Playlist: A Dark Panda, A Broken Doll, A Bad Thing, Bigstar & more

MIWOO - Broken Doll

The 2012 Voice contestant is also a quirky singer-songwriter with a big voice. She wrote Broken Doll as a criticism of the constant pursuit of a uniform kind of looks. "I felt bad about how we're all following some standard of 'good 'and' beauty'," she says in a Hashtag interview (below). "We're all conforming into a very average model." Broken Doll is an old-fashioned R&B number that begins with stripped-back production - noodling rhodes and plucked strings - before a crescendo that Miwoo dominates with her voice. The arrangement is stunning as is the lovely melancholy melody. The hashtag interview is fun.

HYOLYN, ZICO, PALOALTO - Dark Panda

I adore Hyolyn - she is possibly the best singer in Korea. She is capable of tremendous power but she's never showy, and she makes terrific choices about what's required from her. Having said that, most Sistar songs don't do much for me and I don't usually go for this kind of dissonant electronic stuff. Also Block B's Zico is a total twat. And so despite the fantastic title, I dismissed this after a first listen. Then somehow it snuck up on me. The hypnotic rhythm, rippling synths and Hyolyn's mournful refrain are addictive.

PURFLES - A Bad Thing

The trio who stunned three people in Australia and a handful in the US with 1-2-3, their genius banger of darting synths juxtaposed with sweet harmonies, have finally recovered from the injustice of it being a massive chart failure and returned. They have some fabulous handcuff choreography for this slow-burn blues-jazz number that lacks the wow-factor of 1-2-3 but is still seriously good  

Paul Kim and 1sagain - Just Listening to You 

Early this year I went completely bananas for a minimalist string track by N.D. (Night Delight) called Private Eye (I would link to it but Sony took all the YouTube uploads down and now no one else on this earth apart from me will ever hear it.) This is another chamber pop number - the whole thing is woven from strings, plucked, and played with a bow; a bit of tinkling piano, a synth solo and some minimalist percussion. It's a bit smoother than Night Delight's track; and it's much breezier; it's really so lovely. 

BIG STAR - Full Moon Shine

I adore this song and I loathe everything else on the mini. It has one ballad and a bunch of horrendous EDM/techno tracks. At least there is one great song on it. Full Moon Shine is classic Brave Sound-does-melancholy-urban groove. The gospel piano had me at bar one. Put it on repeat, or hang some shit on Brave Brothers for being lazy or whatever and go and listen to Sweetune instead. I'll be over here swooning.

Disco throwback of the week

SONAMOO - Round n Round 

Oh Sonamoo. Poor babies. They are trying and trying and not getting very far. If it's any consolation, this is a hit with me. It's a bouncy Salsoul-style disco number with strings (the more the melancholier) and a "move your body, everybody" chorus that makes it hard to forget for the right reasons - unlike its predecessor Cushion ("Feel so tight, day and night"). 

GIRLS' GENERATION - Sign

You could blindfold yourself and stick a pin in the tracklisting of Lion Heart and land on a great track. This one by Hitchhiker has fuzz guitar-driven verses followed by choruses of washy synths and processed vocals. The mandatory trap breakdown of 2015 can't put a damper on the fabulousness. It's bloody fantastic.