Over the years, I’ve ranted about the state of K-pop boy groups more than a few times. But, I’ve rarely given the same focused critique to the industry’s girl groups. 2021 has been a strong year for the boys so far. At the same time, I haven’t been as impressed with many of its girl … Continue reading
K-pop tends to latch onto certain trends and drive them into the ground, whether they’re applicable to a song or not. But, global music is wide and varied, and the industry is at its best and most creative when it embraces that buffet of choices — both old and new. (* the content of this … Continue reading
I’ve not been shy when it comes to criticizing many aspects of Mnet’s Road to Kingdom, but I’ll be forever in its debt for gifting us ONF’s incredible remix of Rain’s classic mid-00’s track It’s Raining. This particular mix arrives at the perfect time. Its various pieces and approaches perfectly illustrate where I wish the … Continue reading
If one thing has been lacking from K-pop’s 2020 boy group landscape, it’s a sense of fun. Now don’t get me wrong, we’re not exactly in “fun” times right now, so to expect anybody to be in a particularly good mood at the moment is asking a lot. But when things are dark, don’t we … Continue reading
If you’ve been reading this site for any length of time, you’ve probably heard me go on about how I consider Infinite’s The Chaser to be the greatest K-pop song of all time. I’m not alone in this thinking, though newer K-pop fans might not even know that the track exists. If this is you, … Continue reading
I’ll begin this latest Bias List screed by stating that I’m an avid watcher of K-pop’s survival series. From juggernauts like Produce 101 to barely-remembered blips like Under Nineteen, I love a good competition. And yet, I fear that the proliferation of these series is killing K-pop’s creativity. An Old-Fashioned Approach Back in the day … Continue reading
Modern K-pop has always felt the need to position its male groups as edgy and badass, but the moodiness has seemed to kick into overdrive this year. Call it the BTS-effect, or the mirroring of current trends in Western pop, but for a lover of upbeat production and colorful melodies, this trend has resulted in … Continue reading
First of all, I apologize for the alarmist title. I don’t believe k-pop is anywhere near dying, nor do I think the concept of a fandom is a bad thing. I consider myself a massive k-pop fan, so much that I’ve written about it every day for the past two and a half years. I’d … Continue reading
Late last night, as I was sleeping, the Bias List officially racked up its millionth view. In the grand scheme of things, I know that I’m a relatively small fish in a big pond. Hell, many of the k-pop acts I write about routinely manage over a million views in under an hour! But I’m … Continue reading
So far, 2017 has given us a long string of solid tracks, as well as a handful of truly great ones. But I can’t help think that there has been a general lack of excitement surrounding this year’s k-pop offerings. Perhaps it’s due to the strong influence of certain trends, which has made so many … Continue reading
Coming off a very strong 2016, this year in k-pop has felt very middle-of-the-road. That’s not to say that there haven’t been highlights (we’ll get to those tomorrow…), but overall 2017 just hasn’t been that exciting thus far. Traditionally, k-pop revs up in the summer and fall as comebacks are more frequent and acts tend … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 