Posts

Song Review:: Jay Park, LNGSHOT: 4SHOBOIZ Vol. 2: 4SHOVILLE- YEAH! YEAH!

-
Image
Release date: 2026 May 18 Album tracklist: 4SHO 4SHO; YEAH! YEAH! ; NO HI, NO HEY; RUN IT UP; GUKBBONG; MOYA; THE PURGE 4SHOMIX; PUBLIC ENEMY 4SHOMIX (feat. DJ Wegun) Album runtime: 26 minutes  It's kind of adorable that the CEO had the kids join him for an entire album. What's more surprising is that the runtime is a bit over three minutes on average, the title track is over three minutes, and there are several songs over four minutes. But I have to put this on Underage Protocol because of LNGSHOT. So, sorry, Jay Park, except you debuted the child. Most of the instrumental is of the style where it's present but largely unobtrusive and the changes are subtle. Most of it is a couple of different beats layered over each other, but there's a rattle-in-your-bones quality that holds the song with a low center of gravity. There isn't really a quick uptick in energy at any point, nor does it go the other direction and fully drop at any point. It's there. It's suppo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Greatest Hits:: BerryGood: Angel

-
Image
 This was actually supposed to be the song after After School, but I didn't write it down in my notes. And then when I checked my notes and double checked numbers (because for timing's sake, the last three must be the last three), I was missing one. So you get this one now, instead of when it was supposed to be, but that's fine because it works here as well. We're still on theme for May, and I think y'all will enjoy this one if you haven't heard it before. Funny story about this group, every time I see their name, my brain starts playing "Very Good" by Block B. It's probably a problem, but it's a me problem and I hope it's not a you problem now as well. They debuted in 2014 as a five member group, but by the time they disbanded, there were only two of the original members in the six-member group. Fun fact, they released multiple crowdfunded mini albums, including this one, and the lineup for this album was Taeha, Seoyul, Daye, Sehyung, and ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Song Review:: Taeong (NCT): WYLD- WYLD

-
Image
Release date: 2026 May 18 Album tracklist:  WYLD , Storm, Hypnotic, I'm a Dancing Cactus, Mermaid, 404 Euphoria, Skiii, Hot, Feeling Myself, Run Album runtime: 28 minutes  Let's do a soloist now. Hello, friend! (And he games with JR, so I am legally required to love him). I imagine that it's been a little difficult for you being the leader of NCT. Hopefully things go a bit more smoothly from now on, flower path and all of that. Ooh! It's a full album! My interest has been piqued, although only two of the ten are over three minutes. One of them is exactly three minutes, but that's not exactly over.  This is a solid base of an instrumental, and it largely stays out of the way for the vocals. I don't have a lot to say about it because it's perfectly, functionally, supportive. It's got a good flow and some interesting halts and reversals, don't get me wrong, but it's easily dismissible.  Y'all know I like lower male voices. He gives us that with ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Song Review:: NAZE: NAZE- Pretty Pink Socks

-
Image
Release date: 2026 May 04 Album tracklist: Pretty Pink Socks , People Talk , Awesome, Seoul Album runtime: 12 minutes   Do I have other songs I need to be doing? Always. Is this just a b-side? Yup. But they did just debut and that means they need all the attention that they can get, so with my small contribution, here we are. They are in the CIX/EPEX lineage, in case you missed my review of their debut song (link above), and we have an eighteen-year-old maknae. All is quiet on the western front, everyone. And this one is over three minutes, so I'm happy about this as well. Does this start a cappella? That's what we call a "Bold Choice". It's a very minimal instrumental through most of the song, but then it kicks up into more familiar territory. The interesting thing is that the instrumental doesn't feel like it matches the vocals very well on a structural level, which creates a dichotomy that forces you to pay attention because it doesn't do what it's ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Song Review:: xikers: ROUTE ZERO : The ORA- OKay

-
Image
Release date: 2026 May 19 Album tracklist: Ghost Rider, OKay , Graffiti, Trophy, Outsider Album runtime: 14 minutes They just turned three a couple of months ago, and they're already on their seventh mini album. The kids are very busy, and on top of that, we have been getting prepped for this song for over a month now. And if we look at the album title, we're in a new era for them. I'm excited. I'm so excited. I cannot wait. I'm still looking for another title track that I love as much as Witch, but my expectations are realistically lower. Will we get our first win? Fingers crossed. I just want them to get that first win. I know how important it is no matter their other achievements, and if this were a story, having that first win be at the start of a new era would be thematically appropriate. I'm not super enthused about the runtime, but the title track is over three minutes, technically. Barely. So I'm fine with whatever else is going on.  I love it when w...
Post a Comment
Read more

Music Show Wins:: Week of 05/13 - 05/19

-
Image
 Triple Crown this week! Grand Slam (still not sure of the term) this week! Congrats to the rookies! For the After School Club re-run, YouTube actually gave me one I hadn't seen yet when I looked the show up. So you all get it. Kevin (singing voice of Mystery Saja) is absolutely adorable in this and the entire group is hilarious. Ep. 73 from 2014, featuring U-KISS! For The Show, I went with Wonho in 2022 with Eye On You. And I'm only giving you one extra stage this week, but that's for a debut in the form of NAZE! As always, the links in the spreadsheet go directly to my reviews and the link down below with ASC goes to the actual episode because the videos sometimes get a bit weird when I try to embed them. Enjoy the performances! Show Champion: Cortis "RedRed" MCountdown:  Cortis "RedRed" Music Bank:  Cortis "RedRed" Show! Music Core:  Cortis "RedRed" Inkigayo:  Cortis "RedRed" ASC Performance: 20140610 UKISS "Quit Pla...
Post a Comment
Read more

Song Review:: NMIXX: Heavy Serenade- Crescendo {Pre-Release}

-
Image
Release date: 2026 May 11 Album tracklist: Crescendo, Heavy Serenade , IDERSERVEIT, Different Girl, Superior, LOUD Album runtime: 16 minutes  Well, the album is out and I'm doing the pre-release first. It's fine. Again, it's a weird mental thing where because I've spent so much time with this group lately because of an Expanded Offerings post, I feel like I've already done this, even though for NMIXX it's been literal years since Tank was released. But I'm not overly worried because I'm going to be heading to Vegas this weekend, where I'll be confined with many kpop songs to cover and hours to spend them on. Ugh, two-and-a-half minutes. I'm so tired of this.  There's a particular grindy, clangy quality to the instrumental that has a flair for the dramatic to prevent the song from being too far on the side of noise. It's got kind of a heavy-handed rhythm to it, but the speed, despite the skittering beat we've got through part of the s...
Post a Comment
Read more