One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Heaven (from Ex’Act / Lotto – 2016) Sandwiched between more experimental tracks on EXO’s underrated 2016 album, Heaven’s exuberant, laid-back funk pop offers a welcome respite. The song is nothing unusual, but its piano-fueled production has a engagingly old-school aesthetic, augmented with … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Heart Attack (from XOXO / Growl – 2013) Heart Attack draws that amorphous line between dance track and mid-tempo. Its energy isn’t particularly high, but its fast-paced vocal delivery gives it a loose, playful appeal that slots it nicely alongside superior tracks … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Good Night (from Universe – 2017) Good Night’s gentle, electronic piano-infused balladry is what special winter albums are meant for. As its title suggests, this plays as a smooth r&b lullaby. So, saying that it might put you to sleep isn’t necessarily … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Going Crazy (from The War / The Power Of Music – 2017) Opening with a frantic synth loop and dramatic sweeps of strings, Going Crazy promises drama to come. And though the track never fully lives up to that mood, its creeping … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Girl x Friend (from Sing For You – 2015) Looking at its title alone, you can probably guess that this is going to be one of EXO’s more lighthearted efforts. And as a special holiday release, that amiable energy is well-targeted. A … Continue reading
In every concert, there are those few songs that the audience waits for with bated breath. They’re showstoppers — amazing on their own but enhanced exponentially when paired with a live performance. Most of my all-time favorite K-pop tracks have this kind of larger-than-life intensity, as if the song itself isn’t enough to contain all … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Forever (from The War / The Power Of Music – 2017) Forever is the kind of lumbering, almost industrial beast that SM boy groups do so well. Its arrangement has a tense energy, constantly on the build without ever reaching a sense … Continue reading
I’ve always considered Into The New World (다시 만난 세계) as the unofficial dawn of K-pop’s second generation. Yes, there were plenty of second-gen stalwarts who debuted earlier (TVXQ, Wonder Girls, Bigbang, Super Junior, etc), but World just feels like the turning of a page. Back in 2007, K-pop had a much stronger Japanese influence … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! The First Snow (from Miracles In December – 2013) It’s hard to beat acoustic guitar and sleigh bells during the holidays, and The First Snow knows this. EXO’s vocals are taken full advantage of here, offering a warm bed of harmonies over … 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. What a week for a Super Junior release. Seriously, this week … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! First Love (from Love Me Right – 2015) Anchored by a plodding piano line, First Love is the sort of hesitant r&b track that often shows up on the second half of EXO albums. The melody and phrasing are interesting here, particularly … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Falling For You (from For Life – 2016) Unabashedly festive, Falling For You is the musical equivalent of a warm holiday party on a snowy day. Bolstered by jubilant brass and splashes of vocal harmony, the track has a lush, upbeat swing … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Fall (from Universe – 2017) Fall opens with a simple arrangement of acoustic guitar and percussion, but soon grows more grand with haunting, layered vocals and distorted synth. The chorus is among EXO’s most idiosyncratic, possessing a uniqueness of tone like nothing … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Exodus (from Exodus / Love Me Right – 2015) One of the few genuinely upbeat tracks on the initial version of EXO’s 2015 album, Exodus hearkens back to the r&b-laced dance pop of the early 2000’s. It pulses on a nimble electronic … Continue reading
Super Junior have spent the better part of a year exploring Latin rhythms, which has helped bolster a growing South American fan base. But, the title of their new album Time Slip — the first in eight years as a complete group — promised something more retro. And while pre-release I Think I offered a … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! The Eve (from The War / The Power Of Music – 2017) Opening EXO’s 2017 album with a dark blast of creeping pop, The Eve takes an almost militant approach to its verses before pulling back to a vocal-rich pre-chorus. The chorus … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! El Dorado (from Exodus / Love Me Right – 2015) A fan favorite, El Dorado is a perfect representation of EXO’s signature sounds. You’ve got the moody r&b of the verses, largely carried by the group’s smooth vocals. Then there’s the towering … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Drop That (from Countdown – 2018) For as bombastic as their music can be, EXO really don’t have that many straight-up party tracks. Drop That was clearly designed with concerts in mind — the kind of repetitive, high-energy song that spells out … Continue reading
One song. Every day. Alphabetical order. Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here! Don’t Go (from XOXO / Growl – 2013) EXO’s first full album is flush with these kind of lovelorn mid-tempos. The truth is, if it wasn’t for their vocals, any boy group of EXO’s era could have tackled a song like Don’t … 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
