All-kill

As Girl's Generation 'comeback' (which in K-Pop spheres, doesn't really mean what you think it means), you'd expect this latest single to come out the blocks, and that's just what it does.

 The marketing couldn't lead you to any other conclusion, that this is unashamedly a summer anthem. From the cover art itself (great), to all of the sun-kissed promo shots (not the biggest fan of the garish hair colours, though), you can hardly blame the marketing department for anything potentially lost in translation. It hits all the familiar hallmarks of what constitutes a summer song, even if you don’t necessarily what that means – you’ll invariably listen and nod your head in agreement.  It’s familiar without being repetitive, which in itself is no mean feat.

 From the opening reverb, to the catchy repetition of the hooks, the song catches all the whimsy and fun we associate with summer. It’s the proverbial ‘anthem’.

 ‘Check’ is the closer, and it succeeds by not trying to match ‘Party’ but rather serve as a palette cleanser. It’s cheeky and playful song, and invokes quite 90’s-esque vibes, in both sound and structure. If it flatters to deceive on first listen, then certainly give it a second-chance.

SISTAR ‘Shake It’ - Unboxing (Group II)

SISTAR ‘Shake It’ - Unboxing (Dasom)

SISTAR ‘Shake It’ - Unboxing (Soyou)

SISTAR ‘Shake It’ - Unboxing (Hyolyn)

SISTAR ‘Shake It’ - Unboxing (Bora)

SISTAR ‘Shake It’ - Unboxing 

Review: SISTAR - 3rd Mini Album ‘Shake It’

There's something very earnest and charming about all the garbled English that has become almost ubiquitous in its use, and it's no different here. For as 'hard' as Sistar’s current image would like to portray them, their lyrical output is still delightfully tame, and undercuts any pretension about the whole thing. So, basically, another routine image retooling in the world of K-pop, which we always like to imagine changes things, whilst we ardently cling to the status-quo!

 Though that's not to say it's a bad thing, because the track 'Shake it' nails it, and the use of use of "rump shaker" in the chorus, will never fail to bring a smile to my face. And though the remainder of the tracks don't quite thematically sit comfortably together, they are still worthwhile. If you’re looking for anything akin to the title track, then you’ll most likely gravitate towards the odd numbered tracks, with ‘Go Up’ being the other notable standout.

Girl’s Generation ‘Party’ - Unboxing

Girl’s Generation ‘Party’ - Unboxing

Girl’s Generation ‘Party’ - Unboxing

 Review: KARA - 7th Mini Album ‘In Love’

It’s just as well that this latest mini-album is propped up by its lead-track ‘Cupid’, because the rest of the surrounding material flatters to deceive. Though, time will tell whether or not that is due to the clear stylistic mismatch that is offered, or simple mediocrity.

But therein lies a bit of a conundrum, as it touches upon an aspect of various K/J-pop acts that continues to baffle me ever so slightly. As a group becomes more polished, their image matures, and so does their sound…right? But what if the two don’t exactly run parallel and what we’re left with is a bleeding-edge presentation, ever so slightly undercut by the content which it puts forward?

It’s not entirely the case with KARA, though it’s something I feel is a slight caveat to this release. For anyone sold on ‘Cupid’, though, that alone is absolutely worth the price, but just be forewarned. That track is so bombastic, so piercing, that it belays everything else immediately in its vicinity. It’s the proverbial banger, surrounded by demure, almost dowdy ballad-type tracks.

Hey there!

 Well, seeing as this is a brand new (and somewhat experimental) blog, this is quite literally, to no one in particular!

 I'm pretty much doing this entire thing against my better nature, as I'm filling a niche that no one has really taken the mantle up for - well, as far as I'm aware! And the niche in question? Well, providing opinions, and general discussion around various musical styles, but particularly, J-pop, K-pop, and everything in-between. 

 The loosest of mission statements, yes, but I'm not foolish enough to continue obsessively trying to categorise musical genres.

 And let me be perfectly clear; there is already a wealth of places covering all these very subjects. But what they do, or to be more specific, how they do it, has never quite sat comfortably with me. 

 As mentioned, I referenced a "niche", and that's precisely what we're inhabiting as fans of all this. But therein lies something of a dilemma. It's pretty easy to feel a certain satisfaction over 'discovery', and this is something which is only amplified, the more obscure things become. It's not unique to any one thing, and is hardly something I'm pulling the curtain back over, as it's prevalent almost anywhere you'd care to look.

 But within niches, come communities, and within those, there tends to be a sense of exclusiveness about the whole thing. This has always seemed a little baffling to me, as you'd think that fostering inclusiveness would only benefit, whatever it is you hold dear. It's this kind of cannibalistic fandom which has often driven me away from ever engaging with a lot of my interests, to the extent that many (like on tumblr) often do. 

 I write all this, simply because I'm on the end of a fruitless search to try and find somewhere I just consider 'normal', and not one of the many blogs that holds its subject matter, and by extension, its audience, in contempt.

 Yes, many of the places I happened to stumble upon, were either bordering on the antagonistic, writing about this stuff as if they never liked it to begin with, or simply viewed it through such a strange lense (excessively leery, unsettling, to the point of voyeurism), that it almost made me question why it is I choose to engage, to begin with.

 Though, at this point, it's becoming abundantly clear that I'm veering dangerously close to wallowing in that aforementioned pretension myself! So, let me just say, I like cool music, and I enjoy writing. I hope I can combine the two, in way that others find interesting.