Sometimes a song arrangement can make all the difference. Back in January, Darari was released on Treasure’s newest mini album. It was a fine – but forgettable – mid-tempo, casting a subdued groove that spotlighted the guys’ vocals. Now, a remixed rock version has been released as follow-up promotion. Suddenly, the song has my complete … Continue reading
Tag Archives: YG
Song Review: iKON – But You
Though they participated in last year’s Kingdom: Legendary War, iKON haven’t made a comeback since just before that competition started. Blame YG Entertainment’s always-slow promotional approach, I guess. Since losing leader B.I in 2019, the band has undergone big changes and But You’s switch to moody synth-pop has to be their most drastic sonic switch-up … Continue reading
The Top Three K-Pop Songs of April 2022
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. April 2022 Overall Thoughts In a paradoxical trend, the average song rating on this blog has … Continue reading
Debut Re-Evaluation: BIGBANG – We Belong Together (ft. Park Bom)
K-Pop debuts can be tricky things. At times, they’re the best song a group delivers. Sometimes, they’re the only song a group delivers! But, debuts can also be huge wtf moments in an artist’s career. In this feature, I’ll be looking back at debut songs through the prism of time, re-evaluating how well they hold … Continue reading
Song Review: BIGBANG – Still Life
I have a few “holy grails” in K-pop – comebacks I’ve wished for so long they seem impossible. BIGBANG’s return is one of these landmark moments. Hints of a comeback first emerged back in 2020, waylaid by the pandemic. Two years later, the group confirmed they would finally release new music, and I couldn’t have … Continue reading
Song Review: Kang Seung Yoon (Winner) – Born To Love You
With its members in various states of pre and post military enlistment, Winner is currently in a bubble that’s allowed them to schedule a full-group concert for later this spring. I wonder if they’ll release new music to go along with this milestone? For now, we’ll make do with a solo single from the group’s … Continue reading
Battle of the B-Sides: Winner, Shinhwa, Aprince, 1PUNCH, Momoland
K-pop’s title tracks might gain most of listeners’ attention, but many album tracks are worth equal spotlight. I call these “buried treasures.” Beyond this, K-pop’s albums deliver thousands of additional tracks that settle for a more limited audience. It’s these songs that will become a part of my “battle of the b-sides” feature. In this … Continue reading
The Most Epic Weeks in K-Pop: March 5-9, 2012
Building off my “Most Epic Days in K-pop” feature, I thought I’d spotlight some of the most epic weeks in K-pop history. K-pop is a Monday through Friday affair (at least in my time zone), with some weeks stuffed to the brim with releases. But, not all include multiple 9+ rated songs. This feature will … Continue reading
Song Review: Treasure – JIKJIN
After a debut album stuffed with title tracks, I fear Treasure have entered the second stage of YG Entertainment’s “artist development”: radio silence, peppered by the odd comeback here and there. JIKJIN (직진) is the first title track from the group in over a year, and comes paired with a big budget music video and … Continue reading
Unwrapping 2021’s K-pop Holiday Tracks
Imagine a big bushy Christmas tree — or replace that with whatever decoration or tradition matches your wintertime festivities. Underneath are packages galore, each containing a winter-themed K-pop track. Some have been unwrapped early (Stray Kids’ Christmas EveL, Billlie’s Snowy Night, ONEUS/ONEWE’s Stay) but there are still plenty to go. After furiously opening each gift, … Continue reading
Random Shuffle Review: Taeyang (Bigbang) – Wedding Dress
With over 3,000 songs on my iPhone’s “K-Pop Singles” playlist, I thought it would be fun to add a bit of unpredictability to my song review posts. So as a result, we have the “Random Shuffle Review” feature. The rules are simple. I fire up my playlist, press “shuffle,” and whatever song plays first gets … Continue reading
Song Review: Mino (Winner) – TANG!♡
With half of Winner currently enlisted, Kang Seungyoon and Mino have each delivered a full album this year. In Mino’s case, To Infinity is his third full-length, making him a prolific soloist. I haven’t connected with much of his music, despite enjoying a lot of his solo tracks on Winner albums. New comeback TANG!♡ (탕!♡) … Continue reading
Grading the K-Pop Agencies 2021: YG ENTERTAINMENT
It’s not quite December yet, but I’m going to kick off this annual feature a little early this year! Over the next few weeks, I’ll be looking at many of K-pop’s biggest agencies and offering my thoughts about how their 2021 went. Next up is YG Entertainment. As usual, the thoughts are my own and … Continue reading
Battle of the B-Sides: Turbo, Teen Top, Beast, AKMU, GFriend
K-pop’s title tracks might gain most of listeners’ attention, but many album tracks are worth equal spotlight. I call these “buried treasures.” Beyond this, K-pop’s albums deliver thousands of additional tracks that settle for a more limited audience. It’s these songs that will become a part of my “battle of the b-sides” feature. In this … Continue reading
Battle of the B-Sides: Xia Junsu, Mamamoo, TO1, B1A4, iKON
K-pop’s title tracks might gain most of listeners’ attention, but many album tracks are worth equal spotlight. I call these “buried treasures.” Beyond this, K-pop’s albums deliver thousands of additional tracks that settle for a more limited audience. It’s these songs that will become a part of my “battle of the b-sides” feature. In this … Continue reading
Battle of the B-Sides: SF9, Wonderboyz, DAY6, Girls’ Generation, Bigbang
K-pop’s title tracks might gain most of listeners’ attention, but many album tracks are worth equal spotlight. I call these “buried treasures.” Beyond this, K-pop’s albums deliver thousands of additional tracks that settle for a more limited audience. It’s these songs that will become a part of my “battle of the b-sides” feature. In this … Continue reading
Battle of the B-Sides: Boyfriend, JYP, Bobby, Block B, Beast
K-pop’s title tracks might gain most of listeners’ attention, but many album tracks are worth equal spotlight. I call these “buried treasures.” Beyond this, K-pop’s albums deliver thousands of additional tracks that settle for a more limited audience. It’s these songs that will become a part of my “battle of the b-sides” feature. In this … Continue reading
Song Review: Lisa (BLACKPINK) – LALISA
Rather than return with a full group comeback, BLACKPINK’s 2021 has seen the group deliver long-promised solo songs. This spring marked the release of Rosé’s first solo, and now Lisa has dropped her self-referential LALISA. YG Entertainment has a long history of idol rappers going solo, with acts like G-Dragon, CL and Mino paving a … Continue reading
The Top Three K-Pop Songs of July 2021
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. July 2021 Overall Thoughts Well, July was… interesting. And by “interesting,” I mean unimaginably dull. Other … Continue reading
Song Review: AKMU – NAKKA (ft. IU)
AKMU’s newest release is a collaboration album, with each of its tracks featuring a guest artist. None of these guests feel too surprising or left-field, but their presence has inspired the duo to experiment with their sound. NAKKA (낙하) brings together AKMU and IU – a recipe for surefire chart success. But, the track also … Continue reading