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 feature, I’ll be putting on my A&R hat and taking a listen to five randomly-selected K-pop b-sides. I’ll write a mini review for each, including a Bias List rating, and rank them from least to most favorite. The winner will join a special Bias List B-side playlist. Think of it like my own little agency, hand-selecting songs I’d like to pitch to my nonexistent artists!
Round One: Limitless, Hwanhee, Sechs Kies, Royal Pirates, Ladies’ Code
Round Two: ONF, NCT 127, G.Soul, Cho Yong-Pil, Lovelyz
Round Three: Zion.T, GOT7, TVXQ, 14U, LOONA
Round Four: YooA, Bigstar, Jonghyun, GFriend, IMFACT
Round Five: Key, Pentagon, Red Velvet, A.C.E, Kim Hyun Joong
Round Six: Yoon Jisung, 1Punch, Zico, Brown Eyed Girls, 2NE1
Round Seven: Red Velvet Edition
Round Eight: Twice, DAY6, Super Junior-D&E, SF9, Son Dam Bi
Round Nine: AOA, AKMU, Taeyang, 4minute, BTS
Round Ten: Laboum, SHINee, B.A.P, U-KISS, BoA
Round Eleven: Girls’ Generation, Monsta X, Lovelyz, Cross Gene, Nu’est W
Round Twelve: Highlight, GWSN, U-KISS, AOA, Taeyeon
Round Thirteen: Weki Meki, Wonder Girls, Monsta X, EXO-CBX, NCT 127
Round Fourteen: Seventeen Edition
Round Fifteen: Onew, Seventeen, Deux, VIXX, BoA
Round Sixteen: Infinite F, FIX, Astro, Wonder Girls, CNBlue
Round Seventeen: Heo Young Saeng, Just B, Trouble Maker, Stray Kids, Girls’ Generation
Round Eighteen: Astro, Neon Punch, Snuper, fromis_9, April
Round Nineteen: Girls’ Generation (SNSD) Edition
Round Twenty: After School, ToppDogg, T-ara, Girls’ Generation, ITZY
Round Twenty-One: Ha Sungwoon, Nu’est, Lee Jinhyuk, GOT7, Suzy
Round Twenty-Two: Boyfriend, JYP, Bobby, Block B, Beast
Round Twenty-Three: NCT Edition
Round Twenty-Four: EPEX, Twice, IN2IT, Wheein, Infinite H
Round Twenty-Five: SF9, Wonderboyz, DAY6, Girls’ Generation, Bigbang
Round Twenty-Six: TVXQ, BTS, Dal Shabet, Dreamcatcher, U-Know
Round Twenty-Seven: Oh My Girl, Sistar, GOT7, Twice, ONEUS
Round Twenty-Eight: Xia Junsu, Mamamoo, TO1, B1A4, iKON
Round Twenty-Nine: Lovelyz Edition
Round Thirty: Turbo, Teen Top, Beast, AKMU, GFriend
Round Thirty-One: NCT 127, Woodz, Hyolyn, P1Harmony, Gugudan
Round Thirty-Two: SHINee, Miss A, Girls’ Generation, BTOB, SF9
Round Thirty-Three: Elris, Wonder Girls, Oh My Girl, B1A4, NCT 127
Round Thirty-Four: Sweetune Edition
Round Thirty-Five: Ha Sungwoon, Kim Hyung Jun, Nine Muses, Agust D, TVXQ
Round Thirty-Six: April, Twice, Super Junior, U-KISS, Younha
Round Thirty-Seven: A.C.E, 4minute, DAY6, Click-B, LOONA Odd Eye Circle
Round Thirty-Eight: Pentagon, BoA, GOT7, Baekhyun, BTOB
Round Thirty-Nine: SF9, BTOB, Yuri, Seventeen, TRCNG
Round Forty: Everglow, KARD, Han Seungwoo, SHINee, Pentagon
Round Forty-One: Taeyeon, Super Junior-KRY, GOT7, TXT, Monsta X
Round Forty-Two: Winner, Shinhwa, Aprince, 1PUNCH, Momoland
Round Forty-Three: PSY, Elris, LOUD, Dreamcatcher, Xia Junsu
Round Forty-Four: Girls’ Generation, Epik High, G.Soul, (G)I-DLE, DAY6
Round Forty-Five: Chungha, BTS, Euijin, Girls’ Generation, NCT U
Round Forty-Six: N.Flying, AOA, Red Velvet, Beast, EXO-CBX
Round Forty-Seven: Seventeen, CNBlue, (G)I-DLE, Twice, STAYC
Round Forty-Eight: BoA, Luminous, Monsta X, 4minute, Sechs Kies
Round Forty-Nine: Winner, Changmin, AB6IX, ZE:A, Romeo
Round Fifty: 2PM, P1Harmony, Kara, Sistar, Mirae
Round Fifty-One: STAYC, IZ*ONE, YooA, PSY, JJ Project
Round Fifty-Two: Kara Edition
Round Fifty-Three: Winner, Youngjae, BTS, Rocket Punch, H.O.T
Round Fifty-Four: SHINee, SF9, MBLAQ, Baekhyun, (G)I-DLE
Round Fifty-Five: SHINee, Spectrum, Kara, UP10TION, Beast
Round Fifty-Six: GFriend Edition
Round Fifty-Seven: NCT 127, Teen Top, Monsta X, Dreamcatcher, Cherry Bullet
Round Fifty-Eight: Billlie, NCT 127, IZ, JUS2, Everglow
Round Fifty-Nine: BIGBANG Edition
Round Sixty: NCT U, Secret Number, Girls’ Generation, TAN, TVXQ
Round Sixty-One: CSR, ITZY, CRAVITY, Chungha, BoA
Round Sixty-Two: JYJ, Nu’est, 2PM, J.Y. Park, BoA
Winning Song Playlist
(Warning: spoilers below!!)
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