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
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. April 2022 Overall Thoughts In a paradoxical trend, the average song rating on this blog has … 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
The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, we’ll kick off with the big one: The Bias List’s top 50 songs of the year! Each day this week, I’ll be counting down ten of the year’s best, until number one is revealed on Friday. To be eligible for this top 50 list, … Continue reading
Over the years, I haven’t been particularly kind to Ravi’s solo music. I settled on an “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all” approach, choosing not to write about every song he releases. But, I’m always up for a pleasant surprise and still preview his work in case something … Continue reading
In perhaps the most unsurprising K-pop news of 2021, (G)I-DLE’s Jeon Soyeon has released her first solo album. I mean, she technically debuted as a soloist in 2017 before re-debuting as (G)I-DLE’s leader — a group practically built around her popularity. She’s one of the most prominent voices in K-pop today, with the ability to … Continue reading
What a difference a year makes! This time in 2020, I struggled to cobble together a mid-year list worth celebrating. I ended up finding five songs, though one wasn’t technically a single. This year, I’ve got a whopping fourteen tracks! That’s quite a turnaround, and a testament to 2021’s strength. Because of this, I’ve scrapped … 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. May 2021 Overall Thoughts 2021’s momentum stalled a bit this month. But, it wasn’t for a … Continue reading
Before a new K-pop album is released, I habitually read its track descriptions (when they’re available). This can be dangerous, as my imagination can falsely extrapolate a single word into the most epic song ever recorded. But more often than not, these descriptions just use the same few trendy descriptors. So when Yuqi’s Bonnie & … Continue reading
Though she doesn’t receive as much attention as some of (G)I-DLE’s other members, Yuqi has one of the group’s most compelling voices. And now, she has the opportunity to spotlight that talent with the release of her digital single Giant. Recorded in both English and Chinese versions, the song offers a shot of rock-infused inspiration. … Continue reading
Over the years, I’ve ranted about the state of K-pop boy groups more than a few times. But, I’ve rarely given the same focused critique to the industry’s girl groups. 2021 has been a strong year for the boys so far. At the same time, I haven’t been as impressed with many of its girl … Continue reading
(G)I-DLE’s Last Dance is the latest single to be released via the Universe app, a frustrating approach where a song’s full music video is only viewable within the app itself. Despite gathering some big-name talent for these tie-ins, I still have no clue what the Universe app actually is, and have little desire in researching … 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
Whatever I may think about (G)I-DLE’s music, I can always appreciate their ambition. They commit to their concepts, and leader Soyeon’s composition skills ensure that their title tracks feel consistently them regardless of the genre. Unfortunately, more often than not their songs just don’t connect with me. Oftentimes, I find their work to be heavy … Continue reading
Full disclosure: I’m not much of a gamer. And, I don’t really find the idea of virtual/avatar pop stars to be appealing (hello, æspa!). So, while everyone else was raving about Pop/Stars two years ago, I was mostly oblivious to the hype. For those like me, the K/DA project is a virtual girl group themed … Continue reading
Not everything can be for everyone, and over the course of the past few comebacks, I’ve learned that (G)I-DLE’s music isn’t often for me. Even when I can objectively recognize certain songs as “good,” they still grate on my ears. I think this comes down to Soyeon’s approach to songwriting. I recognize how popular she’s … Continue reading
Hyoyeon’s latest release under her HYO stage name has been classified as “jungle pop.” Jungle is a hybrid sub-genre that first emerged from the heavily-percussive breakbeat hardcore, incorporating elements of reggae, dancehall, funk and several other sounds into a dense, noisy brew that favors repeated electronic loops. That all sounds more interesting than Dessert turns … Continue reading
Looking back at this feature from 2019, it seems like I identified quite a few risers and few fallers last year. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for 2020. Most title tracks — even the ones I loved — just haven’t enjoyed the same staying power. I’m not quite sure why this is. Maybe it … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 