With boatloads of preorders and hundreds of millions of views, there’s no doubt NCT have become SM Entertainment’s new alpha group. And with the announcement (ugh…) of “NCT Hollywood,” their influence will only grow. I wish I could confidently join the bandwagon, but the longer this NCT project advances, the more repetitive it gets. I … Continue reading
Over the years, perfectly-scored, 10/10 songs have developed a sort of mythical status on The Bias List. I didn’t intend for this to be the case, but my hesitance to give full marks on release day has resulted in the concept of a “legendary song.” Last year, I inaugurated a handful of songs into this … 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
NCT’s WayV have arguably been the most consistent unit over the past few years, and for my money they released the best NCT-related material in 2020. Of course, this only sets expectations high, giving new single Kick Back (秘境) plenty to live up to. And while I don’t think the song is as strong as … Continue reading
There was a time when SM Entertainment’s Japanese releases were something to really look forward to. The J-pop discographies of Girls’ Generation, SHINee and TVXQ are particularly strong and often pushed the artists in new directions. But, I can’t remember the last time a Japanese single by an SM artist really stood out – maybe … Continue reading
I am not a dancer, but I do enjoy some great K-pop choreography. Point dances and exciting formations can really vault a strong song into legendary status, so I think it’s important to take a look at idol dances each year. As usual, this is not a countdown of the most technically impressive or complex … Continue reading
Each year, it feels like K-pop places more and more emphasis on its music videos. And while I’ll always be a fan of the songs first and foremost, there’s no denying the power of a potent visual. Here are my ten favorites of 2020. 2020 YEAR-END MASTERPOST Honorable Mentions: AKMU – Happening CRAXY – Aria … 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, … Continue reading
Well… 2020 was certainly different, wasn’t it? It was a year where the industry couldn’t function as usual, but that didn’t stop K-pop from churning out more music than ever. It was a year of unprecedented international success and rising album sales — just as most other music markets struggled to move physical product. It … Continue reading
The theme of this year’s MAMA Awards was “New-topia,” which sounds a bit chilling in a weird way. But, things were definitely new here. This was unlike any MAMA yet, lacking a live audience. But even though everything was accomplished on soundstages, I think the producers did a great job making this still feel like … Continue reading
I’ve been a little hard on NCT lately, but that’s only because I find their concept so promising. It borrows quite a bit from systems that the J-pop market has been using for ages, but has the potential to bring a uniquely K-pop aesthetic to the approach. That potential has popped up here and there … 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. November 2020 Overall Thoughts November was absolutely packed with releases, and though only one title track … Continue reading
It’s that time of year again! Over the next few weeks, I’ll be looking at many of K-pop’s biggest agencies and offering my thoughts about how their 2020 went. First up is SM Entertainment. As usual, the thoughts are my own and aren’t privy to any insider information. I’m not taking into account things like … Continue reading
NCT is absolutely stuffed with talent and personality. But, that only goes so far without strong songs to harness it. On the whole, both parts of the NCT Resonance album remind me of a b-side collection. They’re not so common anymore, but artists used to cobble together unreleased material and outtakes into a special album … Continue reading
The announcement of NCT’s 23-member Resonance project sparked a lot of excitement, and much of that stemmed from how awesome their 2018 Empathy album was. Songs like Baby Don’t Stop and Boss are still in heavy rotation, and have become pillars of NCT’s discography. In comparison, Resonance hasn’t brought the same level of focus or … 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. October 2020 Overall Thoughts After a fantastic September, October was another strong month. And, it was … Continue reading
To this day, my absolute favorite NCT track remains 2016’s Without You. That song spotlighted vocalists Doyoung, Taeil and Jaehyun without resorting to the kind of piano ballad usually reserved for vocal-driven tracks. In my mind, there are far more interesting ways to showcase your vocalists than a traditional ballad. Anthemic synth-rock is only one … Continue reading
Most of the time, a k-pop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, 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. When listening to NCT’s Resonance Part 1, I’m struck with the … Continue reading
Fans have barely had a chance to breathe between SM Entertainment’s SuperM album and this new, ambitious NCT project. Resonance brings together all twenty-one members, plus two new faces, for part one of a compilation album that mixes and matches the guys into various units. Resonance will be promoted by two title tracks, and the … Continue reading
