One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! One And Only (from Ex’Act / Lotto – 2016) Melding retro synths with airhorns (!), One And Only’s introduction is a little disorienting. It’s the odd track that manages to feel both languid and brisk, thanks to an insistent beat underlined by … Continue reading →

One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! On The Snow (from Sing For You – 2015) On The Snow is an amiable little fellow, groovy and enjoyable in the moment but pretty forgettable thereafter. Its warm, brassy chorus contains plenty of good cheer for the holidays, incorporating sleigh bells … Continue reading →

One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Oasis (from Don’t Mess Up My Tempo / Love Shot – 2018) Oasis’s opening line is arresting, emerging with a palpable tenseness as if the melody had finally caught up to you after a long pursuit. From here, trap influences form a … Continue reading →

One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! My Turn To Cry (from Miracles In December – 2013) My Turn To Cry is tangentially related to the holidays by nature of the album it stems from, but at its heart the song is a typical EXO ballad, riding on sentiment … Continue reading →

One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! My Lady (from XOXO / Growl – 2013) Closing out EXO’s first full-length album, My Lady offers a bluesy slab of r&b groove. The tempo is always faster than I expect for a song like this, especially as the two-part chorus picks … Continue reading →

One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! My Answer (from Exodus / Love Me Right – 2015) My Answer is as classic a pop ballad as you’re going to get from EXO. Performed by Baekhyun, D.O. and Suho, the track offers plenty of space to stretch their vocals. With … Continue reading →

One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Moonlight (from Overdose – 2014) Drawing on EXO’s smooth vocals, this moody mid-tempo encapsulates a sound that the group has mastered. The harmonic arrangement is incredibly lush and the soundscape is otherworldly. Everything feels drenched in reverb, giving the track a wet, … Continue reading →

One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Miracles In December (from Miracles In December – 2013) I often use the word “sentiment” as a criticism — the last refuge of a song devoid of interesting melody or production work. But, sentiment can be a powerful thing, and often breathes … Continue reading →

One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Mama (from Mama – 2012) It would not be an overstatement to say that Mama was the song that cemented my love for K-pop. I’d dabbled with idol fare before, but this song’s bombastic mixture of Gregorian chants, heavy metal dance breaks … Continue reading →

One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Machine (from Mama – 2012) They don’t make ‘em like Machine anymore. But even though this song is the product of a bygone era, it feels like the direct fore-bearer to much of NCT’s experimental material. The difference is that Machine fully … Continue reading →

One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Lucky (from Growl – 2013) When it comes down to it with a pop song, I look for good energy and a good melody above all else. Lucky is not one of EXO’s boundary-pushing tracks. In fact, it’s one of their most … Continue reading →

One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Lovin’ You Mo’ (from Countdown – 2018) After a bevy of high-octane electronic dance tracks, EXO’s Countdown dials things back a bit for the groovy, skittering Lovin’ You Mo’. The song opens in understated fashion, reliant on its sneaky bassline to build … Continue reading →

One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Love, Love, Love (from Overdose – 2014) Writers more clever than I have described Love, Love, Love’s otherworldly beauty — its sharp melding of musical instruments and ideologies from around the world. But, as important as it is to acknowledge its ambition, … Continue reading →

One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Love Me Right (from Love Me Right – 2015) Released at the height of EXO’s funk-pop era, Love Me Right is a dynamo of a comeback. Right from the start, the instrumental deposits us into the groove, like a warp portal to … Continue reading →

One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Lights Out (from Universe – 2017) Ending EXO’s 2017 winter album in theatrical fashion, Lights Out is as close to a torch song as the group has given us. Its impassioned melody rises and falls over a piano instrumental. Lights Out is … Continue reading →

One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Let Out The Beast (from XOXO / Growl – 2013) Let Out The Beast is the kind of track that screams “dance performance.” Built around a high-energy r&b beat with tense strings and insistent chirps of synth, Beast is as much a … Continue reading →

One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Lady Luck (from Exodus / Love Me Right – 2015) Opening with distorted vocals that sound like the pop song version of blowing a raspberry, Lady Luck retains this unconventional bass even as additional elements are added to the instrumental. Its production … Continue reading →

One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Into My World (from Countdown – 2018) Taken from EXO’s excellent Japanese album, Into My World feels like the soundtrack to some neon-hued sci-fi epic. Its electronic backbone pulses loud and proud, giving the track an immense energy. The production even throws … Continue reading →

One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Hurt (from Exodus / Love Me Right – 2015) Even when EXO tracks brood, they usually do so over an interesting hodgepodge of instrumental elements. Hurt perches itself atop an aggressive stomp and sweeping, distorted synth. It opens like a dark carnival … Continue reading →

One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! History (from Mama – 2012) Though their discography boasts more ambitious material, History has always felt like a flawless distillation of EXO’s sound. Its effortlessly funky groove combines a bhangra-inspired beat with icy, stuttering electronics and a strong kick that anchors the … Continue reading →