Most of the time, a kpop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-sides deserve recognition, too. In the singles-oriented world of kpop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve.

I was a little (or maybe a lot) harsh on Taeyeon earlier in the week, and her song unfairly bore the brunt of a general criticism I have regarding some of SM Entertainment’s more recent material. Because of this, I wanted to make sure to write about one of my favorite tracks on her new album. I haven’t heard Good Thing getting much press or praise from pretty much anyone. I can understand this, as the track isn’t particularly unique or trendy. But that’s kind of what I love about it.

Good Thing rockets forward on a pure pop bounce, accented by stabs of synth, smartly placed vocal adlibs and even a few little sax solos. It may not be of-the-moment the way her title tracks have been, but the song has a fun, breezy vibe that makes it feel timeless. If I were to place it along a timeline, I’d definitely be looking at the 80’s as its biggest source of inspiration. But even then, the song stays current enough to avoid becoming a pastiche. It feels perfectly calibrated to soundtrack any summer, and offers the type of melodic hooks that seemed more hesitant in Why.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4gdt9HsWG0