addictive

Mix Tape Monday: Once You (K) Pop the Fun Don’t Stop

Posted on by Get Set Go

Guys I’m moving. Yup, moving to a new apartment and two cats to snuggle. What does this mean? Stress! (no, not because of the cats, obviously). I don’t know why I have to turn it into a mild form of existential crisis, but I do.

What do I call upon in these (semi) dark and (self-induced) dramatic times? Music. What kind of music? The kind that makes me well, want to move. I call upon none other than the fantastic, glittery, over the top power of Kpop (Kpop for the uninitiated is short hand for korean pop). There is a lot of visual stimuli here. These videos will hypnotize your mind into state of fascination in which no external stress can exist. I’d recommend watching each video once and then listening to the song on its own to avoid overload.

This is but a mere drop of the ocean that is kpop. There are plenty more songs I love but I figured we’d ease into this one.

 

Disclaimer: Just know that once you start listening to kpop there is no going back. It has strange voodoo powers. You might think you don’t like it then suddenly 2 months later its on your phone, your computer, and in your brain.

So what will it be? The red pill or the blue pill?

Good! I’m glad to see you joined us.

At the risk of receiving laser eyes from fanguys and gals everywhere I’d say if there was one group to know in kpop it would be BigBang. Honestly this whole mix tape could be made up of their songs but I will limit myself to three.

BigBang – Fantastic Baby. This was the first kpop song I ever heard (thanks Mallory!) so it goes straight to the top of my list.  Get ready for lots of costume changes and colored hair. My intro song and by far still one of their most glamorous. You will never be able to say just “wow” after this.

BigBang – Bang Bang Bang. This song is from their newest set of releases and I wasn’t sure I loved the chorus but now I can’t stop singing it. This track is about guerrilla music with lots of references to militarization and the music industry. All the while they are slaying you with the bullets of their beats. And for all you freedom fighters out there, in case you didn’t realize it but magenta is the color for rebellion.

BigBang – Lies. A glimpse of toned down BigBang in their earlier and more emotional years. The costumes aren’t as fabulous but its a great song and MV. The obvious message to take from this is that real men can sing on rollerskates, which is more than I can do.

Brown Eyed Girls – Abracadabra. The understated hip sway in this girl group’s dance is so iconic PSY paid to use it in his song Gentleman (which is hilarious, by the way.)

Orange Caramel – My Copycat. At first I thought I wouldn’t like this song with its high-pitched, candy coated girly trot sound…but…guys the music video is a game of Spot the Difference and Where’s Waldo…and the chorus is pretty darn catchy. How could resist?

SHINee – Lucifer. I have mentioned this before in my dance mix tape and it’s still my favorite SHINee song and favorite dance in kpop-dom. When I hear it in the Hmart I start grooving to my grocery shopping.

Rain – 30sexy. Yes, I promise he is saying 30 sexy (not dirty sexy) that’s the official story and I’m sticking with it. The lyrics of this one aren’t deep but hey, try to get the back beat out of your head. If you can resist this inevitable earworm your Jedi powers are stronger than mine.

2NE1 – I am the best.  This girl’s group name is pronounced twenty-one and you will probably be hearing about them very soon since they are working with will.i.a.m. Also Lady gaga and these ladies really need to collaborate because the results would be epic. Who doesn’t love evil Bond Villain fashion?

There’s tons more Kpop to love post your favorite songs below! Any song that make you want to move? Add em! If you like these songs check out the 8tracks playlist I made for more. And of course these songs will be added to the Mix Tape Monday Youtube Playlist.

 

Shut Up Lets Go!

Posted on by Get Set Go

You know when you love something so much that you are afraid to tell other people about it because it’s so precious to you that you don’t want people to shatter it into a thousand pieces. But it’s so good that you have to share it because your love is too big to handle on your own and you just have to talk about it…or you might explode. Actually, you will definitely explode. No? Well, that’s how I feel about the Korean television series Shut Up, Let’s Go (aka Shut Up Flower Boy Band). I gotta spread the love.

Where to even begin? I started watching this show the first night I moved to Boston. What began as the innocent thought “Hey, I’ll start a new show before I go to bed” turned into me staying up all night with my head under my covers and my nose to my computer screen. Yep, that’s right. I watched all 16 episodes in one go. I’m not proud of it but my binge watching is a testament to this show’s power (and not just my TV habits).

So what is this amazingness about anyway? Well imagine The Outsiders set in modern day Korea with rock bands thrown into the mix and you’ll have an oversimplified idea of the plot. It’s a series that evokes the romance of punk rock and youthful rebellion without straying away from the rawness of growing up. This series has all the elements of your typical drama: rivalry, fame, rebellion, adversity, and romance. So I thought I had a pretty good handle on where things were going. But no. I was so wrong. This show consistently breaks the stereotypes that it presents (just wait until episode 3 and you’ll know what I mean). The writers are so self aware that they often use side character’s dialogue (I’m looking at you Jo Deo-mi) to contrast typical drama tropes with this grittier but perfectly poised plot.

Storyline aside (cause I can’t talk about it too much without major spoilers) the real driving force of the show is the friendship of our main characters. It is their chemistry that pervades the show and lends it its ineffably addicting aura. Their friendship feels both unaffected and sincere. And it had me completely invested from the start. I wanted to hang out with them! All the characters face real adversity and the show doesn’t give fairytale answers. In fact I have never finished a show and felt so completely satisfied with the ending. It is so spot on that it still boggles my mind. I don’t understand how they manage to address every character so well in just 16 episodes. Ahhh its perfect.

I also have to mention that the music in the show is killer. Most of the main actors are also musicians and it really adds depth to their performance (I’m sure all ye kpop fans are aware that L from INFINITE is an actor but several other actors are also members of lesser known indie bands). All of the songs had me jamming in my seat. Once I looked up the translation of Jaywalking’s lyrics I loved the song even more.

I could go on forever about this show: the complex subtle strength of Su Ah’s character, men being able to cry, how to deal with social convention, Sung Joon’s fabulous micro-expressions, growing up with dignity, the philosophical implications of being an artist… so just take my word for it before I blather on ad nauseam. Watch this now. (Find it on Hulu and Dramafever.) Please? Then we can start our own indie rock band and live lives of heartfelt music and friendship.

I call guitar!

Get. Set. GO!

 

What are you still doing here? Get thee to the internets! Oh, you’re still not convinced? Try this. Scroll down. Look into Kim Myungsoo’s eyes. Take some deep breaths. Let all that doubt and tension go…You will watch this…This is an excellent show…You want to watch this…There…That’s better.

Jedi Mind Tricks