One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Water Flower (from LOL – 2016) Right from the start, Water Flower’s live band sound captures my attention. It’s not a production style GFriend used often, but it fits them like a glove and adds a ton of oomph to this song. … Continue reading
Tag Archives: rating 9
K-Pop’s One Hit Wonders: XR – Deep
K-pop idols thrive on building a steady, dedicated fan base. This is most often accomplished by a constant stream of releases and deluge of content. But within the vast K-pop industry, there are more than a few “one hit wonders” – acts who release one single or album and are scarcely heard from again. It’s … Continue reading
K-Pop A-Z Review: GFriend – Under The Sky
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Under The Sky (from Flower Bud – 2015) Under The Sky is a fantastic example of how charming GFriend’s early music could be. It’s delicate in sound but muscular in execution, tying symphonic elements to bounding percussion and electric guitar. It’s also … Continue reading
K-Pop A-Z Review: GFriend – Please Save My Earth
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Please Save My Earth (from The Awakening – 2017) Previous Thoughts: “The earnest hook is classic GFriend, but it feels more dreamlike here. There’s a lot going on in the track itself, but it’s so tightly packed that every element seems to … Continue reading
BACK TO K-POP’S FIRST GENERATION: Turbo – My Childhood Dream
K-Pop’s first generation is often referenced as the foundation for the industry we enjoy now, but there aren’t enough good English-language sources that give its music the focus it deserves. I’m hoping to change that with a continuing flashback series, spotlighting personal highlights from the era – both iconic and obscure. The era in question … Continue reading
BACK TO K-POP’S FIRST GENERATION: Seo Taiji & Boys – Dreaming Of Bal-Hae
K-Pop’s first generation is often referenced as the foundation for the industry we enjoy now, but there aren’t enough good English-language sources that give its music the focus it deserves. I’m hoping to change that with a continuing flashback series, spotlighting personal highlights from the era – both iconic and obscure. The era in question … Continue reading
BACK TO K-POP’S FIRST GENERATION: Duke – Starian
K-Pop’s first generation is often referenced as the foundation for the industry we enjoy now, but there aren’t enough good English-language sources that give its music the focus it deserves. I’m hoping to change that with a continuing flashback series, spotlighting personal highlights from the era – both iconic and obscure. The era in question … Continue reading
BACK TO K-POP’S FIRST GENERATION: Yoo Seung-jun (Steve Yoo) – WOW
K-Pop’s first generation is often referenced as the foundation for the industry we enjoy now, but there aren’t enough good English-language sources that give its music the focus it deserves. I’m hoping to change that with a continuing flashback series, spotlighting personal highlights from the era – both iconic and obscure. The era in question … Continue reading
BACK TO K-POP’S FIRST GENERATION: S#arp – Tell Me, Tell Me
K-Pop’s first generation is often referenced as the foundation for the industry we enjoy now, but there aren’t enough good English-language sources that give its music the focus it deserves. I’m hoping to change that with a continuing flashback series, spotlighting personal highlights from the era – both iconic and obscure. The era in question … Continue reading
BACK TO K-POP’S FIRST GENERATION: Click-B – Gate Of Honor
K-Pop’s first generation is often referenced as the foundation for the industry we enjoy now, but there aren’t enough good English-language sources that give its music the focus it deserves. I’m hoping to change that with a continuing flashback series, spotlighting personal highlights from the era – both iconic and obscure. The era in question … Continue reading
K-Pop A-Z Review: GFriend – MAGO
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! MAGO (from Walpurgis Night – 2020) Previous Thoughts: “And, like many of K-pop’s recent retro offerings, MAGO has a great chorus. It’s a two-parter, kicking off with an effervescent refrain that feels like a big centerpiece without going overboard. This is followed … Continue reading
BACK TO K-POP’S FIRST GENERATION: Moon Child – Delete
K-Pop’s first generation is often referenced as the foundation for the industry we enjoy now, but there aren’t enough good English-language sources that give its music the focus it deserves. I’m hoping to change that with a continuing flashback series, spotlighting personal highlights from the era – both iconic and obscure. The era in question … Continue reading
BACK TO K-POP’S FIRST GENERATION: Kim Hyun Jung – Bruise
K-Pop’s first generation is often referenced as the foundation for the industry we enjoy now, but there aren’t enough good English-language sources that give its music the focus it deserves. I’m hoping to change that with a continuing flashback series, spotlighting personal highlights from the era – both iconic and obscure. The era in question … Continue reading
BACK TO K-POP’S FIRST GENERATION: Bros – Win Win
K-Pop’s first generation is often referenced as the foundation for the industry we enjoy now, but there aren’t enough good English-language sources that give its music the focus it deserves. I’m hoping to change that with a continuing flashback series, spotlighting personal highlights from the era – both iconic and obscure. The era in question … Continue reading
BACK TO K-POP’S FIRST GENERATION: NRG – Face
K-Pop’s first generation is often referenced as the foundation for the industry we enjoy now, but there aren’t enough good English-language sources that give its music the focus it deserves. I’m hoping to change that with a continuing flashback series, spotlighting personal highlights from the era – both iconic and obscure. The era in question … Continue reading
K-Pop A-Z Review: GFriend – Love In The Air
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Love In The Air (from Sunny Summer – 2018) Previous Thoughts: “Its robust instrumental features a dramatic strings riff and explosive electric guitar, all in service to one of the most uplifting pop beats we’ve heard in some time. The girls are … Continue reading
K-Pop A-Z Review: GFriend – Labyrinth
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Labyrinth (from Labyrinth – 2020) Previous Thoughts: “The track draws strong influence from J-pop, but not the kind of ornate, wistful fare that inspired GFriend’s new single Crossroads. Instead, Labyrinth hearkens back to the high-energy techno of the late 90’s – one … Continue reading
Buried Treasure: TVXQ – T.R.H.M
A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. 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. TVXQ just released their best song … Continue reading
K-Pop A-Z Review: GFriend – Glass Bead
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Glass Bead (from Season Of Glass – 2015) Previous Thoughts: “Its hooks are sharp and punchy, underlined by a bright beat that approaches new jack swing without completely embracing the genre. Extra stabs of percussion add emphasis in all the right places, … Continue reading
K-Pop A-Z Review: GFriend – Flower Garden
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with GFriend’s A-Z reviews here! Flower Garden (from Time For The Moon Night – 2018) What I said then: “MIO also produced last year’s excellent Please Save My Earth, and borrows the same wind-tunnel layering effect for Garden‘s pre-chorus. It’s hard to explain this specific audio trick … Continue reading