pokecapn's top 20 kpop of 2017
(the rules)
- i stuck to singles or songs that have videos and are thus honorary singles
- the song must Kick Ass per my exacting standards
- i am writing the synopses completely off the cuff so this might take a while
2022 edit: I have tried to preserve as much of the original tweet thread as possible. Dead links have been fixed, formatting tweaked to work with cohost the blogosphere, but otherwise the order and descriptions are straight from December 30 2017, whatever that entails.
20) Sonamoo - Friday Night
2017 was the year of aesthetic. I will be using the words "dripping" and "drenched" to reflect this. This song is not the first time TS stole a riff from the Spice Girls, but who cares. The chorus is drenched in synthy bliss.
19) Red Velvet - Peekaboo
Peekaboo just keeps relentlessly pounding with the drums, there's that little screechy synth in the background, and the chorus is pretty catchy. I never knew I wanted to be a little house made of pizza slices until I saw this vid
18) BoA - Camo
Who doesn't like minimal fartbass throughout and a ravey alarm in the background before the chorus? Idiots don't like those things. You don't want to be an idiot, do you?
17) Choerry (Loona) - Love Cherry Motion
I have to be honest, I have no fucking clue why I like this song this much. But the chorus is really catchy and smashing together a stupid cutesy song and angry trap breakdowns is the type of madness I appreciate.
16) Lovelyz - Wow!
I was sold on the italo intro in the first five seconds. Luckily the song kicks ass too, but Lovelyz have a lot of competition in the world of 80s synth dreamlands these days. <--- MORE 80S SYNTH DREAMLANDS IS A REAL GOOD THING
15) A.C.E. - Cactus
Whoever decided that hardstyle and kpop would be a good mix is both completely bonkers and my hero. They kept the style for the second single too (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uuBP8r3NV4)! The absolute madman!
14) K.A.R.D. - Rumor
I don't know why people are upset KARD has a consistent sound, but the reggae vibes in Rumor elevate it above its trop house brethren. Everything flows together so smoothly on this track.
13) Loona Odd Eye Circle - Girl Front
What's more fun than a song sampling Major Lazer? Reading this video's comments. People who never heard of Hold the Line debate the deep lore behind the first 3 words of "I'll make your jeans vibrate like a nokia"
12) Dreamcatcher - Chase Me
Turning a failing girl group into bizarro saccharine Babymetal is 2017's craziest gambit and I hope it pays off, because this rules. Nothing gets you pumped up to slam down necro bastards like listening to Chase Me.
11) Yves (Loona) - New
Remember how I said I was gonna talk about being drenched in aesthetic, and competition for dreamy 80s synthscapes? Because H O L Y S H I T. I can't decide if I'm asleep or awake. I don't see why the duck has to get golfed to death.
10) EXID - DDD
This song tricks you thinking it's not the typical EXID song, when it's really a return to form. Stripped down verses with sirens give way to disco bass and the usual uplifting vocals in the chorus. Solji back for a few lines seals the deal
9) Psy - New Face
Who knew that Miami Bass and Pryda Snare were made for each other? Psy did. The anachronism digs into your brain and turns it into mush, leaving you at a choose-your-own-lyrical-adventure during the 2 Live Crew callback.
8) Twice - Likey
Likey is way too catchy for its own good. The rap part sucks and removing it would make for a better song. There's so much shit going on in this song though; brass, trap drum fills, 808 cowbells, uplifting synths, the same word OVER AND O
7) Girls Next Door - Deep Blue Eyes
Ahhh it's dripping with synthy goodness. The high pitched whispery vocals really put this one over the top. The rap parts suck and removing them would make for a better song. Otherwise, it's so...smooth...dreamy...zzz..
6) Red Velvet - Rookie
This song is ANNOYING AS SHIT and that's why it's SO DAMN GOOD. The chorus drills right into your "god I hope I don't catch myself singing this" cortex, and it's backed by thick ass drum and bass. this song is my super rookie AH FUC
5) Pristin - We Like
This song is ANNOYING AS SHIT and that's why it's SO DAMN GOOD. The chorus drills right into your "god I hope I don't catch myself singing this" cortex, and it's backed by fat kicks and "I, I've got this feelin, feelin, alright" AH FU
4) Dreamcatcher - Sleepwalking
Putting an air raid siren during your DnB drop should be considered cheating. The Miami Vice aesthetic in the video bumped this up a few places. Wait. Drop? Siren? I thought this was a pop countdown? That's why I love kpop.
3) Blackpink - As If It's Your Last
I think when this song first came out I described it as bigroom cowboy italo, and I stand by that assessment. This is my shit right here. Why does Jennie yell when she sings? Is she yelling at me? Stop yelling at me ;_;
2) GFriend - Fingertip
To me, this song takes its place in the kpop italo annals with Roly Poly and Catallena. It is delicious. It is amazing. It Kicks Ass. I picked this version of the MV because I wanted everyone to drown in bitrate-starved aesthetic.
1) Gugudan - A Girl Like Me
"What the fuck?" I'll tell you what the fuck. It's a crazed mashup of throbbing relentless bass and the percolator. It rips off Prince. The MV is aesthetic incarnate. A Girl Like Me is my sustenance.
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