FAQ
Ratings System
Though you’ll find a simple breakdown of my ratings scale on the righthand margin of this site, I’m often asked to elaborate. I score with numbers, but I often think of my rating as a letter grade, with each decimal point holding quite a different meaning. If I were to break this down, the conversion would look like this:
A
10 = A+
9.25-9.75 = A
9 = A-
B
8.75 = B+
8.25-8.5 = B
8 = B-
C
7.75 = C+
7.25-7.5 = C
7 = C-
D
6.75 = D+
6.25-6.5 = D
6 = D-
F
1-5.75 = F
BEST OF THE BIAS LIST
Golden Comments
Mymagoogle’s Summary of “Nick’s Bias Triggers” (May 19, 2021)
(she got most of them right!)
Infinite “The Chaser” = all good
Janet Jackson = all good
Sweetune then = all good
New Jack Swing = all good
Rhythmic funky titles= all good
Nimble synths=good
Propulsive = good
Savage Garden = good
Teddy then = good
YYJ then = good
80’s revival = good
More cowbell = good
Sung chorus with a nice melody = good
SHINee back catalog = good
Bright boys theme done well = inspired
High be be da loca = inspired
Orange Caramel = inspired
Trance = usually inspired
IGAB = inspired
Songs that try to be like IGAB = depends
High-pitched helium = depends
Sweetune now = depends
YYJ now = depends
Future Bass = depends
SuJu making “interesting” song choices = depends
CF’s = meh
City Pop = meh
Dark theme = meh
Teasers that have nothing to do with the song = meh
OST’s, ballads, coffee house and spring songs = meh
Second verse rap = *sigh*
Rap triplets = *sigh*
Shouting not singing = *sigh*
Bratty girls theme = *sigh*, and dropping
Drop choruses = ugh
Cheerleader chants = ugh
Half-time breakdown = ugh
Fake deep voices = ugh
That bamboo / xylo synth fingers dropping on keys sound = ugh
“Moon” as top ten song of All Time = ugh
Moody or languid = Nope
Aegyo = Nope
Boys styled in pastel colors and sailor suits = oh good lord no
Obvious, metallic autotune = usually bad
Teddy now = bad
Unnecessary trap = bad
Lurching = bad
Myma going on again about Vince Clarke, Depeche Mode, SuJu, and Forestella = depends
JYHB’s Dystopian Vision (October 10, 2019)
Paints quite a picture!
“All jokes aside, the question “how would The Chaser sound if it were written in 2019?” gives me severe anxiety. Like – imagine a world in which The Chaser has a trap breakdown instead of the iconic rap break we have today. And not just The Chaser – like, bear with me: imagine Back, but all of the downtempo sections are actually future R&B. Picture in your mind’s eye – if you will – Monster by Big Bang, but instead of the bridge it’s hard Autotuned GD shouting skrrrt skrrrrrrt over a trap beat. Suffice it to say that shivers go down my spine. A certain ennui begins to disperse itself across the plane of our collective existence. My grip on reality loosens as I shift deeper into melancholia and pain…. what undiluted existential horror!”
Sargun Walking in the Shoes of a K-pop Stan (May 25, 2020)
A truly terrifying parody…
“Wow, really wow, what kind of review is this?!?! As a longtime reader of your blog I’m deeply disappointed. I’ve been reading your reviews since 2026 and I’m just so frustrated that you can’t see that Dashing Kanadian Boxers only put out bops. Like this song is so good, and did you know they came from a small agency? Their career has been so hard and everyone is giving them online hate. I’m sorry Nick but this is honestly soty material. Even before I even listened to the song I even knew it was even soty material. You know what else is soty material, all of Blackpinks and Twices songs, their songs still weeks way but I know my queens will revolutionize the music industry. Your faves could never. DKB are revolutionary and did you hear about their deep lyrics. They talk about really sad moments in everyones life and it gets so deep. The part that made me cry was when they talked about when you feel like you’re going to sneeze but nothing happens. Ugh they are just so revolutionary DKB world domination! EVEN EVEN EVEN EVEN EVEN EVEN EVEN EVEN EVEN EVEN EVEN EVEN EVEN EVEN STREAM GUYS WE HAVE TO GET TO 10K BEFORE BTS EVEN IF YOU DONT LIKE THE SONG PLEASE STREAM IF U TRU FAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Mymagoogle’s “Kpop Lyrics in English ranking” (ongoing)
In descending order, best to worst:
Intelligible English good lyrics that rhyme
Intelligible English good lyrics
Unintelligible English of any quality lyrics
Double entendres
Mispronounced but decent lyrics
A single lyric line that is so craptastic it is great
Cringey but campy lyrics
Cringey cringetastic lyrics
Single entendres
Oh so bland lyrics
Really, what does that mean lyrics
But, um, I don’t think you know what that means lyrics
A single word said over over like that will make it mean something lyric
Well-pronounced lousy lyrics
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 