The 33 Best Songs of 2014

This year has been a disappointment in music overall. In America, the overhyped machine known as "Frozen" somehow dominated album charts, the radio beat the same songs into our brains with more gusto than in previous years and critics collectively sucked up to Taylor Swift's latest collection of fifth grade level songwriting and heralded it as the best thing ever. Puke. The K-Pop landscape was also barren with most of the girl groups wanting to be sexed up to the nines by their agencies, the boy groups wanting to seem either over emotional or over hardened by the streets, and groups who took major creative risks last year opting to go back to the box set (pun intended). However, it wasn't all bad, with irresistible pop gems, Bossa Nova inspired bops, soul-wrenching midtempos and songs that were all in all fun to jam to.
 Songs in this list were released between 12/20/2013-12/20/2014 or had a parent album released in 2014.

Hyomin's "Nice Body" Is Disappoinment To Say The Least...

With Jiyeon's "Never Ever" being a somewhat interesting song, but overall a strong concept, Hyomin's solo debut was looking to trump hers with the multiple picture teasers, a 19+ M/V and Brave Brothers produced title track.

Jiyeon "Never Ever"

News of two T-ARA solo releases from Hyomin and Jiyeon was a shocker to most. While the group has been slowly regaining their popularity, they still aren't at the tier they were before the bullying scandal in 2012. The third of a slew of K-Pop singles produced by Duble Sidekick and released in succession (G.Na's "Pretty Lingerie" and Hyosung's "Goodnight Kiss") Jiyeon's "Never Ever" could easily be shoved in the bin of K-Pop songs that have been major disappointments this year. Another Brave Brothers/SISTAR ripoff...

T-ARA "What Should I Do?"

T-ARA has been slowly but effectively rebuilding their brand throughout 2013, with their subunit T-ARA N4 giving us one of the better K-Pop songs of the year, an official group comeback (sans Areum and Dani) and even a summer special single. The girls have re-released their  "Again" mini with a new title track "What Should I Do?" and it's a banger! (No Z). The song is a cover of a song released back in the 70s updated for current appeal thanks to the magic touch of frequent collaborator Shinshadong Tiger to make it club ready with subtle dubstep flourishes and that disco inspired sound that many have tried but T-ARA can only pull off. Two versions of the song have been released, a ballad and dance version. I'm loving Eunjung's blonde hair and Qri taking front and center as the star of the M/V, but it would have been better if it was shot on location somewhere. 

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

T-ARA "Bikini" (Feat. Davichi and Skull)

While T-ARA wasn't officially supposed to come back until early next year, Core Contents Media opted them to release a guerrilla single with fellow lablemates Davichi and K-Reggae artist Skull. Rhythmically,"Bikini" sounds like the successor to SISTAR's summer tinged single, "Loving U" (both which were produced by Duble Sidekick, who also did T-ARA N4's "Countryside Life" earlier this year.) The video stars former Gangkiz member Lee Haein and looks like a lot fun, with surfing, large cups of froyo and tearing up pictures of oppas and throwing them into the ocean. It also looks very cheap to tell the truth, but at least they're on a real beach... T-ARA won't be promoting the song, as they are busy with promotions in Hong Kong and Japan.