K-pop history is stuffed with great albums, and there’s only so many Buried Treasures and Battle of the B-sides features available to cover all these noteworthy tracks.

The album format has always been special to me. Whether it’s a full-length or mini, albums have the opportunity to tell stories and develop an act’s personal style. Occasionally, I dive in and offer in-depth track by track reviews, but sometimes a bite-sized overview is just as fun.

That’s what this feature is all about: sharing notable albums and offering some quick thoughts about what makes them tick.

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B.A.P – Carnival

Released February 22, 2016

It’s been awhile, but I’m returning with another Bite-Sized review of an older album that’s worth your time. Today, I’ve got the brightest and most relentlessly cheery collection of songs boy group B.A.P ever released. It’s no wonder I love it so much!

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1. Today

I don’t rate intro tracks, but I have to note how grand and satisfyingly this one is. I mean, do we ever hear boy group music this optimistic and celebratory anymore?

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2. Carnival

You might expect this to be a promoted track since its title matches the album, but instead it’s a great, funky reminder that B.A.P are here to have fun. The shuffling groove and shouted hook are irresistible, as is the generally party atmosphere. If anything, I’m a bit upset that the grandeur of the intro didn’t carry over to the instrumentation here. But, that’s a very slight criticism.

Hooks	9
Production	8
Longevity	8
Bias	9
RATING	8.5

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3. Feel So Good

I was weirdly hard on this song when it first came out, but it ended up being one of my most-played tracks of 2016. Its groove is so buoyant and funky. I often think of Carnival as the album where B.A.P switched bodies with B1A4, and Feel So Good sounds straight from the WM Entertainment school of pop writing. It’s impossible not to nod your head to this.

Hooks	9
Production	9
Longevity	9
Bias	9
RATING	9

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4. GO

Carnival is an entirely upbeat album, which is one of the reasons I hold it in such high regard. GO feels like title track material. Its addictive disco guitar and synth-fueled hook give it long-lasting appeal and that energy maintains throughout the entire track. I love the tradeoff between vocal and rap in the second verse and the climactic chant that closes the song.

Hooks	8
Production	9
Longevity	9
Bias	9
RATING	8.75

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5. Albatross

Albatross is certainly a mysterious title! But, the song jettisons any sense of fussiness in favor of another rollicking good time. The track incorporates punchy guitar for a power pop sound that hearkens back to the group’s debut era. This builds toward a sing-along chorus tailor-made for stadiums.

Hooks	8
Production	9
Longevity	9
Bias	9
RATING	8.75

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6. My Girl

My Girl is the closest we get to a ballad on this album, though it’s actually a jaunty pop-rocker with the sentiment of a great fan song. Strings give the arrangement some heft, but the base of the track is driven by the simple strum of a guitar. And calling back to my B1A4 comment earlier, this is totally a B1A4 song. I swear these two groups had some sort of Freaky Friday body-switching back in February 2016.

Hooks	8
Production	9
Longevity	9
Bias	8
RATING	8.5

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Album Rating: 8.7

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