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demonlullaby · 3 years

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A comprehensive review of my favourite k-pop releases of the first half of 2021:

January

(G)I-DLE – I burn

Title track: HWAA

Despite being released earlier in the year, I burn is still absolutely one of the most memorable albums of 2021 for me. I’ve followed (G)I-DLE since debut, but it was after Queendom and Lion era (and then Oh my god not long after) that I think they began to show their true potential, and this release is nothing short of a masterpiece. HWAA is the single I wasn’t expecting but I needed: everything from the icy but charged atmosphere, the haunting percussive vocals, Soyeon’s rap verse splitting the song in two, the simple but extremely effective choreography… It worked so well for me, and definitely made me fall even more in love with the group, and especially Minnie’s stunning vocals.

The rest of the album isn’t just a no skip – all the songs are genuinely so good and well thought out. Some are mellow and melancholic, and my personal favourites are definitely Moon (mainly because of Minnie’s vocals – I seriously need a solo album from her – but also Yuqi’s strong pre-chorus, slightly reminiscent of Senorita era). However Dahlia definitely takes the place as my favourite song on the album. Something about it is so sentimental, yet gives a feeling of strength and resilience. Minnie and Yuqi really left an impression through the whole album, and as always I can only applaud Soyeon’s immense talent in producing and songwriting; she’s really the backbone of (G)I-DLE.

Dreamcatcher – Dystopia: Road to Utopia

Title track: Odd Eye

Dreamcatcher delivers every single time and with Odd Eye once again they did not miss the mark. The song has everything I wanted: the trademark Dreamcatcher rock sound, beautiful vocals (Siyeon’s adlibs, anyone?), Dami’s unique rap verses and, of course, absolutely mind-blowing choreography. Dreamcatcher are truly insane to watch on stage, and I do think they all deserve more credit on all aspects – discography but also vocals, dancing and performing. SuA is my favourite female k-pop dancer, so you bet I have watched every single fancam of hers that is out there. It’s also incredible how everyone in the group is very strong in not just one area – main dancers can sing like main vocalists and vice versa. The album was, as expected, gorgeous. I feel like all b-sides deserve to be talked about because I loved every single one so much. Wind Blows has one of the most beautiful pre-choruses in their discography (also, if I didn’t mention it already, I was absolutely over the moon about having Handong back) and the hook is literally meant to bang your head to it. I LIVE. Poison Love is yet another example of how Dreamcatcher excel in whatever genre they decide to try; while their title tracks usually borrow a lot from rock music, their b-sides explore more synth pop, r&b and house or trap styles. Overall an extremely solid comeback, and I expected nothing else from them. They’re truly a different league.

Hyuna – I’m not cool

This was HYSTERICAL. This release was purely Hyuna in her truest, strange and always charismatic form: from the odd progression of the song to the extremely over the top aesthetic and wardrobe. I was obsessed from the start and still am. I cannot express how happy I am to see her thrive and back to making music she loves. Flower shower was kind of a letdown for me, but oh did this mini album make up for it. I wasn’t expecting such a difficult choreography from her, but Hyuna knows how to own a stage, and it really shows what a pro she is because she is always able to fill the whole place with or without back-up dancers. I feel like I’m not cool was more about telling a message – Hyuna’s flourishing and colorful identity – than it was about vocals or rap, and I really liked that. I also enjoyed the rest of the mini, although I think I’m in the minority who still prefers I’m not cool over Good girl.

Cherry Bullet – Cherry Rush

Title track: Love so sweet

This is going to be a quick, but well-deserved mention. I still don’t know too much about Cherry Bullet besides their previous title tracks, but Love so sweet was truly a breath of fresh air and one of my most replayed songs of the year. I think all cute concepts lovers are extremely grateful to them for this release, and they executed it perfectly from concept to performance.

February

Kang Daniel – Paranoia

Hearing this song for the first time was like getting a punch to the gut, and honestly I feel like I still haven’t entirely recovered. Before Paranoia I listened to Daniel pretty casually, knew some of his songs but not all of them, but this song sunk its claws in me and literally dragged me into the fandom so hey, I guess now I stan? Everything about it ticked every box. The music video was spectacular, and the song itself has an extremely haunting and dark feeling, also paired with truly gorgeous lyrics. I feel like it was a brave and personal release. It was different and raw and I could feel the deep and true emotion behind it, and relate to it as well. Still one of my absolute favourite songs of the year.

SHINee – Don’t Call Me

For some reason it feels like it’s simultaneously been ages since this release and yet also like it just dropped this morning. Just SHINee things, I guess? I was excited beyond belief to get a new full SHINee album after the boys’ much awaited return from the military, for reasons that go from musical to pure and simple affection. It was so good to see them come together again, perform on stage, talk about their music and style backstage. I think all SHAWOLs needed it – I definitely did. I know a lot of people weren’t very into DCM, but to be honest I loved it at first listen. I think SM delivered a beautiful and whimsical music video that went perfectly with SHINee’s trademark uniqueness. They’ve always been known to stray away from trends, try new and sometimes odd styles, and this is exactly what they did this time as well. Even though it was a very different track from their previous ones, it still had an unmistakable SHINee flavour to me. I was also obsessed with all of Key’s verses in the song for MONTHS. I feel like the album as a whole could have been a little more, as some tracks were played safe, but I do have to mention queen Body Rhythm, which is the sultry but classy SHINee style in a perfect 3.12 minutes of a song.

Sunmi – TAIL

OH MY GOD. I was so unbelievably excited for this release and Miss Sunmi did not disappoint. She is and probably will always be my favourite female soloist in k-pop, but even though I enjoyed both pporappippam and Lalalay a lot, I felt like something was still missing there. I believe Sunmi needed some time, after leaving JYP, to find herself and her sound again, and to me that’s exactly what she did with Tail. She has her own brand of sexy, which somehow manages to be both subtle and very in your face. I loved the storyline of the song and music video, and Sunmi’s voice is just perfect for such a sensual and mysterious concept. The choreography was also not simply complex but also extremely clever, and a true example on how to use back-up dancers to an artist’s advantage. Rather than overshadowing Sunmi, which often happens with some soloists out of sheer number, they made her shine even brighter. A special mention here goes to the stylists: they kept the theme for every stage but somehow never made it boring. And overall, it’s Sunmi’s incredible stage presence that makes her songs really come to life on stage.

DEBUT

PIXY – Wings

This debut took me completely by surprise and had me OBSESSED. I replayed the song continuously for a whole week, watched the music video several times (which I usually don’t do) and oh my, that choreography. Wings is probably in my top 10 gg choreographies now, especially including the extremely haunting intro they performed on some stages. Overall I think it was a brave and interesting choice to go for a horror concept straight from debut, and I saw a lot of potential in the girls, especially as dancers and overall performers. While I didn’t personally like their next release, I’m still definitely keeping an eye on them because of this phenomenal debut.

March

WOODZ – SET

Title track: Feel Like

I fell for Woodz hard and fast. This song has that delicious dirty r&b sound that tickles me in all the right places, mixed with some more urban influences, and I feel like sultry soul is where Woodz truly excels. I had been keeping an eye on him because I had really enjoyed Love me harder, but I didn’t know if he was going to go in a more mainstream direction after that… and he did the complete opposite. He gave slow sensual vocals, an instrumental from the GODS, a beautiful retro and almost Wild West vibe and the wardrobe was on point. The other two songs in the mini were honestly just as good, moving in the direction of an even more contemporary r&b with a gorgeous taste of synthwave and dreamwave in Rebound.

DEBUT

Purple Kiss – INTO VIOLET

Title track: Ponzona

10/10 best debut of the year and I’m not accepting other opinions. I had high expectations for Mamamoo’s juniors and they SURPASSED THEM. Purple Kiss came out with a dark and mysterious concept and a song to match, and I feel like the group is extremely balanced, which is rare to see: vocals, rap and dance all have one or more members who absolutely excel in that skill, and it makes their performances beautiful and very professional, despite just being rookies. Like all 4th generation groups there is a definite focus on performance but, for once, I felt like this time the vocals didn’t have to take the backseat for the performance to shine, and I really appreciated it. I am especially interested in seeing how Swan will develop as a vocalist, since she’s so young but already so extremely talented; I am in love with how unique her vocal tone is. The title track stole the show from the rest of the album, which was also very good but could not compete with how incredible Ponzona was. Regardless, I feel like Purple Kiss immediately established their place in the industry with their debut, and I can’t wait to see more.

Baekhyun – Bambi

Ah, what a bittersweet goodbye. And yet what an absolutely flawless one at that. Baekhyun has been my favourite k-pop male vocalist probably since the first time I heard him sing, so yeah, it’s hard to think we won’t get any more new music from him for almost two years. Bambi was, after the incredible and well-deserved success of his previous releases, a gorgeous, sleek and mature level up into pure artistry. The instrumental is stripped down to the essential and yet for that very reason it hits much harder, and the song can’t help but follow Baekhyun’s voice wherever he wishes to take it. I loved hearing him showcase both his incredible upper AND lower register, and he probably had my favourite music video of the year – minimalistic, elegant, sexy. It made me think I would really like to see a collaboration between Baekhyun and Woodz someday in the future… anyone else? I also loved the album as a whole. Something I’ve noticed with Baekhyun is that every time, even delivering amazing title tracks, the rest of the album is always still just as beautiful. Maybe I’m just too in love with the man’s voice, but to me every single track on the album was memorable and beautiful in a way that felt a lot like longing.

April

ENHYPEN – Border: Carnival

Title track: Drunk-dazed

The day this album came out, ALL I DID was listen to it over and over. The sound in all of the songs follows a very interesting and coherent story progression, and besides visuals and choreography, the music was the most fascinating part of this release for me. From the intro it felt extremely atmospheric, which was helped by the narration, and the transition into the title track was seamless. I love that ENHYPEN have a very clear and unique concept and are going against the trend that we’re seeing from most 4th generation boy groups. Drunk-dazed was a continuation to Given-taken in storyline and music, but also an upgrade, and everyone has improved so much and so quickly it genuinely left me shocked. I was especially impressed by how much more refined and controlled Jake and Sunghoon’s vocals now sound, and delighted to see that not only Niki had more lines but they even gave him a small dance break. He’s always the highlight of ENHYPEN performances for me, and I do really believe he’s going to become one of the most legendary dancers in all of k-pop. The music video was my favourite of the year in a tie with Baekhyun’s Bambi: the cinematography was sleek and movie-like, Sunghoon’s acting beautiful and never overdone, and the imagery both haunting and gorgeous, mixing cold marble and blood in a way that reminded me a bit of the music video for BS&T. The album as a whole was also one of the most memorable releases of the year. Fever allowed ENHYPEN to perform a more sensual concept, still in a youthful way that felt appropriate for them, and all the choreography was beautifully intricate. I feel like it’s a general consensus that Heeseung shone the most in Fever performances; he always gives 1000% on stage and it’s genuinely captivating to watch. While Not For Sale is not my favourite sound for them and just in general, it’s still a fun song and makes it so that, while keeping stylistic coherence, the mini appeals to a very broad audience. Mixed Up became my new n.1 ENHYPEN b-side at first listen: something about it is so passionate and determined, and gives off the same exact vibe I get from the boys’ performances: youth, hard work, fierceness.

BIBI – Life Is a Bi…

Title track: BAD SAD AND MAD

SHE BROKE ME. This album made BIBI shoot up in my list of best soloists and she landed somewhere in my very sacred top five. She has an indie and r&b vibe paired with class and extreme relatability, and I could seriously listen to her sing forever; her tone is new and unexpected, not only in sound but also in storytelling. The songs on the album felt honest, raw, truthful. Unfiltered. Umm life, the first song on the album, is also probably my favourite. It hit me in a very personal way, and I feel like I’m not the only one who saw herself in the lyrics and overall feeling of it. With this album BIBI touched on a lot of difficult and often taboo topics, and the music video for the single (literally… BDSM) was both visually tongue in cheek and, lyrics wise, sad, poetic and rich with complex imagery. I loved seeing BIBI perform on stage and I watched all of her interviews too. There is something about her absolutely unbothered attitude on and off stage that fascinates me, and the way she performs shows how deeply she really feels her music. She put out an incredible album with tracks that were all thought provoking and well-thought out.

ITZY – GUESS WHO

Title track: In the morning

Okay, look. I know everyone is out there saying the lyrics were cringy or the sound didn’t fit ITZY or whatever else, but ITM and Sorry not sorry are still some of my most played k-pop tracks of the year so, say what you like but DAMN ARE ITZY’S SONGS CATCHY. To be quite honest I didn’t know what to expect after the disappointment that was for me Not Shy, but In the Morning not only delivered, it went beyond expectations in a way I couldn’t have imagined. ITZY managed to showcase all of their strengths and also their infectious charm and energy. Every performance was new and entertaining to watch; I love Lia’s vocals, Ryujin is the real definition of center and I was also captivated by Yuna’s energy and bubbliness, but also her professionalism at such a young age. Yeji stood out the most to me and proved that, at least in my opinion, she’s without a doubt the ace of ITZY in dance, vocals, rap and more. I wish JYP would give more spotlight to Chaereyeong’s dancing, however, as I feel she hasn’t been able to fully showcase her abilities yet. The choreography was extremely strong as usual and, unlike previously, I was finally able to enjoy some of ITZY’s b-sides, particularly Sorry not sorry, KIDDING ME and SHOOT!,all of which I loved. What ITZY ultimately brings to the table is an energy that’s impossible to resist and that I think no one else in 4th generation possesses.

May

Oh my girl – Dear OHMYGIRL

Title track: Dun Dun Dance

Someone get this song out of my head, please. Seriously. This release grabbed me and catapulted me in the world of Oh my girl and hey, I’m not complaining. I was desperately waiting for a fun, summery release that did not feel like it was a rehashed version of a 2020 song, and this was IT. The song came with a very tasteful, light and romantic album which contains some of my new favourite gg b-sides, like Who comes who knows or Swan. The performances were impossible to stop watching; the girls took a concept that is known to work and has been done so many times and still managed to give it a fresh and personal feel, and I loved all of it. The choreography fit so well with the song and the group’s image, and something I particularly loved was the styling (give me all the crochet tops please) and just overall how much fun it looked like they were having on stage. Thank you Oh My Girl for officially starting the summer of 2021!

SOLO DEBUT

YUQI – A Page

Title track: Bonnie&Clyde

I can’t stress just HOW ANGRY I still am that this wasn’t promoted in Korea and was barely performed even in China. Is Bonnie&Clyde the best song of 2021? Most likely. So someone explain to me why CUBE acted like Yuqi’s solo debut wasn’t the huge deal that it was (kind of like they’re doing with Soyeon now, to be honest). I frankly do not get their decision to not capitalize on it more, because they could have made a fortune with proper promotions but, moving on. TWO SONGS AND MY ENTIRE YEAR WAS MADE, MISS YUQI DID. THAT. I don’t sing, and I learned the lyrics to both songs. I’ve never played the piano before in my life, but you can bet your ass I spent 48 hours watching tutorials and now know how to flawlessly play Bonnie&Clyde on the keyboard. Yuqi has one of the most gorgeous voices in k-pop and just pop in general, and the potential all (G)I-DLE members have is INSANE. Her concept was strong, empowering and with hints of pain and, mostly, survival and resilience. I didn’t feel a choreography was necessary and I still think it’s pretty ridiculous how some people are so mad that Bonnie&Clyde, a song made to highlight Yuqi’s vocals, had a very simple dance performance. I cannot wait for the day we get a full album from Yuqi and we can see her perform on music shows.

Taemin – ADVICE

Genuinely, I do not want to talk about this album AT ALL. I have very complicated feelings about Taemin enlisting, what his artistry has meant to me through the years and the hell this man’s voice has got me through, and I still feel almost uneasy listening to this album. Restless. Advice was a risk for Taemin. He took a step away from his style both musically and in choreography, and it felt new and a little disconcerting, but deep down still extremely Taemin. It’s undeniable that Taemin includes in his art a strong element of, to put it simply, genderfuck; he represents both genders at once and also neither (I am in full support of recognizing “Taemin” as a new official gender identity :D) While the Move-Criminal-IDEA triad is still unshakable and probably impossible to top, Advice was something that, as a long-time fan, I needed. The album was as beautiful as I’ve come to expect from all of his releases (I believe I called Strings “slow, passionate sex” and I stand by that statement) and I have too many feelings I don’t quite want to figure out whenever SAD KIDS plays. As always, SHINee and Taemin’s music is more than just music or performance to me, and the reasons are many and complicated. All I really know is that Taemin’s voice manages to shake something very deep within my soul (throwback to when I first listened to IDEA and started full-on sobbing) and I am grateful to him for being the incredible artist he is.

EVERGLOW – Last Melody

Title track: FIRST

My girls!!! I am so proud!!! I feel like no one is giving EVERGLOW nearly enough credit for the growth they’ve done both as a group and as individuals. They started with BBC as an interesting but still somewhat lacking group, full of potential; having supported them since the very first day, I feel nothing but extreme pride as I watch their FIRST stages. They all look more confident and every single one of the girls absolutely owns the stage. I feel like finally Onda’s dancing was properly showcased (and I may have watched one too many fancams of hers because ?? Have you seen those shoulders??? *fans self*) and both Mia and Sihyeon’s vocals shone beautifully. They have grown up and become incredible performers, not just capable but extremely strong. In my opinion EVERGLOW have the most intricate and exhausting choreography amongst all girl groups as of right now, and this comeback they’ve shown they really are able to stand out in the midst of the industry oversaturation that is 4th gen. My only – but very real – complaint is: who the hell is writing their b-sides and why do they always sound so mediocre? I want to have a talk with the producer who thinks it’s ok to make C- songs just because they also delivered an A+ single. Also, EVERGLOW full album when?

TXT – The Chaos Chapter: FREEZE

Title track: 0X1=LOVESONG

HELLO??? WHAT WAS THIS?????!!!???????

Look, I didn’t even listen to TXT much before this; I just casually knew their title tracks and nothing more. Then they come back with emotional rock music, absolutely insane choreography and flawless live vocals??? OK GO OFF I GUESS????? (Can you tell I’m still in shock and absolutely not over it? You probably can)

This was most definitely the release that surprised me the most; I listened to the title track when it came out just to quickly check it out, to see if it was catchy and if I wanted to add it to my playlist, and then proceeded to listen to it about 50 more times before I moved to the rest of the album, and did the same with every other song (special mention to Dear Sputnik and Frost for literally being the best k-pop b-sides in history). I learned the dance down to every detail, marveled at Taehyun’s vocals, the hypnotizing way Yeonjun moves on stage and just overall their chemistry as a group and the impressive level of individual talent everyone in TXT has. It’s very rare to find groups where all members have such outstanding vocals, dance and performance, and I’ve been in a TXT loop since this release. Officially added to my stan list. What an incredible album.

June

B.I – WATERFALL

Title track: illa illa

This was… a lot. iKON was, back in the day, one of the main groups that got me into k-pop, and B.I’s departure from the group – if you can call it that – took part of the fandom with him, including myself. So, a lot of us set to waiting. I had trust B.I would eventually come back fully as a musician. He’s always been an inspiration to me and the snippets he let us see on Soundcloud before making his comeback reminded me how much his music is able to truly touch me. And then this album dropped.

B.I is without any doubt my favourite lyricist in all of k-pop, and it is even more impressive that he has been able to produce, write and arrange for his own group, other groups and now for himself as a soloist. Some of the lyrics in this album, especially for Waterfall and illa illa, keep staying with me through my days – I’ll keep building sandcastles even though I already know they’ll eventually come crashing down – and I was able to relate to him not only as a fellow artist but also, very deeply, as a person. This album felt personal to me and many others, and Hanbin did not hold back – he never does, but especially not this time. Waterfall opens the album true to its title: it pours out angry, tired, hurt, and it just keeps pouring. It speaks of wounds not yet healed and lays down the truth that, in life, some wounds do not ever truly heal after all. Following it is illa illa, which with the first few notes already introduces a few hopeful piano keys and B.I’s equally hopeful voice. It feels tentative, like seeing an end to the darkness but being so used to it that you can’t quite believe it. It feels like accepting and maybe, finally, moving on. The album goes from deep to playful to hip-hop heavy tracks and back to r&b, and I was also very happy to see B.I and Lee Hi collaborating again, as she’s also one of my favourite artists. I needed this ray of hope.

TWICE – Taste of Love

Title track: Alcohol-free

Was I skeptical when I first heard the title? Yes. Did I fall head over heels for this song as soon as I saw Twice first perform it? Also YES. This is this year’s summer song, period. The last one/two years have been years of discovery for Twice, of maturing, finding an updated but still authentic sound that fits them, and this album feels very much like Twice but also showcases their growth. Alcohol-free is the perfect title track, and I swear once I listen to it or even just think about it then I’m stuck singing SWEET MIMOSA PINA COLADA for the rest of my week. All the stages were phenomenal, and I swear I probably died and came back to life several times while watching Nayeon perform. I love how the song highlighted Tzuyu’s vocals better than most Twice title tracks, although I am still very tentative about Jeongyeon’s return. But at the end of the day, if she’s made the decision to come back then all we can do is support her and hope she keeps getting better. This era also gave us iconic Twice interviews and shows (who gave Momo the right to be so funny, seriously?) and overall felt almost like a new beginning, finally seeing the group as a whole for an official comeback again. I also think Taste of Love has some truly excellent b-sides that capture the summer feeling perfectly, without ever feeling repetitive or basic. I especially loved how catchy Scandal is with its whispered intro, the sensual and intimate feeling of Conversation and the perfectly captured naivety of young romance in First Love.

ONEWE – Planet Nine: Alter Ego

Title track: Rain To Be

I did not expect ONEWE to release my favourite k-rock album of 2021 and surpass even DAY6, but boy am I impressed. I feel like, given the chance, they could really take Korea by storm, and I really hope RBW starts to give them decent promotions and distribute their

budget a little better. This was just overall a gorgeous album with an incredible title track. It came out almost two weeks ago but I still play it several times a day because I absolutely can’t get over it. ONEWE’s take on rock is indie and very emotional; Rain To Be feels desperate in its passion, and the vocals are so soulful and honest the song manages to feel both exciting and heartbreaking. Also the bass. Just. THE BASS. It’s a beautiful album from start to finish, and I might or might not have cried a few times while listening to COSMOS. The music video managed to be epic while keeping an incredibly simple concept, and I loved the visual of them getting slowly submerged by water as the song reached further and further heights. I really hope at least one person reads this and gives ONEWE a chance and listens to their songs, because they’re relatively new to the scene but I feel like they already have left a very memorable impression on the k-rock music scene.

To conclude this review, here are my most played k-pop tracks of the year so far:

ONEWE – Rain To Be

ITZY – In The Morning

YUQI – Bonnie&Clyde

Jessi – What Type of X

B.I – WATERFALL

ITZY – Sorry Not Sorry

Baekhyun – Bambi

Key ft. Doyoung – COOL

Hyuna – I’m Not Cool

ENHYPEN – Drunk-dazed

WheeIn – NO THANKS

PURPLE KISS – Ponzona

WOODZ – Feel Like

Kang Daniel – PARANOIA

ATEEZ – Sunrise

Henry – Thinking of You

CLC – No

SEVENTEEN – Light a Flame

Stray Kids – My Universe

WONHO – Open Mind

Sunmi – TAIL

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earthrooted-a · 6 years

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so seeing @busanbunnie‘s post, i decided to try to get my emotions and love out for none other than my boys, monsta x. shoutout to whoever reads til the end b/c it’s 6a and i am emotional af.

okay so i’m a pretty new kpop fan overall -- where some people have been fans for a while, i’ve only really recently got into it, specifically last year. in the year since i’ve started really paying attention to kpop groups and really getting to stan my different groups and getting to know the different idols and personalities and dynamics and everything, one group has stood out and that’s none other than monsta x. while monsta x aren’t the first group i stanned, they’re the group that i hold very near and dear to me for a whole lot of reasons.

so i don’t really remember the specifics to how i discovered monsta x as i was in a not so very happy mental place when i discovered them -- i remember it was the end of spring quarter and i hadn’t been going to class at all, my sleep schedule was beyond messed up, i was barely eating, and i wasn’t even leaving my room. the only time i did leave my room was on thursdays for my club meeting and that was it. basically, i was in an unpleasant place and monsta x helped me out of that place, if only a little bit.

i remember seeing one of their mvs pop up in my recommendations and i got curious -- it was probably like 4 in the morning and i figured, why not right? honestly the best 4am decision i could have made. from the get go, i fell in love with their songs, with the aesthetic of their music videos, with their choreography and vocals and rapping. it’s a bit difficult for me to get into a new group because i focus on how catchy the songs are and how quick they rope me in, and monsta x immediately succeeded in doing so. i remember i spent hours watching their music videos, their appearances on variety shows, their own variety shows. i watched all youtube had to offer on monsta x, until i got to no.mercy, which i put off for a few days.

by that point, i was a fan -- i loved their personalities, loved their dynamic as a group, loved their humor and extraness and their everything, and kihyun had caught my eye ( and ear ) as a vocalist. i knew a little bit about no.mercy, i knew it was how they formed and it was a survival show, i knew this and i promised myself i wouldn’t get emotional watching it. but i did. i didn’t really realize just how hard monsta x have been working from the get go, how uncertain their futures were, until i watched that show.

i remember watching each of the missions and watching any member of monsta x fail their mission, probably think that this was the end for them. i remember them saying goodbye to their fellow trainees and friends whenever one of the other contestants were eliminated. i remember watching the interviews and how their voices caught whenever they were close to tears, retelling how they had to debut, to make their family proud or to help their parents or because it was their last chance. i remember watching this 10 episode program about a group that’s already debuted and feeling my entire chest hurt for all of them. and then i remember i.m appearing, ostracized from the get go and forced into a situation that gave him a guaranteed spot but isolated him from the others. if my chest wasn’t hurting then, it sure did now.

watching no.mercy made me come to appreciate even more this group and all of the hard work they put into their music. i could go on and on about each of the members during no.mercy, and how seeing any picture/gif of any of them with a number pinned to their chest hurts me, but i’ll stop right there and move on to other things, like their first win and me seeing them in concert.

man oh man their first win. i experienced it in real time and i was absolutely sobbing, especially when i learned it was their first win. the shock on their faces, their disbelief, the way everyone cried? and the comment that they weren’t expecting to win because any time they were nominated before, they lost and they thought it was their fault for not working hard enough. it really hit me in the chest that these boys are so so hardworking, pouring their blood, sweat, tears, energy, time, and everything into their work, into providing monbebes the best comeback, the best song, the best mv. no words could describe how absolutely proud i was to see them get their first win, and no words can describe now how much i love seeing them flourish and grow with each comeback and each new content put out. it makes my heart so full seeing them grow and expand in so many different ways.

so monsta x is a special group for all of those reasons but also for the fact they’re the first ever group i’ve seen live. i remember they opened up another day in los angeles because the tickets sold out so fast the first night, and i remember jumping at the chance to see them. i went alone but i wasn’t going to let that stop me from seeing monsta x live, from seeing jooheon’s charisma come alive on stage, seeing kihyun sing so beautifully, seeing hyungwon perform despite being sick for the rest of the u.s tour, seeing shownu’s on point dancing, seeing wonho’s overflowing love for his fans, seeing minhyuk’s excitement and energy, seeing i.m captivating stage presence. seeing them live was so unreal and i still can’t believe i saw them. i can’t believe i saw these hardworking boys put on a show for their fans, i can’t believe i saw them perform their unit stages and speak to us in english despite it not being their native tongue. i can’t believe i saw them perform some of my favorite songs ever.

which is a good segue into some of my favorites from monsta x; so i also love monsta x because most of the non-title track songs are associated with such wonderful summer memories. i was taking japanese at the local community college and i remember listening to oi, rollercoaster, calm down, and unfair love just to name a few as i took the bus from home to campus and back again. and while summer was bland except for that, i have such fond memories of riding the bus as the intro to rollercoaster played in my ear, or as i bobbed my head to calm down. all of their non-title songs have a special place in my heart and i can’t wait to relive them this summer when i start taking japanese again !!

my favorite music video from them is, hands down, all in. while i absolutely love all of their music videos, all in ranks higher and that's because i love apocalyptic/dystopian settings with my entire being and i love the theme/concept behind all in so much. i even remember talking to one of my friends who recommended me songs from them, saying how their mvs were hitting my gritty/apocalyptic/dark aesthetic so so much.

and last but not least, my favorite member which is none other than yoo kihyun. normally i can distinctively remember the moment my bias becomes my bias in any group but for kihyun? he sorta snuck up on me. i’m such a sucker for good vocals, which is why most of my biases are vocalists, and kihyun’s vocals are out of this world. from no.mercy to now, he has improved so so much and he continues to stun me. his high notes never fail to make me burst out in goosebumps, his harmonizing and adlibs are always so on point and so mesmerizing. and that’s just his vocals -- his personality ?? every little quirk, from his habit of dropping out of frame from laughing too hard to his cringing face whenever he gets second hand embarrassment, from his shamelessness and pride when it comes to his appearance or doing aegyo to his care and fondness for his members, from his improving english to his love for his fans, i truly am so so soft for yoo kihyun.

but i’m also soft for all of monsta x, and i wanna thank them for doing what they’re doing and giving me a reason to smile.

this got so so long and i thank you for reading my 6am ramblings over 7 dorks ;A;

#❀ ┊ᵗʳᵃˢʰˑ ᵗʳᵃˢʰˑ ᵃᶰᵈ ᵐᵒʳᵉ ᵗʳᵃˢʰ ❨ ooc. ❩#i am one Emotional bitch #and this got so so long omL #i just... rambled about mx but i love them so much !!!!!!!!

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pigeonespionage-blog · 7 years

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Pristin’s Wee Woo: Analyzing Song Structure by the Seventeen Standard

I was sent this link of a post by @basedtzuyu on Twitter: https://twitter.com/basedtzuyu/status/844365400016142336

And the below stuff is me analyzing Wee Woo using Seventeen’s songs as a point of comparison and let’s have such A FUN TIME APPRECIATING MUSIC CHOICES!! WOO!!! Note: I will sometimes say things that sound very critical of Wee Woo. But I think Pristin is full of cool dudes and this is just an analysis I made for fun times. I’m not lookin’ for fan wars!! Definitely not!

CARATS AND PRISTIN FANS GATHER ROUND, this is super interesting actually!! This person (@basedtzuyu) has some pretty interesting stuff to say and I think that they did a good job in starting a conversation we can branch from (even when we don’t agree with her points). IT'S TIME WE TALK ABOUT SONG STRUCTURE, in a very analytical way we haven't talked about it before. Let's try to figure out why some people are so critical of Wee Woo, where Wee Woo pulls from Seventeen, and how Woozi has established a Seventeen style through song structure.

Let's start off by talking about Mansae. The most typical pop song structure follows a verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus format. Mansae starts off with an intro-- normal for kpop-- but then it goes into a pre-verse, and that's more interesting.

The intro is a proper introduction, and it's centered around one particular rapper. Its arrangement is pretty bare and the rap follows an adlib-like format. Then the pre-verse (with HVC aka Vernon) resembles the verse in some ways and serves to actually lead in to the verse.

Then it’s the verse, and this verse is strange because it's 15 bars. Most music follows multiples of 4, so verses are almost always 8 bars or 16-- why is this verse 15 bars? The first half of the verse is based on singing, melody, and when Woozi is just about to resolve the melody... he's interrupted. The melody would have felt very complete on the 8th bar, but it was interrupted by something else: the second half of the verse, which is rap-based. So there are 7 bars of singing, and the melody is cut off, unresolved and replaced by 8 bars of rap.

Then, there's a 4-bar pre-chorus. In this pre-chorus, there are three bars of singing and then the arrangement clears out into near silence for 1 bar of rap-- this is THREE BARS OF BUILD-UP and then on the fourth bar, when the melody could either resolve or go over the edge, it does neither. The little pause for a bar of rap allows for A STAGNANT MOMENT, a moment where the tension just hangs there briefly, until the chorus bursts in.

And it does, holy hell, it does. We're treated to an 8-bar chorus, sung by Seungkwan and DK, which is the first resolved melody we've even heard so far. We’ve been building and building all this time; when it ends on that eighth bar, there's a certain satisfaction to hearing that resolution.

And what do you do when a melody resolves?

You usually don't hype it up even more but they do because hOLY FUCK MANSAE HAS TWO CHORUSES. YES, THIS IS A POST-CHORUS, THE "MANSAE-RU-MANSAE-RU-MANSAE-RU-MANSAE-YEAH" IS ANOTHER FUCKING CHORUS. NO RESOLUTION GOES TO DOUBLE RESOLUTION. Post-choruses are NOT a common song structure and Mansae is daring and very of its own for building up to TWO different choruses, and such excellent choruses as well. When you think you're done with Your Ears Succeeding, the happiness JUST DOESN'T END. There's a lot more I can say about Mansae's song structure, but let's cut it short there and talk about what this means for Seventeen and what it means for Pristin.

Seventeen has actually uses elements of Mansae’s structure not only on title tracks, but a lot of non-title tracks as well. (All rules vary; Pretty U and Aju Nice don’t have post-choruses, while No FUN and Beautiful do.) Seventeen-ish song structure suggests:

Raps can be used as a way to keep energy STAGNANT. Resolving a melody causes a decrease in energy, and carrying it upwards, unresolved, can cause overblown build-up which is ultimately unsatisfying. Instead, adding brief rap lines holds the current energy of the song where it is, all the way up until that satisfying burst of energy in a hook or a chorus. (This rule is very often broken for the bridges, where SVT likes to throw a shit ton of whatever they feel like throwing at you for the best possible sensory overload.)

There’s a particular SVT strategy for chorus, post-chorus song structure. The first chorus seems like the main hype train, initially. The post-chorus, though, is what actually contains the primary hook, and often, the title. Contrary to the first chorus, the post-chorus is catchier, often following simpler melodies that resolve quickly. They’re also more percussive, including plays with silence, and may be as short as 4 bars (as in Adore U). I feel like I don’t usually hear pre-choruses AND post-choruses integrated smoothly in the same song, but SVT does that as well; often songs with post-choruses sacrifice their pre-choruses.

The second verse typically has an alternate melody. This is pretty normal for kpop but it’s a choice that Seventeen makes consistently. Typically this requires two alternate melodies, and as for the backtrack, the second verse will start out with a broken down or rhythm-based version of the first verse. Then, on the 9th bar, the backtrack will essentially return to that of the first verse.

As in the post-chorus of Mansae, rap can also be manipulated to RESOLVE. Typically not melodically, but rhythmically. If your melody is complete and you have space to fill, rather than adding an unnecessary flourish, the rap gives you time to resolve the rhythm without untying an already-complete melody.

There is an intro filled with rap adlibs that introduce the song, and possibly a pre-verse to bridge the intro to the verse.

There’re many hook-like vocal fills and adlibs.

The chorus’s melody (esp. the 1st chorus) tends to take an unexpected turn on the 3rd bar and DOES repeat on the 5th, but switches things up again on the 7th. The chorus is willing to repeat in the name of resolution; typically resolves twice.

The verse’s melody tends to take unexpected turns at specific points in time. Usually the melody will take a twist every 2 or 4 bars. The melody will only repeat for the sake of resolution.

So let’s see how Wee Woo compares!!

Wee Woo’s intro is really fuckin’ solid and, broadly speaking, it’s the most popular section of the song. It’s mostly instrumentation with the hook SLIPPED IN there— only for the hook to later return as the basis for the entire post-chorus, becoming, therefore, a refrain that adapts to more than one section. When a song has a post-chorus, it’s common to use the post-chorus as an intro as well because of how the post-chorus connects to the verse. But Wee Woo’s intro is not DIRECTLY the post-chorus, it’s an entire section based on a refrain from the post-chorus with interest added to the spaces in between— much like how the post-chorus of Adore U is made. This is a really unique structure that I’m certain draws from Adore U.

In Adore U, this is actually an amazingly thoughtful strategy because a quick refrain from the intro becomes intertwined with the main hook of the entire song so that they’re dependent on each other, going so far as completing a sentence which was originally unfinished in the intro. How Wee Woo’s approach differs, we’ll get to that in a sec.

First, the verse. We have a lot of differently melodies that’re jammed in here and that hasn’t been so well-received. But Mansae’s verse changes melodies, right? Let’s break that down.

Mansae’s first verse goes…

-2 bars of a consistent melody

-Same 2 bars repeated

-2 bars of a twist on the melody which does not seem predictable

-1 bar that leads from that twist of melody into a resolution of the melody that’ll bring the melody together

-Last bar is cut off by the second half of the verse before it can resolve

Wee Woo’s first verse, by contrast, is…

-1st bar: A melody

-2nd bar: A totally different melody (“ayayaya”)

-3rd bar: A different different melody

-4th bar: 2nd bar repeated

-5th bar: Another totally different melody, and this one is amelodic as well

-6th bar: Back to “ayayaya” (2nd/4th bar) but it still doesn’t tie to the 5th bar

-7th/8th bars: Another totally different melody, this one taking up two bars rather than relying upon the “ayayaya” refrain

You can see this is more of a mess, but it’s not just complexity that caused the downfall; the first half of every line, the odd bars (not even), are all totally different melodies that they try to justify by repeating the same “ayayaya” melody at the end. It sounds like there are two parts of the song; the part which is consistent, and the part which is just about randomized. There’s a repeated line tagged onto what sounds like chaos. Rather than creating an “I didn’t expect the melody to go there,” moment, the listener says, “Wait, what’s the melody?” Furthermore, the refrain is only one note, so even though it’s the part that makes melodic sense, it’s like the organized part is bringing attention away from itself. Mansae throws wrenches into its melodies and then spends time trying to justify them; Wee Woo’s melody here is pretty much all wrenches.

The second half of the verse has a totally different issue. Melodically it sounds like a continuation of the verse… but THE ARRANGER SPLIT PART OF THE VERSE INTO THE PRE-CHORUS. This is definitely an issue of miscommunication. Hold on, I gotta explain, haha.

It’s trendy to spend the second half of a verse building into a pre-chorus… but here we have what sounds like 4 bars of a verse and then an 8 bar pre-chorus? What? What is happening? Fuckery. Fuckery is happening. The first half of the verse is 8 bars. The second half, which builds more, should be 8 bars. And yet instead of that, we have an unusually long pre-chorus… THE RAP WAS WRITTEN TO BE A PART OF THE VERSE, AT LEAST THAT’S WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE. The you’re-my-super-he-ro shit? When we have an actually really lovely build-up from two sung lines and then two rapped lines, those should be part of the same section. The rap slipped in there, ignoring the arrangement, sounds much like Seventeen’s use of rap lines to stall build-up and keep your attention. But the arranger, for some reason, changed the instrumentation from that of the verse (all that cool stuff that @basedtzuyu said about changing the instrumentation from that of the foundation), ultimately shoving them in with the pre-chorus. So the composer wrote part of a verse… and the arranger turned that into part of the pre-chorus. Yeah, someone was playing a really extensive game of telephone, that’s for sure. This isn’t the only time an arranger has misunderstood the Seventeen system (something similar, although less noticeable, happened with Boom Boom) and it won’t be the last, but it’s good to know what we’re hearing here! Rather than totally switching up the instrumentation to match the change from vocals to rap, the instrumentation should have been based on the rest of the verse’s instrumentation; it was originally written as an extension on the verse. And this is especially a clusterfuck because Pristin already wrote two different musical motifs into the pre-chorus—that sing-rapped line and Kyla’s line—so adding 4 totally irrelevant bars to a PRE-CHORUS (which is supposed to be a really brief way of transitioning things) can be confusing.

I also personally think Kyla’s line there was a bit too amelodic, but if they were experimenting with a way to SING (rather than rap) their way into stagnancy, another way to deal with a melody you don’t want to resolve or leave unresolved, then I respect that, I’ll give that a lil’ head pat and let it be.

Now, let’s skip to the post-chorus, by which I mean that famous WEE WOO WEE WOO WEE!! The last line of the chorus, the line that resolves the melody, becomes a hook of the post-chorus, just like Adore U. There’re a lot of things good about this post-chorus; the instrumentation is such a fucking strong-point, and the quirks of this chorus are memorable— a sung hook made out of a rhythmically manipulated siren sound? And there’re real siren sounds incorporated into the song, and most importantly, it’s dynamic; the relationship between hard guitar/rhythm and the declining, quiet, subtle nature of this post-chorus is done very well. On its own, it’s lovable— so why might it not work? @basedtzuyu’s version where she cuts out the post-chorus actually sounds significantly more natural.

Well, this post-chorus doesn’t quite do what a post-chorus is supposed to do. A post-chorus, aside from being another chorus, is made to CONNECT INTO THE VERSE. In the same way a pre-verse connects to the chorus, the post-chorus must connect directly into the verse. Despite the fact that it’s built surprisingly similarly to the Adore U post-chorus, the Wee Woo post-chorus does not correctly make way for the verse. A post-chorus should not BUILD excitement, it simply doesn’t make sense. It stays where it is or gradually decreases excitement. It should be a double reward of melody resolution; one chorus finishes up and we go on to the next satisfying moment immediately because we’re hit with a double reward. We shouldn’t build all the way to the chorus’s resolution only for the post-chorus to drop down and build up again. And more importantly, building up the post-chorus WORSENS the transition into the verse instead of making it better. The post-chorus should be a satisfying descent into the verse. But on the 5th bar of the post-chorus, the drum kicks in and there’s an exciting synth, the addition of those siren sounds… It’s natural for some part of the brain to very quietly say, “Didn’t we already go through this?” We shouldn’t be building up right now. It makes the chorus and the verse additionally appear unsatisfying and leaves a more sour impression of the song, even though the chorus, post-chorus, and second verse actually have some interesting things about them!! Little mistakes like this can be a big deal! Mansae is VERY careful about build-up, and Wee Woo has no pacing.

Also notice that Mansae and Adore U descend excitement in post-choruses in a certain way. They start with an EXCITING HOOK!!! Then things descend and descend in energy… EXCITING HOOK!!! Descend, descending, verse. Just like that!!! Verse, right then, right there, a seamless transition!! Wee Woo doesn’t descend very well, however. Melodically, the same two bars are repeated without any descent, and if they absolutely insist on repeating that melody over and over, a descend can be hard… and what’s more, since the hook comes AFTER the instrumentation, it’s less clear that the melody should be getting less exciting even over the course of those two bars. Plus, the hook goes UP rather than going down, the instrumental bit before the hook is lower and therefore less exciting… Yeah. They made their jobs a lot harder.

Once they had this post-chorus that gets more exciting instead of resolving into the verse, they tried to patch-up the problem by making the last bar very bare and quiet compared to the others so the verse wouldn’t sound too boring, but it doesn’t fix the smell, it just adds a Febreeze on TOP of the smell.

That being said, I do think the 2nd verse does its job!! I think the rap should’ve been had an extra 4 bars at the beginning, but that’s okay! Moving on!

There’s only one section left to talk about and I’m not sure what to say because there ARE things here that’re kind of… out of my league to tackle, haha. The bridge, to my ears, doesn’t work but I can’t really tell you why. What I will say though, is that I don’t agree with @basedtzuyu that a bridge must be exciting. (Note: I’m assuming that by breakdown she meant bridge, since those things’re different.) Adore U’s bridge starts out chill and then picks up, adding excitement that pays off in the final chorus. But Wee Woo’s bridge, while attempting to do the same thing, doesn’t… sound consistent with the rest of the song, and I feel confused,,, about this,,, All that I can say is that they probably should’ve left emphasis on the off-beat during the bridge but that feels like it’s not a significant explanation enough AHAHAHA I TRIED

But hey!! I think I did alright on the rest!! Hope this satisfies HAVE A NICE DAY EVERYBODY *BLASTS ROLLER COASTER SO LOUD THAT YOU’LL HAVE TO GET OUT OF MY HOUSE* no but really ty for reading my super long post hehehheu youre appreciated officially now yes

#pristin #seventeen #kpop #review #music #wee woo #adore u #mansae

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thoughtsmadnessandmusic-blog · 7 years

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My Top 50 Songs of 2016

Rules and disclaimers:

No more than five songs per artist, and no more than two songs from the same album/EP. Features count as a song for each named artist. I will try to link the songs to their headers where possible. For songs fifty through twenty-one there will be a short quip; the top twenty will have a more detailed discussion.

This list is subjective, as should be obvious, and contains exactly forty-nine hip-hop, R&B or pop songs. That number may be too high for many people, but I am one man with tastes that are slowly widening. If you don't like this years, maybe you’ll like next years. In the interest of sharing cool tracks, I will list some of my favourites from other genres (that just missed out) at the end of the list.

Some songs present on this list contain explicit language/videos/artwork that may be confronting or offensive.

50. Hudson East – Woman’s Intuition

Reminiscent of PARTYNEXTDOOR’s early work, Hudson East crafts a track that is both catchy and a smooth R&B grind.

49. YG – Who Shot Me?

Paranoia and storytelling? Check. West coast sound? Check. Tight as hell bridge? Check. Bass? Check. Bass?! Check. BASS?!! CHECK!

48. Without You Ft. Rapsody – Anderson .Paak

A smoothly balanced song, with those old school funk/soul flavours evident in all of Anderson .Paak’s work, and a Rapsody verse that steals the show.

Highlight: “Heard your mama cheated on ya daddy, you just like her”.

47. Day Ones Ft. Novelist & Leikeli47 – Baauer

Really, this song is just stupidly hard, especially the chorus.

46. Hercules – Young Thug

Young Thug is known for his vocal delivery, but there’s something extra charismatic and catchy about it on this track. The way he changes his inflections, and accent on the chorus, really catapulted it onto this list.

45. Lake By The Ocean – Maxwell

This is old school, sensual R&B, and I adore it.

44. Mind Games – Banks

The mood and melodies are intoxicating, with lyrics that detail a complex enough relationship to actually sound realistic.

43. VEGAS – ABRA

This song really, really grew on me. The busy nature of the production, and the swagger on ABRA’s vocal delivery, create a kind of unpredictable confidence that fits well with the lyrics.

42. Desperado – Rihanna

The sound of this song sits somewhere in the realm of R&B, but it’s got a distinctive rollick to it driven by Rihanna’s vocals and the dirty bass, which feels especially appropriate given the lyrical content.

41. No Problem Ft. 2 Chainz & Lil Wayne – Chance The Rapper

This song is just utterly ecstatic and a joy to listen to.

Highlight: “Codeine got me movin’ slower than a caterpillar race”

40. Fuck With Myself – Banks

This song is a bit demented, and the video is downright creepy, and it absolutely works. I didn’t know demented swagger was something I needed in music, but there you go.

39. What’s It Gonna Be? – Shura

This is supreme 80s pop reinvented for the 21st century.

38. No More Parties In LA Ft. Kendrick Lamar - Kanye West

All that’s needed for this track is the highlight:

“I know some fans thought I wouldn't rap like this again

But the writer's block is over, emcees cancel your plans”

37. Summer Sixteen – Drake

The song is filled with what am I now dubbing ‘Drake quotables’, and I like Drake quotables. The beat switch is also fantastic.

Highlight: “Why would I put on a vest? I expect you to aim for the head”

36. Like Home – JOY.

I love some modern, alternate R&B, or whatever we’re calling it these days, and JOY. nails the vocal melodies on this track.

35. Let It Bang Ft. Schoolboy Q – A$AP Ferg

Both A$AP Ferg and Schoolboy Q drop killer, intense verses, and I especially love how aggressive Schoolboy Q sounds.

34. Yamborghini High Ft. Juicy J – A$AP Mob

This song is stupidly catchy and has an incredible video.

33. Nobody – PARTYNEXTDOOR

The track with the best production on P3, and some of PARTY’s catchiest flows.

32. Trust Nobody – 070 Shake

This track is hard, not simply because of the typical trap production, but due to its brutal refrain and heavy imagery.

Highlight: “Cause I don't really trust no, trust no

Trust no one, unless you give me your soul”

31. Still Here – Drake

There was a time, just after Views released, that I couldn’t stop playing this song. Drake’s flow is just so damn catchy and easy to sing along to.

30. Better Than Me Ft. Carly Rae Jepsen – Blood Orange

This song is here because of how moody and fragile of a track it manages to be, but to properly dig into the lyrics I suggest going to Genius and looking at Dev Hynes’ (Blood Orange) explanation.

29. Sneakin’ Ft. 21 Savage – Drake

On this track, Drake’s tight flow combines with a bunch of quotable, catchy lines, and a good feature with some great adlibs, from 21 Savage.

Highlight: “Got my Spanish ting convinced that I know Spanish

Really, when she get to talking I don't understand it”

28. Cash Machine – D.R.A.M.

This song is absurdly fun. D.R.A.M.’s ability to convey enthusiasm and happiness, and to just embrace his goofy personality, makes for joyous listening.

27. Round Whippin’ – A.CHAL

This song fits perfectly in the lane of modern R&B meets trap, with a catchy hook, and a beat with a enough grunt to hit hard.

26. Wicked – Future

I’ve seen this popping up in a lot of year-end worst lists, and I couldn’t disagree more. That mumbling chorus is catchy, fitting of the track’s aesthetic, and the transition into the first verse, with the switch in flow and intonation, is one of my favourite moments in music this year.

25. On My Grind – Tunji Ige

The pre-chorus into chorus on this track is so, damn, perfect. Both parts are uniquely catchy, with the chorus itself providing the climax, as it should, by capitalising on the pre-chorus’ build up, and bringing the lyrical content to its logical conclusion.

24. Digits – Young Thug

This song provided the most surprisingly apt modern commentary on consumerism, through a mindset that is completely understandable given the political and social climate.

23. Listen Hear – Maxwell

Honestly, the guitar on the chorus is one of the sexiest sounds I’ve heard all year.

22. What The Fuck Right Now Ft. A$AP Rocky – Tyler, The Creator

I’m just exceptionally glad someone decided to flesh out Freestyle 4. Tyler’s flow fits the beat so well, and A$AP Rocky’s adlibs are phenomenal.

21. All Nite Ft. Vince Staples – Clams Casino

Clams’ production on this track is so infectious, and Vince Staples brings exactly the right flow to sit within the beat.

20. Groovy Tony – Schoolboy Q

When I was talking about ‘Let It Bang’ earlier I noted how I loved Schoolboy Q’s aggressive verse, and Groovy Tony takes that aggression and turns it into an entire track. The production is gritty, filled with little vocal flourishes, and the constant ‘blank face’ refrain scattered throughout the track serves as a mechanism to signal changes in the intensity of Schoolboy Q’s delivery. The lyrics themselves are vivid and as gritty as the delivery, serving to pull the entire track’s aesthetic together. Note, I have included the single version here as it was the one I had on repeat for a large portion of the year.

19. Inside The Mattress – Future

I know a lot of people considered Future’s run last year to be his best, but I thought this year was just as good, if not better. ‘Inside The Mattress’ is the catchiest track off ‘Purple Reign’, with one of the best hooks Future has written. The lyrical content is not new to Future, but at the same time it focuses more on the weight of his position as a leader for his team. This slight difference in nuance keeps the content from growing stale, but I’m not going to lie, it’s the catchiness of the track and how easy I find it to go back to that lands it this high on the list.

18. Fade Ft. TY Dolla $ign & Post Malone – Kanye West

I’ll be honest, it wasn’t until I came back to ‘The Life Of Pablo’ later in the year that I realised just how good this song was. The production is exceptional, with the samples providing a distinctive flavour not really found anywhere else in music this year. The drop (for lack of a better word) is so oddly fitting, and indeed that description in and of itself makes it a microcosm of the album. Kanye West’s and TY Dolla $ign’s performances are excellent, but the highlight for me is the feature from Post Malone, where he belts his lungs out and carries the song to its climax.

17. Kung Fu Ft. Pusha T & Future – Baauer

You know, I would never have expected two Baauer tracks to make my top 50, but then, I wasn’t expecting him to produce two trap songs. The beat here isn’t even especially bombastic, instead the energy comes from the Pusha T and Future’s delivery. Indeed, Future’s hook contains one of his most energetic performances of the year, complete with catchy refrain and suggestive imagery. Pusha T, naturally, waxes lyrical about dealing cocaine as only he can, starting with one of my favourite lines of the year: “the coke game is my sport, welcome to the wide world of snort”. He continues on as you would expect, but due to the short length of the track it stays concise. Kung Fu never overstays its welcome, and to this day remains a song I can easily play again and again.

16. Devastated – Joey Bada$$

This song is infectious. It’s both ecstatic, yet able to convey a consistent vibe that doesn’t require the listener to start dancing. It’s a bright song, carried by a fantastic flow that seems to walk with the beat. It plays alongside the instrumentation, letting the listener feel the progress, and feel a part of the narrative. The chorus is catchy and exuberant, and the instrumental itself masterfully provides extra flavours through hints of guitars and synthesisers, and smooth transitions. One of the catchiest songs of the year for me, that consistently makes me smile and move.

15. Come and See Me Ft. Drake – PARTYNEXTDOOR

I love how smooth this track is. It’s understated. It lies in a pocket where your head is gently nodding, and your fingers clicking. PARTYNEXTDOOR’s vocals slip through light melodies that seem to simply float above the instrumental. The beat itself is, in many ways, a softened, slower trap beat; something not especially unusual in modern R&B. It’s effective in setting an atmosphere and then holding it, and indeed, nothing ever disturbs the mood of this track. It delivers exactly what it wants to, with Drake showing up simply to add a light rapper’s touch to the track, one that suits his voice and stylings perfectly.

14. Body Language – Carly Rae Jepsen

It really is a shame I didn’t get around to checking out Carly Rae Jepsen’s last album, ‘Emotion’, until this year, because there are some very deserving songs that missed out on last year’s list. Jepsen has a knack for writing pop songs with an 80s vibe, something I tend to adore in pop music, but her greatest strength is her fantastic ear for melody. The verses on Body Language have the most bounce I heard on a pop song all year. They slide. They make you want to get up and skip incoherently. The pre-chorus builds with tension, adding a different flair, just as catchy as the first. And then the chorus drops, and things switch into a different, more 80s feeling vibe. It’s a pop climax in the most exact way. The production is fantastic, with the bounce of the drums setting the tone for the rest of the track. Superb.

13. Party Monster – The Weeknd (I’m gonna give an epilepsy warning for this video)

Look, I’m a sucker for The Weeknd at his most debaucherous, especially when he throws in that element of rap cockiness. It’s a style he has perfected, and ‘Party Monster’ is another fantastic entry in the genre. The sing-song rap flow The Weeknd employs continues to be catchy, and is particularly suited to the production. When the chorus fades out and the song winds into the drop, the sing-song style really comes to life, with the hard-hitting verse that follows providing a nice counterpoint to the chorus. The chorus itself has a fantastic melody, it’s movement carried by the rhythm of the vocal performance rather than the percussion. It still exudes confidence, but this is a calmer, more self-assured confidence, as opposed to the brashness of the verses. This is another song I find especially easy to come back to, and as such it earns its place at number thirteen.

12. Fly Shit Only – Future

At one point, earlier in the year, this was a strong chance of landing at number one. As it turns out, a lot of great songs came out this year, and this track faded in prominence. However, that doesn’t change the fact that this is one of the best tracks Future has ever written. The production is not your typical trap affair, with guitars and synthesised scratch, wah-wah, sounds forming the basis for a beat that never seems to stop moving. The two-part chorus contains an absolutely fantastic flow for the first half, that never fails to get me nodding my head. On top of that, the line: “only one who’s going out the country, gotta keep a translator for the models”, has to be my favourite boast of the year. For me, this song has never stopped being fun.

11. We The People… - A Tribe Called Quest

This song does protest unlike any other track released this year. It shifts between sarcasm, irreverence, and depictions of reality with ease. The parody of the chorus serves as the centre point for Q-Tip and Phife Dawg’s dismantling of the absurdity of the system, and indeed that’s what this song does best. It points out the ridiculous nature of the situations we find ourselves in, and the conversations we find ourselves having. Place this on top of a smooth beat, with great sampling, and you have a track that I can easily see standing the test of time.

10. Redbone – Childish Gambino

I don’t even know what to say about this song. I was not the only one who didn’t expect Gambino to go in this direction, and to do it in the manner he did was utterly incredible. This song contains his best vocal performance, completely shifting the way he normally sings to properly create the aesthetic he desired as an artist. Yes, there were some production tricks used on the vocals here, but nowhere near as many as one might think (as can be seen if you watch his live performance of the track here). The lyrics here straddle the line between relationship talk and social commentary, building on metaphor to create a duplicity in meaning that I love. Throw some incredible, funk-soul production on top of that, and you have a track I cannot stop listening to.

9. Gwan Big Up Urself – Roy Woods

I am not a dancer. I want to make that perfectly clear because no track, ever, has made me want to move as much as this did when it came out this year. It nails that new generation of pop-dancehall sound we have seen on the charts recently. The use of patois is appropriate, not simply contextually, but in the way that it adds both rhythm and texture to the track. The production is breezy, building a chill vibe that easily carries you away, successfully evoking the image of Jamaica (or similar) in the listener’s mind. Roy Woods’ vocal delivery is charismatic, fun, and a joy to badly sing along to. This was probably the song that made me the happiest this year.

8. Fare Thee Well – William Fitzsimmons.

I said it last year, and I’ll say it again, William Fitzsimmons simply makes beautiful music. The guitar on this track is gorgeous, and Fitzsimmons’ smooth vocals are wonderfully prominent in the mix. The backup vocalist provides a gentle companion to Fitzsimmons, building the atmosphere and adding another layer of emotion to the track; one that emphasises the ‘we’ in the lyrics. Indeed, the lyrics themselves are hauntingly poignant, striking up a conversation around the fragile, temporary nature of life and regret. Honestly, the word beautiful is so easily overused, but it is the only word that really matters when describing this song.

7. Fever – Carly Rae Jepsen

I present to you, the greatest pop chorus of the year. I’m not even sure where to start with the damn thing, it’s just that perfectly executed. I suppose it comes in the verse and pre-chorus, where things are indeed much sparser than many of the other tracks on ‘Emotion Side B’. But this space is what allows the song to build, with that passionate, staccato pre-chorus creating the energy and tension. And then the chorus drops. The bass and kick drop, and they are heavy, and sultry, and moving like a river beneath the synths and the vocals. And the vocals. The vocals contain the same swagger as the instrumentation, the same movement, and they convey just the right amount of stop and start for every little moment to hit and hold perfectly. But then, the first chorus ends, suddenly. It’s just a glimpse before the ecstatic second and third times around that really allow the song to climax. It’s all part of the ebb and flow of a pop song that sees itself as a whole, driving toward ecstasy, and reaching it.

6. Low Life Ft. The Weeknd – Future

Everything I said about The Weeknd on ‘Party Monster’ is applicable here, but I would add that I like his flow on this even more. The chorus, too, feels more like a climax than that on ‘Party Monster’, not that either are choruses in the typical, climactic sense. Future’s flow and personality are taken up another notch on this track, brought out, perhaps, by the chemistry between he and The Weeknd. Given the subject matter the two artists tend to focus on, the collaboration makes far too much sense, and the execution is flawless. The aesthetic on this track is oh so coherent, filled with the little flourishes and adlibs that really take a song to the next level. I would also like to give a shout-out to the production, and especially Metroboomin’s continued role in making great trap music. Really, what lands this song so high is that it absolutely achieves what it sets out to, and is damn catchy in the process.

5. Down Girl – Roy Woods

Every aspect of this track is catchy. If this song was a disease humankind would be wiped out within the week. The chorus is phenomenal, easily chantable, and filled with lines that assumedly found their way all over timelines. Of course, that’s because the content is so easily relatable for a younger generation in search of trust and validation that so often goes unrequited. Sure, the lyrics certainly aren’t mature, but they are superbly fitting for the song and the world that inspired them. On the production side of things, the way the beat swells is further reason for addiction, and when combined with those tight clicks and snares the rhythm just carries you away. Another song that is short and to the point, it has ludicrous replay value and will have you snapping your fingers until they are raw.

4. Starboy – The Weeknd

The rhythm on this song is outstanding. Everything about this track flows to the snares. Everything about this track oozes swagger. ‘Starboy’ is a river with a current that is constant, unending, and supremely catchy. The lyrics are braggadocios, yet self-aware and, on occasion, deceptively poignant. The Weeknd’s flow is matched to the rhythm, and his performance is immaculate. Of course, the chorus deserves a mention for that drop halfway through. That drop elevates this song to another level of intensity, providing a climax that doesn’t seem likely to occur when the chorus starts. Maybe I could say more, or go into further detail, but this is already a hugely well received song that I’m sure many critics have waxed poetic about. For me, as I lover of a great rhythm, the rhythm alone earns this track its place.

3. Fire & Desire – Drake

When Views first dropped I loved how distinctive this song was on the record, but I didn’t realise that I would grow to love it as much as I do. I just talked a lot about rhythm with ‘Starboy’, and rhythm in ‘Fire & Desire’ is just as crucial. However, here it is a seductive, slow, grinding rhythm, with a huge clap that counts the time. Drake’s vocals are smooth, but mixed and processed in a different way to how we normally hear him, drawing a bit on the sounds of Chief Keef, and more autotuned heavy, trap artists. This is most assuredly a sung song, but it’s a song where even the vocals seem like they are grinding, not simply the beat. The production is gorgeously smooth, with the vocal snippets at the beginning reminiscent of much of Drake and 40’s earlier work. At the time of writing, Fire & Desire is my most played song of 2016, and I don’t see that changing.

2. Do It Well – dvsn

Another entry on this list that falls under the smooth, sensual R&B banner, and this may just be the sexiest one. Daniel Daley’s vocal performance is flawless, dripping in atmosphere and uncompromising in the mood it evokes. The production from Nineteen85 has some of the most beautiful little flourishes in it, accompanied by a perfect ebb and flow in instrumentation, with a chorus that stands out, but doesn’t overdo it. Indeed, the strength of the production is its ability to complement Daley’s vocal performance. The lyrics themselves travel down a rabbit hole well explored by Drake and The Weeknd; the singer’s love for a stripper. However, here there is a note of escapism, and a need for unfulfilled closeness. Indeed, the refrain “you’re the only therapy I know” is a heavy line, ripe with desire and loss. This song is deceptively gorgeous, and I cannot stop myself from playing this song the whole way through once it starts.

1. Angela – dvsn

Angela is the most beautiful song to have come out this year. The production is incredible, delivering a more old school style of R&B, complete with gorgeous use of horns and swelling strings. The piano provides a constant accompaniment to the vocals, softly pushing the song along, and delicately holding together the atmosphere. The vocal sample from ‘Angeles’ is a stroke of genius, emerging for the chorus and inspiring the prevailing mood of the track. Yet, as incredible as the production is, Daniel Daley’s vocal performance is something else entirely. Without a doubt, the best vocal performance I heard all year, Daley stretches from the bottom of his range to the top, from soft caressing through to passionate belting, and every note is sheer perfection. The lyrics themselves hold to a more old school styling, complete with nature evoking imagery and a focus on love and the complexities of a relationship. When I first heard this song I was floored, and somehow that feeling has never disappeared. Yes, dvsn are finishing first and second on this list, and they utterly deserve it.

Other Highlights

Punk Rock – Sleep In The Heat – PUP

Dancehall – Man a Murdera – Popcaan (I actually can’t find the exact genre for this online, but this is what I found it under on Spotify).

Contemporary Jazz/Art Rock – Rest In Pleasure – Esperanza Spalding

Indie Folk – On My One – Jake Bugg

Best Rap Verse (Not On The List) – THat Part (Black Hippy Remix) – Kendrick Lamar’s verse

#music #2016 #list #favourite

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