2013 was a high-concept, musically diverse year in K-pop. Hip-hop hadn’t yet taken over, and melody was still king. Instrumentals aimed for the rafters of stadiums, bringing in explosive guitar, sledgehammer beats and bombastic electro riffs. Songs played around with structure in artful, unexpected ways, often polarizing opinion before unveiling themselves as future classics. Here … Continue reading
It’s the week of Lunar New Year, which means new K-pop releases will be few and far between. That makes this the perfect time to go back a few years and celebrate highlights of days past. Following up on last year’s countdown of my Top 50 Songs of 2012, The Bias List is tackling 2013! … Continue reading
Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard! Which … Continue reading
Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard! Which … Continue reading
Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard! Which … Continue reading
Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard! Which … Continue reading
It’s that time of year again. The sun comes out, the temperature climbs, and K-pop goes tropical! Well, it wasn’t always this way. A few years ago, summer didn’t instantly mean tropical pop music, and I hope we’re working our way out of this persistent trend. But tropical or not, many of my top K-pop … Continue reading
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 k-pop’s most innovative and accomplished producers and composers. PDOGG Years … Continue reading
You’ve got to feel sorry for Lee Gikwang. What an absolutely terrible time for him to make a comeback. Korea is reeling from a host of scandals that have already taken down fellow Highlight member Junhyung. I can’t imagine many of his fans are in a celebratory (or even supportive) mood. And as his last … Continue reading
It’s time to flash back seven years to 2012, an era of huge choruses, thumping dance beats and an endless supply of sci-fi influenced music videos. 2012’s charms were endless, but here are fifty of the absolute best singles. To be eligible for this top fifty list, songs must have had a Korean release as … Continue reading
Arriving the day after a farewell track from Wanna One, we’ve got another farewell song of sorts from Highlight. The nine-year-old group aren’t disbanding, but members are preparing to serve their mandatory military conscription. Starting soon, Highlight will be on hiatus for around two years. Before they go, they’ve given fans a gift in the … Continue reading
With over 2,300 songs on my iPhone’s “K-Pop Singles” playlist, I thought it would be fun to add a bit of unpredictability to my song review posts. So as a result, we have the “Random Shuffle Review” feature. The rules are simple. I fire up my playlist, press “shuffle,” and whatever song plays first gets the … 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 should be the case with any celebration, Highlight’s new … Continue reading
Highlight’s new mini-album is released in honor of their eighth year together — a feat for any k-pop group. Of course, Highlight itself only “debuted” earlier this spring, but the guys are rightfully including their time together as Beast. Can Be Better (어쩔 수 없지 뭐) follows up on the incredible success of March’s Plz … Continue reading
The last time Lee Gikwang promoted as a soloist was before Beast or Highlight were even a thing. He made his debut as AJ (short for the ultra-lame “Ace Junior”) six months before Beast released their first single. Back then he was singing about his “dancing shoes,” and the vocoder-heavy track hasn’t exactly aged well. … Continue reading
Thus far, I think it’s safe to say that Beast‘s transition into Highlight has exceeded all expectations. On a commercial level, Plz Don’t Be Sad was (and still is) a major success. And on a personal level, the guys seem happier and busier than they’ve been in some time. This streak continues with the repackage … Continue reading
The last time Junhyung released a promoted solo single it was 2013’s absolutely brilliant Flower. 2013 was a high watermark year for the artists-formally-known-as-Beast. It also felt like the era that Junhyung’s composing partnership with Kim Taejoo — under the moniker “Good Life” — was really coming into its own. Fast forward to 2017 and … Continue reading
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 k-pop’s most innovative and accomplished producers and composers. KIM TAE … 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. March 2017 Overall Thoughts Oh, March. It’s such a long month, yet gives us so little when it … Continue reading
As Beast closed out their career with the melancholic drama of last summer’s spectacular Ribbon, the newly renamed Highlight opens theirs with a much more upbeat offering. The guys have been self-composing their material for awhile now, but leaving their former agency has given them license to try on some new sounds. This is a pretty … Continue reading
