The problem was that I didn't think it made for a better collection. Like there are double albums that people think would be better if they had been trimmed down to a single album. At this point I can't bring myself to think that about this collection.
Maybe 2012 is still too close in time and I'm still attached to a lot of tracks that I won't be in years' time. Maybe over time, I will not only think the single disc is better, but I'll be able to include western releases, meaning swapping out even more of these K-pop songs. But maybe there won't be "over time" either.
As it is, the entire collection is book-ended by two Japanese songs that couldn't be integrated into the otherwise all-K-pop set. Aside from those two, the only other non-Korean language song is by a K-pop group singing in Japanese. And that song ends disc 1.
2012 (part 1):
1. Much Ado About Nothing Tonight (Tokyo Jihen) Japan
2. Bing Bing (Crayon Pop)
3. Lipstick (Orange Caramel (After School))
4. To Be or Not To Be (aka Have or Have Not) (Dal Shabet)
5. Don't Forget Me (Girl's Day)
6. Every Night (EXID)
7. Dirty (Miryo (Brown Eyed Girls))
8. Alone (Sistar)
9. Cherry Blossom Endings (Busker Busker)
10. Talk That (Secret)
11. Blue (Big Bang)
12. The Evening Sky (Ailee)
13. Lost (Kara - Nicole solo)
14. Pork Soup (Clover) (unofficial upload) (audio only)
15. Russian Roulette (Spica)
16. Touch (miss A)
17. In Praise of the Grasshopper (Sunny Hill)
18. Twinkle (TaeTiSeo (SNSD))
19. Like This (Wonder Girls) (dance practice video)
20. 1, 2, 3, 4 (Lee Hi)
21. Lovey-Dovey (T-ara)
22. Paparazzi (SNSD) Japan
2012 (part 2):
1. I Love You (2NE1)
2. Cosmetic (Lizzy (After School) & Andup) (audio only)
3. Mermaid Princess (Mystic White: Bora (Sistar), Lizzy (After School), Gayoon (4minute), Sunhwa (Secret), Jiyoung (Kara))
4. Wonderful (Casker) (audio only)
5. I'll Be There (Spica)
6. I Am Hot (NS Yoon-G) (lyric video) (audio only)
7. Get Out (AoA)
8. This Guy (Dazzling Red: Hyuna (4minute), Nicole (Kara), Hyolin (Sistar), Hyosung (Secret), Nana (After School))
9. Hard to be Humble (LeeSsang)
10. Electric Shock (f(x))
11. Look At Me (Jewelry)
12. Bloom (Ga In (Brown Eyed Girls))
13. Ice Cream (Hyuna (4minute))
14. Loving U (Sistar)
15. illa illa (Juniel)
16. Goodbye to Romance (Sunny Hill)
17. Don't Let the Love End (Wrong) (Epik High)
18. I Know How to Play a Little (e.via)
19. Ticket (Nine Muses)
20. Probably So (Don't Look Back) (Park Ji Yoon)
21. I Don't Need a Man (miss A)
22. Aozora (Salyu) Japan
2011, 2010 mix CDs
I suppose notable tracks include the first track by Tokyo Jihen. Shiina Ringo had announced the break-up of Tokyo Jihen and as their swan song, they released an EP with five songs, each song composed by one member. The video, I think, is a parody of the demise of Tokyo Jihen. They're all at the top of their respective games, surrounded by swirling money, signing a treaty to mark the end of the band and any and all of their battles, but then offing each other off with Shiina Ringo killing herself (i.e., her role in Tokyo Jihen).
For some reason, I initially got it in my head that the guitarist, Ukigumo, wrote the track included, which blew me away since it was as good or better than many Shiina Ringo-penned songs. But I quickly realized my error and found that it was Shiina Ringo's contribution, including writing the prominent vocal parts for Ukigumo and keyboardist Ichiyo Izawa harmonizing.
In my mind it became a gauntlet thrown down to mark that even as she had relinquished songwriting duties to other members during Tokyo Jihen's tenure, she couldn't be topped. Head-to-head songwriting, she was the best. Not that anyone else had doubts otherwise.
Also possibly notable in 2012 were Girl's Day and Sistar.
Girl's Day had already been around for a couple years, initially with five members. I had marked them to keep an eye on them, but they didn't have a song that sucked me into their cult of personality.
That changed in 2012 with their late season release of a pop gem that had me captivated. I consider this song to be their start to the top. Throughout 2013, their songs built momentum with number one-quality releases until they finally did get a number one win in 2014.
Sistar also had been kicking around for a couple years. I wasn't fond of their initial songs, but had also noted them for being likely quality and to watch for them. I think "Alone" sent them into the stratosphere.
I think on the success of "Alone", whoever wrote their follow-up song "Loving U" kinda went all out to write something special. Most K-pop songs have break sections, and if the group has a rapper as most of them do, the break section is the rap section. But on this song Bora's rap comes really early, and that made me wonder what the break section is gonna be. And there is a separate break that Soyu sings and also slows the song down for a bit. And then finally the last 20 seconds of the song is a distinct coda which, although not unheard of in K-pop, is pretty rare.
I'm under the impression K-pop producers and writers generally don't care how the song ends. Once they've written the major hooks, once the song gets past the 3 minute mark, they just end the song at the nearest convenient point and don't bother thinking whether or not it's a good way for the song to end. That's just my impression, though.
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