On My Playlist ~ IDEA:理想 [Taemin]

~ Michele ~ Leave a comment

At precisely 3AM (6PM KST) on Monday, November 9th, I woke up from a deep sleep, my inner alarm clock sounding its bell alerting me to the fact that Taemin released the second part of his third album, Never Gonna Dance Again: Act Two and with it, the MV for the title track, IDEA. I had planned to rise early to watch a 6AM (9PM KST) V-Live broadcast with Taemin in connection with that new release. However, it seems my fangirl-mired subconscious felt it a duty to disregard my normal circadian rhythms; and although I was awake to experience the album/song release real time, I cannot say I was necessarily ready. In fact, I wasn’t.

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On My Playlist ~ Salute [AB6IX]

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I am sure I am not the only one out there who was a little bit shaken out of my comfort zone when AB6IX began dropping teasers for their latest release, Salute. I mean . . . I felt the impending, ‘this is going to hit harder’ vibe immediately. And as this is the group’s first real official comeback as a quartet, it felt very new, and a definite departure from the Vivid era. Anyway, I suppose welcoming a new month with new music coupled with some grown up and sophisticated visuals is not a bad idea. Oh, and that premonition about this comeback hitting harder than the previous one . . . pretty spot on.

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On My Screen ~ Flame of Love Dance Ver. [Taemin]

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During promotions for his second studio album, Move, Taemin said that he chose the title track of the same name because he felt it represented his true identity. Eschewing gender stereotypes often delineated in K-pop dances where the men dance with great physical and aggressive power, and the women more soft and whimsical, Taemin stated in an October 2017 Billboard article:

My aim was to find a middle ground, mixing both masculine and feminine movements into the choreography together. My body shape is like that of a dancer’s, it’s not too masculine or overly muscular and I wanted to take advantage of that. I thought I could show the soft lines like the dance movements of a ballet dancer by adding subtlety to my choreography. I wanted to break the idea of what male performers are supposed to show, what performances girl groups are supposed to show. I really wanted to break those labels, showing that dance is a form of art.

Indeed, Taemin was already on that path three months prior with the release of his second Japanese EP, Flame of Love, wherein he regaled fans with an ethereal dance version of the EP’s title track of the same name.

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On My Playlist ~ Daisy [Pentagon]

~ Michele ~ 2 Comments

The year 2020 is going to be remembered for many things, a lot of which is not so good. But on the K-pop front in way of new music and comebacks . . . there is where I have found a silver lining. With so many comebacks all happening pretty much simultaneously, it’s hard for a mature (translation: old) fangirl to keep up. Pentagon was one of many that came back in the month of October and in my opinion really stood out with the title track Daisy from their tenth extended play album WE:TH.

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On My Screen ~ Black Rose Eye Contact Cam Version [Taemin]

~ Michele ~ Leave a comment

In anticipation of the release of Taemin’s next album, Never Gonna Dance Again: Part Two, I find I am unable to curb my enthusiasm while I wait. The album will be released on November 9th, and although that is rapidly approaching, it is going to seem like 15 years. Ok, I am exaggerating of course, but I can’t help it, I am excited. To help move time a little quicker as I wait for teasers, the MV and ultimate album release, I am going to appreciate some of Taemin’s past performance videos. Because, why not? Lately, Black Rose from Never Gonna Dance Again: Part One has been demanding my attention, so I will start there.

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On My Playlist ~ Paradise [TRCNG]

~ Michele ~ 1 Comment

I never considered myself a person plagued by any kind of serious compulsive disorder but maybe I should rethink that when it comes to music. Heh. I admit that I often get fixated on an artist or group, or even genre when it comes to music. As a result, that fixation will keep me in a holding pattern where nothing else sneaks in for even a second. This can last for hours, days, weeks, even months. But then every so often, I move out of that compulsive mindset and just hit the shuffle button and let the music chips fall where they may. That happened this past weekend and I was pleasantly surprised when TRCNG’s Paradise shuffled its way out first.

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On My Playlist ~ From Home [NCT U]

~ Michele ~ 1 Comment

If there was ever a need to feel the healing power of music, it is now. So even though I feel overwhelmed by NCT’s latest full album release Resonance Pt. 1, I know it is a project that is a pleasing gift no matter where on the NCT spectrum one falls as a fan. If you are not familiar, NCT (Neo Culture Technology) is a conglomerate of 23 members. Within that conglomerate are three set groups (NCT 127, NCT Dream, and WayV). Then, there is the experimental and rotational unit of NCT U. NCT U is not a set group within the conglomerate and can be comprised of as little as two members. Eight of the 13 tracks on Resonance Pt. 1 are NCT U tracks. That means various members were paired together for those individual songs. One of those individual songs is the gentle and healing From Home. Let me tell you why I find this one and its accompanying MV particularly beautiful and special.

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Musings ~ When Your Idol Invades Your Dreamscape

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I woke up this morning feeling a bit melancholic. I suppose it is not so unlikely an emotion given the current state of the world at large. It’s been a difficult year on so many levels for so many. Yet at the same time I also felt upon waking a sort of winsomeness. You see, often when I dream I rarely remember. True also is the fact that many, if not most of my dreams, fall in the anxiety interpretation column if analyzed. Last night, I dreamt about Taemin.

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On My Playlist ~ Wish You Were Here [SuperM]

~ Michele ~ 3 Comments

I generally follow the rules when it comes to comebacks. That is, I jump all over the title tracks and want to shout their brilliance into the stratosphere. With SuperM’s latest release Super One which is their first full studio album since the group’s inception last year, I feel more compelled to talk about a B-side which happens to be my personal favorite on the album, Wish You Were Here.

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