The Best of the Best of Korean Music in 2012 (according to MY standard)

So I made a draft for this post way back in January on MS Word because of writer's block and in some sort of a weird twist of fate, found it when I am hit by writer's block (again). Sure, it's already May 2013, and in K-pop, stuffs from 2012 is already irrelevant (sorta), but hey, we can never have enough of list in our lives (at least, mine is), and maybe this can be some reminiscent sorta post? Haha! Though it's more like I feel that it's a waste to throw it away orz

So why an award (kinda) list? That’s because;

1. I can cross-post this to that other blog because I'm lazy like that. 
2. Korean award always irks the hell out of me because of the no attendance no award policy (what?)
3. Most online award are filled with fan votes and it pissed me off when the better candidate losing out just because the fandom is smaller OTL

So way to fix this? Make my own! Like a boss.

Bear in mind I’m no music personnel (and I seriously can’t tell one weird tone to another) so this list is purely created from how much of the song/artist I’m enjoying for the past year. You don’t have to agree with me on anything from this, but it sure is good if I can share and introduce some songs you may never know before. So yeah.

Now, on to the list!

A Small Sound, Brought By The Memory Of The Wind

Our trust, our love; the eternal promises
If you remember me, then strongly walk forth

-Naul/나얼. (2012). Memory Of The Wind.

I have the album and MV in my hard drive for quite some time already and I don't actually remember what prompt me to download them at the first place but that doesn't matter now, for this. Is. Gorgeous. The soulful flute, the piano, the smooth voice, and the falsetto at the chorus? Damn if it didn't blow me like whoaaa (and have to say I didn't saw that coming, he hits those notes like a boss O_O). I had no idea what the lyric talks about, yet it still made me sad.

And of course the MV doesn't help that much either. If anything, the MV further amplifies the sad feeling depicted on the song. I read a lot of theories on the storyline, but for me it's kinda straightforward (though that might be because I called it on the woman being the girl from the beginning, ha!); the woman is reminiscing her childhood memory with her now deceased father (who looks like Ahn Nae-sang, enlightened me if I'm wrong?) on her wedding day (there's a scene where she's wearing a veil). The guy riding the horse (he remind me of Super Junior's Choi Siwon at the beginning somewhat O_o, except more good-looking ha!) is her husband-to-be, and I think the long ride along with the dark clouds signifies the new change he brings to her life, if only because the sky is also a bleak color when her father died. At least this is what I can think of, considering the heartbreaking yet hopeful tone of the lyrics.

Or I might actually think too much again about it. OTL

I've heard of Naul before and it totally escaped me that he is the one featuring in Tablo's Airbag (and I really love that song too) until I looked him up. Apparently he was/is (?) a part of a group Brown Eyed Soul (I only knew Sung Hoon from the group, if only because of his appearances in Immortal Song 2) which I knew the name but I don't think I heard their song before.

Also.

I'm yet to go through the whole album, which is his first solo work, though Soul Fever has fast becoming my jam. I look forward to discovering more stuff from the guy, because really, if there's any song, video, or both really, that can give me all the damn feels like Nell's The Day Before last April, this is as close as I can get (so far).

You don't (want to) know how bias I can be with Nell, so there.

Till then.

(;______;)

Eh, Who Cares? Call It What You Want

Well I'm just gonna do here what I gotta do here
'Cause I gotta keep myself free

-Foster The People. (2011). Call It What You Want.

Sure, my playlist keeps playing this song today, but this is highly appropriate (in a pure coincidence kind of way?) because this blog shares the same owner (me) with That Other Blog (linked at the sidebar) which unfortunately (?) also named Heiji Hatsutori with different subtitle than the ones here. My reason being that I'm utterly incapable of giving it a better name and my naming sense is inadequate at best.

So yeah. OTL

About Foster The People, I first heard about them from a friend who deemed Pumped Up Kicks as one of the best songs (or is it the Top 10?) of 2011. And while the song sorta exploded, it didn't really do it for me for some reason, so I don't pay attention enough on the band.

Until I chanced upon this song on MTV.

The beat is something that sides right up my alley, the lyric is awesome (thus the lyric video instead above, though I sorta used the 'who cares' part to annoy my sis at times ha!) and I caught myself enjoying it all the while got kinda mind-boggled by the MV. To say it's weird is a bit of an understatement, though I'll rather put it in the random category. You can watch it here.

Alas.

I decided to search for the whole album instead and the song fast grow on me, along with Houdini (which the MV for it is their best so far). I'm yet to go through the whole catalog, but I just need one more song to like and I'll deem Torches a fantastic album. Call me somewhat ridiculous, but it's a somewhat opinion of mine that if I can like at least 3 songs from an album it'll be a damn good one because I am picky like that. 2 songs put it in the good category (har har).

Too bad, or should I say, how irony that their most popular song is yet to enter the list. Ha!

Till then.

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