Block B have been away for a ridiculously long time, though it may not seem like it with solo releases by leader Zico flooding the chart. As part of their first group comeback in nearly two years, they’ve given us A Few Years Later as a pre-release. The grown-up, neo-soul track is much more subdued than what … Continue reading
There seems to be a lot of groundswell support for DEAN lately, and up to this point I haven’t really understood it. And while I don’t think I’ll ever be a gigantic fan due to the type of music I tend to gravitate towards, D (Half Moon) is definitely my favorite song I’ve heard from … Continue reading
Poor A.cian. Despite existing in one form or another since 2012, they’ve just never been able to break out amongst all their boy group peers. They’ve had fine songs in the past, but each seemed content to follow trends set by bigger acts rather than provide anything unique or characteristically “A.cian.” This trend continues with Touch, but … Continue reading
After huge hits like Cheer Up and Love Wifi, Hong Jin Young has become Korea’s choice purveyor of modern trot music. Trot, or Teuroteu, is a traditional genre of Korean music and, along with western influences, forms the roots that many kpop songs have grown from. As someone who listens to a lot of Scandinavian and European … Continue reading
It feels like Eric Nam has become the unofficial entertainment ambassador between Korean artists and the western world. He’s one of those personalities that’s impossible to dislike and seems to be friends with everyone, which makes him the ideal host for shows like After School Club. But the problem with playing Mr. Nice Guy is … Continue reading
Naming your debut song Macarena certainly sets up some very specific expectations, and most of them aren’t that great. Never in my life have I felt the need for a kpop cover of the infamous Macarena song, so I’m thankful that this track sounds nothing like it, even though the choreography incorporates its most iconic dance move. … Continue reading
Jay Park is one of the most prolific artists in all of kpop, though I almost hesitate to call his music “kpop” at all. Of course, it technically is, but he draws so heavily from western influence that his tracks often sound like American r&b songs covered in the Korean language. For the past year … Continue reading
Of all the scheduled kpop releases this March, GOT7’s Fly was by far the one I was most looking forward to. The group had an incredible 2015, releasing two of the year’s best singles and finally cementing a versatile, melodic hip-hop sound for themselves. I expected Fly to be the capper on that success, sending … Continue reading
Like label-mates CNBlue, FTIsland has done a nice job balancing their Korean and Japanese success. Given their status as an idol rock group, their sound has an easily-slotted place within the vast world of j-rock, though the direction of their Japanese material hasn’t always been to my taste. However, I was incredibly impressed with frontman Hongki’s solo … Continue reading
For better or worse, when it comes to Hyomin’s solo material, she’s become known as much for her body as her music. This began with 2014’s controversial Nice Body, and now continues with the sensual Sketch and its downright raunchy music video. Now, there’s nothing wrong with a salacious image, as long as it’s connected to … Continue reading
Red Velvet’s Dumb Dumb was one of the best kpop tracks of last year and, along with Ice Cream Cake, helped to build tremendous good will towards the girls. Because of this, I’m utterly bewildered by SM’s decision to release the tepid, downtempo One Of These Nights as their new single. Part of me wants … Continue reading
My interest in jpop group Kis-My-Ft2’s releases has been pretty hit and miss over the years. I’ve loved some (mostly Perfect World), but found others to be too generic and overly processed. Still, they’re a group that I feel that I should like, given that they’re one of the more kpop-sounding boy bands in Japan, so I approach each … Continue reading
As a fan of unbridled pop melodies, I don’t usually listen to all that much straight-up hip hop. For a song of this genre to really stick with me, it needs to have two qualities. First, the track has to possess a strong, memorable hook. But even more important than that, the song needs an addictive beat. … Continue reading
As popular as Jessi has become for her rapping and, well, general persona, it’s sometimes easy to forget that her real forte is as a vocalist. She’s reminded us of this through solo releases here and there, but those songs have generally been pretty forgettable when compared to her work as part of hip-hop group Lucky J … Continue reading
Most of the time, a kpop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-sides deserve recognition, too. In the singles-oriented world of kpop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. For those of us who love the polished Sweetune pop sound, … 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
2016 is going to be known as the year of cross-company duets. It feels like SM artists have been collaborating with everybody, and now even smaller agencies are at it. Cherish is a duet between Yuju of girl group GFriend and Sunyoul of boy group Up10tion. Both are known as main vocalists in their respective teams, … Continue reading
After debuting with a synth-driven, cutesy track, Cosmic Girls released a second music video for follow-up Catch Me. This one is clearly designed to be a showcase for dance skills and attitude, as the song is far more hip-hop influenced. It’s an interesting counterpoint to MoMoMo, proving the girls’ versatility but bringing up questions as to … Continue reading
The Bigbangification of Beast continues with Guess Who, their new Japanese single. They began to veer toward this more hip-hop influenced sound with last year’s Yey, but that song grew on me the more I heard it. I’m not sure Guess Who will share the same fate. There’s just not as much to hold onto … Continue reading
No matter what concept they’ve come back with, I’ve always found JJCC’s songs to be pretty middling. Maybe it’s their connection with Jackie Chan (hardly a music taste maker), but I’ve never been able to take them very seriously as a kpop group. That said, the Duble Sidekick-composed ToDay is a big step in the right direction. … Continue reading
