KARA. VS. 2NE1. VS. BROWN EYED GIRLS VS. 4 MINUTE

Ok, I was supposed to post this a few weeks ago and never got around to it.  With females of all ages and styles flooding the Kpop music industry over the past few months, naturally, comparisons have arisen.  What follows is my own interpretations and comparisons of four top acts.  It's not science, it's not math, it's just Kpop.



Name: Kara
Comeback song: "Wanna"
Mission: To bring a new, mature style while not alienating their young fanbase



Story: 5/10 points

That may seem like a harsh score, right?  Just watch the video.  The theme of strong, independent females stomping over those that have wronged them is not uncommon and it's not even grounds to give such a low score, but the storytelling for this video was just silly.  Lounging about in a room that appears to be furnished by a thirteen year old Lizzy McGuire fan, four girls urge their friend to confess her love to her "sunbae" who lives next door.  Immediately after her awkward confession, her sunbae trips, falls, knocks the battery out of his phone, and peaces out without bothering to call her back.  Obnoxious sure, but is it really grounds for going on a crazy rampage and destroying a guy's apartment?  Oh, and their modes of "destruction" are pretty juvenile--pouring marbles on the floor, creating a trap out of string zigzagged around the door, etc.  Amidst these scenes of "destruction" are shots of the girls dancing (the "oh yeah" part just reminds me of waitresses) and flashing their signature cutesy, wide-eyed smiles.  "I hate that you ignore me," one girl sings while smiling sweetly.  Poor form, ladies.  So 5/10 for unconvincing storyline and their inability to do anything while looking like anime characters.

Song: 6/10
I don't like this song.  The first time I heard it, the "wanna think about it, just wanna think about it" and the "oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah" part gave me a headache.  It follows in the typical repetitive style that is so popular now, but this song is just flat.  There is no climax, no standout vocals, no clever lyrics, no interesting beat.  Easily digested and thrown away pop.

Wardrobe and Style: 7/10
The girls do good enough by not following the garish trends of their competition, but fail at the same time for looking like they look just stepped out of a JC Penny's Back to School ad from a few years ago.  Denim shorts, pastel headbands, graphic t-shirts, vests, and colorful sneakers round out their style.  However, since many of their fans are young, I'll give them credit for not hoochifying their outfits or trying too hard.  Nothing is too low or too short and everything is very girl-next-door.  The girls are cute, non-threatening, and pretty wholesome.

Overall: 18/30 points
Mission ______: Confused.  While staying true to their Disney-like roots, they are unlikely to have alienated any of their young fans.  However, they did not show any signs of maturity other than the fact that there was no high-pitched yelping or babyish shouts in this single.  It seems as if Kara is suffering from the all too familiar "I'm not a girl, not yet a woman" syndrome.  If they were looking for a single to grow, this was not it.

*****************

Name: Brown Eyed Girls
Song: "Abracadabra"
Mission: To show a sexier, more mature side while separating themselves from the more cheerful pop acts



Story: 8/10
There isn't a whole lot of story here.  When they're not swaying their hips, languidly rolling around on the ground, or casually flipping hair out of their smokey eyes, the girls are engaged in a seemingly typical tale of love and deception.  The twist, of course, comes at the end when it reveals that two of the girls have been secret lovers trying to do away with their shared male.  The lesbian storyline may be a little shocking in Korea, I'm so used with the American media using faux lesbianism to sell music or movies that I found it a tad annoying. 

The dancing in the video is hot, however.  The girls have mastered the "bored sexy" look, careless swagger and all.  The fact that they look totally unaffected during the dance scenes prevent this video from looking over the top and "slutty." 

Song: 7/10
This song opens with a Lady Gaga-esque style--heavy electronics--but the chorus is pretty forgettable and standard Kpop.  Did the Brave Brothers produce this?  They seem to have produced every hit last year, but if this IS them, kudos for producing a song that doesn't sound exactly like their other songs.  So many Kpop songs sound like copies of other songs already out and it was nice to hear something that was a break from that clubby formula.  Still, I love the verses and I listen to this on my way to work sometimes.

Wardrobe and Style: 10/10
Um, loving this.  Rather than shying away from the trends or doing it half-assed, the girls' stylists really brought their A game.  Edgy haircuts, dark eyes, lots of black and dominatrix style with neon pops...perfect.  I couldn't get over that this was the Brown Eyed Girls.  I went back and watched the "Eojjeoda" video to try to figure out who was who.  At first glance, it honestly looks like a whole new group of ladies.  So huuuuge props to their stylists for giving them such a style shake up while making it look effortless and not ridiculous.  I also loved the dance scene during the bridge when they are wearing the beige/black dresses and the muted neon orange pumps.  Perfect.

Overall: 25/30
Mission _________: Accomplished.  The Brown Eyed Girls have probably scored legions of new fans--both male and female--who were looking for a fresh alternative to the hyperactive tween music being produced all summer.  Catchy song, a video that has already inspired some pretty amusing parodies, and a hot style is a winning combination.

 *************

Band: 4 Minute
Song: "Muzik"
Mission: To show that they are not just a 2NE1 copy and can be considered heavy contenders in Kpop



Story: 5/10
No storyline here, just dancing.  I'm not giving this such a low score because there is dancing--I really like some music videos that focus solely on dancing.  However, this video is like an overdose on sugar, caffeine, lights, and bad leggings.  All of their backgrounds are heavily lit with giant LED panels and the lights aren't even that interesting.  They're all pretty reminiscent of the Window's Media Player visualizer.  They dance in a small room. They dance in front of a car. They dance in another small room.  Pretty basic.  The dancing is nothing special.  Kpop groups are always looking for the next "Tell Me" dance, but this one is just a lot of booty shaking and come hither hand gestures.  Oh, and the lipsynching here was pretty painful, too.  Trying to sing to autone is an automatic fail.

Song: 6/10
An English intro.  Heavy autone.  Driving, heavy, fast rhythm.  Welcome to the Kpop world of 2009.  Although this song doesn't stand out, it does get points for being far, far better than their debut single, which I found to be completely unlistenable on every level.  I tolerate a lot of bad pop music, but "Hot Issue" filled me with what can only be described as RAGE.  I can't remember hating a song that much in a long, long time.  So I was relieved that this song was better, although I would not consider it to be good.  What do these girls even sound like without autone? 

Wardrobe and Style: 5/10
The trends of the year appear to have thrown up on the girls of 4 Minute.  Fringe? Check.  Space-style sunglasses? Check. Long t-shirts paired with colorful leggings? Check. Studs and biker-chic? Check. Black and leather? Check.  However, the stylists here failed terribly in that the red theme of their wardrobe together with the heavy blue lightning in the video looks cheestastic.  Rather than look chic and trendy, this video looks dated because of the wardobe alone.  This is an example of the fashion wearing the person instead of the person wearing the fashion.  These look like costumes, not styles.

Overall: 16/30
Mission __________: Failed.  While the comparisons between 2NE1 and 4 Minute are pretty much inevitable, this was not the song to make 4 Minute stand out as tough competition.  Until their music producers can step up their game and their stylists can get it together, 4 Minute still has a lot to prove.


******
Name: 2NE1
Song: "I Don't Care"
Mission: To show a softer side and prove that they can do more than just dance pop.



Story: 8/10
Like Kara, 2NE1's video focuses on "girl power" and all that jazz.  When they're not dancing, the girls wander through frozen scenes and do minor wreckage to the "bad" guys.  It's simple but there are like...a million shots.  The video suffers a little because of the lightening fast pacing, making the video feel as if it could be for a much faster song. 

The dancing is simple as heck.  Of the four girls, only Minji has serious dance skills, and rather than try to give the other girls difficult moves that would be too hard to pull off, their choreographer smartly opted for something easy.  The dance moves from the chorus are so easy that it took all of a few days for every freaking middle schooler at my school to be doing it in the hallways between class.

Oh, and this video was easy on the eyes in that there were NO crazy backgrounds.  One set is simply a black room with a wooden floor and a single chandelier.  Another is a wall of white stars with a blue background.  The rest of the scenes feature realistic restaurants, bedrooms, and clubs. 

Song: 9/10
I'm giving this song such a high score because...wait for it...it sounds as if it were written by a REAL HUMAN BEING!  A human!  Not by a computer, not by a Kpop music machine, but by an actual person, sitting around and strumming away at his or her guitar.  It is such a departure from the Brave Brothers style, which has dominated the Korean music industry this past year.  Rather than go for edgy, the songwriters of 2NE1 went for something soft, sweet, and easy to remember.  However, it's not too sweet, as evidenced by the bitter and pretty depressing lyrics about cheating, low-life boyfriends.  But it's still even saved from being just another depressing song by having the whole girl power thing thrown in. 

In the end, though, they lose a point for the silly English intro.  This song would be perfectly fine without it.

Wardrobe and Style: 8/10.
Crazy leggings aside, the stylists of 2NE1 appear to have had no distinct direction for their females other than having them wear something funky and personality-fitting.  What's up with those Styrofoam snowball skirts and vests?  And what's up CL's white sunglasses? How long with Dara keep rocking the tall ponytail?  When was the last time someone gave Minji a bath?  So many questions, but actually, the answers aren't too important.  What matters is that their stylists were smart to steer them away from the typical popular trends of their competition, giving them some strange and unique--although not always flattering--pieces.  2NE1 is a little weird and it suits them.  

Overall: 25/30
Mission __________: Accomplished.  I enjoyed "Fire" but grew annoyed with the ridiculous stans who viewed them as the next coming of Christ.  It almost ruined my liking of this song, but in the end, a good song is a good song, and not even annoying fans should be able to ruin it.  So far, 2NE1 is taking all the right steps to having real longevity in the Kpop scene, and it will be interesting to watch their progress. 


So there you go, my personal breakdown of four of the big female comebacks.  Comment away, but remember that these are just my own opinions.