#END OMINOUS EDGY TEEN POST

[sysmedsaresexist]

These (completely unfounded) conspiracy theories are wild

[beaversatemygrandma]

I just realized that my senior quote had been unintentionally from a panic at the disco song

[kpoptimeout]

Top 20 Most Underrated K-Pop Songs of the Decade (2010-2019) PART 2

The 2010s has come and gone before we knew it.  

Continuing with the K-Pop Timeout Tradition (see 2018 Ver) of listing the Top 10 Most Underrated K-Pop Songs because all the other sites are just bothered with the Top 10 that pretty much everyone will have heard of/have fan wars over, below we have created a list of the Top 20 Most Underrated K-Pop Songs of the Decade because 10 spots is not enough to cover the amount of talent slept on.

For these reasons, we have listed 10 of them here in PART 1 and will list an additional 10 in here. This is in alphabetic order NOT in the order of awesomeness because all of them are awesome. Also, all MVs are linked in the song titles because Tumblr won’t let me share that many videos in one post.

Rainbow “Sweet Dream” (2011)

The younger sister group of DSP Media’s highly successful 2nd gen girl group KARA, Rainbow never received much attention at all in comparison, never having received any music show wins since their debut in 2009. While this may be a result of DSP’s mismanagement (e.g. changing the girls’ concept from edgy to cute all of a sudden mid-way in their career and chucking them to promote in Japan before they have a solid domestic fanbase), it was never because of the quality of Rainbow’s music. Even K-Pop critics would agree that their 2011 comeback “A” is an all-time K-Pop classic. However, we would like to bring attention to “Sweet Dream”, because it is one of the best Rainbow songs ever and even more underrated than most of the songs in Rainbow’s already highly underrated repertoire. Following powerful poppy tracks like “A” and “Mach”, Rainbow appeared to be developing a style completely unique of their own in “To Me” and it reached fruition in “Sweet Dream”. It was not just poppy and powerful but showed emotional depth and the beautiful harmonies of the girls. While the girls have all left DSP Media, the girls are super close and they have chosen not to disband, thus becoming the only 2nd gen girl group still active with the full original lineup. The members even self-funded their 10th-anniversary comeback this year. If you love to support beautiful music and an even more beautiful friendship, listen to “Sweet Dream”!

RANIA “Just Go” (2013)

Newer K-Pop fans would probably just know RANIA for Alex’s brief stint in the group and making it the only girl group to ever had a Black member on its lineup. But even before Alex joining the group, RANIA had been known for breaking barriers in the conservative K-Pop industry. Their debut song “DR Feel Good”, which was originally written for Lady Gaga, was seen as too sexy by the Korean public when all they did was wear leather, get low and hair flip a lot. Their later songs continue to be powerful and amazing but it appeared that the public just chose to always label them as the “too sexy” group. “Just Go” is an example of their brilliance that the K-Pop industry was just not ready for at the time. “Just Go” is a party track carried by extremely song vocals and creative choreo where the girls interact a lot with the back dancers. The girls also wore lace full-body suits, leather jackets and actual pantsuits in different scenes throughout the MV. The song exudes so much BDE before BDE even existed as a term. If you want a confident girl group power anthem, “Just Go” is the song for you.

The SEE YA “Be With You” ft. SPEED’s Taewoon (2012)

The SEE YA was MBK Entertainment’s (formerly Core Contents Media) first ballad group after the highly successful Davichi. While Davichi is more of a pop ballad group, The SEE YA being technically a reboot of the RnB group SeeYa went for a darker sound. Their typical sound is encapsulated in their debut song “Be With You” ft. SPEED’s Taewoon, which had lovely harmonisation and also piercing high notes. The vibe of the song simply tugs at your heartstrings like a beautiful melodrama OST. Even the MV itself is a melodrama. MBK really should have promoted the group’s own music more instead of doing lots of cross-group collaborations so more people recognised The SEE YA’s own unique sound. While The SEE YA has disbanded in 2015, their music lives on as extremely underrated masterpieces. If you love dramatic ballads and K-Drama OSTS, you should check out “Be With You”!

SPEED “That’s My Fault” ft. Davichi’s Minkyung (2013)

Another talented group that unfortunately disbanded in 2016 due to MBK Entertainment’s poor management, SPEED is an exceptionally talented group that deserved so much better. Some K-Pop fans may know SPEED for their crazy choreography on heelys, but not as many know them for their vocal and rap talent. SPEED’s debut song “That’s My Fault” ft. Davichi’s Kang Minkyung is one of the rare male idol debuts that was super melodramatic and also pays homage to real historical events. The MV depicts teen love that slowly blossoms in the backdrop of the 1980s Gwangju Democratization Movement of South Korea which ended up with 144 civilian deaths, featuring the acting of Ji Changwook, Park Boyoung, A PINK’s Naeun and Ha Seokjin. For a rookie group to have the skill and emotional depth to convey such a song is rare and there are not even that many veterans groups that have made songs honouring historical events and tragedies. These qualities make it one of the most underrated songs of the decade. If you like songs that pay homage to historical events, you should check out SPEED’s “That’s My Fault”!

SPICA “Russian Roulette” (2012)

When discussing extremely talented but underrated K-Pop girl groups, SPICA would definitely be brought up in such a conversation. The members are all amazing and powerful vocalists with a lot of attitude. Even the visual member, Jiwon, was hitting the whistle register. It is unfortunate that the group was consistently slept on and disbanded in 2017 (although member Bohyung has teased at a possible reunion). It is not an overstatement to say powerful vocal girl groups like SPICA walked so groups like MAMAMOO today can run. “Russian Roulette” is their debut song but it is already K-Pop gold - it showcases every member’s vocal skills and different ranges. The whistle loop in the chorus is also super addictive and memorable. So if you love vocal-heavy girl groups and their songs, you would love SPICA’s “Russian Roulette”!

Stellar “Crying” (2016)

Mainly known for their controversial and sexual MVs, Stellar actually was a very talented group whose talent was often overlooked by controversy due to management by a company that just wanted views when their initial cute debut song “Study” did not generate enough attention. When the group disbanded in 2018, members revealed in interviews that they were uncomfortable with the concepts they had to do and would not have been an idol if they knew it would be like this. And really the company should have allowed the girls more opportunities to do concepts they enjoyed and to showcase their abilities. “Crying” is an example of Stellar’s actual stellar talents - it includes beautiful vocals and harmonies as well as some fun laid-back rap. This addictive summer track would have dominated charts if it was sung by less controversial and already established acts like Son Dambi, After School, AOA or SISTAR. If you love a good summer bop, this is the song for you!

Sunnyhill “Midnight Circus” (2011)

How often do you see a K-Pop song critiquing the harsh realities of the K-Pop industry? Rarely. And Sunnyhill’s “Midnight Circus” is one such song. With the co-ed group donning the concept of a being a dark circus troupe, the song compares the K-Pop industry to that of a circus, where people are forced to perform in dangerous conditions often against their will or in ways they are not interested in. Such insights still ring true today with idols being constantly hurt in poor working conditions or suffering immense and often fatal amounts of stress from public scrutiny. The song itself also draws heavily from instrumentals one would associate with a circus - accordion riffs, heavy usage of the fiddle and also brass instruments. The singing is also very experimental and artsy - at times the members sing like they are speaking dramatically on stage, at times they are whispering ominously. The choreography is also creative and often has the members and back dancers moving like puppets controlled by the circus *cough* K-Pop industry *cough*. The fact that the remaining members of Sunnyhill are currently wallowing in obscurity and do not even have a changing room for their group’s music show comeback stage speaks volumes of how underrated they are. If you love insightful and well-executed concepts, you would be obsessed with “Midnight Circus”!

TRAX/TraxX “Escape” (2018)

In the early 2000s, SM wanted to produce the best solo artist, the best boy band, the best boy band and the best rock band. While they achieve the first two through BoA and TVXQ, SM struggled to make CSJH and TRAX as successful. TRAX has gone through multiple concept changes over the years - from glam metal to pop-rock to ballad now in 2018, the group transitioned to EDM with the addition of DJ Ginjo and rebranding themselves as “TraxX”. A possible reason for previous failures to make TRAX succeed is how their previous styles never fully show the abilities of all members. The glam metal aspect may have helped show Jungmo’s guitar playing abilities but its unique way of singing prevents the mainstream from appreciating Jay’s vocal abilities. While pop-rock and ballad allowed more people to hear Jay’s vocal colour and wide range, it also limited Jungmo’s ability to show his guitar skills. This 2018 comeback is phenomenal and SM should have really promoted “Escape” better - finally with EDM Jay’s godly vocals and Jungmo’s rock guitar skills are unleashed in a way never seen before in K-Pop. While there has been an increase in EDM use in K-Pop this decade, no other K-Pop song has incorporated the genre into K-Pop as well as this song, which also throws in rock. If you love an amazing genre-blender, “Escape” is the song for you!

TOPPDOGG “TOPDOG” (2014)

After BLOCK B’s exit from Stardom Entertainment, the label invested heavily in TOPPDOGG, aiming to make it the Super Junior of Hip-Hop. Honestly, the company should have just marketed TOPPDOGG as the group with the hardest and most diverse rap line in K-Pop because up to this day there is still not a group with as many different and talented rappers. The group had 5 amazing rappers. They also did not lack in vocal talent at all. However, the group never took off and members started to leave to pursue careers elsewhere and the 5 remaining members have rebranded themselves as XENO-T in 2018. “TOPDOG” should have been the song that made TOPPDOGG a household name but somehow it did not. The song was powerful but not a regular powerful boy band track. Sampling Mozart's “Symphony No. 25 in G Minor”, which Mozart wrote when he was only 17, the group hoped to portray the abilities of genius youth and they really did by adding their own electronic and hip-hop flair to the orchestra piece. Even the choreography and MV goes hard and would look futuristic even today with the top-notch CGI. It is definitely one of the best K-Pop tracks of this decade that has yet to be replicated. If you are a fan of dramatic boy band bops, “TOPDOG” is the song for you!

ZE:A “Ghost of the Wind” (2013)

ZE:A, like Nine Muses, never reached their full potential under the management of Star Empire Entertainment, a label which only seems to be able to make 1-3 members of a group into superstars while keeping the whole group itself in nugudom. ZE:A had many amazing tracks but “Ghost of the Wind” is arguably the best of ZE:A and also one of the best K-Pop songs of the decade. The orchestral strings provide the song with a grand and classy atmosphere that also has a sense of urgency. This is complemented well by the theatrical choreography that the members all nailed and the belting of high notes by not one but three members. Yet somehow this song charted poorly when it was promoted and the group is now currently in an indefinite hiatus while members are all pursuing solo careers in different industries from music to even mixed martial arts. If you love an orchestral and grand boy band song, check out “Ghost of the Wind”!

Which K-Pop songs do you think were underrated throughout the decade? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below and let the song sharing begin!!!

[enuffula]

Slasher Girls & Monster Boys

Right away the title lured me in. I like fictional girls who can get stabby. Think Saya from Blood+. Also, fictional guys who can get stabby but that’s for another reason. And I adore monster boys. Not just the cute watered down lads but also studs who transform into horrific monstrosities. Especially the latter.

Unfortunately, I can’t tag this post enuffula or horror because Tumblr posts can only have thirty tags, there are fifteen stories, and I wanted to include the authors.  

Anyway, I thought this book was going to have more romance. Not straight-up romance but the twisted kind. The anthology was more horror/thriller and I can respect that. Warning, this is a disturbing book.

“The Birds of Azalea Street” by Nova Ren Suma: I liked how ambiguous this was. How exactly did Leonard the creeper get the bird bride? Did the candid photos (thanks to Matt Daehler for teaching me that term) mean that he was going to do something worse than grope teen girls? Either way, his comeuppance...

“In the Forest Dark and Deep” by Carrie Ryan: Right before I cracked open Slasher Girls I tried Ryan’s The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Not only do I not like zombie media, save for the movie version of Warm Bodies and Zombieland (which is actually one of my faves), I felt like it was pretty generic. It’s such a shame because I thought the title was awesome. So this story I was a little wary of going in. But I ended up falling into the rabbit hole! :D Even though I’m not always a fan of edgy Alice adaptations, this one I loved because, again, ambiguity. What was the March Hare’s relationship with Cassidy? It actually reminds me of something I would write (and things I have written) so I’m going give the rest of her bibliography a chance.

“Emmeline” by Cat Winters: Eh, it was okay. Not really my thing. The main character was a little melodramatic but I’d say 3/5.

“Verse Chorus Verse” by Leigh Bardugo: This was also okay. Not really into reading about celebrity rehab.

“Hide-and-Seek” by Megan Shepherd: Folklore, even fakelore, is totally up my alley. I collect the Weird U.S. series and Schlosser’s Spooky books. With Crow Cullom calling Annie chére and Suze referring to the pact-binding ring as the “shittiest engagement ring ever” I thought there was going to be something Bella and Edward-esqe about their relationship. Meaning an inappropriate age gap between a mortal and a supernatural dead person. But no, it was just a tale about someone who cheated death...for the time being.

“The Dark, Scary Parts and All” by Danielle Paige: This author wrote Dorothy Must Die and I’m a huge Oz enthusiast so hopefully when I do read that book it’ll be like the reverse of what happened with Carrie Ryan’s two “Forest” pieces. First off, what’s with Damien Thorne being a babe here? I’ve seen the first two Omen movies and the beginning of the third. (Had to stop watching because it had the most awkward death scene in any film I’ve seen.) That version of the Antichrist does not scream “alluring”. Mary Sue-ness. The main character who nobody else likes gets the attention of a guy who’s a straight-A sports captain who is also rich. What’s with Everly?  Why would the most popular girl in school be so obvious about her hate crush on Marnie? Also, “Marnie Monster” does not sound like an insult you call a “loser” classmate of yours for like a decade. It sounds like something a scene kid would call themself or the screen name of someone who draws candy gore.

“The Flicker, the Fingers, the Beat, and the Sigh” by April Genevieve Tucholke: I’m sorry, Tucholke. You know how to compile but this story did nothing for me. But I won’t say “no” to reading something else by you.

“Fat Girl with a Knife” by Jonathan Maberry: I ended up really liking the main character’s personality. Would love to be friends with Dahlia. Would dissuade her from the kind of vengeance she likes to dole out and totally report the bullies, but would still sit with her at lunch and have hilarious conversations.

“Sleepless” by Jay Kristoff: Not sure what to say about this other than it was another pretty good one. Excellent foreshadowing. Until she appeared I expected Cassie to be the predator. She was another “slasher” protagonist I liked. She’s a woobie who can communicate with ghosts and has to hunt down their killers if she wants to rest. It helps that we have a similar kind of fashion sense: “...black bunny slippers with X’s for eyes. Her pajamas are black, too, and patterned with skeleton teddy bears.”  

“M” by Stefan Bachmann: This one was alright. Not sure how to feel about the ending or the ominous alphabet song.

“The Girl without a Face” by Marie Lu: Didn’t really stand out to me other than that, like all rape and revenge stories, it’s disturbing.

“A Girl Who Dreamed of Snow” by McCormick Templeman: A fair amount of the stuff in this collection is about teenage girls taking down predators so they can’t hurt anyone else. Good. Maybe in the future Tucholke (or anyone) will compile an anthology where male victims and victims of female-on-female violence get their turn. Anyway, I feel like this story didn’t really fit in with the others because of the setting. I can’t say it was bad because it just wasn’t my thing.

“Stitches” by A.G. Howard: It’s hard to pick a favorite but I did post a quote from this bad boy. The way it combined theological horror and gore. <3 And I may have a teensy crush on The Collector.

“On the I-5” by Kendare Blake: Excluding Ryan, Blake is the only writer who I’ve read before. Anna Dressed in Blood was good for the first half but then… I think something to do with voodoo that I feel didn’t really fit happened. Dunno. It’s been a while. “I-5” is another girl power-fueled revenge tale. This one has nice syntax. And I think the name EmmaRae is adorable but I don’t feel like I can use it comfortably, because of the nature of this story. It’s like Delphine and The Bones of You all over again.

In conclusion, if you don’t feel like reading the whole thing, at least check out “Birds”, “In the Forest”, “Knife”, “Sleepless”, and “Stitches”.

[jurakan]

13 Reasons Why Review/Discussion (originally posted on Facebook)

I think it’s about time we talked about 13 Reasons Why, dear reader.

If you follow my Notes you probably already know that I read the book a couple of years ago. I had mixed feelings. On one hand I thought it was doing something desperately necessary--getting teens and people who interact with teens to talk about suicide, and the unintended impact we have on each other with hurtful rumors, remarks and actions. Sometimes we just don’t understand how much we hurt each other. But on the other hand, we’re not getting around the fact that the key character’s suicide is an extravagant revenge plot that ultimately works, humiliating all of her enemies beyond any repercussions, and the book doesn’t seem at all concerned with the parents and family of the deceased. It’s all about our protagonist instead.

I should back up and give you a recap.

The story of 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher goeth thusly: Hannah Baker, a teenage girl, has killed herself. Clay Jensen, our protagonist, knew her and had a crush on her while she was alive. He receives in the mail a box of cassette tapes that Hannah recorded before her suicide, explaining the “thirteen reasons why” she killed herself--thirteen people who made her feel like life wasn’t worth living. Each person has a side of a tape dedicated to them. If you get the box, you’re one of the thirteen reasons. You listen, and then you pass them on to the next one. If you don’t pass them on, then she has made arrangements that the tapes become public.

Through listening to the tapes, Clay finds out that at times we all accidentally ignore people when they need help the most, and that very often teenagers do stupid things that severely damage people without knowing. They’re not all bad people, just clueless and irresponsible.

Except Bryce. Seriously, f*** that guy.

I sort of liked the book. It wasn’t perfect--like I said, what Hannah’s parents felt, or even their relationship with their daughter was like, is all glossed over. It’s also a bit weird that the issues of being a teenaged girl are all framed from a teenaged boy’s perspective. But in many ways what also looked like a glaring flaw was that most of the novel read like an elaborate suicidal revenge story. The ending made it clear that this wasn’t what Jay Asher was aiming for; it’s about realizing we don’t always think about how we treat others and reaching out to people who need help if we see the signs. It was an okay read, but I understand what the author was getting at and appreciated it.

When the book became a bestseller, there was a lot of talk about a film adaptation with Selena Gomez signed on to play Hannah Baker. But the movie sat in Development Hell for so long that it became clear Selena Gomez wasn’t a high schooler anymore and probably far too recognizable and busy to be doing the part. She still ended up producing the adaptation when it somehow it ended up in Netflix’s hands as a 13-episode series.

So...I watched it.

13 Reasons Why--the Netflix series is able to dedicate an episode to each side of every tape. But in doing so it draws out the story from a single night to weeks of Clay listening to the tapes and confronting the other Reasons Why, along with how the parents and adults in the community react to the suicide and the Bakers bringing a lawsuit against the school.

The expansion provides a lot of backstory, fleshing out many of the novel’s one-note characters. We get to see more of the impact of the suicide on the community. We see Clay facing the other people on the tapes and their sides of the story are developed, casting doubt on the narrative Hannah’s tapes provide. But we also have to sit through thirteen episodes of Clay asking people what happened, only for people to tell him to finish listening to the tapes that provide most of the answers, which of course he takes thirteen episodes to do.

From a strictly critical standpoint what struck me most was that the show is trying to be an edgy teen drama. I realize that the novel was marketed for teenagers and young adults, but the show has oodles of swearing, sex, and worst of all a cliffhanger ending to presumably lead into a second season. When I started watching, silly optimist that I was, I didn’t think the show was meant to be more than thirteen episodes. So when several subplots are left unresolved, including a suicide attempt, the tapes becoming public, the lawsuit, Wal-Mart pushing out local businesses, and an upcoming school shooting, I was exasperated with how convoluted it had all become.

From a non-critical standpoint, the show received backlash from mental health professionals and concerned parties for the whole “glamorizing suicide” thing. Which, let’s face it, is definitely an accusation one could make at the show. Tony and Clay have heated conversations over “what Hannah would have wanted,” everyone’s lives revolve around these tapes, and we’re told by several characters that Clay is just at fault for Hannah’s death as people who actively bullied her because he gave her space when she asked for it.The series also contains a scene depicting Hannah’s suicide, an element that the book didn’t contain and is highly recommended against by mental health professionals. The makers of the series claim that they shot and edited it in a way so that it wouldn’t be romanticized with artistic music or glamorous shots, in order to state that suicide is a terrible thing to do. But that’s a massive ‘Your Mileage May Vary’ type of thing.

I have to admit that I find it hard to take the makers of the show at face value for their claims of attempting to raise awareness of difficult issues. Yes, they released a video (it plays after the series finale on Netflix) discussing the need for more public consciousness for mental health problems that are on display in the story, but the story is framed as the first season of an edgy teen drama with sex, drugs, alcohol, swearing, and cliffhangers clearly meant to elicit audible gasps. It’s a bit difficult to think they’re sincere in making any sort of public service announcement when Netflix is telling me that if I liked 13 Reasons Why, I should check out Secret Life of the American Teenager.

It isn’t as if the show is completely devoid of any value or narrative entertainment. And I’ve noticed some of the harsh criticisms of the show are fairly weak. For instance, I’ve seen it pointed out that the school counsellor’s actions are something a student counsellor should never do and therefore bad, when the whole point of his subplot was that he ultimately failed as a counsellor to see the problem right in front of him. And I did enjoy quite a lot of the show--Tony in particular, riding up in a fancy car to glare ominously at bullies like a gay Hispanic fairy godmother. Although it’s odd to see Christian Navarro as a teenager; it’s not that he’s that old for an actor playing a high schooler (only twenty-five), but he was married to Mr. Monk’s assistant for three years.

But I don’t think it’s wise to throw out the advice of mental health professionals and people genuinely concerned about the possibility of distasteful or haphazard handling of the topic of suicide. As someone who has friends who have attempted or committed suicide, I can’t disregard that counsel out of hand. I kept wondering while watching if the show was really that brilliant as the critics and fans were all saying, but with the clear set-up for a second season for more obvious teen drama, I don’t consider it a must-see.

You’re better off skipping. If one really wanted to open a dialogue about suicide, there are better ways than watching a Netflix series, such as looking up professional resources and talking to doctors.