[let me talk about kpop for a minute] recent releases.

Let me take a moment to just spill my thoughts on some of the recent releases (and developments) in k-pop.

First; 2NE1 - I Love You. I guess I'll start with 2NE1's new single, I Love You because I'm assuming they'll be the big thing for the next little while. I have always had mixed feelings for 2NE1. I really like their music (I still jam to In The Club and Let's Go Party), but I've never liked them thematically or lyrically. I like this song, its melody is refreshing and the lack of rap really helps (I've always liked CL as a vocalist... as a rapper, oh no). Their first live performance was mediocre, and the birds were really unnecessary and done in poor taste, but it was as expected. I've always appreciated them recorded but their lives I always found subpar, considering the "talent" in the group. I probably won't be keeping up with their live performances, and considering that this song is good but nothing too extraordinary, I'll soon forget about it.

Second; T-Ara - Day by Day. Sometimes I'm amazed at how far this group has gotten considering the lack of musical talent in the group. Sure, Soyeon is a capable singer and Hyomin and Eunjung can hold their ground somewhat but they were never, ever a musically strong group, nor did they ever have any spectacular concepts. If we are talking about lives I'd say T-Ara is one of the worst. But in recent times they did manage to be consistent musically, which I do appreciate. Like Lovey Dovey was clearly a follow-up to Roly Poly, while Day by Day is a follow-up to Cry Cry. This song, however, isn't as memorable as Cry Cry, although that song wasn't all that good to begin with. And although the new member Dani (Areum? which one? Do I care?) seems to be able to carry a tune better than majority of the members, I still don't see why she's needed in the group and it's really, really distracting. I was briefly really into T-Ara back in the day but with each song they put out I find myself liking them less and less.

Third; Younha - Run. I'm going to admit that I've never really cared much for Younha. I know she's a fantastic vocalist and there were some songs on her previous album Someday that I really enjoyed, but I don't know, her voice colour isn't something that attracts me. (I tend to like low, textured voices for female voices) I really like her new single, Run, though, it's amazing. I love the beats in this song and she sounds phenomenal. It's just really sad because she's not charting too well with it at the moment.

Fourth; Busker Busker - 정말로 사랑한다면. And finally, the wonderful faces of the image above! To be honest I've never been really interested in Busker Busker or their music (although 벚꽃 엔딩 and 여수 밤바다 were catchy as hell) but their instant rise to fame is something worth talking about. As I make it known, I'm kinda crazy about the Korean indie scene and if you could call Busker Busker 'indie', they are definitely the biggest star to come out of it in the last few years. Yes, there was Jang Kiha and the Faces who most people know by now, and 10cm, whose coffee CF with Ha Ji Won still airs from time to time, but neither of them have topped the chart for such a long period of time like Busker Busker, nor did they win on music shows. And now with two CFs under their belt and half of the stores in Seoul blasting their music 24/7, Busker Busker has truly made it. And I am somehow... proud of them? It's a weird feeling, because personally I wouldn't call myself a Busker Busker fan. But them being a 'band' and becoming so popular, and how they started off from humble beginnings as a busking band, I'm hoping that it will lead to more people being interested in band music / the indie scene.
Musically, Busker Busker is so, so fascinating. They are still somewhat amateur; their performances and their abilities with the instruments prove that. But I feel like this amateurism is what draws people to them. They don't seem fabricated, nor do they seem hard to approach. And Jang Bum Joon is definitely a musician to look out for. His attitude towards music and his lyrics are just so fantastic, and for someone who has never had proper training in music he writes phenomenal songs. Personally I found their latest hit 정말로 사랑한다면 just okay, but I'm sure a time will come when I'm truly impressed by their music.