KAT-TUN are a seminal band for me. Along with label mates News, they were the group that got me interested in j-pop, and I think that’s down to their international-minded pop/rock sound and incredible catalog of songs. They’ve been around for a decade, which means there were many, many singles to choose from. I had … Continue reading
My interest in jpop group Kis-My-Ft2’s releases has been pretty hit and miss over the years. I’ve loved some (mostly Perfect World), but found others to be too generic and overly processed. Still, they’re a group that I feel that I should like, given that they’re one of the more kpop-sounding boy bands in Japan, so I approach each … Continue reading
From time to time, it’s just not enough to write about individual singles. In the case of jpop group News’ Quartetto, I wanted to take a deep dive into several tracks. And, given the fact that I’ve already reviewed most of the album’s singles, it just made sense to take a look at the entire … Continue reading
As part of KAT-TUN’s two-pronged victory lap before hiatus, Greatest Journey acts as both the theme and farewell to their (very funny) variety show Sekaiichi Tame ni Naru Tabi. More importantly, it’s the most upbeat, sunny track the guys have released in awhile, sending them off with a joyful blast of singalong pop. The first time … Continue reading
Unlock is the last official KAT-TUN single before member Taguchi leaves the group and the remaining three go on hiatus. Because of this, it carries with it an aura of sadness, though you wouldn’t know it from the song alone. Unlock is a classic uptempo rock number from the guys. And even if it may not … Continue reading
Arashi have been around for longer than many kpop and jpop idols have been alive, and released a massive amount of singles and albums in that time frame. As could be expected from such a prolific band, their material is incredibly hit or miss for me. For every No One Knows or Under The Blue Sky, … Continue reading
As a companion to their just-released Tragedy (review here), KAT-TUN also gave us Atsuku Nare, which translates to Be Motivated, and its accompanying music video. I wasn’t that impressed with Tragedy, but luckily Atsuku adheres to the elements of the group’s music that I prefer. The song was written with athletics in mind, though it doesn’t sound like your … Continue reading
KAT-TUN released my favorite song of 2015 with their epic Dead Or Alive. Since then, they delivered the not-so-great Kiss Kiss Kiss and have been on hiatus for nearly a year. Because of this extended wait, my anticipation for Tragedy was high. However, it hurts my fanboy heart to say that I am thoroughly underwhelmed … Continue reading
Let’s get the strange stuff out of the way first. The concept of this song is “finger love,” as the guys remind us over and over again in English. I know what they mean, but I can’t help but feel that this phrase’s more…adult… connotations were lost in translation! Now on to the song, … Continue reading
The second of News’ double a-side single releases, Hikari No Shizuku, which translates to Drop Of Light, is a very different beast from their other single, Touch. In short, it’s a traditional News ballad, making use of the guys’ powerful harmonies and performance style. As a ballad, it’s not the best they’ve ever released, but it’s … Continue reading
Well, this has got to be one of the strangest major pop releases of the year. It’s not often you hear a pop track based entirely on a classical symphony piece, but Four Musketeers uses Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Rachmaninoff as its backbone, complete with copious breaks for a string section and … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 