GFriend - Glass Bead

I am so far down the K-Pop rabbit hole that I now openly love groups with such tweeny names as Girl's Day, Boyfriend, and GFriend. Yeah, I guess I've turned into a thirteen year old girl, but I'm okay with that because, like I've always said, I don't believe in the "guilty" before "pleasures." Korean music definitely has its cutesy side. It's not my favorite part of the genre, but from time to time it can deliver a fantastic sugar rush. GFriend are a brand new girl group, and this is their debut single. I can't quite pinpoint why, but I'm kind of obsessed with it. Most of that is probably due to the catchy-as-hell hook, but I can't discount the effect that the cheesy music video has had on me either. It's got some golden moments, starting with the awkward, unflattering close-ups at the beginning. Then we've got the perfectly synchronized high kick at the end that I live for. It's just silly fun, honestly.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Buy the mini album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

G.Soul - You

Sometimes a song just knocks you out on the first listen. I'm not usually a ballad guy, so it takes a special hook or performance to reel me in instantly. You is definitely that song. G.Soul is infamous for being the longest trained artist at JYP Entertainment. He's been there since 2001 (15 years!) and has finally made his debut this month. I don't know why they were holding him back so long. He's got an outstanding voice, and this song displays that in spades. The simple, powerful hook is nothing short of breathtaking. He manages to combine a smooth, neo-soul vibe with a pop sensibility. In short, it's a good old fashioned, chest-beating power ballad -- the likes of which we don't hear all that often these days. Switching continents, I feel like this is the kind of instant, memorable song that could conquer a competition like Eurovision with ease.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Buy the mini album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Ola Salo - Go On Go On

"My panic has become a dependable friend"

This is the way to start out the new year! After a long wait, Ola Salo (of the Ark fame, as if you didn't know) is finally releasing his solo album this year. Now, I've made peace with the fact that I'll never love his solo work the way I loved the Ark's discography. For instance, I tired of last year's I Got You pretty quickly, while I have listened to the Ark's songs more times than I can count. It's just different. That said, Go On Go On is a pretty nice surprise. While the production is a bit softer, the track shares the sense of bombastic bliss that characterized the best Ark singles. It definitely sounds like the work of an older artist -- more reflective than galvanizing. The lyrics are, of course, outstanding, and the track was co-written with Nicklas Stenemo, who is another longtime legend according to this blog. If the rest of the album is in this vein, I can't wait to hear it.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Buy the single here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

John De Sohn - Wild Roses

"And we run"

December and January are always catch-up months for me when it comes to music. There aren't a lot of new releases out, and it's time for me to discover what I somehow missed the previous year. This can also be frustrating, because I inevitably uncover songs that would have featured in my year-end countdown had I known of their existence. For example, how did I not know that this epic track has been around for months now? It's probably because it's from a dance producer, and there are literally so many of them nowadays that it's hard to keep track. What I love about John De Sohn's Wild Roses, though, is that it's essentially an 80's rock throwback masquerading as a club anthem. This is catnip to me. It's the kind of song that just builds and builds until it explodes. And in that way, it's perfection. It probably wasn't "cool" enough to be a huge hit last year, but that's just fine with me. I live on this kind of bombast.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.