Overdue: Ladies' Code

Ladies' Code

(Genre: Kpop)

Most Shocking/Disappointing/WTF Asian Music Moments of 2014

PSY & Snoop Dogg Collaboration
Whether you're a kpop fan or not, there's a good chance you know about the foreign phenomenon that was "Gangnam Style". It was nearly impossible to escape the track in 2012. PSY made a follow up single, "Gentleman", which didn't get as many hits as the first on YouTube, but people were aware of it and it still got parodied. I'm not sure if PSY or YG Entertainment wanted to make another attempt of worldwide or even viral relevancy by having this collaboration with Snoop Dogg (or Snoop Lion, I'm not sure what he was going by at the time), but it seemed like listeners were very split about this project. Some saw it as a great anthem for post-drunkenness, while others found it as more of an annoyance. Plus there was a controversial blackface co-signing by Snoop. Nonetheless, I don't think the single caught on as much as the previous efforts.


Jackie Chan's KPop Group Debuts: JJCC
I still find it so odd to know that Jackie Chan created a kpop group. Of all the things he could make! I guess we needed more rookies in the sea of...um...rookies? I don't want to put these boys down in the least, because I actually enjoy their music so far...excluding "Bing Bing Bing (Oneway)", I'm still trying to figure that one out. I know this is a minor statement, but it's very wtf worthy. I wish JJCC a long, prosperous life in the kpop universe. Also, check out their guest appearance on K-Populous.


BABYMETAL & Crayon Pop Open for Lady Gaga
Most people are familiar with BABYMETAL with their YouTube appearance on @midnight with their "Gimme Chocolate!!" live and Crayon Pop with their brief viral popularity with "Bar Bar Bar" and maybe their MAMA collaboration with Ylvis of "Fox Song" fame. I'm guessing because of these two moments in 15 minute musical fame sparked interested in Lady Gaga to welcome them aboard her artRAVE tour. I was tempting to go myself as Lady Gaga is on my wishlist of musicians I would love to see live, but I'm not that big of Crayon Pop fan and I wasn't planning on traveling to see BABYMETAL either. Nonetheless, I'm happy that both of them received some exposure in the States and I hope that BABYMETAL makes another round of touring here as well that's closer to home.


J-Indies Favorites Disband
Every year I have to face the disappointment of a promising j-indies band putting their musical journey to a halt. Some I'm sure I will see members in newly formed bands, but of course it is never the same. I know that indies bands disband every year, but it's nice to acknowledge some of my favorites. Some were new to me like Lil.y and EVE and others I have been following for years: LICKER, Jackman, Suicide Ali, downer, xTRiPx, and THE KIDDIE. I suppose it is less surprising, but still saddening, BLACK LINE. I'm sure fans will miss and support these bands in this new chapter of life in 2015.


Simon D Joins AOMG
After the unfortunate disbandment of Supreme Team, E-Sens tried to piece back together his rap career and Simon D impressed his fans with a brand new solo album, then things got quiet. So, I was so excited, along with the fans, that Simon D resurfaced to an amazing R&B and rap track with Jay Park and GRAY called "Metronome". I thought this collaboration was a one-shot, but fortunately for us, Simon D signed up as co-CEO of AOMG with Jay Park, so I'm expecting a lot of epicly amazing things with this new addition. Hopefully, they'll spread their live performance wings a little further into America and make a trip to the south.


Band Member Departures
Similar to the feeling of losing a band is the feeling of losing a beloved member. Whether it's creative differences, health, personal obligations, or other uncontrollable circumstances, it can be hard for both the band and fans to accept letting go of a member. A few I feel worth mentioning are Sala (Black Gene from the Next Scene), Rui (SCREW), John (Sel'm), Kazuki (Royz), Yui (Ganglion), Kifumi (BORN), and Shingo (GOTCHAROCKA). Some of these are rather surprising as they've been part of their band for many years and others may be in new or increasingly popular visual kei bands. Nonetheless, I wish them the best of luck for 2015!


Dahee (GLAM) & Lee Jiyeon Charged with Blackmail
This news was a bit on the unusual side, especially for kpop. GLAM isn't part of the big leagues like SNSD or 2NE1, but Dahee and model Lee Jiyeon's target, Lee Byung-hun, is a very high profiled star. At first, it was uncertain who Dahee's accomplice was or what their motivations were. The details are still partially unknown and I'm not expecting it to get any clearer than what I know or anyone who reads Seoul Beats and Asian Junkie. I don't know much about Lee Byung-hun other than the very few little things I've seen him in, but apparently he has a controversial reputation and may even be on the unlikable list for some. I don't know anything about his habits or his relationship history, but either way, blackmailing is never acceptable, especially when you're at the bottom of the barrel of idoldom. The whole situation was an amusing read to say the least and it seems like Dahee and her partner in crime will be apologizing for quite some time. I suppose the future of GLAM is bit unknown at this point as well.


Janghyun Leaves Sunny Hill
During Janghyun's mandatory military service, the ladies of Sunny Hill continued to produce music for their fans and send their well wishes to their composer and leader. Upon his return, fans were excited for another gripping and unique concept from the group a la "Pray" or "Midnight Circus", but was given the news that Janghyun would not be returning to the group. Instead, he has decided to continue being a producer, which is great news as I believe he makes high quality work. I still find it strange that all the kpop sites I follow have not mentioned this news whatsoever, but I'm glad I found out about it and can share with you guys. I wish Janghyun and the remaining members of Sunny Hill the best of luck for the new year!


2NE1's Series of Unfortunate Events
YG Entertainment has been quite busy in 2014, considering some other "speculations" were unsurprisingly postponed (i.e. Any new material from Big Bang or that mystery girl group). The kpop world was introduced to WINNER, iKON, and Akdong Musician and we finally received some new material from 2NE1 (which will be reviewed momentarily). Despite releasing a new album for their precious Blackjacks, 2NE1's more controversial news stood out a little more: Minzy's plastic surgery and change in her Twitter handle, one of CL's live performance misusing Muslim incantations, her potential U.S. debut, and her unsatisfying and confusing collaboration with Skrillex, Diplo, and G-Dragon. But the member who took the cake was Park Bom as she attempted to bring home amphetamine tablets from the U.S. This scandal caused Bom to pause all activities meaning she had to depart from the reality show Roommate and absent from any live performances with 2NE1. Then there was that minor diss rap news from A.KOR's Kemy too...


Kim Hyun-joong's Domestic Abuse Case
Most people are aware that kpop fans are very delusional, otherwise the saying "oppa/noona didn't mean to" wouldn't be a popular mocking phrase among the well adjusted set. When it comes to domestic abuse, all statements like that should not exist, especially when so much concrete evidence exists. I like one or two songs by Kim Hyun-joong, but I am not a fan of his. Even if I was, I wouldn't excuse his behavior toward his former girlfriend nor try to convince others that he doesn't deserve punishment for what he did. It was sickening to read fans defending his actions and even more appalling how long it took for things to move along with this case. There might some moralistic discrepancies, but either way I find it unexcusable that he was allowed to continue live performances abroad while he was actively avoiding the police to place a statement. It's probably wishful thinking, but I hope the consequences of his actions catch up to him sooner rather than later.


Band Revivals
Even though band revivals are temporary events, they're pretty exciting when they do happen. It's like a second chance to have that live experience with the band and the fandom in an intimate setting enjoying music. A lot of these live revivals I wish I could've attended such as Pierrot, SIGNAL, D'espairsRay, Transtic Nerve, LuLu, Otogadead, Psycho le Cemu, and Doremidan. More exciting is that some of these revivals are more than just a one or two day live event, but a reboot of activities such as Rin, MY BACTERIA HEAT IsLAND, and D.I.D. I'm looking forward to hearing more music and hopefully I have a chance to indulge in a live performance as well.


Hideto (Amber Bullet), Yuuza (~E'm Grief~) & K (Moi dix Mois) Passes Away
I am a casual listener of Amber Bullet and I don't quite know the members' names, but it was sad to hear that their bassist Hideto had been struggling with an illness. I'm not really a fan of Moi dix Mois or ~E'm Grief~, but a passing is worth mentioning, especially since I know people who are very fond of these two bands.






Alice Nine Leaves PS Company
Another band decides to leave the evil clutches of PS Company to return back to their roots. I'm sure fans cheered for victory as I don't feel that Alice Nine's activity have been very...productive. From my perspective, I see the GazettE as the most active group while Alice Nine focuses more on their show and occasionally will release a single or something. When they do release music, it seems like a hollow shell of what originally pulled me into the band. They've already released pictures of their new look and logo. Since things have been going pretty well for Miyavi and SuG post-PSC, I'm hoping the same good fortune will come for Alice Nine. Now...if only the GazettE would leave...


Joon & Cheon Doong (Thunder) Leave MBLAQ
Compared to the Japanese music industry, I never really hear any big news about members leaving a group nor fans making a huge deal about it. Most departures seem pretty quiet, maybe due to the fact that the group isn't very popular, or it is simply labelled as a graduation of sorts like After School. Hearing this was very surprising, but seemed understandably necessary in a weird way. I haven't gotten around to seeing Lee Joon as an actor, but I've heard many good things which makes me extremely happy. Reading the news seemed like a tug of war of unconfirmed information, but soon it was settled (or at least mostly settled) that MBLAQ's legacy would be discontinued. I wish things turned out better for them during their musical journey and I sadly have to put part of the blame on Rain for neglecting what he started, but I look forward for what's to come for these five young men.


TS Entertainment Contract Dispute
It's been a rough year for kpop and I'm guessing some fans are having flashbacks to 2010 (give or take a year). Personally this news is not that surprising, but for others, I guess they were blinded by the consecutive releases. Anyway, B.A.P as a whole filed for nullification of their contract as they hadn't received the payment they expected. This case is somewhat similar to what happened with Stardom Entertainment and Block B last year. Block B is doing quite well under their new label Seven Seasons, so I'm hoping the same will come with B.A.P along with some much needed rest. There are rumors that labelmates SECRET and Untouchable may be joining the lawsuit bandwagon. Hopefully, we will hear a fair conclusion to this unfortunate situation in the coming year.


SM Entertainment Back Lash
I am not the biggest fan of SME's and their supporters are the worse~ Sure, a few good and interesting things have happened for them like giving solos to SHINee's Taemin and Super Junior M's Zhou Mi and next year SHINee's Jonghyun and f(x)'s Amber. Unfortunately, the massive black cloud overshadows any excitement SME has delivered to its followers. The set of news dealt with up and coming boy group EXO and the other with one of Korea's most popular female groups SNSD. I haven't forgotten about them giving f(x)'s Sulli a hiatus during their "Red Light" promotion or that one of the members of Super Junior is getting hitched, it just doesn't stand out as much as what happened with Kris, Luhan, and Jessica. The first strike against SME was Kris (EXO-M) filing lawsuit, then Luhan (EXO-M) followed suit and demanded financial compensation for promotions. No matter how you read Jessica's situation, in my eyes, SME booted her out of SNSD as it sounds like she was committed to the group, but wanted to also venture in other smaller projects. It is possible to maintain a musical career and put together a line of merchandise; American artists do it all the time! Even some Japanese artists do other side projects alongside their musical career. Since I'm very anti-SME, I'm hoping more idols (in general) will continue to speak up.


Ladies' Code Car Accident
2014 seemed like a year of management lessons for the kpop industry: how to handle saesang fans, deal with dating "scandals", settling contract lawsuits, and, in this entry, safety and scheduling issues. There are many great discussions about Ladies' Code's car accident, most of them pointing out the problem of managers trying to cram too much in a day. Please check out these insight links about the incident: Eat Your Kimchi, Asian Junkie, and Anti-KPop Fangirl. I know in America we are told to pull over if we're feeling too tired to drive and to slow down when the weather conditions aren't very favorable for driving above the speed limit; these are tips that have been brought up as well. Nonetheless, it was very unfortunate to lose such talented young ladies, EunB and RiSe, especially at the rise of their musical journey. I hope this incident will change the way managers schedule idols' activities and that car safety regulations will become stricter.

Quick Music Reviews

Ladies Code – Bad Girl (2013, Korea) Rating: 3.5/5

Favorite Tracks: 나쁜여자 (Bad Girl)


I have very little room for girl group albums on my playlist, but every now and then one or two manages to wiggle their way into my tiny collection of favs. I'm a sucker for swing jazz/big band inspired music, so when I heard that was their concept I fed into all the hype surrounding Ladies Code. 나쁜여자 (Bad Girl) takes quite a departure from the typical kpop sound, with its chord changes from verse to verse and Broadway-esque delivery. While their voices are in no way unique, the performers still scores above average – especially since all of them can sing with varying degrees of talent. It soothes the part of me that wishes Miss A sang in their own individual style, instead of JYP's obvious vocal puppeteering. Supergirl kinda sounds like something you'd hear during the credits of a Disney special, but empowering girl anthems are such a welcome rarity in kpop that I gave it a pass. Dada La rehashes the jazz theme from earlier but freshens up with a dash of burlesque. It's worth a listen or two to if only for the amazing vocals. No mini album debut is complete without at least one forgettable ballad track right? At least 안울래 (Won't Cry) gives the girls one more opportunity to show off their chops even if the ballad isn't memorable.

Ailee – A doll house (2013, Korea) Rating: 3/5

Favorite Tracks: 이런 법이 어딨어, 열애설 (Scandal)

Ailee is renowned as one of the only songstresses to utilize the same chest vocalizing technique you'd hear from singers like Christina Aguilara or Beyonce. That requires great control and flexibility, so not just anyone can pull this off. In my opinion she brings much more variance to her voice than Hyorin or Taeyeon, along with being able to straddle the line between soprano and alto. Her last mini album was a bit bland but was still a great introduction to an underrated artist struggling to set herself apart within the female solo corner of kpop. U & I is a step up from her previous title release, setting aside the disco theme in favor of a jazzy, horn driven title track that's similar to "Madonna" by Secret and within the same genre as popular multi charter "It's Over" by Lee Hi. While I think this 'version' is a much more interesting edition to the music trend, I found myself unable to get past the overall poor production value. A balance between vocals and instrumentals was just not reached. At one point, she was practically screaming over the drum set. Ailee slightly redeems herself in No No No. The shimmery guitar effects and conventional pop hook is merely a backdrop to further emphasize her vocal expertise. Rainy Day intros with an actual rainstorm instrumental, which was way too cheesy for my tastes. The song exudes the same passion and punch as the previous track but lingers on a melancholy note. To be honest, its really not all that memorable for me, but if you enjoyed "Heaven" you'll probably enjoy this song. 이런 법이 어딨어 (How Could You Do This To Me) was the weakest track by far but certainly the most soulful and heart-wrenching. I turned it off as soon as the backup choir kicked in near the end. It just wasn't really my cup of tea. Thankfully 열애설 (Scandal) completely blew me away in all of its sinister, eerie elegance. Its a ballad - yes, but it takes on a strong tango vibe and generally overflows with sensuality from beginning to end. She explores her ability in the most mesmerizing way possible, as she seems to know exactly when to hold back and when to pull out all the stops. I'd love to see her perform this someday. A's Dollhouse ends on a lukewarm note with I'll Be Ok, a mid tempo, beat laden acoustic track featuring some unnamed male artist.

Seungri – Let's Talk about Love (2013, Korea) Rating: 4.5/5

Favorite Tracks: 할말 있어요 (Gotta Talk To U), 그딴 거 없어 (Come to My)


I was ready to forgo listening to anything outside of the scheduled title track after I'd made the mistake of reading a few interviews detailing the inspiration behind the music. It's Robin Thicke's “Blurred Lines” level infuriating, guys. I'd even go as far as to discourage watching certain performances, if only to spare you from having to witness him pretend to headbutt one of his female backup dancers. Man-child antics aside, I decided to give him a shot. As many reviewers have already said, Let’s Talk About Love is a little more than reminiscent of something Timberland/Timberlake would have released but Seungri's verses didn't really click with me. Not even GD's snarky line shooting caught my attention in this one (*gasp* ...I know). The credit actually belongs to 태양 for the clever little musical curve-ball thrown in at the end. I'm willing to ignore the usage of "biyatch" and "take us to the chorus/bridge" to listen to 태양's rap just a little longer since I've been less than impressed with his singing lately. Title track and MV 할말 있어요 (Gotta Talk To U) is just as deceptive as the controversial teaser video released a week before it's release. The song starts off with an acoustic arrangement that gradually builds momentum towards an euro-electro synth climax. The tone and timbre of his voice aren't exceptionally unique, but they're very easy on the ears so I highly recommend not to skip this. My only complaint is the constant and out of place 'hustlin, hustlin' bit strewn throughout. Piano pop GG Be (지지베) aka the headbutt song combines catchy hook and self-harmonizing while the jagged guitar work gave just the right amount of edge. Could have done without Jennie's part but she's basically a watered down Minzy. Comparisons between JT's "What Goes Around, Comes Around" and 그딴 거 없어 (Come To My) are unavoidable no matter which way you slice it, but his attempt to emulate the singer here wasn't half bad. I had to give him props for pulling something like this together. Even the cliche piano instrumental was excusable, as the arrangement eventually transitions into something a bit more complex. You Hoooo!!! offers listeners a glossy dubstep jam with the same synth-y undertones we heard in the title track. It's a little generic but breathes what little life it can into vocals that don't really take us anywhere we haven't already been before. Overall, this song is catchy enough to draw me in with its dance-able pulsing beat, which modulates and changes up its rhythm at its high points. I could have done without the shout out/call back? lyrics at the bridge. In some ways this song has the same energy as 2012's summer hit, Fantastic Baby. Remember what I said earlier about ballads? Well I have to admit that Love Box is a step above a random filler track usually thrown in at the end. The instrumentals are nothing to write home about - though they are very clean and crisp. Maybe its because he wrote the lyrics, but his voice feels it's most sincere in this one. I like something real from him.


I know I picked on Seungri incessantly and questioned his character, but overall I'm still willing to recognize the effort he put into this release. He's got a long way to go but he's headed in the right direction.


2ne1 – Falling in Love/ Do You Love Me? (2013, Korea) Rating: 3/5


The casual but elegant summer themed photoshoot teaser pics for Falling in Love sparked a little hope in me that this would be the one track that would propel 2ne1 back into the spotlight. Both the song and mv lived up to my expectations. They played it safe with a reggae tinged jam that buries itself into your subconscious without your permission. It doesn't stray too far from the familiar auto-tune entrenched mix up that we're used to hearing from them, but somehow the breezy, flirtatious melody felt like a refreshing drink on a scorching hot day. Minzy reminds us of her incredible vocal maturity in the verses and the English bits of CL's rap put a smile on my face. Even Bom's voice was worthy of a second chance as it sounds really good while she's performing this live.

Too bad my hopes were smashed in the followup track......


Do You Love Me? doesn't even register as music to me. I'm hoping it wasn't meant to be taken seriously. It's so overproduced and messy, the melody might as well be nonexistent -- might as well have skipped the singing all together, since most of it was repetitive and boring anyway. CL spells the entire title out one too many times in the most obnoxious way possible. Worst of all, the electro mix seems to be straight up lifted from previous tracks. That's just lazy, Teddy. Even the video for this song is cheap and screams “last minute comeback attempt.”  We can only conclude from this that YG is almost ready to abandon the girls, at least as a whole and most likely in favor of all the other up-and-coming talents he's hoping will save the company from the inevitable plummet in finances after Big Bang's temporary hiatus from the industry.

John Park – Inner Child (2013, Korea) Rating: 4/5

Favorite Tracks: 지워져간다,  Sipping My Life (Bonus Track)


I really appreciate the sophisticated quality of John Park's previous singles so I'd been looking forward to hearing a full-fledged album from him this year. Tempered just right for lovers of urban contemporary r&b, soul, blues and soft rock, John Park's “Inner Child” appeals to a wide variety of listeners. Electro (neo-soul) Imagine hypnotizes and draws you in with its 90s r&b tempo. Baby is the most upbeat track on this album. It employs a variety of instruments, but is noteworthy for its funky guitar solo. In,지워져간다, gentle acoustics and a piano interlude create a sentimental mood that makes this the perfect song to wind down to after a long day's work.  John Park's voice wraps around you like a warm blanket you'll never want to unroll from. 
다시 is sung the way a story is told. Strange way of describing a song but you'll see what I mean. It's very uplifting. Spirally electro effects and a cheerful sounding piano highlight the verses while the electric guitar brings it all together. Bizzy's rap meshes in nicely without interrupting the flow of the song. That could have been a disaster had he chosen the wrong feature artist. Too Late 
is something you'd hear at the end of a very emotional film or drama (think Grey's Anatomy). John's voice is different here, especially during the verses - he sounds even more mature than usual. I'm rarely a fan of falsetto but I've made an exception for him. He flexes his vocals a little more at the end of urban guitar jam, Right Here. Though I kinda felt second hand embarrassment from the little bit of Snoop Dog he tried to sneak in there.... No. 철부지 belongs in the same category as Too Late but is a little more subdued. As I listened to this song, I began to realize how much I appreciated how organic his music is. There's only so much manufactured, digitally polished auto-tune mess one can take.  Filler comes in the form of  soft piano ballad, 어디있나요. His voice is so soothing and comfortable to sleep to and I don't mean that in a negative way. Blues-y, 그만
, is short but sweet with an incredible piano accompaniment and lazy but cute sounding choir backing up John's soulful vocals. To You And Me (Outro)
 wraps up a brilliant album on that same soulful note. If at any point you wish you could sing along with John Park, try Sipping My Life. itsinenglish

Top 5 Recommended Music Videos

"Dry Ride" by Tam Tam
I know I already posted something of theirs last time, but I couldn't resist this charming claymation video and fun ska music. I love the music and the melody is just so easy on the ears. The vocals are also a little more bearable than the previous song. I really, really need to find their music.



"Eclipse" by Crossfaith
Like their previous PV, this is another aggressively, fun party song to go absolutely crazy with. There is so much energy and chaos in this song and I love it! The visuals are sleek and match the danger, energy, and mayhem that is in the song. This is also a slightly more mature look to the members as well and it's great to hear Ken singing a little more.



"V" by Lee Jung Hyun
The Queen of Performance has returned with the help of director Park Chan Wook. It has an interesting, comedic, horror storyline of romance and persistence. I love the concept and the haunting, but playful music. It has a swing, electronic pop sound to it that reminds me of Alexandra Stan's "Mr. Saxobeat". I'm happy to see her return and I can't wait for more of her this year.



"Hate You" by LADIES'CODE
Their debut song wasn't looking so good, so I'm happy I gave them another chance with this MV and I must say it's way better. Although the chorus is quite repetitive, you can't deny that these ladies have some strong vocals and it makes me long for SPICA even more. I hope they don't sell out to the trending sound and mediocrity, because this is quite refreshing and goes well with my liking of Z.Hera and Andamiro. I can't help but say that this is great use of Lee Hi's leftover set pieces.



"Mirrors" by EMMA LOUISE
This popped up on my YouTube subscription feed and I checked it out with no regrets. It's a quiet, but seemingly deep, emotional song. I love the soft vocals and ambient, electronic music. The visual presentation is very simple and allow body movements create a picture along with the song. It might seem boring, but it fits the tone of the song and the gentleness of the vocals.