VIXX Made A Song With Some K-Indie Version of Tegan and Sara...

I've become a major fanboy of VIXX ever since this summer when their monster single "G.R.8.U" took over my playlist along with f(x)'s "Airplane" and Lady Gaga's "Applause". Being as behind as I am on K-Pop releases because of school (DAMN YOU!!!), I was unaware of the fact that the boys knows as Hongbin, Leo, Hyuk, Ravi, N and Ken released a song "Girls Why?" for a compilation album. "Girls" is similar "G.R.8.U" except that it is more orchestral, with the inclusion of violin strings and a female indie duo known as OKDAL. I'm guessing the duo (who I have never heard of ever) are either too obsure for my taste or they are brand new and haven't released any material yet, which they should ASAP.
While the boys are looking utterly cute (especially Ken) acting all lovestruck, OKDAL are sitting around looking unbothered, serving some Rihanna at the VMAs realness througout the video, just like I would expect two K-indie chicks to be! #girlpower

Trouble Maker Have a "We Found Love" Moment With "Now"

Trouble Maker was a winning formula for Cube Entertainment, enlisting Beast's lead vocalist Hyun-seung and 4Minute's diva HyunA. The duo is finally back after promotions with their respective groups. "Now" begins like a slow burning neo-noir jazz number sprinkled with stuttering before drums come in. The production is a bit anti-climatic as there is no major rises or falls and lacks the vocal conviction and chemistry that made the duo's first self-titled single such a bop! However, the song isn't bad because of these things, it's just a bit on the average side. Now let's talk about this video. It looks amazingly amazing and big budget. Not K-Pop big budget, like American music video big budget. They are getting a lot of flack for this, but I say it's better than doing some cheap recycle-a-set music video! There are many shots in the video that share similarities with Rihanna's "We Found Love" visuals, notably the shots of them making out in the car in the middle of a field, the shotty conditions in which HyunA and Hyun-seung live and the sprinker scene. I would do a .gif by .gif comparison of the two, but I'm too lazy to do that so just watch both videos and spot the similarities for yourself. Also, I hope that when they do promotions for the song that they make the choreography as electric as they do in the video. Not here for half-assed choreo onstage...

Oliver Tank "Different Speed" (feat. Ta-Ku)

I haven't heard much from Aussie producer Oliver Tank since I included him in my Best of 2011 list with "Last Night I Heard Everything In Slow Motion" (before I redid my blog), the song that was also at the forefront of an equal marriage campaign down under. He was just on tour with Lorde and is prepping to release his second EP, "Slow Motion Music" in November. "Different Speed," the first single from the EP, features additional production from another Aussie producer Ta-Ku, so it's just as chilled and relaxed as you would expect, with distorted guitar, samples of ticking clocks and synths peaking out here and there.

U-KISS "She's Mine"

KISSMEs rejoice! Your boy band U-KISS is finally back with a brand new mini and title track! Instead of some upbeat midtempo or sappy K-ballad, U-KISS serve up some R&B realness with some electronic bleeps and understated dubstep wobbles thanks to the producers known as Brave Brothers and kinda sorta copy MBLAQ's "Smoky Girl" and Infinite H's "Without You" M/V motif.

Graded Song:Gray "Dangerous" (feat. Jay Park)

My ultimate male K-Pop bias Jay Park has been doing some big things this year. He joined SNL Korea, has been touring the world, released two singles (and hopefully the parent album will be dropping within the next two months) and has started his own music label, AOMG. The first artist to come from the label is hip-hop artist Gray, who is already known for producing for Zion T., Swings, and Infinite H. His debut single, "Dangerous" features his label head.How does it stack up?
For a debut, which is usually a overdone affair, Gray comes out and lays it on smooth for us. His flow is a cross between American rapper Tyga and Drake's sappy sing-song spiel that somehow appeals to the masses, which works for him. The production is more R&B-driven with some handclaps and heavy synthwork underneath to make it work as a hip-hop song. Jay Park comes in and kinda steals the show, even though he's supposed to be the featured artist in all this. It's definitely an infectious jam and makes me interested in more of his work.
Final Grade:C+

James Arthur "New Tattoo"

With his debut single "You're Nobody til Someone Loves You" (I don't include winner's singles on The X-Factor as their debut singles) set to hit the charts at #2 this week, James Arthur is already off to a good start for his album campaign. I guess to keep anticipation high, he has released an acoustic version of a song called "New Tattoo" (how fitting). The song describes a girl that he likens to a brand new stamp of ink that he doesn't want to remove. Arthur sounds great and I'm sure I will be slayed by the studio version once the album drops November 4th. Take a listen below.

Lady Gaga "Swine"

While everyone is still reveling in the newly-released R.Kelly collab "Do What You Want," another one of Lady Gaga's ARTPOP tracks have leaked in demo form. "Swine," the sexually charged EDM banger producer by Zedd was one of the standouts when she did her set at the iTunes Festival and in studio form it doesn't disappoint. Although many people are saying this is fake, I don't see how. The voice on the track sounds like Gaga, the production is clearly reminiscent of the German producer, but the track is longer than the four minute time listed on the album, so I[m thinking it's an extended mix. Still, enjoy!

Park Ji Yoon "Mr. Lee" (feat. San E)

I'm not too familiar with singer Park Ji Yoon, but apparently she is one of more well-known soloist with an acting background. Usually, K-Pop stars don't have a usually long shelf life on the charts, but when you make great music, that seems to transcend the mould (see Produced by Primary (Brown Eyed Girls, Zion T), "Mr. Lee" is a smooth R&B/jazz/soul number mixed with turntable scratches and some understated breakbeat. K-Rapper San E inserts a very poppy rap part that fits well with Ji Yoon's soft vocal work. I can't believe that this piece of amazing ear candy came from a former JYP artist. It's extremely infectious and follows the throwback trend that has been sweeping the music scene.

Monsieur Adi "What's Going On?" Music Video

Monsieur Adi's "What's Going On" video premiered back in the beginning of the month, but since I am human, I missed it! The Soul II Soul sampling soon to be #1 European smash has all the elements of a fierce 90s inspired video: featured artist A*M*E looking diva-fied in two outfits: a all black number and a bejeweled flesh coloured ensemble, in addtion to writhing glow in the dark dancers in leotards. We even get glimpses of the song's producers in a couple of scenes.

The Fray "Love Don't Die"

The Fray are back? After the flop that was their third studio album "Scars and Stories" back in 2011 (though "Heartbeat" and "Munich" were underrated jams), the former alt-rock darlings have seemed to rip off the handclap pop-rock hymnal that is OneRepublic's "Counting Stars" for the first single, "Love Don't Die." The song will be released to released to digital retailers October 21st. Are you feeling the band's brand new sound?

Disclosure "Help Me Lose My Mind" Music Video

A video for UK house duo Disclosure's standout "Settle" track "Help Me Lose My Mind" has been released. The song acts as the fifth single of their successful debut and will more than likely garner them another hit. The duo's label PMR initially removed the video for its portrayal of drug use with minors, which I don't get since the UK airs shows like Skins and when I watched the video, it was only implied that the kids were hopped up on something rather than actually showing the drugs. Anyway, Chinese site Yoku had the video on hand so you can watch it below!

Rebecca Ferguson "I Hope"

Soul singer Rebecca Ferguson is back in a big way! The 2010 UK X-Factor runner-up is prepping to release her 2nd studio effort in December and the first single premiered on radio earlier today. She told us that we would get dancier material this time around, which she could pull off but the last time we got dance-oriented from big soul singers they wound up flopping with the subsequent album (e.g Alexandra Burke, Leona Lewis). Gladly, Rebecca serves up a stomping mid-tempo piece of work with "I Hope." It reminds me of another big British singer's breakout hit: Adele's "Rolling In The Deep." It has all the makings of a #1 single and hopefully she'll get it. Rebecca's album sales are amazing (2x platinum with her debut) but her singles, not so much.

Graded Song:SHINee "Everybody"

SHINee is on their fourth comeback this year (third official since there was little promo with their re-release of The Misconceptions of Us album). I'm not sure what SM is thinking overworking the guys like this when they have already did so much and EXO is earning them tons of money from their stuff. Still, I was really disappointed with "Why So Serious?" that I listened once or twice and wrote it off. So does "Everybody" do it for me? It has a lot more character than the travesty that was "Why So Serious?" but misses the mark of infectiousness that made "Dream Girl" such an earworm. The chorus seems underdeveloped as all they sing is "Everybody" and a like one other line. Taemin is back to sounding great singing, Minho isn't delegated to a rap and Jonghyun is hitting dem high notes like a pro (like always). The biggest thing is the Key and Onew not having much of a presence on the track. I didn't really remember them at all to be honest.
Final Grade:B
The music video is another set video by SM. The beginning is nightmare inducing, with the Oompa Loompas with masks, the scorpion and skulls, but the rest of the video makes up for that. The dancing is literally what elevates the song from good to really good and I think it's my second favourite K-Pop dance of the year, especially the turntable part during the brostep breakdown and Minho's toy dance.

Graded Song: T-ARA "Number 9"

I will not rehash the T-ARA scandal for this review sorry. T-ARA N4 dished out one of the best K-Pop songs of the year(and arguably one of the best overall) with their netizen bashing twerk anthem "Countryside Life." After Areum decided to depart and the decision for trainee member Dani to debut as a solo act, T-ARA became a six member group again and was planning a 2014 comeback. Then all of a sudden, CCM bumps it up to October and dishes out some teasers a very timely manner, just egging us poor fans on. Now the time has come...is "Number 9" the comeback that Britney Spears' "Work Bitch" failed to be?

...I don't think I have been slayed by anything that hard this year in K-Pop. I was highly disappointed last year with Sexy Love because I thought it was rushed and underdeveloped, but this is like Sexy Love 2.0 meets the disco of "Lovey Dovey", which of course makes it a coma-inducing concoction of ear candy. Eujung had so many lines! Eunjung had so many lines!!! And Soyeon (Soyeon of all people!!!) gave me life this time around with her flaw-free chorus and voguing. I'm still in shock at the moment, but hopefully SHINee and AOA's comebacks will snap me out of it.
Final Grade:A

Stream Eliza Doolittle's "In Your Hands"

You can now stream UK singer-songwriter Eliza Doolittle's second studio effort "In Your Hands" a few days before it's October 14th release date. The album includes the singles, "Let It Rain" and "Big When I was Little" and the promotional track "Waste of Time." Click here!

Lady Gaga "Aura" Lyric Video

In conjunction with the release of "Machete Kills," Lady Gaga has released a lyric video for her song "Aura," which includes scenes from the movie (which she has a small part in). During the verses, I didn't get the same feeling as when I was listening to the leaked demo version and watching her iTunes festival performance. It seemed a bit restrained. I would have also liked the dialogue and sound effects from the movie to be put on mute so I could have enjoyed the song rather than hear Charlie Sheen and Mel Gibson talking.

Alyssa Reid "Satisfaction Guaranteed"

I'm always a few weeks behind when catchy pop ditties drop. This one comes courtesy of Canada's Alyssa Reid, best known for her re-working of Heart's hit "Alone". "Satisfaction Guaranteed" isn't an actual single, but a promo one to tide people over until the release of her second studio album due in the near future. Tell Wax and AATW to get to promoting! "Alone Again" was a hit in the UK and I'm sure with some BBC exposure, this would chart decently too! It bangs and it's a lot better than anything on Miley's #tryharderz album.

IU "The Red Shoes" Music Video

I wrote off IU because of netizens comparisons to Taylor Swift (who I despise greatly for many reasons), but after hearing "You and I" a couple of times this past winter break, I decided to give her the old college try when she made her comeback this month...and I'm glad I did. "The Red Shoes" serves as the title track to the idol's new album "Modern Times," which sees her make a major shift in her cute girl next door image to a more mature (not sexy mature, but poised Ga-In without the pole dancing and masturbation mature). The big band number is a lot different from her previous material, but not too much to alienate her massive uncle fanbase The music video borrows the whimsical theatrics that were used for the "You and I" video, with IU coming oi. It reminds me of the musical number from "Anastasia"when when they all go to Paris.

Pitbull "Timber" (feat. Ke$ha)

I was over Pitbull during his last album cycle, which included the fauxstep mess that was "Back In Time" and the collaboration featuring serial oversinger Christina Aguilera. Pit's latest generic dance single "Timber" features Ke$ha, who Mr.305 has been on tour with and collaborated on the "Crazy Kids" remix. It takes a note from Avicii's use of honky tonk in his EDM smash, "Wake Me Up" and uses a very prevalent harmonica instrumental. As reyclced as this is, I really like this, the first Pitbull song I liked since "Give Me Everything." To be honest, I'm only here so hopefully this will get Ke$ha a much needed career boost so we can finally get "Thinking of You" as a single and a decent chart position.

Homework: What Does Nicole's Departure From KARA Mean?

Some major news has hit the Hallyu world today: It was annonced that Nicole, member one one of the most popular idol group's KARA, was not renewing her contract with DSP and will no longer be a member, starting this January. This comes as a major shock to probably everyone on the outside looking in at DSP, when we all under the impression that the groups contract negotiations were going well and that we would get another mini sooner than later. I literally just got into KARA when "Pandora" was released back in August of last year. I was mesmerized by the amount of fierceness that her and Seungyeon were able to convey without overshadowing one another. Their "Damaged Lady" single has been doing wonders in my library as well, especially since English-language music releases have finally kicked into high gear. The winner for me though was when I went back to 2011 and saw the video for "Step" (note 2:07 where Nicole is slaying all your basic faves by hopping and pointing) Being the optimist that I am, I'm hoping between now and the end of this year, Nicole will reconsider and continue on (which is reaching something serious) but there are also positives that can come with this decision:
1.We may get a solo career from her in the near future-I could see Nicole coming back and doing a Sunmi and releasing a killer with the times K-Pop tune complete with good choreography and oodles of confidence. I mean, her one off song "Lost" is quite the tune. She also gives me the Ayumi Hamasaki vibe, so she could work that angle in Japan if she wanted.
2.She may do more dramas/variety shows-A lot of people who mention Nicole mention her time on the now defunct TV show "Star Golden Bell." If she leaves DSP and decides to sign elsewhere, I'm pretty sure dramas and variety shows would be lining up to have her host/be a major star.
3.It gives a chance for KARA to re-tool their image-KARA would still have Hara, Seungyeon, and Gyuri (other member Jiyoung is also considering leaving to continue her studies). KARA could drop Sweetune, (who should exclusively produce for Infinite and Nine Muses tbh) pick up a producer like Rphabet or Duble Sidekick, and continue on as a more mature trio, filling a niche that is missing in K-Pop at the moment. KARA doesn't have to end just because Nicole is gone.

Either way, it's still sad to see one of K-Pop's most beloved idols leaving. I hope we at least get a goodbye group single, just so I can see KARA get that all-kill...

Britney Spears "Work Bitch" Music Video

It took a while for the will.i.am leftover that should have been album filler at best, "Work Bitch" to grow on me, but now I finally have the urge to have a hot body, look hawt in a buhkini and to party in France. To be honest, I was expecting another "Hold It Against Me" like video, where Brit-Brit was stationary and soulless and surprisingly, "Work Bitch" was not that. Miss Spears was looking confident, fierce and pretty much on point. I thought the S&M scenes were too similar to Christina Aguilera's "Not Myself Tonight" and was a bit forced. Also, the aesthetic from the video was kind of like Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" and Beyonce's "Run The World (Girls)". I'm hoping for a director's cut where we see more dancing from her and less chop and paste.

Katy B "5 AM" Music Video

The music video for Katy B's second 90s throwback single "5 AM" was released Monday. In it, the ginger-haired diva attends a dark and eerie masquerade party, where the dancing is shotty and Katy isn't amused. While it doesn't beat the "Fast and The Furious" themed visuals for "What Love Is Made Of," it's still effective enough. Hoping that this breaks the top ten and puts Katy's album promo back on the right track.