Psy ( YG Entertainment ) As the countdown to 2015 approaches , the assessment of the year ’ s best songs , albums and industry newcomers is in full swing . Rounding out the year , Billboard ’ s top picks of the 10 best K - pop albums of 2014 land the feisty K - pop icons of 2 NE 1 the crown . The ladies ’ second full - length album , “ Crush , ” was praised for cleverly exploring hybrid genres including reggae and R & B and landed them at the No . 1 spot , beating out other much awaited K - pop heavy - weight comebacks such as Seo Taiji and Rain . The magazine referred to opening the album with its eponymous single , which is not the album ’ s lead track , as a sign that although the group ’ s sound is maturing , the ladies have not forgotten where they come from . “ . .. opening the record with ‘ Crush , ’ with its bewitching Middle - Eastern vibe and aggressive attitude similar to their signature hit “ I Am the Best ” proved that the girls know where their roots lie and they ’ re happy to treat fans while still evolving as artists . ” According to Billboard , “ Crush ” debuted at No . 61 on the Billboard 200 , marking the highest chart position and biggest sales week for a K - pop album ever . The album was released on Feb . 27 and came nearly four years after the group ’ s first full - length album , “ To Anyone . ”   In somewhat of a surprising twist , taking second place on Billboard ’ s stamp of the year ’ s best K - pop albums is a band that would not even be labeled as a K - pop act by locals . Popular indie band Nell beat out the likes of K - pop starlet IU for the No . 2 spot with the band ’ s latest sixth full album , “ Newton ’ s Apple . ” Coincidentally released on the exact same day as 2 NE 1 ’ s album , the magazine referred to Nell ’ s record as the strongest Korean rock album of the year . “ . .. ‘ Newton ’ s Apple ’ highlights Nell ’ s vocalist / chief composer Kim Jong Wan ’ s clever and honest songwriting skills . . .. All the lyrics are wrapped in warm , lush arrangements and instrumentals that enchant the listener simply by themselves , ” Billboard wrote . 2 NE 1 ( YG Entertainment ) With IU and Seo Taiji taking the third and fourth spots , respectively , rounding out the rest of the Top 10 lists are HA : TFELT ( known best as Yenny from the Wonder Girls ) , Taeyang of Big Bang , B . A . P . , Epik High , CNBLUE and Rain ’ s “ Rain Effect . ” As for Billboard ’ s list of the year ’ s 20 best K - pop songs , Beast took the top spot with the boy band ’ s single , “ Good Luck , ” followed by Seo Taiji & IU ’ s “ Sogyeokdong ” and G - Dragon & Taeyang ’ s “ Good Boy . ” Of course , no Korean music chart would seem complete without one of cheekiest faces of K - pop . Despite his fading presence from the mainstream international spotlight this year , Psy has still managed to infiltrate the magazine ’ s year - end round - ups with the artist ’ s 2 - year - old viral phenom single “ Gangnam Style ” being ranked at No . 14 of the year ’ s most streamed songs . Psy was also listed as the 15 th most streamed artist of 2014 , beating out global superstars Chris Brown , Eminem , One Direction and Maroon 5 . By Julie Jackson ( juliejackson @ heraldcorp . com ) 미래 엘리트 를 위한 영어 신문 주니어 헤럴드 	 더 많 은 기사 보 러 가 기 → [ 코리아 헤럴드 홈페이지 ] [ 트위터 ] [ 페이스북 ] 	 구독 신청 1588 - 0533 	 <ⓒ KoreaHerald ( www . koreaherald . com ) 무단 전재 및 재 배포 금지 >