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. September 2022 Overall Thoughts Well, September was certainly a contrast to August! With hindsight, August was … Continue reading
King & Prince have been super active this year: a double a-side, an album, a single and another double a-side on the way in November. But as flush with material as we’ve been, I still think they had a stronger 2021 overall – at least musically. The recently released TraceTrace seeks to expand the sound … Continue reading
It’s been a solid year for singles/albums from Johnny’s & Associates. As far as ratings go, I feel like I’ve given a ton of high-8’s but only a couple 9+ raves. Sexy Zone have been the recipients of two of those 9’s. Their Highlight album is aptly-named, giving us the excellent single Forever Gold and … 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. August 2022 Overall Thoughts Too often this year, my monthly round-ups have been… kind of a … Continue reading
After nearly two years of singles, Hey! Say! JUMP are back with a new studio album. Filmusic is a varied collection of songs themed around movie genres. Its most successful moments come when the group tries on a hard rap/rock style, though the self-referential Get Out Of My House is also a treat (especially if … Continue reading
Compared to earlier eras, it’s been a dry few years for new music from Kis-My-Ft2. Their latest singles have trended toward balladry – often themes to romance-focused dramas. That’s all well and good (frankly, I’ll take whatever they want to give us), but I’ve been hoping for more upbeat material. After all, age and experience … Continue reading
Late last week, Johnny’s groups SixTONES and Snow Man both surprise-released new music videos on YouTube, fueling rumors they may reunite for another duel-group single. It turns out that Snow Man’s Juicy heralds the release of a new studio album. We’ll need to wait to see where SixTONES’ Party People ends up. Both of these … Continue reading
It’s been fascinating to watch Johnny’s & Associates navigate the digital world and decide how they want to engage with it. Older fans can remember a not-too-distant time when official YouTube uploads were the stuff of wild dreams. We still get plenty of (frustrating) short music video edits, but more and more the agency is … 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 2022 Overall Thoughts Counting up all of July’s releases, I’m not sure we’ve ever had … Continue reading
It’s a testament to how busy K-pop has been over the past few weeks that I’m just now getting around to writing about the new Kis-My-Ft2 single. After all, they’re my favorite J-pop idol group. Earlier in the year, I spent weeks covering every one of their singles on this blog. And just recently, they … Continue reading
After last summer’s delightful Hello Hello, Snow Man have returned with their newest summer single Orange Kiss (オレンジkiss), which also serves as the theme to leader Iwamoto’s new movie. I haven’t been shy about my admiration for Snow Man’s music. Their personality and charm enhances every song, but the music is no slouch on its … Continue reading
I saw a headline somewhere that referred to Naniwa Danshi as “glitter idols,” and that’s probably the best moniker you could use to describe them. Johnny’s has opted to give them a classic idol concept, complete with over-the-top costuming that’s popped right out of a manga. It’s not remotely trendy, but that’s the point. A … 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 2022 Overall Thoughts I’ll be publishing my top songs of the first half of 2022 … Continue reading
King & Prince have proven themselves a versatile group, but not in a way that feels unfocused or slapdash. Instead, they’ve been able to dip into several genre pools and develop each as their career has grown. We’ve got the fizzy pop tracks (Cinderella Girl, Koi Furu Tsukiyo ni Kimi Omou), the sleek dance pop … Continue reading
Last time I wrote about News, the year was 2018 and the group had four members. I’ve been an avid listener since then, especially fond of their incredible 2020 album Story. Since then, News has navigated a tricky transition into a trio, releasing several great songs within the past two years. But, I think new … Continue reading
Sexy Zone boast a wide gap between the cringiness of their group name (you’ll grow to love it!) and the quality of their output. Run is easily my favorite song so far this decade, but it’s only one of many strong singles. The guys are especially adept at retro concepts, and their new album The … 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. May 2022 Overall Thoughts So… we’re almost halfway through 2022 and…. hmmm. Compared to the songs … Continue reading
In honor of Kis-My-Ft2’s complete videography being uploaded to YouTube (in edited form, of course…), I can’t resist writing about each single. To put this in context for Bias List readers, Kis-My-Ft2 (or Kisumai, as they’re often known) are my J-pop version of Infinite. That’s how much I love them and their discography. Yet, I … Continue reading
In honor of Kis-My-Ft2’s complete videography being uploaded to YouTube (in edited form, of course…), I can’t resist writing about each single. To put this in context for Bias List readers, Kis-My-Ft2 (or Kisumai, as they’re often known) are my J-pop version of Infinite. That’s how much I love them and their discography. Yet, I … Continue reading
In honor of Kis-My-Ft2’s complete videography being uploaded to YouTube (in edited form, of course…), I can’t resist writing about each single. To put this in context for Bias List readers, Kis-My-Ft2 (or Kisumai, as they’re often known) are my J-pop version of Infinite. That’s how much I love them and their discography. Yet, I … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 