loona debut rate

Username: vayyiqra

Album: HeeJin: I don't have many thoughts about most of the members of Loona and think they're all cool, so instead I will discuss how to pronounce their names, using IPA. HeeJin is /hi.dʑin/ (to be precise you could write [çi.dʑin] but that's not needed as it's an allophone of /h/) and whoever transcribed her name on Wikipedia did it wrong. Another quirk is that her name is spelled like it'd be /hɰi/ but that is awkward and that sound is often dropped, yielding /hi/. Anyway this is one song in a good version and a less good version.

ViViD: 10 No thoughts I just like the electric piano and when she says "oh my gOodnEss"

ViViD - Acoustic: 6 This isn't even that bad but have to agree with the consensus there's no reason for it to have been recorded either

Album: HyunJin How to pronounce HyunJin in IPA: /hjʌn.dʑin/ and to be precise one could write [çjʌn.dʑin] but since that's an allophone of /h/ it doesn't need that. It's fun to say.

I'll Be There: 10 This is a slapper I like the heavy kick drums and synth-funk sound very retro and 80s

Around You: 8 Not wanting to be a balladophobe, this is alright, I like the piano again, a recurring thing with this group. Their harmonies are nice too I'm into this laidback feel

Album: HaSeul How to pronounce HaSeul in IPA. /ha.sɯl/ (that letter in hangeul is mostly [ɾ] and romanized ⟨r⟩, but [l] at the end of a syllable and when doubled; they are the same phoneme)

The Carol: 0 It's alright on its own but every time I hear a Christmas song in this playlist it throws me off it is March begone

Let Me In: 4 Alright my latent balladophobia is kicking in here because the strings are pretty but I don't like it other than the bridge

Album: YeoJin How to pronounce YeoJin in IPA: /jʌ.dʑin/ (that /j/ is a "y sound")

Kiss Later: 8 Anime opening (complimentary)

My Sunday (HeeJin & HyunJin): 4 I spent my Sunday listening to Loona and not doing my ballot when I easily could've but oh well

My Melody (HaSeul & YeoJin): 8 Idk why this adult contemporary type beat got me because that's a genre I don't like that much (I heard more than enough of it in the 90s) but it's working for me somehow

Album: ViVi How to pronounce ViVi in IPA: /bi.bi/ but at the beginning of a word, voiced stops in Korean get unvoiced, so it may sound like [pi.bi]. Or depending which way you look at it, voiceless stops get voiced in the middle of a word. In any case there is no /v/ in Korean so it's /b/.

Everyday I Love You (feat. HaSeul): 8 This version of this song is very upbeat and cute and also I'm not sure why there is another version with JinSoul [update: nvm they sound pretty different]

Everyday I Need You (feat. JinSoul): 8 This version of this song is more chilled out and cute and nice and also I'm not sure why there is another version with HaSeul [update: nvm they sound pretty different]

Album: Kim Lip Kim Lip's name is interesting. Her last name is /ɡim/, which comes out more like [kim], the most common Korean family name (and that's why it is romanized that way). But her first name is Jeong-Eun so her full name is /ɡim dʑʌŋ.ɯn/ ... the same as the leader of North Korea. There are lots of homophones in Korean so coincidences happen, but nevertheless I heard that's why her stage name is Kim Lip /ɡim ɾip/ (or /ɡim lip/, doesn't matter). But in Korean that consonant at the beginning of a word before /i/ is dropped. Does that mean her name is pronounced /ip/ ?! I don't think so because that rule doesn't apply all the time and there are exceptions. Anyway her tracks were some of my favourites here, "Eclipse" would be a good winner.

Eclipse: 10 One of the best Loona song and also best K-pop songs there is, why does this rule so hard, perfectly crafted ditty

Twilight: 8 The lyrics to this are so real and felt

Album: JinSoul Now her name is /dʑin.sol/ although it may sound more like [tɕin.sol] with devoicing at the beginning. I'm not sure if I should put the Korean /s/ as aspirated; it is and it sounds noticeably (to me) different from English, but strictly I shouldn't be putting /l/ between slashes either, but I am because it's simpler for English speakers.

Singing In The Rain: 8 I want to like this more but the chorus is too repetitive; otherwise it's kind of a slapper. It's very busy-sounding in a good way and there are so many elements to focus on

Love Letter: 8 I swear there is a 2010s tropical-pop-adjacent sound here (complimentary)

Album: Choerry Choerry's nickname (최리) is that, ⟨Choe-ri⟩, because her full name is ⟨Choe Ye-rim⟩, and it sounds almost like the English word cherry. It's pronounced /tɕʰwe.ɾi/. The ⟨oe⟩ is because that vowel was once /ø/, but few Koreans say that anymore.

Love Cherry Motion: 11 Perfect song, endlessly catchy, cutesy and shameless 80s pastiche in the best way and then the random wild Middle Eastern-sounding instrumental part is so !? it rules. As well I am easily baited by blue and purple so.

Puzzle: 8 Me when I do 25 chess puzzles a day to practice idk this is a bop that's all I've got. I love the synth and the rhythm you know how the drums are syncopated

Album: Yves Now Yves' stage name (이브) is not odd in the language it comes from, French, where it's just /iv/. However in Korean there's no /v/, so as I said elsewhere it's replaced with /b/, the closest sound. But in Korean /b/ is devoiced at the beginning *and* end of a word to /p/. What then? Add an epenthetic vowel! So it's /ib.ɯ/ with that vowel romanized ⟨eu⟩ often used as a "dummy" vowel in Korean for foreign names or words, to make them easier to say.

new: 8 Synthwave copy song but make it good

D-1: 8 good rhythm

Album: Chuu The way Chuu's name (츄) is romanized always struck me as unusual; it would normally be ⟨Chyu⟩ /tɕʰju/. Anyway she is the most popular member with Western fans and she seems nice. That "abuse of power" thing was ridiculous; I am sure that Chuu did nothing wrong.

Heart Attack: 10 Nearly 11ed this track, which I like simply because it's catchy. It's my most played Loona track after "favOriTe" and I like the retro sound of it a lot and the harmonies. Despite its fame I did not see the music video for a long time, funnily enough.

Girl's Talk: 10 I didn't know it before the rate but, a slapper

Album: Go Won Go Won (고원) is /ɡo.wʌn/, easy.

One & Only: 8 It doesn't stand out a lot but I like it

See Saw: 8 No thoughts I'm just into it

Album: Olivia Hye Today she goes by her birth name HyeJu (혜주) /hje.dʑu/, but as Olivia Hye (올리비아 혜) it'd be /ol.li.bi.a hje/. The /l/ is double because as a single letter it'd be [ɾ], a neat trick in Korean.

Egoist: 10 Wow I love this song! The lyrics are very interesting!

Rosy: 8 I have no thoughts I'm just "hihats" "bass" "synth" "hell yeah"

Album: Love & Evil I never got too into this mini but it's not bad. Seems to be less popular with Western fans.

Love & Evil (Intro): 6 Dramatic YouTube music idk

Sonatine: 6 It's pretty but I don't think I fully get the appeal of it

Rain 51db: 10 This exact kind of ballad was everywhere in the 80s and I'm so into it for inexplicable reasons

Love & Live: 10 So cute aa

You and Me Together: 10 Taking a short break from claiming every Loona song I like sounds 80s-ish to say parts of this rather bring to mind a 90s R&B song but anyway good ditty

Fairy tale: 8 So cute and wholesome I want to fall asleep to this (complimentary)

Valentine Girl: 10 I don't remember giving this a 10 yesterday but I wrote "cute" so

Album: Max & Match This album is OEC roleplaying as 1983 Madonna and that is the highest praise from me. May be my favourite Loonaverse project, and their comeback last year ruled too.

ADD (Intro): 10 I am offended by this track name having ADHD myself which is its proper name- jk. I love that little melody that shows up in so many Loona songs it's cute.

Sweet Crazy Love: 10 Never fails to get me going with the uptempo beat and this song taught me what "cherry lips" means. Perfect early Madonna LARP, I love it.

Uncover: 10 😳

Girl Front: 8 It's a banger but I never quite got the hype over it and sometimes I feel like "alright that's enough ooh-ing, no song needs that much ooh in it". However I wouldn't be mad if it won.

LOONATIC: 10 Let's argue about dream pop vs. shoegaze in the comments nah jk this rules though what a banger. You wouldn't think a Loona song with this kind of grungy guitar would work and yet

Chaotic: 8 I can't help but cringe at "psychotic", I have a thing about this word being thrown around but I like everything else about the song and am not the type to tank a song over that. I just wish they picked a better word lol

Starlight: 10 Yes it's slow but I love it

ODD Front: 8 All Loona has to do is say "hey boy" in my ears and I'll be like "heck yes this rules"

Album: beauty&thebeat This mini is pretty good, I don't listen to it enough

dal segno (intro): 10 I love the funk guitar and the synth and yeah it's an intro but it rocks

love4eva (feat. Grimes): 10 Believe it or not I'm not giving this a 10 because Grimes is here, although it's very funny she shows up for three seconds and dips, but also I like the song a lot on its own. Very "eating sugar right from the bowl" kind of ditty

frozen: 8 Cute

one way: 6 Nobody can say I am balladophobic I have given 10s to ballads in this rate but this is idk Fine

rendezvous 18.6y: 10 I felt this wasn't too great until I read the lyrics and felt like screw it I am easy to bait with space mentions

BONUS TRACKS

Love & Live (Remix): 10 I gave this a 10 the first time and this isn't noticeably worse so sure 10

You and Me Together (Remix): 10 It's maybe even more of a slapper than the original

LOONATIC - English Version: 10 We don't need it but it's a great song either way

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