With the Tokyo Olympics coming up this year, I expect the J-pop industry to unveil all sorts of material highlighting Japanese culture and cheering their athletes on. The anthemic sounds often produced by Johnny’s Entertainment seem tailor made for this venture, and Sexy Zone’s new album Pop x Step!? does a good job exploring various … 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. Judging purely by Labyrinth, I’m ready to make the bold statement … Continue reading
With over 2,900 songs on my iPhone’s “K-Pop Singles” playlist, I thought it would be fun to add a bit of unpredictability to my song review posts. So as a result, we have the “Random Shuffle Review” feature. The rules are simple. I fire up my playlist, press “shuffle,” and whatever song plays first gets … Continue reading
Before I get into my thoughts about Answer, I want to heap praise on ATEEZ’s Treasure series one last time. It’s been an incredible run, meticulously planned and artfully executed. The fact that their last album’s outro ended up being a teaser for Answer blows my mind, and the way that new release Action To … Continue reading
Dear Bias List readers: this is the kind of beat that makes me deliriously happy. Growing up, Michael and Janet Jackson’s discographies were my definition of pop perfection, and that really hasn’t changed. Give me a bright, funky instrumental and I’m happy. Add a powerful kick and layers upon layers of rhythm and I’ve reached … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Wolf (from XOXO / Growl – 2013) I think it’s accurate to call Wolf EXO’s most polarizing title track. The song gets a lot of guff, labeled cheesy or cringey. And yeah, the wolf howls are a bit much. But, when you … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Tactix (from Countdown – 2018) I never see anyone talking about Tactix, but it’s one of my all-time favorite EXO songs. This is no surprise, as the track carries many of my preferred traits. Relentlessly upbeat electronic production, an ultra-memorable chorus and … Continue reading
With over 2,900 songs on my iPhone’s “K-Pop Singles” playlist, I thought it would be fun to add a bit of unpredictability to my song review posts. So as a result, we have the “Random Shuffle Review” feature. The rules are simple. I fire up my playlist, press “shuffle,” and whatever song plays first gets … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! The Star (from Miracles In December – 2013) You all know I don’t believe in the concept of “guilty pleasure,” but if I would classify any EXO song under this label it’d be The Star. As a holiday release, it’s free from … 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. Up until now, my favorite Cosmic Girls song was last year’s … Continue reading
Being the current bias group of The Bias List has its advantages, and just like their big brother group Infinite, Golden Child are going to get the full-album review treatment. (Plus, back in the summer when it seemed like Golcha was never going to come back, I promised on twitter to run this feature!) So … Continue reading
Though I wouldn’t have predicted it when they debuted three years ago, Cosmic Girls have slowly become one of my favorite girl groups of their generation. In many ways, they’re filling the same niche that GFriend did during their first two years. Their music is neither cutesy nor “hard.” It hits that sweet spot right … Continue reading
Being the current bias group of The Bias List has its advantages, and just like their big brother group Infinite, Golden Child are going to get the full-album review treatment. (Plus, back in the summer when it seemed like Golcha was never going to come back, I promised on twitter to run this feature!) So … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Overdose (from Overdose – 2014) Before Overdose’s 2014 release, the song leaked online. This is rare for a K-pop track — especially back then — and the fact that the comeback was postponed several weeks due to the Sewol Ferry Incident made … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Miracles In December (from Miracles In December – 2013) I often use the word “sentiment” as a criticism — the last refuge of a song devoid of interesting melody or production work. But, sentiment can be a powerful thing, and often breathes … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Machine (from Mama – 2012) They don’t make ‘em like Machine anymore. But even though this song is the product of a bygone era, it feels like the direct fore-bearer to much of NCT’s experimental material. The difference is that Machine fully … Continue reading
Most of this year’s releases by Johnny’s Entertainment artists have left me underwhelmed (hence, the lack of new reviews). But lately, the agency is enjoying a sort of renaissance. The new Sexy Zone singles were both stronger than the group has been in a year. The upcoming Kis-My-Ft2 tracks sound super promising. Arashi are finally … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Lucky (from Growl – 2013) When it comes down to it with a pop song, I look for good energy and a good melody above all else. Lucky is not one of EXO’s boundary-pushing tracks. In fact, it’s one of their most … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Into My World (from Countdown – 2018) Taken from EXO’s excellent Japanese album, Into My World feels like the soundtrack to some neon-hued sci-fi epic. Its electronic backbone pulses loud and proud, giving the track an immense energy. The production even throws … 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. I wasn’t all that enamored with DAY6’s latest title track, but … Continue reading
