Just A Little Fangirl Love

Release date: 2024 October 26 Album tracklist:  Hello , Hello (Inst.) Album runtime: 7 minutes  This has been sitting in my drafts for about two months waiting for me to get to it. It's an OST, which makes it lower on my to-do, but also, I need something a little more relaxing after the rush of the season. I know I like his voice, and an OST will simply let me bask in it. This isn't one of the kdramas I've seen, either, so I don't know what kind of song I'm going to be getting here anyway. It doesn't matter though. I'm happy to have something nice and relaxing, as OSTs tend to be, even though I can't look at the title of the song without humming the song by the same name from NU'EST. I really love the fact that so many OSTs come with the instrumental version. This is such a dramatic track that I kind of want to watch the show because of it. Piano and guitar spend a lot of time together, just vibing, which is cool. The synth is also gorgeous, settled ...

Release date: 2024 October 21 Album tracklist: I'll Like You,  Cherish (My Love) , IYKYK (If You Know You Know), Pimple,  Tick-Tack Album runtime: 12 minutes  There are some things I just have to put up with as someone who isn't a fan, and not knowing when B-side music videos drop is one of them. But because this wasn't an immediate release and I'm also not actively a fan, I put it on the backburner a little until I was ready for it. But I'm good now! I'm ready! Let's do it! A two-minute song. I forgot that this album doesn't have a song over three minutes. I love the ringing at the very start of the song. It's so brief. It's barely a second long, if that, but it really sets the tone for the rest of the song. The instrumentals for this song are basically straight out of a 8-bit Nintendo video game. We're talking the early Mario or Sonic games. It was a little disconcerting on the first listen, but subsequent ones make it a lot less so as I ad...

Release date: 2024 October 23 Album tracklist: Bloom Album runtime: 3 minutes  I have had this sitting in my drafts, partially done, since October. I'd like to clear out some of extensive draft pile I have, and as I have a moment, I'm going to.do this one. She's done mostly singles this year and only one album a year for the past few years, which feels like a reasonable amount of music to release. As I was listening to this, noting the floatiness while still being grounded and general pleasant quality of the instrumentals and smiling at how well they match a song called "bloom" while figuring out what I'm going to say about it, I happened to glance over and saw "The Rose" as composer and lyricist. And I thought to myself, "No, that can't be right." So I went to double check the information and what do you know, but this song is essentially a collaboration between her and The Rose. And, even cooler, while Park Dojoon is one of the record...

Release date: 2024 October 03/November 11 Album tracklist: LAST SONG, Off The Mask , Save You, BAD EUPHORIA, PRISONER, Goodbye, Butterfly - Depth Ver. Album runtime: 21 minutes  I didn't do the digital release for the album back at the beginning of last month because I'm still not sure exactly where I stand on the Japanese releases. But SME is doing such a piss-poor job of promoting him that I feel the need to this time around. Also, that's over a month between digital and physical album releases. Why so long? And I genuinely don't know when to say this was released, because I've got about three or four conflicting dates. I'll decide before I post this review, but I just want you all to know that I'm very confused, and even though I don't listen to NCT much in general, my algorithms give me new releases, even ones I wasn't aware of. And I still didn't get this one. As far as I can tell, this is his debut, and there should be so much pomp and cir...

Release date: 2025 March 05 Album track list:  Please Stay,  LOVE TODAY , Starry Night, Say Yes,  Be Alright ,  Hi Beautiful Album runtime: 19 mi nutes  OUR HEALERS ARE BACK. It's only four of them, but four is better than none. I can feel my skin clearing already. And they are the youngest group in the Battle of the B Groups today, though they are the middle child in terms of age. It also irritates me that BTOB seems to get a lot of "You're too old to be idols" comments, and have for a few years now. It's not fine, but I'm ignoring it because they have it handled. This wasn't what we were promised earlier in the year, but honestly, who cares? This is BTOB's first release, even as a partial group, since they left CUBE just under a year ago, and I'm very much looking forward to what the healers have to give us with this first single of several they have planned. The guitar takes front and center focus, even with the drums and keyboard. As that's...

  Release date: 2024 October 31 Album tracklist: Room, Feel Me,  Love Bomber ,  TWIST YA , Muazigyoung, Different Night (feat. GODOK, Ken), Peter Fan Album runtime: 20 minutes This is the second oldest of the B groups to have a song released today, though the youngest member out of the members of the various groups participating in the releases, and the second soloist of the bunch. AKA, Moon is two years younger than Peniel, who is the youngest member of BTOB that also dropped a single today. Too bad Baekho of NU'EST couldn't have dropped something today too, as well as someone from EXO. We could have had a major 2012 reunion. Ah, well. It's probably for the best. This way, things are still weirdly balanced in the tripod of BIGBANG, BAP, and BTOB. I'm deeply disappointed by that runtime. What is this nonsense. We're getting some major futuristic vibes with the synthwave instrumentals here, and the way they build and layer on each other gives it a very eerie feeling....

Release date: 2024 October 31 Album tracklist:  Power Album runtime: 2 minutes  If anyone has the earned right to just casually drop a pre-release single with very little warning, and without telling us when the album is coming out other than presumably sometime next month, it's him. I also decided to do the Battle of the B Groups today (because apparently the Spirit of Halloween shunted us all back in time) in debut order, so I'm starting with G-Dragon of BIGBANG first. Which is funny because he's also the oldest one of the bunch, by only a couple of years. Bro needs no introduction. Well, he introduces himself in the song. But other than that. I don't like the runtime for this song, and I'm a little disappointed in him for that. Initially, I didn't like the instrumentals. But it took me about halfway through the first listen before I realized I was actually vibing to the song. I don't know what happened, and frankly it's a little disconcerting. The rep...

Release date: 2024 October 30 Album tracklist: GPT , Meant to Be, GPT - Instrumental, GPT - Acapella Album runtime: 13 minutes  I've heard them perform, and I'm vaguely familiar with them, but otherwise I don't know much about them, so I need to take a minute to look at the group. Ah! Yes! I remember that xikers's Seeun did a challenge or something with STAYC's Seeun. They pass the maknae age test, so we are good to go and golden! Also, can I just say, I really  love that we get both the instrumental version and the acapella version. That satisfies a lot for me.  Five seconds in and I'm in love with the song. I really hope that it continues with the old timey sound. I'll be sad if it doesn't. It does not, which is disappointing, but the instrumentals that continue feel like a natural continuation of the intro. Going from something that sounds like it comes from The Lawrence Welk Show  to something that sounds more disco is well-done and rather clever. Th...

Release date: 2024 October 29 Album tracklist: First Love , Love Letter Album runtime: 7 minutes  Solar, the queen you are. The word 감성 in Korean apparently translates to "sensitivity", and I'd be willing to bet that because she has eight of these now, she uses them to release songs she wants to do, instead of ones that match the concept or whatever of the albums. And if the two songs on this one are any indication, she may use them to do her ballads that require no choreography. It doesn't go quite as hard as a Phil Collins song, but this is a full 80s soft rock ballad. This is a slow dance at prom song. This is also an ending credits song for a Disney movie. If this was a Western song, this would be a waving lighter song. You could use the phone flashlight, but realistically, this song vibes with a lighter being used instead. It's the flickering vibe.  Her voice is so unbelievably gorgeous. Even though she keeps the tone of her voice so soft, she doesn't kee...

 With Seventeen out of the country, it's nigh impossible for them to film for these episodes of the music shows. And with R os é not exactly being able to promote with Bruno Mars on the music shows, actual performances of that one are few and far between. The struggle is real, my friends. On the bright side, The Show is finally back up again, so I get to include those wins starting now. And I appreciate this one because we got some variety to this week's wins. On the other hand, the SAY MY NAME members are kind of funny. Show Champion!: Seventeen "Love, Money, Fame" (note: Seventeen was out of the country for their tour, and I'm using the MCountdown performance here because they didn't win on MCountdown) MCountdown: Ro s é  x Bruno Mars "APT." (Note: I haven't seen her performing it anywhere. So...have the one from Bruno Mars's YouTube channel) Music Bank: Seventeen "Love, Money, Fame" (Note: They're not in the country, so this...

Release date: 2024 October 18 Album tracklist: Used Star, please be greedy , Jealous, Too Late, PRAY Album runtime: 19 minutes  In terms of working behind the scenes with music, she has worked with some very heavyhitters. IU, 2NE1, G-Dragon and TOP, Sandara Park, and IVE are only some of the names she's worked with. Which is really cool. It's always fascinating when artists become producers, that also continue to be artists. This song is a black-and-white film, possibly a musical during the requisite Sad Song, but it definitely feels 1960s. It's simple. It's subtle. It's very cinematic. The instrumentals are so subtle that they're almost not noticeable most of the time, but oh, they're unbelievably gorgeous.  There's a  harp . A harp! This is a masterful song. It also sends me to sleep, but that's a feature, not a bug. She's got an incredible ear, and I know that because her name is there as the sole writer, arranger, composer, and lyricist. This...

Release date: 2024 October 28 Album tracklist: Bite Back, TRIGGER , bAd, Slip Away, Re-Wind, They See Me Dream Album runtime: 18 minutes  I've seen them live. That wasn't in my plans, but, well, they were doing a concert the night before KCon and I had nothing else to do, so I went. It's actually a really funny set of circumstances that led me to deciding to go, but that's neither here nor there. I'm just glad I got to see them before the enlistments start up for the group. I will say, though, that Eric and Kevin are hilarious. Eric in particular. He may have lost some of his filtering abilities being on his home turf...in front of his mom. I laughed a lot. There is a lot happening in the instrumentals. They're very dramatic and with much theatrical aplomb with some very surprising elements. Hidden underneath all the electronic dance trappings, there's a brass instrument that I'm trying to identify. My first thought was trumpet, but it's much too low...

Release date: 2024 October 15 Album tracklist:  GOLD , Imaginary Friend , Bad Girls R Us, Supernatural, Five, Vay (Feat. Changbin of Stray Kids), Born to Be (Final Ver.), Untouchable (Final Ver.), Mr. Vampire (Final Ver.), Dynamite (Final Ver.), Escalator (Final Ver.) Album runtime: 34 minutes  I was actually looking forward to this music video dropping, because as much as I love the title track, I was always surprised by how much I like this song every time it plays. Is there a genre of rock for haunted rock? Because if there is, this is it. If there isn't, well, there is now. It's eerie in a comforting, energetic sort of way. The tone of whatever is going on with the instrumentals is established at the very beginning, and it is carried through to the end of the song, even though more present instruments help to ground the song, but the drums in particular aren't always where I'd expect.  Their singing is absolutely gorgeous. The melody is beautiful. Their harmonies ar...

Release date: 2024 October 24 Album tracklist:  Unconditional Album runtime: 3 minutes  Ahead of his enlistment at the start of next month, Jaehyun did my favorite thing: he released a single. That's a wonderful farewell-for-now present for the fans, and with the various hits the NCTzens have taken the last little bit, a gift like this is even more special and precious.  Serve well, Jaehyun. We'll see you when you get back. Those opening notes sound like a song. I can hum it but unfortunately I cannot place the thing. It feels like it's a Disney song, but that doesn't feel— It sounds like the Meow Mix jingle.  That has been bothering me for three hours. Okay. It's not a huge thing, or a problem to anyone but me, but that was deep in the memory vaults I had to go digging for that. Moving on. The difference between the higher-pitched skittering and the deep thrums from the bass guitar provides a very interesting contrast that I wasn't sure about on the first coupl...

Release date: 2024 October 23 Album tracklist: WAVY , remember you Album runtime: 7 minutes  A project group debuted! And one of the members I recognize! Prince from GHOST9! This explains why he's been so quiet on social media the last little bit and why I haven't seen him making random food in the practice room behind his manager's back! But, the problem is that even if I like them a lot, that maknae is only fifteen, and he's significantly.youmger than the rest of the group, who are all in their twenties. Alas. Audience participation snapping!! I don't have a lot to say about the instrumentals. I appreciate the piano and the "island" sound through the chorus, but in general they're pretty unremarkable behind the vocals. This isn't a bad thing, as far as I'm concerned. Yes, I really like to have instrumentals that I want to listen to on their own, but if given the choice between strong instrumentals and strong vocals, I'm going to pick the ...

Release date: 2024 October 26 Album tracklist: Apocalypse  Album runtime: 4 minutes  So way back in the day, my older brother showed me the episode Blink  of Doctor Who, and failed to tell me I could watch it here in the States. Took me a couple of years and the fiftieth anniversary gifsets and screenshots before I rediscovered it again, and proceeded to watch the entire thing in preparation for the Christmas special that year. Much like that, I discovered Forestella quite by accident via their cover of Bohemian Rhapsody on Instagram, and then couldn't remember anything about them and was forced to forget about them. A couple of years later, because of NU'EST and the algorithm, here I am, half in love with them because oh, good heavens do they have amazing voices. Top tier. And three of the four are married, which is awesome . The maknae and bass is currently in the military, so he isn't here for this. And just as a quick shout-out to another set of amazing voices, they...

Release date: 2024 October 25 Album tracklist:  Somebody Album runtime: 3 minutes  I've never heard of Hello Gloom, so first order of business is some research. Okay, he's a soloist, birth name Na Ungjae. He is the maknae of the group IMFACT, which I have heard of but again, know nothing about them. He seems to be a songwriter and producer, which means that I'm going to be a little harder on this song. He's part of the 98z friend group that includes Seungkwan, Sinb, and Umji. IMFACT is apparently not disbanded; they're just focusing on solo stuff while they do the enlistments. Sang just enlisted a couple of days ago, which means it's just Ungjae that needs to go in now.  Okay. Let's get to it. Weirdly, I think the instrumentals do exactly their job and no more. They set the tone (dreamy in a sort of dissociative way). They stay out of the way of the vocals, while simultaneously supporting them and providing a grounding framework. But that's about it. It...

Release date: 2024 October 25 Album tracklist:  Here Album runtime: 3 minutes  He has been incredibly active this year with the digital singles. I finally looked into them because I had some questions. I didn't get the big one answered ("What is JIN LAB?"), but enough of the others did get answered that I have an idea as to the answer to my big question. I'm glad he's kept busy. And since I need to add more to the March releases, I may do a review of the first one in a little bit. Who knows? Not me. One thing that I really appreciate about this song is the fast-paced, skittering beat doesn't overstay its welcome. It's something that could easily overpower the rest of the instrumentals and even the vocals if the balance wasn't handled carefully, and instead there are stretches where that specific beat steps back to let others take the focus, or leaves entirely. It takes a very deft hand and ear to be this aware, and the fact that JinJin has his hands al...

Release date: 2024 October 23 Album tracklist: So Nice Album runtime: 4 minutes  I'm so glad that Falling Flower appeared in one of my recommendations so I could realize how much I love Lucy. That pun was entirely unintentional, but I'm going to own it anyway, because unfortunately for everyone else, I think I'm funny. I have no idea of the context behind this song, but Spotify suggested it for me. I looked at the artist and said "A Lucy song? Yes, please and thank you." GMF apparently stands for Grand Mint Festival, which sounds familiar and my brain has it attached to NU'EST, or one of the members, for some reason. Maybe one of them performed at it last year. Who knows? Regardless, Lucy is quickly becoming an automatic listen band for me, and I need everyone to know that they're amazing. That very start of the opening sounds an awful lot like my favorite of the opening songs for the anime Seven Deadly Sins , which immediately catches my attention and m...

Release date: 2024 October 23 Album tracklist: Joyful Green (Korean Version), Joyful Green (Japanese Version) Album runtime: 6 minutes  This song was the group's Japanese debut a few weeks ago. You might then be forgiven for thinking this is a young group, but they debuted six years ago, and are only a couple of weeks younger than ATEEZ, though the average member age of this group is also younger considering DreamNote's leader and ATEEZ's maknae are both 00z. I'd say that their Japanese debut is overdue in this case, but I'm curious to see what the song is like. I've never heard of this group before, and that's the joy of this little blog of mine. As a side note, they have a song called Ghost , and if I like this one, I am 100% checking out that one to see if it'll do well in my Halloween playlist that I'm building.  I'm also squinting at that runtime because I had to round up to it. This under-three-minutes garbage is not my favorite. As expecte...