Why a K-pop songs of the year list? Why now? Korean pop music has been in the Western press’ peripheral vision for going on half a decade now, hasn’t it? The truth is, K-pop is no mere fad—after listening to anywhere between 5 and 10 hours of it per day this year, I’ve come to find it’s a fascinating song economy that has been completely self-sustaining for a long, long time now. Glance at the Korean charts at any given hour and you’ll usually be hard pressed to find a single song not made in Korea; I can think of no other pop-loving country on earth that could claim the same for its own musical output. Korea is also one of the most wired, tuned in societies on earth, so it’s not like they’re unaware of Miley, Justin, et al. They’re making their choice for a reason.
I’ve found it to be a pretty good one. To my ears, Korea’s got the best pop per capita in the world, and has a majority stake in the best pop music made in at least the past five years. Here’s some of the best of what I heard in 2013, in what is inevitably a very subjective list. Note that I deliberately avoided choosing more than one song per artist, to prevent this from becoming a list of f(x) and SHINee songs.
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The self-consciously “mature” vibes of IU’s third album Modern Times (lounge jazz, waltzes, bossa nova…) were a smart rebranding move after Lee Ji-eun — formerly “the nation’s little sister” — got caught in a sex scandal with an older idol in Korea last year. But for my money, this Japanese single was her best work of late: a keyboard pop inversion of “Viva La Vida” that captures the sways of a young heart in love.
16. Smells – “Listen To Your Heart (feat. Neon Bunny)”In this list’s lone rep for the Korean indie scene, bedroom producer Smells teams up with songstress-savant Neon Bunny for a charming piano-house pep talk. Given her sterling track record, Neon Bunny’s next album is something to look out for in 2014.
15. EXO – “Baby, Don’t Cry (인어의 눈물)”EXO was Korea’s massivest young export in 2013, this deep cut being the best reason why. The 12-member, bipartite boy band (six sing in Mandarin and tour China, six sing in Korean and tour at home) helped fill K-pop’s minor key netherworld while former kings B2ST had a slack year.
14. INFINITE – “Destiny”In my rough estimate of the world’s sum total of good pop-dubstep, INFINITE’s “Destiny” is precisely half of it. The intro sounds like classic Justice at their most sinister, but it’s the distressed bass and symphonic vocal arrangement that ordain this song for teen pop greatness.
13. Miss A – “남자 없이 잘 살아 (I Don’t Need A Man)” 12. After School – “Heaven (MV Version)” quite a bit 11. 4Minute – “물 좋아? (Is It Poppin’?)” 10. WINNER – “Smile Again (Live)” 9. G-Dragon “Window” well known 8. Brown Eyed Girls – “레시피 (Recipe)”The most convincing French accent I’ve heard on a beat out of Korea to date. Sounds like a poolside classic from Ed Banger’s heyday, with the vocals adding some ‘90s RnB heat.
7. Busker Busker – “밤 (Night)” controversial interview 6. Rainbow – “Kiss Me” 5. KARA – “둘 중에 하나 (Runaway)” live band 4. f(x) – “첫 사랑니 (Rum Pum Pum Pum)” “미행 (그림자 : Shadow)” 3. SHINee – “상사병 (Symptoms)” for my money 2. Younha – “우리가 헤어진 진짜 이유 (Album Version)” 1. Girl’s Day – “기대해”Jakob Dorof on twitter—@soyrev
