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. February 2021 Overall Thoughts 2021 is off to a roaring start, and February really kicked into … Continue reading
Like many 2019 and 2020 debuts, Exile Tribe’s Ballistik Boyz haven’t really had a fair shake of it. Building your fan base is hard in the midst of a socially distanced pandemic, but the guys have continued to release material that paints them as the energetic, rough-and-tumble younger brothers to their Exile senior acts. Though … Continue reading
Reboots always scare me a bit, especially when attached to a group or artist that I like. I’m all for musical growth, but a “reboot” connotes something more dramatic – a shedding of an old sound in favor of something completely new. The Rampage’s upcoming album bears this troublesome name, and from the tracks we’ve … 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. January 2021 Overall Thoughts It’s the start of a new year, and new possibilities when it … Continue reading
I’m back with more J-pop b-sides and singles that never received a full Bias List review. This round-up covers material from October 2020 to January 2021, and I hope you find some treasures to add to your playlist! SixTONES – S.I.X / Special Order SixTONES released their first full-length album earlier this month, and it’s … 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 some epic … 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 some epic … 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
It’s not always appropriate or fair to compare different artists to one another, but you’ll have to indulge me on this. For the past few months, you’ve suffered through me ranting about how I wish SM Entertainment would lean further into the ambition of the NCT project, giving them a big, bombastic showstopper rather than … Continue reading
LDH Japan has suddenly begun to blitz the internet with new music videos from its Exile Tribe acts, which is pretty exciting. Unfortunately, many of these have been in support of ballads that were digitally released months ago. But then we have Rising Soul – a new single by the agency’s popular Sandaime J Soul … 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. October 2020 Overall Thoughts After a fantastic September, October was another strong month. And, it was … Continue reading
This year’s retro synth revival continues to spread around the globe, and that includes Japan. Exile Tribe has always had a retro flair, rooted most deeply in the early-90’s, so it’s no surprise that one or more of their groups would pick up this baton and run with it. However, Fantastics have never attempted a … Continue reading
It’s been awhile! As I’ve started covering more J-pop singles on the blog, there haven’t been as many tracks to feature in a J-pop round-up. But, one of the purposes of this feature is to unearth buried treasures. The seven songs below are a mix of singles and b-sides that have caught my attention over … 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. August 2020 Overall Thoughts At the beginning of the year, one of my wishes for 2020 … Continue reading
I’m a big fan of the Exile Tribe family of groups, and for me The Rampage are the ones to beat at the moment. Their trio of vocalists are excellent – complimentary but compelling in their own right. And, the group’s edgy sound makes a great conduit for dynamic material. The Rampage’s music often steers … Continue reading
Apart from their exciting, old-school hip-hop debut Tenhane, most of Ballistik Boyz’ best material has appeared as b-sides. February’s Anti-Hero’s was alright (though the teacher in me despises that misplaced apostrophe), but the rock-rap Front Burner and breakbeat Bang Out were absolutely incredible. New single Summer Hype doesn’t live up to either of those tracks, … Continue reading
Exile’s iconic vocalist Atsushi is celebrating his 40th birthday with the impending release of a new album – his first in nearly seven years. Pre-release single Osaka Tokyo (オーサカトーキョー) stands as another milestone, recorded with fellow J-pop veteran Koda Kumi. The duo last collaborated way back in 2006, making this song a long-awaited reunion. As … Continue reading
I don’t think I’ll ever tire of Exile Tribe groups’ love for early-90’s pop throwbacks. Get With You is the debut single of new unit Deep Squad, which adds three members to veteran vocal act Deep for a fresh combination that injects a little more youth into their sound. This results in a satisfying blend … Continue reading
Hey, I kept my promise! After February’s maiden voyage, I’m back with the second Bias List J-Pop Round-Up! This is the place where I get to recommend Japanese tracks or albums that I’ve been into over the past few weeks. Like before, this won’t be a place for Japanese songs by Korean artists. Those will … Continue reading
Like Japan’s leading purveyor of male idol acts, Johnny’s Entertainment, the groups of Exile Tribe have their own individual quirks but largely adhere to a proven house style. Generations are the agency’s most quintessential boy band, complete with a princely, straight-out-of-an-anime character in vocalist Katayose Ryota. They’ve been churning out music for over seven years … Continue reading
