I’ve often noted the difference between sounds when it comes to a group’s Korean and Japanese releases, and this diversity has become especially noticeable with boy group 100%. In Korea, they’ve moved toward a statelier, mature pop sound that emphasizes the strength of their voices. But in Japan, their music has grown more dance oriented … Continue reading
Most of the time, a kpop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-side tracks deserve recognition, too. In the singles-oriented world of kpop, I wanted to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. NCT 127’s Cherry Bomb has already grown on me quite … Continue reading
Monsta X are one of a few new wave boy groups who have enjoyed steadily increasing success since their debut. Their pursuit of a harder-edged sound hasn’t always been to my taste, but as they progress it feels like they’re beginning to incorporate some very BTS-like emotional weight to their music. While this seems like … Continue reading
Groups with numbers as part of their name can be tricky in the ever-changing world of k-pop. Nine Muses haven’t had nine members in some time, and now they’re all the way down to four. That’s not exactly “truth in advertising.” But with so many groups of their age disbanding, it’s a small miracle that … Continue reading
Whether it be in Korean or Japanese, B1A4 know how to deliver a pop song. The group has had a high level of control over their music for quite a number of years, with most of their material composed by either leader Jinyoung or vocalist CNU. That approach has extended to their j-pop releases as … Continue reading
Before the Bias List‘s Top 50 songs countdown in December, it’s time to take a mid-year survey of the k-pop landscape in 2017. Compared to 2016, this year has been somewhat underwhelming. But that doesn’t mean 2017 hasn’t had its share of highlights. Unsurprisingly, my list includes a number of acts that overlap with last … Continue reading
Coming off a very strong 2016, this year in k-pop has felt very middle-of-the-road. That’s not to say that there haven’t been highlights (we’ll get to those tomorrow…), but overall 2017 just hasn’t been that exciting thus far. Traditionally, k-pop revs up in the summer and fall as comebacks are more frequent and acts tend … Continue reading
We don’t usually associate variety shows with grade-A k-pop releases, but Sister’s Slam Dunk surprised by providing one of May’s best singles with Unnies’ Right. And now it’s time for another similarly-pitched series to deliver. Idol Drama Operation Team may be a show centered around creating a Korean drama, but its cast is full of … Continue reading
There’s an old joke that after a nuclear holocaust, all that will be left are cockroaches… and Cher. As far as k-pop goes, I think we can add T-ara to that list. The girls have survived scandals, line-up changes and shifts in sound to become one of the genre’s most enduring girl groups. This makes … Continue reading
SM Entertainment doesn’t always get the credit it deserves when it comes to being a boundary-pushing agency. They’ve been blending genres and playing with song structure since the very beginning. Hits like H.O.T’s I Yah or TVXQ’s Rising Sun still feel miles away from what we think of as “Top 40” radio fare. But these … Continue reading
Amidst everything going on with his band-mate T.O.P, G-Dragon made the right decision in releasing the emotive Untitled, 2014 as the first single from his new mini album. But this being G-Dragon, we knew we’d be getting at least one hip-hop hype track before the album campaign was over. The eye-catchingly titled Bullshit is the … Continue reading
For as long as boy group B.A.P have been around, they haven’t done all that much solo or sub-unit work. But after a 2016 that saw them releasing song after song both in Korea and Japan, they’ve released a double a-side that allows members Daehyun and Jongup a chance to shine on their own. First … Continue reading
Over the course of two mini albums, Pentagon have already shown a lot of promise for a group who only debuted half a year ago. But I have noticed one thing all their albums have in common: they never seem to pick the strongest track as their promotional single. Luckily, they made up for this … Continue reading
Though most of k-pop fandom’s obsession rests on groups and individual artists, I have just as strong a bias toward certain producers as the performers themselves. That’s why I started The Bias List‘s Producer Spotlight feature. There are dozens of amazing individuals and teams working behind the scenes to craft k-pop’s best songs. Here are … Continue reading
Other than the finale, the best part of each year’s Produce 101 is the concept performance battle. This is where the remaining contestants are split into groups and given an original song that fits within a specific genre. Last year, this segment resulted in the gorgeous In The Same Place, which became a bit of a … Continue reading
It’s such a thrill to write about a solo G-Dragon track. Though Bigbang has been active over the past few years, we haven’t heard from G-Dragon on his own since 2013’s brilliant Coup d’Etat album. But on a personal level, he was one of my first ambassadors to k-pop as a whole. I can’t think … Continue reading
Now that Sistar has officially disbanded, Cosmic Girls are Starship Entertainment’s sole remaining girl group. Over their past two releases, the girls have started to develop an intriguing, spacey pop style that has helped give them an identity within an overly crowded market. Rather than strengthen this burgeoning sound, Happy goes the easy route by … Continue reading
As we’ve seen over the past few months, making it to a ten-year anniversary is no small feat when it comes to k-pop. FTIsland join a select few that have outlasted the threat of disbandment and roster changes and failing agencies. For that alone, they deserve immense respect. Even more kudos should be given for … Continue reading
It’s getting a little repetitive to open every DAY6 review with the same sentiments, but I just can’t believe how well their year-long promotional cycle is going. They’ve been punctual each and every month with high quality releases, and now they’ve smartly packaged the first half of their 2017 output into a full-length album that … Continue reading
Solo idol stars are a tricky proposition in k-pop — a genre that thrives on a constantly morphing, assembly line style of dynamic group performance. But Chungha has the weight of Produce 101 and I.O.I behind her, lending an instant hype to her solo work. Rather than branch out and establish herself as a unique … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 