A day after ranking my favorite rookies of 2020, it’s time to look at K-pop’s more established artists. This year, the criteria is the same as it’s always been: Quality of work Quantity of work Influence of work on the industry As usual, the first criteria far outweighs the next two, and is entirely subjective. … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with f(x)’s A-Z reviews here! 12:25 (Wish List) (from Winter Garden – 2015) Unlike yesterday’s look at an f(x) holiday track, this write-up will be more favorable. 12.25 happens to be firmly ensconced on my own holiday playlist. I love its off-kilter sound, leveraging the infinite power … Continue reading
The rollout for Hey! Say! JUMP’s new album has been kind of fun. A few months ago, they secretly uploaded a couple of music videos on youtube under mysterious pen names. Without revealing their faces, these “new” groups established a bit of buzz, though anyone remotely familiar with Jump’s vocals instantly knew it was them. … Continue reading
After a glut of high-profile rookies in 2019, this year felt more subdued. There were still tons of new acts, and many of them made it onto my “Top 50 Songs” countdown. But, most hailed from smaller agencies with less promotional power. Making a rookies list is a combination of looking back and looking forward. … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with f(x)’s A-Z reviews here! 1, 2, 3 (from SMTOWN Winter ‘The Warmest Gift’ – 2011) Released as part of the special winter compilation albums SM Entertainment used to release, 1,2,3 is undeniably cheesy. It feels as if it was ripped from some imaginary Disney movie, down … Continue reading
A couple weeks after the MAMA Awards showed the potential of an audience-less, pre-recorded stage show, KBS went far less ambitious. Now, it could be argued whether this broadcast should have happened at all given K-pop’s surging Covid cases, but the producers opted to cobble together what they could. I’m curious why this year’s Gayo … Continue reading
The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, we’ll kick off with the big one: The Bias List’s top 50 songs of the year! Each day this week, I’ll be counting down ten of the year’s best, until number one is revealed on Friday. To be eligible for this top 50 list, songs … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with f(x)’s A-Z reviews here! Zig Zag (from Electric Shock – 2012) Zig Zag is a percussive beast, throwing all its weight behind the robust set of rhythmic elements that make up most of its instrumental. Even the swoops of distorted synth have a percussive drive. And … Continue reading
Okay, the first thing that pops into my head when I see the title of this song is the classic Michael Jackson/Siedah Garrett ballad, which sets the bar pretty darn high. I have no reason to expect something similar, since pop music has moved on to a different palette of sounds in the past 30+ … Continue reading
The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, we’ll kick off with the big one: The Bias List’s top 50 songs of the year! Each day this week, I’ll be counting down ten of the year’s best, until number one is revealed on Friday. To be eligible for this top 50 list, songs … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with f(x)’s A-Z reviews here! You Are My Destiny (Luna & Krystal) (from Chu – 2009) Previewing the sentimental style they’d bring to many OST releases, You Are My Destiny is a standard K-ballad performed by two powerhouse vocalists. In that regard, it’s an enjoyable showcase for … Continue reading
The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, we’ll kick off with the big one: The Bias List’s top 50 songs of the year! Each day this week, I’ll be counting down ten of the year’s best, until number one is revealed on Friday. To be eligible for this top 50 list, songs … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with f(x)’s A-Z reviews here! X (from 4 Walls – 2015) Continuing the retro grooves that fuel most of the 4 Walls album, X brings us back to 80’s electro-funk in great style. The gurgling instrumental is immensely appealing, and offers a playground for the girls to … Continue reading
Though Taeyeon is still an idol performer by definition, her music has slowly transitioned to sounds I would expect from independent artists. While this has garnered her credibility in many circles, it’s not the type of thing I tend to gravitate to. It’s been over a year since a new Taeyeon release has really sparked … Continue reading
The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, we’ll kick off with the big one: The Bias List’s top 50 songs of the year! Each day this week, I’ll be counting down ten of the year’s best, until number one is revealed on Friday. To be eligible for this top 50 list, songs … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with f(x)’s A-Z reviews here! When I’m Alone (from 4 Walls – 2015) With a co-writing credit from Carly Rae Jepsen (!), you might expect When I’m Alone to be an upbeat bubblegum pop song. Instead, this glistening, synth-fueled slow burn caps off the 4 Walls album … Continue reading
Start here for an indexed post of all of The Bias List’s end-of-year countdowns. This will be updated as new countdowns are added, and stickied to the front page for the rest of the year. Check back frequently as we approach 2021! And, feel free to check out the masterposts for the past four years at … Continue reading
It’s been a long wait for a new Sungkyu comeback – almost three years, to be specific. And though we got a taste of his voice on this year’s Relay and OST track Beautiful, his first post-military album felt like it kept getting pushed back. Now in the doldrums of December, Sungkyu has officially returned … Continue reading
The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, we’ll kick off with the big one: The Bias List’s top 50 songs of the year! Each day this week, I’ll be counting down ten of the year’s best, until number one is revealed on Friday. To be eligible for this top 50 list, … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with f(x)’s A-Z reviews here! Traveler (ft. Zico) (from 4 Walls – 2015) Traveler has a slinky dance beat that’s quite addictive. To describe the texture, the best word I can think of is “corrugated,” though I guess “oscillating” is probably the better musical term. Either way, … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 