• Light/Dark
  • Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.

K-Pop ERA | OT | Into the New World

Status
Not open for further replies.
Reader mode
jongkookie

jongkookie

Member
Oct 25, 2017
246
So uh, I went full kpopalypse making my 2018 song rankings.

Honorable Mentions:
GWSN - Puzzle Moon
Chungha - Love U
Laboum - Between Us & Turn It On
End Of The World & Epik High - Sleeping Beauty
Flowsik - All I Need (feat. Jessi)
April - The Blue Bird
Monogram - Space Travel
CLC - Black Dress
WJSN - Dreams Come True & Save me, Save You
Sha Sha - You & Me
Jonghyun - Shinin'
EXID - I Love You
Sobae - Holiday
Zion.T - Hello Tutorial (feat. Sluggi)
DreamNote - Dream Note
TVXQ - The Chance of Love & Truth

Now here's the ranked songs:

30. April - Oh! My Mistake
29. (G)I-DLE - Latata
28. Twice - What Is Love?
27. Lovelyz - That Day
26. Dreamcatcher - You And I
25. KHAN - I'm Your Girl
24. UNI.T - No More
23. Fromis_9 - DKDK
22. Suzy - Holiday (Feat. DPR Live)
21. DAY6 - days gone by
20. Jay Park - V
19. Produce 48 - Pick Me
18. BoA - Woman
17. Fromis_9 - To Heart
16. Shinee - I Want You


15. IU - Bbibbi: It's an IU track, what's not to like? But really tho, the lyrical content, the backing track, and the vocals… all of it come together to create this catchy hell of a song. I almost debated on keeping it out of my top 15 tbh, but that playful melody in the chorus is one of the best I've heard all year.

14. Oh My Girl - Secret Garden: This song was honestly running in the top 3… in fact, early in the year I pretty much said this is going to be in my top 3… but why the change of heart? Well, Remember Me came on the scene and took what Secret Garden did and basically did it better. As to those specifics, I'll talk about that when I get to Remember Me. Either way, Secret Garden remains as the most beautiful song of 2018 for me. I haven't stopped listening to it since it came out and I highly doubt I'll get tired of it.

13. LOONA - Hi High: You might be wondering why this song is here instead of being at the top considering I'm the resident LOONA theorist of ERA… well, I'm not gonna lie. While it is a fantastic song, I do feel that it's not necessarily what I want to hear from LOONA. Notice that yyxy's love4eva isn't even on my honorable mentions list and that's honestly coz I didn't like it. Both Hi High and love4eva feel like an attempt for capturing the SK audience and while I fully respect and support BBC's decision for that, it's just not really my cup of tea.

12. IZ*ONE - La Vie En Rose: I'm gonna start by saying that I'm a casual IZONE hater. I don't like 3-4 of the members and feel that they shouldn't even be part of the group coz they're garbage and other participants deserved to be in. But LVER is one of the best debut songs for a girl group... it's muuuuch better than Hi High even. What LVER has that Hi High doesn't have is impact, that pre-chorus with Eunbi and Yena's rap just take you by surprise that you suddenly forget that you hate this group lmao. Nah, but really tho… LVER is fantastic and props to OTR for buying it off Cube/CLC and making it IZONE's debut song.

11. SAAY - Encore: What a bop from start to finish. Up tempo R&B jams are one of my favorite genres ever and I don't think a lot of K-Pop artists can nail it correctly, but here's SAAY nailing a niche really really well. The song just speaks to my thot sensibilities and I just want to dance with it in the club or some dance competition. Anyway, the song shines on it own, but the MV is just so fun to watch with the choreography… it might be one of my favorite dance videos of the year.

10. Momoland - Bboom Bboom: Well, what else is there to say about this song? It's a legit bop from Shinsadong Tiger… one of the most fun songs of 2018 if you ask me. Seeing Momoland perform it live at KCON was an experience, the crowd was so into it, your hips can't lie… this song is a bop of the ages.

9. Gugudan - Not That Type: While everyone in November was forcefully consenting to Twice, Gugudan dropped this banger out of nowhere and stole my wig. I'm not gonna lie, the first time I heard this I was kinda meh on it, but about a month after it came out, I came across the song again and hit a realization… that it's fucking amazing lol. This is so unlike Gugudan and so unique sounding from what K-Pop has been doing in 2018. Yes, the anti-chorus chorus is a bit overdone, but Sejeong's barrage of melody in the pre-chorus just zaps your wig outta your head and the chorus ends up serving as the place for the listener to take a break. The verses are a marvel too, the singers nail their part so well, Mina's rap lines are a nice warm-up to Sejeong's pre-chorus and that little call and response in the second verse is quite fun, I honestly don't remember a K-Pop song in recent memory that does something like it. Anyway, Not That Type IMO is Gugudan's best song, surpassing 2017's A Girl Like Me.

8. Pristin V - Get It: Everyone in Korea slept on it, and thankfully some of y'all in here didn't but either way, this to me is probably the sleeper song of the year. Nunu's powerful vocals work so well with Kyulkyung and Roa, while Rena and Nayoung deliver their rap verses in such a satisfying manner… especially that little rap break Nayoung has towards the end. The pared down mix with the subtle dirty bass, finger clicks and Nayoung's breathy rap make for one of the best rap verses I've heard all year. While everyone falls on their feet praising (G)I-dle and Blackpink, Pristin V IMHO delivered the quintessential girl crush song of 2018.

7. Dreamcatcher - What: While I do love You & I, I do felt that it was a bit weak… it sounded too much like an anime song imo and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, I thought that it wasn't the direction DC should be going. Thankfully, their producers agreed and with What, they went back to the harder and edgier sound that Good Night and Chase Me had. Their powerful vocals complement the harder backing track, and Dami's rap verse in the bridge is so fantastically molded with the backing track that headbangs are guaranteed. I hope Happyface/Dreamcatcher continue on with this sound coz it's so obviously refreshing in this cutesy and girl crush world of K-Pop.

6. Oh My Girl - Remember Me: So why did I place this higher than Secret Garden? Well, Remember Me takes the best qualities of Secret Garden and ups it by a couple of notches. Secret Garden from start to finish is so airy, full of whimsy and melancholic feels. Remember Me takes all that and blends it with this upbeat backing track that shouldn't really work, but it does. The upbeat backing track is so fun, and Mimi's rap verses are one of the coolest things I've heard all year… in fact, I'd say Mimi's verses make this song and without it, it'd probably suck. The song feels like a movie where the upbeat sections are the action sequences and the slow sections are the moments of character development. Anyway, this is definitely one of the best entries OMG has done and IMO, it probably should be in the running for SOTY but 2018 was just too dang good so it remains at 6.

5. Fromis_9 - Love Bomb: My rookies of the year right here. I'll admit, I wasn't sold on fromis_9 during their debut. Glass Shoes was an okay song but I felt that it wasn't too distinctive from the others back in 2017. To Heart was also in that vein, nice cutesy song that everyone and their moms have already done before. It wasn't until almost 6 months later when they dropped DKDK and this gorgeous human being called Lee Romsae appeared on my screen where I was smitten. It helped that DKDK was a fantastic song in it's own right, still K-pop but definitely unique especially against what everyone else was doing at that time. I'd also like to disclose that I got to meet and hi-five them at KCON so I may or may not be biased.

Anyway, fast forward to October and with Gyuri back in the fold they dropped this little bomb called Love Bomb and at first, I was very skeptical of it. It's uncharacteristically fromis but it sounds so alluring… but all my worries was lost and I learned how to love the love bomb when I heard the full song. The way it starts with this machine gun like noise, going to this sorta relaxed verses lulling you in a false sense of security, but the snares kick in and the bomb explodes. A basic ass synth pad anchors the chorus while the chorus gets you in a trance with its repetition before knocking you out of your haze and sending you to the minefield littered with Seoyeon and Chaeyoung's raps before finally kicking you back into the daze. And of course that bridge with Hayoung and Jiwon brings you that false sense of security again… the song feels like you're being forced to walk on a minefield where you can clearly see the mines sticking out of the ground while also showing you that you're almost safe as long as you walk through this path. The production behind the song is insane and I fucking love it… it's definitely one of the more interesting sounding songs of 2018.

4. Red Velvet - Bad Boy: Bad Boy is IMO, the best thing Red Velvet has ever released. It's just soooooo damn good from start to finish. It's got the right amount of sexy and playfulness that I don't think I've heard in K-Pop in recent memory. Sluggi's vocals harmonizing with Wendy's are a delight to the ears and that sultry backing track just hits with the right amount of restraint, it's kind of a wonder how they were able to really keep it from getting bloated. In a year full of high energy music, it's really nice that Red Velvet dropped something chill, to the point that I feel like this might be timeless and their most defining song yet.

3. Shinee - Good Evening: This being right here is not a surprise, and no I'm not getting paid by SM to write this, tho I wish lol. Nah, Good Evening being fucking amazing is a shocker imo. We all know what happened before this song came out and while I wasn't necessarily worried about their musical output, I'll admit that I was a bit skeptical. But here comes Good Evening and all my skepticism was thrown out the well. The song just grooves from start to finish, the vocals are fantastic as always, and it's just so fun to listen to. There's a lot more to this song than meets the ears and I could spit out the word vomit for it, but I'll save my fingers and just urge you to listen to it instead. This is definitely SOTY material and it's my own personal biases that unfortunately placed it 3rd.

2. Chungha - Roller Coaster: I hate that I'm placing this song at #2, coz not only is Chungha my ult(despite the Gyuri avatar as of this posting lol) but I also said that Roller Coaster was my SOTY the first time I heard it back in January of 2018 so I'm sorta biting my own hand by placing this at #2 but the thing is, and I understand this is cheating… I pretty much flip flop between 1 & 2 every hour of every day, and maybe at every minute even. I remember the first time I heard this, I fell in love with the teaser, it sounded so damn good and Chungha looked so good. The song is like a love letter written to disco and eurodance… there's no denying that it's just a ton of fun. It's literally been a year since this came out and I'm still listening to it with such glee, songs like these are timeless classics imo(and it being in the charts- for more than 6 months speaks to that imo) and Chungha absolutely delivered her best with Roller Coaster. Again, in my world this is probably a tie with my #1 song but for the purposes of being consistent, it'll be 2nd.

1. LOONA/Olivia Hye - Egoist(feat. Jinsoul) : And so we've come to #1. Again as I mentioned before, I flip flop between this and Roller Coaster every minute but I'll also admit that I lean heavily towards this song than Roller Coaster on most minutes. No, it's not my love for LOONA nor Olivia being my favorite LOONA member that's influencing that decision. Rather the music is just fucking great. Olly's low vocals are a delight to hear, especially in K-Pop where everyone and their moms are being forced to sing high coz high notes = great singers. But fuck that, that ain't true at all. And that's what we get here with Egoist. BBC didn't force the girl to sing outside of her range but rather she's singing comfortably in her own range and again, it's just a delight to hear. But on top of the vocals is this crazy ass backing track. It takes what was great with Odd Eye Circle's music and combines it with Yves new, creating this sultry yet dark song.

That piano intro is just unnerving and the verses keep this really uneasy feeling throughout, it's kinda painful tbh(LOONA theory says Yves ditched Olly and this is what this song is about so I guess that makes sense lol) and when you finally get to the chorus, using a delayed downbeat to fuck with the listener is just a great idea as it keeps that uneasy feeling while Olly sings about loving herself instead of Yves. But then that dance break, oh my god that fucking dance break. Praise be Yves for bringing that shit in. It's one of the greatest and unique things I've heard in K-Pop and I've been at this for more than 6 years. The random ass time signature changes are wild af and oddly captivating… it sounds like it wants to be a fucking mess but it perfectly highlights that uneasiness the song depicts. But really tho, this uneasy feeling is really the main theme of the song and there's so much of it, from the delayed downbeats, synths flying in outta nowhere, I could go on and on.

I'll just stop here to do a TL;DR and say that Egoist is my SOTY because the lyrics are actually quite nice, talking about loving yourself instead of trying to be loved by another. BBC not forcing Olivia to sing outside of her range was a great idea as Olly's lower register is a delight to hear. And lastly the music is just special and very unique, especially in K-Pop. There's really no other K-Pop song like it and is exactly why I stan LOONA.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Anyway, as mentioned before I started this, I went full kpopalypse with this post so I hope y'all enjoyed my ranting and raving… i'll be posting a YT playlist of this later in the day when I have the chance.
 
Woozies

Woozies

Member
Nov 1, 2017
18,987
It was a teaser for a concert

5TJfmqRl.jpg
 
·feist·

·feist·

Member
Oct 26, 2017
1,586
Weren't Dreamcatcher slated to have a late 2018 comeback?


Pringles said:
Nation's Girl Group is coming back.

Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
99C9A7495C25B2861F



Woozies said:
It was a teaser for a concert

5TJfmqRl.jpg
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
99FC31495C25B28E11



Robinson said:
do you guys not like NCT or something
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
There are definitely people here who like NCT, even if the group didn't make many "best of" 2018 lists.

Not a fan of 'Firetruck' at all, but 'The 7th Sense,' 'Boss' and some other tracks are good. Still concerned that SM's approach to the group may be too clinical or ultimately sterile, though. I like a few of the members, but barely know most of the lineup. NCT obviously has great dancers and some good singers, but I don't connect with the group(s) all that much.

Under the SM umbrella alone Exo and Super Junior are simply more... interesting overall, and I don't even like SuJu.
 
NameUser

NameUser

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,968
That Chung Ha song is iconic! Actually, it's more the video. It's really intense. Those camera angles, the lighting, that black dress 😎
 
NameUser

NameUser

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,968
This is the first song by her that I actually like. The others weren't bad, but they didn't connect with me.
 
jongkookie

jongkookie

Member
Oct 25, 2017
246
Woozies said:
It was a teaser for a concert

5TJfmqRl.jpg
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Eh it's actually a new album and obviously the concert is for that.

Current speculation says that we'll either get 3 songs(11 21 31 being the release dates according to the teaser video) or that the concert being called LOONAVERSE means that they're going to hit the reset button in the Loonaverse creating different subunits and basically retconning the current lore.
 
--R

--R

Being sued right now, please help me find a lawyer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,751
Oh boy, I'm so late for the top songs! Here's my top 25!

Honorable Mention: Jonghyun - Shinin'
수고했어, 종현아...

#25 Taeyeon - Something New
#24 Momoland - Bboom Bboom
#23 NCT 127 - City 127
#22 WJSN - Dreams Come True
#21 Khan - I'm Your Girl?
#20 IZ*ONE - Colors
#19 Pentagon - Shine
#18 IU - Bbibbi
#17 EXO - Tempo
#16 Winner - Millions
#15 Apink - I'm So Sick
#14 Momoland - Baam
#13 Mino - Fiancé
#12 Twice - What is Love?
#11 Chungha - Rollercoaster

#10 PO - Commes des garçons
#9 fromis_9 - DKDK
#8 Pentagon - Naughty Boy
#7 Produce 48 - Nekkoya
#6 fromis_9 - Love Bomb
#5 GWSN - Puzzle Moon
#4 Loona - Stylish

#3 iKON - Love Scenario
#2 Mino - Alarm
#1 IZ*ONE - La Vie en Rose

Let's hope 2019 is as good as 2018 was.
 

ladyluthien

Member
Oct 25, 2017
768
This is my first time ever doing an annual best list.
I chose singles and also b-sides, and tried to keep it one song per artist. I couldn't rank them haha, love them all equally!
Here's a spotify playlist of my 2018 picks:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2aJyLbyHdca6WRYBFbGidI
BoA - Like it!
CHUNG HA - Roller Coaster
Davichi - Days gone by
HYOLYN - SEE SEA
j-hope - Daydream
KHAN - I'm Your Girl?
LOONA - Egoist
LUNA - Falling Out
MAMAMOO - Egotistic
MOMOLAND - Bboom Bboom
NCT - WITHOUT YOU (does this count? released on a 2018 album lol)
Red Velvet - Butterflies
SHINee - Our Page
TWICE - Yes or Yes
Up That Brown - Shake it Tonight
YESEO - Bitches Rule
Yoon Jong Shin - Summer Man
Yoon Mi Rae - You & Me
Yubin - Lady (ok, this is probably my number #1 for 2018)
Zion. T - Malla Gang
 
Last edited:
LJKO

LJKO

Member
Nov 16, 2017
2,620
Regardless of his decision he'll always be a SECHSKIES. Thou people say he didn't leave SECHSKIES, Maybe when he get his shit together he can rejoin his members if YG don't renew SECHSKIES contract once it's up

1st it's KSH and now Shoo with her gambling stuff, Sometime being a 1st generation fan is so tough T_T
 
Last edited:
Riversands

Riversands

Banned
Nov 21, 2017
5,669
Chung ha.. i think i want to give her a chance. Been listening to her I Gotta Go.

So, anybody know what's her debut song?
 
RedEther

RedEther

Member
Jan 7, 2018
2,472
jongkookie said:
Eh it's actually a new album and obviously the concert is for that.

Current speculation says that we'll either get 3 songs(11 21 31 being the release dates according to the teaser video) or that the concert being called LOONAVERSE means that they're going to hit the reset button in the Loonaverse creating different subunits and basically retconning the current lore.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

This sounds kinda hype I really want this to happen now lol.
 
vanty

vanty

Member
Oct 26, 2017
105
vanty said:
2018 TOP 50 BEST LIST

1. Stylish - LOONA
2. Love Bomb - fromis_9
3. Full Moon - Dreamcatcher
4. Oh! my mistake - APRIL
5. favOriTe - LOONA
6. Egoist - LOONA (Olivia Hye)
7. See Saw - LOONA (Go Won/Chuu/Kim Lip)
8. Hi High - LOONA
9. What - Dreamcatcher
10. Mayday - Dreamcatcher
11. 22nd Century Girl - fromis_9
12. Heat - LOONA
13. You and I - Dreamcatcher
14. DKDK - fromis_9
15. Twilight - Oh My Girl
16. Moonlight - NeonPunch
17. Get It - Pristin V
18. Bboom Bboom - MOMOLAND
19. Overzone (Extended) - SAAY
20. LATATA - (G)I-DLE
21. Perfect Love - LOONA
22. Puzzle Moon - GWSN
23. BAAM - MOMOLAND
24. Bad Boy - Red Velvet
25. Black Dress - CLC
26. Butterflies - Red Velvet
27. love4eva - LOONA yyxy
28. Miracle - fromis_9
29. Trap - Dreamcatcher
30. Cold View - SAAY
31. Lady - Yubin
32. July 7th - Dreamcatcher
33. U&I - BoA
34. To Heart - fromis_9
35. Secret Garden - Oh My Girl
36. STAY - SAAY
37. Remember Me - Oh My Girl
38. I'm so sick - Apink
39. Maze - (G)I-DLE
40. Spotlight - Pristin V
41. HANN (Alone) - (G)I-DLE
42. Rosy - LOONA (Olivia Hye/Hee Jin)
43. ENCORE - SAAY
44. DREAM NOTE - DreamNote
45. I mean - UNI.T
46. Scar - Dreamcatcher
47. I'm Your Girl? - KHAN
48. Love Game - LABOUM
49. Not That Type - gugudan
50. Save Me, Save You - WJSN

minaearrrr.png
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Oh Kuno reminded me of Victoria so a big time honorable mention to Roof on Fire since it's a Chinese song, Chinese singer, and for a Chinese audience (to the point where I don't know of a legal way to get it outside of China) but close enough to kpop of course to get a mention.
 
No No Eul

No No Eul

Member
Oct 26, 2017
371
vanty said:
Oh Kuno reminded me of Victoria so a big time honorable mention to Roof on Fire since it's a Chinese song, Chinese singer, and for a Chinese audience (to the point where I don't know of a legal way to get it outside of China) but close enough to kpop of course to get a mention.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Good call. I'd forgotten that was a 2018 release. Still waiting for that follow-up album.

dvyzmwjvyaebrmc.jpgor40cdb.jpg


Pristin lives! Including Kyla! That image though... It really feels like Pledis put in the least amount of effort in a half-hearted attempt to keep fans happy/quiet.

Meanwhile, Matsuda Miko has left Honey Popcorn:

47691224_305218186785mydqe.jpg
45553758_15742863522864e37.jpg
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I'd pretty much assumed that Honey Popcorn's single was just a one-off so I wasn't exactly expecting them to make a comeback anyway, but who knows?

The English translation above isn't great but it's interesting to see her writing about how hard being a K-pop singer was and the toll it took on her mentally and physically.

—

Popu Lady X Blackpink (sorta not really)

 
Ginta

Ginta

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
1,141
She can choose which script to follow in AV at least. Wasn't she shouldering the cost partly on herself too anyway? Maybe it's just better for business and mental health as she said in that statement. Better actress than singer too.

No No Eul said:
Popu Lady X Blackpink (sorta not really)

Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

She's a potential idol, model?
 
Last edited:
LJKO

LJKO

Member
Nov 16, 2017
2,620
No No Eul said:
Good call. I'd forgotten that was a 2018 release. Still waiting for that follow-up album.

dvyzmwjvyaebrmc.jpgor40cdb.jpg


Pristin lives! Including Kyla! That image though... It really feels like Pledis put in the least amount of effort in a half-hearted attempt to keep fans happy/quiet.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Thank God Kyla is still a Pristin, I thought she was going to call it quits T_T
 
Ginta

Ginta

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
1,141
Was it her brother who made a big mess on twitter?



Feels like we get a new cover every month. <3



Chunga Ha really is the full package, I'm not sure what she could be lacking on her way to queendom.
 
Last edited:
Woozies

Woozies

Member
Nov 1, 2017
18,987
No No Eul said:
Good call. I'd forgotten that was a 2018 release. Still waiting for that follow-up album.

dvyzmwjvyaebrmc.jpgor40cdb.jpg


Pristin lives! Including Kyla! That image though... It really feels like Pledis put in the least amount of effort in a half-hearted attempt to keep fans happy/quiet.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I'm not so surprised by Kyla. Kyla is kinda shocking, but we knew she was alive.

The shocking ones are Xiyeon and Yehana who were literally missing for over 6 months
 

Typhonsentra

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,947
Hell of a way to kick off their American debut, and so soon after their Asian tour as well. Hopeful for new music by then as well.
 
Neol

Neol

Member
Oct 25, 2017
426
Pretty good for BP especially how mainstream Coachella is these days. Probably the best exposure they can get for there US push.

Maybe a US tour round the same time? Hopefully we get more songs by then.

Also glad to see Hyukoh and Perfume up there as well :)
 
Charamiwa

Charamiwa

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,051
New material from Backpink would fit nicely between their "world" tour in January-February and Coachella in April. Seems perfect but you never know.

One guy from Band Six (the live band who plays with BigBang and BP) implied that they'll play there so at least they'll have the right energy, Ddu Ddu rock version is kick ass.
 
Riversands

Riversands

Banned
Nov 21, 2017
5,669
I thought childish gambino has already dropped off his stage name for a new one? Blackpink is soaring after that coachella stage for sure. If they pull it right, their monthly listeners will get increased 80 percents
 

Deleted member 9746

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
5,406
Riversands said:
I thought childish gambino has already dropped off his stage name for a new one? Blackpink is soaring after that coachella stage for sure. If they pull it right, their monthly listeners will get increased 80 percents
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Yes, he said he was gonna retire the name but I don't think he ever did. He still uses Donald Glover for acting credit.
 
OP
OP
llehuty

llehuty

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,238

Was watching this trailer for a new girl group and I saw Woolim is in it... which probably means Playback is dead :(

RIP
 
jongkookie

jongkookie

Member
Oct 25, 2017
246
Lmao as if you'd know the current bullshit going on with the fandom right now.

There's more to this bullshit going on than the concert backfiring... I mean the tickets aren't even on sale until the 15th. How did it backfire already?
 
Reader mode
Status
Not open for further replies.