Even before the formation of WINNER, I longed for a Seungyoon album. His early solo songs — “Wild & Young,” “Stealer,” “It Rains” — hinted at a gutsy rocker, and …
Read More »[Review] Sexy Zone registers another standout with “Let’s Music”
For a brief, shining moment last fall, Sexy Zone were five again. However, they’ve been knocked back to four as member Marius takes a break from the industry to focus …
Read More »[Review] IU’s “Coin” an effective second in the one-two punch of title tracks
IU is supporting her new album with a good old-fashioned double title track strategy. We don’t see double promotions in K-pop nearly enough anymore. I’ve always thought it was a …
Read More »[Review] IU goes city pop and delivers a deserving chart overlord with “LILAC”
IU doesn’t need any introduction, as her reputation within the Korean entertainment industry speaks for itself. So what I found interesting is her expressing a desire recently to effectively make …
Read More »[Review] B.I makes his return with vulnerable, authentic “Midnight Blue”
Since leaving iKON and YG Entertainment in 2019, B.I has worked more as a producer than a solo artist. He’s also uploaded music to the online platform Soundcloud, a long-standing …
Read More »[Review] Utada Hikaru conveys deeper meaning within springy pop on superb “One Last Kiss”
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post written by Patrick St. Michel (@mbmelodies). I’ve whined for years now about how hard it is to find quality writing that give honest …
Read More »[Review] Daichi Miura continues his synth excellence on “Backwards”
A couple years ago, dance icon Daichi Miura released the incredible Be Myself. If you haven’t heard that song before, make it your most urgent mission to do so. Since …
Read More »[Review] Weeekly get me on board the hype train with complete, undeniable “After School”
Weeekly debuted in the middle of 2020 and appear to be doing moderately well as Play M‘s heir apparent to A Pink. Following their “Tag Me” and “Zig Zag” releases …
Read More »[Review] Like a musical cup of hot coffee, Soyou’s “Good Night My Love” is sure to soothe the soul
Former SISTAR member, Soyou, is back for her new 2021 release, “Good Night My Love”. The music video, which helps visually paint the original lyrics written by Lee Hyori, is …
Read More »[Review] Super Junior adds a bizarre breakdown to an otherwise generically fun “House Party”
Super Junior have titled their milestone tenth album “The Renaissance,” which conjures images of regality and refinement. To me, the group have always been more about amiable, self-deprecating personality, which …
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