It’s hard to believe NCT Dream hadn’t released an original Japanese single until now. Nearly seven years into their career, the unit has become one of NCT’s flagship brands. The brighter side of their music seems especially well-suited to a J-pop career. Best Friend Ever hearkens back to their earlier work and pairs them with … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: February 2023
Song Review: INI – New Day
Thus far, INI have buried much of their best material on b-sides and random one-off releases. Last year’s Hero sticks out as a missed opportunity to showcase the group’s vocal skills (and rock star swagger) to a wider audience. Now we have New Day – another special digital single with a glossy performance video. It’s … Continue reading
Song Review: Seventeen BSS – Fighting (ft. Lee Young Ji)
Seventeen BSS made their sub-unit debut all the way back in early 2018 with a fun, goofy pop-rock track. At that point, Seventeen were still on the rise – coming off fantastic singles Don’t Wanna Cry and Clap and about to make their Japanese debut with the also-incredible Call Call Call. Five years later and … Continue reading
Thoughts on BOYS PLANET Episode One
I wasn’t going to recap Boys Planet (and technically, I’m still not doing it), but I’m watching the series and thought others might appreciate a spot to discuss it. So, each week I plan on dumping a few of my random thoughts about the show. Again, this will not be a full, detailed recap. But, … Continue reading
Looking Back: The Top Three K-Pop Songs of September-October 2008
September-October 2008 Overall Thoughts In addition to my monthly K-pop round-up, I’ve taken a look at my favorite three singles from each month since 2009 and factored them into my ultimate Bias List scorecard, which can be found here. The problem is, prior to 2009 it becomes harder to find reliable sources for K-pop release … Continue reading
Bite-Sized Album Review: B.A.P – Carnival
K-pop history is stuffed with great albums, and there’s only so many Buried Treasures and Battle of the B-sides features available to cover all these noteworthy tracks. The album format has always been special to me. Whether it’s a full-length or mini, albums have the opportunity to tell stories and develop an act’s personal style. … Continue reading
Battle of the B-Sides: GFriend Edition
K-pop’s title tracks might gain most of listeners’ attention, but many album tracks are worth equal spotlight. I call these “buried treasures.” Beyond this, K-pop’s albums deliver thousands of additional tracks that settle for a more limited audience. It’s these songs that will become a part of my “battle of the b-sides” feature. In this … Continue reading
What I’ve Been Listening to During K-Pop’s Boring Months (aka: Some Epic Music to Add to Your Playlist)
As I mentioned during yesterday’s monthly K-pop round-up, the past two months haven’t been exactly thrilling when it comes to K-pop. So, I’ve taken the time to dive back into some old J-pop favorites and discover some artists I’d never listened to before. I tend to embark on these deep J-pop dives each winter as … Continue reading
The Top Three K-Pop Songs of January 2023
At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade. January 2023 Overall Thoughts For the second month in a row, I couldn’t really find any … Continue reading