Each year, this countdown becomes more difficult to compile. Increasingly, K-pop songwriting has become a team activity. This makes it hard to suss out who exactly is responsible for what, and it also tends to flatten musical perspective and quirk. Even so, I’ve combed through the credits of my favorite 2023 music to find ten … Continue reading
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
Let me paint a picture for you: In the unlikely event that producers Sweetune are announced as part of a modern-era idol comeback, my entire base of operations goes on red alert. Lights flash, alarms sound and any outside activity freezes as the fist-pumping grandeur of The Chaser pipes through the overhead speakers. Okay, I don’t … Continue reading
November-December 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
July-August 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
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
I’m one of those K-pop fans who scours pre-release track lists for producer credits. I often become more excited by my favorite composer’s name on a track than the actual artist themselves. Because of this, my “top producers of the year” countdown has become a fun annual tradition. After all, these songs don’t materialize from … 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
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
RoaD-B have had an outsize presence on The Bias List relative to their lack of recognition elsewhere. I’m pretty confident that 99.9% of K-pop fans who don’t read this blog have yet to even hear their name. After all, they’ve only had one televised performance. Still, their debut single Nonstop was a huge highlight of … 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
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. CSR have released one of the … 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. April 2022 Overall Thoughts In a paradoxical trend, the average song rating on this blog has … Continue reading
Sound the alarms! We have a K-pop emergency. Sweetune – yes, the Sweetune – have returned. They’re hunkered down in a bunker so nugu I didn’t even find them until the song was brought to my attention on twitter. But, they’re back nonetheless and RoaD-B’s Nonstop has raised my K-pop spirits just when they needed … 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
As part of my “Top 100 K-pop Songs of All-Time” countdown, I took the effort to dive deeply into my top ten picks and break them down moment by moment. But, there are plenty of other songs that deserve this same treatment. So, The Bias List proudly presents an in-depth feature: “Breaking Down the K-pop … Continue reading
You’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger Sweetune fan than me. And with Han Jaeho and Song Sooyoon making a rare public appearance on web series MMTG last week, I’ve gone down yet another spiral of legendary Sweetune singles. As K-pop’s retro trend flourishes, I can’t fathom why agencies aren’t reaching out to the best … Continue reading
Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard! August … Continue reading
Sweetune’s partnership with vocal duo KEEMBO has often felt like “Sweetune go indie,” which explains why most of the songs haven’t bowled me over the way I’m used to with these producers. Rather than go big and bombastic with idol groups in mind, tracks like Scene and 99 felt slightly more left-of-center. This isn’t a … Continue reading
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
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 