This year has been filled with ups and downs in this whimsical genre of music, and I'm going to go through my personal favourite songs of 2013... Of course there are conditions to be made for this "prestigious" list.
1. They can't be made for OSTs in Dramas and the like.
I'm not a fan of ballads and if they are slow-moving, sappy and shitty I will annihilate them.
2. Only singles can be counted.
Album filler will also get shat on or praised to high hell, and personally I only really pay attention to lead singles anyway.
3. It has to be from 1st January 2013 to 31st December 2013.
Well this one is a no-brainer, otherwise nothing from 2013 would make the favourite list, I guarantee that.
4. Korean Releases only.
No xenophobia or koreaboo here, this is just so I don't have to come through SNSD's Japanese Discography to find something else I like other than Galaxy Supernova or to shit on B.A.P's releases.
5. Christmas Songs are exempt.
We all know how bad they are... Let's leave that dying horse to die.
With that out the way... Let's get started!
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First I need to make a brief mention to the six contenders to the top of this list... They were admirable efforts and some of them would most definitely make other people's lists. Just not mine.
Contender #1 - "One Way Love" by Hyorin (26th November)
First contender was Hyorin's first ever solo effort, a beautifully smooth track with Hyorin's unique husky vocals lacing the song with a sophisticated yet jazzy feel that separates it from the other club bangers released in this year's plethora of K-Pop entries.
The reason why it didn't make the list for me was because of the standard of the songs that did make the list as well as the fact that even though the rap was amazingly delivered and even arranged into the piece well, it still felt shoehorned in especially when it comes to the refrain that brings it back to the chorus, the problem is if the arrangement was messy to begin with (like your average G Dragon song) then it wouldn't be hat much of an issue, however because the production was so tight, the mistake was a lot more noticeable and it just detracts from the piece in general... It's also very hard for Hyorin to get the timing on that part right when she performs it live.
However I do look forward to more of her solo stuff, it should be very interesting to see what she has planned next!
Contender #2 - "Shadow" by B2ST (18th July)
The next contender is B2ST's newest single, the boys have a very dark motif this time around (as hinted to by the title) and the arrangement is beautiful again, it's very thematic as well as the piano part as well as the synths paint such a scene of mystery and eerieness, as if something is stalking behind like a shadow.
Yoseob and Hyunseung are doing brilliantly in this song, as well as the rapper too! The breakdown is so awesome and the dubstep element isn't intrusive enough to ruin the melody of the composition.
But again the refrain is the main problem and it costs this song it's place in the Top 10, it's so awkwardly placed and gives an off-beat feel that is not appreciated because it throws the listener off.
Oh well, maybe next time.
Contender #3 - "Growl" by EXO (20th August)
SM making EXO finally step outside of their signature "Performance Art" genre. MAMA is a really good song but Wolf isn't, and the genre is so hit-and-miss in general that it often stabs the singers in the foot.
This song is nice and old-school with a very Hip-Hop feel that is reminiscent of some late 90's/early 00's groups and that is a good thing, trust me.
The singers are so on-point it hurts, the rappers are great at what they do to and I'd probably be an Exotic if I wasn't so dedicated to being a SONE... Just saying.
There is one flaw with this great song... Radio effects on voices are cool in moderation but doing it too much is jarring to the nerves and eventually pisses the listener off. Also, what the hell did they do to Lay's voice in the end of the rap part before the refrain (which was masterfully done and complimented brilliantly by Chen's vocal run), he sounded like a Dalek giving a blowjob to a porcupine.
In all honesty, this song would have a place on the top ten as well, but again the songs that are there, really are just too good.
Contender #4 - "False Hope" by Song Jieun (29th September)
Smooth as fuck is all I have to really say about this song. I really can't find many flaws with this song without being nitpicky about it.
Jieun's voice is beautiful as always but it is so perfectly compatible with Spanish Guitar that it is driving me crazy, the English being thrown in at random places is a bit off-putting at first but it works in a thematic sense.
Honestly this song is so underrated (but I'm not really doing it any favours right now am I?) the key change is even beautifully done and I really can't find much fault with this song at all, all I have is praise for it, but of course it still isn't good enough to be in the top 10, I personally think that it needs a bit more in the song for it to be even greater than it already is.
Contender #5 - "A.D.T.O.Y" by 2PM (11th May)
JYP is just on fire this year musically, unfortunately he's just not promoting well enough because in all honesty this song should be miles bigger than it was and should have been released to the states with a decent English version. (Maybe that's pushing it a bit).
Honestly though? This song is a masterpiece and is just perfectly produced and handled... With some exceptions of course.
The falsettos need to go... now.
I can understand the idea behind it, but they are not needed and neither Junho nor Nickhun could get it right anyway.
Junho is the closest to getting it right in 2PM, but even then he needs a heck of a lot more practice to get it right, he goes flat at the end of the note and it still sounds unsupported and breathy. The tone is great though.
JYP needs to learn that his boys can't get the falsetto thugh, Jaebeom couldn't do it and neither could Junsu when they were promoting "I Hate You", just drop it already man and let them sing straight or if you really feel the need to show them off give them some nice riffs or vocal runs to do.
Because of that now I can't put them on the Top 10.
Contender #6 - "Doom Dada" by T.O.P (15th November)
2013 was a good year for YG in terms of success, they promoted well and dominated charts but musically there was nothing amazing in terms of lead singles. G Dragon's album had a lot of great stuff in there and Taeyang did his thing, Daesung was in Japan and Seungri was being Seungri and 2NE1 was just... I don't wanna talk about it here.
T.O.P however was representing for YG with this track, the concept of Dadaism and the various misadventures of Salvador Dali is a very interesting one, it also hopes that T.O.P's flow is dope as fuck in this track, a quick return to his underground days whilst maintaining his current classy image.
I think he's sorta just reminding people that there's a beast underneath the Armani and Gucci he's rocking, good thing too, I almost forgot myself.
However, it still isn't good enough to land a spot in the Top 10.
But now it's time to find out who did...
KARA - Damaged Lady
I guarantee you if KARA made this song in Japanese, then Jieun would be in this spot and I would've made a Top Ten list for K-Pop songs in Japanese with this song pretty high on the list as well as Galaxy Supernova by SNSD (God, I love that song so much!).
However, this is not the case and as a result KARA is on this list in the position it is now.
Everything about this song is amazing from Hara's sensual intro and Seungyeon laying it down with a belt that made me skeet uncontrollably like the vocalfag I am.
Now this song is about equal with Jieun's "False Hope" but what edges KARA for me is the progression, the incorporation of different sounds and finally the guitars are so fucking cool and fit perfectly without intruding.
The range of the instrumentation and just the fact that the girls look so sexy in this MV (and there's more of them too) edges it for me.
However this song has flaws that stop it from ranking higher, mainly being the ending being indecisive as fuck, and that's a big no... Otherwise this song would be Top 3 easily (or maybe not-so-easily, I actually don't know...).
Onto the next one!
IVY - I Dance (ft Yubin)
I'll be honest with you, I am relatively new to K-Pop as 2013 is my first year in K-Pop and I had never heard of IVY before this point, but I'm glad I've heard of her now because this song makes me want to listen to more!
Tango/EDM fusion in K-Pop with a rap from my Wonder Girls member included? Hell to the Fuck Yeah!
The instrumentation is so varied and yet so complimentary to each other and the whole arrangement is so masterfully done that I can't help but love this!
The main problem however is just the placement of the rap is shoehorned in (yet again) but it is forgiveable due to the quality of the rap as well as how good the accompaniment to that rap was.
Another pet-peeve of mine (for this song) was the ending which stops it from ranking any higher, but it's not a complete song-killer for me so it stays in the Top 10.
SISTAR- Give It To Me
Risque title. Check.
Dasom looks presentable. Check.
Good Rap from Bora. Check.
Great Concept and Visuals. Check.
Shin Dongyup. OMEGA CHECK DESU!!!
This song is amazing and I love it to pieces; the husky vocals, the catchy chorus line, the progression... Fucking everything! (It also helps that Shin Dongyup never fails to make me laugh).
Throughout this Top 10 readers should be able to spot a trend, I prefer mature concepts with very nice vocal lines, melodies and intricate compositions. This song ticks all the boxes for me and the great thing about this song is that the rap doesn't have an awkward breakdown nor is the refrain badly timed.
This song is technically sound and produced really well and I want to like it a lot more than I do, but I just can't like it more than the songs that I've placed higher and you'll eventually see why.
VIXX - Hyde
For example, this song... I was obsessed with this nugu group called VIXX for 3 weeks after hearing this song.
The concept, the look, the dance, everything was superb about them!
And this was before I heard the chorus, and to this day I will randomly sing...
"Nappeun saram aninde! Neoreul saranghaneunde!"
It's so addictive and catchy, the dance is simple to do and easy to follow too. This song is beautifully simple and yet amazingly effective, this is how K-Pop should be done!
It also helps that every time I hear "Ravi" come up in this song that I know the next part is gonna be a feast for my eardrums, because Ravi can flow like a beast, then the refrain just dulls the energy for the first time in the song (adding some dynamic) then Leo just makes my imaginary ovaries explode with that fucking high note, goddamn it it's glorious!
This will be one of the few songs on the list that I have no qualms with (songs higher thanhis might have some issues but the other quirks they have more than make up for it), but this song is arguably the most solid on the list and you would be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't enjoy it...
Next song!
Sunmi - 24 Hours
This song is precisely the reason why I stand by my status on the Big 3... SM has the best marketability, YG has the greatest talent and consistent success and JYP are the best at being musically diverse.
SNSD have very similar songs all around, so does SHINee and so does EXO, heck look at DB2K as well!
YG artists have the same musical rut as well and keep being stuck in that same style of music (props to Taeyang for switching it up for once).
JYP Artists don't usually have their songs sound the same every time and that is what is beautiful about their music... (Anyone that tries to tell me that Again & Again and Heartbeat are very similar will get gunned down by a Howitzer).
What I love about this song is that it is again beautifully simple and Sunmi isn't exactly a powerhouse vocal, however the song sells well because of the concept, the gimmick and how well put together it is.
I don't really have much to say about the song with the exception of the transition into the tango break, pure genius and really fucking smooth too, it just sends chills down my spine every time I hear it!
It also helps that Sunmi is fucking sexy in this song as well, the vocals are husky, breathy but clear enough to make an impression and tell the story of her lust I'm assuming.
The chorus is really catchy here too!
Henry - Trap
Henry Lau, otherwise known as the most talented man in SM Entertainment. Motherfucker does it all!
He raps, sings, plays piano and violin, speaks around 5 languages and knows how to get girls with dogs. The best part about him is that he straight up does not give a fuck about living like an idol, he just does his own thing and something tells me that the guy smokes some pot with G Dragon on the sly too.
Best of all is that this guy knows how to write a song (even though he didn't write this one, but his work on 1-4-3 was amazing!).
This song is again another beautifully simple song but the message gets across crystal clear, he's trapped.
The chorus is great and the addition of Taemin and Kyuhyun help the song along really well... It's just so simple and yet so brilliant as well and I just want to applaud the composer as well as give a high five to Henry when I see him, such a good song!
Ailee - U&I
I love this woman to bits and fuck Johnny Noh for trying to ruin her career.
She is seriously amazing as a vocalist, and her discography is no slouch either as this song shows. Of course people in the K-Pop community have complained that it sounds like a rip off of some other song (including her own "I'll Show You") but of course when a song is created within a certain genre with a certain sound in mind, of course it will sound familiar!
With that out the way, I need to get this one small thing off my chest... THERE IS WAY TOO MUCH FUCKING REVERB ON HER VOCALS!!!
Not every single time, but it has happened enough times to almost nearly knock this song lower than this. However the vocal runs just appeal to me so much that I can't help but overlook that in favour of just admiring this song for what it is... A decently produced vocal wank that is glorious.
But in all seriousness, this song is not nearly as showy as some of the other stuff that Ailee has made in her career as an artist and she is a lot more controlled in this song than she is normally.
Overall a really nice song (for me anyway, it may not be everyone's cup of tea).
Girl's Day - Expectation
This song picks up so well near the chorus with a setup that makes you think twice before writing it off as a David Guetta rip off, that chorus is so catchy that you can't help but attempt to sing along even if you don't know a lick of Korean.
But what makes this song for me (other than the concept) is when the rap comes in... Goddamn Yura, that was fucking nice!
Finally, the key change just completes the song for me, and makes it miles better than it would've been if they just kept it the same... it also finally shows that Minah can fucking wail like the best of them!
Great song and bonus point for making Sojin a redhead, that's always appreciated....
Brown Eyed Girls - Kill Bill
I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED THIS WAS FUCKING AWESOME!!!
Everything from Gain being the succubus she is to Miryo being the beast she is at rapping and if I could put up the full video I would, but the re-enactment of the Kill Bill scenes are both cute and badass at the same time... wanna know how that works? Look no further.
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| Give me some fucking candy or I'll rip your throat out! |
Lee Hyori - Bad Girls
It also helps that she is incredibly hot as well and mentors one of my favourite groups, SPICA... However, there is no bias involved in making this song the undisputed best K-Pop song in 2013.
This song follows the motif of a successful pop song; simple yet effective, catchy chorus, good concept and magnifies each and every aspect by a thousand!
Now Hyori is not the best singer, nor dancer, nor rapper, nor does she have any aspect that any of the other artists lack (except perhaps being 30-something and yet being able to make my mouth water... Also part of the reason why Brown Eyed Girls ranked so high), but what sets her and this song apart from the rest of the competition is the message.
Feminism and non-conformity is rampant in this video and the message is so different to every other concept as well as just how great this song is, it's like Hyde in the sense that it really could be enjoyed by anyone.
Such a simple song but so powerful and brilliant at the same time is a reminder that music can be amazing once done right... Instead of some of the shit I've seen in K-Pop which will be explained in the sister article to this one, which is based on the worst K-Pop songs of 2013.
Anyway, congrats to Lee Hyori for 2013, and keep up the good work for 2014!
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