For the second year in a row, I’m adding a special countdown for all the pop music (ie: anything that isn’t Korean or Japanese) I loved in 2022. I’ve slowly dipped my feet back into international music markets, highlighted by the blog’s “Global Round-Up” posts that kicked off this February and will continue into the … Continue reading
For the second year in a row, I’m adding a special countdown for all the pop music (ie: anything that isn’t Korean or Japanese) I loved in 2022. I’ve slowly dipped my feet back into international music markets, highlighted by the blog’s “Global Round-Up” posts that kicked off this February and will continue into the … Continue reading
WayV have often released the strongest music within the NCT universe, including standout singles like Turn Back Time, Take Off and Moonwalk. But, we haven’t had a proper WayV comeback in nearly two years. During that time, members have released solos and sub-units alongside their participation in larger NCT projects. New single Phantom picks up … Continue reading
I’ve been wanting to write this post for awhile because I think it’s really fun to look back at old reviews and re-evaluate them with fresh eyes. Opinions on music change over time, and that’s just as true for songs I despised when they were first released. Here, you’ll find the nine lowest-rated songs in … Continue reading
Surprise! I don’t often write about pop music outside of Korea and Japan, but I thought I’d switch things up for a day and countdown my favorite non-K-pop/J-pop tracks of the year. I’ve had a few requests for this and it might be interesting to gain some context for my music taste outside of The … Continue reading
Surprise! I don’t often write about pop music outside of Korea and Japan, but I thought I’d switch things up for a day and countdown my favorite non-K-pop/J-pop tracks of the year. I’ve had a few requests for this and it might be interesting to gain some context for my music taste outside of The … Continue reading
WayV’s Ten has been a busy guy. After releasing his solo Paint Me Naked last week, he’s teaming with fellow WayV member YangYang for another English-language dance track. Low Low takes more influence from hip-hop, though the song doesn’t actually include any rap. Instead, it finds comfort in a breezy, head-nodding beat that matches well … Continue reading
Seemingly out of nowhere, WayV’s Kun and Xiaojun announced the release of their first single album. Both are designated as main vocals within the group, yet don’t always have the opportunity to shine as part of WayV’s hip-hop heavy sound. Unsurprisingly, Back To You (这时烟火) is a ballad, stripped to its bare bones to offer … 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 2021 Overall Thoughts I’ve heard whispers around social media lamenting that 2021 has been a … Continue reading
NCT’s WayV have arguably been the most consistent unit over the past few years, and for my money they released the best NCT-related material in 2020. Of course, this only sets expectations high, giving new single Kick Back (秘境) plenty to live up to. And while I don’t think the song is as strong as … 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. December 2020 Overall Thoughts It always feels like a bit of a comedown posting one of … Continue reading
Well… 2020 was certainly different, wasn’t it? It was a year where the industry couldn’t function as usual, but that didn’t stop K-pop from churning out more music than ever. It was a year of unprecedented international success and rising album sales — just as most other music markets struggled to move physical product. 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. November 2020 Overall Thoughts November was absolutely packed with releases, and though only one title track … Continue reading
Remember WARPs? They came out of nowhere last December with the brilliant Rock Tonight, which ended up being one of my favorite J-pop tracks of 2019. Then, they seemed to disappear off the face of the earth. This isn’t too surprising, as I’m sure the COVID pandemic played a part in derailing whatever plans they … Continue reading
Longtime readers of The Bias List will know how stingy I am when it comes to rating songs nine and above. But, there’s plenty of music that qualifies. In fact, I’ve got a playlist of over 600 of them sitting in my iTunes. The vast majority of these are singles or title tracks, but there … 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
Of all the tracks I would choose for promotion on WayV’s (very solid) album, Bad Alive would be pretty low on the totem pole. And, I certainly wouldn’t opt for a (mostly) English-language revamp. This isn’t meant to be a knock on the track itself. As a piece of music, it’s solid. But stacked against … Continue reading
I don’t often write about C-pop, and tend to listen to it in spurts rather than all the time. But, I’m always up for a good retro summertime track, and Wu Jiacheng’s Wild Island (无名岛) delivers. I first became aware of Jiacheng through 2018’s K-pop/C-pop collaboration/competition show CYZJ, which I highly recommend. I was taken … 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. June 2020 Overall Thoughts This may not seem like much within the context of 2020’s continual … Continue reading
Most of the time, a k-pop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. Every NCT-related album this year has had its high and low … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 