This May, Ladies’ Code connected with producers 1Take and TAK to deliver the funky, brass-filled Feedback. It felt like a return to the group’s older sound — heavy on groove and sassy vocal delivery. The song emerged after an extended hiatus, which itself was preceded by years of more subdued material. If new single Set … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Diamond (from The War / The Power Of Music – 2017) Undoubtedly one of EXO’s more polarizing tracks, Diamond sees the group move past their signature style and into a swag-heavy blend of EDM and trap. After an exciting, melodic build up, … Continue reading
Over the past few months, Stray Kids’ experimentation with electronic influences has transformed their music into a vital, trend-setting part of the K-pop landscape. It’s easy to forget that, at their heart, the group thrives on a more straightforward hip-hop style, anchored by their trio of composers/producers 3RACHA. Personally, I prefer when Stray Kids pull … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! December, 2014 (The Winter’s Tale) (from Exology Chapter 1: The Lost Planet – 2014) Released as a special winter track on the group’s first concert album, December, 2014 is an easy EXO song to overlook. It’s a standard r&b ballad, driven by … Continue reading
Compared to other girl groups, Lovelyz doesn’t often receive much attention for their individual members. Their music favors sentiment and cohesion over big, standout moments. But over the years, Kei has quietly become one of my favorite female vocalists in K-pop. As a singer, she’s the sort who gives 110% — almost to the point … Continue reading
ATEEZ have taken 2019 by storm, releasing a steady stream of music that has now culminated with their first full album. The fact that all of this has been accomplished in under a year is staggering – even more so when you realize that each and every track has been composed by the same small … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Damage (from Don’t Mess Up My Tempo / Love Shot – 2018) One of two LDN Noise tracks on the Don’t Mess Up My Tempo album, Damage is arguably the most hard-hitting Korean track EXO delivered in 2018. Its abrasive textures hearken … Continue reading
I know that I start every Great Guys review with a statement about how lame their group name is, but it just gets more ridiculous the more serious and brooding their music becomes. It fit the bright bounciness of this spring’s Dang, but seems at odds with the sexiness of new single Be On You. … Continue reading
Of all the K-pop songs that have grown on me this year, AB6IX’s Breathe has had one of the most impressive climbs. I was dismissive of the track upon release, describing it as “the kind of music you’d hear in the background at an H&M.” That’s still probably true, but the song went on to … Continue reading
Since their debut in the summer of 2017, ONF’s title track Why represents the only time the guys have made more than one comeback in a calendar year. That’s an insanely sparse schedule for a rookie group, driven by some factors that were out of their agency’s hands. Even this new mini album has been … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Cloud 9 (from Ex’Act / Lotto – 2016) Opening with one of the most off-kilter introductions in EXO’s catalog, Cloud 9 successfully melds two diverging sounds together. The chorus employs an aloof, trap-infused instrumental that would normally stall momentum in a song … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Christmas Day (from Miracles In December – 2013) It pains me to listen to Christmas Day this early in October. By their very nature, holiday songs like this thrive on nostalgia and tradition. Since its 2013 release, EXO’s Miracles In December has … 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. Perhaps my favorite aspect about SuperM’s mini album is that it … Continue reading
Though Limesoda have been around for over two years, this is the first time I’ve featured them on The Bias List. None of their previous material has felt notable enough to write about, though I have been following the girls ever since member Hyerim competed in season six of K-pop Star. This February, Limesoda added … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Chill (from The War / The Power Of Music – 2017) Opening with a blast of icy synth, Chill soon moves into a skittering verse that combines an unusual rhythmic structure with bursts of funk brass. Overall, this is one of EXO’s … Continue reading
Over the course of the past eight years, Super Junior have offered a template for how to deal with Korea’s mandatory military enlistment. Though they’ve promoted almost every year, the group hasn’t been whole since 2011. Now that all of their active members have finished serving, the current 9-member configuration is as close as we’re … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Can’t Bring Me Down (from Lotto – 2016) Can’t Bring Me Down’s opening verse promises so much more than the song ends up delivering. The instrumental supplies an aggressive, militant beat underlined by psychedelic synth and a few left-field vocal flourishes. It’s … Continue reading
When SM Entertainment announced their SuperM project in early August, my first reaction was an eye roll. This had nothing to do with SuperM’s concept, which grafts together members from popular SM acts to create a K-pop super group. I actually think that’s pretty cool. Where else are you going to see SHINee’s Taemin, EXO’s … Continue reading
When asked to name individual members of boy group ZE:A, casual fans might remember actors like Siwan or Hyungsik. Fans of variety shows will undoubtedly be familiar with Kwanghee. I can’t imagine than many will recall Ha Minwoo. He was ZE:A’s first member to enlist in the military, and has been part of the group’s … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Call Me Baby (from Exodus / Love Me Right – 2015) Enlisting new jack swing legend Teddy Riley as songwriter, Call Me Baby felt like the next evolution in EXO’s sound upon its 2015 release. The song has only grown more impressive … Continue reading
