September-October 2008 Overall Thoughts In addition to my monthly K-pop round-up, I’ve taken a look at my favorite three singles from each month since 2009 and factored them into my ultimate Bias List scorecard, which can be found here. The problem is, prior to 2009 it becomes harder to find reliable sources for K-pop release … Continue reading
FTIsland don’t get enough credit for being as enduring a force as they are. Sure, they’re not the five-member powerhouse they once were, but with over fourteen years of idol life behind them, they’re one of K-pop’s longest-running groups. With age comes the threat of monotony. How does a band in their fifteenth year keep … 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! July … 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! March … 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! February … 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! November … 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! January … 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! May … 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
Because they debuted at such a young age, FTIsland have been able to consistently release music for twelve years without a military enlistment-forced hiatus. This is almost unheard of when it comes to male K-pop groups, and it’s positioned the guys as one of the industry’s staples. Zapping is their first album without leader Jonghoon, … Continue reading
This is one of those features I’ve been wanting to tackle for years now. In many ways, the singles of 2012 set the standard I measure all future and past K-pop against. Song for song, it was the pinnacle of so much that I love about Korean music. It was a year of gargantuan choruses, … Continue reading
When I think of the artists I would have pegged to go the tropical route, Lee Hongki wouldn’t have even entered the conversation. As the front man of rock band FTIsland, his raspy, powerful voice seems too intense for the style, easily becoming the focal point of anything he records. But as last week’s oddball … Continue reading
Lee Hongki’s 2015 solo album was a surprisingly diverse affair. It may have been led by a big, theatrical ballad in the vein of his group’s 2012 hit Severely, but the b-sides offered a range of sounds that dabbled in dance and synthpop. In other words, it was exactly what a solo album should be … Continue reading
FTIsland have been a staple of the K-pop landscape for over ten years now. Having debuted so young, none of the members have yet embarked on their two-year military conscription, making their music a reliably steady presence. This consistency of comebacks threatens to blunt excitement for new material. After all, “absence makes the heart grow … 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 2018 Overall Thoughts Well, March certainly didn’t pan out the way I had expected. If … Continue reading
Along with many other male groups of their era, FTIsland is approaching that dreaded military enlistment time, where each member will have to momentarily leave the entertainment industry for their mandatory service. This portion of an idol’s career tends to bring with it an added sense of sentimentality, as artists bid a temporary goodbye to … Continue reading
As we’ve seen over the past few months, making it to a ten-year anniversary is no small feat when it comes to k-pop. FTIsland join a select few that have outlasted the threat of disbandment and roster changes and failing agencies. For that alone, they deserve immense respect. Even more kudos should be given for … Continue reading
This was not one of the easier lists to compile. FTIsland have dozens of singles to choose from, and I’ve liked almost all of them. But, if I were to rate their discography as a whole, the scores would be pretty even across the board, with a few major peaks standing out from an otherwise … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I’ll look back at my three favorite title tracks by k-pop artists. Unlike my end-of-year countdowns, jpop and Japanese releases by kpop artists are ineligible, though I will give the great ones a spotlight. For my top three tracks, I’ll take my own ratings into account, but there is a … Continue reading
Rock group FTIsland are really on a roll this year. First, they released their Japanese N.W.U album with its excellent single You Don’t Know Who I Am, then they came back last week in Korea with one of the strongest singles of their career. Now, they’ve got another hit coming down the pike for an … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 