While K-pop has been consistently above average this year, my J-pop fortunes haven’t been so bright. It’s a real turnaround from this time last year, when I was able to feature fifteen beloved tracks. The choices were more limited this time, but it’s still worth… Read More »Top J-Pop Songs & Albums of 2024 (So Far)
TRENDZ’s music may be more inconsistent than I’d like, but January’s brilliant Go Up instantly landed them in my own K-pop hall of fame. The recently released Glow painted them in a smooth disco funk light and Japanese single Season Of You continues that approach.… Read More »Song Review: TRENDZ – Season Of You
The guys of iKON have slowly been establishing solo careers now that they’re free from YG Entertainment’s shackles. JU-NE has previously recorded a few OSTs, but Feel Lost (나 홀로) and accompanying mini album Bruise mark his official debut. The song sees him adopt a… Read More »Song Review: JU-NE (iKON) – Feel Lost
Despite over a decade of music to his name, this may be the first mention of Lee Seungyoon on this blog. I mainly focus on idol releases, but every once and awhile it’s nice to have a palette cleanser, and Seungyoon’s Brit-rock sound is just… Read More »Song Review: Lee Seungyoon – Waterfall
Almost three years ago I wrote a piece about what I considered to be the “New Wave of American Darkness,” which outlined a thesis that we were hitting a sort of renaissance for American black metal. This, of course, opened my inbox to a deluge… Read More »The Next Wave of American Darkness: A Look at USBM’s Best New Bands