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It’s a pleasure for u/rickikardashian and I to present to you…

The Music Nerd Approved K-Pop Rate!

A rate consisting of 4 of the most acclaimed K-Pop projects in online circles.

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f(x) - Pink Tape

The first project in this lineup is from perhaps one of the first K-pop artists to garner critical clout in the Anglosphere. While SM Entertainment's Girls' Generation indulged in every sort of style across mainstream music with a bubblegum twist, f(x) were the edgier, experimental counterpart who traversed the extremes of electronic dance-pop. Pink Tape was their sophomore album, and remains a touchstone not just for the recognition of K-pop in English publications but also for the potential that remains in Korean pop.

Perhaps what has allowed Pink Tape to remain so relevant is its representation of the unique quirks one can only find in K-pop. Take, for example, "Shadow", which marries a stalker narrative to a bouncy electronic beat for an eerie take on electropop that has few other parallels. The interpolation of "Little Drummer Boy" on "Rum Pum Pum Pum" alongside a cultural potpourri of other influences allows for f(x) to develop one of the most novel title tracks in K-pop history. Elsewhere on the album their muse guides them towards Sleigh Bells-esque chanting, ethereal electro house, and cutesy doo-wop pastiche. While f(x) are no longer active, their influence remains undeniable among every generation of K-pop that follows them.

Wonder Girls - REBOOT

As somebody growing up in an Asian American community, I was passingly familiar with K-pop exports; I remember having an elementary school friend tell me to listen to SHINee, and adoring the clamorousness of Girls' Generation's "The Boys." Yet the one K-pop group that has remained in my consciousness the longest was the ever-retro, internationally beloved Wonder Girls. To younger me, "Nobody" was the barometer to which every Korean crossover would be compared; it was the first single from a Korean pop act to enter the Billboard Hot 100.

Wonder Girls debuted in 2007 as the flagship girl group of JYP with five members: Sunye, Hyuna, Sunmi, Sohee, and Yeeun. Shortly before their debut album, Hyuna would drop out due to health issues (she would later join the girl group 4Minute and debut solo with "Bubble Pop!", a song which would be parodied on Family Guy, if that's your bag), and she was replaced with Yubin prior to their debut album. Their singles "Tell Me" and the aforementioned "Nobody" would launch viral dance crazes, and polls from Gallup Korea would rank them as the Singer of the Year in 2007 and 2008. 2009, the year which Google suggests begins the steady climb of searches for K-pop, marks the beginning of Wonder Girls' stint as an opening act for the Jonas Brothers. In 2010, Sunmi would leave the group to be replaced by Hyerim. Their TeenNick debut would arrive two years later. Five years later, following a three year hiatus, Sunmi would return as Sunye and Sohee departed.

Thus begins the journey towards Wonder Girls' third and final album, the aptly titled Reboot. Promotional materials would embrace their new concept as a bona fide band; although they did not play the instruments on the studio recording, every member would have production and writing credits throughout Reboot, and the group would perform their instruments live. The album was a revelation, both a revision of what Wonder Girls were and a true reboot of the sounds of the 1980s. Single "I Feel You" would be a proper tribute to the excitement of freestyle music, while "Rewind" brought back the swingbeat slow jams of the early '90s. "Back" paid homage to old school hip hop, while "One Black Night" had all the excitement of '80s anthems like Michael Sembello's "Maniac." Reboot is a hallmark of K-pop not just for its excellent production value, not just for its effortless pastiches of bygone eras, but also for its representation of exactly what great music can come about as a result of creative input from K-pop idols themselves.

LOONA/ODD EYE CIRCLE - Max & Match

stan loona

Red Velvet - The Perfect Red Velvet

At the end of 2019, Billboard released a list of the greatest K-pop songs of the decade to slight mutterings of approval. #1 was IU's "Good Day," which, I fear, has nothing to do with this rate, but just beneath it was a marvelous tune by none other than the girl group Red Velvet. The writer of the blurb off-handedly describes Red Velvet as "the best idol group alive," the torch having been passed down from f(x) presumably in some elaborate SM Entertainment ritual. While the statement remains a bit of insane hyperbole, their catalog is the perfect rebuttal to any skepticism that they haven't earned their place in the K-pop pantheon.

With their debut album The Red embracing the exuberant, energetic "Red" side of their concept, Red Velvet's sophomore record Perfect Velvet exists as the sultry, sensual counterpart representing their "Velvet" side. Coming off of the success of their joyous "Red Flavor" summer single, expectations were higher than ever for a new full-length album, especially as previous singles had indulged further and further in the mania of bombastic pop. As further visual teasers for the album dropped, the contrast was evident: in lieu of campy fruit interviews, they were embracing campy horror poster graphics complete with blood spatters. While the group had always had an element of unease in their music, with the video for title track "Peek-a-Boo" they expanded upon the slapstick murder concept of "Russian Roulette" into a creepier, almost "elevated horror"-esque tale of homicide. The songs on the album ranged from more overtly funky synth pastiche to quirkier bass music inspired pop, all given a degree of polish beyond their contemporaries. The album would later be re-released as a repackage later that year as The Perfect Red Velvet, with one of their most iconic singles "Bad Boy" as the title track. The album proper would be recognized as one of the greatest K-pop projects of the decade by Billboard; as we near a decade since their debut full-length, does their arguable magnum opus hold up?

YUKIKA - SOUL LADY

stan yukika

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##How to Complete a Rate

• Use the prepared format found HERE to fill in and send your scores. If for some reason, that link isn’t working, HERE’S A PASTEBIN WITH THE FORM and you can send it to r/YukikaChartUpdates.

• You must listen to every single song and assign them a score from 1 to 10, 10 being the most positive score you can give. Ballots with scores missing won’t be accepted.

• You may use up to one decimal spot in your scores, meaning that you can give a song a 7.8 or a 6.9, but not a 8.472 or a 6.66. If you do use decimals, remember to use a dot ( . ) and not a comma ( , ).

• If you’d like, you may give one song a 0 and one song an 11. Think of these as your favorite and least favorite songs. These are both optional and you can include either or both on your ballot.

• Leaving comments for each song is encouraged but not required. To do so, leave a space after your score and write your comment, like this:

NEON 1989: 10 does anyone know where i can watch the first 1988 neon’s?

• If you want to attach a comment to an album, add a colon ( : ) after the album name and put your comment there. For example:

Album: Pink Tape: You know what else is pink? :smirk:

• You can change your scores at any time before the rate ends! Feel free to message either of the hosts before the rate closes to do so.

• Sabotage will not be tolerated, and we’ll reserve the right to ask you to revise your ballot or straight up reject it if we’re suspicious that you’re trying to mess up the results.

If you have any questions about the rating process, you can watch this 40 second video explaining it, or feel free to comment or message either of the hosts and we’ll be happy to help you out.

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#Important Links

Submission Link | Pastebin Ballot

Spotify | Apple Music | Youtube Music | Youtube

##Due Date:

November 14th

##Reveal Date:

November 21st to 23rd