One song. Every day. Alphabetical order.
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Glass Bead (from Season Of Glass – 2015)
Previous Thoughts: “Its hooks are sharp and punchy, underlined by a bright beat that approaches new jack swing without completely embracing the genre. Extra stabs of percussion add emphasis in all the right places, urging along the group’s strong vocals.” (from a 2022 retrospective review)
I remember feeling a bit ambivalent about this song the first time I heard it way back in January of 2015. At that time, it felt quite different from anything else dominating K-pop charts. But the song played like a stealth rocket, quickly taking over my playlist and growing more and more addictive as the months went on. I’ve written about Glass Bead several times before, but The Bias List didn’t exist when it debuted so my most detailed thoughts come courtesy of a “debut re-evaluation” post two years ago.
As a marker for what GFriend would become, this is an important first step. It’s the start of an imperial phase of singles that ran from 2015 to mid-2017. Within that group of songs, I consider Glass Bead the weakest (just a touch below “legendary”). But without it, GFriend’s history-making arc would never have come to pass. Because of that, I’m constantly in awe of its musical vision and its ability to stand as an invitation to a new K-pop era.
| Hooks | 10 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 10 |
| Bias | 10 |
| RATING | 9.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
This song is just historical. Still so good!
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Oh my lord what a rating! Glad to see the score climb ever higher.
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This song makes me think about the way songs grow with you, Nick, making me wonder if modern girl group songs can evolve to this kind of note, like IVE’s Eleven or STAYC’s So Bad.
Will the songs we hear so much today and find today become impeccable hits for us someday in the future?
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A k-pop classic and the b-sides are both excellent as well.
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I personally love all their singles up time for the moonlight, sunny summer was the first single I thought was just great and not fantastic. I guess the arc you speak of is glass bead up until fingertip? I feel like reception to love whisper/summer rain wasn’t as positive because those songs felt like rethreads
Not much I can add about glass bead.The yuju ad-libs at the end? Blow me away despite hearing the song so many. Some of my favorite ad libs of all time
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This is first of several Gfriend songs in a row that I just can’t tell apart. OK, Navillera and Me Gustas Tu if I listen veryveryclosely they say those words in their choruses.
I had to look it up:
Glass Bead F# Major, 114bpm
Navillera F# Minor, 125bpm
Me Gustas Tu G# major, 106bpm
Rough G# major, 112bpm
I am not complaining, just saying. They all follow the same playbook. Maybe they do that very well, but for me I think every time, wait which one is this. The videos too, which brightly lit room are they in with demure school girl costumes and (insert fun sport here) going on.
If this is your thing, fine.
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Yeah, if you’ve been reading my comments I’ve been calling out which ones sound the same haha.
For the first three, you could argue that it was intentional; they did a mashup at a live show once that was pretty good.
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What a debut. Not as instantly legendary as, for example “Like Ooh-Ahh” or “Wee-Woo”, but strong song nonetheless.
The verses are kind of boring, truth be told. Like, the momentum gets completely lost and they struggle to get it back. (Compare to later songs, e.g. Tarot Cards, where they’re really good with momentum)
But they’re cute and it’s fun. I think it’s the Crossroads of the school trilogy– solid song by itself, but ultimately forgettable in the context of siblings that are undeniably better.
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This song would be absolutely flawless if the tempo and pace of the song were more urgent and varied! If the elements had more drama and hugged the song more tightly, it would be deeply appreciated.
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