This is the finale rotation to the recurring “Top 10” rotations - we’ve gone through ballads, pop songs, and rock songs, so this last rotation is just to finish things off. The main feature would be best album, and there are also a few individual categories: Best theme song, best single, and best current song. Again: these are based only off of my own opinions.

Also, we have a new layout! Featuring JJ Lin, since the album I chose was, you guessed it:

JJ Lin - Sixology



Tracklist & Downloads:
01. Sixology
02. 不潮不用花錢 (Without Trends, No Need to Spend)
03. 小酒窩 (feat. 蔡卓妍) (Small Dimples, ft. Charlene Choi)
04. 黑武士 (Black Warrior)
05. 醉赤壁 (Drunk Red Cliff)
06. 由你選擇 (feat. 農夫FAMA) (Your Choice)
07. Always Online
08. 街道 (The Streets)
09. 主角 (feat. MACHI) (Protagonist)
10. 我還想她 (I Want Her Too)
11. 點一把火炬 (Lighting a Torch)
12. 期待你的愛 (feat. 金莎) (Waiting For Your Love, ft. Kim Jin Sha)
13. Cries In A Distance
14. 愛與希望 Love and Hope
>>batch download [.rar]

Review:
From the simple, ethereal intro that shares the albums title to the final chords of ballad “Love and Hope”, JJ Lin does not disappoint. What really impressed me about this album was its consistent quality and its variety. You have your upbeat, poppy tracks: “Without Trends, No Need to Spend”, with a bit of a dark tone and lots of synths, “Your Choice”, a fun light-hearted track with R&B roots, “The Streets”, a grittier and more aggressive number, and “Protagonist”, taking the same route as “The Streets” with driven hip-hop sounds. You have your ballads, but even there the moods range widely - the sweet, poppy sincerity of “Small Dimples” featuring Charlene Choi, the yearning and conflict in midtempo “Black Warrior”, “Drunk Red Cliff”’s calming purity and tenderness, the sorrowful and emotional “I Want Her Too”, piano-based, hopeful “Lighting a Torch”, the familiar “Waiting For Your Love” which is sweet and poppy yet still has emotional value, and the final track of the album: “Love and Hope”, a gorgeous piano ballad. I read that this song was written for the Sichaun earthquake by JJ, which only adds to its rich expressiveness. JJ Lin’s creamy, rounded voice brings all these songs to their highest potential and adapts well to all the different tempos and moods set. But there are still two more songs that I’ve yet to comment on: “Always Online” and “Cries in a Distance”, which are based off the same instrumentaI. I would even say that “Cries in a Distance” was only intended as an English version of “Always Online”, but the songs do have different moods. “Always Online” is a heartfelt, memorable, midtempo R&B ballad. However, it’s a love song, whereas “Cries in a Distance” speaks of violence in the world. JJ Lin’s English is flawless and he seems to have no difficulty singing in the language, his voice smooth and filled with emotion. An incredibly moving and sad song. Overall, a great album that I enjoyed every track of.

RUNNERSup
Orange Moon - Khalil Fong
abingdon boys school - abingdon boys school
Separation Anxiety - Nell
Circle - My Aunt Mary

bestTHEMEsong


Byul - Kim Ah Joong
I don’t really know if this is considered the “theme song” of the movie 200 Pound Beauty (which is a great movie, btw), but I love it and couldn’t think of an OST song that means more to me. It’s a simple but absolutely beautiful ballad that has so much emotion in it. Especially in the context of the movie, it’s incredibly genuine and heartfelt.

bestCURRENTsong


Dynamite - A'ST1
A’ST1 is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. Yes, they’re a sugary, poppy boyband. But for some reason, I really like them and have been waiting intently since the release of their first mini-album, “1.2.3.4. Back”, for their next release. Finally, they’ve released a new mini-album - and it was worth the wait. “Dynamite” is an upbeat, synthy, very catchy track - a light-hearted, enjoyable listen. This song definitely suits its title.

bestSINGLE


NewS - weeeek [Limited Edition]
01. weeeek
02. With Me
03. Rainbow
04. Why
You have your typical fun, sweet pop songs - “weeeek” and “Rainbow”, the uplifting ballad “With Me”, and the real gem of this single, “Why”, only found in this version of the single. This is my favourite News song, and the song that made this my favourite single. Although the other tracks are all well-executed and a pleasure to listen to, “Why” is just amazing. A dark, serious pop track with gorgeous lyrics - “Why don’t you love me only? Kimatte gomakasu kedo/Why don’t you tell me good bye? Mou taerarenai yo/Bottom of my heart/Still I can’t give up you, so loving you.|Why don’t you say goodbye?” Vocally they sound great - lovely harmonies, every note yearning and emotional. A fantastic single.

Labels: A'ST1, JJ Lin, Kim Ah Joong, NewS

I said I would put up the runners-up for rotation 28, top 20 pop songs. It's a little late, but here you go. =)

회상 - Fly to the Sky (Hwesang/Recollection)
This song is a remake of a song called "December" by Turbo. You can listen to the original from the MV on YouTube at the link below.
December - Turbo
As much as I love Turbo (pretty much just because Kim Jong Kook is in it, haha), I have to say I prefer FTTS's version of this classic. FTTS minimalizes and modernizes the accompaniment, putting more emphasis on the vocals. It's still sweet and poppy, but doesn't have that same old-school boyband sound as Turbo's version did. I have to say that Kim Jong Kook's voice sounded a bit too high and thin in Turbo's version, whereas Brian and Hwanhee's voices lend the song a fuller, thicker sound.

Make U Wet - KAT-TUN
An aggressive, sensual song by KAT-TUN. It’s addictive, gritty, and energetic. Their voices are wonderful - at times rough and deep, at others smooth and light. Unfortunately, I found it a bit overly sexual, as the title may suggest. The lyrics are also a bit distasteful, eg. "You ridin' on me? Feel good.". I didn't think they were that bad (partially because I couldn't really understand what the English portions were supposed to be) until I read the translated lyrics.

Play My Song - Lee Min Woo ft. Tiger JK
This song was definitely very close to making it. A confident, sexy song with Latin influences. The English rap verses are kind of a turn-off because the lyrics are just laughably random - eg. “I’m hungry for real like a poor man, I cook your grill like George Foreman, y’all welcome like ya standin’ on my doormat, I’m being cynical of course man” - uh, okaaaay then. Other than that, a great, extremely catchy song.

Step and Go - Arashi
I wanted to avoid putting too many typical, sugary boyband pop songs into the rotation, which is probably why Step and Go didn't quite make it. Besides, these boys already made an appearance in the list with truth at an impressive #9. Step and Go is jazzy, upbeat, and danceable, fairly consistent with the rest of their material. The line where they sing, We gonna step and go! is just cute.

飄移 - Jay Chou (Piao Yi)
An gritty, bass-heavy, dark pop song by Jay Chou. I just love the beat and hip-hop influenced arrangement. This song was used for the movie Initial D.

Show - A'ST1
Okay so I have no idea what happened to these guys, because after releasing their first maxi-single, they just disappeared. Which is a shame, because I actually really like them. They came in at #12 on the list with Funky N Roll Tonight. Show is similar. Lots of synthesized brass, plunky, danceable arrangement, and smooth vocal work. It's poppy and cheerful.

Labels: A'ST1, Arashi, Fly to the Sky, Jay Chou, KAT-TUN, Lee Min Woo

Wait a minute, wasn’t this top 10’s? Since I decided to merge all the languages together, I also decided to extend the list to 20 songs. I made an original list to choose from, which had 35 songs (which itself started out at 29 and kept growing as I thought of more songs that deserved to be added, haha), and I simply couldn’t pick just ten. Well, more songs for you guys, right? Since it was pointed out to me that my top 10 ballads rotation was all-male, I’ve done my best to encorporate some female artists as well - although, admittedly, it is still male-dominated - I’m picky about female artists, okay?

Also, the runners-up for this rotation will be posted at a later time. It's been too long since I did such a big rotation.

This rotation really took a long time to prepare, so please comment or at least leave a rating! Thanks to all those who do.

#20. Paparazzi - AJOO ft. Younha & C-LUV
A catchy, extremely danceable song by AJOO. I have to admit, I really like AJOO except for his latest song. Although his image keeps changing, from sweet, innocent boy to a more mature, sexy look, then to his latest eyeliner-obsessed image which, as you can tell, I’m not a big fan of. Anyways. Paparazzi is a fun, poppy listen. It’s not particularly innovative or original, but it’s a good song.

#19. 痴妹與王兩 - Xiao Yu
Gritty, tough, and aggressive. Xiao Yu’s voice is dripping with an easy, slick confidence. It does get repetitive and a little generic, but it makes for a nice occasional listen.

#18. D.D.D. - Koda Kumi ft. SOULHEAD
I’m not really a fan of any of the big female j-pop stars - Ayumi Hamasaki, Koda Kumi, Amuro Namie, Utada Hikaru, etc. but out of them, Koda Kumi is probably my favourite. D.D.D. is energetic, confident, and fun.

#17. Scream - JUNE
An upbeat club number, Scream just begs for another listen. Addictive, catchy, and complete with smooth, slick melodies that JUNE brings to their best. It almost has a bit of a disco feel to it at times, yet is undoubtedly modern.

#16. 넌 나의 노래 (You're My Song) - Dong Bang Shin Ki
Wrong Number originally held this position, because I guess you could kind of consider this song a ballad, but I just love this song too much. This is definitely, by far, my most listened to track off of MIROTIC. I was expecting one of their more upbeat songs (eg. Mirotic, Wrong Number) would be the most memorable, but it ended up being You’re My Song - an absolutely gorgeous slow pop track. The melody is beautiful by itself, but the boy’s vocals and harmonizing really bring it to another level - at times vulnerable and at others strong and hopeful. I love the piano accompaniment too.

#15. In My Bed - Rain
Being one of the first k-pop artists I listened to, Rain had to show up somewhere on this rotation. Anyways I’m not sure what he’s up to now, but I think he really needs to return to music. His latest album Rainism didn’t really leave much of an impact on me. This song is from his fourth album, Rain’s World - a smooth, slightly downtempo, R&B influenced number. His unique voice is perfectly accented against the relatively minimal but steady arrangement. A memorable song that has a lot of replay value.

#14. 통화 연결음 (Ring Back Tone) - Sunnyhill
I never get sick of this song. This group is made up of 3 vocalists - two female, one male. Their male vocalist was supposed to be a member of Battle. I absolutely love their female vocalists. Both have airy, light voices that sound absolutely wonderful. A peaceful, calm, sweet song.

#13. Letter - BRIGHT ft. K
I’m not a fan of girl groups as a general rule, but I absolutely love BRIGHT. Just the opening lines, in absolutely stunning harmony, should tell you that these girls are something different. A light, breezy, relaxing song. K’s sweet voice fits in perfectly with BRIGHT’s vocalists. Like I mentioned, the harmonizing in this song is just beautiful.

#12. Funky N Roll Tonight - A’ST1
There had to be one cheesy, boyband, bubble-gum pop song on this rotation. Complete with a nonsense English title, A’ST1 delivers a sugary, fun track. Bright, upbeat horns, paired with feel-good guitar chords that are then taken over by a keyboard. Twangy, thick bass, sweet poppy vocals, easy-to-follow melodies. Nothing particularly original, but well-executed.

#11. Get Chu! - AAA
A summer-y, upbeat song. Cute, playful, and light-hearted. It’s a feel-good song, plain and simple.

#10. Always Online - JJ Lin
I just bought the album this was from, Sixology. <3 A really good song to wind down to - it’s relaxing but not too slow, with faint R&B influences in the beat and bass. JJ Lin’s voice is smooth and melodic.

#9. truth - Arashi
A dramatic, memorable song with a pushing string accompaniment competing with the rich piano arrangement. I really think this is one of Arashi’s best songs. It has a bit of a darker feel than most of their material but is uptempo and energetic, and at times hopeful. Complete with a gritty electric guitar solo about halfway through, truth definitely shows another dimension of Arashi.

#8. One - Epik High ft. JiSun
An electronica-infused song that is just beautiful. Ji Sun’s light, airy vocals fit the slightly haunting air of the song perfectly. Although this song is a lot more mainstream from Epik High’s older releases, I still liked it. It has a dark edge to it, but at the same time is hopeful and energetic.

#7. 거짓말 (Lies) - Big Bang
I loved this song when it first came out. I think I listened to it so much that I got kind of sick of it, and it’s been a while since I revisited it. IMO, this song really defined their electronica-infused style. The sweet piano melody, although repetitive, lends colour and contrast to the verses, really bringing the song to another level. The chorus is wonderful.

#6. 어쩌다 (How) - Brown Eyed Girls
I really hate how every song from every artist of whatever this company is starts off with this weird robotic voice saying “play this sound” or “brand new sound” or something like that. Anyways. Brown Eyed Girls is one of the few female artists to make this rotation, and pretty far up on the rankings too! How is infectiously catchy and fairly quick in tempo, but the vocal work maintains its depth and emotion. the girl’s voices are sweet but not annoyingly so. Although there is some faint synthesizing, especially in the harmonies, it’s not overdone. The rap verses give a playful, light touch to the song.

#5. 星空下的吻 - JJ Lin
Kicking off energetically with a heavy beat and quick verses, the song then transitions beautifully into an airy, melodic chorus where JJ Lin’s voice simply soars over the arrangement. I love the contrast between the two moods - the angst of the supporting verses, and the beauty of the chorus.

#4. Bump - Lee Min Woo
A straightforward uptempo track, active and aggressive. Min Woo’s latest solo album disappointed me because it lacked the fire of his older songs - such as Bump, from his 2nd solo album. It cools down for one verse, with melting melodies and smooth vocal work, but other than that, never loses its energy and intensity. Min Woo’s strong, slightly rough voice is a perfect fit for this song.

#3. Passion - Se7en
Ah I remember being so obsessed with this song. This song really got me into Se7en. His voice is rough and powerful, bordering on a bold aggressiveness. Slick, sensual melodies paired with harsh accenting gives the song a sharp edge. The beat and arrangement definitely takes its influences from American music, but it’s so catchy and driven. Definitely a song you could dance to.

#2. Hero - Shinhwa
What I liked about this song was that, on top of being catchy and lively, it also had emotional value. The beat is fairly straightforward, but infectious nonetheless. Random bit of trivia: at ~2:42 in the track, you can hear someone cough. This song, released in 2002, was one of the first Korean songs that I listened to (and when I listened to it, a few years had already passed since its release). It’s been a while since I listened to it, but it really doesn’t get old.

#1. Okay, so this is where it gets kind of weird. There are two #1 songs.

简单爱 - Jay Chou
Wait a minute, I don't even like Jay Chou. Why are two of his songs tied at first place? Well, as much as I’m not feeling Jay Chou’s latest albums, I really like some of his older work. This is an example of it - innocent, sweet, and genuine. Maybe it’s just because I’ve been listening to these songs for so long that I love them.

髮如雪 - Jay Chou
I love this song. Jay Chou’s voice is just perfect in it, smooth and light - there’s some classical Chinese influences in the arrangement, but they’re not overbearing. I seriously always have some verse or some melody from this song resurface in my head, even if I haven’t listened to it in a long time. Okay, admittedly, the part where it sounds like he’s gargling near the end of the song (around 4:30) is just ... weird. But still.

Labels: A'ST1, Ajoo, Arashi, Big Bang, BRIGHT, Brown Eyed Girls, Dong Bang Shin Ki, Epik High, Jay Chou, JJ Lin, JUNE, Koda Kumi, Lee Min Woo, Rain, Se7en, Shinhwa, SunnyHill, Xiao Yu

This is the finale rotation to the recurring “Top 10” rotations - we’ve gone through ballads, pop songs, and rock songs, so this last rotation is just to finish things off. The main feature would be best album, and there are also a few individual categories: Best theme song, best single, and best current song. Again: these are based only off of my own opinions.

Also, we have a new layout! Featuring JJ Lin, since the album I chose was, you guessed it:

JJ Lin - Sixology



Tracklist & Downloads:
01. Sixology
02. 不潮不用花錢 (Without Trends, No Need to Spend)
03. 小酒窩 (feat. 蔡卓妍) (Small Dimples, ft. Charlene Choi)
04. 黑武士 (Black Warrior)
05. 醉赤壁 (Drunk Red Cliff)
06. 由你選擇 (feat. 農夫FAMA) (Your Choice)
07. Always Online
08. 街道 (The Streets)
09. 主角 (feat. MACHI) (Protagonist)
10. 我還想她 (I Want Her Too)
11. 點一把火炬 (Lighting a Torch)
12. 期待你的愛 (feat. 金莎) (Waiting For Your Love, ft. Kim Jin Sha)
13. Cries In A Distance
14. 愛與希望 Love and Hope
>>batch download [.rar]

Review:
From the simple, ethereal intro that shares the albums title to the final chords of ballad “Love and Hope”, JJ Lin does not disappoint. What really impressed me about this album was its consistent quality and its variety. You have your upbeat, poppy tracks: “Without Trends, No Need to Spend”, with a bit of a dark tone and lots of synths, “Your Choice”, a fun light-hearted track with R&B roots, “The Streets”, a grittier and more aggressive number, and “Protagonist”, taking the same route as “The Streets” with driven hip-hop sounds. You have your ballads, but even there the moods range widely - the sweet, poppy sincerity of “Small Dimples” featuring Charlene Choi, the yearning and conflict in midtempo “Black Warrior”, “Drunk Red Cliff”’s calming purity and tenderness, the sorrowful and emotional “I Want Her Too”, piano-based, hopeful “Lighting a Torch”, the familiar “Waiting For Your Love” which is sweet and poppy yet still has emotional value, and the final track of the album: “Love and Hope”, a gorgeous piano ballad. I read that this song was written for the Sichaun earthquake by JJ, which only adds to its rich expressiveness. JJ Lin’s creamy, rounded voice brings all these songs to their highest potential and adapts well to all the different tempos and moods set. But there are still two more songs that I’ve yet to comment on: “Always Online” and “Cries in a Distance”, which are based off the same instrumentaI. I would even say that “Cries in a Distance” was only intended as an English version of “Always Online”, but the songs do have different moods. “Always Online” is a heartfelt, memorable, midtempo R&B ballad. However, it’s a love song, whereas “Cries in a Distance” speaks of violence in the world. JJ Lin’s English is flawless and he seems to have no difficulty singing in the language, his voice smooth and filled with emotion. An incredibly moving and sad song. Overall, a great album that I enjoyed every track of.

RUNNERSup
Orange Moon - Khalil Fong
abingdon boys school - abingdon boys school
Separation Anxiety - Nell
Circle - My Aunt Mary

bestTHEMEsong


Byul - Kim Ah Joong
I don’t really know if this is considered the “theme song” of the movie 200 Pound Beauty (which is a great movie, btw), but I love it and couldn’t think of an OST song that means more to me. It’s a simple but absolutely beautiful ballad that has so much emotion in it. Especially in the context of the movie, it’s incredibly genuine and heartfelt.

bestCURRENTsong


Dynamite - A'ST1
A’ST1 is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. Yes, they’re a sugary, poppy boyband. But for some reason, I really like them and have been waiting intently since the release of their first mini-album, “1.2.3.4. Back”, for their next release. Finally, they’ve released a new mini-album - and it was worth the wait. “Dynamite” is an upbeat, synthy, very catchy track - a light-hearted, enjoyable listen. This song definitely suits its title.

bestSINGLE


NewS - weeeek [Limited Edition]
01. weeeek
02. With Me
03. Rainbow
04. Why
You have your typical fun, sweet pop songs - “weeeek” and “Rainbow”, the uplifting ballad “With Me”, and the real gem of this single, “Why”, only found in this version of the single. This is my favourite News song, and the song that made this my favourite single. Although the other tracks are all well-executed and a pleasure to listen to, “Why” is just amazing. A dark, serious pop track with gorgeous lyrics - “Why don’t you love me only? Kimatte gomakasu kedo/Why don’t you tell me good bye? Mou taerarenai yo/Bottom of my heart/Still I can’t give up you, so loving you.|Why don’t you say goodbye?” Vocally they sound great - lovely harmonies, every note yearning and emotional. A fantastic single.

Labels: A'ST1, JJ Lin, Kim Ah Joong, NewS

I said I would put up the runners-up for rotation 28, top 20 pop songs. It's a little late, but here you go. =)

회상 - Fly to the Sky (Hwesang/Recollection)
This song is a remake of a song called "December" by Turbo. You can listen to the original from the MV on YouTube at the link below.
December - Turbo
As much as I love Turbo (pretty much just because Kim Jong Kook is in it, haha), I have to say I prefer FTTS's version of this classic. FTTS minimalizes and modernizes the accompaniment, putting more emphasis on the vocals. It's still sweet and poppy, but doesn't have that same old-school boyband sound as Turbo's version did. I have to say that Kim Jong Kook's voice sounded a bit too high and thin in Turbo's version, whereas Brian and Hwanhee's voices lend the song a fuller, thicker sound.

Make U Wet - KAT-TUN
An aggressive, sensual song by KAT-TUN. It’s addictive, gritty, and energetic. Their voices are wonderful - at times rough and deep, at others smooth and light. Unfortunately, I found it a bit overly sexual, as the title may suggest. The lyrics are also a bit distasteful, eg. "You ridin' on me? Feel good.". I didn't think they were that bad (partially because I couldn't really understand what the English portions were supposed to be) until I read the translated lyrics.

Play My Song - Lee Min Woo ft. Tiger JK
This song was definitely very close to making it. A confident, sexy song with Latin influences. The English rap verses are kind of a turn-off because the lyrics are just laughably random - eg. “I’m hungry for real like a poor man, I cook your grill like George Foreman, y’all welcome like ya standin’ on my doormat, I’m being cynical of course man” - uh, okaaaay then. Other than that, a great, extremely catchy song.

Step and Go - Arashi
I wanted to avoid putting too many typical, sugary boyband pop songs into the rotation, which is probably why Step and Go didn't quite make it. Besides, these boys already made an appearance in the list with truth at an impressive #9. Step and Go is jazzy, upbeat, and danceable, fairly consistent with the rest of their material. The line where they sing, We gonna step and go! is just cute.

飄移 - Jay Chou (Piao Yi)
An gritty, bass-heavy, dark pop song by Jay Chou. I just love the beat and hip-hop influenced arrangement. This song was used for the movie Initial D.

Show - A'ST1
Okay so I have no idea what happened to these guys, because after releasing their first maxi-single, they just disappeared. Which is a shame, because I actually really like them. They came in at #12 on the list with Funky N Roll Tonight. Show is similar. Lots of synthesized brass, plunky, danceable arrangement, and smooth vocal work. It's poppy and cheerful.

Labels: A'ST1, Arashi, Fly to the Sky, Jay Chou, KAT-TUN, Lee Min Woo

Wait a minute, wasn’t this top 10’s? Since I decided to merge all the languages together, I also decided to extend the list to 20 songs. I made an original list to choose from, which had 35 songs (which itself started out at 29 and kept growing as I thought of more songs that deserved to be added, haha), and I simply couldn’t pick just ten. Well, more songs for you guys, right? Since it was pointed out to me that my top 10 ballads rotation was all-male, I’ve done my best to encorporate some female artists as well - although, admittedly, it is still male-dominated - I’m picky about female artists, okay?

Also, the runners-up for this rotation will be posted at a later time. It's been too long since I did such a big rotation.

This rotation really took a long time to prepare, so please comment or at least leave a rating! Thanks to all those who do.

#20. Paparazzi - AJOO ft. Younha & C-LUV
A catchy, extremely danceable song by AJOO. I have to admit, I really like AJOO except for his latest song. Although his image keeps changing, from sweet, innocent boy to a more mature, sexy look, then to his latest eyeliner-obsessed image which, as you can tell, I’m not a big fan of. Anyways. Paparazzi is a fun, poppy listen. It’s not particularly innovative or original, but it’s a good song.

#19. 痴妹與王兩 - Xiao Yu
Gritty, tough, and aggressive. Xiao Yu’s voice is dripping with an easy, slick confidence. It does get repetitive and a little generic, but it makes for a nice occasional listen.

#18. D.D.D. - Koda Kumi ft. SOULHEAD
I’m not really a fan of any of the big female j-pop stars - Ayumi Hamasaki, Koda Kumi, Amuro Namie, Utada Hikaru, etc. but out of them, Koda Kumi is probably my favourite. D.D.D. is energetic, confident, and fun.

#17. Scream - JUNE
An upbeat club number, Scream just begs for another listen. Addictive, catchy, and complete with smooth, slick melodies that JUNE brings to their best. It almost has a bit of a disco feel to it at times, yet is undoubtedly modern.

#16. 넌 나의 노래 (You're My Song) - Dong Bang Shin Ki
Wrong Number originally held this position, because I guess you could kind of consider this song a ballad, but I just love this song too much. This is definitely, by far, my most listened to track off of MIROTIC. I was expecting one of their more upbeat songs (eg. Mirotic, Wrong Number) would be the most memorable, but it ended up being You’re My Song - an absolutely gorgeous slow pop track. The melody is beautiful by itself, but the boy’s vocals and harmonizing really bring it to another level - at times vulnerable and at others strong and hopeful. I love the piano accompaniment too.

#15. In My Bed - Rain
Being one of the first k-pop artists I listened to, Rain had to show up somewhere on this rotation. Anyways I’m not sure what he’s up to now, but I think he really needs to return to music. His latest album Rainism didn’t really leave much of an impact on me. This song is from his fourth album, Rain’s World - a smooth, slightly downtempo, R&B influenced number. His unique voice is perfectly accented against the relatively minimal but steady arrangement. A memorable song that has a lot of replay value.

#14. 통화 연결음 (Ring Back Tone) - Sunnyhill
I never get sick of this song. This group is made up of 3 vocalists - two female, one male. Their male vocalist was supposed to be a member of Battle. I absolutely love their female vocalists. Both have airy, light voices that sound absolutely wonderful. A peaceful, calm, sweet song.

#13. Letter - BRIGHT ft. K
I’m not a fan of girl groups as a general rule, but I absolutely love BRIGHT. Just the opening lines, in absolutely stunning harmony, should tell you that these girls are something different. A light, breezy, relaxing song. K’s sweet voice fits in perfectly with BRIGHT’s vocalists. Like I mentioned, the harmonizing in this song is just beautiful.

#12. Funky N Roll Tonight - A’ST1
There had to be one cheesy, boyband, bubble-gum pop song on this rotation. Complete with a nonsense English title, A’ST1 delivers a sugary, fun track. Bright, upbeat horns, paired with feel-good guitar chords that are then taken over by a keyboard. Twangy, thick bass, sweet poppy vocals, easy-to-follow melodies. Nothing particularly original, but well-executed.

#11. Get Chu! - AAA
A summer-y, upbeat song. Cute, playful, and light-hearted. It’s a feel-good song, plain and simple.

#10. Always Online - JJ Lin
I just bought the album this was from, Sixology. <3 A really good song to wind down to - it’s relaxing but not too slow, with faint R&B influences in the beat and bass. JJ Lin’s voice is smooth and melodic.

#9. truth - Arashi
A dramatic, memorable song with a pushing string accompaniment competing with the rich piano arrangement. I really think this is one of Arashi’s best songs. It has a bit of a darker feel than most of their material but is uptempo and energetic, and at times hopeful. Complete with a gritty electric guitar solo about halfway through, truth definitely shows another dimension of Arashi.

#8. One - Epik High ft. JiSun
An electronica-infused song that is just beautiful. Ji Sun’s light, airy vocals fit the slightly haunting air of the song perfectly. Although this song is a lot more mainstream from Epik High’s older releases, I still liked it. It has a dark edge to it, but at the same time is hopeful and energetic.

#7. 거짓말 (Lies) - Big Bang
I loved this song when it first came out. I think I listened to it so much that I got kind of sick of it, and it’s been a while since I revisited it. IMO, this song really defined their electronica-infused style. The sweet piano melody, although repetitive, lends colour and contrast to the verses, really bringing the song to another level. The chorus is wonderful.

#6. 어쩌다 (How) - Brown Eyed Girls
I really hate how every song from every artist of whatever this company is starts off with this weird robotic voice saying “play this sound” or “brand new sound” or something like that. Anyways. Brown Eyed Girls is one of the few female artists to make this rotation, and pretty far up on the rankings too! How is infectiously catchy and fairly quick in tempo, but the vocal work maintains its depth and emotion. the girl’s voices are sweet but not annoyingly so. Although there is some faint synthesizing, especially in the harmonies, it’s not overdone. The rap verses give a playful, light touch to the song.

#5. 星空下的吻 - JJ Lin
Kicking off energetically with a heavy beat and quick verses, the song then transitions beautifully into an airy, melodic chorus where JJ Lin’s voice simply soars over the arrangement. I love the contrast between the two moods - the angst of the supporting verses, and the beauty of the chorus.

#4. Bump - Lee Min Woo
A straightforward uptempo track, active and aggressive. Min Woo’s latest solo album disappointed me because it lacked the fire of his older songs - such as Bump, from his 2nd solo album. It cools down for one verse, with melting melodies and smooth vocal work, but other than that, never loses its energy and intensity. Min Woo’s strong, slightly rough voice is a perfect fit for this song.

#3. Passion - Se7en
Ah I remember being so obsessed with this song. This song really got me into Se7en. His voice is rough and powerful, bordering on a bold aggressiveness. Slick, sensual melodies paired with harsh accenting gives the song a sharp edge. The beat and arrangement definitely takes its influences from American music, but it’s so catchy and driven. Definitely a song you could dance to.

#2. Hero - Shinhwa
What I liked about this song was that, on top of being catchy and lively, it also had emotional value. The beat is fairly straightforward, but infectious nonetheless. Random bit of trivia: at ~2:42 in the track, you can hear someone cough. This song, released in 2002, was one of the first Korean songs that I listened to (and when I listened to it, a few years had already passed since its release). It’s been a while since I listened to it, but it really doesn’t get old.

#1. Okay, so this is where it gets kind of weird. There are two #1 songs.

简单爱 - Jay Chou
Wait a minute, I don't even like Jay Chou. Why are two of his songs tied at first place? Well, as much as I’m not feeling Jay Chou’s latest albums, I really like some of his older work. This is an example of it - innocent, sweet, and genuine. Maybe it’s just because I’ve been listening to these songs for so long that I love them.

髮如雪 - Jay Chou
I love this song. Jay Chou’s voice is just perfect in it, smooth and light - there’s some classical Chinese influences in the arrangement, but they’re not overbearing. I seriously always have some verse or some melody from this song resurface in my head, even if I haven’t listened to it in a long time. Okay, admittedly, the part where it sounds like he’s gargling near the end of the song (around 4:30) is just ... weird. But still.

Labels: A'ST1, Ajoo, Arashi, Big Bang, BRIGHT, Brown Eyed Girls, Dong Bang Shin Ki, Epik High, Jay Chou, JJ Lin, JUNE, Koda Kumi, Lee Min Woo, Rain, Se7en, Shinhwa, SunnyHill, Xiao Yu

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.

phase down | aqueous transmission | quietus | SnakeRoot | Dong Bang World | you start it | Ongoing Melody


If you would like to be affiliates, send me an e-mail at ungathering@hotmail.com.

link in: