It’s finally time to take a long overdue look at the singles from one of k-pop’s legendary performers. Honestly, BoA has released so much music in both Korea and Japan that this list has been revised several times over. I think everyone’s choices will probably be unique to them, but for me, I’ve found that her … Continue reading
J-Pop group w-inds. have had a long and varied career, moving through different pop sounds as they’ve progressed as a group. Over the past few years, they’ve settled on a kind of throwback funk template that suits them well. With new single Backstage, they add some modern tropical house flavor, which results in a nice … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I’ll look back at my three favorite title tracks by k-pop artists. Unlike my end-of-year countdowns, jpop and Japanese releases by kpop artists are ineligible, though I will give the great ones a spotlight. For my top three tracks, I’ll take my own ratings into account, but there is a … Continue reading
Despite Infinite being far and away my favorite k-pop group, I’m always a little hesitant when approaching their Japanese releases. Unlike the consistent quality of their Korean output, their j-pop material involves work with a more diverse collection of composers, resulting in a hodgepodge of different sounds. Luckily, D.N.A sees them trying on a punchy … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I’ll look back at my three favorite title tracks by k-pop artists. Unlike my end-of-year countdowns, jpop and Japanese releases by kpop artists are ineligible, though I will give the great ones a spotlight. For my top three tracks, I’ll take my own ratings into account, but there is a … Continue reading
It’s an astonishingly (frustratingly) bare week for k-pop, but thank god for Japan, because there has been a slew of new j-pop releases over the past couple of weeks. I haven’t talked about Da-iCE on the blog before, but I’m a new convert to their music. Their vocal distribution reminds me a lot of Beast, … Continue reading
Rock group FTIsland are really on a roll this year. First, they released their Japanese N.W.U album with its excellent single You Don’t Know Who I Am, then they came back last week in Korea with one of the strongest singles of their career. Now, they’ve got another hit coming down the pike for an … Continue reading
As their latest Japanese release (and first as a five-piece), Beast have given us two singles under the concept “day and night.” I was pretty underwhelmed by the day, but it turns out that the night is where things really heat up. Though I enjoyed their latest Korean album (and loved the title track), it … Continue reading
Beast has been all over the place this year. We had the misguided hip-hop of March’s Guess Who, the gorgeous midtempo drama of Ribbon, and now Freaking Cute, which takes a much lighter pop approach. The group gave us a handful of brilliant Japanese tracks last year, but I fear that the creative juice has been used … Continue reading
Now that flagship JYP group 2PM is essentially more active in Japan than they are in Korea, it makes sense that their individual members would also pursue solo careers in that country. It’s been a success so far, both commercially and quality-wise. In fact, some of the guys’ best, most adventurous material has been tailored … Continue reading
Few k-pop stars bring the drama the way Shinee’s Taemin does. I’ve been a massive fan of his solo material from the start, so hearing that he would release a Japanese mini album later this month was a very nice surprise. I’d be lying if I said the ballad-meets-dubstep nature of Sayonara Hitori (さよならひとり) is … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I’ll look back at my three favorite title tracks by k-pop artists. Unlike my end-of-year countdowns, jpop and Japanese releases by kpop artists are ineligible, though I will give the great ones a spotlight. For my top three tracks, I’ll take my own ratings into account, but there is a … Continue reading
Though never releasing one as a title track, throughout the years VIXX have recorded some great ballads. I’m thinking especially of songs like Love Letter and this year’s Badbye. So when it was announced that their new Japanese single would be a ballad, I wasn’t overly concerned. But unfortunately, Hana-Kaze (Flower Wind) tends towards the … Continue reading
Whether you call them TVXQ, DBSK or Tohoshinki, these guys have one of the most prolific, enormous discographies of any k-pop artist. I could have easily split this into two lists — one for the five-member group and one for their current two-member configuration. But, I gave myself a challenge. And at nearly 100 music … Continue reading
I haven’t had a chance to write about Japan’s mega girl group E-girls yet, though they are one of the few j-pop artists I listen to. More often than not, their sound is bright and cheerful, echoing much of what is going on in k-pop currently. For Strawberry Sadistic (Strawberry サディスティック), they maintain the up-tempo catchiness, … Continue reading
As BTOB continues to rise in their homeland, they’ve also carved out a pretty successful career in Japan. Though I find much of their j-pop material to be more reductive and schmaltzy than their Korean output, there’s no denying that the big balladry of L.U.V allows the guys a platform to display their substantial vocal … Continue reading
Boy group MYNAME has never really had that one big song that would break them into the k-pop a-list. Instead, it’s been a gradual, consistently strong, road. For me, they’re most notable for having not only a great Korean discography, but also killing it with most of their Japanese releases. This is a hard balance to strike, but … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I’ll look back at my three favorite title tracks by k-pop artists. Unlike my end-of-year countdowns, jpop and Japanese releases by kpop artists are ineligible, though I will give the great ones a spotlight. For my top three tracks, I’ll take my own ratings into account, but there is a … Continue reading
News has slowly inched their way to the very top of my J-Pop bias list, releasing brilliant pop song after brilliant pop song. They’ve been active for an incredible thirteen years now, first as a nine-member group, then as a six-piece and finally as the very strong four-member configuration they are today. Throughout it all, their … Continue reading
Boyfriend have been away from the kpop scene for too long. Throughout their career, they’ve released a truly under-appreciated barrage of modern pop classics. Luckily, their Japanese discography has also been pretty strong, so we have those releases to fill the long gaps in between comebacks. Glider is the most recent, and it is super, … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 