As a Sweetune fanatic, it’s been depressing to watch the production team fade into obscurity over the past two years. With retro pop the trend of the day, I want nothing more than their patented sound to make its way back into the K-pop mainstream. But alas, 2019 and 2020 have seen the team’s output … 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
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with f(x)’s A-Z reviews here! Pretty Girl (from Pink Tape – 2013) Pretty Girl manages to make distortion sound a little bluesy, even as its ticking time bomb of an instrumental assaults us with frantic hi-hats and a hearty clap. The verses are comparatively reserved, but build … 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. BTS’s BE has an air of finality to it, like the … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with f(x)’s A-Z reviews here! Paper Heart (from Red Light – 2014) Putting a cap on the adventurous Red Light album, Paper Heart is an extremely refreshing closer. Driven by plucked guitar (or ukulele?), the verses are light and relaxing. This sets up the stomping, sing-along chorus … Continue reading
BAE173 brings together X1/H&D’s Dohyun and Hangyul with seven other members for PocketDol Studio’s first boy group. It seems as if the agency has thrown a big budget and plenty of attention behind these guys, so it will be interesting to see how they fare within a stuffed K-pop market. At the very least, it’s … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with f(x)’s A-Z reviews here! Nu ABO (from Nu ABO – 2010) Hailed as a “reverse beat” dance track, Nu ABO is what I would consider f(x)’s first real experimental single. The instrumental is quite a feat, looping a flipped synth riff with stomping percussion and filtered … Continue reading
Cho Seung-youn has quickly become one of K-pop’s biggest post-X1 successes. Earlier this year, he released his first mini album under the stage name Woodz, and showed great promise as an idol act with an unusual level of creative control. Though most of the songs on Equal drew from genres I don’t usually love, Woodz … Continue reading
Though Momoland treated us to Starry Night back in June, it’s been almost a year since their last full-fledged comeback. The group has struggled to rekindle the magic of their Bboom Bboom/BAAM era, stuck between recreated that sense of novelty or moving onto new sounds. But, they’ve scored a real coup with new single Ready … Continue reading
It’s been over six years since SM Entertainment last debuted a new girl group, making aespa’s arrival long overdue. I feel like there have been rumors about a new girl group for at least four years now, with many picturing a large, SNSD-like configuration. Instead, aespa is a tight, four-person act, just as Red Velvet … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with f(x)’s A-Z reviews here! My Style (from Pinocchio / Hot Summer – 2011) My Style’s splashy introduction feels tailor-made for early-00’s Beyoncé, harnessing drumline-like percussion before settling into a sticky electro groove. I love the synth accents during the song’s verses. They feel pretty canned and … Continue reading
The Midnight Romance has been an under-the-radar group this year, but they’ve been releasing new music at a shockingly steady rate. Just over two weeks since their brilliant Nightmare, the guys are back with emotional piano ballad I Don’t Want To Live Without You. It’s a far cry from their usual synth-powered sound, but stands … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with f(x)’s A-Z reviews here! Mr. Boogie (from Nu ABO – 2010) How can a dance track called Mr. Boogie possibly be anything less than awesome? From its title alone, you already know that this is going to be a ton of fun. And, f(x) don’t disappoint. … Continue reading
When it comes to follow-up singles, K-pop agencies have been choosing material I never would have gone for. I mean, aren’t they reading my “buried treasures” series?? Kidding aside, I’m happy that Woollim are giving rookie group DRIPPIN a second music video to promote their album. But, they’ve somehow managed to pick my least favorite … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with f(x)’s A-Z reviews here! Milk (from Red Light – 2014) Though there are more obvious triumphs on the Red Light album, Milk has long been a favorite of mine. This song is all about percussion, which drives every element and extends to the girls’ highly-rhythmic vocals. … 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. GFriend have always been “albums artists,” with b-sides that are often … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with f(x)’s A-Z reviews here! Me+U (from Nu ABO – 2012) After a long wait, MeU would eventually become f(x)’s official fan name. But, it got its start one year into the group’s career with Me+U. This is a deeply weird track, bumping over a repetitive 8bit … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with f(x)’s A-Z reviews here! Love Hate (from Electric Shock – 2012) Love Hate wastes no time getting started. The verses are delightfully playful, and feel as if they’re constantly struggling to keep up with themselves. The pre-chorus is even better, as the melody takes a perfect … Continue reading
When last we checked in with Lucy, I was bemoaning how little they were utilizing their violinist. Jogging was a perfectly serviceable track, but felt too generic for a group with a leader who also happens to play the violin. Thankfully, new single Snooze (선잠) rights this wrong and finds great use for strings within … Continue reading
As usual, TXT are bolstering their latest album campaign with multiple promotional releases. And also as usual, they’re not choosing the follow-up singles I wish they would. Songs like Blue Orangeade, New Rules and Drama all missed the chance to become excellent singles in Korea, and now I’m afraid that Ghosting and Wishlist will suffer … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 