The Always Rational Kpop Podcast is Moving!

In the very near future our new releases and posts will stop being updated here and will all be moved over to the new site at www.arkpop.com

It is our goal to bring more original content to you than just the Podcast, so look forward to what we’re going to do from here on out.

Rania’s Dr Feelgood (Too Hot For Netizens) MV – Original Edit

Post moved here.

We have moved to our permanent home at http://www.arkpop.com, and we hope to see you there! =)

Big Bang’s Tonight MV (Japanese Version) Released!

Post moved here.

We have moved to our permanent home at http://www.arkpop.com, and we hope to see you there! =)

Stranger Grabs Taeyeon Offstage

Post moved here.

We have moved to our permanent home at http://www.arkpop.com, and we hope to see you there! =)

Episode 6 – The American Dream

Post moved here.

Please visit our permanent home at http://www.arkpop.com =)

The seventh release and sixth official episode of The Always Rational Kpop Episode is here and it’s a bit of a doozy.  We spend a lot of time talking about comeback news and the fact that Block B hasn’t completely disappointed us.  We apologize for any inferiority in the recording as Noelle’s computer was experiencing complications from a heart murmur.  I also will apologize for my accent dipping in and out and changing, I don’t know what happened there.  Our “Free Talk” considers the American advance that everyone seems to be coveting so badly.

Download Link for Episode 6

News:

• Rain wins the Time 100 Most Influential People Poll (The Poll has been gamed several times in the past, don’t take it too seriously)
• Rania & 4minute reedit their choreography to remove the Spread Leg dance due to it invoking Uncomfortable Feelings in the audience.
• f(x)’s comeback teasers have been released this week
  
  
• Dal Shabet returns with “Pink Rocket”
  
  

  Cmon. What does this look like to you? Be Honest.

• Leader Eric’s comeback was announced.
• My Story wasn’t that funny.
• Eluphant (Minos & Kebee return after 5 years)
• Block B has their debut stage (AssBrass made the beats, but Kyung & Zico wrote the lyrics):
  
• JYJ loses permission to do Charity Concert
• JYJ Announces North American Tour Stops: Vancouver, BC, San Jose, CA, Los Angeles, CA & Newark, NJ.
• Big Bang puts up a poll for where their global tour should go, ignores Australia, New Zealand, the entire continent of Africa, and the Caribbean/West Indies, but whateves, such is life.
• Jaejoong does a “tell all” interview & Noelle speculates on the identity of his four girlfriends since debut.

Leading into our main topic is the following performance on 100 points out of 100 that Brian Joo (formerly of Duo Fly to the Sky) apologized profusely on twitter for.

We talk about KARA’s amazingly unexpected success in Japan, the supposed approaching end of their contract dispute issues and the fact that no one would’ve predicted their explosive success when it was announced that they’re going up against SNSD for the hearts and minds of the Japanese idol music listening public.

The Music Video that launched the phenomenon and their music career in Japan.

Lastly, we follow up our Kara/SNSD Japanese advance discussion with a lengthy one on the proposed American debuts of Rania, U-KISS, 2NE1, Wonder Girls, etc.  This discussion mostly popped into my mind when I was reflecting on KARA’s overcoming their underdog status and I began to wonder if the group/solo artist that manages to truly extend the Hallyu wave to the US will end up being someone we don’t expect.

However, if they’re going to move into a market where the media can completely ruin careers, the truth of the matter is the Korean Music Industry is going to need to clean itself up, a point that Time Magazine pointed out over a full decade ago.

We also touch quite vaguely on Asian-American artists that are extending their popularity on Youtube and on the charts, and the advantages either group has as well as their disadvantages.

The last segment is a bit we’re going to continue doing per episode, just a brief spotlight on artists that have been out of the mainstream eye for a few years, whose music isn’t quite what you get from idols.  Comprised of DJ Clazzi, Horan & Alex Chu (of We Got Married Season 1 fame) and known as Clazziquai Project, they’ve been active since 2004 with the release of Instant Pig.  Their music is a combination of Electronic, Acid Jazz and House & here are a few examples.

Sweety featuring a young man that would’ve eventually become Top Star Lee Junki.

And a few videos from their last release Mucho Punk

Lastly, them performing one of their Most Well known songs “Romeo & Juliet”

Feel free to consume every music video you can find on Fluxus’ channel, their artists are amazing, talented, and they try different styles of music you might not find in the mainstream.

I’mma say goodbye with Handsome People’s latest MV, Crazy 

Opening Song: Block B – Wanna B
Insert Song: Clazziquai – Sweety
Ending Song: Eluphant – She is not Following You

Email us at thealwaysrationalkpoppodcast@gmail.com with any questions, concerns, ideas, hate mail, rants, etc. We’d be thrilled to hear from you. Until Next week.

Park SoHyun & Kim WonJun Episode 2

Post moved here.

Please visit our permanent home at http://www.arkpop.com =)

Block B’s “Just Stop” MV

Post moved here.

Please visit our permanent home at http://www.arkpop.com =)

Big Bang’s “Love Song” MV is Out!

Post moved here.

Please visit our permanent home at http://www.arkpop.com =)

We Got Married: Park SoHyun & Kim WonJun Episode 1

Post moved here.

Please visit our permanent home at http://www.arkpop.com =)

Episode 5 – A Hype Nation

Post moved here.

Please visit our permanent home at http://www.arkpop.com =)

All you need to know is that we spend half of the episode talking about 4minute’s comeback and the other half talking about Rania’s debut.

Download Link for Episode 5

News:

• Rania debuts with “Dr. Feel Good”.
  
  Live Performance on the Friday Show
  
• Brave Girls debut with “Do You Know?”
  
• Rainbow releases their mini-album.
• 4minute’s Comeback
• Big Bang releases their repackaged mini-album 4.5 and doesn’t include “What is Right?”. They also resign with YG Entertainment for 5 more years.
• YGE & KBS, Y U NO STOP TROLLING?
• JYJ gets a Promoter for their American Tour, will announce the stops and dates later, but they should be in May.
• KeyEast, AMENT, Star J Entertainment, SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, and JYP Entertainment all join together to form a new conglomerate United Asia Management for overseas advancement.

Noelle disrupts the news to draw attention to me exercising and cooking and the whole discussion goes downhill.  She calls fangirls crazy, I call for the premature ending of Nichkhun and Victoria’s pairing on WGM.

I announce that I ignore girl groups above six members and then immediately break my new rule.  We have a 4minute bias, this is not news, sorry if you don’t like them, we go on for a bit.

I should not be laughing at the idea that her tits are for rent.

4minute’s debut performance of fail

 

4minute behind the scenes debut

I express my anger over the tracklisting of the repackaged Big Bang 4.5 mini-album.  Surprisingly I like the three new songs, but not enough to outweigh how much I disliked the original mini-album.

We plead that Kpop artists embarking on a “World Tour” remember that the world exists outside of Asia.

Do you believe that the new United Asian Management will be a force for good or a force for evil in terms of the advancement of Kpop?

We discuss reactions of Kpop fandom (international especially) to Rania and how inherently hypocritical the backlash has been. Slut Shaming is completely uncalled for and if you’re a child you need to back away from the Internet, if you’re a grown up you should be completely ashamed of yourself.
Learn Yourself some Teddy Riley, and to keep this Kpop related, here’s a video of pre-debut TOP covering Blackstreet’s No Diggity.

Send feedback to thealwaysrationalkpoppodcast@gmail.com or reach us on twitter at ARKpopPodcast on Twitter.

Opening Song: Rainbow – To Me
Insert Song: 4minute – Heart to Heart
Ending Song: Daesung – Baby Don’t Cry