TaeTiSeo: “Library” (Twinkle, 2012)
It’s too bad the lyrics are stupidly literal (“just a library / will you read yourself to me?”), because this is my favorite track off of the new TaeTiSeo album.
Girl’s Day: “Oh! My God” (Everyday II, 2012)
Girl’s Day, when they’re not being complete snoozefests, are remarkably adept at crafting comic book pop. The template is their PV for “Banjjak Banjjak” (“Twinkle Twinkle”), which places Sojin within the confines of her neurotic brain, crafting slapstick rebuttals to her fellow group mates for the attentions of a crush, including but not limited to moves like the “Snake on the Ground” and the “Red Dragon” (tripping and spilling, natch). New single, “Oh! My God” has the same sort of graphic novel candor, this time with Sojin dancing it out for club cred. The addition of vocal onomatopoeia and sound effects to the scenes make the video quirky instead of just mean-spirited. The group is great at exaggerating aegyo, making it more mockery than sincerity, in effect illustrating how ridiculous both it and girl vs. girl rivalry can be: in their videos, sisterhood is always the winner.
Big Bang: “INTRO (ALIVE)” (ALIVE, 2012)
Chakri: “Ekkada Ekkada” (Veedu Teda, 2011)
I was catching up on Indian film soundtracks when I came upon this this very, very familiar song. This is Super Junior’s “BONAMANA” in Telugu! I don’t have the liner notes so I don’t know if there is any credit given to anyone. It’s used in the film Veedu Teda and was released in August. I suppose with all the pilfering Korean pop has done, there was bound to be a karmic effect.
Secret, January 2011
Dal Shabet to make a punk rock comeback
There’s a headline you don’t see everyday. Alas, this article promises no actual punk rock.
However: “the girls have taken looks from the 70s and 80s for a mix-matched punk/disco style.” PUNK/DISCO STYLE.
PUNK/DISCO STYLE.
Piggy Dolls drop 20 kg each for their comeback
I have hated everything about this group’s angle since they debuted and I hate them even more now. Even if we do somehow suspend reality and choose to believe that “they lost weight naturally in the past few months” and were not “purposely dieting,” the fact that this is the basis of promotion for their new music sends the worst message possible. And this article’s tone gives me the creeps.
“After shedding tears over their body image and the inability to perform to their heart’s content because of their weight…” They were so fat they couldn’t function!!
“The girls debuted with the hopes of giving other overweight people the confidence to stand out…” So now what? They’re going to give overweight people the confidence to lose weight?
Seriously, just forget this whole group and every single article on allkpop that begins with “[so and so idol]’s secret diet tips.” I’ve been thinking about doing an entire article about this buffoonery and while I procrastinate over that, let’s look at a wall of other articles on allkpop that encourage culturally sanctioned eating disorders:
“SNSD’s latest diet plan revealed” “Son Yeon Jae reveals her diet secrets” “Coin Jackson reveals their diet regime” Superstar K2’s Park Boram shares her diet success photos” “Suzy succssfully accomplishes her diet” Jun Hye Bin shows off the results of her diet” “KARA reveals secret behind their bodies” “A Pink talks about their strict diets” “CN Blue’s Jung Yong Haw loses 8kg for comeback” “How did HyunA lose all that weight?” “SNSD’s Yuri wows fans with her toned body” “KARA bursts into tears while talking about their harsh dieting regime” “SS501’s Park Jung Min lost 18lbs for comeback” “Bomster is nibbling on veggies to lose weight” “Navi reveals her dieting secrets” “K-Will lost 5kg for his comeback album” “Rainbow’s Hyunyoung reveals her weight loss regime” “Park Bom’s lettuce diet is a success” “T-Ara’s Eunjung becomes the next target for her ‘belly fat’” “Hwang Bo takes pride in her 52 kg body” “Seo In Young shares her banana diet secret” “KARA members lose 10kg for their sexy new look” “Bella’s Lucy lost 30kg before her debut”
Etc.
Music Review: F.T. Island
My review of F.T. Island’s Return is in the July issue of 10Magazine and can now be viewed online.
