One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Peter Pan (from XOXO / Growl – 2013) Like its title might suggest, Peter Pan is one of the most lightweight pop confections in EXO’s arsenal. But, with a discography as dense as theirs, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The song’s … 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! Ooh La La La (from Don’t Mess Up My Tempo / Love Shot – 2018) When Ooh La La La was released last year, it was heralded as the “sexy track” from EXO’s Don’t Mess Up My Tempo album. While this approach … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! One And Only (from Ex’Act / Lotto – 2016) Melding retro synths with airhorns (!), One And Only’s introduction is a little disorienting. It’s the odd track that manages to feel both languid and brisk, thanks to an insistent beat underlined by … Continue reading
After taking a look at SM Entertainment over the long weekend, it’s time to move onto an agency with very different activity in 2019. Prepare yourselves, friends. It’s YG Entertainment. As usual, the thoughts are my own and aren’t privy to any insider information. I’m not taking into account things like profits and stock value. … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! On The Snow (from Sing For You – 2015) On The Snow is an amiable little fellow, groovy and enjoyable in the moment but pretty forgettable thereafter. Its warm, brassy chorus contains plenty of good cheer for the holidays, incorporating sleigh bells … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Oasis (from Don’t Mess Up My Tempo / Love Shot – 2018) Oasis’s opening line is arresting, emerging with a palpable tenseness as if the melody had finally caught up to you after a long pursuit. From here, trap influences form a … Continue reading
It’s that time of year again! Over the next few weeks, I’ll be looking at many of K-pop’s biggest agencies and offering my thoughts about how their 2019 went. First up is SM Entertainment. As usual, the thoughts are my own and aren’t privy to any insider information. I’m not taking into account things like … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! My Turn To Cry (from Miracles In December – 2013) My Turn To Cry is tangentially related to the holidays by nature of the album it stems from, but at its heart the song is a typical EXO ballad, riding on sentiment … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! My Lady (from XOXO / Growl – 2013) Closing out EXO’s first full-length album, My Lady offers a bluesy slab of r&b groove. The tempo is always faster than I expect for a song like this, especially as the two-part chorus picks … Continue reading
Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard! Which … Continue reading
Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard! Which … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! My Answer (from Exodus / Love Me Right – 2015) My Answer is as classic a pop ballad as you’re going to get from EXO. Performed by Baekhyun, D.O. and Suho, the track offers plenty of space to stretch their vocals. With … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Moonlight (from Overdose – 2014) Drawing on EXO’s smooth vocals, this moody mid-tempo encapsulates a sound that the group has mastered. The harmonic arrangement is incredibly lush and the soundscape is otherworldly. Everything feels drenched in reverb, giving the track a wet, … 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! Mama (from Mama – 2012) It would not be an overstatement to say that Mama was the song that cemented my love for K-pop. I’d dabbled with idol fare before, but this song’s bombastic mixture of Gregorian chants, heavy metal dance breaks … 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
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! Lovin’ You Mo’ (from Countdown – 2018) After a bevy of high-octane electronic dance tracks, EXO’s Countdown dials things back a bit for the groovy, skittering Lovin’ You Mo’. The song opens in understated fashion, reliant on its sneaky bassline to build … 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 always expect Taeyeon albums to be 100% ballads, and I’m … Continue reading
