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. August 2021 Overall Thoughts When it comes to new music, I often mention the “expectations game.” … Continue reading
A K-pop group’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. After a string of VERIVERY releases … Continue reading
During VERIVERY’s debut year, their fun new jack swing sound set them apart from other rookies. It may not have built a huge fan base, but those of us who enjoyed it did so with a loyalty and enthusiasm that seems to be missing from their post-2020 work. Their Face It series unfolded 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
Tomorrow kicks off my Top 50 2015 countdown with songs 50 to 41! Before that, I’ve got ten honorable mentions that barely missed out on making the main countdown. There are some fantastic tracks within this bunch. 2015 was a very strong year for K-pop, making this countdown pretty cutthroat. To give you some context, … Continue reading
With over 3,000 songs on my iPhone’s “K-Pop Singles” playlist, I thought it would be fun to add a bit of unpredictability to my song review posts. So as a result, we have the “Random Shuffle Review” feature. The rules are simple. I fire up my playlist, press “shuffle,” and whatever song plays first gets … 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. March 2021 Overall Thoughts I’ve heard whispers around social media lamenting that 2021 has been a … Continue reading
Since her solo debut, Kim Sejeong has become synonymous with ballads. But now that Gugudan is no more, it makes sense that she would expand her palette and maybe even absorb some of her former group’s charms. New single Warning isn’t exactly adventurous, but it injects a welcome variety to her music, delivering the optimistic … Continue reading
Once buoyed by the bright energy of rookiedom, VERIVERY have since taken a darker musical path, abandoning their funky new jack swing roots for edgier concepts. I blame it on that creepy game of hide-and-seek they played during the Tag Tag Tag summer of 2019. Something weird happened in that dusty old house. Tsk tsk … Continue reading
I’m the type who likes to listen to every major K-pop album at least once. Maybe that’s a bit obsessive, but it guarantees that no buried treasures slip through my fingers. And although much emphasis is put on title tracks, more and more the best K-pop songs are relegated to b-sides. This countdown encompasses any … Continue reading
I’m the type who likes to listen to every major K-pop album at least once. Maybe that’s a bit obsessive, but it guarantees that no buried treasures slip through my fingers. And although much emphasis is put on title tracks, more and more the best K-pop songs are relegated to b-sides. This countdown encompasses any … Continue reading
The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, we’ll kick off with the big one: The Bias List’s top 50 songs of the year! Each day this week, I’ll be counting down ten of the year’s best, until number one is revealed on Friday. To be eligible for this top 50 list, songs … Continue reading
Disclaimer: As with my write-ups on K-Pop’s biggest agencies, this is written from an outsider’s perspective. I’m not privy to any business-related financial information beyond what any other fan would know. The purpose of these articles is to examine how well these agencies are serving their artists and the general k-pop fan-base. If you’re curious … Continue reading
Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard! November … Continue reading
VERIVERY’s Face It trilogy has been pitched as a maturation of the group’s sound and image, but all it’s done is chip away at everything I used to enjoy about the guys’ music. Lay Back was a highlight, even if it pointed toward darker directions. This summer’s Thunder ended up growing on me despite sounding … Continue reading
Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard! July … Continue reading
Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard! May … Continue reading
I feel like the immense success of IU’s Eight (and moderate success of Into the I-LAND) has opened the door for a new trend in Korean solo artists. I’m going to label it: “wistful vocalist performs uplifting pop melody over mid-tempo, guitar-strumming instrumental.” That’s a pretty specific way of saying “generic pop,” but singles like … Continue reading
Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard! January … 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 2020 Overall Thoughts For the first time in months, I feel pretty good about where … Continue reading
