If there’s anything I’ve learned from covering pop music for over a decade, it’s that songwriters and collaborators are just as important as the artists themselves. Though they often work behind the scenes, this feature is a chance to shine the light on some of J-pop’s most innovative and accomplished producers and composers. HIKARI Years … Continue reading
I’ve compiled a “Best of J-pop” list every year since The Bias List started, but it always came from a very narrow point of view. In 2020, one of my personal resolutions was to follow the J-pop industry more broadly and (hopefully) expand my palette in the process. So while those past lists definitely included … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade. November 2020 Overall Thoughts November was absolutely packed with releases, and though only one title track … Continue reading
Arashi are putting a bow on their twenty-one year recording career, with what is assumed to be their final studio album This Is Arashi. It’s an odd hodgepodge of songs, including some of the group’s recent English work and even a Christmas track. So rather than feel like a cohesive project, the album plays more … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade. September 2020 Overall Thoughts Back in late winter, my reviews were often besieged with comments stating … Continue reading
If I’m being honest, I’ve not been a fan of the English-language reworkings (or English-language originals) released by Arashi over the past few months. I appreciate their goal of global outreach during this final lap of their career, but after building decades of goodwill across hundreds of J-pop tracks, it feels odd to cap it … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade. July 2020 Overall Thoughts For the first time in months, I feel pretty good about where … Continue reading
Originally scheduled to coincide with Japan’s ill-fated hosting of the 2020 Summer Olympics, Kite (カイト) brings together J-pop’s biggest male idol group with current chart-topper Kenshi Yonezu, who composed the track. Though I doubt whether this single will be Arashi’s final song before hiatus, it certainly carries the necessary weight. Kite’s lyrics reflect upon how … Continue reading
Entering their final year before indefinite hiatus, Japan’s biggest male idol group set global outreach as one of their goals. This has resulted in English-language re-recordings of their biggest hits, a much greater internet presence, and even a music video or two being available on youtube. Of course, a little thing called “global pandemic” threw … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by k-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade. July 2018 Overall Thoughts I’ve always seen the month of July as the pinnacle of each … Continue reading
Arashi spent much of 2017 experimenting with their sound. Whether it was the swing-inspired I’ll Be There, the symphonic and trap breakdowns of Mikan, or the eleven-and-a-half minute song suite that marked the climax of their sixteenth studio album, Japan’s biggest male group proved that their sense of adventure was not going to slow down … Continue reading
The Bias List is a k-pop site first and foremost, but I’m always on the lookout for new j-pop as well. And though I can count myself as somewhat of an authority on Korean entertainment and idol groups, my knowledge of their Japanese counterparts is much more limited. Add to that the fact that j-pop … Continue reading
October is officially here, which means the countdown to Halloween has started. Whether you’re cobbling together a mix for a Halloween party or carnival, or just looking for some seasonal selections to soundtrack your pumpkin carving, K-Pop has a lot to offer. Here are some of the best tracks. If your favorite Halloween K-Pop song … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I’ll look back at my three favorite title tracks by k-pop artists. Unlike my end-of-year countdowns, jpop and Japanese releases by kpop artists are ineligible, though I will give the great ones a spotlight. For my top three tracks, I’ll take my own ratings into account, but there is a … Continue reading
Throughout their seventeen-year career, mega-successful j-pop group Arashi have traded in a variety of sounds. Of those, Power of the Paradise represents my absolute favorite — a dramatic mix of bombast and symphonics, all powering a sugar rush of propulsive pop melody. Though they’ve recorded better songs in this genre, Paradise pulses forward as a celebratory singalong, … Continue reading
Arashi have been around for longer than many kpop and jpop idols have been alive, and released a massive amount of singles and albums in that time frame. As could be expected from such a prolific band, their material is incredibly hit or miss for me. For every No One Knows or Under The Blue Sky, … Continue reading
Okay, okay. When I say kpop, I mean mostly kpop, because there’s going to be some jpop and cpop in this list as well (some of it in very prominent positions), but “Top 50 K-Pop & J-Pop & C-Pop Songs of 2015” just doesn’t have the same ring to it! The only other criteria for … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 