One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with Infinite’s A-Z reviews here! Footsteps (from Reality – 2015) Taken from one of the group’s strongest albums, Footsteps feels a bit meandering when stacked up with the material surrounding it. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the track plays with structure by not providing the … Continue reading
Few rookie groups have suffered as long a hiatus as Playback. The girls debuted all the way back in June of 2015 and released two underrated singles that year. And now — twenty-five months since we last heard them — they’ve finally delivered a follow-up. Because of this, it’s almost more accurate to consider Want … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with Infinite’s A-Z reviews here! Fixed Star (from First Invasion – 2010) Fixed Star is Infinite’s first ballad, giving us a taste of just how well-matched the group’s vocals are for this style. Melodically, it’s typical of the genre, hearkening back to a boy band sound popularized in … Continue reading
One thing I’ve always appreciated about Epik High is that, even when they’re exploring trends, they have a style unique to them. This blend of alternative and old school hip hop gives their music a familiar base to work from and guarantees a certain amount of continuity between albums. The last time we heard from … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with Infinite’s A-Z reviews here! Crying (Infinite H & Babysoul) (from Over The Top / Paradise – 2011) Crying is hip-hop unit Infinite H’s first stab at a solo, and the first time listeners were exposed to Lovelyz’s Babysoul. Given these momentous descriptors, you might expect the … Continue reading
It’s been well over a year since BTOB came back with a ballad. After the success of 2015 single It’s Okay, it seemed as if they were going to become stuck in ballad-mode forever, having finally found their commercial sweet spot. But with the changing of the seasons, the time is right to remind the … Continue reading
Longtime readers of The Bias List will know that I have my particular likes and dislikes when it comes to musical structure and style, and once I dig into something that bothers me about a song, it becomes hard to enjoy even the music’s more successful moments. One crime against pop that has been especially … Continue reading
SM Station’s latest release brings together Doyoung from NCT and Sejeong from Gugudan. Though only Doyoung is an actual SM artist, the two share at least one thing in common. Both are supremely talented vocalists whose group comebacks rarely give the opportunity to fully display that skill. Star Blossom (별빛이 피면) may be yet another … Continue reading
The return of ex-Wonder Girls member Yenny under her solo alias HA:TFELT is immensely exciting. Last time she promoted on her own it was in the form of 2014’s stirring Ain’t Nobody, which melded interpretive dance with a bombastic, dubstep instrumental to incredible effect. She’s one of those rare k-pop acts who march to the … Continue reading
October is quickly becoming the month of new boy groups. And even if they won’t be making their official debut until November, The Boyz are getting in on the trend with an introductory pre-release. Unless a group is from one of the big three agencies, songs released prior to debut are usually pretty forgettable. But … Continue reading
TS Entertainment has been a real mixed bag when it comes to idol groups. Their first two, Secret and B.A.P, were huge hits — even if both have suffered from mismanagement and long hiatuses in recent years. But the agency has struggled to get girl group Sonamoo off the ground. And now they’re throwing a … Continue reading
Twice have always seemed perfectly suited to the Japanese market. Their sugary blend of chirpy vocals and catchphrase-ready hooks echoes much of what has made j-pop successful, and it’s no surprise that they’ve already seen success with re-recordings of hits like Signal and TT. But with One More Time, the girls have gone full tilt … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with Infinite’s A-Z reviews here! After Dark (from Air – 2017) Driven by a funk-infused bass guitar, After Dark almost feels more like something a group like Shinee would release. On the whole, it’s more rhythmic than a lot of Infinite’s music, but the song never quite … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with Infinite’s A-Z reviews here! A Person Like Me (from Season 2 / Back – 2014) Infinite have a real knack for sentimental ballads, partly because they possess such a range of vocal tones. This helps lend even the most generic sentimentality much needed texture. A Person … Continue reading
One of Seventeen‘s greatest assets is their versatility as a group. So many acts stuff their roster full with personalities meant to appeal to a diverse set of fans, but few can easily break into self-driven units and create music that successfully stands apart from their parent group. To be clear, Seventeen is at their … Continue reading
When discussing k-pop’s most impactful voices, it would be hard to forget Changmin of TVXQ. His powerful tone becomes the focal point of almost any track he records, piercing through the busiest of productions with a commanding intensity. His ad-libs on 2011’s epic Before U Go remain one of the genre’s most chill-inducing performances, even … Continue reading
If I imagine a P.O solo track, my mind instantly leans toward something like Block B‘s Bastarz sub-unit — gruff and aggressive and very, very loud. After all, his coarse rapping style has become well known as the anchor for songs like Very Good and Nillili Mambo. But rather than go the expected route, the … Continue reading
Few groups take advantage of their sub-units as well as Seventeen. Since their inception, many of Seventeen’s album tracks have centered on their unique configuration into vocal, hip-hop and performance units. Over the next few weeks, we’ll get to hear from each individually, but to kick off the group’s promotions for their upcoming second full … Continue reading
When GFriend returned last month with Love Whisper, my initial reaction was overwhelming disappointment. How could a group known for their powerful, dynamic music release something so safe and forgettable? Love Whisper eventually won me over, and I convinced myself that its generic structure was only a temporary shift to win over those who may … Continue reading
The Solutions are one of Korea’s best kept secrets — a good old fashioned power-pop rock band with a real ear for a catchy hook. They’ve been active for years now, but have consistently flown under the radar. When it comes down to it, they’re probably too poppy for the cool crowd, and too rock-based … Continue reading
