DSTM Blog - Welcome To The Neighborhood!: .

SO 2011 IS OVER (BUT YOU KNOW THIS AS WE ARE WELL INTO OUR FIRST WEEK OF 2012), BUT WE CAN STILL REVISIT SOME OF THE DOPEST K-POP JAMS OF LAST YEAR. SO HERE IS IT - MY FAVE SONGS OF IN THE HAPPY GENRE WE CALL K-POP.

1. AFTER SCHOOL (RED) "INTO THE NIGHT SKY"

IN THE K-POP WORLD OF BLOGS, I WAS APPARENTLY THE ONLY ONE WHO LOVED THIS SONG. SO MUCH SO THAT IT IS MY FAVE K-POP SONG OF 2011. AFTER SCHOOLIS WITHOUT A DOUBT ONE OF THE MOST UNDERRATED GIRL GROUPS AND THEY ARE WITHOUT A DOUBT THE HARDEST WORKING. EXPECTATIONS WERE HIGH FOR THIS SUB GROUP OF THE GROUP (YEAH, THEY DO THAT IN KOREA), AND MANY FELT THAT THIS LIGHT WEIGHT SYNTH JAM DID NOT PUSH THE AFTER SCHOOL BRAND IN A NEW DIRECTION. WHILE I AGREE WITH THE LATTER, I DID APPRECIATE WHAT THEY WERE SHOOTING FOR - A LIGHT WEIGHT POP JAM WITH A CATCHY HOOK.

2. MISS A "GOOD-BYE BABY"

UNTIL THE RELEASE OF THIS VIDEO, I HAD NOT GIVEN THIS GROUP A SECOND LOOK. BUT AFTER JUST ONE VIEW, I WAS ALREADY TRYING TO MASTER THE CHOREOGRAPHY. WHILE OTHER GIRL GROUPS ARE INFUSING ELECTRO-POP INTO THEIR FORTE, MISS A'S POP/R&B SOUND REMAINS REFRESHING. EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS TUNE WORKS; THE HOOK, THE VOCALS AND THE PRODUCTION. THE FACT THAT THE VIDEO IS AMAZING, JUST MAKES ME WANT TO JAM TO IT FOR THE NEXT YEAR.

3. KARA "STEP"

I HAD HEARD OF KARA BEFORE THE RELEASE OF THIS TRACK, BUT I THOUGHT THEY WERE JUST TOO DAMN BORING. BUT THEY CONVERTED ME INTO A FAN WITH THEIR SHINY COLORS, JUMPING CHOREOGRAPHY AND CATCHY HOOK. BOTH THE SONG AND VIDEO HARKENED ME BACK TO A TIME WHEN MTV'S TRL RULED THE PLANET. IT WAS THESE THINGS THAT LITTERALLY MADE ME PLAY THIS TRACK SO MANY TIMES THAT MY 9 YEAR OLD SON CAN SING EVERY LYRIC...IN KOREAN!

4. WONDER GIRLS "BE MY BABY"

IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THE WONDER GIRLS' 2008 HIT "NOBODY," I AM NOT SURE IF I WOULD HAVE BEEN THIS INTERESTED IN K-POP. SO I WAS ECSTATIC WHEN THEY MADE THEIR COMEBACK. WELL WORTH THE DAMN WAIT! THESE KILLS DELIVERED ONE OF THE CATCHIEST SONGS OF 2011 PERIOD AND ONE OF THE DOPEST MUSIC VIDEOS. WHILE THEIR IS AN ENGLISH VERSION OF THE TUNE, I PREFER THE ORIGINAL KOREAN VERSION MUCH, MUCH MORE!

5. NINE MUSES "FIGARO"

THIS GROUP SHOULD RE-NAME THEMSELVES "REDEMPTION." AFTER THE DEBACLE THAT WAS THEIR DEBUT, THEY BECAME THE LAUGHING STOCK OF GIRL GROUPS. BUT THESE CHICKS CAME BACL (MINUS TWO MEMBERS) AND DELIVERED ONE OF THE FUNKIEST TRACKS OF THE YEAR. THIS DISCO ORIENTED SONG WAS SO GOOD THAT THEY SINCE GARNERED SOME RESPECT AND A NEW LEGION OF FANS...ME BEING ONE OF THEM.

6. INIFINITE "BE MINE"

I WAS DRAWN TO K-POP BECAUSE OF THE GIRL GROUPS, BUT I STAYED BECAUSE THE BOY BANDS JUST RULE! THIS GROUP IS BY FAR THE TOP PERFORMING BOYBAND IN THE SCENE. THEIR CHOREOGRAPHY AND LIVE PERFORMANCES CAN NOT BE MATCHED. THEIR MATERIAL IS JUST AS GOOD. THIS TRACK IS LIKE A BALLAD SET TO A DANCE GROOVE. SO SWEET, SO LOVELY AND SO DAMN INFECTIOUS.

7. U-KISS "NEVERLAND"

YEAH, THEY WERE A LOT OF EYE-LINER, BUT WHAT K-POP BOYBAND DOESN'T? WHILE THEY MAY NOT HAVE ANY STAND OUT MEMBERS, THEY DID MANAGE TO RELEASE ONE HOT ASS TRACK. THIS CLUB-ORIENTED JOINT ABOUT STAYING YOUNG FOREVER COULD BE RELEASED IN ANY COUNTRY RIGHT NOW AND BLOW-UP. YEAH, IT IS THAT GOOD!

8. AA - "CRAZY"

YEAH, SO THEIR NAME IS PRONOUNCED DOUBLE A (AS IN THE BATTERY). THEY LOVE DO WAVES WHILE THEY DANCE (SOME HAVE CALLED THE CHOREOGRAPHY "SUPER GAY" EVEN BY K-POP STANDARDS.) BUT WHAT MATTERS MOST IS THAT THIS PIANO HEAVY POP TUNE IS KILLA! SORTA REMINDS ME OF AFTER SCHOOL'S "BECAUSE OF YOU" (WHICH BY THE WAY, IS MY FAVE K-POP SONG OF ALL TIME!) WITH IT'S STOP AND GO PRODUCTION. I AM SURE THAT IS ONE REASON WHY I LOVE IT TO DEATH, BUT ALSO THE FIRST LINE OF THE HOOK "I DON'T WANNA BE WITHOUT YOU" MAKES THE TRACK WORTH CHECKING OUT.

9. HYUNA "BUBBLE POP"

THIS SONG IS SO GOOD THAT RADIO STATIONS HERE IN THE STATES, PLAYED IT. IMAGINE THAT, K-POP ON U.S. RADIO. THIS SONG ALSO PLACED #9 ON SPIN MAGAZINE'S TOP 20 SONGS OF 2011. AMAZING, HUH? WELL IF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THIS SONG THEN YOU KNOW THE ACCOLADES ARE WELL DESERVED. THIS BASS HEAVY TRACK PROVIDES ENOUGH SUGAR FOR THOSE WHO LOVE THE CUTESINESS OF K-POP BUT ALSO ENOUGH SASS FOR THOSE WHO YEARN FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT. BUT WHAT ULTIMATELY GIVES THIS TRACK SOME EDGE IS THE DUB-STEP BREAK. GENIUS!

10. 2NEI "I AM THE BEST"

ALSO MAKING SPIN'S LIST OF TOP 20 SONGS OF 2011 WAS THIS CLUB BANGA. RECENTLY NAMED "BEST NEW BAND" IN THE WORLD BY THE MTV IGGY WARDS, 2NE1 IS PROVING THAT HAVING SOME EDGE CAN PRODUCE K-POP HITS. IN A SCENE DOMINATED BY SONGS ABOUT LOVE AND HEARTACHE, THESE CHICKS SCORED A HIT BY SIMPLY STATING "I AM THE BEST!" GOTTA LOVE THE COCKINESS. :)