Just A Little Fangirl Love

This is the second time that fromis_9 has left a company, and while part of me is sad about this, I'm wishing them well in their future endeavors and hope they can find a new home that will treat them well and as they deserve. So, in honor of this, I'm going to go back to 2019 shortly after debut when they were still at their first company and their single, FUN FACTORY, and one of the b-sides contained therein.  This is a song sung by only two of the members, Jiwon and Hayoung, but they also have credits as the writers! The talent! It's such a pretty song. Also, their composing composing team is called "Dam-Dam," which I also think is kind of cute, and this was the first song that they did together. This is very much a summer kind of song and the irony that I'm doing this in winter is not lost on me, but it's summer somewhere, so it's fine. It's also, as you can tell by the title, a song about hope and freedom, which again makes this singularly app...

Release date: 2024 December 09 Album tracklist:  Like a Friend Album runtime: 3 minutes   You Are My Reason  was such a stunning song, I have no idea how they could possibly top it with this release. It's absolutely beautiful. I love love-letters to the fans in song form. This is also their second post- Ace of Ace  release in the last month, so they've clearly been keeping themselves busy, as they should to try to capitalize on the momentum gained. As long as they don't approach burn-out, I'm okay with them working this hard right now. It's unfortunately a good idea.  I can practically see the choreography with this song. I'm glad to have this to break up the seasonal ballads with something a bit more high energy, and in this case, it's new jack swing. I'm learning about all sorts of musical genres I didn't know existed, but I also don't currently know if this song is a good example of the genre. It's not super high energy, and there are defi...

Release date: 2024 December 09 Album tracklist:  When You Say My Name , Naughty or Nice Album runtime: 6 minutes  The Ship of Theseus has returned to port for a brief time for a seasonal celebration before heading back out to sea. 'Tis the season, everyone. Let's see what the offering from them is. I know there are people out there who don't like ballads. And that's fine. But I think I'm building a mental stock of the ballads to support me when the songs start straying into places I'm not particularly fond of. In this case, I genuinely don't think you can go wrong with the piano/strings combo. It's a one-two punch, except it's more of a caress with a soft smile. There's nothing here to distract from the vocals, although the rhythm of the instrumentals does go at odds with the members' voices in places.  Flex those pipes, girls! Flex them! Ship of Theseus this may be, but the new parts are not temporary replacement parts. They're the kinds...

Release date: 2024 December 10 Album tracklist:  Rupert's drop , Rupert's drop (Inst.) Album runtime: 7 minutes  As expected, all the groups that were on Ace of Ace are dropping mostly singles about a month after the show ended. This was the group I went into it hoping they'd win, even though I wanted all the groups to do well, but by the end, I really didn't care who won because they were all so good. There were some serious dark horses for me, whose reviews are coming up. But that's the thing about love: it's not a finite resource. Even though I added more groups to my ever growing list, Oneus's performances were also phenomenal. Also, one more thing I've learned is that Oneus's album artwork is gorgeous, Malus in particular. There's something about the instrumentals of this song that screams "indie band playing in the parents' garage," but specifically from the late 90s, early 00s, where the accompanying "music video" ...

  WayV absolutely dominated this week. Well done. MCountdown , the same as the past month or so, has not had a showing, yet again. Show! Music Core and Inkigayo joined them in that, so we only had three possible wins this week, and WayV got all three! Good for them. A.C.E returned to ASC as a full group for the first time in a while now that they're all finished with their enlistments. They brought the easy version of the dance challenge for the hosts, which Aron was grateful for. They're goofballs. Date Program Winner/Highlighted Performance 12/4 Show Champion WayV "Frequency (Korean Version)" 12/5 MCountdown N/A 12/6 Music Bank WayV "Frequency (Korean Version)" 12/7 Show! Music Core N/A 12/8 Inkigayo 12/10 ASC Performance A.C.E "PINATA" The Show WayV "Frequency (Korean Version)" Show Champion: WayV "Frequency (Korean Version)" MCountdown: N/A Music Bank: N/A Show! Music Core: WayV "Frequency (Korean Version)" (note:...

  Release date: 2024 December 09 Album tracklist: A Song For You , A Songs For You (Inst.) Album runtime: 10 minutes I wondered why I recognized this name, and it was going to drive me nuts, so I went sniffing. He was one of the vocal coaches for Boys Planet and Make Mate 1! I knew I recognized that stage name! I also don't know that I've ever heard him sing before, but apparently he was part of two different boy groups, and then did a bunch of covers and now he's doing all of this. So theoretically, he should have a great voice. Wow, this song is long.  I see his name on the credits as a composer, and this is a glorious soft rock ballad. The combination of the electric guitar and the strings produces a very high, very powerful sound, and I am a little bit worried about them overpowering his voice since I am obviously listening to the instrumental track first as it's available. I appreciate this. Once the drums get added, the piano fades into the background as a support...

Release date: 2024 November 03 Album tracklist: Such a Day - Male Version , Such a Day - Female Version, Such a Day - Male Version Instrumental, Such a Day - Female Version Instrumental Album runtime: 17 minutes  Since I've got a little bit of time this month, I'm going to use it to hit some of the OSTs that I made note of but didn't have a chance to review because there are so many releases almost on a daily basis that it's hard to keep up with the required songs, let alone the OSTs. And I've been incredibly vocal about the fact that I love Hui and his voice so much.  The song starts off with just a piano and some strings eventually get added, but the solemn piano is both backbone and primary instrument for the instrumentals, even after the percussion joins in and the strings become a little more pushy. I really like the electric guitar that shows up just to texture the song. It's incredibly pretty and soothing. There's something sad about the instrumentals...

Release date: 2024 December 08 Album tracklist:  Only One , Only One - inst. Album runtime: 6 minutes  Apparently BTOB is just going to town on the OSTs right now. First Hyunsik, and now Eunkwang? Yes, please. I will never say no to them.  A harmonica ? Seriously? A harmonica? Wow, it's been a long, long time since I heard a song with a harmonica. This is the most, soothing, rustic set of instrumentals. I know there was a song I recently reviewed that I said scratched the country music itch, but nothing like what this one is doing. I'm practically going limp. That acoustic guitar is a thing of beauty. Violin. Acoustic guitar. Harmonic. Piano. This is just lovely and soothing. It also reminds me a lot of Animal Crossing , but that's likely because of the harmonica. Don't mind me. Eunkwang's voice turned an incredible song into something that I'm one hundred percent adding to my "The Soothes" playlist. I likely would have before, but this cinched it so f...

 This wasn't going to be the next one I did, which means the one I started will need to be moved further down the schedule for a little bit more variation, but I absolutely could not resist this glorious insanity.  An article from 2014 popped up on my radar about this track. I took a listen and immediately knew I had to cover it. First of all, this guy is the reason we have K-Pop as we know it. There were a couple of groups who debuted earlier according to Kpopping, but this guy popularized it with his little trio. Even if their music didn't do what it did, Seo Taiji and the Boys was where Yang Hyunsuk got his start, or, as I like to call him, YG the Dude. Lee Sooman might not have gotten the same start he had, nor would J.Y. Park or Bang Sihyuk. You should recognize all of those names as SM the Dude, JYPapi, and Hitman Bang. The number of groundbreaking groups and artists that have come from those four companies might not exist the way they do and K-Pop in general would look ...

  Release date: 2024 November 29 Album tracklist:  Destiny,  RESET ,  Because of you, Sleepless Night, Destiny - Acoustic Version, Desiny - Instrumental, RESET - Instrumental Album runtime: 24 minutes  Grim Reaper Boy is back with a new album! (I call him this because this was the nickname I gave him on Build Up, because of his team's nickname for their performance of Pray ) I love the remake he put out recently and have been sitting anxiously waiting for this release to drop. Great run time. Huge fan of that. We've got a mellow R&B song going on that softens into full ballad territory occasionally, which is the general sound I have associated with him. The piano is beautiful. We've got some absolutely gorgeous strings. And frankly, the percussion is so well-bonded to the other instruments that often it fades into the background and just acts as a support rather than a defining feature of the instrumentals. The guitar that quietly bolsters his voice pops up...

  Release date: 2024 December 06 Album tracklist: If Only , If Only - Instrumental Album runtime: 7 minutes  There's someone in a k-drama who is in this group, but I do not remember his name. I also know that is the most unhelpful thing I could ever say, but I know this is an older group, so for everyone who doesn't know this group, you can be as confused as me. Oh! BOYS OVER FLOWERS! Kim Kibum! Thing 2 (There's Main Lead, Second Lead, Thing 1, Thing 2 as my nicknames for them)! Ah-ha! That is essentially all I know about this group, although they are still an active group and obviously, I'm going to be partial to a second gen group anyway. So I'm very interested to get to know this member.  That is a solid runtime. Nice. Wow, this could be a country song from these instrumentals. I'm glad we got just the instrumentals so I could just vibe to this thing with being distracted by what I'm sure is a lovely voice. I know most other people are going to classify i...

Release date: 2024 December 06 Album tracklist:  White Christmas (with V of BTS) , White Christmas (with V of BTS)(Instrumental) Album runtime: 6 minutes  Technically, I think this is actually Bing's song that features V, and I've never run into this situation before. But, sure! Bing Crosby can be a K-Pop idol. He was kind of that equivalent back in the day.  I have a complicated relationship with this song. The entire time I lived in Las Vegas, I couldn't listen to White Christmas  in any version because I couldn't have a white Christmas, and after growing up where we got snowed in nearly every Christmas, it was just a bad reminder. Instant tears every time. I now live in a place where I could actually have one again, so it's back up to one of my favorite Christmas songs, and the Bing Crosby version is superior (especially the movie version) (although Franky Boy (Frank Sinatra), Dean Martin, and Elvis all have honorable mentions for me). But also, V has the perfect...

Release date: 2024 December 06 Album tracklist: Strategy  (feat. Megan Thee Stallion), Kiss My Troubles Away, Like It Like It, Sweetest Obsession, Keeper, Magical, Strategy Album runtime: 21 minutes  I finally know TWICE is the elder group and ITZY is the younger group! Yay! Success! What did it was learning that TWICE debuted the same year as Seventeen, which means that ITZY was the one that debuted after Stray Kids. But I think I'll be good on that front in the future. And Megan Thee Stallion is the one who did the duet with RM earlier in the year, yes? She's going through the K-Pop groups. Good for her. The album also includes the version of the song without her, but that's not the title track.  This song is dramatic and funky, with strategically placed silences. There's actually a surprising amount of silence for this being a dance track and not something on the more ballad side of things. And you know what this song has that I really appreciate? Audience participat...

Release date: 2024 December 06 Album tracklist:  number one girl ,  3am, two years, toxic till the end , drinks or coffee,    APT. , gameboy, stay a little loner, not the same, call it the end, too bad for us, dance all night Album runtime: 36 minutes Well, it's finally released. After her stellar run with APT.  (which needed very little promotion to explode so thoroughly two of the eleven-year-olds I coach sometimes were singing it the other day, and the one was doing the hand motions to boot. It was a surprise that shook me for a good couple of hours.), I know anticipation and expectations must be very high for the album among fans and casual listeners alike.  I'm a big fan of how the song starts with science fiction warbling. I'm generally a fan of that being featured anyway, but starting it off this way gives the entire song an interesting vibe, as well as when the science fiction warbling comes back into play later. There are strong synthy bursts of gu...

Release date: 2024 December 05 Album tracklist:  Now or Never , Secret, Horizon Album runtime: 9 minutes  Post-survival show is always one of my favorite things to watch with groups as they deal with going back to their normal lives, hopefully with a few more fans. With their win on Ace of Ace , I hope that it works well for them, as with the other groups that competed, and things work out better than as hoped. Plus, I've got a special fondness for them because of ASC. This is a hard driving song where really the only soft place to the song is the very start. The rest of the song is flung forward by the guitar and the drums, and even when neither of those instrument is actually present, the ticking clock does a great job of increasing at least the tension, because I don't know many people for whom that sound doesn't immediately bring stress. The quiet is used well to make the loud louder. This is just a really good rock song. Even without their voices, I'd be tempted to...

Release date: 2024 December 05 Album tracklist: Last Night Album runtime: 3 minutes Well, we just got some news on the near future of the group. It's nice that the company remembered that they existed and decided to get them out of the pasture where they'd been retired. I kind of feel like they weren't even locked in the basement. But! YGE needed them, and so they've been returned to work.  This song reminds me so much of Good Time  by Owl City. It's not even funny. I was sitting here for five minutes humming until I could recall lyrics and then one short search later, and I got the song I was thinking of. The instrumentals here are so similar. I'm also reminded of early 00s Disney Channel star pop or late 00s boy band pop with how very bright this song is. The grungy bass popping in to accompany the rapping is a good change of pace within the song, getting it just a little dark and messy to sully the brightness of the rest of the instrumentals. It's enterta...

Release date: 2024 December 04 Album tracklist: Return (with LYn) , Because You're My Woman (with Cha Eunwoo), Delete (with ISU) Difficult Words to Tell You (with Captain Planet), Unfinished Story (with Lee Mujin) Album runtime: 21 minutes  I'm going to come right out and say it, and this will be the only time I say it. I do not approve of how he's been treating the trainees on Starlight Boys . I don't care if the producers told him to be like that, or if that's just him, but it's not okay. I have feelings about that, but that's as far as I'm going to go. Personal feelings aside, he does actually have a lovely voice, and as a ballad singer, he gets to stand there and use that voice without having to worry about anything disrupting the sound. I'm very curious about the song he did with Eunwoo, though, and I can't look at who the duet partner for Difficult Words to Tell You  for too long before I have a cartoon in my head and I start to giggle. Con...

Release date: 2024 November 27 Album tracklist: Baby, if you, Make Me Right, Chosen, Take it easy,  Crash , Preview, °C(Temperature), Right back, Inside, Cloud nine Album runtime: 34 minutes I find it kind of hilarious that both Minho and Jay B, both of whom dropped full albums, released b-side music videos at about the same time even though the original album releases were three weeks apart. It's the little things, you know? I know my R&B recognition meter is broken, but even if it didn't outright say R&B, which is a line I kept missing the first time I heard this song, I still pegged it as R&B. I could be wrong, because like I said, my R&B recognition meter is broken, but I feel slightly confident about it. The guitar here for me is a very good thing and scratches the country music itch I have a little. It's the wrong kind of guitar to fully scratch the itch, but it's good enough. The slow, mellow beat rolls through song like ocean waves, and the audie...

Release date: 2024 November 04 Album tracklist:  CALL BACK ,  Slow Down, FIREWORKS, Came And Left Me, Something About U , Round Kick, Affection, I Don't Miss You,  Because Of You,  Would You Mind Album runtime: 31 minutes  I was not expecting him to drop a b-side music video a month or so after the album release, but I should have guessed one would eventually given the length of the album. Hello again, Minho. Glad to see you back, and glad to review this one. At the risk of being a little explicit, there are sections of the instrumentals that can only be described as "throbbing." They don't last through the entire song, which is a little bit of a relief as the pre-chorus and the bridge mellow them out, but a lot of those sections also have a grinding synth. There's not a lot of change from the chorus to the verses, if any, and the post-chorus is much of the same, but more intense, although it's also easily my least favorite part of the song. The slight tempo a...

When I put this name on The Roulette Wheel, I made a joke to myself after adding ChoColat to the Wheel as well that it would be really funny if Chocolate was chosen when I actually really like ChoColat. Ask, and ye shall receive. I really don't want their legacy to be the scandal at their company that caused their early and untimely disbandment, one that the members had nothing to do with and were simply casualties of. I would rather their legacy be that one tweet that I would love to find for the person who had this as their top song of Spotify Wrapped 2023. That's what we call a legacy, and it is a glorious one. So, for whoever you are who loves this song so much, this is for you. Also, this is the oldest song I've done so far, which is cool. And I'm specifically holding on to this one until the Spotify Wrapped for this year is out. Because I think that's appropriate. Group : Chocolate Debut Date : 2010 August 27 Company : H-Line Entertainment  Status : Disbanded...

Release date: 2024 December 04 Album tracklist: 54321 (Lift Off) (feat. Vernon), Orbit (feat. JinJin's water) , Cold Love Album runtime: 9 minutes   I wish I could include the Chinese characters, but I don't have the first clue about how to go about writing them. Congrats to The8! I am assuming that the title means this is his first Chinese EP. I don't know what the difference is between an EP, a single, and a mini album are, but that's something I can learn later. I'm very excited for this, even more so after seeing Vernon in the credits for two of the three. The two shortest songs, naturally, because that seems to be the way of it these days. But also, he was working on this while being busy with the group activities and the tour and everything, and I both applaud that and worry. It takes almost thirty seconds for his voice to show up, and in that time, I'm left wondering what those instruments are. This song just washes over you without snagging or gripping t...

Release date: 2024 December 03 Album tracklist: MIRAGE , MIRAGE - Instrumental Album runtime: 6 minutes  Finally! I get to post a new song of theirs! Genuinely couldn't be happier that they're being active again and their careers are progressing! Or, at least are less stalled than they've been for the majority of the year. So I am a happy me. I know I don't do a lot of Japanese releases, but this is my first group I saw perform. I may wander around many groups, but I come home to roost when my groups have something for me. And this is their Japanese debut! Yay for them! As a side note, I highly  recommend their Christmas song they released last year. It's so soft and sweet and adorable. And, 'tis the season right now too! You know, one thing I really very much appreciate about NINE.i, and it's something that I also appreciate with a few other groups as well, is how bright their sound is. It's very well-produced to have multiple layers to the sound as w...

Aespa got the triple crown on Inkigayo this week! ATEEZ and WayV got their first wins with their new songs. There were no performances on either Show Champion, nor MCountdown, nor were there any wins for either program. Jay spent a lot of time singing on ASC, and there wasn't an MC Challenge, which I'd be upset about, but he sang so much that I can't be upset. Also, he did a quick cover of Mariah Carey's Christmas song, and his vocal runs and the quality of his tone just makes me melt a little inside.  Just as a reminder, the links in the chart go to my reviews, and the link down on ASC is for the full hour program. And I include the stage for the music shows, unless the winner didn't perform it on that day, in which case, I pull usually another live performance. Date Program Winner/Highlighted Performance 11/27 Show Champion N/A 11/28 MCountdown N/A 11/29 Music Bank ATEEZ "Ice on my Teeth" 11/30 Show! Music Core aespa "Whiplash" 12/1 Inkigayo ae...

Release date: 2024 December 02 Album tracklist: Last Kiss , Candle Light, Winter Sleep Album runtime: 10 minutes This is likely going to be their final release under their old company, and I don't know what kind of song I'm expecting from them. This looks like a holiday album, judging by the names of the tracks, but I wonder how nostalgic they're going to get with it. Good luck, THE BOYZ! I wish you well in your new home!  Not gonna lie, I was not expecting that opening from a song called Last Kiss because it sounds like we're going into a hip hop song. Not that hip-hop can't have holiday songs, but I'm a bit of a traditionalist and do wrinkle my nose at attempts to make the classics "hip." The strong trap instrumentals are an interesting pair with the fairly mellow lyrics, and I don't think I particularly like it, particularly the way the beat is so much faster than the vocals. In a different kind of song, yes. It would be fine. This sounds like t...