To balance out the worst of list, the best of one is larger so the butthurt goes away!
Notes:
- Feature songs released between Jan 1 2016 to Dec 31 2016 are eligible
- This is based on my personal opinion - I mean there's a reason it's MY LIST. Please do not take any offense from what I think of. Strictly my own thoughts
- Contrary to some weird belief, I don't believe that my music taste is better than anyone else's, although I have no idea if it's useful to post that because every year there are some idiots crying about their favs. This list is for you all to have some fun and laugh at possible comments I make. Yes, I did have a lot of experience in music, going to music school etc., that doesn't make my opinion more valid than anyone else's.
4. Stellar - Crying
Stellar continue their run of amazing feature songs, and Crying is probably my favourite release from them. This great summery tune, together with some brilliant, yet simple production from Brave Brothers gives us such a pop banger. It amazes me, because in the past this team of producers would constantly churn out some rather shitty releases, but in 2014 they have seriously started improving quaity-wise, first by providing AOA "Miniskirt" and they have really come a long way. Sure, this could sound a bit generic for regular Stellar fans who are used to singles like "Marionette," "Mask," or "Vibrato," but "Crying" is such a memorable tune that it's just way above the rest.
3. Nine Muses A - Lip 2 Lip
K-pop rarely ever gets pop-ska right, but this 9muses subunit managed to change that. This song starts with a great beat and never dies throughout the whole product, but what really is remarkable is the brilliant use of dynamic subtlety during the first bridge. Sojin's whispered rap is bloody amazing, it makes an already great-sounding song be even more interesting. It's such a shame that k-pop producers rarely ever decide to provide their supplier artists with something so different, as the audio volume generally stays the same throughout the whole mixing process. I wish Sojin's whispered parts lasted a bit longer than a few bars, but at least the way it was executed was more than just correct.
2. Berry Good - Don't Believe
2016 was the year when K-pop followed the trend for tropical house beats and drops which already started in 2014-2015 in western world. There have been some rather average attempts at doing that, like Jessica's "Wonderland" and some good executions like K.A.R.D's first pre-debut release, but Berry Good shit all over the other productions with similar beats. This song is upbeat, but the whole context and structure are written in a minor key, and the lyrics are not so joyful either. You can also hear some elements from 80s synth in the song, which just lifts the whole package up to another level, almost all the way to the top of my list. It was held off by one specific song that was bound to reach the very peak...that being said....
Yeah, it had to be GFriend, everyone who remotely knew me probably predicted this song to be on the top of my list, and here it is. It was probably not helped by the fact that I actually own a copy of their great EP "Snowflake," where "Rough" is featured in. Musically, this single has all the elements that both "Glass Bead" and "Me Gustas Tu" have, but instead of that upbeat, happiness feel that was related with the latter, the producers decided to add a layer of melancholy which makes this song even better than their first two releases. Not only does this sadness improve the quality, it actually goes really well with the lyrical content which mostly talks about time passing by and how we may not be able to meet some of our close friends in near future even if some deep promises are made. People constantly complain about GFriend never really branching out with their music, but I am honestly all for redoing some old work in order to make it sound even better, and Source Music definitely hit a jackpot with that.
Let's just hope that for 2017 the first related word in Google search about Umji does not contain the word "ugly."
That's it, folks!
1. GFRIEND - Rough
2. Berry Good - Don't Believe
3. Nine Muses A - Lip 2 Lip
4. Stellar - Crying
5. Blackpink - Boombayah
6. Oh My Girl - Liar Liar
7. Wonder Girls - Why So Lonely
8. Hyosung - Find Me (feat. D.Action)
9. Sugardonut - Imagine, Close Your Eyes
10. CSP - Hua Hin (feat. Kang Minhee of Miss $)
11. Various - I Only Want You
12. Fiestar - Mirror
13. Sistar & Giorgio Moroder - One More Day
14. Blackpink - Playing With Fire
15. Red Velvet - Russian Roulette
16. KNK - Back Again
17. D.Holic - Color Me Rad
18. BTS - Save Me
19. Mamamoo - Taller Than You
20. I.O.I - Very Very Very
21. R3hab x f(Amber+Luna) - Wave
22. Taeyeon - Why
23. K.A.R.D - Oh NaNa
24. Berry Good - Angel
25. CL - Lifted
26. Mamamoo - Decalcomanie
27. Sistar - I Like That
28. Stellar - Sting
29. WJSN - Secret
30. Dal Shabet - Someone Like U
31. Oh My Girl - Windy Day
32. History - Queen
33. Jung In - UUU
34. Snuper - Platonic Love
35. Brave Girls - High Heels
36. Lovelyz - Destiny
37. Bolbbalgan4 - Galaxy
38. Snuper - It's Raining
39. Brave Girls - Deepened
40. C.I.V.A - Why
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41. EXID - L.I.E
42. Monsta X - All In
43. BoA & Beenzino - No Matter What
44. Fiestar - Apple Pie
45. Seventeen - Very Nice
46. DIA - Mr. Potter
47. Mamamoo - You're The Best
48. 100% - Better Day
49. AOA - Good Luck
50. DIA - On The Road
51. Younha - Get It? (feat. HA:TFELT & Cheetah)
52. Jo Jung Min - Superman
53. Rainbow - Whoo
54. Switch - Fiestaloca
55. A-Daily - Chu
56. To-Day - Secret
57. April - Tinkerbell
58. Bulldok - Why Not
59. Davichi - Beside Me
60. Oh My Girl - Listen To My Word (Aing) (feat. Skull & HaHa)
61. O21 - Show Me
62. Heechul & Wheein - Narcissus
63. GFRIEND - Navillera
64. SHINee - Tell Me What To Do
65. Blackpink - Stay
66. Ailee & Truedy - I Can't Live Without You
67. Taewan - Problem
68. WJSN - Catch Me
69. Tahiti - The Secret
70. Twice - Cheer Up
71. Lim Jeong Hee - Crazy
72. Solji & Hani - Only One
73. Luna & Jambinai - From The Place To Be Erased
74. Eric Nam - Can't Help Myself
