z.Hera "D Island." Last year her decor was études and preludes. This year she's livin in smoove. Still impressive, still aches.

Zizo ft. Nan Ah Jin "Spy." Guest singer gets the close-up, rapper feints and darts around her.

They're too popular for this list, but I'm currently also digging Hong Jin Young's "Cheer Up" (h/t Mat), Vixx's "Error," BTS's (Bangtan Boys) "BTS Cypher PT.2: Triptych," After School's "Shine" (Japanese), and everything Orange Caramel have laid their hands on this year.

Watch on YouTube

Tracks that stand out as being less like most of the others on this list:

Wa$$up "Wa$$up" and "Jingle Bell": Like a lot of K-pop, this music draws on American hip-hop. But unlike a lot of K-pop this doesn't sound like K-pop, but rather like American jumprope pop.

Tren-D "Candy Boy": Like a lot of K-pop, this music draws on Italodisco. But unlike a lot of K-pop this doesn't sound like K-pop; it sounds like Italodisco.

Qri "Do We Do We," Boram "Maybe Maybe," Lim Kim "All Right": Not that these three are that similar to each other, but each is from an interesting area of smooth, "All Right" more upmarket, "Do We Do We" and "Maybe Maybe" b-side fluff from T-ara's bench warmers.

After School "Heaven": Smoothly sashays atop the nonsmooth.

Stromae "Papaoutai": Belgian Afro-dance (and family drama).

Baauer "Harlem Shake" and Psy "Gentleman": Relentlessly nondevelopmental mindfucks.

Vick Allen "I'm Tired Of Being Grown": Southern soul.

The Civil Wars "The One That Got Away": Dinner-date folkies let loose with tasteful tears.

Within Temptation "Paradise (What About Us?)": Goth metal (if that's what it's called these days).

Tom Keifer "Solid Ground": Hair metal, which isn't considered metal these days, and fuck these days.

Omar Souleyman "Warni Warni": Syrian wedding music on a speed-racer track.

SNSD "I Got A Boy": Shifts forms, won't establish a plot, shoots its self-conscious audaciousness at us with awesome persistence.

Zhanar Dugalova "Kim Ushin?": A Kazakh grabs the rolling happy spirit of "Behind The Groove"–era Teena Marie, successfully disregarding the fact that Teena Marie was a virtuoso and she isn't.

Fidlar "Cheep Beer": Cheap beer.

1. Crayon Pop "Bar Bar Bar"
2. Baauer "Harlem Shake"
3. GLAM "I Like That"
4. will.i.am ft. Britney Spears "Scream & Shout"
5. MBLAQ "Smoky Girl"
6. EvoL "Get Up"
7. Cassie ft. Rick Ross "Numb"
8. Wa$$up "Wa$$up"
9. Tiny-G "Minimanimo"



10. Gaeko & Choiza & Simon D & Primary "난리good!!! (AIR)"
( 2YOON through Kacey Musgraves )
( Psy through Fidlar )
( Girl's Day through T.O.P )
( Ben Pearce through Ray Foxx )

( Flogging a live animal )

The surprisingly fierce battle for Silly Song Of The Year has a new, unexpected leader: Lee Jung Hyun's "V." People who've been following electronic dance music in Korea from the beginning (i.e., no one who reads this blog) know that Wikipedia has its head heading up buttward in saying that in 1999 Lee introduced techno to Korea and to Asia.* Nonetheless, it is fair to say that she is held in esteem as an actress and singer, at least by our trusty Wikipedian. And she is held in esteem by me as well (who first heard of her last week), as she leaves the wobble and the wash behind for a trot two-step with 1940s razzle-dazzle vocals filtered through a helium balloon. Orange Caramel, are you paying attention.**



Here is where she commenced her assignment as ambassador of techno:



( Credible twerks )