What do you think about K-Pop?

[Yegob]

I'm really glad this thread got kicked up again (it was commonplace on the board run by the Gestapo and Eitzengruppen moderators)

it enabled me to learn about Deli Spice and best of all, discover the 2 big talents (at least according to my tastes)  in Korean music today.

I've already posted about Lee Hae Ri of Davichi. She needs to get away from the bubblegum poppy BS that even Davichi gets into because it MINIMIZES her talent. Shows like Immortal Song, on the other hand... bring it to the forefront.

I've also really taken a liking to to this Lee Hyuk guy. This guy is a legitimate rocker of star quality. He has the looks (none of that Flower Boy effeminate stuff) and he most certainly has the vocal chops.  The problem is rock is kind of in a doldrums right now and what he excels at is metal/hard rock stuff of 20 year ago variety.

but the guy is a seriously legitimate talent, and he doesn't get the recognition he deserves (same with Lee Hae Ri)

I've already posted how he turns this old so so sounding song into a beautiful rock ballad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQQ02s8rwlk&feature=related

now watch this.. for the first 4-5 seconds it's the cutesy girl group song that no male over 12 can listen to and makes me want to drive a hammer into my skull.  Then Norazo (Lee Hyuk is a member and clearly the star) take the stage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJS3lwvaQ2g

This song.. "Rockstar" seriously rocks. This is top of the line hard rock/metal. Has an Iron Maiden feel to it, and Lee Hyuk at times sound like Bruce Dickinson? (Maiden's lead singer)  of course, problem is this stuff worked 20 years ago.. though those bands are still touring and making a fortune (the Van Halen reunion tour with David Lee Roth is driving people over 30 nuts back in the States, incredible demand for tickets)

now check out this.. this has the LYRICS/CAPTIONS  (In English) to the song "Rockstar".  Very very funny.. cheeky and accurate!  Bravo Norazo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJzt6UycN6Q&feature=related

btw.. nice guitar solo.

can you seriously doubt Lee Hyuk has serious rock frontman chops?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHUk9CxuUTA
(he comes on after 1 min)

lastly. from Immortal Song.. no one really  knew who this guy was..

he takes a traditional Korean classic song and rocks/metals it out.. and it sounds good..

and here I give the old(er) Korean people in the audience  and judges a TON of credit.. they like and appreciate his take on it, rather than crinkling their noses at how someone "ruined" a song. isn't it super cool to see old adjumma and halmonis (grannys) clapping excitedly??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM8Y6fk0yH4

Koreans should stop manufacturing the pop crap they do. Clearly they have more than enough talent to write their own very good songs (as proven by the Lee Hae Ri and Lee Hyuk interpretations of classics)

and then there's this (she's half African American)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFNBm54i6lE

[Yegob]

Norazo can seriously ROCK.. I mean this is kick ass stuff. Seriously (though they should know that "la la " does not belong in the lyrics/chorus of ANY rock song

the very very  beginning of the 2nd song is just kick ass (I got boosebumps.. that riff with Lee hyuk screaming) .. then it gets kind of "interesting" (with the uptempo electronic stuff thrown in, but it still sound good)

this is NOT "manufactured" stuff kids.. Good good stuff. Too bad my too many of my high schoolers (who theoretically should be beyond this nonsense) are still listening to amazingly bad stuff like Roly Poly and all that crap by SNSD.

props out to that Norazo band.. those guys are effing TIGHT.. kickass.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj1sF_pGSVk&feature=related

[Yu_Bumsuk]

Norazo can seriously ROCK.. I mean this is kick ass stuff. Seriously (though they should know that "la la " does not belong in the lyrics/chorus of ANY rock song

the very very  beginning of the 2nd song is just kick ass (I got boosebumps.. that riff with Lee hyuk screaming) .. then it gets kind of "interesting" (with the uptempo electronic stuff thrown in, but it still sound good)

this is NOT "manufactured" stuff kids.. Good good stuff. Too bad my too many of my high schoolers (who theoretically should be beyond this nonsense) are still listening to amazingly bad stuff like Roly Poly and all that crap by SNSD.

props out to that Norazo band.. those guys are effing TIGHT.. kickass.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj1sF_pGSVk&feature=related

Of course that's way better than K-pop but the male duet thing just seems wrong for hard work. I mean it works if Steve Tyler comes on to sing one of his songs with Axl but for an entire set it just looks wrong.

[Yu_Bumsuk]

PS - http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yd6EQ4MxTWE#at=60

HT to MH

[terivinix]

Koreans should stop manufacturing the pop crap they do. Clearly they have more than enough talent to write their own very good songs (as proven by the Lee Hae Ri and Lee Hyuk interpretations of classics)

Was there ever any doubt? Korean musicians excel at making any kind of music that's not mass-produced by committee. Unfortunately there just aren't enough listeners with good taste to support most of them.

Last night I was talking with a photographer who used to work with SM Entertainment, and we agreed that there are certainly talented people in K-pop bands, whose talents are being wasted. Some of them may have fantastic careers after they leave their groups. You could say the same thing happened with guys like Justin Timberlake and Mark Wahlberg, who came out of laughably bad pop groups to become legitimate entertainers.

PS) I saw 인순이 do a collaboration several years ago with the Ghetto Bombs (sort of a precursor to Galaxy Express).

[TheWB18]

It would be tough to argue that K-pop is any more derivative than western pop.  In both cases, it's all about catchy, comfortable and cute.

If there's any difference, it's that pop music itself is more diverse in the west.  In Korea, there are a dozen bands making the same style of generic girl-group/boy-group pop music.  In the U.S., there are dozens of rappers making practically the same song over and over; and dozens of country stars making the same song over and over again; and dozens of light rock or alt bands making the same type of song over and over again.

We just don't have obnoxious girl-group/boy-group pop anymore, and our pop tends to be more strongly influenced by other genres.  But it's still derivative and repetitive.

[Yegob]

It would be tough to argue that K-pop is any more derivative than western pop.  In both cases, it's all about catchy, comfortable and cute.

If there's any difference, it's that pop music itself is more diverse in the west.  In Korea, there are a dozen bands making the same style of generic girl-group/boy-group pop music.  In the U.S., there are dozens of rappers making practically the same song over and over; and dozens of country stars making the same song over and over again; and dozens of light rock or alt bands making the same type of song over and over again.

We just don't have obnoxious girl-group/boy-group pop anymore, and our pop tends to be more strongly influenced by other genres.  But it's still derivative and repetitive.

US Pop is generally NOT "cute". In your face, even over the top "sexy"?. Sure.. but that's a concept Koreans are both unwilling and unable to pull off.

unless you're talking about tweener music, not teenager.. pre-teenager. .. the stuff played by Jonas Bros, Bieber, his gf Selena, and whomever else. The only reason I even know these people exist, much less produce "music" is because I'm forced to constantly read about it in the press.

the boy groups were a fad that lasted all of 4 years or so (at the height of its "popularity")

btw.. when they sent the Wonder Girls to tour in the US.. with WHOM did they tour?  the aforementioned Jonas Bros. Korean mgmt companies aren't stupid. They realize their target US audience is limited to pre teenagers.

[Yegob]

Norazo can seriously ROCK.. I mean this is kick ass stuff. Seriously (though they should know that "la la " does not belong in the lyrics/chorus of ANY rock song

the very very  beginning of the 2nd song is just kick ass (I got boosebumps.. that riff with Lee hyuk screaming) .. then it gets kind of "interesting" (with the uptempo electronic stuff thrown in, but it still sound good)

this is NOT "manufactured" stuff kids.. Good good stuff. Too bad my too many of my high schoolers (who theoretically should be beyond this nonsense) are still listening to amazingly bad stuff like Roly Poly and all that crap by SNSD.

props out to that Norazo band.. those guys are effing TIGHT.. kickass.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj1sF_pGSVk&feature=related

Of course that's way better than K-pop but the male duet thing just seems wrong for hard work. I mean it works if Steve Tyler comes on to sing one of his songs with Axl but for an entire set it just looks wrong.

I don't disagree, but give Koreans a small break for their need for groupiness. At last it's not a 9 member boy rock band (not counting the guitarists and drummmer).

speaking of which.. it's the guitarists and drummer that really make the thing. Lee Hyuk is a great frontman, but those guy are "tight" (especially bass player and drummer.. they need to be super tight.. and that guitar player.. though lacking soulfulness is technically awesome)

[justanotherwaygook]

SNSD to be on Letterman

Girls’ Generation is performing on CBS’s “The Late Show With David Letterman” tonight, the latest inroad by K-pop into the U.S. market.

The nine-piece pop act, which already plays to packed concert venues around Asia, will sing an English-language version of their male-baiting single “The Boys,” which was co-written by Teddy Riley, famed for his work with Michael Jackson, Bobby Brown and Usher.

While Girls’ Generation has played in the U.S. before, the TV appearance marks a new level of mainstream American exposure for the group, and Korean pop in general, as its world-wide audience grows. SM, which manages Girls’ Generation, organized a Madison Square Garden concert in October that sold out. In November, Big Bang, a boy band, took the “World Wide Act” award at MTV’s Europe Music Awards, while MTV Iggy, which focuses on music from outside the U.S., named Korean group 2NE1 its “Best New Band in the World.” JYP, the agency that works with the Wonder Girls, is set to break a Teen Nick made-for-TV movie, starring the girl band, in February.

http://blogs.wsj.com/korearealtime/2012/01/31/a-k-pop-sensation-plays-letterman/

[Frozencat99]

I like comparing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOgjjZkc-ws

with

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBjETYX1awQ

Though the Youtube comments are, as usual, terrible.

[justanotherwaygook]

I like comparing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOgjjZkc-ws

with

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBjETYX1awQ

Though the Youtube comments are, as usual, terrible.

Compare and come to what conclusions?

[Yegob]

I like comparing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOgjjZkc-ws

with

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBjETYX1awQ

Though the Youtube comments are, as usual, terrible.

Ke$ha  (to me) is the beight of banality of "pop" music, and one of the top reasons that in "general", pop music simply sucks. At least there aren't 9 of her in a single band and she doesn't do any stupid cutesy moves or sounds that no adult on the American or European continent could take seriously.

[Frozencat99]

Pop music has been about simple, repeated beats with lyrics you can easily tone out for more than two decades. I don't know how Ke$ha comes across as the height of banality considering she's simply cashing in on the same genre of music as anyone else (Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, etc).

One thing I've noticed about recent Western pop artists is that they all seem to come with a political package. Lady Gaga and her LGBT stuff, Katy Perry does body policing stuff, Ke$ha does animal rights activism stuff. By supporting certain artists, regardless of whether or not you give credit to their talents, you can also be somewhat politically active. I don't think that exists here.

If you're looking for music that isn't banal you should change genres. Pop music has been banal for longer than I've been alive.

[Yegob]

Pop music has been about simple, repeated beats with lyrics you can easily tone out for more than two decades. I don't know how Ke$ha comes across as the height of banality considering she's simply cashing in on the same genre of music as anyone else (Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, etc).

One thing I've noticed about recent Western pop artists is that they all seem to come with a political package. Lady Gaga and her LGBT stuff, Katy Perry does body policing stuff, Ke$ha does animal rights activism stuff. By supporting certain artists, regardless of whether or not you give credit to their talents, you can also be somewhat politically active. I don't think that exists here.

If you're looking for music that isn't banal you should change genres. Pop music has been banal for longer than I've been alive.

oh, I changed "genres" at about 14 years old   

though I will admit that (now and then) I can appreciate a "good" pop song though. I can't define "good" for you, but like the Supreme Court justice wrote about obscenity.. I know it when I hear it (and he sees it)

This means I enjoy about 4-5% of pop music's "output". Interestingly enough, I quite liked Madonna back in the day, even though she was very much defined as  "pop".

[Yegob]

btw.. this is a wel written  and balanced article in the K Times (yes, believe it or not)

www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2012/01/201_103853.html

please note how they're comparing K Pop to American TWEENER/PRE Teen pop.

this is the CORRECT comparison. (which shows you Korean mgmt companies aren't stupid)

One of the things that amuses me in there is the example of BoA's inability to break into the American market.
Isn't BoA near 30?  trying to musically (and otherwise) appeal to 12 year olds? 

Even Bieber's time is almost up as his voice is finally changing.

p.s. I DO think it's "interesting" that SNSD managed to get booked on Letterman. I'm slightly surprised, actually. However, given that show's demos (many people in 30's and 40's that grew up on Letterman, as today's collegiate crowd is more likely to be watching Stewart and Colbert, etc)  I think this attempt will completely fizzle, as it's not targeting the group's American pre teen demo.

They should do a shoot/article in 17/Teen Magazine (or whatever the names of those tweener mags are) and get on some Nickelodeon or Disney show.  This is precisely the playbook that JYP (promoting Wonder Girls) has followed. Keep in mind, the were opening for Jonas Bros, on their US tour for a while.

[Frozencat99]

I'm still interested in why people think pop music is strictly for pre-teens. For one thing, a lot of pop songs are clearly designed for club play. There are definitely some groups (Jonas Brothers, Hannah Montana) that are clearly advertised at the teenage girl fan-base. That doesn't extend to much of the total fan-base pop can capture.

I'm guessing its just another case of ageism, though. I mean, I've been called a pedophile for enjoying Sailor Moon, I can't imagine what will happen once people realize I legitimately listen to Ke$ha.

[justanotherwaygook]

I'm still interested in why people think pop music is strictly for pre-teens.

What people are saying is that it's best to target K-pop towards the pre-teen market in the US.  There really isn't much chance of it making it beyond this demographic.  There is a chance that K-pop idols could enjoy some success with the pre-teen crowd.

Regardless, I've been saying for a while now that K-pop being forcibly imported to the US has less to do with increasing it's popularity there or making profits there.  It's more to hype it up in Korea/Asia.  The way Wonder Girls made it onto the Billboard Singles charts is by selling $1 CDs on the counters of pre-teen fashion accessory stores.  However, lots of folks in Korea love to hear that K-pop is making in-roads in the West.

[Yegob]

I'm still interested in why people think pop music is strictly for pre-teens. For one thing, a lot of pop songs are clearly designed for club play. There are definitely some groups (Jonas Brothers, Hannah Montana) that are clearly advertised at the teenage girl fan-base. That doesn't extend to much of the total fan-base pop can capture.

I'm guessing its just another case of ageism, though. I mean, I've been called a pedophile for enjoying Sailor Moon, I can't imagine what will happen once people realize I legitimately listen to Ke$ha.

yah, what I'm saying is KOREAN "pop music" (most of it) is for American pre-teens, because it's mostly of the bubblegum pop variety, which loses most of its appeal (if it had any for you) once you  turn 14.

I'm not sure many girls beyond 16 get into Jonas and Hannah either. By 18 it's probably over.

[Toshiba]

It's the love ballads that make me cringe, and that fact that k-pop is everywhere. It's blared from stores, inside and out.....And would it kill someone to pick up a guitar?

[jaakked1]

Soulless.Superficial.De-personalized.Lacking intellectual anything.
Flashy.Hyper-commercial.Non-dynamic.

I think these are almost objective comments.
Whether these are good or bad traits is for you to decide.

As for me:
Luckily the songs are at least short.