Best of K-Pop 2014

[Big Bang]

2014, a year of change for K-pop. Nullified contracts, groups dispanding left and right, Microsoft deals, being kicked out of a group to sell sunglasses. We are in the age where newer groups are taking over from the older more established bands; iKON, Red Velvet, GOT7 and more will lead the way in 2015, but let's focus on 2014, a year where arguably the best music came from some of the lesser known groups and solo artists. Post your lists of everything from favourite songs to favourite videos to favourite albums! (Hint: Red Light should be your #1 album or at least in the top 3).

 

[ryan_riot92]

YASSS!! Was waiting for this but it'll probably take me hours to figure everything haha

 

[ajmkv]

Unashamedly going to say that my favorite K-Pop song released in 2014 was Miniskirt.

Favorite albums/minis include Puer Kim's Purifier and IU's Flower Bookmark.

 

[Ceir]

Laboum, APink, and Ladies' Code.
What About You, Mr Chu, LUV, and So Wonderful quite literally got me through this year.

 

[D is for Danger!]

As if I didn't make it obvious enough, my #1 song of 2014 is Sugar Free.

My top 20 singles would be as follows (In no particular order):

T-ARA - Sugar Free
Infinite - Back
f(x) - Red Light
EXID - Up&Down
Block B - HER
Fiestar - One More
Dal Shabet - Big Baby Baby
Seo Taiji & IU - Sogyeokdong
Ladies' Code - So Wonderful
Orange Caramel - Catallena
Pungdeng E - Baechu Bossam
Stellar - Mask
Mamamoo - Piano Man
KARA - Mama Mia
Hyuna - Red
Purfles - 1, 2, 3
HA:TFELT - Ain't Nobody
Wings - Hair Short
15& - Can't Hide It
Hyosung - Goodnight Kiss

Best full albums: f(x)'s Red Light, After School's Dress To Kill, Clazziquai's Blink, 15&'s Sugar, Lee Sora's 8.

Best mini albums: HA:TFELT's Me?, WA$$UP's Showtime, Puer Kim's Purifier, Hyuna's Red, Humming Urban Stereo Reform, T-ARA's And&End.

Best debuts: Mamamoo, Lip Service, Purfles, Wings, Puer Kim.

Biggest surprises of 2014: EXID's viral ascent from bottom feeders to #1 on the charts thanks to a fancam, Boys Republic, Block B's HER, WA$$UP coming back and exceeding expectations with Showtime, Stellar.

Best MVs: Orange Caramel' Catallena & My Copycat, TVXQ's Spellbound, f(x)'s Red Light, HA:TFELT's Ain't Nobody, Wings' Hair Short, Topp Dogg's Annie, Ga In's Fxxk You.

Worst MV: T-ARA's Sugar Free and its 671 cuts and transitions!

Worst of 2014: 2014 sucking in general with countless member departures, group disbandments, and scandals. The unfortunate deaths of EunB and Rise. Even though it's not related to kpop, the Sewol ferry accident had a pretty significant impact on the industry. Sexy concepts getting neutered for no reason at the beginning of 2014.

Song no one else but me seemed to like: Hyomin's Nice Body.

Things I'd like to see in 2015: Crayon Pop's full album finally materializing. EXID remaining at the top of the charts. Korea finally getting over their butthurt feelings so T-ARA can finally return to the top tier of girl groups. 6Muses becoming relevant. Groups from smaller companies not disappearing after a single song release. Finally being able to attend a kpop concert.

 

[Salami]

Sugar Free and Red Light (the album in total) were the shit. Also, SNSD's Goodbye is the best Korean song they've done since IGAB.

 

[ryan_riot92]

ALBUMS
#1 Red Light by f(x) ... duh
#2 CRUSH by 2NE1
#3 DARK&WILD by BTS
#4 Identify by GOT7 (That NO ONE even talked about …)
#5 Shoebox by Epik High
#6 Sugar by 15&
#7 Blink by CLAZZIQUAI PROJECT
#8 Crush on You by CRUSH
#9 Season 2/Be Back by INFINITE
#10 The Maginot Line by M.I.B

**Obviously I’m just sticking with the Korean stuff because otherwise “Dress To Kill” would probably be #3 ...**

MINI ALBUMS **No particular order**
Showtime by WA$$UP
Arario and AmadeuS by Topp Dogg
Error by VIXX
GOT♡ by GOT7
Like A Cat and Short Hair by AOA
Real Talk by Boys Republic
A Talk by HyunA
ME? By HA:TFELT
Small Album by Kidoh
Full Moon by Sunmi

SONGS **No particular order**
Catallena by Orange Caramel
B.B.B (Big Baby Baby) by Dal Shabet
Miniskirt by AOA
Red Light by f(x)
RED by HyunA
Good-night Kiss by Jun Hyosung
Error by VIXX
Can’t Hide It by 15&
A by GOT7
Gotta Be You by 2NE1
LUV by APink
KISS KISS by Ladies' Code
HER by Block B
I Swear by SISTAR
One More by FIESTAR
Shut Up U by WA$$UP
Mask by STELLAR
Just One Day by BTS
CHISA’BOUNCE by M.I.B
Be A Man by MBLAQ

ROOKIE GROUPS **No particular order**
GOT7
Red Velvet
MAMAMOO
CRUSH
SONAMOO
MinX
Bob Girls
Lovelyz
WINNER
Puer Kim
WINGS

**I remember loving WINNER when they first debuted but after a week I grew tired of the album and both title songs ... which was kind of disappointing...

I probably missed some things but that's what I could recall. I didn't do videos because that's way too hard for me to figure out. haha My first full year of K-Pop is now complete. Definitely ready for a new year though. Can't wait for missA, 9/7/6MUSES, BoA, iKON, Crayon Pop, Dal Shabet, and Jonghyun!!

 

[Conan]

I haven't done any lists (yet?), but my favourite song is definitely "Red Light" by f(x).

 

[Mikl C]

BBB, all of AoA's singles and HATFELT were some highlights.

Cannot stand Red Light as a song and also hate Sugar Free.

 

[poppony]

I blogged my top 10, but given I have a readership of three, here are my thoughts. Not surprised at BBB being a few people's favourites.

#1 Dal Shabet - BBB
#2 T-ARA - Sugar Free
#3 2NE1 - Come Back Home
#4 Rain - 30Sexy
#5 Infinite - Back
#6 VIXX - Error
#7 HyunA - Red
#8 EXO-K - Overdose
#9 SNSD - Mr Mr
#10 - I originally hat G-Dragon & Taeyang here, but Orange Caramel - My Copycat probably should have been there really...

 

[Shockbox]

Best of K-Pop 2014.

In no particular order:

Red Light - f(X)
Mr Mr - Girls Generation
Whisper - TTS
Happiness - Red Velvet
I Miss You - Girls' Day
Come Back Home - 2NE1
Red - HyunA

 

[kenbs305]

This is great, I really didn't listen to any K-Pop since 2013 so I'm playing catch up and this makes finding new music easier. Thanks guys!

 

[Ribzy]

Best boy group song is Lonely by B1A4
Best girl group song is Red Light by f(x)
Best boy group album is Who Am I by B1A4
Best girl group album is Red Light by f(x)

 

[lalaclairi_]

My favorite comebacks were LUV, Mamma Mia, Full Moon and Stop stop it. Miniskirt and Big Baby Baby were nice, too.

Taemin (Ace > Danger), Hatfelt, f(x), Got7, Apink, and Sunmi had good albums. Not the most exciting year in terms of music for Kpop, I still say 2008~09 were the best years. There was a lot of other things besides music going on this year, though....