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 2022 Overall Thoughts Well, September was certainly a contrast to August! With hindsight, August was … 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
I did not have “BTOB’s Lee Changsuk making a comeback with a synthwave song” on my 2022 K-pop bingo card! But, I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. The genre has been a huge inspiration this year, both in K-pop and global music. Eventually it’ll wear itself out the way all trends do, but for … Continue reading
K-pop’s title tracks might gain most of listeners’ attention, but many album tracks are worth equal spotlight. I call these “buried treasures.” Beyond this, K-pop’s albums deliver thousands of additional tracks that settle for a more limited audience. It’s these songs that will become a part of my “battle of the b-sides” feature. In this … Continue reading
With many writing credits to his name, Pentagon’s Kino has always been a prime candidate for solo work. He finally takes the reigns on special single Pose, though the shadow of K-pop’s established soloists looms large. As with many before him, Kino seems to have gotten his degree from the School of Taemin, unveiling a … Continue reading
K-pop’s title tracks might gain most of listeners’ attention, but many album tracks are worth equal spotlight. I call these “buried treasures.” Beyond this, K-pop’s albums deliver thousands of additional tracks that settle for a more limited audience. It’s these songs that will become a part of my “battle of the b-sides” feature. In this … Continue reading
Three years since his first album under the “Huta” stage name, BTOB’s Lee Minhyuk is back as a soloist with another full-length. Though I didn’t care for 2019’s Ya, the Hutazone album bore a few memorable b-sides that could have been great singles. I hope the same can be said for this new album, since … Continue reading
K-pop’s title tracks might gain most of listeners’ attention, but many album tracks are worth equal spotlight. I call these “buried treasures.” Beyond this, K-pop’s albums deliver thousands of additional tracks that settle for a more limited audience. It’s these songs that will become a part of my “battle of the b-sides” feature. In this … Continue reading
With (G)I-DLE riding high on the charts, Cube Entertainment has devoted much of their attention to them. But, the agency has another group waiting in the wings. LIGHTSUM debuted last year with the fun Vanilla before shifting toward slightly more generic sounds with follow-up Vivace last October. Since then, we haven’t heard much from the … Continue reading
K-pop hasn’t always had precedent for girl group members going solo – especially while their group is still actively promoting. But, Cube Entertainment has done a nice job establishing the individual talents of (G)I-DLE. In fact, I prefer some of their solo efforts to their group work. Next on the docket is main vocal Miyeon, … Continue reading
K-pop’s title tracks might gain most of listeners’ attention, but many album tracks are worth equal spotlight. I call these “buried treasures.” Beyond this, K-pop’s albums deliver thousands of additional tracks that settle for a more limited audience. It’s these songs that will become a part of my “battle of the b-sides” feature. In this … Continue reading
With K-pop’s “girl crush” sound and concept omnipresent over the past few years, it’s become abundantly clear which groups can pull it off and which feel less authentic. I wouldn’t call (G)I-DLE’s debut era “girl crush,” but their edgier energy certainly helped lay the groundwork. They’ve made their name on self-produced shots of calculated attitude. … Continue reading
A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. 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. BTOB’s new album is strange in … Continue reading
With their new album Be Together, BTOB join the ranks of post-enlistment boy groups. Not every act makes it to this point, with all current members back together after years of service. The album also follows last year’s Kingdom competition, where members Eunkwang, Minhyuk, Changsub, and Peniel showcased the group’s range and versatility. With that … Continue reading
K-pop’s title tracks might gain most of listeners’ attention, but many album tracks are worth equal spotlight. I call these “buried treasures.” Beyond this, K-pop’s albums deliver thousands of additional tracks that settle for a more limited audience. It’s these songs that will become a part of my “battle of the b-sides” feature. In this … Continue reading
K-pop’s title tracks might gain most of listeners’ attention, but many album tracks are worth equal spotlight. I call these “buried treasures.” Beyond this, K-pop’s albums deliver thousands of additional tracks that settle for a more limited audience. It’s these songs that will become a part of my “battle of the b-sides” feature. In this … Continue reading
K-pop’s title tracks might gain most of listeners’ attention, but many album tracks are worth equal spotlight. I call these “buried treasures.” Beyond this, K-pop’s albums deliver thousands of additional tracks that settle for a more limited audience. It’s these songs that will become a part of my “battle of the b-sides” feature. In this … Continue reading
K-pop’s title tracks might gain most of listeners’ attention, but many album tracks are worth equal spotlight. I call these “buried treasures.” Beyond this, K-pop’s albums deliver thousands of additional tracks that settle for a more limited audience. It’s these songs that will become a part of my “battle of the b-sides” feature. In this … Continue reading
A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. 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. Surprisingly, the bulk of Pentagon’s new … Continue reading
Global music trends are currently in my favor, as sounds shift in directions I tend to enjoy. As always, K-pop is catching up to deliver a wealth of rhythmic, retro-themed tracks. By any measure, I should be jumping up and down and proclaiming this a golden age for the industry. Yet when it comes to … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 