So I work at a middle school doing tech support. Today, one of the assistant principals calls me into her office to show me some questionable content that a student claims to have had piggy backed onto a music download. Then she turns her screen . . .
To the tags . . .
Of an AO3 fic pdf . . .
Of an NCT smut . . .
And I have a mini heart attack because, while I dont know the fic in question, I know AO3. I have written rpf. I instantly saw the explicit tag and didnt need to keep reading . . .
So that's the story of how I had to tell a kid to be more careful with what she downloaded on a district laptop while also pretending to not know what any of it is and also not dissuade her from fic on the whole.
So I work at a middle school doing tech support. Today, one of the assistant principals calls me into her office to show me some questionable content that a student claims to have had piggy backed onto a music download. Then she turns her screen . . .
To the tags . . .
Of an AO3 fic pdf . . .
Of an NCT smut . . .
And I have a mini heart attack because, while I dont know the fic in question, I know AO3. I have written rpf. I instantly saw the explicit tag and didnt need to keep reading . . .
So that's the story of how I had to tell a kid to be more careful with what she downloaded on a district laptop while also pretending to not know what any of it is and also not dissuade her from fic on the whole.
Boss asked me to write down my goals for the year and present them in a meeting tomorrow…
I don’t know how to tell him that my only goal is graduate. I just want to get a big piece of paper and one of those thick crayola crayons, and draw the word GRADUATE in big red crayon letters. And then an arrow pointing at a dollar sign.
I hate goals in academia for this reason. I got really good at fluffing it up. Graduate became: excel in solving new problems that I face, and Teamwork became learn to be a good listener in team situations while still providing valuable input. And then if they are needy, give them actionables like completing all coursework on time or spending 2 designated hours a day on a specific class.
TSo it’s been a hot minute since I was here. And I apologize in advance to all of the indie artists who I am going to skip, because this is also a bit of a rush job. But here it is anyways!
Honorable Mentions:
I love trot videos. They have crazy guests, and make no sense, and have spectacular outfits and I love them for that.
Idol Roundup:
- Control by GHOST9: There is a really cool piano riff in this track that gets passed between different synths and virtual instruments throughout the track, which I love. Some of it reminds me of VIXX in the best way.
- Boyfriend by cignature: I fully expected to be underwhelmed by this, but I love it. The vibe is so chill, and it scratches an almost nostalgic itch for me that I didn’t even know I had. This is 100% going on the playlist.
- Okay by Truedy: She’s a great rapper, but the vibe was not what I was looking for today.
- Killing Me by Chungha: I love the vibe of it, and the vocal line has some really interesting lines that would be super fun to sing along to.
- Pirate by Everglow: The song is fine, but they gave the camera to a music show crew, so it is lowkey nauseating.
- Race by Bang Yongguk: There is a touch too much autotune for me, but it’s Bang Yongguk, so I will allow a lot. And the producing is on point, so that is a plus.
- Peaches by Kai: Some pretty visuals, but the song itself doesn’t do anything for me.
- Universe by NCT U: It’s a very SM track, in a good way. Clean and pushing the boundaries. As per usual with NCT tracks, it has a few too many ideas for me.
- Winter Falls by Stray Kids: Sad ballad that isn’t really a holiday track, despite the name
- Happy Death Day by Xdinary Heroes: Cool track, with some grungy vibes. Not as strong of a debut song as many of JYP’s previous acts (frankly it is nowhere near S tier in that lineup)
- Star by ONEWE: It’s fine I guess, just too ballady for a band track for me.
- I’m a B by Hwasa: Solid, as I would expect from her. Not for me, also as I’ve come to expect from her.
- Like A King by Jinjin, Superbee and myunDo: I like 2 of the 3 rappers on this, but the beat is doing nothing for me.
- Eleven by IVE: I like the intro, but not as much the chorus. It is a fun track for a young group.
- Rolling Rolling by LUCY: I still don’t get LUCY, nothing about their music works for me. I’m always bored halfway through. Good for you if you like it, I’m glad they keep putting it out.
- Ani by Ravi ft. Soyeon: Underwhelming, but I do like the beat being something that is different for rap.
- Beautiful Night by Hi-L: Feels like a low budget debut, which is probably is.
- Unthinkable by FT Island: This song is fucking depressing. It sounds beautiful, because Lee Hongi, but damn is it sad. I will have to go through the rest of the album to see if any of the b-sides are something I’m excited about.
Universe Songs Full Release: So apparently, universe decided to let the rest of us listen to these songs finally. So here’s a short review (it also takes some of these idol songs and breaks them up).
- Kiss or Death by Monsta X: I love Monsta X, but this is doing nothing for me.
- Let Me In by WJSN: See above comment
- Tesseract by CIX: Not enough to make me a fan of the group. The rock production in the chorus is cool tho.
- Starry Night by WEi: I think I would like this more from an older more experienced group.
- Drink It by The Boyz: If you already like The Boyz, I’m sure you will like this track too.
- D D Dance by IZ*ONE: Good to know that IZ*ONE still doesn’t do it for me.
- Call U Up by Park Ji Hoon: I guess it’s fine, but it is not new, and I don’t particularly like the material they are throwing back to.
Christmas/Holiday Songs (It’s back baby!!!!):
- Christmas is You by Lunarsolar: Cute girl group track mixed with Mariah Carey instrumentation. Underwhelming but festive.
- Everyday Christmas by Davichi: I promise you have heard the sound of this song before. You may even be able to predict it. Gotta love cookie cutter holiday.
- Merry Merry Christmas Day by 2 companies: It’s an idol company song, except that it is ACTORS!!!!! And it took me a hot minute to realize, and I completely change my mind, I love it. Also, Seo In Guk is there, so enjoy that!
- Christmas EveL by Stray Kids: This is strange . . . at least it’s different?
- All I Want by Hellovenus, Astro and Weki Meki: THIS IS ALL I HAVE BEEN WANTING!!! Uncomfortable smiles, lack of interaction, and cookie cutter sounds. This is the Christmas song we deserve, nay need! It even has them all in one room looking awkward at one point. It is perfection.
- See you here next winter by Antenna Music: At least Sam Kim is there. This is a ballad to the max, and has the weird af interactions, so it has that going for it.
While there are some great tracks up there, the winner was pretty well decided when I saw his name on the list. Gaho is back with a pair of tracks. Right Now is dramatic and impressive and everything you have come to expect from Gaho. The instrumentation is so well done, and matches with his voice beautifully. Part Time Lover is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum for him. It is groovy and pop-y in a way that only sometimes does. And it shows off his vocals just as well as the first track. He wins with the pair, though each alone would honestly win too.
Except it’s 2 weeks and not one, and also I’m already sleepy, so we will see how this goes . . . (note: I’m not giving indie much of a chance either, so they won’t be represented)
Honorable mentions:
- To You by DinDin ft. Jeong Sewoon: I don’t mind it, and they work well together, but it never really grabbed me.
- Scientist by TWICE: This is easily my favorite comeback from them in a while! It is sweet, but actually spends time towards the bottom of their vocal ranges, which sounds great.
- Bad Influence by Bernard Park: I really wish he wasn’t in a falsetto the whole time.
- Ring X Ring by Billlie: I like the concept, and some of the musical choices, but the driving beat in the verse was already bothering me by the second verse, so I can’t fully recommend it.
- Fresh by ICHILLIN’: Fine for a younger group with the cute and “fresh” concept
- Luna by ONEUS: As usual, the visual looks great (though when it could have been Fav Boys . . .) and the music is hit or miss for me.
- Sweet Travel by VICTON: Cute I guess, if that’s what you want.
- Siesta by Weki Meki: I want this to be more iconic than it is
- Rush Hour by Monsta X: It’s great to hear the rappers rapping again, since they don’t seem to get to do any of that in the English releases. Also, so many lines for Minhyuk and Hyungwon since they are down a vocalist (or 2 if you are OT7 like me)
I slept in today, and had a good workout! It’s been a good day, and hopefully this music keeps the mood up!
Honorable Mentions:
Idol Roundup:
- No More X by TO1: I don’t mind it, but I think I want to like it more than I actually do.
- My Name by Jimmy Clash, DJ H.One: Look at Hyungwon being a DJ and shit.
- Get Set Yo by MJ: This is a trot track disguised as pop. Like literally, if MJ was singing with a different tone, the song would be totally trot!
- I’m Still Here by Leo: If this wasn’t a ballad, it would 1000% be my shit!
- Maverick by The Boyz: If this is your style, you will adore it. It is very NCT in style, and they do it well. I loved some parts and hated the rest, so I think it’s not for me.
I don’t that Zero is quite on par with Growing Pains for me, or honestly something silly and fun like Oppa Oppa, but it is a solid track, that when I don’t compare it to others, I find myself enjoying quite a bit. Eunhyuk and Donghae sound really nicely mixed throughout, and as with previous tracks from them, their voices work so well together. And the dancing is as good as you would hope from the pair.
If you like ballads, please listen to the 2 new 2am tracks, because 2am are so damn good and they deserve all of the praise possible. And they probably won’t get a ton of attention, because they are older, and not really what people want from idols anymore. Also, the videos have some big names in them (namely Kim Sohyun and Junho), like you only get when you are veterans in the industry, and Bang PD and JYP each made one of the tracks. Do I know who made which? Absolutely not! Anyways, listen to No Good In Goodbye and Should’ve Know.
What do you mean it’s Sunday and I only have like 20 minutes to do this? Lies!
Honorable Mentions:
Idol Roundup:
- Serious by Park Jihoon: Sure, it fits the style I would expect from a soloist. I’m kind of over that style right now though.
- Rollercoaster by DKB: They are going for an indie RnB vibe. I’m not sure I fully believe it from them, but they seem to hit the beats of the style well!
- Do 4 Me by EPEX: More anti drop with some cool rhythms. I wish it had more real samples, or at least samples that sounded more organic.
- Frost by TXT: I’m surprised this doesn’t have more views, because TXT, but the track is solid.
- Favorite (Vampire) by NCT 127: Less out there than they usually are with their music. Which I guess is a new idea for them?
- bugAboo by bugAboo: Fun debut track that fits the image of a young group well.
- GHOST by DreamNote: Feels like they are trying to be an in-between between Dreamcatcher and more mainstream sounds.
- Fire Saturday by Secret Number: Retro vibes throughout, with a little too much dance track for me (at least on a Sunday morning)
- Home alone by Luminous: It’s the Korean pop band sound (tm). Love it or hate it, here it is again.
So there are motifs that I like a lot no matter how much I hear them Not a lot of them (as you can probably tell by how many times I mention being ‘over’ a certain musical choice). Anyways, XRO hits one pretty perfectly in All In, which has a driving bass line that could actually be played by a real string instrument! And the whole song feels funky and playful in a way that I love. The closest comparison I can get is to some of Seventeen’s more funky tracks. If you like them, give this song a try too.
OMG, Ailee, I’m so sorry I missed your video like 10 minutes ago when I finished this. She is still amazing in Don’t Teach Me. It of course has her stunning vocals and a big band sound that she has in a lot of the work she has done. It is great as expected!
Will this be long? I don’t know, I literally have no clue what K-pop has done for the past 2 weeks. Also, I’m just looking at idols/indie artists I like because I’m hella tired from the week and that’s what I have energy for.
Honorable Mentions:
Jessi is kind of an idol and kind of not, so I’m going to keep her out. Cold Blooded is attitude and cool like you can always expect from Jessi. And I really appreciate that nearly the whole video is given over to some really really talented dance crews, who all go off.
Trot continues to be confusing in just the best way. The whole video for Park Seo Jin’s 흥해라 looks like it cost about $5, and that’s totally okay, because trot.
Giriboy is very hit or miss for me, but when it’s a hit, boy is it a hit. That’s How We Ended Up is a whole vibe that focuses on simplicity and the voice, rather than a lot of frills like so much of rap lives on. I can appreciate both styles, but I prefer this for Giriboy.
Idol Roundup:
- California Love by Donghae: Too much autotune.
- be by Eunhyuk: Also too much autotune, but I like Eunhyuk more, and the style of song more, so I like it better.
- Tamed-Dashed by ENHYPHEN: Still not for me.
- strawberry moon by IU: Sweet and soft. If that is the type of IU you like, this will be a hit for you. I personally like her just a little more upbeat.
- Calm & Passion by Nam Woo Hyun: Sexy and smooth and an anti drop in the western style. If those are things you like, this will be right up your alley.
Can we all just agree that Korean bands make the best fuck you for ruining love song? Cause CN Blue just dropped another banger in Love Cut. By the second chorus, it was stuck in my head in the best way. And while the doll like appearance that the filter was doing was a lot, the whole last chorus with the scissors is magic, and the back to back to back standing posing with scissors had me grinning at my screen.
I have a bone to pick with HYBE: Please let people onto non-box sets! Or maybe just sets that don’t have obviously CG background. Or maybe just on sets that feel in any way new! You can follow COVID guidelines and still make cool and interesting content. This ain’t it. Also Seventeen this not in any way aimed at you, Rock With You is great, love the falsetto *insert the Kris Jenner ‘you’re doign amazing sweetie’ gif here*. But visually, this could be better. And they don’t even show the dope dance well! Learn from the smaller companies. Look at a VAV video, or an A.C.E video, then let’s talk. (Seventeen you are doing great and I love you and this song very much)
just a quick note: no song of the week this week. the week got away from me, and i'm still getting used to my new job so i just totally missed it. next week ill do a catch up instead!
snowghoul
tangentwithtanner
romaincrisis
jacobvanloon
2087
origamiaround
