This Week in Kpop: November 1-7, 2015

This Week in Kpop is all about the surprising comebacks. Brown Eyed Girls and Zico lead the pack here and we just don't know what to expect anymore! Let's stop stalling and get started already!

Brown Eyed Girls Are Back!

Brown Eyed Girls are back, friends, and nothing, NOTHING, will be the same. Well, most things at least! We were blown out of our socks with "Brave New World" - the song has a disco vibe but also a strange and killer science fiction twist. The video is stunning - provocative (just watch the male dancers performing the same choreography as the women, in similar attire), and holds a simmering sexuality that really pushes the envelope, of course it does. This is the Brown Eyed Girls that we know and love, so so much.

It's crazy to think that their last release was circa 2013 with "Kill Bill," a fun if not exactly spectacular single. Gain has been active, and Miryo released "Queen" this past summer, but to see all the girls together again is a real treat and should be treated like a gift. But has it been?

We've been hearing a mixed reaction over "Brave New World" especially, since it doesn't quite fit the mold of a popular Kpop release, but that be another reason we love it all the more. It takes a minute to figure out the tempo and a lot of the images are either shrouded in darkness (like many of the dance scenes) or will make you double take (Naked or Nude Suited Gain Colored in Glitter). The lines are just crazy, and the epic scale of some of the lyrics: "Who made the secret/all about the world, Have you wondered/all about the world" would be cheesy in lesser hands.

But this is Brown Eyed Girls we're talking about here, and everything they do is to the nth degree. They're the queens, surely, in an industry of princesses - and by that we mean that nearly everything they release (listen to Basic, it's an excellent album on the whole) sits on a different level. The level might be slightly skewed, or entirely off even, but whatever they're attempting is always compelling, strange, and so so cool.

And then, well, there's "Warm Hole," and um. Well, maybe you should watch it yourself first? We're still processing here.

Zico's "Boys and Girls"

Zico came back this week with a couple of different songs, but we're almost interested in his "Boys and Girls," which feels more fun and energetic, something closer to his Block B work than his recent (controversial) solo releases. This could be the song of the summer released in the winter so we question the timing of the release. Maybe the bathing suits are supposed to make us long for summer? Or perhaps, in Zico's life, summer is all year long? In any case, this is not the release we were expecting, but we're still digging it and the song is just super catchy and bright. What do you think of this shift, dear reader?

MV of the Month: IU's "Twenty-Three"

IU had her share of controversy this week that we just don't have the energy to go over (and, honsetly, we're just over internet outrage) - so you can read up on that on every Kpop site in the world, OR you can read about how amazing her MV for "Twenty-Three" is and how she gets our coveted MV of the Month for October. It's your choice. What type of person do you want to be? Make the right choice by clicking here.

Critical Kpop Podcast - Episode 10: Seventeen vs. Monsta X

Listen. We know that Monsta X and Seventeen are very different groups, but they are both rookie groups and they are both competing for rookies of the year. They also, for some reason, seem to have releases that coincide with each other. The Critical Kpop Podcast asks you to listen harder, so why not listen harder already?

November 1-7, 2015

And that was This Week in Kpop! What are you thinking about these surprising releases? We know that we're missing Rania's new release, but we'll write more about that when they're able to post their video on YouTube again! And now, we're off! Until next time, have fun and be safe!