K-pop’s title tracks might gain most of listeners’ attention, but many album tracks are worth equal spotlight. I call these “buried treasures.” Beyond this, K-pop’s albums deliver thousands of additional tracks that settle for a more limited audience. It’s these songs that will become a part of my “battle of the b-sides” feature. In 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. December 2018 Overall Thoughts What is there to say about December, really? This month is basically … Continue reading
The much-dreaded (but inevitable) SHINee hiatus begins next week when leader Onew will begin to serve his mandatory military conscription. Before that, he’s gifted fans with his very first solo album — a collection of ballads appropriately titled Voice. His rich tone has been an anchor for so many SHINee songs, but I don’t think … Continue reading
Okay SM Station season two, are you going to turn out to be nothing more than a bunch of ballads? Apart from Ten’s performance video and the total red herring that was the Stanley Clarke Band, nearly every high profile Station release so far has been slow and — quite frankly — kind of bland. This … Continue reading
Shinee are one of the big ones. Not only are they a part of my top three k-pop groups of all time, but they’re just one of those groups that instantly come to mind when I think the word “k-pop.” They’ve covered so much ground during their career, and really pushed the genre’s boundaries while … Continue reading
