I’m not always a huge fan of K-pop covers, but Baekho chose the perfect song in Elevator. The original 1995 Park Jinyoung classic was a staple of the 90’s, yet it never had an official music video and the song’s production is ripe for an update. As influential as this evergreen hit is, you don’t … Continue reading
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
“Best Of” albums are far more common in the Japanese market than any other country I’m aware of, and that extends to K-pop acts. Ima (Even If The World Ends Tomorrow) (今 -明日 世界が終わっても-) is taken from Seventeen’s first “best of,” marking another stage in their successful career. And though the track was composed by … Continue reading
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
Multi-song rollouts are becoming increasingly common for HYBE artists, and BTS’s V is certainly taking advantage of the strategy. His solo album isn’t out until next month, but we’ve already heard two of its tracks. Rainy Days follows yesterday’s understated, jazzy Love Me Again, ever so slightly upping the energy to a soft shuffle. Time … Continue reading
The BTS solo roll-out continues in earnest with member V scheduled to release multiple songs ahead of his debut album in September. V’s unique, husky voice has always been one of the group’s secret weapons — a very appealing tone that adds character and texture to anything it touches. The challenge, then, is to find … 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 2023 Overall Thoughts This July was characterized by several things, but on this blog it … Continue reading
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
Rather than contain my “Risers and Fallers” feature to a single post in June, I’m going to share a bite-sized version at the end of each month. This will let me account for more songs and make a nice lead-in to the monthly round-up post. I anticipate most of these ratings adjustments will be negligible: … Continue reading
Fulfilling their promise to film a music video for every track on the new album, NewJeans are back with visuals for ASAP. When listening to the album, my highlights are definitely ETA and Super Shy. Those feel the most fully fleshed out of the tracks, while moments like ASAP are move vibey and interlude-esque. I … Continue reading
I went to watch the video for ETA on YouTube and it was immediately preceded by an iPhone advertisement backed by the song’s hook. Make no mistake what HYBE is doing here. This NewJeans EP is branding at its most integrated. In fact, imagining these brief, jingle-like songs as stylish commercials may offer a more … Continue reading
The annual Bias List Legendary Songs Inauguration Ceremony has returned! Yes, I’m a few months late on this, but it’s been a busy year of new releases and I was waiting for an empty day to compose this feature. It’s exceedingly rare for me to award any song a 10-out-of-10 rating on release day. Instead, … Continue reading
More than anything, NewJeans’ music has become an interesting excuse to analyze pop music expectations and preferences. It’s increasingly clear that their songs are designed to be streamed over and over again in a loop. They don’t exhaust listeners with big, glitzy pop peaks. Their melodies are simple and sleek, often delivered in an aloof … Continue reading
Somehow, early-00’s Craig David has emerged as the biggest influence on this week’s K-pop (and K-pop adjacent) releases. We’re hearing a ton of garage-inspired tracks, but none have managed to pair those addictive beats with songs compelling enough to transcend the homage. To call Seven a much-anticipated release would be putting it lightly. Many of … Continue reading
It feels like &TEAM have promoted recent single Firework more frequently on Korean broadcasts than in their native Japan, making the whole ‘Korean-agency-debuts-Jpop-act’ approach even more nebulous. Thus far, &TEAM’s output has basically been K-pop performed in Japanese — a trend many agencies are attempting to replicate. My thoughts on this aside, Firework is a … Continue reading
ENHYPEN’s One And Only is a collaboration with Pokémon, though the song’s line distribution ensures we never get to hear Pikachu’s beautiful falsetto. Instead, the colorful pocket monsters appear in the music video. Without those added visuals, One And Only is a pleasant summer bop — airy and mid-tempo. ENHYPEN have a few tracks like … Continue reading
If I had a time machine, I’d go back to 2016 and tell myself that – in seven years – I’d be writing the words “& Jonas Brothers” in the title of a blog post on The Bias List. It’s been quite a journey, my friends. Who would have ever thought we’d end up here? … Continue reading
NewJeans kicked off the day with the release of an eponymous introduction track for their upcoming album. That Powerpuff Girls collab was mood-setting but ephemeral. It fully embraced the group’s stylized worldview. NewJeans are nothing if not cool. Sometimes, I think “cool” is put at a higher premium than anything else. I understand why this … Continue reading
There will be no summer barbeques or afternoons at the beach for Jun’s Psycho. This song spends its time in a windowless room, chains and restraints attached to the walls. Summer fare this is not. Jun has recorded solo material before, most recently with last year’s Limbo. Psycho follows a similar vibe, though it’s more … Continue reading
To be honest, there haven’t been many K-pop albums in 2023 that I’ve played more than a couple times through. Similar to my singles list yesterday, nearly all of these picks come with some qualifiers. However, there are a more than a few gems to uncover. *As usual, albums must have at least four full … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 