With the new school year upon us, this is when I go back to work and leave the carefree summer lifestyle behind. So while the summer season may stretch on a few more weeks, I’ve pretty much moved on to autumn (though the sweltering Pacific Northwest weather doesn’t agree with me!). Because of this, it … 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
DAY6 are the latest act to navigate K-pop’s tricky enlistment-imposed hiatus. With member Jae taking his own leave from the group and Sungjin, Young K and Dowoon all currently serving, that leaves lead vocal/keyboardist Wonpil to pursue solo efforts. Unfortunately, the guy just tested positive for covid, forcing cancellation for most promotions of debut solo … 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
It’s not quite December yet, but I’m going to kick off this annual feature a little early this year! Over the next few weeks, I’ll be looking at many of K-pop’s biggest agencies and offering my thoughts about how their 2021 went. Next up is JYP Entertainment. As usual, the thoughts are my own and … 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
The effects of military enlistment have resulted in numerous side projects for DAY6. Their sub-unit Even Of Day has released two albums, and now it’s time for the group’s bassist to embark on a solo career. Young K has long been a prominent songwriter within the band, almost ensuring his own work will carry 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
This week, we’re journeying back half a decade to look at K-pop’s best releases of 2015! 2015 was a prime year for K-pop. It saw the return of industry royalty, as Bigbang blitzed the market with no less than seven singles. It acted as the launchpad for many of today’s top acts (Twice, Seventeen, GFriend, … Continue reading
DAY6 sub-unit Even Of Day debuted late last summer, releasing a much more interesting mini album than its title track suggested. With Where The Sea Sleeps, I wondering why Young K, Wonpil and Dowoon didn’t distinguish their own music from DAY6’s core sound. That confusion continues with new single Right Through Me (뚫고 지나가요). I … Continue reading
Two years ago, I took a look at my favorite “Songs of Summer” between 2012 and 2018. Now that we’re getting closer to the season, I think it’s time for an update! This time, I’m cheating a bit. I kept this feature’s original title for continuity’s sake, but my top song of summer for 2020 … Continue reading
You Make Me isn’t only DAY6’s first comeback in almost a year. It’s JYP Entertainment’s first release since November 2020. That’s a surprisingly long hiatus for one of K-pop’s biggest agencies. And, the album feels weightier than normal. With leader/main vocal Sungjin enlisted in the military, any upcoming DAY6 releases will likely sound quite different. … Continue reading
After taking a deep dive into both SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment, it’s time to move onto another of K-Pop’s bog four agencies: JYP Entertainment. As usual, the thoughts are my own and aren’t privy to any insider information. I’m not taking into account things like profits and stock value. The purpose of these articles … Continue reading
As a K-pop fan, it’s hard not to get caught up in imagined futures. That’s why I always try to urge myself to temper expectations, because as soon as I hear news of a comeback I picture what it could be – what I want it to be. And since I have no telepathic line … Continue reading
After looking at the year’s best singles (so far), it’s time to turn attention to 2020’s albums. I’ll reiterate what I said yesterday: relative to previous years, it’s been slim pickings. Consistently good mini albums have been particularly hard to find this year, at least in my opinion. But even though the overall picture may … 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. As usual, DAY6’s new album is far more exciting and adventurous … Continue reading
Late last year, DAY6 shocked me with their fantastic – and musically varied – full album The Book of Us: Entropy. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy the group’s music before, but Entropy really pushed their sound to another level. Retro anthems like Deep In Love and Emergency were particularly impactful, and gave me hope … Continue reading
Over the years, I’ve been asked several times to create a post where I reveal my previously-reviewed songs that I would now bump up to a perfect, 10/10 rating, allowing them to officially join my Legendary Songs category. I guess it took a global pandemic for me to finally spend the time to compile this … Continue reading
This is always a difficult list to form. After all, there are way more b-sides than singles to choose from each year, and with K-pop’s love of promoting genre trends, the most interesting music is often hidden within albums that not every listener bothers to check out. Following up from yesterday, I’m counting down my … Continue reading
2019 was a great year for albums, with an onslaught of full-length releases coming in its second half. Given this, I decided to so something different this year. It seems unfair to compare mini and full albums, since it’s obviously much easier to craft an excellent, filler-free mini than it would be to stretch that … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 