Just A Little Fangirl Love

    I had this one started over a year ago and then realized the bad timing, and decided to delay it a little bit because it would have been posted during Ramadan and would have been one of the most insensitive things I could have done due to the chanted bits of the Quran which have been removed (there was one concert in 2016 where the unedited version was the one used and CL apologized, corrected the mistake by ordering that all copies of the unedited version destroyed, and that's that) . Which is why it got sent to the pile for me to forget about. I remembered about it during Ramadan again this year, which frustrated me and made me laugh because I needed to remember it during literally any other month of the year. Which is why I'm doing it now so that I don't forget about it again. I did find a version of it online that apparently is the unedited version, but we're not going to use that one. In case you were unaware, CL is the leader of the recently reformed girl grou...

 This was actually the first TWICE song I liked, and I wouldn't have heard it if it hadn't been for a cupsleeve event where I live. And I figured I probably should listen to some of the songs before I went. I listened to three or four that didn't really spark my interest, pun absolutely intended, and then this one played. And I went "Oh? Okay. I've got my song." I've had a bee in my bonnet about this song for a couple of months now, ever since I saw a video compilation on YouTube about the person's worst songs from 2024. No, I will not be sharing it. Think of this as in the classic tradition of scholars responding to each other by writing their own disagreement papers, like during the Enlightenment. And also Cope and Marsh, the two paleontologists who engaged in the Bone War back in the 1800s, but a lot less vitriolic than that. No smear campaigns and no dynamite will be used. There were at least three other songs on there that also sent me into a bit ...

 As I said with the BOUNCY post, I have a friend that I've been helping to introduce her students to K-Pop. BOUNCY was their favorite song for most of the year, close second being VOODOO DOLL. Now, obviously, I can't do VOODOO DOLL again, OKay is too new, and I'd already decided on doing BOUNCY for them. But! I also wanted them to decide on a song. They spent the entire year liking boy groups, and hating the girl groups generally. There were a few exceptions to that, but for the most part, they hated the girl groups. Except for this song. As I predicted, they'd already known this song, but I was not expecting them to be able to sing and dance along. But when I asked my friend to have them pick a song, I was expecting a boy group. JikJin by Treasure, Techno Love by H.O.T, Move by TNX, Gangnam Style by Psy, In Bloom by ZEROBASEONE. Even Chase Me by Dreamcatcher because they actually requested that one a bit. You know, something that they really liked consistently o...

 Welcome to May and the first of my themed months! All of the songs have something in common, although there are two songs that are probably going to make it very obvious what I'm doing. And why did I pick this song first? Because of the list of songs I'm planning on doing for May, some of them needed to be at certain times. The remainders I popped into a poll and tossed it onto Tumblr. So, the Tumblrites picked this one to be first, which is a surprise. It wasn't the song I was expecting to be chosen to go first, but that's okay because we're starting May off with a bang. That comment will be funnier in a couple of weeks. As is the song that just started playing on my playlist. NMIXX debuted as a seven-member group under JYP Entertainment in 2022, and are down to six after one of the members left. Rumor is they're going to be getting a younger sister group here pretty soon, like this year or maybe early next, which is exciting for them. Also, one of the members...

 And here we are with the last of the posts for the randomness of April. Over six thousand songs, and once again, the Roulette Wheel picks a song I love a lot. Every time it turns up in my playlist, I go "Wow, I love this song. Which one is this?" And then go "Why didn't I recognize it?" I'm almost positive that that particular problem will be fixed after I write this post, which would be nice. But right now, it feels like I'm discovering it every time I listen to it, and I love it each time. So, if this is your first time listening to this, that's my recommendation right up front. I love it so much I fall in love with it again each time I hear it. ASTRO debuted as a six-member group under Fantagio Entertainment in 2016, which means that their tenth anniversary was this year. Congrats to them! They're currently active as a four member group, though I could also see the arguments for a five or six member group, just depending on how you decide to ...

Release date: 2026 February 20 Album track list:  Dazzle Flash , No Clarity, Coming Home, Who Dat, Dazzle Flash - Instrumental, No Clarity  - Instrumental, Coming Home  - Instrumental, Who Dat  - Instrumental Album runtime: 25 mi nutes  Good news, everyone! This group is so not on Underage protocol that there are multiple members with a one in front of their birth year! And the maknae turned twenty the year they debuted! This is fantastic. I am fascinated with the runtimes though. Ignoring the fact that the title track is just over two and a half minutes for a second, there are two sets of songs that have the same runtime, and they're paired in an ABBA...I almost called it a rhyme scheme, but I suppose it is sort of. But that's the sort of thing that feels deliberate, you know? That scream at the beginning startled my cat. He paused purring for about two seconds, which is momentous because PJ purrs in his sleep. The rest of the instrumental, the occasional screa...

Release date: 2026 February 20 Album track list: RUDE! Album runtime: 3 mi nutes  Hearts2Hearts is one of those groups that have to be on Underage Protocol because the maknae was too young at debut, so I can't listen for another two years. But, that's fine. Also, congrats on the win now that I'm super late, you know? But I am happy about the fact that it's over three minutes. A mild instrumental without it being a weak one. The beat is good, even if it lacks the attitude of the lyrics. There feels like there's a ceiling holding the instrumental from getting any louder or exciting, which isn't necessarily a problem, but the song isn't feisty enough to warrant the ceiling being in the mid-range for both energy and complexity like it is. The sing-songy vocals is an irritating trend, but recently I've been well-fed enough on bigger vocals that I'm able to better tolerate it here. I would have liked it if the song had waited a little bit before that style...

 Two months down! My apricot tree has started to form the blossom buds which is concerning, but maybe I'll take a picture for the March wrap-up so you can see how pretty it is.  Okay, let's take a look at these debuts, shall we? The groups that I covered were NAVILLERA ,  Daily:Direction . I covered two subunit debuts for QQQ (OnlyOneOf) and NCT JNJM (NCT) . For soloists, I covered Jiwoo (KARD ,  Lee Daeyeol (Golden Child) and Lee Jiham (A.C.E) 's debuts. If I can find a better list of debuts, then I'll include the ones I missed. Songs I was looking forward to:  ATEEZ: I'm deeply curious about where the lore is going to go with this, and also the b-sides because they've got some b-sides that I want tattooed onto my brain Monsta X: I love that they're getting more active again, although I am a little sad that they now have to wait for their maknae to get discharged NOWZ: We've had a streak of songs that I've really liked. I'm okay now if they sw...

Release date: 2026 March 02 Album track list:  When I think about you , Over It , Dreaming, Portrait, Answer, When I think about you (Inst.) Album runtime: 15 mi nutes I was looking ahead at the March comebacks and releases so I can get them added to my planner, and I recognized one of the names as someone who dropped a song in February, which means that this was a pre-release, which means I'd like to cover it before doing the title track. I really like the word "which" apparently. It turns out that he is the leader of INFINITE and my expectations raised a lot. First, he's a second gen idol. If you've been around this long, then you'd better have the skills to warrant that longevity, and he debuted as a soloist in 2012. Second, it's INFINITE. They're one of the reasons why K-Pop today has the standards for synchronization that they do, and that's on top of their vocal skills. Third, I expect a lot from leaders because the good ones rise to the occa...