Koreaboo Staff Music Picks: Song of the Month (November 2014)
The month of November was filled with songs from a variety of genres. Teen Top followed up their promotions with “I’m Sorry” while Apink came back with the title track, “LUV.” Hyolyn and Jooyoung released a special collaboration track, “Erase,” featuring Iron. Rookie girl group Lovelyz made their debut this month with the track “Candy Jelly Love.” Fellow rookie group HALO made their comeback earlier this month with “Come On Now” and Yoon Hyun Sang released “Always Be With You.”
Super Junior’s Kyuhyun made his solo debut with “At Gwanghwamun,” and INFINITE F (Sungyeol, Sungjong, and L) released “Heartbeat.” Lee Suhyun and Lee Hi formed HI SUHYUN and released “I’m Different,” featuring Bobby and fellow YG artists GD and Taeyang released “GOOD BOY.”
These are only a few of the hundreds of songs that were released this month! Since it is almost impossible to list them all, some of our Koreaboo staff members picked out our favorites of the month! Check out our staff picks for November 2014 below!
Steph – INFINITE F’s “Heartbeat” and Apink’s “LUV”
“‘Heartbeat’ is an upbeat track that is reminiscent of INFINITE’s usual style but has its own uniqueness. The concept of the music video goes really well with the song and overall, it won’t fail to make you smile as you listen. It will be the perfect song to listen to through the beginning of Spring as well. In addition, Apink’s ‘LUV’ caught my attention because of its deviation from their usual style. The realistic lyrics of ‘LUV’ give it a rather sad feeling, which accompanies the melody of the song that almost hints at having a happy feeling. Overall, I really like this change from Apink and I think they pull it off really well. I can’t to see what they have in store for the future.”
Ohgelie – GD X TAEYANG’s “GOOD BOY”
Kaye – Boys Republic’s “The Real One”
Sean – MC Mong’s “E.R” ft. The Channels
“I have been highly anticipating MC Mong’s album for 5 years and this is a cover of a song previously performed by DMTN (Dalmatian). MC Mong’s signature rap is joined in by the beautiful voices of The Channels, who have made appearances in two songs in MC Mong’s new album.
Tiffany – Kyuhyun’s “At Gwanghwamun” and SPICA’s “Ghost”
Andrew – Donutman (도넛맨)’s “Welcome To The Game”
Tu-An – Mamamoo’s “Piano Man”
“I love how Mamamoo makes the jazzy, upbeat song so much fun. The song is so catchy it got stuck in my head after the first time I listened to it!”
Ginnie – GD X TAEYANG’s “GOOD BOY” and HI SUHYUN’s “I’m Different” featuring iKON’s Bobby
“GOOD BOY”: “I learned to appreciate more of the EDM genre through this unique song, and honestly from the moment it starts I bob my head to the rhythm. It’s catchy and the perfect morning alarm!”
“I’m Different”: “It’s jazzy and incorporates a new level of vocals from both Lee Hi and Suhyun, and Bobby’s rap adds even more flavor to the song. It’s another fun piece to listen to anytime throughout the day and the concept overall is very cute!”
Amy – Toy’s “3 People” featuring Sung Sikyung
“This is the most beautiful song on the most beautiful album released in possibly the entire year. I am personally someone whose head is still stuck in the 90’s and early 2000’s, and there was one moment when I was four years old when I was awestruck by a video. It was the music video for Toy’s then-newly released song “Good Person.” To be honest, the video caught my attention because of the cute rabbit thing. However, as I grew older, I realized this song is actually so sad and quite the piece of musical genius. And so, the release of Toy’s 7th album was quite the gift for me. In particular, the song “3 People” stood out to me the most, not just because of Sung Sikyung’s beautiful voice, but because of the sense of familiarity one can easily experience through listening to the song. It doesn’t matter whether or not you understand the song’s lyrics. Even though I understand what he is singing about, it still feels like he can be singing about absolutely anything I want him to be, and that, I believe, is what makes Yoo Hee Yeol a genius. One does not require extensive knowledge of musical techniques to determine whether or not they know what a song is about. All you need is your natural musical connection to feel the genius of Toy.”
Joyce and Gabriella – Teen Top’s “I’m Sorry”
Joyce: “I loved every song from their album ‘EXITO’ so I had high expectations for Teen Top’s comeback. They never fail to amaze me with their cool and smooth dancing paired with exceptional vocals.”
Gabriella: “I love the beat; it’s extremely catchy. Not to mention the little piano drop and the very simple rap. ^^”
Alexa – Kyuhyun’s “At Gwanghwamun”
“I’ve been waiting for Kyuhyun to release his solo album for years! After listening to his ballad ‘At Gwanghwamun,’ I can truly say it’s worth the wait! His chocolate-like voice will warm hearts during the freezing winter nights. Also, ‘Flying, Deep in the Night” (another song off his album) is a great ‘feel good’ song to listen to. The song’s addicting guitar rhythm accompanies his vocals well.”
Sam – AOA’s “Like A Cat” and Apink’s “LUV”
“After releasing hit after hit, AOA’s new comeback did not disappoint. With a catchy chorus and nice rhythm, ‘Like a Cat’ makes you want to just get up and dance along! For ‘LUV,’ despite the lyrics and the music video both being quite sad, the song itself is quite catchy and serves as an example as to why Apink is one of the biggest girl groups in the industry!”
Chueyee – LOCO’s “Thinking About You” featuring Jay Park
“I wasn’t expecting to like this song, but I love it so much! From the amazing beats to the lyrics, I always enjoy listening to this song. Jay Park’s singing was just a bonus!Kristine – LOCO’s “Thinking About You” featuring Jay Park, Hyolyn & Jooyoung’s “Erase,” and GOT7’s “She’s A Monster”
“‘Thinking About You’ became a quick favorite after listening to it. It has a good beat, and I definitely turn up with this song in my room. The song is definitely one of my favorites for this month. In ‘Erase,’ I really liked how well their voices went together for their collaboration. The song is really mellow, and it is overall a nice song to listen to if you’re in the mood to listen to something more calming. I find myself listening to ‘She’s A Monster’ a lot at night, and it’s probably my favorite song from their comeback album. I have completely fallen in love with this song.”
Alanna – Hyolyn & Jooyoung’s “Erase,” Alshain’s “Start In You,” and AOA’s “Like A Cat”
Isabelle – Hyolyn & Jooyoung’s “Erase” featuring Iron
“I’m a huge R&B fan and this song is such a smooth twist on R&B in K-pop. Not to mention the music video’s classy, sophisticated take on sensual appeal is refreshing. Hyolyn and Jooyoung’s vocal styles really exemplify each other’s strengths on this track and I’ve had it on repeat since its release!”
Andrea – Zhoumi’s “Rewind” featuring EXO’s Chanyeol
“Zhoumi debuted as a solo artist with this R&B song, surprising everyone who was expecting him to show up with some kind of ballad.”
Which songs of November were your favorites? Stay tuned for our upcoming Holiday Song staff picks!
