Too many new K-pop idol groups debuting...my assessment.

[cronodroid]

Hey guys! I'm Crono. This is just a quickie regarding my favorite Meta topic: the K-pop industry. Mind dump warning…

Comments

[iacus]

The idea of an objective judgment being possible for subjective things such as beauty, art, etc, is a very comforting thought. It means that it is possible for us to pick the “right” thing to like, and it gives us reasons for liking said thing. I don't just think Im Yoona is a pretty woman, I know she is prettier than any other; I don't just like song/band/genre X, I know that it is better than any other I could choose to listen to. This idea adds to our confidence and self-worth by affirming that the things we like or choose to consume are actually indicators of our intelligence; I am intelligent enough to recognize the value of a certain piece of art and like it, while other people, who are less smart than I, do not recognize the worth of this art and do not like it. Indeed this idea conflates the concepts of 'taste' and 'intelligence' into one, assuming that each informs the other. My good taste is a product of my high intelligence

[cronodroid]

No, you're right in that you shouldn't objectively view an inherently subjective issue. Then again, what isn't subjective? The thing is, trends and attitudes defy the idea of subjectivity. Why do so many people think Yoona is attractive? Why do so many people think Soulja Boy is crap? The opinions of the masses may not count for much when it's a commonly held attitude that popular opinion is stupid, but academically we almost always use mass opinion to determine various things

[iacus]

That idea is called "intersubjective," meaning a subjective judgement that a large number of people agree on. It doesn't quite have the agreement obliterating weight that the term "objective" does.
http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2008/05/14/in-critical-condition/

Is vocal talent or ability to follow choreography blatant? What if I prefer to listen to someone who "can't sing" to someone who can?

[cronodroid]

That will rarely happen though because most people aren't tone deaf and a singer going off key or out of tune is instantly apparent to most listeners. You can also measure a singer's ability to hold a note, and their range quite easily.

Things like timbre are more subjective though, some singers are better liked than others because people enjoy the color of their voice more. Jessica definitely has better vocal control than Tiffany, but she has a bit of a sour tone whereas Tiffany has a richer, huskier voice although she makes vocal miscues more often.

[iacus]

Actually it happens all the time. Entire genres of music are dedicated to people singing "wrong."

And yes that's my point, most people don't stop in the middle of listening to a song in order to measure the singers range, and only then declare that they like the song. The majority of people like or dislike music pretty intuitively based on what makes them feel good, not based on what's good or not.

You can measure a artist's technique but you can't measure how it makes you feel.

[arbitrary_greay]

Entire genres of music are dedicated to people singing "wrong.""With the exception of Milli Vanilli's, pop listeners have always been fairly indulgent about performers' ethics. It's hits that matter, and the average person listening to just one pop song on the radio will have a hard time hearing Auto-Tune's impact; it's effectively deceptive. But when track after track has perfect pitch, the songs are harder to differentiate from one another--which explains why pop is in a pretty serious lull at the moment. It also changes the way we hear unaffected voices. "The other day, someone was talking about how Aretha Franklin at the Inauguration was a bit pitchy," says Anderson. "I said, 'Of course! She was singing!' And that was a musician talking. People are getting used to hearing things dead on pitch, and it's changed their expectations

[arbitrary_greay]

Is the ability to follow choreography blatant?
Two waves in the gif linked. The blog author prefers the girl on the right for its greater emphasis and power, but a lot of people(myself included) prefer the more sensual wave on the left. Yet the girl on the right learned to dance that way because when her mother went to see her at a concert she couldn't identify her daughter, so the girl now makes grander movements in order to stand out in a dancing crowd. Wouldn't that be frowned upon in Kpop, because it would break the sync of the group? Tommy Rall has better technique but Bob Fosse choreographed his own part, who's the better dancer? Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly