Battle of the B-Sides: Heo Young Saeng, Just B, Trouble Maker, Stray Kids, Girls’ Generation
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Battle of the B-Sides: Heo Young Saeng, Just B, Trouble Maker, Stray Kids, Girls’ Generation

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

The Top 50 K-Pop Songs of 2013 (Day Three: 30-21)
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The Top 50 K-Pop Songs of 2013 (Day Three: 30-21)

2013 was a high-concept, musically diverse year in K-pop. Hip-hop hadn’t yet taken over, and melody was still king. Instrumentals aimed for the rafters of stadiums, bringing in explosive guitar, sledgehammer beats and bombastic electro riffs. Songs played around with structure in artful, unexpected ways, often polarizing opinion before unveiling themselves as future classics. Here … Continue reading