At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade. November 2022 Overall Thoughts The calendar may show one month left in 2022, but the year … Continue reading
My ears perk up any time I hear that Miyavi will be collaborating with another artist. In this case, he’s met his perfect match. The Rampage (more about them here!) are very familiar with rock sounds, crafting many standouts from bombastic guitar riffs and swaggering vocals. Combine their talents with Miyavi’s incredible playing and hook-writing, … Continue reading
With such a busy slate of K-pop releases, I don’t always have a chance to rave about some of my favorite J-pop. This week, I’ll be giving an overview of some of my favorite acts and songs. Hopefully you’ll find a new obsession to add to your playlist! Why I Love The Rampage (and you … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade. October 2022 Overall Thoughts First off, I want to recognize Korea’s national period of mourning and … Continue reading
When it comes to niche corners of the global music market, I tend to go through phases. Right now, I’m in the middle of another phase involving Exile Tribe. Nothing in particular set this off, but each time I revisit the discographies of these groups, I’m reminded how amazing they often are. The Exile “universe” … Continue reading
The Bias List is a K-pop blog that also covers a fair amount of J-pop. But along with most music fans, I enjoy tracks from all around the world. So, I thought I’d start a monthly round-up of some of the non-K-pop songs that have caught my ear. No ratings — just highlights! Though I’m … Continue reading
One of the quirks of The Bias List is my hesitancy to give 10/10 scores right off the bat. I just don’t know that you can measure perfection on release day, nor do I think a perfect score is attainable without some time and experience. This approach doesn’t exactly jibe with “OMG SOTY” internet culture, … Continue reading
If there’s anything I’ve learned from covering pop music for over a decade, it’s that songwriters and collaborators are just as important as the artists themselves. Though they often work behind the scenes, this feature is a chance to shine the light on some of J-pop’s most innovative and accomplished producers and composers. HIKARI Years … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade. January 2022 Overall Thoughts It’s a new K-pop year! I always feel optimistic in January because … Continue reading
I think we can safely mark January 25th, 2022 as the date our current 80’s revival trend officially hit its zenith. Jr.Exile unit The Rampage refuse to pussy-foot around the excesses of the genre. They go straight to the source with a cover of Van Halen’s 1984 classic Jump. First, a little about Jump itself: … Continue reading
After years of releasing excellent material, The Rampage’s 2021 work swerved in directions that weren’t for me. In fact, they missed out entirely on my Top 50 J-pop countdown last month – a rare omission for one of my favorite groups. Leading up to their latest full-length album (basically a compilation of those 2021 singles), … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade. May 2021 Overall Thoughts 2021’s momentum stalled a bit this month. But, it wasn’t for a … Continue reading
Exile Tribe’s Battle of Tokyo series continues with its second installment. This mix of animation and live-action has been quite cool so far, and I’m eager to see the rest of the series. Call of Justice finds personal favorite The Rampage joining the fray, bolstered by their familiar rock-meets-rap style. It’s an exciting jolt of … Continue reading
Reboots always scare me a bit, especially when attached to a group or artist that I like. I’m all for musical growth, but a “reboot” connotes something more dramatic – a shedding of an old sound in favor of something completely new. The Rampage’s upcoming album bears this troublesome name, and from the tracks we’ve … Continue reading
I’ve compiled a “Best of J-pop” list every year since The Bias List started, but it always came from a very narrow point of view. In 2020, one of my personal resolutions was to follow the J-pop industry more broadly and (hopefully) expand my palette in the process. So while those past lists definitely included some epic … Continue reading
It’s been awhile! As I’ve started covering more J-pop singles on the blog, there haven’t been as many tracks to feature in a J-pop round-up. But, one of the purposes of this feature is to unearth buried treasures. The seven songs below are a mix of singles and b-sides that have caught my attention over … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade. August 2020 Overall Thoughts At the beginning of the year, one of my wishes for 2020 … Continue reading
I’m a big fan of the Exile Tribe family of groups, and for me The Rampage are the ones to beat at the moment. Their trio of vocalists are excellent – complimentary but compelling in their own right. And, the group’s edgy sound makes a great conduit for dynamic material. The Rampage’s music often steers … Continue reading
Of all the Jr. Exile groups, The Rampage have consistently been my favorite. Though they have sixteen (!) members among their rank, I’ve always found their trio of vocalists to be their greatest appeal. Group center Kawamura Kazuma is a particularly magnetic performer, with one of the most charismatic hip-hop tones of this pop era. … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade. March 2020 Overall Thoughts I don’t know about you all, but my mind wasn’t exactly on … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 