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Super Junior-D&E Mini Album Vol. 2 - Bout You (D&E Version)
Super Junior-D&E
| Eun Hyuk (Super Junior)
| Lee Dong Hae (Super Junior)
| Super Junior
Super Junior-D&E, formed by Dong Hae and Eun Hyuk, is certainly one of the most successful subunits in K-pop. After releasing The Beat Goes On in 2015, the duo went on a three-year hiatus due to the members' military enlistment. Unlike the usual D&E or SuJu styles, their new unit album 'Bout You brings a groovy hip-hop style. Apart from NCT, it is rare for artists under SM Entertainment to release a primarily hip-hop album. From hip-hop to R&B and even ballad, 'Bout You is packed with eight songs of various genres and styles. D&E falls in love at first sight and makes a sweet confession in title track "'Bout You" (Track 1). Produced by Dong Hae and J-dub, the trap song is enhanced by... [read more]
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Red Velvet Summer Mini Album - Summer Magic (Random Cover) (First Press Limited Edition)
Red Velvet
Red Velvet is famous for changing between "red concept" and "velvet concept" in their albums. Last year, they reached great success with their summer release Red Flavor, which achieved their best chart results since debut. Putting aside the chic style of Bad Boy and Peek-a-boo, the group returns with a charming and joyful image in Summer Magic. With 8-bit games getting popular again recently, the producers combine this element into the pop dance title track Power Up (Track 1). 8-bit sounds serve as the hook for the uptempo song, which makes it cuter and more fun. The catchy tune and addictive "ba-banana-ba-ba-banana-nana" stayed in my mind for days. Red Velvet swept the digital music charts... [read more]
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BTOB Mini Album Vol. 11 - THIS IS US (SEE Version)
BTOB
Considered one of the underrated idol groups of K-pop, BTOB always surprises the audience with their hidden composing skills and vocal talents. Starting from their debut album, the group members co-composed their album tracks and participated in rap-making and writing lyrics. Back in 2014, BTOB's Christmas release The Winter's Tale marked their first time using a self-composed song as the title track for a comeback. For their last album Brother Act, the title song Missing You was co-produced by Hyun Sik and ranked high in various music charts. This summer, BTOB put aside their usual melancholic style and returned with a unique summer vibe in This Is Us. BTOB's 11th mini album This Is Us... [read more]
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Sung Si Kyung Vol. 6 (Reissue)
Sung Si Kyung
If you are a fan of K-Dramas, you've probably heard his dulcet voice before. From Secret Garden to My Love From The Star, ballad singer Sung Si Kyung has sung numerous soundtrack songs for hit dramas and movies. Known as Korea's "King of Ballads," he expresses every song in his uniquely velvety and sweet voice. In recent years, the singer has shone as a host of various entertainment programs like Non-Summit and Battle Trip. I have been a super fangirl of Sung Si Kyung since I heard his remake of Seo Tai Ji and Boys' To You in the Reply 1994 drama OST. Among all the singles and albums he has released, his sixth full-length album Here In My Heart tops my list. Here In My Heart was the last... [read more]
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2xxx! - Life+unconsciousness
2xxx!
Surrealistic music about everyday struggles2xxx! first caught my attention with his futuristic works, such as Dean's Bonnie & Clyde and Heize's Shut Up & Groove. The producer examines the complex emotions of everyday life through his surrealistic music in his first album Life, which was released digitally in 2017. Composed of Life and the new instrumental EP unconsciousness, the album set Life+unconsciousness captures real-life emotions and serves as a guide to psychological growth. The spacey 170908myidea(intro)_3 (Track 1) leads into the heavy-hearted Girl, Interrupted (Track 2), which reveals a girl's complicated inner world. Accompanied by depressing keyboard tunes, Miso croons about the protagonist's struggles with her airy... [read more]
July 11, 2018 Picked By Pisces See all this editor's picks
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WJSN Mini Album Vol. 4 - Dream Your Dream (Blue Version)
WJSN (Cosmic Girls)
Concepts are important marketing hooks in the K-pop scene. To keep fresh, many singers try different concepts from time to time, but these one-off gimmicks can't help them establish their own styles. Cosmic Girls (WJSN) is the rare exception that has seriously developed their dreamy concept into a trademark spacey sound. Last year, the girls took on a cheerleading concept for Happy Moment but failed to maintain their original cosmic tone. Returning with their fourth mini-album Dream Your Dream, they rediscover their ethereal vibe and blend it with different genres to explore more refreshing sounds. Love has been a recurring theme in WJSN's songs, but this album's title track "Dreams Come... [read more]
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BTOB: Jung Il Hoon Mini Album - Big Wave (Random Version)
Jung Il Hoon (BTOB)
I'm not a BTOB fan but some of their songs are always on my playlist. One thing those songs hold in common is that they are all created by member Jung Il Hoon. The rapper plays a pivotal role in developing BTOB's groovy and funky side, which is especially notable in Movie, "Love Drunk" and Neverland. The young producer further explores his idiosyncratic hip-hop style in his surprise solo debut Big Wave. "Fancy Shoes" (Track 2), which was released under last year's Piece of BTOB project, is an exemplary track that displays the rapper's musical taste. The smooth-sounding yet bouncy song starts with an impressive samba-influenced electric guitar melody adorned with dreamlike vocal... [read more]
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Heize Mini Album (Normal Edition)
Heize
Last year, Heize used rain as a symbol for the successful mini-album /// (You, Clouds, Rain). The aesthetics of nature reappear in the singer-songwriter's fourth release Wish & Wind, which adopts the motif of wind to depict the sorrow of breaking up with a loved one. The excitement of Jenga games comes from the uncertainty as to when the Jenga tower will collapse. However, for Heize, Jenga is like a distressing love game. In the title track Jenga (Track 1), the narrator's anxiety over a fragile relationship is visualized by using the metaphor of a badly built Jenga tower as her wounded heart. Heavy grooves are brought to the playful jazz number, which creates a cool, swinging retro vibe for... [read more]
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BoA Mini Album Vol. 1 - ONE SHOT, TWO SHOT
BoA
Every year, numerous newcomers pop up in the K-pop scene. To survive in the music battlefield, all singers – no matter how experienced or successful they are – have to adapt to their fans' ever-changing music tastes or they will be forgotten. Well aware of this harsh reality, BoA keeps surprising fans with trendsetting music and dancing that have established her as an undefeatable pop diva. After achieving an artistic breakthrough in 2015 with her first self-produced album Kiss My Lips, the songstress invents a new sonic sphere for her music cocktail One Shot, Two Shot. The deep house jam One Shot, Two Shot (Track 1) follows the dreamy and sensual vibe of Kiss My Lips. In the muted opening,... [read more]
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Kassy Mini Album Vol. 1
Kassy
Kassy made herself known as a rapper through the reality show Unpretty Rapstar 3 in 2016. However, I would rather call her a "rapping vocalist" because singing is her primary focus. In her first mini-album I Want Love, the R&B singer retains her groovy style while introducing new genres to depict a healing journey after breaking up with a loved one. The main plug "I Want Love" (Track 1) starts the album with a dramatic string melody that expresses the intense heat of love. The ardent mood simmers down when cool synth beats join the song. Kassy's confident and frank rap about the yearning for a past love enriches the appealing blend of electronica and classical music with a bold hip-hop... [read more]
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IU Special Remake Mini Album Vol. 2
IU
Rather than taking photographs to preserve memories, IU captures the nostalgic moments of her youth through music. In 2014, the singer-songwriter reinterpreted some of her favorite old songs in the special record A Flower Bookmark, which lyrically compares the preservation of good old memories to a pressed flower. Three years later, IU again revisits the bygone days of K-pop music from the 1960s to 2000s in her second remake album A Flower Bookmark 2. Released in 1991, "Autumn Morning" is an encouraging folk song by Yang Hee Eun with Lee Byung Woo on guitar. Keeping the song's minimalistic arrangement, IU recreates a peaceful autumn morning in her soothing cover (Track 1). Over Jung Sung... [read more]
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SEOTAIJI 25th Anniversary Remake Album - Time:Traveler
Seo Taiji
Before the appearance of Seo Tai Ji & Boys, ballad and trot were the prevailing styles in the Korean music scene. In 1992, legendary musician Seo Tai Ji and bandmates Yang Hyun Suk and Lee Ju No brought their rap-rock debut song "I Know" to the stage of a Korean talent show, where they got the lowest points in history. However, that much-criticized style would make them the biggest trendsetters of K-pop. Seo Tai Ji reshaped the industry by experimenting with different Western music genres, such as new jack swing, hip-hop, dance music, rock and heavy metal. It's hard to classify the singer-songwriter's style because his musical taste isn't bound by genre. However, the positive attitude... [read more]
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Primary EP Album - Pop
Primary
Primary's first foray into pop musicPrimary's music style is always unpredictable. Hidden behind his quirky cardboard box mask with a bird beak, the producer's musical mind can never be read. Instead of following the trend, he follows his heart to create music. His carefree attitude towards music leads to an extremely broad music spectrum, ranging from old-school jazz and groovy R&B to electronic music and funky hip-hop. Less than a month after the New Wave EP Shininryu, the versatile musician makes an unexpected foray into the pop world with his second EP Pop that further expands his music landscape. While Shininryu features hidden gems from the K-pop world, Pop enlists vocalists from popular idol groups to tell different... [read more]
September 28, 2017 Picked By Pisces See all this editor's picks
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Peejay - Walkin' Vol. 2
Peejay
A breath of fresh air in K-pop worldAfter debuting with hip-hop duo Rhyme Bus in 2007, Peejay went behind the scenes and emerged two years later as a producer in IU's first album. Unleashing his irresistible smooth hip-hop style, the songwriter started to gain recognition with a series of groovy hits including Beenzino's Dali, Van, Picasso, Zion.T and Crush's "Just" and Zico's "I Am You, You Are Me." Peejay started the Walkin' project in 2015 to collect his private productions that are hardly heard in the pop scene. Different from his mainstream hits, songs from the first installment Walkin' Vol. 1 exuded a strong outer space vibe that revealed his unique hip-hop taste. In keeping with his signature soulful style, his second... [read more]
September 21, 2017 Picked By Pisces See all this editor's picks
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Block B: Zico Mini Album Vol. 2 - Television (Special Edition) (CD + DVD) (Limited Edition)
Zico (Block B)
In Korea, the gap between the mainstream and underground hip-hop scenes can be wide. Underground rappers can freely rap about provocative and political topics, but such sensitive content is usually restricted in mainstream media. The difference between the two fields inevitably develops into arguments over the authenticity of hip-hop in the pop scene. Idol rappers naturally become the target of some underground rappers, as Zico is well aware. In the past, the Block B leader has been accused of faking hip-hop for money and taking advantage of his large fandom in the underground scene. However, he shrugs off all the hostile comments and proves himself as a genuine hip-hop musician in his... [read more]
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Girls' Generation Vol. 6 - Holiday Night (Random Version)
Girls' Generation
Tenth anniversary party of Girls' GenerationAmid the wave of disbandment of iconic girl groups like 2NE1, Sistar and Wonder Girls, Girls' Generation continues to reign over the K-pop world with their sixth full-length album Holiday Night. In keeping with their ever-changing music style, the group experiments with more retro sounds in their tenth anniversary release. The group shows off their girl power in the funky disco jam Girls Are Back (Track 1), in which they confidently announce their comeback. The glamorous anniversary party continues in the double title tracks All Night (Track 2) and Holiday (Track 3). The disco anthem All Night is a sophisticated blend of 80s synth sounds, modern trap beats and a sparkling electronic tune.... [read more]
August 28, 2017 Picked By Pisces See all this editor's picks
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offonoff Vol. 1 - boy. (Normal Edition)
offonoff
Composed of singer-songwriter Colde and producer 0channel, offonoff is part of Dean's hip-hop crew Club Eskimo, which also includes singer-songwriters like Crush and Miso. Since their dreamy debut Mood launched on Soundcloud in 2015, the talented duo has enjoyed increasing popularity among futuristic music lovers. Recently recruited by Tablo's indie label HIGHGRND, they stay true to their raw music style and reveal people's innermost thoughts and emotions in their first full-length album boy. Love is the primary theme of this album. Comparing smoking to an addictive love, offonoff, Miso and Tablo capture the dreaminess and bittersweetness of a fleeting love in Cigarette (Track 2). Miso's... [read more]
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Beenzino - 24:26 (5th Anniversary Remaster Edition)
Beenzino
During his Hot Clip days, Beenzino experimented with different genres to produce refreshing hip-hop sounds. After forming Jazzyfact with producer Shimmy Twice, he established his unique jazz rap style and soon became one of the most sought-after rappers in the music scene. The pioneering musician emerged as a soloist in 2012 with his first album 24:26, which has a significant influence on the development of Korean hip-hop. Breaking the convention of hip-hop music, the album is a groundbreaking release that deserves classic status. While the lead-off track Nike Shoes looks like an advert song for the sports brand, it's actually a breezy love song about Beenzino's ideal type. Primary's groovy... [read more]
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Heize EP Album - ///
Heize
Known for her distinctively soothing groove, Heize often expresses the feelings of exasperation and anger in a peacefully rebellious tone. Her anger gives way to sorrow and regret in her third mini-album ///, which uses rain to create different lyrical emotions. The sentimental singer-songwriter reveals the internal pain of separation in her deeply felt songs steeped in heartache, remorse and yearning. In the music video of "Don't Know You" (Track 1), Heize introduces 14 violent ways to lose a teddy bear, such as hitting, slapping and burning. The rapper's exaggerated portrayal of a dismissive girlfriend in the music video provides a heartbreaking contrast to the apologetic lyrics about the... [read more]
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SHINee: Jong Hyun Collection - Story Op.2 (Essay Version)
Jong Hyun (SHINee)
Jong Hyun started hosting the radio program Blue Night in 2014. Inspired by audiences' real-life stories, the SHINee member created a bunch of soulful and jazzy ballads that were collected in his first compilation album Story Op. 1. After stepping down from the show in early April this year, the singer-songwriter wraps up the series with Story Op. 2, a sentimental sequel drowned in the mixture of melancholy, loneliness and helplessness felt in different seasons. Spring is the blooming season not just for flowers but also for love. However, the title track Lonely (Track 1) reveals the intense sense of loneliness behind an apparently blossoming love. Jong Hyun and Tae Yeon tenderly croon to... [read more]
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