For me, this was also a really slow kpop year. I basically didn't listen to any kpop during the latter half of 2017... so I just went through more than 600 kpop music videos during the last few weeks. xD
I'm sure I've missed some hidden gems and album cuts, but hey, can't listen to everything I suppose.
Here's all of the songs mentioned in this post in a
youtube playlist.
-- Stryfe's Top 10 --01. Winner - Really ReallyWhen I was making these rankings, Winner had a few things going against it, namely:
1. It's a boy group
2. It consists solely of dudes
3. It has no females in it
They still came out on top, so I guess the song is pretty good! And it is. Very relaxed, catchy tropical house song with no real weak parts. It kept worming its way back into my mind and ears throughout the year, and I never felt like complaining.
02. Red Velvet - Body TalkRed Velvet always has a bunch of cool, wacky singles but their finest songs are often buried within the albums. And this could be my favorite of theirs to date. Great space-y vibe, wonderful use of echo and beats, amazing chorus and harmonies. Love, love, love.
03. LOONA / Yves - NewThis is so my sound it hurts. I haven't paid much attention to Loona before but that is going to fucking change. Eye-opener of the year. Climax of the year (this is how you end a song).
04. Soom feat. Sanchez - TBH (To be honest)I started watching this MV without realizing who it was and I just. Fell. HARD. for Soom. She is so fucking cute and pretty and playful in this I want to die. When she bit her lip about halfway the video I think I did die, for a bit, but apparently my work on this earth isn't quite done yet so I came back. Only later I realized it was Ahn Soomin from Unpretty Rapstar season 2. I was never really into her back then so ah man, how things change. Oh and the song is good, too.
05. KARD - Don't RecallI wasn't too high on KARD's more recent songs - they're just alright - but Don't Recall is a really good track, right up there with their best. I also love how they have have this unmistakable signature sound now.
06. Blackpink - As If It's Your LastThese girls are the reason why I'm still into kpop, and possibly the reason why I wasn't so into kpop last year, because they did very little. Thanks YG. This is a really fun song though, if not QUITE up to par with their earlier efforts. It was perfect for the summer though.
07. LOONA / Kim Lip - EclipseEven though I find the Odd Eye Circle songs mostly just ok/good, I was really into each of the three girls' solo tracks. If Loona sticks to this kind of a style when they debut, I'll be following them for sure.
08. Dreamcatcher - Sleep-walkingWell, this came out of nowhere (thanks zoolander). I've warily kind of sort of been ok with the pseudo-metal anime-style Dreamcatcher but never thought they'd make it very high in my rankings. This is very different, and very good. Great beat and a really fun tune.
09. Wassup - LalalaUnapologetic is how Wassup usually rolls, and this is very much a song from the 90s. Lalala is a relatively simple but very well-crafted song with retro hip-hop beats and easily Wassup's best effort to date.
10. Sophiya - For The RecordThis song is smoooooth as silk and I'm floating in space... loooove her voice.
-- The toughest one to drop --11. CLC - MistakeI had a relatively easy time making a top eleven, but dropping one of the tracks to make it a top 10 proved most difficult. CLC had a couple of solid tunes hidden in their mini-album. Mistake is good stuff all around and has this great flow from mini-Hyuna (Yeeun). I'd love to hear something more rap-centric with her in it.
-- Rest of the considerations in alphabetical order --•
2NE1 - Goodbye - A suitable farewell to one of my favorite groups despite the lack of Minzy. I really dig the guitars and everything up and until the chorus, where I'm like "Hmm, maybe this could be a little better?" Still, really sad, really good.
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Akmu - Dinosaur - I like a lot about this song, it's fun and kind of unusual.
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AOA - Excuse Me - I'd actually like this more without the silly butt dance, as weird as that sounds. Nothing amazing, but still, surprisingly good. Also, Choa.
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B.A.P. - Wake Me Up - The only other boy group song in my consideration list (and I went through a lot, I promise). As shirenu said, dramatic, but all the fundamentals of a good song are in place.
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CLC - Hobgoblin - This is ridiculous, and I love it. Watching the MV I'm like fuck yeah you go girls, smash shit up. I wish the song was a little better, though.
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CLC - Liar - One of my fave choruses of the year for sure. Mini-Hyuna again in her element.
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Dia - 비행 소녀 - No, not that DIA. I was confused too. Fun MV and song... reminds me of another song I can't quite name right now, though.
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Dreamcatcher - Good Night - I like the whole metal novelty of Dreamcatcher, it's catchy and fun, in an anime theme song kind of way.
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EXID - Night Rather Than day - Groovy stuff, everything on point, really digging LE's rapping here. I find I like EXID more when they tone their on-the-nose style down a bit.
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Gugudan - A Girl Like Me - A much better effort from Gugudan than their forgettable debut... great beat, pretty good stuff.
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Gugudan - Chococo - Gugudan are trying their darndest to out-crazy Red Velvet videos, and I think they succeed here. This is mostly here for the excellent MV, although the song isn't bad at all.
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Hyolyn & Kisum - Fruity - Maybe the best Lipton commercial of all time. Definitely my fave Hyorin song of all time. And with some Kisum, too? Yes, please.
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Jane Jang, Giant Pink, Perc%nt - Dumb Dumb - I didn't realize at first that this was a cover... and when I did I thought it was an AMAZING cover.
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KARD - Rumor - While I felt KARD's later releases in 2017 weren't as great, they still weren't bad, and Rumor is almost at the level of their finest stuff.
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Lee Haeri - Pattern - Haeri's voice is just fantastic, and this is finally a song from her that doesn't put me to sleep. Great stuff.
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LOONA / Odd Eye Circle - Girl Front - Everything is on point aesthetically and stylistically speaking. The song falls just short of greatness, but hypes up the Loona group potential for me like no other.
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LOONA / Odd Eye Circle - Chaotic - The Odd Eye Circle album is good, a sort of a flawed gem, but somehow this slow R&B number stands out.
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LOONA / Choerry - Love Cherry Motion - Choerry's solo track is a bit more on the cutesy side than I usually like but it's actually pretty great.
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LOONA / JinSoul - Singing in the Rain - Another from the Odd Eye Circle. A bit uneven, but solid, chorus especially.
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Mad Clown feat Suran - Love is a Dog From Hell - I feel like I enjoy Suran's voice more in smaller portions, haha. This is a really neat song though.
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Marmello - Can't Stop - My first reaction was "oh, the obligatory mainstream girl band" but after some research... I really like these girls, especially their older live videos. They're a legit band, even though their songs after their major debut are a bit on the safe side. Love the singer's voice, and this song sounds like some of the ye olde j-pop-rock I was into back in the day. Good times.
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Oh My Girl - Coloring Book - This is a super fun song with a strong, unrelenting beat. Definitely among my OMG favorites.
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Red Velvet - Peek-A-Boo - Still the masters of catchy quirk. Love the beat and wackiness. The dance is fucking hilarious. Also, Seulgi on the couch.
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Red Velvet - Red Flavor - Fun with fruit. This is in many ways a "perfect" kpop song, but somehow I tired of it pretty fast. Although, Seulgi.
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Sohee - Spotlight - Sohee is just plain enjoyable to watch, and the style of this song is right up my alley. I was really hoping Elris would sound more like this, but you can't have everything in life I suppose.
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Triple H - 365 Fresh - Hyuna's collabs have always been good, and this is no exception. Groovy stuff.
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Wassup - Color TV - This is more like the Wassup I'm used to, meaning straddling the line between outrageous fun and plain annoying. Still, it's retro as fuck and has the dance break of the century.