Taeyeon’s To. X became a long-lasting hit on Korean charts, proving her continued dominance even sixteen years into her career. To tide fans over between albums, she’s dropped digital single Heaven. Its frothy disco pop sound is worlds away from To. X‘s downbeat confessional. I’ll admit this right away: I’m tired of this chill, vanilla, … Continue reading
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
It feels weird writing a standard “song review” post on the same day as posting my top K-pop songs of the year. Kind of a comedown, honestly! That’s not a dig at Jessica or Amber, who have each been part of my favorite K-pop tracks of all time. It’s kind of interesting seeing a collaboration … Continue reading
Though she’s featured in SM Entertainment’s super group Got The Beat and made a successful return with Girls’ Generation last summer, it’s been a long wait for new solo music from Taeyeon. It’s hard to believe INVU was nearly two years ago! Now, she’s back with a new mini album and title track To. X. … Continue reading
When it comes to her solo work, Girls’ Generation’s Hyoyeon has offered a sampler platter of dance genres. With new single Picture, she’s moved into dancehall sounds. This is a good match for her charismatic performance style, and she imbues an otherwise simple track with plenty of character. Picture has a dark, mysterious magnetism. Its … Continue reading
The annual Bias List Legendary Songs Inauguration Ceremony has returned! Yes, I’m a few months late on this, but it’s been a busy year of new releases and I was waiting for an empty day to compose this feature. It’s exceedingly rare for me to award any song a 10-out-of-10 rating on release day. Instead, … Continue reading
March-April 2008 Overall Thoughts In addition to my monthly K-pop round-up, I’ve taken a look at my favorite three singles from each month since 2009 and factored them into my ultimate Bias List scorecard, which can be found here. The problem is, prior to 2009 it becomes harder to find reliable sources for K-pop release … Continue reading
January-February 2008 Overall Thoughts I’ve decided to revive a popular weekly feature, but with a twist! In addition to my monthly K-pop round-up, I’ve taken a look at my favorite three singles from each month since 2009 and factored them into my ultimate Bias List scorecard, which can be found here. The problem is, prior … Continue reading
There are still two more countdowns to come (Top 40 pop songs and Top Dramas), but now that the K-pop-specific lists are complete it’s time to add up the categories and find out which comebacks ranked strongest overall. From a pure numbers standpoint, I guess this is the most important list I’ll publish! Just like … Continue reading
I spend the whole year plucking “buried treasures” from K-pop’s vast slate of albums, and now it’s time for those b-sides to have their own countdown! As usual, some of 2022’s strongest music was never promoted with a glossy video or music show blitz. Over the next two days, I’ll be counting down my forty … Continue reading
I spend the whole year plucking “buried treasures” from K-pop’s vast slate of albums, and now it’s time for those b-sides to have their own countdown! As usual, some of 2022’s strongest music was never promoted with a glossy video or music show blitz. Over the next two days, I’ll be counting down my forty … Continue reading
Compared to 2021, this year definitely felt weaker when it comes to albums. Mini albums faired better than full-lengths, but apart from a few mega-standouts, most K-pop releases took a piecemeal approach to their music — too often stuffing tracklists with a horde of different producers rather than settling on one unique vision. Like usual, … Continue reading
This year, I’m going to flip things around and honor my top ten K-pop artists before turning to the rookies tomorrow. While 2022 offered many strong debuts, I just wasn’t as thrilled by many of the industry’s established artists. That makes today’s countdown a bit easier to compile. As usual, the criteria is built around … Continue reading
The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, we’ll kick off with the big one: The Bias List’s top 50 songs of the year! Each day this week, I’ll be counting down ten of the year’s best, until number one is revealed on Friday. To be eligible for this top 50 list, … 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 2022 Overall Thoughts Too often this year, my monthly round-ups have been… kind of a … Continue reading
Rather than contain my “Risers and Fallers” feature to a single post in June, I’m going to share a bite-sized version at the end of each month. This will let me account for more songs and make a nice lead-in to the monthly round-up post. I anticipate most of these ratings adjustments will be negligible: … Continue reading
A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. 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’m still processing the fact that, … Continue reading
Kick around this K-pop blogospere for long enough and you’ll eventually get to write about the return of a true legend. Forever 1 celebrates Girls’ Generation’s fifteenth anniversary – a huge milestone for any idol act. I know I’m not alone in counting the group among the most foundational forces that cemented my love for … Continue reading
Since 2017, Girls’ Generation’s Hyoyeon has established a successful career as a dance artist, exploring various avenues of EDM across a series of singles. For me, her output has been hit-or-miss, with highlights like Punk Right Now and Badster far eclipsing the likes of Second and Dessert. But even if I don’t connect with all … Continue reading
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 Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 