One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with Infinite’s A-Z reviews here! Wings (from First Invasion – 2010) Though Infinite would go on to have an easily defined sound, their debut mini album was actually pretty diverse. Wings takes them into drum-skitter, early 00’s pop r&b, which is a surprisingly solid fit for their talents. … Continue reading
No matter the issues I’ve had with the second half of DAY6‘s Every DAY6 project, I’ve got to hand it to the guys for seeing it through to the end. Not every group can manage to release new singles every month of the year, complete with professionally shot music videos. It was an ambitious project … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with Infinite’s A-Z reviews here! Waiting For The Moment (from Air – 2017) Though I’m sure it was not designed as such, Waiting For The Moment has become Infinite’s swan song as a seven-member group. As such, its sound and message are fitting. The group hasn’t recorded all … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with Infinite’s A-Z reviews here! Voice Of My Heart (from Evolution – 2011) Most of Infinite’s early ballads tend to follow a certain formula akin to typical Korean OST releases. Voice Of My Heart is a perfect example, with its ornate sound and melodic base. It’s sentimental to … Continue reading
Now that three of its most popular members have completed their mandatory military service, Super Junior is wasting no time re-establishing themselves in multiple markets. This includes new material from sub-unit D&E, consisting of members Donghae and Eunhyuk. This duo has been a reliable source of upbeat, party-starting music in the past — most notably … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with Infinite’s A-Z reviews here! Time (Woohyun solo) (from Over The Top / Be Back – 2011) Woohyun has what is possibly my favorite voice in all of k-pop — an impossibly rich and commanding tone that can power dance tracks just as well as classic ballads. … Continue reading
Ready-made fanbases are becoming more and more important to k-pop, but a truly blockbuster idol group has to reach past those who have been with them since their formation and embrace a wider audience. This may be tricky for fromis_9. First, there’s that what-were-they-thinking, borderline undecipherable group name to contend with. And then there’s Idol … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with Infinite’s A-Z reviews here! Tic Toc (from Over The Top / Paradise – 2011) Tackling a more experimental arrangement, Tic Toc’s staccato verses are underlined by a fitful skitter of a beat that feels as if it’s in constant flux. This sense of unrest continues into the … Continue reading
MAP6 are one of the few struggling groups who didn’t opt to appear on this year’s pair of “idol rebooting” shows, The Unit and MIXNINE. That’s a shame, because the guys could really use the exposure. With each passing release, it feels like their career has stalled more and more. Since debuting at the tail … Continue reading
Less than a week after their historic performance on the American Music Awards, BTS have returned with a remixed version of their album track MIC Drop, courtesy of U.S. DJ/producer Steve Aoki. For the past year or so, I feel like I’ve been in the minority when it comes to the group’s incredible worldwide success. … Continue reading
Pentagon are back with their second self-composed album after making a sonic shift with September’s Demo_01. Taking over the reigns of their music was a smart choice, especially when it resulted in a song as spectacular as Like This. Runaway successfully continues this sound, even if it never reaches the heights of its predecessor. Once … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with Infinite’s A-Z reviews here! Mother (from Destiny – 2013) Sometimes a song is more about sentiment than melody or production. It’s hard not to fall for an ode to moms, no matter how treacly it might come across. Even so, Mother is one of Infinite’s less … Continue reading
Though they’ve only been around for just over three months, Wanna One already feel like a vital part of the current k-pop landscape. Their big personalities have been especially welcome on variety shows, but their debut Energetic also enjoyed unexpected staying power, becoming one of this year’s most addictive dance tracks. With Beautiful, the group … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with Infinite’s A-Z reviews here! Light (Sungkyu solo) (from Season 2 / Be Back – 2014) A real breather moment on the Season 2/Be Back album, Light takes a soft approach that requires a few listens to fully ingratiate itself. Gone is the sense of unique quirkiness … Continue reading
Compared to other rookie boy groups, I’ve had a hard time getting into Victon’s music. It’s not that any of it has been markedly bad, but each title track has bopped along nicely without an element that pulls me in. Perhaps it has more to do with producers BEOMxNANG, whose work has rarely done much … Continue reading
Over the past several days, we’ve been treated to a pair of girl group releases that abandoned k-pop’s lighter tropes for something more edgy and fierce. As catchy as their material is, Gugudan has so far steered in the complete opposite direction, punctuating their sugar fluff pop with giddy exclamations and baby-like coos. It’s an … Continue reading
Block B has maintained a certain level of success (especially as soloists) over the past two years, but it feels like their group work has lost some of its momentum ever since their nearly two-year hiatus after 2014’s H.E.R. February’s boisterous Yesterday seemed to herald a return to form, and Shall We Dance‘s very title … Continue reading
Since SM Station’s inception, some of its biggest beneficiaries have been the guys of EXO. The project has often paired the members with unlikely collaborators or simply let them go solo, but many of the resulting tracks have ended up to be quite boring. I understand the desire to break EXO out of the glossy … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with Infinite’s A-Z reviews here! I’m Going Crazy (Infinite F) (from Season 2 / Be Back – 2014) Before they debuted as an official sub-unit, Infinite F released this quirky blend of icy synth and subdued hooks. Infinite’s music doesn’t often take a very experimental bent, but … Continue reading
Producer Ryan S. Jhun has had a dynamite year so far, composing song after song after song of consistently high quality. And in between his more hyped releases, he’s partnered with rookie group VAV. The guys’ past three singles have all been crafted by Jhun, and now they’ve collaborated again for She’s Mine. If I’m … Continue reading
