When f(x)’s Amber released her debut mini-album last year, my favorite track by far was the lush Love Run. What’s notable about this is that the track is entirely sung, despite Amber being known as the rapper in her group. I don’t think anyone would crown her as a powerhouse vocalist, but Love Run was the first time … Continue reading
While I enjoyed Monsta X’s title tracks last year (particularly Hero), I always felt that they were spending too much time trying to be “hard” instead of focusing on the more interesting aspects of their music. Songs like Trespass seemed more self-serious than playful, which stopped me from really getting on board. All In definitely … Continue reading
I’ll never be able to forget B.I.G’s (Boys In Groove’s) auspicious debut back in the summer of 2014. Hello was so lyrically cringeworthy that it almost became a case of “so bad, it’s actually good.” But more than anything, it just made me feel sorry for the guys. What a lame debut song to be saddled with. Since then, … Continue reading
Ever since leaving k-pop mega-group Girls’ Generation in 2014, fans have been waiting for Jessica Jung to release solo material. Fly follows a string of successful solo releases from current members Taeyeon and Tiffany, but despite Jessica’s obvious star quality, the song itself doesn’t do much to cement her as an interesting artist in her own … Continue reading
BTS’ Save Me has been around for two weeks now as part of their Young Forever repackage, so it has the benefit of time behind it. But, I wanted to wait until its music video had been released to review it. Before getting into the song, it’s worth noting just what a transformative and fully … Continue reading
Girl group AOA have quickly risen to the top of the kpop world, due largely to the amazing material producer Brave Brothers has given them. Good Luck marks a turning point, with a shift in both sound and songwriting team. And while the song more or less maintains AOA’s quality musical output, I can’t help but wish for a … Continue reading
SM girl group f(x) has rewritten the expectations for female kpop performers more than once during their career. Always looking forward, the girls have given us some of the most experimental, ambitious pop music in all of Korea. Yet somehow, each song’s complicating trappings are always wrapped in catchy, accessible hooks that offer the perfect balance between avant … Continue reading
In honor of Nam Woohyun’s solo debut, it seemed like a good time to look back at the ten best singles released from solos and sub-units of boy group (and personal bias) Infinite. Other than Bigbang and Super Junior, Infinite have most successfully harnessed the power of their individual members through side projects. What makes … Continue reading
After last week’s EDM track, it seemed as if SM Station may have been transitioning to a more uptempo output. But, never underestimate how deeply Korea loves a big, drippy ballad. And given the enormous success of Baekhyun’s duet with Suzy earlier in the year, it only makes sense that SM would seek to capitalize … Continue reading
JYP’s G.Soul has come back with double title tracks, each one quite distinctive from the other. While the light reggae of Far, Far Away tackled a new genre, Where Do We Go From Here is much more strongly indebted to the sound G.Soul’s given us so far. There’s no denying that his voice is made for … Continue reading
R&B crooner G.Soul debuted under JYP last year after an incredibly long training period. His debut, the gorgeous and soaring You, went mostly underappreciated by the masses, and subsequent digital singles didn’t make that many waves either. Now he’s back with a double a-side single, and both songs couldn’t be more different from one another. … 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. As much as I can appreciate a good Korean ballad, … Continue reading
More than any other year, 2016 has seen SM put a major focus on solo releases from members of their most popular groups. After Taeyeon’s incredibly success late last year, it only made sense that another member of Girls’ Generation would venture out on her own. This time it’s American-born Tiffany, with a song that … Continue reading
Hello Venus are one of those girl groups that seem to exist in the ether — established and successful enough to be known by many, but never to the point where they remotely threaten the big leagues. Frustratingly, they’ve often worked with mega producer Brave Brothers, but rarely reaped the same rewards his magic touch has … Continue reading
Don’t be alarmed, but Shinee have just quietly unveiled the music video for their best Japanese single in years. Their jpop material has always been pretty diverse, from ornate balladry, to campy dancefloor fillers, to boyband power pop, but with Kimi No Sei De (君のせいで), they give us a song that perfectly captures what they do … Continue reading
It’s difficult reviewing a song by a bias group or artist, and Still I Remember (끄덕끄덕) is particularly tricky. On one hand, it’s the solo debut for Woohyun, one of the MVPs of my ultimate bias group Infinite. But it’s also a ballad from an album full of ballads, and I’ve never been predisposed to liking … 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. It’s been a couple weeks since Twice’s second mini album … Continue reading
Park Jinyoung (JYP) is many things to many people. You may know him as Korea’s answer to Prince, forging a sexually-charged performance style in the 90’s. Or, you may know him as the head of his self-titled music agency, and as a veteran judge on audition show K-Pop Star. And if none of that rings … Continue reading
Crush is one of those artists that I desperately want to adore. He seems like such a pleasant person, and even though it’s not my preferred genre, I can appreciate the vibey, slow-jam r&b he produces. But with almost every song he’s released, I end up having the same response, which basically amounts to: “that … Continue reading
![Song Review: Amber & Luna [f(x)] – Wave (with R3hab, Xavi & Gi)](https://thebiaslist.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/amber-luna-fx-r3hab-xavi-gi-wave.png?w=290&h=290&crop=1 "Song Review: Amber & Luna [f(x)] – Wave (with R3hab, Xavi & Gi)")
Wave is not only the latest SM Station release, but also the first under the company’s new EDM sub-label. It makes sense that f(x)’s Amber and Luna would take hold of this sound first, as their group’s most recent album already veered slightly in this direction. Working with a cavalcade of producers, the “featuring list” … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 