Japanese releases by k-pop artists can be very hit and miss, but if any agency has managed a consistently solid j-pop catalog for their artists, it’s SM Entertainment. They’ve nurtured massive success overseas with TVXQ, Girls’ Generation and SHINee in particular, and for awhile I’ve wondered why EXO haven’t been given the same Japanese spotlight. … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with Infinite’s A-Z reviews here! Dilemma (from Dilemma – 2015) As Infinite’s first original Japanese single, Dilemma had a lot to live up to. The guys took a hard swerve into heavy metal with the instrumental’s guitar crunch and percussive stomp. It’s a transformation that works surprisingly … Continue reading
Some songs just scream summer. And with July approaching, I’m hoping to hear quite a few of them soon. But the first single to really embrace the sunny pop stylings of the season isn’t actually from Korea. Japan beat k-pop to the prize in the form of Junho’s deliriously catchy Ice Cream. Given his stature … Continue reading
Whether it be in Korean or Japanese, B1A4 know how to deliver a pop song. The group has had a high level of control over their music for quite a number of years, with most of their material composed by either leader Jinyoung or vocalist CNU. That approach has extended to their j-pop releases as … Continue reading
As happens with many acts within Johnny’s Entertainment, News have slowly become j-pop’s answer to a reliable old Vegas act. I don’t mean this as an insult. The group’s willingness to indulge in every manner of over-the-top novelty is one of their most endearing assets. And like any veteran performers, they always back it up with … Continue reading
Most of the time, a kpop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-side tracks deserve recognition, too. In the singles-oriented world of kpop, I wanted to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. Shinee‘s latest Japanese album, Five, is super solid. The first … Continue reading
As Korea spends one more day celebrating the Lunar New Year, putting new k-pop releases on hold, it’s a good time to spotlight one of the most promising new j-pop groups of 2016. FlowBack debuted last year, and Heartbreaker was released in December, but the song is too good not to share — even a month … Continue reading
Despite enjoying bigger success in Japan than their native Korea over the past couple of years, Boyfriend’s j-pop material has never come close to surpassing their incredibly run of Sweetune-produced singles from 2011-2013. But never say never, because now the group is back with the bombastic dance pop of Jackpot, and it’s their best Japanese release … Continue reading
Seventh Heaven is probably the most bizarre track I’ve featured yet on the site. Of course, j-pop boy group Bullet Train have had a flair for the eccentric throughout their career, starting with their unique configuration of five “main” dancers performing in front of two “back” vocals. But when they lose the gimmicks and focus on … Continue reading
Despite Infinite being far and away my favorite k-pop group, I’m always a little hesitant when approaching their Japanese releases. Unlike the consistent quality of their Korean output, their j-pop material involves work with a more diverse collection of composers, resulting in a hodgepodge of different sounds. Luckily, D.N.A sees them trying on a punchy … Continue reading
As their latest Japanese release (and first as a five-piece), Beast have given us two singles under the concept “day and night.” I was pretty underwhelmed by the day, but it turns out that the night is where things really heat up. Though I enjoyed their latest Korean album (and loved the title track), it … Continue reading
Don’t be alarmed, but Shinee have just quietly unveiled the music video for their best Japanese single in years. Their jpop material has always been pretty diverse, from ornate balladry, to campy dancefloor fillers, to boyband power pop, but with Kimi No Sei De (君のせいで), they give us a song that perfectly captures what they do … Continue reading
Jpop is not nearly as accessible to the western market as kpop has become, so I’m often late to the party when it comes to new releases. Yell has actually been available for a few weeks now, but I’ve recently become interested in boy group Bullet Train and wanted to offer my thoughts on the track. The … Continue reading
From time to time, it’s just not enough to write about individual singles. In the case of jpop group News’ Quartetto, I wanted to take a deep dive into several tracks. And, given the fact that I’ve already reviewed most of the album’s singles, it just made sense to take a look at the entire … Continue reading
VIXX has recently embarked on a push into Japan, and Depend On Me is their second original Japanese single. I thought the first, Can’t Say, was a catchy piece of pop and was happy with the general direction they were going, but Depend On Me does it one step better. VIXX is well known for … Continue reading
Let’s get the strange stuff out of the way first. The concept of this song is “finger love,” as the guys remind us over and over again in English. I know what they mean, but I can’t help but feel that this phrase’s more…adult… connotations were lost in translation! Now on to the song, … Continue reading
Well, this has got to be one of the strangest major pop releases of the year. It’s not often you hear a pop track based entirely on a classical symphony piece, but Four Musketeers uses Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Rachmaninoff as its backbone, complete with copious breaks for a string section and … Continue reading
