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
Of all the Wanna One members, Ha Sungwoon never really caught my attention. Yet, his solo career has gone from strength to strength. He’s proving himself a great pop songwriter with surprising versatility. And, I love the funky route his title tracks have taken. Forbidden Island (그 섬) continues this arc, thriving on a hearty … Continue reading
I feel like every summer we get a few of these “rapper featuring vocalist” music videos that involve posing on fancy boats and cavorting among palm trees. I like to imagine all of these videos being filmed simultaneously, with hundreds of yacht-and-rapper combos sailing the same small body of water without bumping into each other. … 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
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. June 2020 Overall Thoughts This may not seem like much within the context of 2020’s continual … Continue reading
It’s been almost a year since Ha Sungwoon’s last comeback. That summer album showed a lot of promise, foregoing the tepid r&b of his solo debut for more adventurous sounds. Now, he’s back with the kind of funk-pop track I’d like to see K-pop’s moody boy groups tackle again. Get Ready isn’t perfect, but its … Continue reading
Days after railing against the Produce series’ negative effect on the K-pop industry, it’s time to look at the juggernaut from another angle. Since Wanna One’s disbandment at the start of the year, all of its members have gone on to release music of some sort. I’ve not been shy when it comes to my … 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. July 2019 Overall Thoughts How do I adequately describe just how much of a crippling disappointment … Continue reading
Ha Sungwoon was one of the first out of the gate with a post-Wanna One solo debut, and was handsomely rewarded for it. I wasn’t a fan of Bird at all, but the Korean public seemed to eat it up. As his new summer comeback began to loom on the horizon, I couldn’t imagine the … Continue reading
Oh, Sungwoon fans. You may as well just save yourself the grief and skip this review altogether. I swear, I’ve got nothing against the guy himself. He cut his teeth as a member of underrated idol group Hotshot, and more than proved himself as a vital part of K-pop sensation Wanna One. But his debut … Continue reading
