We're officially saying goodbye to the boy band troubles and plagiarism woes that plagued Asian acts in 2009, and happily raising a bubbly to the new music that will hopefully make this year another great one for Asian music. So far, the first three weeks have been interesting: 4 Minute's HyunA may have had the first huge hit of 2010 but newcomer CNBLUE may be making the more lasting impact. In between, there are remarkable debuts and a few surprise team-ups.

Ready. Get set. Listen.

'Tik Tok' by 2PM feat. Yoon Eun-Hye
Rating: 4/5



Actress Yoon Eun-Hye of ‘Coffee Prince’ lends her shy vocals to the breezy dance-pop of 'Tik Tok,' the sort-of farewell single of 2PM as they go on hiatus after the tremendous success of their first full album. A tick-tocking clock provides an interesting counterpoint to the piano breaks, while the mostly vocoder-free vocals is a refreshing departure from the mostly mechanized K-Pop soundscape.

'Crazy' by - BEAST (from Attack the Gas Station 2 OST Single Album)
Rating: 3/5



It's great to hear newcomers BEAST (stylized as B2ST) adding edge to their dance pop with a guitar-heavy single for the sequel to a cult-favorite film. It's catchy, fast, but still too safely structured. If only they had taken it further and sung with a little more hunger, then 'Crazy' would stand out more.

'Change' by HyunA feat. Yong Joon-Hyung of BEAST
Rating: 3/5



The first hit of the new year is bristling with confident sexiness. HyunA sheds off the girl-next-door image, and judging from the single sales, this change is a success. The single, though, is better seen than heard; the music video is bursting with energy. Musically, I just can't seem to shake off the 2NE1 comparison.

'Mazeltov' by ZE:A (from Nativity Single Album)
Rating: 2/5



'Love Coach' would have made a better single than 'Mazeltov;' the former's house pop comes close to Japanese boy band EXILE's blissful choruses. 'Mazeltov,' though interestingly produced with agitated starts-and-stops, once again falls into the heavily vocoder-ed bandwagon and ends up a catchy but generic single.

'Jiggy' by F.CUZ
Rating: 2/5



Cute, because boy bands are supposed to be in the first place, and if that was newcomer F.CUZ was aiming for, then they've succeeded with cut-out hearts on top. The, err, cute choreography is, err, cute along with the blindingly colorful outfits. It's Sanrio pastels on speed primarily targeted for twelve-year old girls.

'Wonder Woman' by Seeya, Davichi & T-ARA
Rating: 3/5



A wonder grouping that will make grown-up men sweat, Seeya, Davichi and T-ARA combine their pop superpowers for a fun, dance-y single with a reggae backbone. 'Wonder Woman' is hook-heavy without being predictable, while the girls' enthusiasm for the collaboration is sweetly palpable.

'Islander' by Islander
Rating: 4/5

Islander's sleek Digable Planets vibe, and smooth, gentle vocals make them wonderfully standout from the trendy robotic dance pop manufactured by the bigger record labels. Carrying a refreshing breeze of jazz-urban pop, Islander is the antidote to calculated radio-friendliness.

'I'm a Loner' by CNBLUE
from Bluetory Mini Album
Rating: 4/5

The skill to play instruments makes all the difference. CNBLUE, armed with musicality and boy band looks, may just very well be the next big thing. 'I'm a Loner' is good pop-rock with a surprising rap bit in the coda. I would've wanted the guitars to be fuller, but maybe that's just newbie hesitance. Can't wait to hear more new from this promising group.


- Thor Balanon