A K-pop group’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 feel like I’m constantly ragging on CRAVITY, but that’s only because I want them to use their success to explore music that goes beyond generic boy band fare. It’s not that I find their music to be objectively bad. It’s just that all of their songs sound as if they could have been performed by another group without any real tweaks. Having watched Produce X 101, I know that CRAVITY’s members don’t lack in personality. I wish that Starship Entertainment could find a better way for that to shine.
True to form, Dangerous is as generic as can be. But, it’s the type of generic that I tend to like. It’s the generic that finds roots in SHINee’s classic electro funk, or VIXX’s dramatic bombast. CRAVITY pull it off as well as anyone, but the song itself is the real star here.
From its undulating bass to the splashy chorus, Dangerous has a natural panache that’s hard to resist. The melody isn’t inventive or unique, but it’s underlined by a confident, brassy instrumental that pounds forward without interruption. The rap verses are placed well, and the pre-chorus builds upon the drive of those verses rather than unnecessarily switching things up. But my favorite moment happens when we enter the chorus and the production tilts as if we’re standing on the edge of a precipice. This brings a brief sense of disorientation that injects a small bit of spontaneity to the otherwise familiar instrumental.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
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The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Oh wow! I ended up not looking into their album because the concept didn’t really pull me in as much this album. But I’m glad I tuned into the buried treasure- because the bass is addicting and it’s very smooth to listen to. No high pitched skkrts and just good vibes. Thats a win for me.
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Sorry to ask here, but are you going to be reviewing SATURDAY’s new song, Only You? I know it was only relesed Jan 21, but I just wanted to make sure you knew it was out. ¯\_(ಥ ε ಥ)_/¯
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Not planning on it, since there was no real music video released.
(Plus, the last time I reviewed a Saturday song I received a death threat on twitter from some crazy. I wish I was kidding.)
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Please, excuse me….
Saturdays, Amirite?
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Saturday “Only You” = Its cute, its sweet, it is definitely not my style. Interesting they went straight ahead aegyo style girl group this time – I miss the quirkiness from their WiFi and MMook JJi BBa.
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as an avid follower of KQ and KBopped, I found this gem of a song!”https://youtu.be/a9VDue5CZr8″
Nick, have you listened to it, already?
I have listened to the whole mini album, though I find it consistent, there is not really one song which sticks out for me, unlike U Know’s and ONEUS’s albums.
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I hadn’t heard that one before. It’s quite good!
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I hadn’t even heard the song until 5 days ago! Thanks Arpydarpy!
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Eden is such a talent
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This one has a really nice beat. I love that weird moment in the production in the prechorus. The sudden halt of the beat and the ..slide? sound? kinda translates the ‘ dangerous’ idea into music. I’ m sure this effect has been used before and has a name, but this is as well as I can describe it, haha.
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