Ok, this is kind of a hybrid "Things You Gotta Do" and "KPop Slam" post, but bear with me.
Not that kind of bear!
So, if you don't know by now, KPop fans are some of the absolute girliest, girl-tastic, grily girl girls in the WORLD.
Find a boy... I DARE YOU!
As I have said before, learning to love the sugar-coated, chocolate-dipped, cotton candy cloud-riding unicorn that is KPop makes your life in Korea EXCEPTIONALLY more tolerable. You get excited when a make-up store blasts your favorite KPop band. It helps you appreciate the Korean popular culture more and gives you intense insight into just why Koreans are completely and hopelessly obsessed with plastic surgery (ok, I guess I know what my next blog post is going to be). You can giggle at the ladies with their sex-driven aegyo, and drool over the sexiest men to ever grace the Korean gene pool.
It's totally true... I don't know why you're looking at me like that...
So when my friends and I heard that there was a KPop festival going down at Incheon's Olympic Stadium (Incheon is an island off the coast of Seoul, it's where Seoul's real airport is and it's reachable by Seoul's subway system). and that the tickets were a whopping 50 cents for foreigners we were SO THERE!
My friend C also taught at an all girls high school last year. The two of us and the Kimchi Queen also lived in the same neighborhood. Our routine was to get together after school and bitch about KPop videos, gush of KPop men, and sing the songs in our terrible, broken Korean.
SOY UN DORITO!
C and I also have a habit of imbibing too much soju (wait... that's a thing?) and reenacting our favorite music videos infront of people, often in very public places. When she and I heard that SHINee was going to be at this concert, we just about crapped our pants with excitement.
C and I love them because they are, hands down, the best dancers in KPop
I really can't imagine why KQ likes them.
The festival was a pretty big thing. There were 18 groups performing. Among them were huge names like IU, BAP, Infinite, SHINee, BoA, 4Minute, and KARA as well as some new-ish groups and some solo artists. The crowd was decent. There was a huge VIP section on the ground of the stadium, where us foreigners were firmly situated. I am pretty sure that they only made the tickets so cheap for us because they wanted to show footage of a big pile of westerners in order to convince the rest of the world that the Korean Wave is actually a thing (Oh, well, there's another thing I need to post about, damn it's been a long time).
One of the best parts of the concert was the fact that SeungHyun was with me. SeungHyun does not typically listen to KPop, but he appreciates it. And, let me tell you, he REALLY got into some of the performers. He was doing a lot of the dance moves to IU and knew most of the words to many of the more famous songs. However, nothing he did could match the amount of freaking out C and I did once SHINee hit the stage. We know almost all of the dance to their song "Sherlock" and I'm shocked that we didn't just jump up and do it with them. We screamed our favorite lines at each other and were so shocked that their dancing is just as amazing live as it was in the video.
Visual Approximation
The girls in the crowd were adequately young, girly, and swooning over their favorite groups. They all had the stereotypical Korean fan signs (black background with neon letters, laminated, I really don't know how they make those posters so damn well) and the stereotypical "I'm going to die if he looks at me" look in their eyes. At one point, during BoA's performance (solo female singer), one of the members of SHINee got on stage and was sexually abused by her pretty thoroughly. I'm positive at least one girl in the crowd fainted.
The only downside to this concert was that it was being taped for SBS MTV. This meant that it was super staged, super timed, and super short. None of the performers got to really show off their personality or their playfulness. The well known groups only did two songs (EVEN SHINEE ONLY DID TWO, I WAS READY TO RIOT!!!) and the lesser known groups did one song. I don't think I got the full KPop experience. I'm planning on going to the Busan Fireworks Festival and, hopefully, storming the stage at the Big Bang and PSY concert happening the night before the Fireworks. Yes, that's right, I might be seeing Big Bang...
I might see Big Bang...
The only KPop band I am a 100% legitimate fan of.
Which means that I'll be "close" to T.O.P. ...
... those...
... eyebrows...
NOT FOR LONG YOU WON'T BE!!!
And PSY!!!
I assure you, if I get tickets to this concert, I will be horsey-ing allll the way to Busan
So a visual of this concert is perfectly summed up in this:
Ok, I haven't done a post about KPop in a while and I'm full of coffee and have been playing music videos for my students during our "Last Class with Miss Margaret" parties and, for realz, I got some bones to pick and some props to give to where Kpop has been going this summer.
Since I was teaching summer camp and in America for most of July and August I don't feel accurately prepared to give you a big run down of summer smash hits, but I want to touch a little on the music videos that have been highly requested and the songs I have heard blaring out of every store.
For the best music video of the summer, go ahead and skip to the bottom.
2NE1's "I Love You"
It's strangely fitting that the first KPop song I ever heard was 2NE1's "Ugly" and it was last year at roughly the same time as this newest single that comes towards the end of my first year in Korea. This song is actually really strong and I think it really shows 2NE1s versatility as a group. 2Ne1 is really damn good at making sounds that stick in your brain (i.e. BOOMBARATATATA-TATATATATA). This song is, as usual, very club-friendly, which is the surest way to make 20-something Seoulites remember your song way past its release date. However, as usual, I have to complain.
In the video the ladies are sporting what has officially become my least favorite fashion trend: bedazzled nails.
Seriously, it makes me want to vomit.
And then someone decided this would be a good look for Bom:
Notice the MARKED color difference between her leg and face. The woman has been plastic surgeried to death, does she really need to also wear two inches of make-up? Also, I'm pretty convinced that she can barely move her mouth and is incapable of moving her eyebrows. Video aside this is a decent song that I'm sure I'm going to be hearing for a VERY long time. Now, moving on to the release by one of the other KPop mega-groups... BEAST's "Beautiful Night"
Quick, generic complaint to the KPop industry: STOP REUSING TITLES! I mean, it was more forgiveable for B1A4's "Baby Goodnight" because it had been a few year since GD & TOP's song, but ULALA Session had their mega-hit "Beautiful Night" EARLIER THIS SUMMER! Come one, people, be a bit more creative! That aside this is an awesome summer party night anthem which is sure to stay firmly planted on my pre-gaming playlist for a while. It's got a very dance-able beat and it is super fun to scream out "I just want to love you all night long!!" while dancing around my apartment using my Swiffer handle as a microphone. I, for once, don't have any complaints about the music video. It's a generic vanilla ice cream video but it does make me like Beast a bit more. I have had a difficult time with this band because these boys are SUPER BOYS. They are very young and the complete opposite of sexy, and sexiness is something I demand from my boy groups. But there's one part, this part:
With the fireworks and the nice suits
They still aren't sexy, but I would be totally stoked to party with them. I think this video does a sufficient job of taking Beast for "cute high school boys" to "fun college students." Appreciated.
And now the three most rage-inducing songs of the summer:
I'm not embedding either of these music videos because IT'S NOT WORTH IT!
Lets start with Teen Top. I didn't hate "To You," which was the first Teen Top song I heard. I mean, it had it's redeeming moments and was pretty catchy. "Bee My Girl," on the other hand, sounds like someone gave the boys underwear two sizes too small and fed them only pixie sticks for a week. It's too fast, it's too high, it has one of the worst examples of "club horn" that I've heard in a while, and, as soon as the song is over I don't remember anything about it. Tthat's the worst curse to any KPop song, not being insanely catchy. The music video is just as super fast-paced as the song to the point where I really... I don't even know who these people are.
Moving on to Super Junior they once again prove to me that they are the least consistent band as far as song quality. I LOVE "Mr. Simple" and "Sexy, Free & Single" was a decent track, but "Spy" is just... annoying. The chorus sounds like the opening titles of a children's show. If you're going to go for a James Bond-esque feel to a song you need to put on (or, preferably, take off) the sexiest tux you can find, grab a martini, and class up the joint, not parade around in your dad's suit that drops to your knees. The video is a ridiculous mixture of classic Bond themes mixed with the hyper-glossed KPop aesthetic.
I will, however, accept any excuse to stare at Shiwon
Last is B.A.P.'s "No Mercy." My biggest problem with this song is that it sounds like a less ballsy version of "Power," which sounded like a less ballsy version of "Warrior." WE GET IT, you're the "bad boys" of KPop, except that you kinda aren't. Big Bang are the real bad boys of KPop because of their overt sexuality and just how little of a shit they give about what people say about them. You guys are just those kids on the playground who pretended to be tough but then screamed like babies when a bee showed up. Also, what the hell is up with all the useless crap randomly scattered through the video? What is this, an add for the B.A.P. family garage sale? This song is you guys talking about how bad ass you are and you prove that with... this?
When you promised to feature whistle prominently in all your songs was this how the whistle industry paid you?
Lets end on a high note with the MOST EPIC KPOP SONG OF ALL TIME!
Psy's "Gangnam Style"
This song is... incredible.
For those of you who don't know, Gangnam is the super-rich area of Seoul. Though neither the video nor song doesn't do much to give a real accurate feel for what it's like to live in this area it does give a good description of the people who live and frequent Gangnam, you just need to understand Korean to get the message. This video is hilarious from start to finish, the dance is the latest craze, and the song is 100% solid. I have nothing bad to say, and this image is the funniest thing of the summer:
I, appropriately, named this screenshot "buttscream.bmp"
I will, from now on, try to appropriately fit that image into every post I make.
The SUPER AWESOME!!!
My blog has gotten over 6,000 views and lately a lot of people from back in the States who I have not talked to in YEARS have been telling they've been reading it and really enjoying it. It makes me feel all warm and squishy on the inside! One friend said it's the "most interesting personal blog (he's) ever read." SMILES FOREVER! Thank you so much to everyone who is reading my rambling updates about just how amazing my life is and please never hesitate to leave a comment or even make a suggestion for something you'd like me to cover! LOVE YOU!
The Good
- I have spent a good amount of time with friends this week. When starting a new relationship I have always had a tendency to devote myself to the new partner and spend a lot of time with them. I am aware that this is not the healthiest course of action, but it's my pattern. SeungHyun has been in North America for the past 10 days both on business and on a brief vacation. As a result, my friends and I have been doing some pretty fun stuff.
- Last Friday was a Suyu Crew night out and about in our favorite corner of Seoul. I need to do a massive post about this neighborhood before I move, it's really a great place to live. There was dak galbi; soju, beer, and coke cocktails; fun and awesome new people; and noraebang (karaoke rooms). I got... too drunk, but it was a night of celebration and I wasn't about to not celebrate.
-Saturday I went alllll the way out to Cheongpyeong to celebrate the great Bacon's birthday. We rented a condo and settled in for a night of talking and drinking. It was really refreshing to be around the Gyeonggi-do peeps again (Gyeonggi-do is the county that boarders Seoul). In the morning I played Mama Margaret (my favorite!) and made everyone bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches, because I'm awesome.
-Wednesday was my night with KO. We each drank a bottle of wine, watched Girls, waxed poetic, and told each other how much we love and respect each other. I am going to miss this girl like whoa.
-SeungHyun gets back today at 5:30 and the excitement woke me up two hours before my alarm and gave me enough energy to clean my apartment.
The Bad
- SeungHyun greatly assists me in the "eating well" department. He's a healthy guy and treats his body well. I, however, when left up to my own devices, have a tendency to eat nothing but crap. That totally happened this week. I have consumed entirely too much sugar and possibly too much cheese (if such a thing exists). I felt like crap but, at the same time, I was so happy to be doing it. ^^
- I really let my apartment get entirely too messy.
- Horrible post-KO night awesomeness hangover, thank God I wasn't teaching at all on Thursday!
KPop Music Video of the Week
I only had classes for three days this week and even then most of them were cancelled. Super Junior didn't release their new music video until mid-week. If I had classes I'm sure their music video would have beaten this one but, as it is, the music video this week is Sistar's "Loving U"
I've said it before, I'll say it again, over and over, I am biased against girl groups because I hate women. Just kidding on the hating women part, but TOTALLY not kidding on the biased against girl groups part. It's just that girl groups tend to focus more on the cutesy side of their music while the men focus on being sexy and intense.
Yes, please, thank you
I had hope for Sistar, though, their last video was DAMN SEXY:
Sistar has had their videos banned before for being too sexy, these women (who are actually girls, two haven't reached legal drinking age) seem very in charge of their sexuality. However, in the video for "Loving U" they appear to be stumbling awkwardly along the line between cutesy:
BWING BWING!
And super sexy:
Dancing on junkyard cars: everyone's dream Hawaii vacation
It's just a little strange. I don't know if I'm supposed to want to pinch their cheeks or pray for them to just start stripping. These girls are sexy, they can't do aegyo because aegyo on someone straight-up hot just looks forced. Stick with looking into the camera deeply with those sultry eyes, ladies. I just need them to pick a genre and, for the record, dancing on grass while wearing roller skates NEVER LOOKS COOL!
Not cool, just awkward
Lastly... come on, girls, you were in Hawaii and the hottest guy you could find to do a flip for you was this kid?
"Totes gonna get laid for this, brah!"
That's just... sad.
As for the song, it's cute, it's upbeat, but it is far from being my new #1 Summer Jam.
- I am officially done with my after school class. The girls were very sweet, but their attendance was spotty, which was super-extra annoying, especially for a conversation-based class. Getting three girls to talk is, surprisingly, FAR more difficult than getting 8 to talk. I made them burritos for our last class and they really seemed to enjoy them.
- I managed to find all the ingredients for burritos. This is an impressive feat for anyone who lives outside of Itaewon. However, sour cream still eludes me. I hear-tell that you can only find it in non-bulk packaging if you go to Costco (*shiver*).
- Seung Hyun and I went on a MASSIVE walk on Sunday, it was about 3 hours long but it was also pretty awesome.
The Bad
- My friend Pandios has officially left Korea. ㅠㅠ Sure, his apartment smelled like it was being used to test how bodies decay and his dog always peed on me, but he was a quality guy and will be deeply missed by all of us in the Suyu Crew. He is the first of many people that will be leaving in the following two months; I'm not sure I'm prepared to say goodbye to all these amazing people.
D'AWWWW
- Seung Hyun is in America for 10 days on business. We are currently on day 4, 6 more to go. I hadn't realized what an enormous part of my life he has become, and I do NOT eat very well when he's not around. Feeding myself has always been one of my more difficult daily tasks. He's attending a conference at the University of Oregon with the president of Korea University and then KU is PAYING HIM to take a vacation in Seattle and Vancouver for a few days, because he's so awesome.
-My back is KILLING ME! It's horrible. It kept me awake most of the night last night. If anyone has a recommendation for a massage place in Seoul I would owe you a dinner. I'm going to hit up a jimjilbang next week, so maybe that will cure it (blog post on jimjilbangs coming soon). Tonight: NyQuil.
Music Video of the Week:
This week was a little difficult. There were no new releases that my students insisted upon hearing in every single class, so this week's music video needs to go to a more impressive feat in the KPop world: a song that is popular for more than 1-2 week. This week's music video is B1A4's "Baby Goodnight."
WHOOPS! That's not the right music video! That's the VASTLY superior track and video from G Dragon & TOP released last year under the EXACT SAME TITLE. Seriously, every time my students request "Baby Good Night" I PRAY that they are requesting this video over this one:
Don't get me wrong, it's an alright song. I LOVE the part in the beginning where Baro (aka 차선우 or Cha Seon Oo) is doing his cute little "What chu doin' babe? You still awake? Aw, girl! I feel bad for you! Goodnight!" I'd like to take a second and address the conundrum that is Baro. He is EASILY the cutest guy in B1A4 and does almost an obscene amount of 애교 ("aegyo" or "korean cutesy face," blog post to follow) BUT he is also the group's lead rapper and has the deepest voice. These contradictions flabbergast me.
If you, like a person with a life, don't know the names of the guys in B1A4, I will allow you to guess which one of these has the lowest voice...
IT'S THIS GUY! *bwing bwing!!!*
So why exactly do I prefer GD&T's "Baby Goodnight" to this one? Well, other than the fact that GD&T are EXPLODING SEXY in their video as opposed to B1A4's cavity-inducing sweetness...
... I'm sorry, what was the question?
Well, maybe it's because the GD&T has a storyline that doesn't make MY BRAIN HURT!!! Seriously... WTF IS HAPPENING IN B1A4'S MUSIC VIDEO? Is half of it in the past and half of it in the present? Or in the present and future? Or in the present and CNU's fantasy world?
What kind of a weird fantasy world involves getting an awkward phone call on a date?
There is no way of figuring out the timeline on this music video. I DARE YOU! Seriously, if you figure it out in a way that makes sense I'll buy you brunch or something. And, in the end, the chick is with some other dude... WHAT THE HELL? This girl makes NO SENSE.
Also, the dance has ONE good moment in it (other than all of Baro's improv moves) and that is during the "whoa-oh-oh-oh-OH" where their hips are just... a little magical. The rest of the dance is just too femme for me. I realize that B1A4 is in the middle of an identity crisis where they are starting to age past Flower Boy Status (Korean guys who act REALLY effeminate, because Korea girls eat that shit up). In their song "Baby I'm Sorry" (hmmm, pattern) and its video they seemed to be maturing a lot more and CNU actually wrote the song, a rarity in the KPop world (so he gets a SMALL pass on the horrible Konglish throughout the song). However, I think it's time for these boys to accept their adulthood with the same grace as SHINee, TVXQ, and, to an extent, Infinite. You can still tap into the cute, but you don't have to go all Lisa Frank on us in every video.
I DID IT! I made appropriate Lisa Frank references in THREE separate blog posts! Where's my massive following?
-All of the taxis went on strike on Wednesday to protest rising gas costs and the very low, government-regulated starting fares. How is this good? Because this had already been the night Seung Hyun was planning on renting a car to take us around to some of the hearder-to-reach parts of Seoul. We went to Samcheongdong (GORGEOUS) and drove around a lot on the small mountain beside that neighborhood, I'll be writing all about these places soon when I do a blog post on romance in Seoul.
- I've managed to make it through one more week. Seriously, since I found out my exact dates for finishing at Hye Hwa and for my visit home it's been a little more difficult to be completely enthusiastic. All teachers experience the malaise of "summer vacation's almost here," it's just that my summer vacation is a hell of a lot shorter.
The Bad
- I saw Prometheus. Though it was visually stunning and the acting was very well done there was nothing that could save this movie from itself. The plot was just... terrible... it was god-awful, and it really failed to answer ANY of the questions it posed. Any connection to the Alien movies was slap-dash and treated as an afterthought. The visuals were so amazing that I am reluctant to tell you not to see this movie. I guess this is the best way to put it: if Avatar made you rage-fail do NOT see Prometheus.
- No closer to obtaining an apartment for late August. We made a few important steps but, yeah, no real progress.
- I am steadily coming to the realization that a lot of people I really like and/or care about will be departing soon, and that kinda sucks a lot.
Music Video of the Week:
EASILY this goes to F(X)'s "Electric Shock":
This song has been blowing up since it was released last week. With over 12 million views on the YouTubes and even a mention on Perez Hilton it's a real testament to just how popular KPop is becoming internationally.
I hated the song at first, but it's grown on me a bit (I know, I say that a lot about KPop songs). The beat is very nice and the singing is pretty quality. Ehhh, I dunno, though, I don't think I'll be tempted to put this one on my iPod, not even as in a work-out mix. I will be the first to admit that I am TERRIBLY biased against girl groups. If their voices are high and whiney in any way during a track I am not likely to want to listen to it again. I blame the fact that I have never really been a girl.
I like the video alright, but a few things really bother me. Like the fact that UNNATURALLY COLORED CONTACTS NEVER LOOK GOOD ON ANYONE... EVER! Seriously, they take all of the expression out of your eyes and give you permanently dilated pupils. Some of my students wear them and I swear it makes them look like dolls. If you are going to wear colored contacts only enhance your natural color, don't go for a different color.
Also, the dancing isn't appropriate. There are weird moments where some girls are dancing pseudo-rapidly during a slow part, and all of the dancing needs to kind of be tailored around the fact that one of the girls in this group is a tomboy. She just looks ridiculous at times. The dancing needs to be more masculine if there's going to be any dancing at all, I get physically uncomfortable watching this at times.
There's no runner-up this week, THAT'S how huge this song has been.
- I managed to go to a doctor with my coteacher and there was only minimal miscommunication (she told him I had diarrhea when I didn't, resulting in a super awkward conversation with the pharmacist who was about 90 years old and almost deaf).
- Threw another successful Suyu Crew Potluck at my apartment. I was a little distracted, however, and couldn't fully enjoy the party, for explanation, see below.
The Bad
- I almost died! SeungHyun and I both got extra sick this last week. He had a rough couple of days suffering from weakness, body aches, fever, and a sore throat. I then took over his sickness but replace sore throat with excessive vomiting and there you have it.
- I think I have officially alienated some of my coworkers because I neglected to go to an open-class (classroom evaluation) one of them had. I had forgotten to do something for my after school class and needed to use that time to get stuff together, but it's hard to convince them that that's the truth when one of them came back afterwards and saw me watching Daily Show. ...dammit
Music Video of the Week
It's a little close to call, but I'm giving this week to Wonder Girl's "Like This"
If you don't like KPop, or are new to KPop, this is a perfect song to start off with. The video is super accessible, unlike many KPop videos which tend to lean towards either just hott people dancing on weird sets and changing costumes WAY too often or more towards an absurd and difficult to follow story line in which all of the singers are obsessed with one male/female or a combination of the two.
Example of Type One:
Example of Type Two:
It is literally impossible for me to properly express how little I understand about the plot line in that second video, maybe someone smarter than me could post a synopsis in the comments below.
Anyway, back to Wonder Girls. This video is attempting a flash-mob-esque feel, and they do a good job at it and it really fits the song well. The song is catchy and I really like the dance and would try to learn it if me dancing didn't come so close to resembling this:
In essence, awesome, but to the uninformed observer, horrendous.
I love their outfits because it makes them look like they belong in that shopping mall. However, this video, at first, confused the HELL out of me. I have been told that it was indeed filmed in Korea, but I have NEVER seen a shopping mall that comes anywhere close to looking like this. I was convinced that Wonder Girls had filmed it during their recent trip to California for the Google KPop concert series (yes, I have started reading KPop music news blogs and yes, I do feel ashamed) but that was even MORE confusing because how the HELL did you get so many Koreans in one place in America without at least one white person wandering in? I dunno, maybe these style of outlet malls exist somewhere in Korea, but I am unaware.
Runner-Up:
Ok, this song wasn't requested enough to be number one, but I REALLY want to talk about a few things that have been driving me insane. This video firmly belongs to Type Two: Teen Top's "To You."
Let me preface by saying that I REALLY like this song. It's catchy in all the right ways and makes me want to get my boogie on.
Oh yeah
With that being said, a few things really irk me about this video. I can guess that the plot is that they are all obsessed with this one girl, found out about each others obsession, got into a massive brawl over it, and now she hates all of them because... well... I dunno, maybe she misses the allure of her love heptagon. There are some good moments in this video:
Thank you, TVXQ, for starting this new "KPop Idols in a Bathtub" craze
But there's this one thing that has been causing me to actually lose sleep:
Look Closely
HOW THE HELL DID THEY ALL ESCAPE A SIX-PERSON BRAWL WITH ONE, SUPER UNIFORM, UNSWOLLEN BRUISE ON THEIR FACES?!!?
Seriously, this question has made me lose sleep. Not only does Teen Top have possibly the WORST band name in KPop, but they managed to find a first year make-up artist for their video. One tiny bruise on your face doesn't make you look tough or cool; it makes you look like you and your friends fought with plastic baseball bats and all ran home crying after you got hit in the face the first time.
- SeungHyun was out of town last weekend, so I got to spend some much needed time with some of my oft neglected friends. Spent Friday night in Suyu (my neighborhood) with members of the Suyu Crew. We had dak galbi at my second favorite dak galbi place in Korea and then proceeded to drink... heavily.
Suyu Station, exit 7, take the first right, walk straight, it's on the northeast corner of the second small intersection, you'll be glad you went.
Drinking on the sidewalk: can't get much more Korean than that.
- Saturday was my gayageum recital. I had to sing the first verse and chorus to Arirang (traditional Korean folk song), I only forgot two or three words, there's video, I'll post it when I'm good and ready to.
Me, in a hanbok (traditional Korean dress), 'nuff said
- This week did not have a whole lot of teaching going on. In fact, I only taught any classes on Monday and Friday. Tuesday was Sports Day at my school (like Field Day in America, but more intense), Wednesday was Memorial Day, and Thursday was the practice KSAT. All in all it's been a pretty relaxing week.
The Bad
-Well, there hasn't been much bad this week, other than the fact that I am totally not into what is going on in fashion this summer. I went to H&M on Tuesday hoping to find a top and maybe a skirt and found NOTHING to my liking. I guess it's my own fault for hating sleeveless shirts and prints that are overly complicated, but come on, can I get ONE nice fitting, short-sleeve or sheer top with a cute pattern? PLEASE!?
- I spent too much money this week, mostly because I had a wealth of free time and so did a lot of the other westerners in the city. Hanging out with westerners is EXPENSIVE! Why do we have such a fondness for western food and high quality booze? I'm going back on the Soju and Vitamin Water diet for this weekend's booze options.
K-Pop Music Video of the Week
I called this one last week when I had a class ask to watch the teaser trailer for the video (that NEVER happens, they hate teaser trailers!
This week was easily won by Big Bang's "Monster":
Focusing on the positive: I really like this song. The lyrics are really heartfelt and pretty poetic. The track fits the lyrics well and, for once, we hear T.O.P.'s voice sound legitimately emotional (see minute markers 2:25-2:32). Seungri's solo is also pretty silky-smooth, I guess his solo career in R&B is starting to rub off on the band (minute markers 2:03-2:17). I also enjoy the piano on this track, the dissonance fits the mood nicely.
Now that that's over: I HATE THE COSTUME AND HAIR DESIGN IN THIS VIDEO. Ok, so that anger is all directed at the choices for Taeyang and Daesung. Daesung is normally the most conservatively dressed member of the group and, in this video, they have him wearing what can only be described as an "anti-kiss" weapon of a nose ring.
WHAT THE HELL, did he sneeze in -50 degree weather?
Then there's this monstrosity:
No comment necessary
I mean, how is it that they managed to make G. Dragon look like the more sensibly dressed one in the group for this video?
Never though I'd say this... but I'm actually attracted to G. Dragon in this music video... I don't know how to deal with that.
T.O.P., as always, looks impeccable (because he's NOT HUMAN, I'll soon do a post on "Why T.O.P. is Actually a Cyborg). However... come on, T.O.P.... throw your fan-girls a bone and show SOME skin. Taeyang, Daesung, Seungri, and even G. Dragon are not too shy to show off their impressive chests and abs, and you come into this video with a TURTLENECK?! You're killing me, T.O.P., my imagination can only work so hard...
Ok... well... maybe I can forgive you...
Ok, I'm going to call T.O.P. out on one more thing: SHOW AN EMOTION IN MUSIC VIDEOS OTHER THAN "I'M DISTURBINGLY SEXY AND COOL, AND I KNOW IT!"
This is NOT an acceptable position to strike when fleeing from a burning, exploding building
I am a little nervous about a possible pattern that might be threatening to emerge from these "music video of the week" segments. I am going to try my hardest to review a different music video than they do over at Eat Your Kimchi, but there was no avoiding it this week. Do yourself a favor and, after reading, commenting on, and sharing my review, go watch theirs, it's pretty funny!
The Good:
-Went to Wando and Yeosu with Seung Hyun, had a super awesome fun time, reviewed it fully in the post just below.
Aint we adorable?
- Found out I have a job with Korea University starting in September.
- De-seeded and ate a whole bunch of watermelon using only chopsticks, never my hands.
The Bad:
- Started a diet with Seung Hyun where we eat no meat and no junk food. We decided to start this diet on the worst week of the month.
Shark Week
- My job at Korea University does not provide housing, so now I have to look for an apartment, the second most soul-crushing endeavor one can undertake (the top being job hunting)
- Learned that my break between contracts is only one week, meaning that I will go to the States during my summer break instead, this is going to make me super broke.
This is too depressing for a gif or picture
K-Pop Video of the Week:
The K-Pop Video of the Week will always be the music video my students ask for the most (remember, I teach in an all girls high school).
This week was easily lorded over by Infinite's "The Chaser"
I must say, I am not the biggest fan of Infinite. Their music is interesting, but I think they overplay their androgynous qualities to the point where it's annoying. The dance in this video is so-so, except for the beginning and the super sexy part where most of them are on their knees. I like the song a bit better now that I know what the lyrics mean. The hook to the backing track is pretty cool but the entire song is too high pitched for me to want to listen to it over and over again.
Since this is the first week I'm going to go ahead and do two music videos. The second most requested was "Tarantallegra" by Xia Junsu:
I really really really don't like this song. It's repetitive... like, broken-record repetitive. I have some respect for the song just because Tarantallegra is the spell from Harry Potter used to force a person to dance, fitting for a song that is continuously ordering you to dance in Korean. I also have a little bit of respect for the video because it uses female dancers who are C-U-R-V-Y and Junsu is totally feeling up on these ladies; very awesome. However, these few seconds of Junsu looking grotesquely sexy make the entire music video worth while:
