Top 5 Recommended Music Videos

"Vũ Điệu Cồng Chiêng" by Tóc Tiên
A friend shared the dance version of this video, which is actually more interesting than the official music video. Since it is the dance version I'm sharing, there really isn't too many set changes. There's beauty shots, a scene with her on a cube in a different costume, and her dancing with the back-up dancers. It's a fun dance song that apparently seems pretty popular in Vietnam...at least, that's what I'm assuming by the end credits and the official music video. She definitely gives me this strong, sexual vibe that Ga-in has in "Paradise Lost", but she shows that she's having fun with what she's doing.



"Tat Tat Tat" by Dan-A Hong feat. Swings
Actually, I have no idea how I ran into this video. Either way, I'm grateful that I've seen it. I love the unique visuals. Dan-A and her background is mostly in black and white while a select few things are in color, kinda like Sin City. The song features trumpets, drums, and piano and her voice has a slight feminine rasp to it. It's a unique sound and it's easy to listen to and tap your foot to.



"Delete" by Azin
I'm assuming I ran into this song the same time as the one above. It's different from your typical kpop songs and has this retro electro-pop sound to it. The visuals range from slightly obscure figures singing in the shadows and silhouettes of dancers behind a white screen. There is a little break up between the scenes with a girl dancing outside in the snow. The visuals are simple, but fit the easing softness of Azin's voice and the music makes it somewhat danceable, but overall intriguing.



"Life" by RubberSoul feat. Madclown
Need a blast from the past? Well, this is the perfect video to get a little taste of the 90s. This trio of ladies remind me of old TLC. From their style, presentation, and sound, it really gives that smooth, confident TLC vibe and I'm not mad at all. There's not many female hip-hop groups in Korea's music scene, so this is very refreshing. It's a chill, positive song that makes you want to dance along to the familiar beat. I'm looking forward to hearing more from these ladies.



"Mi Amor" by Jin Akanishi
Is it just me or has Jin and Miyavi switched places? Or maybe they've become the same person lately. Either way, this song sounds very Miyavi...not that that's a bad thing. It's a beautiful song and has a nice balance of pop and dance in the vocals and beat. The build up is effective and the visuals really match the tone of the song and the lyrics. It brings artsy and pop intimacy images together into a cohesive package. I enjoy the solo shots of Jin; whether it's his shadow, him with paint on half of his face, or interacting with the dancers as well as the actors and dancers that interact with each other. I'm definitely enjoying this new side and direction he's going with his music and perhaps image.

Promo: 365DaBand

[no particular order] Will, Isaac, S.T, and Jun
|Official Facebook|
Similar to my promotion post for BNR, I ran into a few dead ends finding information about this group. Originally 365daband was a quintet from Vietnam that debuted in December 2012. Each member had a very unique style to them: Isaac - cool man, Jun - Family boy, Tronie - Charming Prince, Will - Rebel, and ST - kiddo. What makes this boyband unique is that their musical style is a mixture of pop, R&B, and hip-hop. Their debut single is Awakening and they are one of Vietnam's most popular boy groups. I was first introduced to them by a friend when he shared the video for "Get On the Floor", which kinda reminded me of something MBLAQ would produce.


This is probably a slightly unusual promotional post for me as I really don't actively keep up with this group very often. I still enjoy the group and, for this post, I have watched more of their videos including their most recent one from December 2014 called "HAI CÔ TIÊN". I probably should look into updating their musical catalogue in my iTunes library, but for now I'll continue to jam to The Love Box [especially "I Let You Down"]. I'm very grateful for my friend introducing me to this group as I don't listen to Vietnamese music at all and they are quite a talented bunch. I hope that they will continue to make awesome music and keep pushing forward after their member lost.

Top 5 Recommended Music Videos

"Mischievous of Alice" by Yousei Teikoku
This is definitely an artist I hardly listen to, but enjoy. I know there are plenty of "Alice in Wonderland" inspired jrock/jpop songs out there in Japan, but this still keeps the concept fresh and a little different from the others. The music and visuals are both elegant and dark, but maintains its beauty and edge. Perhaps this PV will persuade me to go through my library and listen to more of her music.



"Did not say anything" by BNR feat. Ann
I love finding new Korean R&B artists that just blow me away in not only their music, but their visuals. The video is shot very interestingly. I love the freeze framed characters and actions and how smoothly it progresses the scene with these two people. The music is very soulful and smooth. It brings some good feelings inside and I always love Ann's vocal contributions. Every time she's in something, I instantly love it, especially if the male vocals compliment them like Drunken Tiger.



"Polarize" by Tam Tam
I think I ran into this band on either a jrock blog or Tumblr, but it was definitely something different than what I've been listening to lately. It's great to find a new band that's enjoyable and somewhat unique to the genre. The visuals are mixture of eccentric artistic and band centric with a good balance of focus in either of those categories. The music is very easy to listen to, but the vocals can be hit or miss for new listeners like Shiina Ringo. The vocals are soft, but powerful with imperfect perfections. I would definitely like to hear more from this band in the near future.



"SIRIUS" by DIAURA
I'm so proud to have been a fan of these guys from the beginning and even before this band formed. There is so much growth shining in this PV and song that it makes me proud to be a fan of theirs. The visuals are definitely a step up. It's dramatic, sleek, and dark just like the band. The music is simply amazing! It has a strong passionate punch to the chest and the vocals just reek emotion and improvement. I can still pick yo-ka's vocals out of anyone else's. I love the balance of sorrowful, dramatic piano and the hard hitting rock sounds to transition everything. Keep up the good work, guys!



"GET ON THE FLOOR" by 365
A friend of mine has been sharing some Vietnamese pop with me occasionally and this is one group that he posted on my Facebook. I'm sure there are plenty of kpop fans that accuse other Asian pop acts, excluding Japan, of copying kpop, but I think this is the first time I can find no trace of comparison. I don't agree with these fans, btw. Anyway, this reminds me of Europop from the visuals to the music, but the vocal structure and appearance of the members are definitely Asia based. It's a fun little dance track with some stunning visuals I thought only existed in China's pop scene. I'm looking forward to checking out more music from this group.

Top 5 Recommended Music Videos

"SUNRIZE SMILE" by DOG inThe Parallel World Orchestra
It's always refreshing seeing a j-indies band enjoying each other's company in a PV, even more amusing when they all sing in the song. Think of SuG's "Five Starz ～五枚目俳優～". Something like that. At first, I was surprised how cute it was and that Haru actually looked normal. The PV looks fun and the song is really cute.




"Good to Be Bad" by G.E.M
Around the same time I came across EMI MARIA's music video, I bumped into this sexy Chinese jewel. I didn't know China had this sort of talent. G.E.M is sexy, confident, and has a great voice. The song is a nice mixture of pop and R&B and the choreography is simple and sensual. Perhaps kpop should take some notes.




"Daybreak" by Wei Chen
Thanks to MAMA 2011, I decided to check out more of this guy's music and...I actually liked it. Annoying thing about YouTube are people's silly comments. Kpop fans, stop comparing this song to G-Dragon's "Heartbreaker". The song and video are great on it's own. It has a catchy chorus and clean choreography to keep your mind dazzled for days.




"DANCE" by Lollipop F
I guess electro-pop is a global trend these days. Sure, you might think of all those kpop party songs of 2011, but this song holds its own place with being a great track and an addicting video. The boys have great voices, the choreography is tight, and it's visually appeal all around, despite those horrible highlighter green Hammer pants. Ick! Everyone should keep an eye out on these guys, I think they're up to something great.




"Hurt Again" by HKT
I came across this trio by complete accident. I was watching Koda Kumi's "Ko-so Ko-so" on Tudou and the autoplay went to this intriguing music video. I was impressed and the storyline was so different from most Asian music video concepts. So, I frantically searched the interwebz for the name of the group or some sort of information, especially what language they were singing. Somehow it all boiled down to me finding more music videos on YouTube. Unfortunately, upon further viewing, I was less impressed by their talents. Allow me to ramble a little further, recently, I did a little research on this group and I learned they have a lot of antis. Maybe because they did a "cover" B2ST's "Shock", used HyunA's "Change" music as an intro to one of their songs, and they have a similar group formula as Super Junior, like a HKT-M exists. Think of them as the Tokio Hotel of Vietnam. Pretty much sums up how people view them. So, back to the video, I mentioned that I was impressed by it. The sound of their voices reminded me of those annoying, generic drama ballads they play in the background of episodes, but I was intrigued as opposed to put off. The music video is actually the continuation to "Other Side of Truth", which you should probably watch first. Perhaps these boys will turn their talents around for the better. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the guys, especially the blonde, are easy on the eyes.