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 2017 Overall Thoughts July is always the month I look most forward to when it comes … Continue reading
I wasn’t sure that we’d ever get to hear Monsta X‘s version of a fun, upbeat summer single. Their album material has been relatively varied, but when it comes to singles the group has more-or-less stuck with a harder-edged hip-hop sound. This has brought them a sizable fan base, even if it doesn’t always appeal … Continue reading
In contrast to Starship Entertainment’s first boy group, the bright and poppy Boyfriend, Monsta X debuted in 2015 with a much stronger hip-hop sound. Before that, the group had been formed through variety series No Mercy, which helped to develop an instant (and very international) fan base. Two years later and they’ve released just enough singles … Continue reading
Monsta X are one of a few new wave boy groups who have enjoyed steadily increasing success since their debut. Their pursuit of a harder-edged sound hasn’t always been to my taste, but as they progress it feels like they’re beginning to incorporate some very BTS-like emotional weight to their music. While this seems like … Continue reading
Despite a general shift toward lighter, more ebullient fare in k-pop over the last year, Monsta X have never strayed too far from their hard-hitting sound. Last October’s bombastic Fighter was a red herring in their discography, but one that I personally enjoyed very much. With Beautiful (아름다워), they’re back to what most listeners love … Continue reading
Wrapping up the end of year countdowns, it’s time to delve deeper into the albums 2016 gave us. Among hundreds and hundreds of tracks released this year (and last December!), here are forty of the absolute best. + Make sure to check out the rest of the year-end countdowns here! 40. OH MY GIRL – KNOCK KNOCK … Continue reading
In k-pop, music videos are nearly as important as the songs themselves. It’s become such a visual genre, regularly churning out glossy videos that look much more expensive than they are. Without focusing too much on the actual song (though it’s impossible to fully separate the two), here were the top ten visual moments of … Continue reading
