#tvxq: discography

[wulfhalls]

top exo songs?

gravity, el dorado, trouble, hurt, transformer, sign, bad dream, tactix (the whole japanes album is a fucking bop not a single skip anywhere to be heard!!!), going crazy, forever, monster, love me right, one and only, what if, can't bring me down, artificial lover, thunder, growl, black pearl, obsession, call me baby, diamond, overdose, sweet lies, mama, machine, the eve, electric kiss

[yasmi]

we need wonder girls on killing voice btw

[theboytatu]

dumbass tweet spawning even more dumbass takes so let me share my objective ranking... and yes successful does mean largely commercial aka $$$ success but also like general public recognition and legacy

SNSD. even adjusted for inflation i'm pretty sure few other groups and certainly no 2nd gen group ever brought in the kind of wealth they did. we'll literally never have a girl group as iconic as them again

EXO. period. argue with the wall. in terms of money even to this day bts net worth hasn't been able to reach EXO's so you do the math... in terms of legacy they really do have an unmatched legacy both in their company and in the whole kpop industry.

TVXQ. this one is tough because TVXQ impact in japan alone makes them a big contender for second place but we gotta put them at third and i don't wanna hear anything about 5vxq...

H.O.T I really don't know that much about 1st gen so correct me if i'm wrong but they were literally millionaires by the end of their second year as a group i think? only reason they're not higher is because of how short their career was

Super Junior. really don't care about them and the only reason they're this high is because these bitches have been around for almost 20 years. i guess when you're in the race for this long you must be in demand somehow

SHINee. in terms of artistic legacy they are literally invaluable but i do think their impact in terms of money is considerably lower than the groups above. just like with TVXQ their success in japan boosted them in this ranking. plus all the members have highly successful individual careers

aespa. only 4th gen group to play tokyo dome first gg to have 1M album preorders first gg to sell 2M of one album.... idgaf if you don't like them their commercial success is undeniable. in a few years they could reach top 5 but SM will probably freeze them before that

NCT. honestly sales are the only thing carrying the brand... they have no general public impact and never had individual opportunities to cement them in the industry. the only reason they got as big as they are is because of the "infinite rotational" gimmick and how SM uses it as a sales funnel to boost the subunits as needed

Red Velvet. beloved by tumblrinas and a great discography do give them a good legacy... but sadly their overall commercial success is not what it could have been. SM is to blame for fumbling the bag so horribly but when you put them against the rest of the groups in this list they clearly can't compare

f(x). i can't even say anything about them cause the mismanagement and mistreatment that f(x) suffered is genuinely crazy and it's fucked up... we will never know how successful they could have truly been </3

[neonsbian]

opened up tvxqs discography on spotify and i truly did not expect everything from 2019 onwards to be japanese releases lmao

[a9saga]

I started typing this whole thing on mobile and couldn't figure out how to put a break in and I refuse to update the app. Fuck it. You are scrolling past this whole damn thing. Unfollow me. This is all I'm gonna be talking about for the next two weeks.

Exo needs to break up. They have needed to break up. That was my hot take I had been saying I'd eventually share but I never got around to it, and now it's a lot more apparent. Not that I thought this was going to happen. I thought that when I finally posted this, someone might be mad about it, but in wake of CBX's lawsuit I don't think anyone's going to be surprised to hear it.

I was sure exo members were done suing SM entertainment a long time ago. It's been 9 years since Kris and Luhan filed their lawsuits, both of whom won. It's been 8 years since Tao's hiatus, and almost 8 since he filed his lawsuit months later, which he ended up losing despite never rejoining exo. I became a fan of exo during Call Me Baby promotions when Tao was still dancing with a broken leg. I was 15 at the time, about to turn 16. EXO scandals were extremely fresh and ongoing. But those three are so far in the past now. Lay quietly decided not to renew recently, but he hadn't been able to appear with the group for 5 years so, yeah. No surprise. But I really thought it was all done when EXO-M was done for.

Well, I can tell you why I'd been thinking for a while EXO should break up. It's because they're really a thing of the past, and essentially after Love Shot, it felt like there was nowhere to go from there.

That felt like the last breath of their 5 year long prime. Don't get me wrong, it was awesome. EXO have hit after hit after hit, think of the absolute best most addictive song by your favorite pop artist, and EXO have a discography of mostly those. But they haven't grown and changed artistically or commercially as a group. They've been around 11 years, they're in their 30s now, and I don't even think most of them have the heart to revitalize their prime like Super Junior did after their military hiatus was over. Maybe a couple of them have it in them to do the pop star thing for their entire careers, but I didn't think that like, Sehun or Chanyeol were necessarily passionate about creating new music for the rest of their career. Chen has a family now and that's also something I'd like the rest of exo to afford without their huge commercial group getting in the way of that. The only one I felt for sure would not be done anytime soon was Baekhyun. I thought he'd be the new Kangta of the group, sticking around when EXO were dormant and fizzled out. I never thought SM would actually let them break up, like H.O.T did when I was a baby. But yeah, Baekhyun leaving shocks me the most. Not that I blame him. I do fully believe the allegations made in the lawsuit as SM have had such a shady reputation.

Looking at SM's pre-EXO boy groups, one might say EXO were the main successor to Super Junior, because, obviously, both groups debuted with 12 people. Large groups like that weren't really a thing in kpop before Super Junior debuted. Additionally, Han Geng of Suju was one of the first Chinese kpop idols. In 2008, two more Chinese members were added to the sub unit Super Junior-M, which released Mandarin versions of pre-existing and original Korean Super Junior songs. Hm, this sounds familiar. I only just built up a better case for the EXO/SJ argument. Diana and I talk about this sometimes though; I once made an argument that I think EXO was more a successor to TVXQ/DBSK (Tong Vfang Xien Qi/Dong Bang Shin Ki), which I would have forgotten saying if she never brought up that one time i said it ever again.

In July of 2009, JYJ threw the first brick at SM Entertainment I mean TVXQ's members Kim "Hero" Jaejoong, Park "Micky" Yoochun and Kim "Xiah" Junsu filed a lawsuit against SM for contract termination, claiming they had been coerced into slave contracts as minors. They were 22-23 at the time, TVXQ having debuted on December 26th, 2003. The three of them won the lawsuit, signed to C-Jes Entertainment and formed the new group, JYJ, of just the three of them. It was assumed the original five piece was dead by that point, but surprisingly, in 2010, Jung "U-Know" Yunho and Shim "Max" Changmin chose to stay at SM and continue TVXQ as a duo.

This whole thing is arguably the most significant scandal in the 30-year history of SM. TVXQ had been SM's biggest success to date and some argue they and Boa still are. Your faves wouldn't have cracked Japan without the efforts of those two, and if kpop didn't reach Japan in the early 2000s, the entertainment industry in a small East Asian country wouldn't have become huge across the entire planet---and frankly, if TVXQ hadn't been big internationally, they'd have been done for because SM had them blacklisted from Korean television for a decade.

Han Geng of Super Junior actually did file for contract termination shortly after JYJ did, also for mistreatment. As did Luhan, Tao and Kris as we've already acknowledged. But all four of them could move to the entertainment industry in China. Sure, you're always going to lose something by leaving as big a group as EXO, Super Junior or TVXQ, but SM hasn't been sued by its Korean idols since JYJ. Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen know that they're putting at least as much on the line. And now, like TVXQ, more than half of EXO are no longer in the group, and the majority of the run for the both of them has had this cloud of mistreatment over their reputations. They were also both so unstoppably huge and popular.

I was in elementary school for DB5K's prime, and there were fans of kpop in the west but I can't tell you what their success across Asia looked like as someone who wasn't there. But I can tell you, between 2015-2016 when kpop gradually started to become very big, EXO for a time were bringing in more people to kpop than A Particularly Famous Group in the West I Have No Interest in Naming Because I Don't Want Their Fucking Fans Derailing My Post With Unrelated Discourse While I'm Not Even Talking About Them. Just believe me there was a time when EXO were way more popular in the west than Said Band I Decline to Specify, the eclipse that happened was gradual, and to my understanding EXO continued to be the biggest thing in Asia despite that another one eventually cracked America more and I'm not denying that they did. Point is, EXO coming first was important to all of that, because I and several others wouldnt have heard of the one kpop group if EXO didnt get us all into kpop first from 2013-15/16.

That all said now, this was all very much not how I'd wanted EXO to actually end. This is crashing and burning. Much like TVXQ, EXO is not going to be able to have a reunion after this, because they'll never receive SM's blessing to work together. I mean, EXO-M never would. 12 member EXO hardly lasted for two years though and their prime was very new when people started leaving, so to be honest, I don't know if the kids getting into EXO in the 2020s would really care to see Luhan, Tao, and Someone Sitting In Prison Whose Name I've Uttered More Than I'd Like To.

But in a similar vain, while DB5K originally split into two, JYJ are all off in different directions now. Yoochun was fired. Junsu left C-Jes and made his own label. Jaejoong did the same recently. Could you tell I listen TVXQ? But yeah, now that there are more than 3-4 people departed from EXO, they've got former members going in a lot of different directions. Someone already said it but I hope Xiumin follows Luhan back now. Back in my day Xiuhan were so cute.

Also, since I managed not to slip this into the post anywhere.... these guys have been showing up to work. Every damn day they've been showing up to work, that's another reason why it's so shocking. Chen dropped a song days ago and Baekhyun has been doing shows, posting dance practices, EXO have been appearing together for their 11th anniversary and supposed upcoming comeback. Whaaat a slap in the face. I support CBX 100% though and you should too.

[dojae-huh]

hi! briize here to answer ur riize qns :D

riize gained attention initially due to 1) sungchan & shotaro & their new grp 2) a bit bc of anton being yoon sang's son and 3) siren mv because of their difficult choreo!

personally, their success in enlargening their fanbase probably came from tiktok as well? i saw them getting viral in tiktok due to the get a guitar challenge, sohee's talk saxy bridge & anton being 'riize's tiktok social manager' since he (and the members) were rly active in liking and commenting briize's tiktoks + creating rly gen z tiktoks w themselves too

their mainstream success probably came from 1) their performances (they debuted nearing towards award season, so they did a lot of performances i.e. rising sun by tvxq which highlighted their proficiency a lot) & 2) the members' visuals going viral (i.e. wonbin & sungchan who are constantly getting mentioned by hong seokcheon)

riize has rly become monster rookies since they debuted, earning rookie of the year titles less than 6 months of their debut. sohee is being lauded by his seniors for his vocals, wonbin is constantly on the spotlight for being a 'once in a generation' visual who's likened to jaejoong (and jaejoong knows this as well).

and although most news do center on seunghan's situation, that still pushes riize's name to the forefront, esp when it comes to briize's relentless support (rii7e forever 🥹)

and yes, there's no leader! they don't exactly have set titles aside from the basic dancer, vocal, rapper (sohee's the only one labeled as 'main' as the main vocal!)

riize's name was formed by sungchan, and riize as a group was set to debut due to a choreo by shotaro & wonbin which the 7 of them did together. they still don't have a full album yet, and is going to comeback in april iirc?

hope i was coherent and it's helpful 😭

Hi, thank you for the detailed overview!

So several factors contributed: virality of challenges and choreo, timing of the debut, members' visuals. It's interesting that Anton supervises tiktok, heh. SM's early attempts at using the platform for promotion were very clumsy, the staff didn't know what to do, while few neos, aside from Tae, are interested in tt. Younger people are needed, who grew up with the platform and know it and its algorythms well.

I'm somewhat baffled about Seunghan's situation. I'd think he is on hiatus to let the group go through the debut stage more smoothly, have time to gain strength and a dedicated core fanbase, however, other members also get accused of things. And the fandom seems to stand with him, asking for OT7. Taeyong was also hated by knets during the debut, SM didn't remove him. Demands to get rid of Irene, Chen also were ignored. Which makes me think that either Seunghan's mental state plummeted and he asked for a leave himself. Or there are more idols and companies involved, I heard a rumour that one of the winners of Girls planet was taken out from the final debutet line-up (Illit) due to her connection to Seunghan's group of friends.

How dooes Riize function without a leader? Fans invented positions in the first place, and, as far as I know, NCT got theirs with a delay. It seems that it's a 5gen trend for groups to not have fixed positions.

A full album is too early. It takes a couple of years for a group to make one. Some groups never release a full album. But, perhaps, you meant an EP? I see only singles in their discography. 4 songs with language versions + 1 special project.

Wish also started with singles. So did aespa, actually. Seems like a new strategy in SM. 127's first EPs are poorely know. People buy/download single songs, and often don't look into the whole discography.

[taeminnomuyeppeo]

a lot of kpoppies would benefit greatly from knowing tvxq's entire discography, i think

[symeraid-s]

2023 Retrospective: Album of the Year

Once again, this is a very long post, reviewing all of the albums I bought this year. They are sorted by score of the album as a whole, so the first album is the best one and the last is the "worst" one.

WOODZ – OO-LI (7,4/10)

This album really is something. It doesn’t sound like anything an idol would release at all. It sounds like an indie rock album. Colorful Trauma was already an interesting step in his discography, but this took it even farther. At this point, he should just rebrand to a rock band, because he does it better than most K-Rock bands. The packaging is fine. The version I have is the tall magazine type, that barely fits in the shelf, because screw normal shelves at this point. Different from other ones though, the CD is actually attached to the Album properly and not in a way, when it feels like it might fall out any moment. The only problem I see with it, is that the poster and postcard in it, bulk it out.

Deep Deep Sleep 6/10 – Sounds very depressed.

Journey 7/10 – Sounds very personal and was probably the best title track choice because of it.

Drowning 9/10 – Makes me feel like I have a gaping hole in my chest. Put it on repeat!

Busted 8/10 – I adore this whole song. I really do. But it also peaks in its first 45 seconds.

Who Knows? 7/10 – I want this man to be studied in a lab.

Ready to Fight 8/10 – Abandon K-Pop and go full rock at this point. I wouldn’t complain.

Abyss 7/10 – A beautiful ballad, but I never listen to it.

U-KNOW – Reality Show (7,2/10)

Another year, another TVXQ solo album that becomes one of my favourites. It’s a great pattern, I can’t lie. The entire mini album just sounds very complete. Any song could have been the title track and picking a favourite is so hard, that I just refuse to do it. It also sounds very cinematic, like you can fit each song to a scene in a movie. U-KNOW also sells all of the songs with his personality. The packaging on the other hand seems very sloppy. It’s a magazine type and while it looks fun, like an ad for the “Reality Show”, there are glaring problems. Some of the pages are glossy and some aren’t, which looks awkward. It also protects nothing. While writing this, I pulled it off the shelf and everything just fell out the bottom, because it doesn’t protect shit. They really could have done that better.

Wannabe 6/10 – It’s a perfect introduction to the album that sets the tone, however it would sound better without the female voice.

Vuja De 8/10 – The title has been an inside joke between my sister and me for years now, which makes it feel even more like it was specifically catered to me.

Tarantino 8/10 – U-KNOW does seem to like his movies, so the title checks out. He also is a smooth badass.

Relax 8/10 – A song with a specific vibe that gets elevated by U-KNOW’s personality.

Spotlight 7/10 – Sounds like the calm before the storm.

Curtain 6/10 – Would have been better as a collaboration with Karina.

ATEEZ – The World Ep. 2: Outlaw (7/10)

The B-Sides on this album are better than the title track, but Bouncy really was the best choice. The World series really has cemented a music style specific to it and I love that. None of them sounds quite the same, but you can tell they belong together. I am very sad though, that this episode doesn’t have the same style as Ep. 1. The Treasure and Fever series were designed to looks similar and even The World Ep. FIN looks similar to Ep. 1. This just seems to be the odd one out. I do think it looks cool though. There are some problems with the cover because the foil seems a bit too tight, which causes the cover to coil outwards. The CD also is not attached to anything and is protected by merely an envelope. It can be jammed into the back or front of the album pretty securely though.

This World 7/10 – I love that the first track on Ep. 2 continues the last track from Ep. 1

Dune 8/10 – Probably the weirdest song on the album, but also my favourite.

BOUNCY (K-HOT CHILI PEPPERS) 7/10 – Grows on me, the more I listen to it. It’s just fun.

DJANGO 7/10 – Probably the most cohesive song on the album.

Wake Up 7/10 – I don’t think this would make a good alarm.

Outlaw 6/10 – It’s fine, but it has a lot of missed potential.

Jay Chang – Late Night (7/10)

I was very much looking forward to his solo debut after Boys Planet finished and I have to say that it’s really good. I don’t think there is a single song I really dislike. I just wish the album wasn’t made from cardboard paper, God, damn it! Why do companies think this is good packaging? It was already slightly squished when I grabbed it in the store and I was very careful transporting it home, but it still looks like I smashed it against the wall. Luckily nothing was damaged. The photocards also look overly bright for some reason, but it might just be the lighting.

I’ll Be There 8/10 – This is my new comfort song. It just sounds like a hug.

Rockstar 7/10 – It’s not a rock song, but I’ll let it slide this one time, because I know he can do it.

Up to You 6/10 – Jay is suave enough to make this song work.

Sunlight 7/10 – Another comfort song. The lyrics are also very sweet.

I’ll Be There (English Version) 7/10 – Bizarrely, he sounds a little less confident in this version.

Rockstar (English Version) 7/10 – Just as good as the Korean version, but the lyrics are a bit awkward.

Key – Killer (6,8/10)

It’s a killer repackage (ha). All of the new songs are very good and add well onto the songs already on it. They fit in with the tracks and really do complete the album. Since my opinion on the other songs hasn’t changed, I’ll just review the new songs and add them onto the score. The packaging looks great as always with Key. The “CRT” version I have looks fun and protects the CD well, by just putting it in a normal CD box. It’s a tiny bit loose, but nothing that stands out in a bad way.

Killer 8/10 – Key could do synthwave for the rest of his career and I don’t think I would get tired of it.

Heartless 8/10 – Very mad, we never got a performance of this song.

Easy 7/10 – Vibe is: “I am mentally unwell, but in a sexy way.” Please, just go see a therapist, honey.

Kang Daniel – REALIEZ (6,6/10)

This is just a very solid mini album. I feel like Kang Daniel really knows how to make consistent music most of the time and this is a very good addition to his discography. And, like a maniac, he once more claims the best album packaging in terms of protectiveness. There is a protective plastic cover around the album and then also a box sealed with a magnet. Everything in the album also is very orderly. He really should just design all albums from now on.

Wasteland 8/10 – Sounds desolate and sets the tone for SOS really well.

SOS 7/10 – “Call an ambulance, but not for me.”

Supernova 7/10 – Reminds me of something I can’t place, but it’s a banger so it doesn’t matter.

Liar 6/10 – Well, self-reflection is the first step to getting better.

Dreaming 5/10 – Sounds empty.

VIXX – CONTINUUM (6,6/10)

After a way too long hiatus, the concept kings of K-Pop are finally back. And even though it’s just half the group, this was a very solid comeback. Though there wasn’t really a concept. I guess it might have been Parallel but taken seriously. It does feel very good to have them back regardless. The album design kind of triggers a pet peeve of mine though. And that is clear plastic covers where you can see the glue holding it together. I don’t know why, but it just looks ugly to me. The album does very much fit into the plastic in a way that it’s not too loose, but also not to tight though, which is nice.

Amnesia 7/10 – The chorus is a bit too generic for me and the weird clicking/beeping noise in the background throws me off, but I still like the song.

Chemical 6/10 – Needs a better chorus, but otherwise slaps.

Lilac 6/10 – A nice ballad, but not much else.

Savage 8/10 – Should have been the title track. Also, Ken in this song continues to prove that he’s vocal Jesus.

If You Come Tonight 6/10 – I would come over immediately, if they’d ask me. 

Key – Good & Great (6,5/10)

I think this isn’t Key’s best work. Some of the B-Sides sound too similar too each other. On their own, I think I would love them all, but after each other, I sometimes can’t tell where one song ends and the next one starts. There is one stand out regardless, aside from the title track of course. Conceptually, the packaging of the album is really cool but there are two issues I have with it. The first is that the File version, is way too big. I own a lot of big albums, but I seriously had to lower my shelf to get this album to fit in (I need a new shelf…). The other is with the different versions itself. Only the File version has a regular CD. The other versions that exist either are digital or use a mini-CD. Who the hell uses mini-CDs in 2023?

Good & Great 7/10 – Yeah, he better fucking get paid for constantly releasing good music.

Can’t Say Goodbye 7/10 – Fun to listen to.

Intoxicating 6/10 – Sounds way too similar to Can’t Say Goodbye.

Live Without You 6/10 – Just very generic

CoolAs 8/10 – I’m 100% convinced that this song was originally called “Cool Ass”. Also, I strive to be as suave as Key.

Mirror, Mirror 5/10 – The token ballad on the album.

PURPLE KISS – Cabin Fever (6,5/10)

Probably their most solid mini album so far. It doesn’t have something like Love is Dead on it, but all the songs are on the same level, which makes it feel very complete. However, the album already arrived damaged because it’s basically just cardboard paper. Come on, RBW. Stop doing this! Nothing in the album was damaged, but still… PURPLE KISS’ album packaging really seems to get worse.

Intro: Save Me 7/10 – Not their best intro but featuring some of their best vocals.

Sweet Juice 7/10 – The lyrics can be a bit wonky at times, but their voices carry it wonderfully.

T4ke 7/10 – Could have also been the title track, but really works better as a B-Side.

Autopilot 7/10 – Very sweet lyrics and vocals. A comfort song.

Agit 6/10 – Cute, but they also sound bored with it.

So Far So Good 5/10 – Good vocals, but not their best ballad.

TXT – The Name Chapter: Temptation (6,4/10)

All of the B-Sides on this album are better than the title track. Sugar Rush Ride isn’t necessarily bad, but there are some issues I have with the song. The other songs on the album just sound way more complete. The packaging of this album seems very half-baked. The book itself looks nice and protective, but once you open it, everything just falls out, because nothing is attached to it. Also, when you open the photobook, it creaks, and it shouldn’t do that. It’s a sign that the album isn’t bound properly, and the spine might break.

Devil by the Window 8/10 – Not title track material, but very good. It was also very funny to see catholic K-Pop fans lose their minds over the devil being mentioned in the lyrics.

Sugar Rush Ride 6/10 – Solid build up and anti-drop, but sadly the second half of the chorus is awful.

Happy Fools 5/10 – Not the worst collaboration to come out of HYBE, but I could do without it.

Tinnitus (Wanna be a Rock) 7/10 – The song slaps, but please stop naming your songs while drunk.

Farewell, Neverland 6/10 – Nice closer to the album.

Lee Seung Yoon – Shelter of Dreams (6,3/10)

Lee Seung Yoon is not really a K-Pop artist, but more an indie rock one and I can’t believe he didn’t slip onto my radar sooner. His voice is very nice, and the album is fine. The packaging is also very solid, being a box protected by a paper cover. The cover can get damaged easily, but the CD is very secure.

Hero Collector 7/10 – Sounds happy and sad at the same time without the two moods clashing.

Unsubtitled 6/10 – He should collaborate with WOODZ.

Some Some Some 7/10 - Sounds oddly upbeat, but like it hates itself for being like that.

Shelter of Dreams 8/10 – It’s lamenting, yet also very beautiful.

Poetic License 5/10 – A boring ballad. I don’t have anything else to say about it.

Summer in 1995 5/10 – An album can only have one really amazing ballad, I guess.

Wild Horse 8/10 – Makes me want to go for a run. Also, the guitar riff is really cool.

Pricey Hangover 8/10 – I don’t think rock music would help with your hangover, but that doesn't mean, I won’t try.

Upon a Smile 6/10 – It could do a bit more with its chorus.

Harder than a Prayer 5/10 – It’s lamenting, but in a boring way.

A Sip of Song 6/10 – The one song, where it actually would have been really funny if it were short.

Nickname 5/10 – Would have fit better near the beginning of the album.

CIX – OK Episode 2: I’m Okay (6,3/10)

This single album is very soothing to listen to. The only song I regularly listen to is Save Me, Kill Me, but the other songs are also nice. The album is a standard-book-style packaging. It’s nothing too fancy, but it works just fine, and the colour scheme looks nice. The CD is also properly attached to it, which seems to be so rare nowadays. The one problem I have with it, is that the pages of the photobooks seem hard to flip through properly.

Back to Life 6/10 – Sounds very soothing.

Save Me, Kill Me 8/10 – Tears my heart out.

Curtain Call 6/10 – This is what I imagine a star shower sounds like.

Color 5/10 – Would be better without the rap part.

PITTA – BE FREE (6,3/10)

Hyungho continues to bless us with his amazing voice, which really is the main reason I bought this album for. That, and the fact that it has a live DVD included with it, which I haven’t watched yet. It also chooses the best form of packaging: A box with a magnetic lid. It’s simple, but it works really well.

INTRO 5/10 – I’m pretty sure this has the voices of the other FORESTELLA members mixed in.

CARPE DIEM 6/10 – Gives me Bon Jovi vibes.

SMOG 6/10 – Perfect proof that insane vocals don’t immediately make a ballad good.

BE FREE 8/10 – Sounds like it should be a James Bond theme song.

DANDELION 6/10 – This is what I imagine heaven sounds like.

UNIVERSE 7/10 – Sounds very ethereal.

Red Velvet – Chill Kill (6,3/10)

It’s the first album I bought of Red Velvet. I’m not usually a fan of them, and I also don’t like the title track as much, but all of the B-Sides are really good, so I just had to get my hands on it. I guess people had a point with that: Their B-Sides are better than their title tracks. The version of the album I own, is an individual member version. Specifically, Irene’s. She’s… certainly not my favourite, but the normal version didn’t look structurally sound at all, so I got it regardless. It is a bit confusing, because I first thought that it might be a magnet box, but no, you just slide it out the top or bottom. Though there is some resistance to this, it still slides out to easy for me to be comfortable with.

Chill Kill 6/10 – If the first half of the chorus were better, this could be their best title track.

Knock Knock (Who’s There?) 7/10 – Could have also been the title track.

Underwater 6/10 – The right amount of boring.

Will I Ever See You Again? 6/10 – The chorus is a tiny bit too generic for me, but the verses are beautiful.

Nightmare 7/10 – More proof that songs called Nightmare can do no wrong.

Iced Coffee 5/10 – I… don’t get what the song name has to do with it.

One Kiss 8/10 – A Red Velvet song with an actual good rap part? In 2023? Also, their harmonies.

Bulldozer 8/10 – A Red Velvet song that actually shows personality? In 2023?

Wings 5/10 – Sounds a bit like a children’s song.

Scenery 5/10 – Sounds like it should be in a mafia movie.

Taemin – Guilty (6,2/10)

For his first solo comeback after his military hiatus, it’s fine. The title track certainly is the best song, and the rest is fine. It’s not something I feel incredibly strong about, but I do appreciate its existence. Taemin also took a page out of Key’s book for the album design. It’s a shoebox. Like… something you keep memorabilia from an ex in. He’s very much feeding our delusions and I love it. The disk still is properly protected, and the inserts are all fun, though I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with just one shoelace. ARMYs immediately cried plagiarism though, because it supposedly resembled V’s album design, but there is a very clear difference between the two. One is a shoebox, and the other is designed to look like a package you receive in the mail. One is good, the other is incredibly sleep including.

Guilty 7/10 – Sounds a tiny bit like a cult indoctrination, which is very fitting for Taemin. But he’s also too good for this song.

The Rizzness 7/10 – Hilarious but also cool at the same time. Only Taemin could make that work, really.

She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not 6/10 – Sounds a bit like it features NCT.

Not Over You 6/10 – Feels like swimming through sludge.

Night Away 5/10 – Seems to summon sleep instead.

Blue 6/10 – Does feel and sound blue.

ONEWE – Gravity (6,2/10)

This is an English album. You really should keep that in mind because I completely forgot. The English versions of the songs aren’t bad by any means, in fact, at least one is actually better than the original. In my opinion of course. Feel free to disagree. The packaging is very loose, causing everything to almost fall out just for grabbing the album off the shelf. The design of it is also kind off odd, with the picture on the front being printed with the long side on the bottom. The name of the album however, isn’t written on the short side, but the long side which causes the album to look a bit weird.

Gravity 7/10 – Yonghoon’s vocals are absolutely fantastic, and the song shows them off nicely, but I wish there was a bit more too it.

AuRoRa 7/10 – The English lyrics for this song are really nice.

Parting 6/10 -  Sounds like they are cramming to many words per line.

Regulus 5/10 – A little too much autotune for my taste.

Montage_ 7/10 – Not as good as the original, but still very nice.

Rain to Be 7/10 – The transitions don’t seem to work quite as well in English.

Ring on my Ears 5/10 – Gotta love a man with piercings, but this ain’t it.

Trauma 6/10 – I… have no clue what this song is supposed to be about.

Logo 6/10 – Sweet, but also boring

End of Spring 7/10 – Actually sounds better in English. Probably because it sounds like an Avicii song.

Crazy Good 5/10 – The chorus is… not good.

PURPLE KISS – FESTA (6/10)

This might be their weakest release so far. I never really listen to any of the songs. The only reason why I got it, was basically just for completion’s sake. The album design is also baffling. Not only does the box look like there needs to be more filler material to not let everything fall inward, but it also comes with just a mini-CD. …didn’t I just go over this? No one uses mini-CDs. Some computers can’t even read mini-CDs. Luckily mine can, I just don’t understand, why it’s not a normal CD. Maybe because of production costs? But even then, it can’t be that much more. And if that’s where you’re failing, then I fear for the future.

7HEAVEN 6/10 – Their vocals are great as always, but they can’t save this song on their own.

Biscuit 6/10 – I don’t like the chorus.

Mistake 6/10 – Probably the best of the three songs, which is sad.

SHINee – HARD (6/10)

It really hurts me to say this, because SHINee is one of my ult groups, but I did not like this album that much. To be completely fair, a huge fault of that is the title track and I do think, that any of the B-Sides would have worked better as the title track. But none of them necessarily stuck with me, aside from two songs really. Also, they made the impossible, possible by creating multiple songs that actually sound better, when it’s just Minho, Key and Taemin performing them. Actually insane. In another first from SHINee, the packaging is actually really good. It did take me an embarrassing long second to figure out how to open it, but it’s surprisingly protective. It even has a magnet protecting it. The only complaint I have with it, is that I wish that the disk wasn’t just shoved into an envelope, but was properly attached, but I guess we can’t have everything.

HARD 4/10 – I believe there is a good song hidden in here, but it was split into so many parts that it’s unrecognisable.

Juice 7/10 – My favourite song on the album, ironically. Also, sounds better without Onew, which should be considered a hate crime.

10X 6/10 – The chorus is almost painfully generic.

Satellite 7/10 – The verses could be a lot better, but the chorus does save the song.

Identity 7/10 – My favourite song on the album, unironically. Should have been the title track, tbh.

The Feeling 6/10 – Very sweet song for Shawols, but the vocals and instrumental sound a bit… off.

Like it 6/10 – A bit generic, but still fun.

Sweet Misery 6/10 – Would sound better as a Taemin solo.

Insomnia 6/10 - Would sound better as a Minho solo.

Gravity 5/10 – Drags you down.

The Rose – Dual (5,9/10)

This album was very much an impulse buy because I really like Back to Me. The other songs on the album are not as good as that song and are pretty mediocre, but I can’t say I regret buying the album regardless. They did choose the very best type of packaging as well: a box with a magnetic lid. The disk is properly protected and there really is nothing to complain about.

Dawn 5/10 – Fine as an intro

You’re Beautiful 6/10 – Man, how whipped can you be for your significant other?

Nauseous 6/10 – Very generic.

Back to Me 8/10 – I don’t think I ever will get over these lyrics.

Lifeline 6/10 – Kind of a Nothingburger.

Dusk 5/10 – Weird place to put this song. I completely skipped it by accident.

Angel 5/10 – A nice ballad, but nothing special.

Eclipse 6/10 – Here I’m running out of things to call things mediocre with.

Alive 7/10 – A little too much autotune for my taste.

Cosmo 6/10 – Sounds like End of Spring by ONEWE.

Wonder 5/10 – Reminds me of Coldplay (derogatory).

INFINITE – 13EGIN (5,8/10)

It’s not their best album, but it’s just very nice to have them back. And under their own name in their own company no less. I really hope this wasn’t just a one-time thing. The packaging is very good. It’s a box that protects the CD properly and has a photobook for each member, which is something, I don’t think I have ever seen. The box also, despite being simply black with their logo on it in gold, looks very fancy.

Intro: 13 3/10 – Very unpleasant to listen to. Especially with headphones.

New Emotions 6/10 – Not their best work but the chorus has no business being so smooth.

Time Difference 8/10 – A beautiful song that shouldn’t be relegated to being just a B-Side.

TXT – The Name Chapter: FREEFALL (5,7/10)

The album took a while to grow on me, but the more I listen to it, the more I like it. There are some baffling choices this album made though, but I’ll mention it when I talk about specific songs. The album packaging also is really weird. You are supposed to rip one side open and like… damaging an album like that is always not good. Everything else is also just kind of shoved into there. It doesn't fall out because of there are folds on the top and bottom, but they also cause some problems with the photobook. The book is attached to the back and if you try to casually browse through the book, the pages constantly brush against the folds, which is mildly annoying. I also don’t understand, why they made random posters of buildings and walls instead of the members. Like, sure that’s what I would put on my wall.

Growing Pain 8/10 – Maybe it wouldn’t fit, but it would have made a much more interesting title track. They do make this style work.

Chasing that Feeling 6/10 – Baby’s first synthwave song. It seriously sounds like a first draft.

Back For More (TXT Ver.) 5/10 – Wow, just… just, wow. Why would you remove Anitta’s verse? It’s the best part. Did you want to make this song more generic? Is it because fans were being weird? And also, this is the collaboration you want to erase, HYBE???

Dreamer 5/10 – Way too much autotune. I’m so sorry HYBE would do this to you, boys.

Deep Down 6/10 – Could be better, if the chorus wasn’t so painful.

Happily Ever After 5/10 – Painfully generic

Skipping Stones 7/10 – Would be better without the Autotune, but still good.

Blue Spring 4/10 – The vocals at the beginning are painful to listen to.

Do It Like That 5/10 – It’s just a huge pile of nothing. Also, this is the collaboration you chose to keep on the album?

[theinfinitedivides]

moment of silence for how they're about to butcher this TVXQ! discography game pls

[ye-xiu]

u either have this in your discography or u aren’t one of the best groups ever

[wulfhalls]

5 kpop songs u simply hate? and u can't just be like x groups entire discography I wanna hear specific songs!!!

...............not u knowing I was just gonna say everything bts ever released......... anyways..........

1. dna - bts like. the song itself is shit but I also despise it for everything it represents im not saying its solely responsible for ruining kpop and poisoning online fandom culture but it certainly set trends that did not help. jimin embarrassing himself on ellen should have been the last straw not the beginning. trying soo hard not to let this devolve into a rant about how they commodified every single aspect. no u know what no. whatever. in conclusion fuck dna

2. queencard - gidle just. its so fucking annoying 😭😭😭 I've never been more annoyed by a song in my life ever. the first note plays and I'm like skylar white shut uppppppppppppp.gif while throwing up from sheer hate

3. mirotic - tvxq my men have the most flawless banger after banger discography in all of k AND j pop and yet!!! every single fucking no talent hack group only ever covers this fucking mediocre ass sarah connor (german speaking people this is for u) knockoff. like DIE genuinely. sorry none of u have to range to go anywhere near any of their other title tracks let alone b sides 🙄🙄 and people only knowing about them thru this fucking song is so. get some culture!!!! show some respect!!!!! listen to viva maybe you'll develop some taste!!!!!!!!

4. jopping - superm. exols who were there KNOW

5. love scenario - ikon idkkk I love a lot of their songs but this was sooooo overplayed I get homicidal now when I hear it

[eightstoriesabouteternity]

listened to all of tvxq discography and now i understand

[neonsbian]

time to listen to the rest of tvxqs discography today

[cxsmicmyeon]

starry i have recs!!!!

oldies but goodies: amigo by shinee, it's you by super junior, back by infinite, janus by boyfriend, i yah by boyfriend, paradise by infinite

women: melting by miss a, good luck by aoa, flashback by after school, sixth sense by brown eyed girls

also the entirety of max changmin's solo discography, and tvxq's rise as god album, and anything and everything by boa, etc etc etc

i have more recent stuff for recs too if my 2nd gen agenda is not entirely your vibe lol ♥

chrissy hiii this is a ✨lot✨of rec i will revisit the rest later but here is my queue rn

back was good!! it gave me vibes i cant put my head on rn but good!!

amigo is rly funky love the beats n stuff :D

good luck not rly a fan of the sax but everything else is rly good!

already very intrigued by the ooohs in devil 👀the transition from the first ~40s fitted really well im getting a lot of soul genre esque vibes it’s rly cool!!

i feel like i would hear flashback in an arcade lmao it’s cute! rly cool vibes n such it was good!!

janus sounds either like an anime intro song or a song that would play as the credits in a kdrama (and an anime too what the heck) it’s cute!!

the boa song (pls lmk if there’s a english alt title idk how to read japanese) is so giving me jongdae vibes af i also rly like her voice and also this song sound like it would be in a drama too lmao

overall solid recs!! i may add amigo and devil and the boa song to my playlist i likes them the best!! (:

[babylion]

I'm still and forever will be pissed off with SM for how they treat 127 BUT..................I started listening to EXO again and went down a rabbit hole of all the other sm songs I loved growing up and I'd be a liar if I didn't admit that SM has produced the greatest groups/discography of all time like EXO, (sometimes) SJ, Shinee, Boa, GG, FX, TVXQ... all of these guys are legends and I think I will keep listening to them for the rest of my life

sm treats everyone like shit like imagine not complying to whatever Baekhyun requests?!? are U insane. but anywho very fair. i dont listen to exo anymore, but their albums until 2015 are certified bops ... in my standards. sm vault has all the good rnb gems in the kpop industry. not 2 mention their vocalists show up, so i mean..... it is what it is! 🤷

[suyeoloutsold]

Some kpop questions, you don't have to answer all of them if it's too much:

1. Do you generally prefer girl or boy groups?

2. What are your 3 favourite groups each?

3. What are your 3 favourite songs from each group from #3?

4. Do you own any albums or merch of your favourite groups?

5. When did you start listening to kpop and what was the first song you listened to that made you fall into that hole?

6. Who are your favourite kpop idols?

7. What are your most and least favourite aspects of kpop?

8. Have you ever been to a kpop concert or a fan meeting?

Hello!!

1. I honestly don’t have a preference, I listen to both but prefer watching performances of boy groups

2.

BGs: EXO, 2PM and SHINEee (none of the 3rd and 4th gen bgs have the vocal talent and iconic discography like EXO does in my opinion)

GGs: Red Velvet, SNSD, GFRIEND, Mamamoo & TWICE

3.

EXO: sorry it’s impossible to choose just 3 for this legendary group but here are my most played songs: overdose, moonlight, white noise, miracles in december, obsession, universe, been through, forever, what you do, lotto

2PM: my house, heartbeat, make it

SHINee: all cliché but favs - sherlock, lucifer, view

Red Velvet: Peek a boo, bad boy, psycho

SNSD: i got a boy, forever 1, lion heart, gee

TWICE: what is love, more & more, moonlight sunrise

4. I own almost all of EXO albums including Junmyeon’s solo albums & his fansite photobooks; I also have a few SNSD albums and Red Velvet’s

5. 2008 - Mirotic by TVXQ

6. EXO suho, Baekhyun, D.O, SNSD yoona, SNSD Yuri, Red Velvet JOY and Yeri, TWICE sana, 2PM Junho, SHINee Minho

7.

Most fav: the extraordinary talent with both singing and dancing, the bond between the members in some groups

Least fav: the unrealistic standards idols are held up to by both the fans and the management companies, the obsessive fans not letting the idol live the way they want to

8. Unfortunately no :(