After an extended hiatus, LIGHTSUM have been re-branded as a J-pop act, complete with many of the musical and stylistic shifts you might expect. I suppose we should be happy their agency hasn’t simply given up on them, but I definitely wonder how the girls feel about this. It’s not the first time a struggling … Continue reading
While it may not be that wise to release your new comeback during a week where all music shows are cancelled, you do ensure that all spotlight is on you without having to compete with a ton of other artists. I assume ONEUS will promote Say Yes! after the Chuseok holiday is over, but for … Continue reading
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
The floodgates are about to re-open for K-pop in a week’s time, but before that we have another dry week of mainly pre-releases and unpromoted fare. On the bright side, pre-releases are often stronger than K-pop’s title tracks and follow-ups. Understandably, artists want to lead with their best material. Hopefully that’s not the case with … Continue reading
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I compile my top three K-pop title tracks and list a ton of honorable mentions. But each Sunday, I’ll offer a compendium of the week’s new releases featured on the blog. And even more than that, I’ll attempt to rank them from my least-to-most-liked. I invite you to share … Continue reading
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
The Bias List is a K-pop blog that also covers a fair amount of J-pop. But just like most music fans, I enjoy tracks from all around the world. So, I thought I’d start a monthly round-up of some of the non-K-pop songs that have caught my ear. No ratings — just highlights! February 2022 … Continue reading
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
Close Your Eyes will be returning with an album at the end of the year, but they’re teasing the project today with a pre-release. I’m a fan of this group, but never know what to expect from them. Each album has been markedly different from the last, which means I have strong preferences about which … Continue reading
ATEEZ scored an unlikely viral hit with this summer’s Bad, which has led to more attention from the Korean public. Up until now, it’s felt like the group has drawn their biggest support from international audiences, but that seems to be evening out. However, international collaborations continue to flourish and K-pop loves nothing more than … Continue reading
Thus far, Rosé has scored the biggest global success of any BLACKPINK member, but it comes with a caveat. Her mega-hit APT. shared billing with collaborator Bruno Mars who turbo-charged its popularity with his sizable commercial appeal. In fact, it seems that “pairing with a popular international artist” seems to be the most successful route … Continue reading
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. As we move through a couple … Continue reading
It can be difficult deciding whether or not to write about a song promoted with a bare-bones, “home video style” music video. Generally, I don’t cover these unless the song itself is completely new or if I really like it and have something to say. DAILY:DIRECTION’s Up is newly released today and despite its self-made … Continue reading
There are a number of acts who have debuted in the past few decades and have dozens of song ratings on this blog. I thought it would be fun to lay these ratings out in chronological order, line-graph style, and take a macro view of their careers so far. Then, similar to my “Underrated K-pop” … Continue reading
A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. This is not a unique or … Continue reading
It’s clear that speaking/rapping over a club beat is not going away anytime soon in K-pop, and while I hope this will eventually transition to singing over a club beat, at least we’re hearing more exciting, upbeat production. From what I can tell, Just For Fun by Minjae, Sumin and Yechan of xikers is little … Continue reading
