Ten songs by artists that are part of a duo/group, but for whatever reason have released solo material.

Not Alone - Park Jung Min
Korean | Pop
This is the song that inspired this theme. I've always liked SS501, but never really paid attention to its individual members. The only one I could have recognized by name/face was Kim Hyun Joong. I think Park Jung Min of SS501 has caught the attention of many, myself included, with his latest single. Not Alone is the title track. I love the utilization of strings, ranging from the staccato of the dark, dramatic opening to the long, melodic lines of the brighter chorus. It's catchy without relying on the synths and auto-tune that define so much of recent k-pop, which is refreshing. I've had this song on repeat for the last couple days.

You and I - Park Bom
Korean | Pop
I really wish Park Bom released more solo material. She has such a great voice, and it doesn't really get a chance to shine in 2NE1's songs. The music video has an interesting twist, by the way. Park Bom sounds great, her voice is strong without being overpowering and has a really nice richness to it.

VVIP - Seungri
Korean | Dance/Pop
Seungri was one of those members of Big Bang I never really noticed until he released his first mini-album. My qualm with Big Bang's music (and GD & TOP's mini-album) is that their songs, while extremely infectious, get stale quite quickly. It's a bit too early to tell with VVIP, but I think it has a bit more staying power. There's a nice contrast between the bright, melodic chorus and the rapping verses. There's something youthful and fresh about the song in general, emphasized by the touches of brass, that separates it from other uptempo tracks.

小樹 - Lara
Mandarin | Pop/Ballad
Lara was a member of Nan Quan Mama, before leaving to pursue a solo career. To be honest, I'm not really fond of her solo album. She has a really delicate voice that worked well with Nan Quan Mama's style of music and mixed group concept, but alone with the cuter, more standard-pop based sound that she has in her solo album, it's quite forgettable. I do like 小樹 though, I think the light, acoustic accompaniment compliments her voice nicely.

Sorry - Lee Jin Sung ft. Heritage
Korean | R&B/Ballad
Lee Jin Sung was half of the original duo of Monday Kiz (the other half was Kim Min Soo, who passed away in 2008). Monday Kiz was known for their ballads, so it's no surprise that Lee Jin Sung has a great voice. This song is a bit more upbeat than the ballads they were famous for. I love the harmonies.

문이 닫히면 - 윤두준 & 손동운 of Beast
Korean | R&B/Ballad
Beast's songs have always been a bit hit-or-miss with me, but I really like this duet. It's got a really nice acoustic feel that's different from their usual style.

Wonderful Life - Minwoo
Korean | Pop
I think that out of Shinhwa's members, Minwoo's solo songs are my favourite. The others have released songs that I've really liked too, but excluding a few of his most recent songs, I really like most of what Minwoo has done. His music has so much energy and flair, and Wonderful Life is the perfect example of this. The confident brass riffs and bass line work so well with the depth and slight rough edge to his voice.

Persona - Kangta
Korean | Ballad
H.O.T.'s prime was way before I got into k-pop, but I'm pretty familiar with Kangta's solo material. Persona was released in 2005, and I don't know how to explain it exactly, but there's something about it that's different from more recent ballads. Whatever it is, I love it. It's a bit dark without being overly dramatic or exaggerated, and there's a sense of yearning to it. I like the subtle harmonies as well.

못 잊어 - Kim Jong Kook
Korean | Pop
I'm a big fan of Kim Jong Kook, formerly of Turbo. He's known for his high voice. While in a couple of his songs - especially some on his first/second solo albums - it comes across as thin, I think he's really developed because overall, it's clear and warm. 못 잊어 has a great melody and uses synths subtly.

덩크슛 - JoKwon & Whale
Korean | Pop
This song is a collaboration between 2AM's JoKwon and W&Whale's Whale. It's a cover of Lee Sung Hwan's Dunk Shot (which I've never actually heard, so I can't make any comparison). It has a really unique flavour and beat, modernized by well-utilized synths.

Labels: 2AM, Beast, Kangta, Kim Jong Kook, Lara, Lee Jin Sung, Lee Min Woo, Park Bom, Park Jung Min, Seungri, W and Whale

With the massive amount of music I have, I don't get a chance to listen to every song very carefully, or sometimes even at all. But occasionally, on shuffle or after reading a review or something, I'll realize songs in my library I didn't even know I had, often with no idea of how they got there. Sometimes my reaction is, Oh, god, this is awful, why did I ever download this? but sometimes, it's How did I miss this? This rotation is dedicated to songs that fit with the latter - songs that I had but never really listened to, and only discovered later on.

- Haruhi

PS. Sorry for the gradual decline in the quality of my comments. I'm not used to doing rotations this large anymore!

알고 있나요 (Duet Ver.) feat.제아 (of 브라운아이드걸스/Brown Eyed Girls) - Someday
Korean | Ballad
I have this whole self-titled album by Someday and never listened to it. I'm not sure why, because after skimming through the album, I really like their soothing style of music although it does get a big bland. This is a lovely duet which was used in Boys Over Flowers, probably why it sounds so familiar ... although I heard something about different versions, and I'm not sure if this is the one used in the drama. Okay, despite the fact that it was used in BoF (if you can't tell, I'm not a fan) it's such a sweet ballad, and not being a BEG fan I never knew JeA had such a nice, airy voice. The chorus-style harmonies are a nice touch as well. Something about it just stands out.

눈 내리는 소리 - Donawhale
Korean | Alt Rock
This is such a soothing, ethereally peaceful song. Soft, rich piano and light, delicate vocals. It does build a little, breaking up what would otherwise be monotony. Recommended.

All My Stars Aligned - St. Vincent
English | Indie Pop
I downloaded this as part of a mixtape or something, and never really paid much attention to it. However, the gorgeously layered piano intro which stays on as a motif throughout the song alone is worth listening to. St. Vincent, moniker for Annie Clark, has a rich voice that's not overpowering.

No.1 (남아공 월드컵 공식 주제가) - 2AM
Korean | Pop
I usually skip past songs for CFs and the like, so I nearly skipped on this song for the FIFA World Cup as well (despite being a huge soccer fan I'm not so much a fan of songs dedicated to it) but after hearing it on TV No.1 got stuck in my head. It's a light, catchy, sweet pop song that doesn't have too much of a cheerlead-y, "Go, team!" vibe that a lot of the other World Cup songs I heard had.

Eternal Mourning - Eternal Morning
Instrumental/English | Trip-hop
A collaboration between Tablo of Epik High and Pe2ny, this song comes from the album Soundtrack to a Lost Film which I love despite not always being in the mood for it. Eternal Mourning sets the mostly instrumental and slightly experimental tone of the album quite well and the unique beat and instrumentation makes it an interesting individual track as well. More proof that Tablo can do no wrong. This wasn't so much of a hidden treasure for me, personally, but I know a lot of people didn't notice this collaboration album despite being Epik High fans, or maybe deigned to skip it because the style is quite different.

One Night Stay / In My Room - Jinbo
Instrumental/English | Trip-hop
Following in the vein of the track above, this album was labeled as hip-hop and thinking it was mostly rap and attempts to copy the success of American hip-hop, I never listened to it. I heard a recommendation for it somewhere and decided to give it a listen, which proved my initial assumptions to be quite wrong. While the album as a whole (Afterwork) is a bit hit or miss with me, I really liked the beat of the song and the way the soft synths almost merge with it.

I Saw It On Your Keyboard - Hellogoodbye
English | Pop
Apart from Here In Your Arms, I'd never really listened to Hellogoodbye's music. However, this simple, bright pop-rock number caught my attention. It's cute and energetic.

나쁜 여자 (Boom Boom) - Super Junior
Korean | Pop
After hearing the title track, Bonamama which I really disliked, I really only gave this album a skim and didn't see anything that sparked my interest until this song came up on shuffle one day. I love the beat and slightly dark atmosphere, as well as the catchiness, although I'm not sure what the Twinkle twinkle little star line is all about.

Ordinary - Tim Be Told
English | Indie Pop
If you like David Choi, give this a try. It has the same sweet, acoustic feel and interesting lyrics as well.

우리의 밤은 당신의 낮보다 아름답다 - 알렉스(Alex),호란 (Horan),이승열 (Lee Seung Yeol),박기영 (Park KiYoung),웨일(Whale),혜원 (HyeWon),나무(Namu),어반 자카파(Urban Zakapa)
Korean | Acoustic Pop
This V.A. collaboration from the label Fluxus Voices didn't really catch my attention until I spotted a couple names I recognized - namely Alex and Horan, but also W&Whale and Urban Zakapa. I romanized the rest of the names myself so if there's any inaccuracies, please let me know and I'll correct them. This song is apparently a cover, but I don't think I've ever heard the original song. It's sweet, light, and summery. Alex's voice in particular stands out, probably just because it's most familiar to me. I was expecting something along the lines of SM Town's collabs which feature so many artists it's really almost incoherent, but this is very different - in a good way.

My Everything - Nia
Korean | Pop-Rock
After hearing Nia hailed as a female F.T. Island, I had mixed feelings: it would be nice to see a female group playing their own instruments and with a more rock-based sound, but then again: can you really call F.T. Island rock? For some reason I never really listened to this, their debut single, but I'm glad I finally did. While admittedly My Everything can only be considered soft rock, this rock ballad is lovely. The vocals are strong and clear and I love the guitars and light use of strings. Not your average girl group, that's for sure.

WoNdeR WomaN × the telephones - MiChi
Japanese | Pop-Rock
I can't say I've ever heard anything of the telephones', and MiChi's spelling just really irritates me - not to mention the overall mediocrity of her music. However, this song is much more alt-rock than MiChi's music, I'm guessing that's the telephones' influence. It's energetic and catchy, but MiChi sounds a bit strained.

コインランドリー - OGRE YOU ASSHOLE
Japanese | Alt Rock
I downloaded this on a compilation album and never really noticed it as an individual track until this band's intriguing name caught my attention. I love the high, clean guitar lines alternating with darker, grungier chords. It creates some interesting transitions.

가지마 - Wednesday
Korean | Ballad
This is actually a solo song by Chi Yeol, a member of the duo Wednesday. Chi Yeol released a solo album a couple years ago about when I was starting to get into k-pop and basically downloaded everything because I had no idea what I would like and what I wouldn't. The album was filled with gorgeous, unique ballads and sophisticated pop tracks - I would be uploading songs from it, but unfortunately it's not on the computer I usually work from. After his debut album, he completely disappeared. I nearly skipped past Wednesday, assuming they were another male duo trying to copy Fly to the Sky's success, but went back once realizing Chi Yeol was a member. 가지마 is a ballad that showcases his strong, rich vocals (and what a gorgeous vibrato) - if you're a fan of Tei, Eru, Park Hyo Shin, and other such ballad vocalists, you'll like him. Compositionally, it is a bit cookie-cutter, but I'm so glad to see him releasing music again that I'm willing to forgive that. And much like other ballad kings, his voice elevates the song to new levels.

Hey Elevator - Apples in Stereo
English | Indie pop
So I kind of skimmed through this album (Travellers in Space and Time) and didn't really think much of it, but this track - probably amongst their more popular - stood out to me on a second listen. The chorus is so catchy, paired with disco influences and feel-good piano chords.

Circus - Royal Pirates
English | Rock
I didn't think anyone could cover this song and make it sound good. Korean group Royal Pirates however, manages to do just that. I love the rock twist to this song, and their confident sound.

서시 (Seo Shi/Prologue) - Shin Sung Woo
Korean | Rock Ballad
I know nothing about this singer, but I recently found this rock ballad in my iTunes library. It starts out with just acoustic guitar and you think that's what the whole song will be, but suddenly a full rock ensemble gets swept in.

Bluepeo - Mister Symbol
Instrumental
Another song that mysteriously appeared in my iTunes. It came up on shuffle and the pretty piano intro and soft, ambient beat caught my attention. It reminds me a bit of Nujabes, Epik High/Eternal Morning, etc.

Romeo N Juliet (알렉스, 신애 듀엣 원곡) (우리결혼했어요 삽입곡) - Clazziquai
Korean | Electronica/Acid Jazz
Although I'm a big Clazziquai fan, I never really noticed this song in particular. It's charming and soothing, and Alex and Horan sound fantastic together. I love their unique harmonies as well as the bright rap portion and jazzy instrumental solos.

Labels: 2AM, Apples in Stereo, Chi Yeol, Clazziquai, Donawhale, Eternal Morning, Jinbo, MiChi, Mister Symbol, Royal Pirates, Shin Sung Woo, Someday, St. Vincent, Super Junior, Tim Be Told, Wednesday

Let me just start off by saying that I really apologize this rotation took so long, and for not really updating in between other than to change the layout. I guess I've just been having a bit of rough time with school/"friends", and for a period of time I just couldn't find the energy to update the site and finish off this rotation (it's been sitting around nearly-done for a while).

Hope you guys enjoy the songs, and sorry again about the wait! I promise to try and update more often in the future, although for now I think they'll mostly be smaller posts rather than full-scale rotations.

Thanks to the other contributors for keeping the site alive during my absence. =)

- Haruhi

This week’s rotation is themed around songs that changed my opinion of a singer or band - whether for better or worse. Most of the songs are fairly well-known, so those of you looking to try out new artists might be a little disappointed, but hopefully you'll find something that you haven't heard before.

No. 5 - J.ae
Korean | Pop
You may know her simply as J, although she has recently changed her stage name to J.ae. While I have long disliked her soft, whispery vocals, this started to change when she released Say I Love You, a duet with Alex of Clazziquai that really impressed me. I decided it would be worthwhile to at least give her new mini-album (Sentimental) a try, and so far I’m quite impressed. In this opening track, titled No.5, which features Eun Ji Won. It’s a sophisticated, velveteen pop song with a base of muted, harp-like synths, and a light percussion backbeat. My only problem with the drums is that they sound a bit tinny and thin. J’s vocals are still very light and delicate, but they no longer sound weak as they sometimes did to me in her previous releases. Really, it was the elegant arrangement of this song that caught my attention - it’s still engaging and catchy, but has a level of maturity that you won’t hear in less-seasoned artists.

사르르 (I Wanna Be Your Love) (feat. 정엽) - J.ae
Korean | Pop/Ballad
While No. 5 caught my attention, 사르르 was really the highlight of Sentimental. It’s a mid-tempo song with a great jazz/lounge feel. I have no idea who the male singer featured on this is, but his warm, chocolaty voice is a perfect fit with J’s feathery, high vocals.

차라리 때려 (Hit Me) - SHINee
Korean | R&B/Pop
I was kind of on-the-fence about SHINee. I had mixed feelings (but for the most part disliked) their debut song (누난 너무 예뻐(Replay)), but a few other songs on their first mini-album were decent. It was a similar story with Romeo - there were some songs I didn’t like, some I did, and overall my opinions changed from my initial impressions after a few more listens. However, one song that I was really taken with on the first listen - and continued to like - is 차라리 때려. It’s melting smoothness and modern R&B interface really appealed to me. The softness and blend of their voices is lovely paired with the lush synths in the accompaniment. To me, it feels like it’s at another level of refinement compared to their other songs.

Love Story - Jewelry
Korean | Pop/Ballad
After giving Jewelry’s songs a cursory listen, I generally just deleted them. One day I saw their final performance on TV, and it was of this song. Seeing how emotional they were really struck me, and since then Love Story has really grown on me. It’s a powerful mid-tempo pop ballad that showcases their strong voices.

친구의 고백 (Friend’s Confession) - 2AM
Korean | Ballad
While their first “Single album” (이노래/This Song) was quite good, it lacked the power and conviction that is so apparent in Friend’s Confession. Although I probably prefer 죽어도 못 보내 to this song, this was the song that really made me start to look forward to their releases. Friend’s Confession is a heartfelt mid-tempo ballad with gorgeous, warm harmonies. It’s very powerful and emotional without being melodramatic. Their voices, while distinctive and individual, come together perfectly. It’s hopeful and strong. Although their first release left me apprehensive about them, their following songs have all been very impressive and they've become one of my favourite groups.

마비 - Nadia ft. Jace
Korean | Pop/Electronica
I started trying out Nadia’s singles after hearing recommendations and good reviews of them, but many of her songs I found to be average. However, 마비 is one song that I did enjoy. I really like the bubbly bass line paired with echo-y synths, and surprisingly, I think the rap segments really suit this song, setting a more aggressive tone compared with the softer sung verses.

向日葵盛開的夏天 - F.I.R.
Mandarin | Pop
I never had much interest in F.I.R., although they’re a fairly popular group. I thought I would give their latest album, Let’s Smile! a cursory listen. While on a whole the album didn’t really impress me, this is one song that did stand out to me. It’s a simple, acoustic-style ballad with only light guitar, piano, and the occasional bout of strings accompanying Faye’s high-ranged, airy voice. The hope and soothing tone of this song, as well as its graceful simplicity, really stood out to me.

나쁜 여자야 - F.T. Island
Korean | Pop-rock
This is the first song in this rotation where it goes the other way - where a song changed my opinion of an artist negatively, rather than positively. While I was never a real F.T. Island fan and definitely never considered them a “rock” band, I did admire them for taking a different route than most boybands - and being quite successful in doing so. While a few songs on the Jump Up EP had a glimmer of hope, the title track, 나쁜 여자야, was the beginning of their decline in my opinion. Whether this had anything to do with Oh Won Bin being replaced with Song Seung Hyun, I can’t say. 나쁜 여자야 is just incredibly redundant. It’s repetitive, overly-dramatic, and overall just far too heavy. Hong Ki’s voice, which I actually quite like, just sounds incredibly dull and flat-lined in this song. But let me emphasize repetitive, because that’s really what kills this song. There’s absolutely no direction to it, it simply establishes a melody/pattern and follows it over. And over. And over. It doesn’t help that their Japanese releases after this were also completely disposable.

牛仔很忙 - Jay Chou
Mandarin | Pop/Country
Oh god ... it all went downhill from here. While there are some decent songs on this album, this song still completely baffles me. A “country-themed” album is one thing, a country-themed album with only one song that ties into that theme at all is another. I really don’t get how Jay Chou even made such a cheesy, ridiculously stereotypical (yee-haw!) song - if he really had to go country, why not do it with a nice acoustic-guitar ballad or something of the sort? To be fair, I can see why some people would find this song cute or catchy, but after this my opinion of him really started going down. His follow-up album, Capricorn, wasn’t wildly impressive either, although in both albums, there’s always a few gems - oddly enough, they just aren’t the title tracks.

Diamond - alan
Japanese | Pop
A more recent song, and another that left me kind of disappointed in the artist. When Tibetan singer alan debuted, I had mixed feelings about her, although I really liked her distinct style and powerful vocals. I kind of prefer her Mandarin songs to her Japanese ones, but despite seeing some good reviews of Diamond, I didn’t really like it. Her voice sounds uncharacteristically strained and slightly nasal. The dull backdrop of synths sounds very anime-ending-esque, which I suppose is fitting since it’s the theme song for an Inuyasha PSP game or something like that. The song just seemed out of character for her, and overall bland and forgettable.

남자는 그래요 - SeeYa
Korean | Pop
Those of you who’ve been here for a while probably know that I’m quite discerning about girl groups, but I loved SeeYa. After seeing the blindingly colorful retro-inspired photoshoot/album cover accompanying their third album, Brilliant Change, I was already suspecting that I wouldn’t find this change all too brilliant. Now, things get a little strange here, because I don’t actually dislike this song. In fact, there are times where I appreciate it’s soft tone and their still-impressive vocals. However, like every other song on this album (I supposed you could say the whole album changed my opinion of them), this song completely failed to move me. While I always found their ballads to be very powerful emotionally - from their singing as well as the arrangement - this is the first that struck me as simply a very pretty song rather than one that was very touching and heartfelt. There was just something missing in this song that was echoed throughout the whole album, and since then I’ve never really kept up with their releases.

Labels: 2AM, Alan, F.I.R., F.T. Island, J.ae, Jay Chou, Jewelry, Nadia, SeeYa, Shinee

사랑이라는건(Sarangiraneun Geon - Acoustic Version) – Bi/Rain
Korean | Pop
I like both this version and its original but definitely prefer this one. It conjures up a picture of Rain sitting in a small studio setting with a few band mates singing this song. The opening guitar is nice and mellow and the rest of the instruments add to its jazzy-ish sound.


Manic Monday – Bonnie Pink
English | Pop
Yes, it’s a remake of the famous Bangles song. I actually really like this song, so much so that I will listen to this on those horrid Monday mornings where I really don’t want to go to work. It’s a much mellower and slower version of the original, with the first two verses focusing on the acoustic guitar, base, piano, and drums.


Knock Knock Knock (Piano Version) – Daichi Miura
Japanese | Pop (R&B)
I prefer this version to the original, more upbeat version. The piano and keyboard (higher-pitched keys) provide a simple accompaniment to Daichi’s voice but bring out the best in the song. It gives the song a moodier and sadder quality, which seems to give it more weight.


Life Goes On (D Side) – Chemistry
Japanese | Pop
A nice, mellow version of the opening theme to “Antique Bakery”. The slower beat and Chemistry’s voices without the electronic overlay found in the “K Side” mix make the song seem more sincere than the upbeat electronic-ish pop version (although I like that version better).


This Song – 2AM
Korean | Pop

I really wanted to finish off with a more upbeat number but I ended up with this song instead. It’s a really heartfelt song and the words could almost make you cry. The boys’ voices mesh really well with the background.

Labels: 2AM, Bonnie Pink, Chemistry, Contributor; Carmi, Miura Daichi, Rain

Ten songs by artists that are part of a duo/group, but for whatever reason have released solo material.

Not Alone - Park Jung Min
Korean | Pop
This is the song that inspired this theme. I've always liked SS501, but never really paid attention to its individual members. The only one I could have recognized by name/face was Kim Hyun Joong. I think Park Jung Min of SS501 has caught the attention of many, myself included, with his latest single. Not Alone is the title track. I love the utilization of strings, ranging from the staccato of the dark, dramatic opening to the long, melodic lines of the brighter chorus. It's catchy without relying on the synths and auto-tune that define so much of recent k-pop, which is refreshing. I've had this song on repeat for the last couple days.

You and I - Park Bom
Korean | Pop
I really wish Park Bom released more solo material. She has such a great voice, and it doesn't really get a chance to shine in 2NE1's songs. The music video has an interesting twist, by the way. Park Bom sounds great, her voice is strong without being overpowering and has a really nice richness to it.

VVIP - Seungri
Korean | Dance/Pop
Seungri was one of those members of Big Bang I never really noticed until he released his first mini-album. My qualm with Big Bang's music (and GD & TOP's mini-album) is that their songs, while extremely infectious, get stale quite quickly. It's a bit too early to tell with VVIP, but I think it has a bit more staying power. There's a nice contrast between the bright, melodic chorus and the rapping verses. There's something youthful and fresh about the song in general, emphasized by the touches of brass, that separates it from other uptempo tracks.

小樹 - Lara
Mandarin | Pop/Ballad
Lara was a member of Nan Quan Mama, before leaving to pursue a solo career. To be honest, I'm not really fond of her solo album. She has a really delicate voice that worked well with Nan Quan Mama's style of music and mixed group concept, but alone with the cuter, more standard-pop based sound that she has in her solo album, it's quite forgettable. I do like 小樹 though, I think the light, acoustic accompaniment compliments her voice nicely.

Sorry - Lee Jin Sung ft. Heritage
Korean | R&B/Ballad
Lee Jin Sung was half of the original duo of Monday Kiz (the other half was Kim Min Soo, who passed away in 2008). Monday Kiz was known for their ballads, so it's no surprise that Lee Jin Sung has a great voice. This song is a bit more upbeat than the ballads they were famous for. I love the harmonies.

문이 닫히면 - 윤두준 & 손동운 of Beast
Korean | R&B/Ballad
Beast's songs have always been a bit hit-or-miss with me, but I really like this duet. It's got a really nice acoustic feel that's different from their usual style.

Wonderful Life - Minwoo
Korean | Pop
I think that out of Shinhwa's members, Minwoo's solo songs are my favourite. The others have released songs that I've really liked too, but excluding a few of his most recent songs, I really like most of what Minwoo has done. His music has so much energy and flair, and Wonderful Life is the perfect example of this. The confident brass riffs and bass line work so well with the depth and slight rough edge to his voice.

Persona - Kangta
Korean | Ballad
H.O.T.'s prime was way before I got into k-pop, but I'm pretty familiar with Kangta's solo material. Persona was released in 2005, and I don't know how to explain it exactly, but there's something about it that's different from more recent ballads. Whatever it is, I love it. It's a bit dark without being overly dramatic or exaggerated, and there's a sense of yearning to it. I like the subtle harmonies as well.

못 잊어 - Kim Jong Kook
Korean | Pop
I'm a big fan of Kim Jong Kook, formerly of Turbo. He's known for his high voice. While in a couple of his songs - especially some on his first/second solo albums - it comes across as thin, I think he's really developed because overall, it's clear and warm. 못 잊어 has a great melody and uses synths subtly.

덩크슛 - JoKwon & Whale
Korean | Pop
This song is a collaboration between 2AM's JoKwon and W&Whale's Whale. It's a cover of Lee Sung Hwan's Dunk Shot (which I've never actually heard, so I can't make any comparison). It has a really unique flavour and beat, modernized by well-utilized synths.

Labels: 2AM, Beast, Kangta, Kim Jong Kook, Lara, Lee Jin Sung, Lee Min Woo, Park Bom, Park Jung Min, Seungri, W and Whale

With the massive amount of music I have, I don't get a chance to listen to every song very carefully, or sometimes even at all. But occasionally, on shuffle or after reading a review or something, I'll realize songs in my library I didn't even know I had, often with no idea of how they got there. Sometimes my reaction is, Oh, god, this is awful, why did I ever download this? but sometimes, it's How did I miss this? This rotation is dedicated to songs that fit with the latter - songs that I had but never really listened to, and only discovered later on.

- Haruhi

PS. Sorry for the gradual decline in the quality of my comments. I'm not used to doing rotations this large anymore!

알고 있나요 (Duet Ver.) feat.제아 (of 브라운아이드걸스/Brown Eyed Girls) - Someday
Korean | Ballad
I have this whole self-titled album by Someday and never listened to it. I'm not sure why, because after skimming through the album, I really like their soothing style of music although it does get a big bland. This is a lovely duet which was used in Boys Over Flowers, probably why it sounds so familiar ... although I heard something about different versions, and I'm not sure if this is the one used in the drama. Okay, despite the fact that it was used in BoF (if you can't tell, I'm not a fan) it's such a sweet ballad, and not being a BEG fan I never knew JeA had such a nice, airy voice. The chorus-style harmonies are a nice touch as well. Something about it just stands out.

눈 내리는 소리 - Donawhale
Korean | Alt Rock
This is such a soothing, ethereally peaceful song. Soft, rich piano and light, delicate vocals. It does build a little, breaking up what would otherwise be monotony. Recommended.

All My Stars Aligned - St. Vincent
English | Indie Pop
I downloaded this as part of a mixtape or something, and never really paid much attention to it. However, the gorgeously layered piano intro which stays on as a motif throughout the song alone is worth listening to. St. Vincent, moniker for Annie Clark, has a rich voice that's not overpowering.

No.1 (남아공 월드컵 공식 주제가) - 2AM
Korean | Pop
I usually skip past songs for CFs and the like, so I nearly skipped on this song for the FIFA World Cup as well (despite being a huge soccer fan I'm not so much a fan of songs dedicated to it) but after hearing it on TV No.1 got stuck in my head. It's a light, catchy, sweet pop song that doesn't have too much of a cheerlead-y, "Go, team!" vibe that a lot of the other World Cup songs I heard had.

Eternal Mourning - Eternal Morning
Instrumental/English | Trip-hop
A collaboration between Tablo of Epik High and Pe2ny, this song comes from the album Soundtrack to a Lost Film which I love despite not always being in the mood for it. Eternal Mourning sets the mostly instrumental and slightly experimental tone of the album quite well and the unique beat and instrumentation makes it an interesting individual track as well. More proof that Tablo can do no wrong. This wasn't so much of a hidden treasure for me, personally, but I know a lot of people didn't notice this collaboration album despite being Epik High fans, or maybe deigned to skip it because the style is quite different.

One Night Stay / In My Room - Jinbo
Instrumental/English | Trip-hop
Following in the vein of the track above, this album was labeled as hip-hop and thinking it was mostly rap and attempts to copy the success of American hip-hop, I never listened to it. I heard a recommendation for it somewhere and decided to give it a listen, which proved my initial assumptions to be quite wrong. While the album as a whole (Afterwork) is a bit hit or miss with me, I really liked the beat of the song and the way the soft synths almost merge with it.

I Saw It On Your Keyboard - Hellogoodbye
English | Pop
Apart from Here In Your Arms, I'd never really listened to Hellogoodbye's music. However, this simple, bright pop-rock number caught my attention. It's cute and energetic.

나쁜 여자 (Boom Boom) - Super Junior
Korean | Pop
After hearing the title track, Bonamama which I really disliked, I really only gave this album a skim and didn't see anything that sparked my interest until this song came up on shuffle one day. I love the beat and slightly dark atmosphere, as well as the catchiness, although I'm not sure what the Twinkle twinkle little star line is all about.

Ordinary - Tim Be Told
English | Indie Pop
If you like David Choi, give this a try. It has the same sweet, acoustic feel and interesting lyrics as well.

우리의 밤은 당신의 낮보다 아름답다 - 알렉스(Alex),호란 (Horan),이승열 (Lee Seung Yeol),박기영 (Park KiYoung),웨일(Whale),혜원 (HyeWon),나무(Namu),어반 자카파(Urban Zakapa)
Korean | Acoustic Pop
This V.A. collaboration from the label Fluxus Voices didn't really catch my attention until I spotted a couple names I recognized - namely Alex and Horan, but also W&Whale and Urban Zakapa. I romanized the rest of the names myself so if there's any inaccuracies, please let me know and I'll correct them. This song is apparently a cover, but I don't think I've ever heard the original song. It's sweet, light, and summery. Alex's voice in particular stands out, probably just because it's most familiar to me. I was expecting something along the lines of SM Town's collabs which feature so many artists it's really almost incoherent, but this is very different - in a good way.

My Everything - Nia
Korean | Pop-Rock
After hearing Nia hailed as a female F.T. Island, I had mixed feelings: it would be nice to see a female group playing their own instruments and with a more rock-based sound, but then again: can you really call F.T. Island rock? For some reason I never really listened to this, their debut single, but I'm glad I finally did. While admittedly My Everything can only be considered soft rock, this rock ballad is lovely. The vocals are strong and clear and I love the guitars and light use of strings. Not your average girl group, that's for sure.

WoNdeR WomaN × the telephones - MiChi
Japanese | Pop-Rock
I can't say I've ever heard anything of the telephones', and MiChi's spelling just really irritates me - not to mention the overall mediocrity of her music. However, this song is much more alt-rock than MiChi's music, I'm guessing that's the telephones' influence. It's energetic and catchy, but MiChi sounds a bit strained.

コインランドリー - OGRE YOU ASSHOLE
Japanese | Alt Rock
I downloaded this on a compilation album and never really noticed it as an individual track until this band's intriguing name caught my attention. I love the high, clean guitar lines alternating with darker, grungier chords. It creates some interesting transitions.

가지마 - Wednesday
Korean | Ballad
This is actually a solo song by Chi Yeol, a member of the duo Wednesday. Chi Yeol released a solo album a couple years ago about when I was starting to get into k-pop and basically downloaded everything because I had no idea what I would like and what I wouldn't. The album was filled with gorgeous, unique ballads and sophisticated pop tracks - I would be uploading songs from it, but unfortunately it's not on the computer I usually work from. After his debut album, he completely disappeared. I nearly skipped past Wednesday, assuming they were another male duo trying to copy Fly to the Sky's success, but went back once realizing Chi Yeol was a member. 가지마 is a ballad that showcases his strong, rich vocals (and what a gorgeous vibrato) - if you're a fan of Tei, Eru, Park Hyo Shin, and other such ballad vocalists, you'll like him. Compositionally, it is a bit cookie-cutter, but I'm so glad to see him releasing music again that I'm willing to forgive that. And much like other ballad kings, his voice elevates the song to new levels.

Hey Elevator - Apples in Stereo
English | Indie pop
So I kind of skimmed through this album (Travellers in Space and Time) and didn't really think much of it, but this track - probably amongst their more popular - stood out to me on a second listen. The chorus is so catchy, paired with disco influences and feel-good piano chords.

Circus - Royal Pirates
English | Rock
I didn't think anyone could cover this song and make it sound good. Korean group Royal Pirates however, manages to do just that. I love the rock twist to this song, and their confident sound.

서시 (Seo Shi/Prologue) - Shin Sung Woo
Korean | Rock Ballad
I know nothing about this singer, but I recently found this rock ballad in my iTunes library. It starts out with just acoustic guitar and you think that's what the whole song will be, but suddenly a full rock ensemble gets swept in.

Bluepeo - Mister Symbol
Instrumental
Another song that mysteriously appeared in my iTunes. It came up on shuffle and the pretty piano intro and soft, ambient beat caught my attention. It reminds me a bit of Nujabes, Epik High/Eternal Morning, etc.

Romeo N Juliet (알렉스, 신애 듀엣 원곡) (우리결혼했어요 삽입곡) - Clazziquai
Korean | Electronica/Acid Jazz
Although I'm a big Clazziquai fan, I never really noticed this song in particular. It's charming and soothing, and Alex and Horan sound fantastic together. I love their unique harmonies as well as the bright rap portion and jazzy instrumental solos.

Labels: 2AM, Apples in Stereo, Chi Yeol, Clazziquai, Donawhale, Eternal Morning, Jinbo, MiChi, Mister Symbol, Royal Pirates, Shin Sung Woo, Someday, St. Vincent, Super Junior, Tim Be Told, Wednesday

Let me just start off by saying that I really apologize this rotation took so long, and for not really updating in between other than to change the layout. I guess I've just been having a bit of rough time with school/"friends", and for a period of time I just couldn't find the energy to update the site and finish off this rotation (it's been sitting around nearly-done for a while).

Hope you guys enjoy the songs, and sorry again about the wait! I promise to try and update more often in the future, although for now I think they'll mostly be smaller posts rather than full-scale rotations.

Thanks to the other contributors for keeping the site alive during my absence. =)

- Haruhi

This week’s rotation is themed around songs that changed my opinion of a singer or band - whether for better or worse. Most of the songs are fairly well-known, so those of you looking to try out new artists might be a little disappointed, but hopefully you'll find something that you haven't heard before.

No. 5 - J.ae
Korean | Pop
You may know her simply as J, although she has recently changed her stage name to J.ae. While I have long disliked her soft, whispery vocals, this started to change when she released Say I Love You, a duet with Alex of Clazziquai that really impressed me. I decided it would be worthwhile to at least give her new mini-album (Sentimental) a try, and so far I’m quite impressed. In this opening track, titled No.5, which features Eun Ji Won. It’s a sophisticated, velveteen pop song with a base of muted, harp-like synths, and a light percussion backbeat. My only problem with the drums is that they sound a bit tinny and thin. J’s vocals are still very light and delicate, but they no longer sound weak as they sometimes did to me in her previous releases. Really, it was the elegant arrangement of this song that caught my attention - it’s still engaging and catchy, but has a level of maturity that you won’t hear in less-seasoned artists.

사르르 (I Wanna Be Your Love) (feat. 정엽) - J.ae
Korean | Pop/Ballad
While No. 5 caught my attention, 사르르 was really the highlight of Sentimental. It’s a mid-tempo song with a great jazz/lounge feel. I have no idea who the male singer featured on this is, but his warm, chocolaty voice is a perfect fit with J’s feathery, high vocals.

차라리 때려 (Hit Me) - SHINee
Korean | R&B/Pop
I was kind of on-the-fence about SHINee. I had mixed feelings (but for the most part disliked) their debut song (누난 너무 예뻐(Replay)), but a few other songs on their first mini-album were decent. It was a similar story with Romeo - there were some songs I didn’t like, some I did, and overall my opinions changed from my initial impressions after a few more listens. However, one song that I was really taken with on the first listen - and continued to like - is 차라리 때려. It’s melting smoothness and modern R&B interface really appealed to me. The softness and blend of their voices is lovely paired with the lush synths in the accompaniment. To me, it feels like it’s at another level of refinement compared to their other songs.

Love Story - Jewelry
Korean | Pop/Ballad
After giving Jewelry’s songs a cursory listen, I generally just deleted them. One day I saw their final performance on TV, and it was of this song. Seeing how emotional they were really struck me, and since then Love Story has really grown on me. It’s a powerful mid-tempo pop ballad that showcases their strong voices.

친구의 고백 (Friend’s Confession) - 2AM
Korean | Ballad
While their first “Single album” (이노래/This Song) was quite good, it lacked the power and conviction that is so apparent in Friend’s Confession. Although I probably prefer 죽어도 못 보내 to this song, this was the song that really made me start to look forward to their releases. Friend’s Confession is a heartfelt mid-tempo ballad with gorgeous, warm harmonies. It’s very powerful and emotional without being melodramatic. Their voices, while distinctive and individual, come together perfectly. It’s hopeful and strong. Although their first release left me apprehensive about them, their following songs have all been very impressive and they've become one of my favourite groups.

마비 - Nadia ft. Jace
Korean | Pop/Electronica
I started trying out Nadia’s singles after hearing recommendations and good reviews of them, but many of her songs I found to be average. However, 마비 is one song that I did enjoy. I really like the bubbly bass line paired with echo-y synths, and surprisingly, I think the rap segments really suit this song, setting a more aggressive tone compared with the softer sung verses.

向日葵盛開的夏天 - F.I.R.
Mandarin | Pop
I never had much interest in F.I.R., although they’re a fairly popular group. I thought I would give their latest album, Let’s Smile! a cursory listen. While on a whole the album didn’t really impress me, this is one song that did stand out to me. It’s a simple, acoustic-style ballad with only light guitar, piano, and the occasional bout of strings accompanying Faye’s high-ranged, airy voice. The hope and soothing tone of this song, as well as its graceful simplicity, really stood out to me.

나쁜 여자야 - F.T. Island
Korean | Pop-rock
This is the first song in this rotation where it goes the other way - where a song changed my opinion of an artist negatively, rather than positively. While I was never a real F.T. Island fan and definitely never considered them a “rock” band, I did admire them for taking a different route than most boybands - and being quite successful in doing so. While a few songs on the Jump Up EP had a glimmer of hope, the title track, 나쁜 여자야, was the beginning of their decline in my opinion. Whether this had anything to do with Oh Won Bin being replaced with Song Seung Hyun, I can’t say. 나쁜 여자야 is just incredibly redundant. It’s repetitive, overly-dramatic, and overall just far too heavy. Hong Ki’s voice, which I actually quite like, just sounds incredibly dull and flat-lined in this song. But let me emphasize repetitive, because that’s really what kills this song. There’s absolutely no direction to it, it simply establishes a melody/pattern and follows it over. And over. And over. It doesn’t help that their Japanese releases after this were also completely disposable.

牛仔很忙 - Jay Chou
Mandarin | Pop/Country
Oh god ... it all went downhill from here. While there are some decent songs on this album, this song still completely baffles me. A “country-themed” album is one thing, a country-themed album with only one song that ties into that theme at all is another. I really don’t get how Jay Chou even made such a cheesy, ridiculously stereotypical (yee-haw!) song - if he really had to go country, why not do it with a nice acoustic-guitar ballad or something of the sort? To be fair, I can see why some people would find this song cute or catchy, but after this my opinion of him really started going down. His follow-up album, Capricorn, wasn’t wildly impressive either, although in both albums, there’s always a few gems - oddly enough, they just aren’t the title tracks.

Diamond - alan
Japanese | Pop
A more recent song, and another that left me kind of disappointed in the artist. When Tibetan singer alan debuted, I had mixed feelings about her, although I really liked her distinct style and powerful vocals. I kind of prefer her Mandarin songs to her Japanese ones, but despite seeing some good reviews of Diamond, I didn’t really like it. Her voice sounds uncharacteristically strained and slightly nasal. The dull backdrop of synths sounds very anime-ending-esque, which I suppose is fitting since it’s the theme song for an Inuyasha PSP game or something like that. The song just seemed out of character for her, and overall bland and forgettable.

남자는 그래요 - SeeYa
Korean | Pop
Those of you who’ve been here for a while probably know that I’m quite discerning about girl groups, but I loved SeeYa. After seeing the blindingly colorful retro-inspired photoshoot/album cover accompanying their third album, Brilliant Change, I was already suspecting that I wouldn’t find this change all too brilliant. Now, things get a little strange here, because I don’t actually dislike this song. In fact, there are times where I appreciate it’s soft tone and their still-impressive vocals. However, like every other song on this album (I supposed you could say the whole album changed my opinion of them), this song completely failed to move me. While I always found their ballads to be very powerful emotionally - from their singing as well as the arrangement - this is the first that struck me as simply a very pretty song rather than one that was very touching and heartfelt. There was just something missing in this song that was echoed throughout the whole album, and since then I’ve never really kept up with their releases.

Labels: 2AM, Alan, F.I.R., F.T. Island, J.ae, Jay Chou, Jewelry, Nadia, SeeYa, Shinee

사랑이라는건(Sarangiraneun Geon - Acoustic Version) – Bi/Rain
Korean | Pop
I like both this version and its original but definitely prefer this one. It conjures up a picture of Rain sitting in a small studio setting with a few band mates singing this song. The opening guitar is nice and mellow and the rest of the instruments add to its jazzy-ish sound.


Manic Monday – Bonnie Pink
English | Pop
Yes, it’s a remake of the famous Bangles song. I actually really like this song, so much so that I will listen to this on those horrid Monday mornings where I really don’t want to go to work. It’s a much mellower and slower version of the original, with the first two verses focusing on the acoustic guitar, base, piano, and drums.


Knock Knock Knock (Piano Version) – Daichi Miura
Japanese | Pop (R&B)
I prefer this version to the original, more upbeat version. The piano and keyboard (higher-pitched keys) provide a simple accompaniment to Daichi’s voice but bring out the best in the song. It gives the song a moodier and sadder quality, which seems to give it more weight.


Life Goes On (D Side) – Chemistry
Japanese | Pop
A nice, mellow version of the opening theme to “Antique Bakery”. The slower beat and Chemistry’s voices without the electronic overlay found in the “K Side” mix make the song seem more sincere than the upbeat electronic-ish pop version (although I like that version better).


This Song – 2AM
Korean | Pop

I really wanted to finish off with a more upbeat number but I ended up with this song instead. It’s a really heartfelt song and the words could almost make you cry. The boys’ voices mesh really well with the background.

Labels: 2AM, Bonnie Pink, Chemistry, Contributor; Carmi, Miura Daichi, Rain

Welcome to Fashion Scans, an mp3 rotation that features Korean, Japanese, and Chinese music as well as the occasional English song. Fashion Scans was created in October 2007 and is run by Haruhi with contributions from Carmi.

Please send all affiliate requests to Haruhi. Carmi is currently open to requests.

Files are for sampling purposes only, I am not responsible if you keep them for longer than the 24-48 hours permitted. Please support the artists by purchasing their CDs.

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