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 debuts can be tricky things. At times, they’re the best song a group delivers. Sometimes, they’re the only song a group delivers! But, debuts can also be huge wtf moments in an artist’s career. In this feature, I’ll be looking back at debut songs through the prism of time, re-evaluating how well they hold … Continue reading
I didn’t love BamBam’s solo debut, but his recent duet with Red Velvet’s Seulgi offered a different avenue for his talent. It turns out moody sounds fit him quite well, and that approach continues on new single Slow Mo. The track retains plenty of hip-hop influences, but they’re in service to a gentle, atmospheric melody. … Continue reading
Ahead of a new 2022 project, BamBam is closing out 2021 with pre-release single Who Are You. The song has already garnered attention thanks to a guest feature from Red Velvet’s Seulgi, but it deserves praise on its own merits as well. After a solo debut that felt a little throwaway, Who Are You takes … 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
It’s such a joy to write about T-ara today. The group hasn’t made a comeback since 2017 – before many of today’s most popular acts had even debuted! K-pop’s constant changes and debuts keep it exciting, but there’s nothing like hearing from a veteran act. T-ara are such a huge part of K-pop history, and … Continue reading
In 2021’s steady stream of GOT7 solos, we’ve now arrived at Mark Tuan’s Last Breath. Mark opened his own studio and has been releasing a few singles this year. But, Last Breath could be considered his solo “debut” since it’s the first track to receive a music video that isn’t animated or tied up with … 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 2021 Overall Thoughts When I averaged all my song ratings of October, I was surprised … 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
2021 continues to be the year of GOT7 solos. I’m surprised how quickly they’ve rolled these out, with four of the seven members releasing new music within the last six months. Main vocal Youngjae has released solo work before, but Colors From Ars is his first mini album and represents his official debut as 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
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
Yugyeom pre-released a track last week as his first work since signing with hip-hop label AOMG. Now, he’s taking full advantage of the agency’s roster and employing Gray as guest producer/artist on All Your Fault (네 잘못이야). I’ve been a longtime fan of Gray’s beats, as they often feel timeless in execution. And even if … Continue reading
I’ve written way more about GOT7 this year than I’d anticipated. And, this only includes one review of a full-group song. In the past few weeks, we’ve seen releases from Jackson, Jay B, Yugyeom and now BamBam. Apart from Jackson, all members have stuck to a similar trap pop style, with varying degrees of success. … Continue reading
The members of GOT7 are revealing their solo projects at a rapid rate. Jackson’s already developed a longstanding solo career. And, his excellent LMLY was followed by Jay B’s debut single. Now we’ve got Yugyeom and next week we’ll hear from BamBam. Apart from LMLY, all members seem to be targeting a similar blend of … 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
As GOT7 members embark on their own solo careers, I’ll probably pick and choose which songs to write about. After all, The Bias List’s focus has always been idol groups, and labels like H1GHR Music begin to veer into different territory. But, it’s interesting to hear what idols are capable of when signing with a … Continue reading
With so many idols (and former idols) branching into international markets, it’s becoming harder to decide which songs to write about on this blog. I mean, Jackson’s LMLY can hardly even be considered K-pop. It’s performed entirely in English by an artist who now works mainly in China. But, we can’t overlook Jackson’s history with … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 