Though The Bias List is first and foremost a K-pop review blog, each month I spotlight a handful of “global pop” tracks that have taken hold of my playlist. To cap off the year, I’d like to count down my top tracks that weren’t part of the K-pop or J-pop markets. This was a weird … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Three Of Cups (from Walpurgis Night – 2020) Three Of Cups is the kind of frothy post-disco pop track GFriend could cast off in their sleep. By the time we got to 2020, they had become quite skilled at imbuing this style … Continue reading
Now that we’ve got K-pop ranked for the year, it’s time to turn the blog’s attention to other music markets. First up is J-pop — a scene I write about every week on Sundays (and occasionally other days if a track catches my attention). Compared to last year’s excellent slate of music, I found J-pop … Continue reading
Now that we’ve got K-pop ranked for the year, it’s time to turn the blog’s attention to other music markets. First up is J-pop — a scene I write about every week on Sundays (and occasionally other days if a track catches my attention). Compared to last year’s excellent slate of music, I found J-pop … Continue reading
Now that we’ve got K-pop ranked for the year, it’s time to turn the blog’s attention to other music markets. First up is J-pop — a scene I write about every week on Sundays (and occasionally other days if a track catches my attention). Compared to last year’s excellent slate of music, I found J-pop … Continue reading
One of the benefits of becoming a “K-pop A-Z” artist on this blog is my commitment to write about each new song released, even if it’s not a promoted single. Infinite have announced an official comeback for next March, but dropped this special digital track on Christmas as a pre-release. I fear a future of … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! The Beginning Of Love (from Fallin’ Light – 2019) I was surprised to see that I’ve barely played this b-side at all, yet I gave it a high rating in my own personal music library. Listening to it again, I can see … Continue reading
As usual, SBS’s year-end festival falls on Christmas day. Because of this, the themes have been getting more and more holiday-focused with each passing year. Everyone and their mother performed a “Christmas version” of their songs tonight, but you don’t get to call something a “Christmas version” just because you throw sleigh bells on the … Continue reading
Following a tradition first established in 2020, I’m celebrating the holidays today with the opening of gifts. These packages come in the form of seasonal K-pop tracks not yet reviewed on the blog. Like last year, I’m either keeping the gifts or planning to return them. Unfortunately, there was a lot of coal in the … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Tarot Cards (from Song Of The Sirens – 2020) Previous Thoughts: “In some ways, it doesn’t feel like Tarot Cards has a chorus at all. It plays more like an extension of the verses, but it works thanks to the breathless arrangement. … Continue reading
Before I move on to J-pop, global pop and other categories, I like to sum up the K-pop countdowns that have filled the past few weeks. The title of this post should technically be called “The Best Overall K-pop Comebacks & Debuts of 2024,” since not every album on this list marks the return of … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Sweety (from Sunny Summer – 2018) Whenever I see this title my mind immediately goes to the early-2000’s S#arp hit. That’s a song GFriend could absolutely devour, but this Sweety comes from the latter end of their career where they were trying … Continue reading
Full disclosure: I’m not a dancer nor choreographer, and dance isn’t necessarily what I flock to K-pop for. Because of that, my choices tend to veer toward more iconic routines that are fun to watch rather than technically challenging or impressive formations. I like to believe the two can co-exist, but I do prefer fun … Continue reading
I don’t usually write a song review unless there’s an accompanying music video, but a disbandment (?) single warrants at least a brief mention. I put a big question mark in that last sentence because it’s unclear whether fromis_9 will remain together after leaving Pledis Entertainment, though history doesn’t set a rosy precedent. This departure … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Sunshine (from LOL – 2016) Sunshine serves a purpose on LOL, but it’s not the kind of song I’m likely to go back to on its own. It’s one of the album’s lower-energy moments, offering a subdued singalong over swinging percussion and … 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
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Sunrise (from Time For Us – 2019) Previous Thoughts: “Sunrise ups the tempo after a brief piano opening, giving the song some kick as we build toward the chorus. The verses veer from languid to sprightly with a balletic finesse, though the … Continue reading
Rather than contain my “Risers and Fallers” feature to a single post in June, I’m going to share a bite-sized version at the end of each month. This will let me account for more songs and make a nice lead-in to the monthly round-up post. I anticipate most of these ratings adjustments will be negligible: … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Sunny Summer (from Sunny Summer – 2018) Previous Thoughts: “The synths shimmer with breezy lightness, the brass-kissed chorus feels propulsive without ever challenging expectations, and the instrumental pulses with a nimble stream of funk percussion. As derivative as this all may be, … Continue reading
(Note: If you’re unable to view this post on a phone, please try on another device. I believe the number of video embeds is causing trouble on certain browsers.) Yep, I’m back to writing about K-pop’s year-end festivals. They were some of the earliest events I covered on this blog but over the past few … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 