#kpop album recommendations

[the-genuine-beauty]

KPOP ALBUM RECOMMENDATIONS

Album: Moment Artist: ONE PACT Release Date: November 30, 2023 Title Track: Must Be Nice Track List: Hot Stuff, Must Be Nice, G.O.A.T., RUSH IN 2 U, Loading, Illusion Favorite Song: G.O.A.T. Least Favorite Song: Loading

[gay-little-cloud]

its hard not to sound biased when hes literally my bias but doyoung's album is actually a masterpiece yall, its the perfect soundtrack to romanticize your life. i listen to it on long walks with my dog and its so good, it makes everything better and prettier 🥹

please give it a listen, even if you dont like nct !

[trashlie]

Hi!!💖 Have you ever read Seasons of Blossom? I started it some months ago and now I'm literally obsessed, it's so good! It's sweet, yet tragic, and overall super enjoyable. The characters are very likable and it made me cry so much (both for joy and for sadness lol)

Ohohoho you must know me well for this recommendation because you are right - it is SO good! In fact... let me show you how much I love this one 😅

I bought the Spring box set in Korean lmaoooooooo

Seasons of Blossom is, hands down, one over my favorite webtoons and I absolutely recommend it go everyone! You are very correct in how it manages to be sweet AND tragic. I'm behind on Winter because, frankly, I'm not good with things I love ending, but I just know I'll binge and catch up soon!

Something I really love about this series is the way all of the characters are, in some way, connected, whether it's because their friend groups overlap or relatives or something drawing them in, so it's never truly goodbye when we move on to the next season. I have definitely cried a LOT. Summer is just.... lmao look just trying to talk about it has me tearing up. Summer is very personally relatable to me, in how thick and choking the summer humidity is, and how it held such a painful, tragic story. And I know some people have issues with Autumn but I personally have a soft spot for angry, wounded girls lol

I even started the kdrama and despite some of the changes they made to the story, I was really enjoying it! I just had tp stop because while it was well done how they tied in Spring and Summer, my heart couldn't take it and I needed to take a break and I just haven't steeled myself lol

(Fair warning, because I think it's important to let potential readers know, Summer heavily deals with loved ones still struggling to come to terms with the suicide of someone they loved. I think it's incredibly well done; it's empathetic and understanding, it doesn't downplay the grief or confusion, or what compelled someone to make that choice. It's just also such a heavy, oppressive topic. I lmao binged it and just sobbed through the night lol ;~;)

Anyway YES YES genuinely 10/10 for Seasons of Blossom from me. I love it SO much and recommend it to anyone and everyone! Each season tells their own story and I find the writing so good! Spring is set up to be a sweet, little cliche which would be fine, but the writing didn't give in to the cliches and I love how it turned out!

Waaaahhhh I'm delighted you guys are suddenly giving me webtoon recommendations, I love this! I love discovering a diamond in the rough or getting to crow about how much I love something!!!!! 🥰

[stephanleyhes]

🌸 Yunho 🌸 | studio choom : artist of the month (january 2021)

[bonamodesigns]

TAEYONG - TAP (2024)

[iwasneverth3re]

Hi Li-Li !! I'm a little curious, what other kpop groups do you like ? hope you don't mind me asking

have a nice day 💜

HELLO JUNE!!!🧡💛🧡💛

HOHOHO THERE'S A LOT OF GROUPS. I like listening to a lot of groups but it's mostly the older generation groups. As you already know, I love shinee but I also love exo, snsd, Kara, f(x), 2ne1, shinhwa, miss a, girl's day, sistar, tvxq, red velvet, clc, blackpink, twice, bts - LIKE THE LIST GOES ONNNNN.

KARA? THEY'RE THE QUEENS OF DANCE POP LIKE MISTER? STEP? MAMMA MIA? LUPIN??

SNSD? GIRLS GENERATION?? GIRLS GENERATION MAKE YOU FEEL THE HEAT

SISTAR?? THE QUEENS OF SUMMER??

LIKE GIRL GROUPS WILL ALWAYS BE SUPERIOR TO ME BC THEY ALWAYS HAVE SUCH GOOD MUSIC.

However, my ult groups are shinee and exo! Shinee's one of the first groups I got into in 2014 and they'll always have a special place in my heart :')

I also like 4th Gen groups as well! Newjeans comes to mind (their songs are so catchy) along with Le sserafim (YUNJIN SLAYY)

[monxgifs]

top 10 12 songs of the first half of 2022

tagged by @softhyungkyun thank u vic <3

list of songs: (not in ranking order lol) super yuppers! - wjsn chocome // wildfire - monsta x // love dive - ive // rewind - fromis_9 // bamboleo - red velvet // glitch - eunbi // eye on you - wonho // hot - seventeen // maniac - changmin // ring the alarm - kard // invu - taeyeon // heart burn - sunmi

honourable mentions: scent - yukika // villain - pixy // pillow - solji // comma - kihyun // pity party - jamie  

[anyways-wonderwall]

Album of the Week #70

Beautiful Night

(2021)

by YESUNG

Overall Rating: 6/10

TL;DR: city pop sang by a wet blanket

(idk its not a bad album cover, i feel completely indifferent towards it 5/10)

Overall Thoughts

I am deeply fascinated by what happens to kpop stars after they’re long past their prime. They don’t have the young boyish handsomeness anymore, they can’t do the crazy dances due to their cracking bones, and their fanbase is getting older and older. At the same time though, they do have some sort of fanbase, and you probably forced them into an indentured servitude style 20-year contract so they’re still your problem. What do you do? 

In this category falls my birthday twin Yesung from Super Junior. A group that hit its height in 2008 and had an absurd number of members, SM entertainment still finds work for them in 2023 and the outcomes are mini albums like this one. I mentioned this with the EXO review, but I wonder if they get more input as they get older? Or is all choice an illusion? Do they at least get to choose the genre they get put into? Or is it chosen based on what they think the market will like? 

I don’t know if Yesung himself had a hand in what this album sounds like, but I can tell you that they did not take his voice into account whatsoever when writing these songs. All of these songs are actually really good, a mix of city pop and washed-up Eurovision star that works really well. What doesn’t work well is his voice sounding breathy, being forced into a falsetto and with so much emotion he sounds like he’s gonna cry sometimes. Something I do not want to hear when there is a funky bass and 80s style sax solo in the background. I just need to know whose idea this was. 

It’s almost funny how out of place the vocal style is. “Beautiful Night” is the best track on here and I would be dancing along the whole time if he didn’t sound like his family died in a house fire the night before and he was forced up on stage for karaoke. “Phantom Pain” and “Like Us” are both chill songs that sound a little better because a smile is optional, but hearing animal crossing upbeat instrumentals mixed with a breathy falsetto just makes me uncomfortable. Don’t worry though, there are luckily a few songs on this album where he was allowed to be sad like “Lost Heart” (a confused piece that goes on for FOUR AND A HALF MINUTES), “No More Love,” and “A Letter in The Wind.”  The last two are actually not bad, and while I hate ballads they were a relief because his voice felt at home. You could clearly tell he was more comfortable singing these songs, and the sadness in his voice was for a reason (unlike in “Firework” which would have been a great city pop song if he wasn’t singing it). 

I thought while writing this that maybe the problem is that he has a bad voice. It’s breathy, frustratingly sad, always stuck in a falsetto, and so weak that it could be overpowered by animal crossing sounds. Honestly though, I think these are all traits that would do him well in singing ballads, and the last song on the album shows that “A Letter in The Wind.” Why you are wasting absolutely incredible driving baselines, synth parts, guitar and sax solos, and city pop inspired masterpieces on him is beyond me. 

Next week's review: Psy 9th (2022) by Psy

[adotrevsleft]

Album ranking post #1:

Initial thoughts (May 1st 2023): this album and all of its songs have something to offer to any different type of audiences. However, these were clearly made for the fearnots and the fearnots only.

Final thoughts (June 23rd 2023): I still stand with the opinion that there is a variety in the album tracks and each song is different which leads to appeal to different types of people, so maybe it's not just for the fans. It mainly is, but not completely. However, there is a huge inconsistency within the album tha could have been better executed, also there was no reason to add the other songs wich were literally the same just adding a (2023 version). There was no reason. I know it was done so there wouldn't be a recording of garam but, girl was proven innocent like nearly a year ago, so what was the reason? But, it surely does make me excited for their next comeback, because this was the end of their trilogy, I believe, so I'm excited to see what they will be able to offer us next time.

Now onto the ranking - with a few words:

1) FEARNOT (between you, me and the lampost) - a beautiful song that is so highly underappreciated in the lsfm fandom, it's insane. I have been playing this song on repeat since release. Because who doesn't love depressing songs yk? Atm, I have to say that this is my favourite track from lsfm's discography so far. The emotion is felt through their vocals and that's probably why I instantly fell in love with this song. 10/10

2) Eve, Psyche and the Bluebeard's wife - so fucking catchy. Also on repeat. Tbh, when I first listened to it I was slightly unsure but it's amazing. But, I just know that "I'm a mess in distress, but we're still the best dressed, fearless say yes, we don't dress to impress" is going to stay iconic. 9.5/10

3) Unforgiven (feat. Nile Rodgers) - tbf, I was surprised no one was making a big fuss that Nile Rodgers was a feat in this song because when I told my dad he genuinely freaked out. People are comparing this to unforgiven constantly to the point in which the song seems to be unenjoyable, but really this song is something to be enjoyed by itself. 8.5/10

4) No-return (into the unknown) - just a fun little song. After listening it from their concert, I was super excited for this song. It was quite catchy for the first week but afterwards I got bored of listening to it. But, it is a really sweet song and I did genuinely enjoy it at one point. 8/10

5) Burn The Bridge - genuinely makes me want to fight my inner demons (I don't have inner demons dw, it's just a metaphor). This is an intro I can vibe to instantly. The other ones that were previously released were not as interesting, this intro sounds like the intro to a long story (in this case the album), it sounds like a proper intro and I have played it a few times because it does feel quite empowering listening to it. 8/10

6) Flash Forward - it is such a cute song. I haven't gone back to it a lot, but certainly is a great song. It really depends on the mood of that day for me to listen to this. Clearly, this was trying to be similar to good parts, but good parts was way catchier imo. Also, this is a song I would recommend to anyone who likes a chill pop song. 7/10

7) Fire In The Belly - just because this track is at the bottom of this ranking doesn't necessarily mean it is a bad track. I can see the reason people enjoy it, but for some reason I don't see it. People say it's like antifragile or that this should've been the title track, but imo this doesn't have the same power and statement that Unforgiven does, and is definitely not as powerful in execution as Antifragile either, that's why I heavily disagree with that opinion. But, it's not a bad song either. 5.5/10

Overall score for this album: 8.1/10

[the-genuine-beauty]

KPOP ALBUM RECOMMENDATIONS

Album: Born to Be Artist: ITZY Release Date: January 8, 2024 Title Track: Untouchable Track List: Born to Be, Untouchable, Mr. Vampire, Dynamite, Crown On My Head, Blossom, Run Away, Mine, Yet, but, Escalator Favorite Song: Blossom Least Favorite Song: Escalator

[potter-inthe-tardis]

Thank you for tagging me @pameimpala!!!! This is my 10 songs from my playlist on shuffle!!!

Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales - Car Seat Headrest

Moaning Lisa Smile - Wolf Alice

Sleep Alone - Two Door Cinema Club

Transmission - Joy Division

Techno Fan - The Wombats

Perfection as a Hipster - God Help The Girl

Sweet Crazy Love - Loona/Odd Eye Circle

Homerun - Got7

Enjoy the Silence - Depeche Mode

Look At Me - Twice

Tbh this give a pretty good glimpse at my overall music taste! I'm tagging @vauqita @icantalk710 @littlemisssweetdreams cuz you guys were the last 3 mutuals i saw in my activity!! Also anyone who sees this is also tagged, and obviously you dont have to do this but i also love to see what music people like!!!

[kep1er-net]

mashiro update ☆ bubble message: "onochu" (translation credits)

[harvxy]

Lexie Liu "The Happy Star" Album

[thesunshinenotebook]

Sunshine Review: Born to Be by Itzy

[saengakina]

“YOUNG POSSE!!! … no more quarantine finally- yuh grrr bba pow pow pow pow! yuh yuh”

[1-2full]