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
Don’t be alarmed, but Shinee have just quietly unveiled the music video for their best Japanese single in years. Their jpop material has always been pretty diverse, from ornate balladry, to campy dancefloor fillers, to boyband power pop, but with Kimi No Sei De (君のせいで), they give us a song that perfectly captures what they do … 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
As part of their big 2016 comeback, the members of SS501 sub-unit Double S 301 have recently released a Japanese mini album. Its title track is the sorrowful Fraction, which takes a more dramatic, ballad-with-a-beat approach compared to their earlier Korean comeback. I tend to cut English phrases in kpop or jpop a tremendous amount of … Continue reading
If there’s any male group that deserves a full-fledged comeback, it’s got to be ZE:A. They’ve never been able to totally break into the a-list as a unit, despite a highly underrated discography and some very notable members. And now that their cohesion as a group seems to be somewhat fractured, it looks like we’ll have to make … Continue reading
Before making their inevitable Korean comeback, AOA have released their second original Japanese single with Give Me The Love. I liked their first one well enough, but it had absolutely no staying power on my playlist. Give Me The Love seems to be the exact opposite. I was initially underwhelmed, but now find myself… well… … 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
Jpop is not nearly as accessible to the western market as kpop has become, so I’m often late to the party when it comes to new releases. Yell has actually been available for a few weeks now, but I’ve recently become interested in boy group Bullet Train and wanted to offer my thoughts on the track. The … Continue reading
Like label-mates CNBlue, FTIsland has done a nice job balancing their Korean and Japanese success. Given their status as an idol rock group, their sound has an easily-slotted place within the vast world of j-rock, though the direction of their Japanese material hasn’t always been to my taste. However, I was incredibly impressed with frontman Hongki’s solo … Continue reading
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
The Bigbangification of Beast continues with Guess Who, their new Japanese single. They began to veer toward this more hip-hop influenced sound with last year’s Yey, but that song grew on me the more I heard it. I’m not sure Guess Who will share the same fate. There’s just not as much to hold onto … Continue reading
For their first truly original Japanese single, B.A.P have opted for a sort of hybrid of their Young, Wild & Free from last year and 2013’s excellent One Shot. Even the music video features shades of both. This is a wise move, as the sound is one hundred percent theirs and skillfully paints a clear … Continue reading
Brand New Days is the rare example of a kpop group recording a jpop song that could easily function as one of its actual Korean comebacks. It doesn’t opt for a radical departure in sound, but instead builds on the successes of the group’s discography. Apink has been riding the cutesy concept since their inception, … 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
BTOB enjoyed one heck of a 2015, finding a new level of success and finally becoming the group they were meant to be. They also began to push into Japan with original material that catered almost exclusively to the genre preferences of that market. In other words, their two singles were super j-poppy. Dear Bride strikes a nice balance … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 