Thematically Arranged Wrap-up
A deceptively copious number of entries this year are drawn with nitpicky specificity from a categorically broad pool. Could be the industry is maturing a little, or a little too young, or I'm struck with fatigue and high expectations, or there was too much drama interfering with quality, or all of the above - but some of the glamour has begotten besmirched a bit. In any case, I have been foraging further to cover ground for an essentially unsatisfying year in Kpop. Below I make sense of the highs (there were some) and the void.
A deceptively copious number of entries this year are drawn with nitpicky specificity from a categorically broad pool. Could be the industry is maturing a little, or a little too young, or I'm struck with fatigue and high expectations, or there was too much drama interfering with quality, or all of the above - but some of the glamour has begotten besmirched a bit. In any case, I have been foraging further to cover ground for an essentially unsatisfying year in Kpop. Below I make sense of the highs (there were some) and the void.
RRROCK REVELATIONS
Life and Time - The Great Deep, "Deep"
I play this EP in entirety a lot. A lot. The quirky vocalist, the hip but not overly kitschy production (so many tracks smothered by reverb!), the math rocky, Zazen Boys surf punk vibe deserving of standalone post. Fortunately, Korean Indie has a great writeup, so I don't have to.
See also: single "Tiger".
Royal Pirates - "Fly to You"
Unfulfilled 2nd EP but deliriously good first, with this song rising to the top over the course of the year.
CNBLUE - "Can't Stop"
And the album. And the Japan releases too. And...
YG DOMINATION
Melancholy songwriting defines compelling identities for new acts at YG of late.
TaeYang - "Eyes, Nose, Lips"
Winner - "Empty"
YG TOTAL DOMINATION... and SM
Akdong - 200%
These two just being themselves - BFF conversational, candid and comforting, composed and well executed - is more than enough personality needed. How cute are they?
See Also: "Melted"
2NE1 (CL) - "MTBD"
"So Men-boong"
Late in the year, this song and GD/Taeyang's "Good Boy" actually sound a little dated, but the incipient power of CL solo is not to be denied or forgotten.
"So Men-boong"
Late in the year, this song and GD/Taeyang's "Good Boy" actually sound a little dated, but the incipient power of CL solo is not to be denied or forgotten.
f(x) - Red Light
SM's star was obscured by YG's total domination this year and the company's own chain lightning PR implosions. The finest offering was the sophisticated and thoughtfully modulated Red Light (to which derivative Red Velvet held no candle), and the most competently disappointing was Mr. Mr. (both albums truly victims of their own successes.) The rest of SM fell back on overly slick, often jazz, arrangements - TTS, DBSK, and SJ sounding mostly aged, brassy, or both. That exasperating "Be Natural" S.E.S. cover had nothing natural about it.
GET YOUR BUTT OFF THE FLOOR
Block B - "H.E.R."
Gospel testifying, frenetic soul claps, jump blues riffs over funky drum n' bass. Amen, Andre 3000, and drop cheeky "uh oh" all over that.
Afterschool - "Shh"
Technical marvel of convincing classic house grubbiness and warm blooming harmonics into a shimmering confluence of dance and pop.
15& - "Sugar"
HIP HOP INSURRECTIONS
Woo Tae-woon (of Speed) - "Focus"
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Olltii (featuring ZICO) - ê·¸XX (SMTM remix)
Awe inspiring diss track from "underground" artist and unfortunate YG cannon fodder (though his show producers really did do right by him). See also: "OLL' Ready" ..."I'm all ready, all ready... War ready, war ready..."
Riding the hype of Show Me the Money, a tailor-made YG posse cut - one superbly crafted piece of fan service.
Jay Park - "Metronome"
SO NOW, WHERE THE BOYS AT?
THE MEAT OF THE MATTER
Despite an overwhelming number of new groups, solos and subunits, Kpop proper slowed to a series of serviceable retreads, tweaks and refinements in the pop department. Out of which floated the cream, the butter, the #1 boy group song-of-the-year...
THE MEAT OF THE MATTER
Despite an overwhelming number of new groups, solos and subunits, Kpop proper slowed to a series of serviceable retreads, tweaks and refinements in the pop department. Out of which floated the cream, the butter, the #1 boy group song-of-the-year...
Infinite - "Back"
Korean melodic sensibilities, tuneful, soaring balladry, dense production of piano, synths, rhythms, barely holding together while being being ripped through with a giant saw, shearing, mad, maudlin hearthrob execution - in otherwords, Infinite at their best. See Also: "Dilemma"
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
RETREADS, TWEAKS AND REFINEMENTS
RETREADS, TWEAKS AND REFINEMENTS
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Swoonier, breezier rendition of the typical coffee shop rap serenade - a lighter shade of beige swirled with latte pop caramel drizzle. Utterly, unexpectedly, out of character for BTS.
If in need of a mild dose, very short term, pop fix (minus Seo Taiji, or slitted and sequined tacky lady songs, of which there are plenty, but I cannot abide them and list none therefore), see also:
Kara - "Mamma Mia", if one must do a disco cruise ship summer song, kill it with solid verses and pretty song writingHONORABLE MENTION:
Girl's Day - "Darling", if one must have a flirty hot pant summer song, distill the sweetness simply and simply
Lee Hi, Soo Hyun - "I'm Different", best duet out of the many this year
BTS - "Hormone War", fun MV but also fortunately/unfortunately more in character
Vixx - serviceable sci-fi "Error" and/or "Eternity"Exo - growly overkill with "Overdose"
Got7 - "A", pairing a charming mood yet distractedly unstable vocals
GROWING PAINS
no clear front runner, but...
no clear front runner, but...
Teen Top - "I'm Sorry"
A recognizable, safe transition to manhood that involves slowing down the funk that was "To You". See also: "Missing" and the rest of the album, Exito, aka Teen Top 20's Love Two Exito for a mouthful.
Taemin - "Ace"
Glossy and precise, Ace makes regrettably few strides towards defining Taemin's musical persona the way Rise does for Taeyang, and as a whole, this album just makes me homesick for Shinee. But as far as one night stand mood music goes, the title track is oiled up, apropos, with enough touches of pretty to make a gal feel special. So, go on, feel like a pervert watching your boy do his thing.
B2st - "Good Luck"
A recognizable, safe transition to manhood that involves slowing down the funk that was "To You". See also: "Missing" and the rest of the album, Exito, aka Teen Top 20's Love Two Exito for a mouthful.
Taemin - "Ace"
Glossy and precise, Ace makes regrettably few strides towards defining Taemin's musical persona the way Rise does for Taeyang, and as a whole, this album just makes me homesick for Shinee. But as far as one night stand mood music goes, the title track is oiled up, apropos, with enough touches of pretty to make a gal feel special. So, go on, feel like a pervert watching your boy do his thing.
B2st - "Good Luck"
B2st'sTime, felt overly ambitious and wordy, but the first EP of the year had a few memorable singles. Technique-wise everyone just keeps getting better, but their coming of age narrative has not been the most compelling compared to their contemporaries.
Tempura Batter
5 oz unbleached cake flour
5 oz white rice flour
1.5 quarts vegetable oil
1 large egg, beaten
1.5 cups cold seltzer water
0.5 cup vodka
Whisk the cake flour and rice flour together in a medium glass bowl and divide it in half. Set aside.
Heat vegetable oil to 365 degrees. Whisk the egg, seltzer water and vodka. Pour half of the liquid mixture into half of the dry mixture and whisk to briefly, about 10 to 15 seconds. Lumps remaining are good. Set the glass bowl in a larger bowl lined with ice. Put the rest of the liquid mixture in the refrigerator to chill. The oil should now be about 375 degrees.
Fry!
The SO received a LimoStudio portrait lighting setup for Christmas. I'm excited to "borrow" the umbrellas and stands for my own purposes, which is how the above food was (over) exposed and photographed. Yay!
Maple Brown Butter Cake adapted from epicurious
1.5 sticks unsalted butter
.75 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups almond flour
1 cup Cream of Wheat (or quick cooking polenta as the original recipe suggests)
1.5 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
.75 cup cane sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp sugar
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter, flour and line 9" cake pan.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter, flour and line 9" cake pan.
Brown butter over medium heat, 5-8 minutes, then chill.
Combine almond flour, Cream of Wheat, baking powder, and salt with a whisk. Cream chilled brown butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg 1 at a time. Gradually add dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
Pour batter into cake pan and smooth top. Bake until cake is golden brown and pulls away from sides of pan, 50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool in the pan. After 20 min., invert the cake and let it cool completely.
To serve, whip together heavy cream, sour cream, and remaining sugar until soft peaks form.
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Caramel pecans, various dried fruit "tapenade" with madeira and wine, over duck breast (prepared thusly), served with greens. This was a lovely dish, though ideally I would chop and truly candy the pecans into praline and perhaps use fresh rather than dry fruit for what was supposed to be a sauce. Not bad for kitchen scraps on the fly.
Into the WoodsChris Pine is the confirmed audience favorite for his hammy, show stopping performance in "Agony". But it is Emily Blunt who scene steals her way through the film, vocally and emotionally. The directorial decision to punctuate Sondheim's repetitive score through quick editing, allows the actors to tease out the pace of the lyrics. While the second half could have used a an extra dose of darkness to send harsh the message home, the film was mostly enjoyable rather than just bearable. Not often one hears that said about a 2 hour plus musical to movie adaptation.
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Ramen Izakaya KaguraWonderfully thick broth and a slippery texture makes this ramen unique. If only the base were quite a few degrees warmer when served - the super chewy noodles might have softened up a little, the soup may not have been so overwhelmingly rich, and the flavors just might have jelled. I say this was love.
In the search for more vegetarian dishes, an article in Food&Wine Magazine re: David Chang's recipe for Edamame Kimbap seemed worth experimenting with.
2 cups sushi rice
2 cups water
1/4 cup sake-mash vinegar (or white wine vinegar)2 cups water
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons salt
1 tbsp canola oil
2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup edamame, shelled
3 tbsp molasses
1.5 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
10 sheets of nori
20 shiso leaves
pickled daikon, 3/8" wide, 2" long
2 large carrots, 2" matchsticks
Steam rice with a bit less water than normal if using a rice cooker. While still warm, treat rice with sushi vinegar in Morimoto fashion, or sesame oil and salt in Korean fashion.
Lightly toast walnuts over high heat, stirring for 3 minutes. Lowering to medium high heat, add edamame, molasses and soy sauce, stirring until sticky for 5 minutes. Stir in the sesame seeds. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
Japanese Traditions
New style technique: Sous vide prime rib with a last moment high heat roast.
Mushroom, tempura shrimp omelette
Prosciutto salad
Hamburger steak with crab croquette
