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My pick!: Top 40 Kpop songs of 2009 (Rank 1st to 20th)
Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Sorry for the lateness but hohoho. Now this list I am very pleased with. I strongly believe that every single song on this list is really epic. Now you might disagree slightly with the top 5 positions, but I daresay that it was such a close fight that it really doesn't matter, all 5 of them will be the best songs you'd have heard in 2009, all 5 of them are interchangeable.

Number 20: Kara - Mister



GUH THE BUTT DANCE WILL KILL US ALL. As if it's not bad enough that this song is repetitive and thus very catchy, they come up with a dance that makes all of them look crazily sexy and cute at the same time. HOW DO THE KOREANS DO IT?

Number 19: 4Minute - Muzik



I think 4minute has gained infamy amongst my friends for how annoying their music is. But honestly, I think annoying is just another way to describe the feeling when a song gets stuck in your head. Which is what makes a good song in my opinion.

This is one of those annoying songs, with dance beats and lyrics so repetitive that they border on hypnotic. Them being a girl group, don't sound typically cutesy like you would come to be accustomed to from Jpop groups. Instead, they're kind of westernized - sexy, dirty yet pretending to be innocent. Just the way I like them girls, yes why don't you go put on that girl's school uniform and bend over...

Not that I'm saying westerners are all sexy and dirty... oh who am I kidding, you guys are FILTHY! But I love you sexy bitches nonetheless. :D (Email me your naughty pictures now.)

Number 18: SHINee - Ring Ding Dong



I know the title sounds weird (I'd ring YOUR ding dong Jonghyun, call me. *wink*) but wait for it - the song has African tribal influences. It's ridiculous in theory but the song becomes really good after a while because well, you just can't forget it. Mainly beats without much of a tune, it's a good thing that SHINee with their vocal prowess is doing this song. Anyone else in SM might have just screwed it up.

Number 17: Davichi - My Man



I loved this song purely because the lyrics are funny as hell ("You gotta be my man, baby I want your love." and "Oh yeah yeah yeah!"). The Engrish displayed in the music video were funny as hell too. Go watch and you'll understand. (I admit, the shirtless dude, Gwangsu of Supernova, in the video made it so much more delicious for me too. Mmm.) Also, no autotune! Not much anyways.

Number 16: F.T. Island - I Hope



One of the rare few songs that don't involve dance or autotune or the such this year. Typical boy band (not boyband, but like a young male band) stuff with pop-rock and loads of dramatic screamy choruses. Much love.

Number 15: Taeyang - Where U At



Taeyang is undoubtedly the Korean Ne-yo. They are so similar it scares me.

Anyways, I love how Taeyang mixes his innocent vibe, mix it with a bit of heartbreak and then pour sexiness all over it and then slap you with a hip thrust while you were trying to process it all.

Dance, R&B, soul. All that good stuff for sex music. You guys know what I'm talking about. Nothing like Taeyang's "mmm mmm mmm"s to bring me over that magical place. 8D

Number 14: SS501 - U R MAN



SS501 minus two members (I'd have named this temporary group SS499 really) apparently equals way more sexy version of SS501? The photobooklet that came with the album had shirtless photos of all three members. The guys dance with shirts opened so wide you can almost see nip... never mind. You know what I'm talking about, go take a listen! Sexy dance pop!

Number 13: G-Dragon feat. Taeyang - Korean Dream



I think it's kind of ironic that this song is only 13th on the list when Heartbreaker placed higher on this list. Here's what I said previously:

"Korean Dream" is my favorite track on the album, and I swear it's not because of Taeyang's involvement in this song. The song with its catchy as heck tune and shoutable lyrics ("Eh oh eh oh!" and "One two step and Turn left to the right below shut Ladies (yeah) and gentlemen (huh)") makes it a great party track. There's so much fun to be had with this song, and you'll know why when you take a listen to it.

Number 12: SHINee - Juliette



This is evidence why JE will never stand a chance against them Kpop boygroups. The dancing for this video was crazy: it was tricky as hell yet they managed it like five pedobait robots. And those tight pants. Oh god.

They did a better job with the song than Corbin Bleu did (yes, the High School Musical dude, you can guess the kind of song this is going to be now), who sang the original song titled "Deal with it". Their version is infused with more electronic beats and is a bit more chaotic, hence leaving you feeling a little overwhelmed (rather than Corbin's version which leaves so much to be desired as it was kind of sparse). I love it when Jonghyun's veins pop in his neck when he sings the high notes, slurp.

Number 11: SNSD - Tell me your wish (Genie)



The weaker of the two main offerings from SNSD this year, the girls take on sexy music and doesn't live up to expectations. That's not to say this is a bad song though, it just seems I've come to expect way more than is possible from SNSD.

But yes, SNSD, stick to cute stuff. But those tiny shorts can stay. :D

Number 10: T-ara & Super Nova - Time to Love



Time to Love is a collaboration between the hardly popular Supernova and the now rapidly rising T-ara. One of the rare few mid-tempo songs in this list, this song is is more of a ballad than a pop song, intertwined with lots of rap. It's a song that has a lot of attitude, a bit of wistfulness and a whole lot of good melodies. I seriously love this song so much.

(And it totally helps that the people picked to sing this song from each group are hot as hell. Gwangsu, someone send me Gwangsu along with the other people I've requested for. Thanks.)

Number 9: Brown Eyed Girls - Abracadabra



Everyone around me judged me when I liked this song, but see how it turned out! I think one of the factors that made this song a major hit was the fact that it was just so strange and so so dirty for it to be just a song. In fact, it's kind of like watching porn with your ears, I can't really explain it any other way.

It'll leave a more lasting impression on you if you watched the video though. That my friend, was considered porn back in the 60s. Make sure your grandma isn't around when you watch it.

(I watched it once with my mom before though. I was trying to show her what HD video was like and the only one I had was this song. Guess how awkward it was when they groped that girl's boobs?)

Number 8: 4Minute - Hot Issue



Similar to MUZIK, 4minute's debut song Hot Issue is not a song to be ignored. You'll either grow to love or hate this song purely because of how addictive/annoying it is. With hilarious lyrics like "4 4 4 4 minute, hot hot hot isshew ah!", how can you hate this song? What is wrong with you people! Dance pop mixed with hip hop, kind of reminiscent of Gwen Stefani's Hollaback girl if you must.

Number 7: G-Dragon - Heartbreaker



Despite all the controversy surrounding this song, you can't deny that it is one of the most catchy songs of the year. Typical dance pop, G-Dragon does well by hiding his vocal flaws with tons of autotune. As I've mentioned previously:

"Heartbreaker" is a thumping club/dance/pop track that's bound to make you want move your body a little. Some people might get turned off by the autotune (or whatever you call that thing that makes his voice synth-y) but I personally think it's a very good tool to hide the flaws in his voice. G-Dragon is not a strong singer per se, but with this vocoder (am I using the wrong word again?) thing, it makes his voice phenomenal.

Number 6: Super Junior-M - Super Girl



All 7 handsome men in suits. Hankyung in shades. Siwon staring at you like he wants you. Really, what else does it take to sell music these days? On first listen, it'll probably sound utterly ridiculous ("Oh my shuper gurl") but stare at the boys long enough and you tend to forgive minor mistakes. Who cares about Engrish when they're this gorgeous doing it? If you still mind the Engrish, then stare at Hankyung and Siwon and repeat about 10 or 20 times. You'd be sold too.

Number 5: Taeyang - Wedding Dress



I swear Taeyang is like sex for your ears. His smooth vocals coupled with this emotional ballad (about a girl who got married to another guy instead of him, stupid bitch) makes for very heartbreaking yet delicious music. And his dancing, oh god. Will someone hand me a tissue, I just made a mess here thinking about it. NOM NOM.

Number 4: Seungri - Strong Baby



This is what pushed me over to Kpop. I was on the fence as to whether I should start venturing into the Kpop world but Seungri came along without his shirt and groping himself and my mind just went ASDFGHJKL KPOP GOOD YES SHLURP. Way too sexual for such a young dude, but hey we're all pedophiles right? NOM NOM YOUNG TENDER FLESH.

Ahem. Um, sexy pop. A slightly lesser Justin Timberlake, but the potential is SO there. You heard it here first.

Number 3: Super Junior - SORRY SORRY



Ditching their previous cutesy (otherwise slightly visual-kei) style for this sleek, manly (ok some of them) and sexy concept, Super Junior has basically propelled themselves to superstardom. And this is exactly the very strong style of the song: sleek, manly (at times) and very very sexy.

Mainly dance and electronica, it supposedly has influences of American funk and contemporary R&B and stuff that I don't understand. All that I know is that this song is immensely infectious and downright irritating if you can't get into it. But if you did, this song will be the most fun you will have had for 2009.

Number 2: SNSD - Gee



The first time I watched the MV for this, I knew it was over. I remember going "HOLY CRAP, this is a GOOD MV!" But then again, I was watching too much Jpop at the time. Nonetheless, cute song that is legendary in its own way (it topped the K-charts for 9 weeks mind you) so it's very well deserving of its place in this list. Lyrics like "Gee gee gee gee baby baby baby" will forever be chanted by sweaty fanboys all over the world. Girl groups in Korea will continue to try to emulate SNSD but will fail. The world will be taken over by Yuri and her-

Ahem. But yes, this was the best song of the year, along with...

Number 1: Big Bang, 2NE1 - Lollipop



I can see you racing to that comment button in protest. You guys will say I'm biased or soemthing but hear me out. After listening to the teaser for this song (in the form of the LG phone CF), I went CRAZY searching for this song online. Nothing can explain the feeling of excitement I had when I was about to hear it for the first time. Which is probably what pushed this song just slightly over to the top spot for me.

It was similarly fun for me as Gee was, so I'm only basing this decision on the feeling I got when I first heard the song. Lollipop had a much greater and longer lasting effect on me.

With TOP doing the chorus for once with his deep and husky voice, you know it's bound to be a good song. The beat is infectious and ridiculously catchy and if it doesn't get stuck in your head then I don't know what will. 2NE1 does a great job with this "debut" song of theirs but Big Bang are the ones who ultimately delivers like they are known to. If you choose not to bother with ANY of the songs I've chosen, at least listen to this one. I love it THAT much.

So how many of your favorite songs made my list? If you've not heard some of the songs on this list, well you've got some homework to do now haven't you? :D

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My pick!: Top 40 Kpop songs (Rank 21st to 40th)
Wednesday, January 13, 2010

I know what you must be thinking. 40 songs?

But yeah, couldn't help it. There really was that many good songs in Kpop this year. Sad isn't it, when you compare Jpop to it?

(By the way, I really can't be bothered to upload all the songs this time, because I am so tired. Sorry.)

Number 40: MBLAQ - Oh Yeah!



Latin music? Not, it's all just a ruse. It kind of sounds like macho stripper music, which is exactly what they are in the music video anyways. Oh I can just see you guys frantically searching for them on Youtube now.

Number 39: f(x) - Lachata



This song is honestly much better when you hear the live versions (I'm guessing the audience shouting has something to do with it). Think more preppy and more modern Moulin Rouge.

Number 38: Kara - Honey



Cute as hell, these girls give any H!P groups (and AKB48 for that matter) a run for their money ANY day. Typical girly group stuff, so H!P fans rejoice!

Number 37: SHINee - Stand By Me



Pretty boys with pretty voices singing a pretty and refreshing song. You know nothing can go wrong with that.

Number 36: Kara - Wanna



The one thing that you'll notice upon first listen to this song is that it has about 2 dominant lyrics with the rest of the song not mattering. But when they repeat it a gazillion times, you would most likely be stuck with the tune in your head. Which is why this song is on this list. Hopefully this helps me get it out of my system. But seriously, catchy as hell, cute yet sexy at the same time. Not many groups can pull that off.

Number 35: Mighty Mouth - Love Class



The only way I know how to describe Mighty Mouth's sound is that they're the m-flo of Korea. And they do awesome collaborations with other artists too (this one's with UEE from After School and Hyuna from 4minute I think?)! It's all round lighthearted fun (the MV is cracktastic) and the girls do well with the chirpy chorus while the guys do their macho thing.

Number 34: Big Bang - So Fresh, So Cool



Very different from the clubby stuff you'd usually hear from Big Bang, this song is not exactly the fresh and cool song it calls itself. Nonetheless, the song is fun with slightly more edge than your regular pop offering these days.

Number 33: SS501 - Love like this



SS501 has also succumbed to the power of autotune and this is the result. But for some reason, SS501 sounds stubbornly pop even with all the added sparkles. Kinda like "Take on me" by A1, which you know is supposed to not be pop (more like techno) but it ends up sounding like a bubblegum pop song anyways.

Yeah I don't explain this well. Deal with it.

Number 32: SS501 - Because I'm Stupid



This is the best OST to a Kdrama for this year. I can't even begin to gush the sort of gooeyness I feel when I play this song. It's slightly sad, slightly dramatic and all parts awesome. It does have that very distinct "drama ending" vibe to it though, which might be what's causing all these strange emotions in me.

Number 31: 2NE1 - I Don't Care



I don't see why EVERYONE is falling over themselves for this song, but it's still pretty nice. The "I don't care eh eh eh eh eh~" line is so addictive to just chant to random classmates (who give me very weird looks) and the tune is kept clean enough, so I guess that should work.

Number 30: Daesung - It's a big hit!



And Daesung with his trot stuff always amuses me. For those of you who are not familar with trot, it's basically old-school Korean music. Think oily singing and slurs and cabaret and band all mixed together, then getting a grandma to sing it. That's about as close a description I can give.

While it's not as memorable or catchy as his previous trot single (Nal Bwa Gwisoon), this song if given the chance will stay adamantly in your head and you will fall in love with it. It's a weird feeling really.

Number 29: 2NE1 - FIRE



Gangsta girls, what could be more funny? But seriously, this is a pretty decent dance track, perhaps just a tad too hip-hop for me.

Number 28: G-Dragon - Breathe



Oh the lyrics. "You and me hardcore, till you say no more". Do you really need more reason than that to listen to this?

Number 27: BEAST - Bad Girl



BEAST's debut song is honestly not bad, but is rather typical boyband stuff. As with all other Kpop stuff this year, expect loads of autotune and rapping. Kind of like a strangely robotically-perfect JE with more macho in them. Slurp.

Number 26: f(x) - Chu



Heavy on the autotune but not so much that they sound like Perfume, this is the kind of song you'd see cheerleaders doing their routines to. Pretty danceable stuff.

Number 25: Son Dam Bi - Saturday Night



Disco! We're all going back to the 80s this year! I want to marry Son Dam Bi's shoulders. Watch her performances of this song and you'll know why.

Number 24: Taegoon - Call Me



Ah yes, the hype that was Taegoon earlier this year. He got loads of attention after being linked with Jaejoong (they're childhood friends) and then some negative attention for not being able to sing live.

This song must be listened while watching the MV, the effect is so much better. Why you ask? Well, because the crotch-thrusting must be seen to be believed. Interested yet? GO LISTEN. (Typical techno-electro-dance pop stuff in case you're wondering.)

Number 23: Junjin - Like a Fool



The chorus of this song with its "do you wanna love love love" exclamations somehow reminded me of the 90s Chinese pop that I used to listen to. This song is pop in every sense of the word and I honestly thought it was going to do well on the charts. Well it didn't and I blame the boring physiotherapy-esque dance moves. Which means no dance moves actually. But still, good song.

Number 22: Brown Eyed Girls - Sign



Go watch any of their performances of this song and you will fall in love with it. The fan dance is just SO PRETTY. Ahem. The song is just dramatic ballady stuff which I guess could be pretty ordinary unless you watch the performances. I cannot stress this enough.

Number 21: 2PM - Again & Again



A subdued dance track, it has some emo whiney bits and loads of emo faces. But hey, if they can be emo and sexy then why not right? Someone send me Junho please.

And here are the songs that nearly but didn't make the list in the end.
  • Number 41: Kim Jong Kook - Happy Virus
  • Number 42: DNT - Crazily Pretty
  • Number 43: AJOO - Wealthy 2nd Generation
  • Number 44: After School - Diva
  • Unranked, but I'm guessing pretty high up in the list: BEAST - Mystery
Can you guess which song made my top 5 for Kpop this year? :D

(I know it's taking hell long for me to come up with these posts and then the reviews don't sound fantastically technical or something, but hey that's why I didn't open a TBT review blog right? Besides, I'm good at dissing people, not praising people. These posts are theoretically doomed from the start.)

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Q4R #021: 21 Dragons!
Friday, September 11, 2009

Being the 21st Q4R, it seems appropriate to discuss 2NE1! (And G-Dragon, since you can't seem to talk about one without the other these days.)
  • what do you think about the new female band "2ne1"? i'd like your professional, wise opinions on each of the 4 members please.
  • Thanks for anwsering my question! I also love the songs you chose, and TOP`s rap is so good, how can people not like it? O_o
    Anyway, here is the question:

    *What do you think of the new YG group that is going to debute in may, the "female Big Bang" 2NE1?

    Bye byeeeee
As you can see, I'm answering all these questions REEEEALLY late, which I'm so sorry for. D:

But back on topic. My first impression of them were that they were uglier than your typical Kpop girl group. However, I still looked forward to their debut because G-Dragon was rumored to be the producer for their song "FIRE" or something like that.

BUT! The first time I saw their dress sense I went headtable headtable headtable repeatedly in a futile attempt to try and get rid of that colorful explosive diarrhea out of my head.



Yes you can go bang your heads against a hard surface now.

I don't really know them very well, so as I always do, I'd compare personalities with a group I'm more familiar with. In this case, I'm going to use Big Bang. Deal with it.

[Park Bom is Seungri]



Both of them seem like attention whores for some reason, and most of the time I see them they're acting cute in one way or another. Also, it seems that both of them sounds stuffy-nosed when they sing live.

[Minzy is Daesung]



Constantly made fun of for her "countryside" looks, she's like a more subdued version of Daesung. Maybe it'll take a variety show or two to get her to loosen up a bit.

Oh, and both of them sing well too. Maybe it the kind of face that projects the kind of voice.

[Dara is Taeyang]



She's constantly SO polite and she looks the best amongst the 2NE1 girls, so I guess that makes her Taeyang. She's also always politically correct, another trait of Taeyang's. *shrugs* She's also easily my favorite member, although this is based on a purely superficial basis.

[CL is .... G-Dragon?]


I have no idea. G-Dragon is definitely more crazy than she is. But both of them are the leaders of their groups, so... it sort of links?
  • comments on g-dragon being a fasion icon. LOL
He's honestly hit-or-miss for me. Generally he gets something right, then screws up something else. Let's take a few examples...



See, in the first picture he generally looks okay except for the weird eyeliner and dead rat on his head. I think the top/scarf would work with some other hat.

But then he goes change into the mess of a T-shirt. Now don't get me wrong, the mess is not with the 'FUCK YOU' and '69' and 'I ♥ SEX', the mess is actually with the leopard print AND how faded it looks.

Like, how old is this T-shirt anyways?



I honestly like the jumpsuit and all the crazy accessories, it looks really fun and bright and all, but we would all agree he looks like a mad scientist in this photo.

The problem really lies with the hair (it's not a bad style, but it simply does not go well with this outfit) and the fact that he wore a shirt-and-tie. If you switch those out for something else, it'd probably look better. And less crazy-chemical-fetishist.



And see, he CAN look good. All white ensemble and big watch and all that, it's really fresh and airy, which makes him looks like the young guy he is. Admittedly this is one of his older photos, but still.
  • Comments on GD's new look? It looks as if the inspiration came from Death Note.


Firstly, he's honestly one of the VERY few Asians who can carry off platinum blonde without looking like a total douchebag. It's probably because of his very androgynous features and fair skin. *shrugs*

I like the hair, that's for sure.

The SM-leather sleeves however...



Yeah, they make me cringe. Imagine how uncomfortable those things must be! D: And they kind of make him look like he has evil detachable arms. Eeek.
  • Sorry, just a quick question, what does SQS stand for?
Gasp! How can you not know! Everyone knows!

It stands for:

Stop.
Quiver.
Sigh in satisfaction.

If you know what I mean. :D
  • OMG. GD'S HEARTBREAKER IS SOME SEXY SHIT! Y/Y?
  • Hey Raid, G-dragon from Big Bang's solo album was leaked! Have you given it a listen yet? What do you think?
Sigh, ok I guess I have to do another review again, but a much shorter version. Let's do it my normal way: good, bad and so-so.

[Good songs]

"A boy" has a very interesting melody, but the pitch makes you cringe at times (especially during the bridge). You'll get used to it after a few listens though. A not-too-showy start to a very showy album.

"Heartbreaker" is a thumping club/dance/pop track that's bound to make you want move your body a little. Some people might get turned off by the autotune (or whatever you call that thing that makes his voice synth-y) but I personally think it's a very good tool to hide the flaws in his voice. G-Dragon is not a strong singer per se, but with this vocoder (am I using the wrong word again?) thing, it makes his voice phenomenal.

"Breathe" continues in the same vein as "Heartbreaker", except it's slightly less upbeat. Think of it like this: "Heartbreaker" is when you're in the club, and "Breathe" is the after-club sex that you have.

The lyrics are mightily suggestive too - "I know you want it baby... You and me hardcore, let's do it some more... Till you say no more... I can't breathe".

Don't you love it already?

"Gossip Man", like many of the other good songs on the album, has a very distinct beat that you can follow easily. It also has a rather decent chorus with a strong melody. I didn't much fancy the veteran singer featured in this song, but I can't complain much I guess. It's really not good enough to be a good song, but it's much better than just so-so, so I had to put it here.

"Korean Dream" is my favorite track on the album, and I swear it's not because of Taeyang's involvement in this song. The song with its catchy as heck tune and shoutable lyrics ("Eh oh eh oh!" and "One two step and Turn left to the right below shut Ladies (yeah) and gentlemen (huh)") makes it a great party track. There's so much fun to be had with this song, and you'll know why when you take a listen to it.

[So-so]

"Hello" is mainly Dara (from 2NE1) singing, with G-Dragon rapping. Therefore, the whole song is made up mostly of rapping with Dara singing minimally (sad really). It's not exactly a catchy song, and kind of feels like a filler song. Dara doesn't sing enough for this to be a romantic duet or something either, unless this duet is of a narcissistic male and his really unimportant girlfriend. While it's not a bad song, it just doesn't stand out enough for me to care too much about it.

"The Leaders" is really just hip-hop and rapping, which is not really my thing. The opening with the "wassup, wassup, wassup wassup wassup" held so much potential to make this a fun song, but it eventually fell flat. There were some cute parts ("Gee gee gee gee Baby baby baby, GD GD Bang it Bang it Bang it") but those just weren't enough to make this song epic.

Besides, CL rapping "the one and only best female" makes me roll my eyes.

[Bad songs]

"Butterfly" is a weaker number because G-Dragon is trying for forlorn and sad or something equally rubbishy in this song. G-Dragon can do angsty, emo, angry and happy, but not sad and sentimental. It just turns out cheesy and all I want to do is ask him to just shut up and stop whining already.

And besides, he's required to sing without the help of any effects shielding his voice. The music is also very minimalistic, which exhibits his flaws for all to see.

"She's Gone" is... well. I guess the fact that I don't even remember how the song is like is testament to what I think of it. It's just basically macho screamy stuff which would be great for those angry days. Other than that, it's just really... testosterone-overloaded noise. How inspiring.

"1 year station" is a neither here nor there song. It's trying to be upbeat, yet has a mid-tempo melody, yet has mad rapid rapping scattered here and there and basically it just sounds a little messy to me. The singing doesn't help much either, he sounds gay in here. Or constipated. Or both.

Oh oh, and if you're asking about the music video for "Heartbreaker", then yes it's fucking sexy. It propelled him from "strange eccentric friend" to "fuckable" in my list. A major improvement I would say. Go watch it if you haven't already.
  • I was just wondering your position on the whole Heartbreaker copying Right Round incident
    love your blog as always :D
I'm always slightly hesitant to comment on plagiarism issues because, let's face it, is anything even original these days? Everything is inspired by something else, and with so much music in the market these days, is it any wonder that two songs happen to sound the same?

But anyways, he might have, he might not have. I really don't care. All I care is whether the song is nice (it is) and whether the music video is nice (also is). Why should I have to care so much as to who owns the song anyways? So that I know who exactly deserves to get my money when I buy the album? Whatever for, sheesh.
  • just curious, do blonde asians have more fun, like G Dragon?
Ask Seungri. He's the one having fun (if you know what I mean) with G-Dragon. 8D



If you have a question for me, drop me a comment using the button below!

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