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!
Which month do you want to see next?
August 2015 Overall Thoughts
After the jam-packed schedule of July 2015, I remember August of that year feeling comparatively sparse. It’s funny how time can change perception. At this particular moment, I’d kill for another month with a top three as strong as this one.
Chart-wise, much of August was clogged with songs from Infinite Challenge‘s Music Festival (remember those?), which likely explains the lack of big-name comebacks during the middle of the month. Still, the songs that we did get were universally strong, with a few instant classics released one after another at the start of the month.
As July turned to August, I was just returning from my very first KCON. So, I was already on a bit of a K-pop high. But, that was only urged on by a fantastic first week of releases. All three of my top picks come from a 72-hours stretch of time — the kind of triple punch that reaffirms my love for Korea’s awesome musical landscape.
Apart from this, August 2015 is notable for delivering my favorite girl group album of all time in Wonder Girls’ Reboot. Not only was it a hugely successful reinvention that could have gone horribly wrong, but its chic retro vibe previewed member Sunmi’s eventual template for ongoing solo success.
Honorable Mentions
April – Dream Candy (video)
B1A4 – Sweet Girl (video)
Beat Win – Stalker (video)
Girls’ Generation – Lion Heart / You Think (video / video)
HyunA – Roll Deep (ft. Ilhoon) (video)
The Legend – Shadow (video)
T-ara – So Crazy (video)
Verbal Jint & Sanchez – Fantastic! (video)
TOP THREE SONGS
3. Bigbang – Let’s Not Fall In Love
2. SHINee – Married To The Music
1. Wonder Girls – I Feel You (album review)
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
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I have precisely one song that I bought from that month – Big Bang Let’s not fall in Love. Most of the rest I know well but never liked well enough to buy.
My problem with the Wonder Girls song is that although it is a fine Prince homage (via Sheila E “Glamorous Life” and Chaka Khan “Feel for You”) it is almost too close to copying for my taste. I’d rather just listen to Prince than the kpop-lite version of Prince. (Actually, listening to all again now, you can sing the Glamorous Life chorus over the Wonder Girls chorus perfectly well).
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