FTIsland - To The Light

I'm enamored by K-Pop mostly for its pop/dance/hip-hop scene, but I have an incredibly strong and deep love for rock music as well. I'm just a little pickier when it comes to this genre. Rock isn't nearly as prevalent in Korea as dance and hip-hop, and what little there is in the idol scene hasn't fully clicked with me yet. That's the case with FTIsland's latest album as well, with the exception of this song. I feel like most of their music is of the more typical American style (which is probably why I don't like it), but To The Light has a far more anthemic, power ballad feel to it. It actually reminds me a lot of 30 Seconds To Mars' excellent Closer To The Edge. The song was originally released as a Japanese single before being rerecorded in Korean. I haven't heard the original version and probably won't seek it out, but I hope the band has more material with this sound. The vocals are incredibly powerful and that chorus just soars.



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

Shannon Williams - Why Why

K-Pop has the unique quality of making "cute" completely tolerable. If I think of cute western music, I kind of roll my eyes. But the adorable, almost saccharine genre of "aegyo" infused Korean pop somehow just seems right. This song isn't too far into the cute spectrum, but the music video is certainly charming, and gets everything right for this particular style. Shannon Williams is active in Korea via the UK. so she brings a nice mixture of East and West. Her debut song was a bit of a snoozefest, but the follow up Why Why has unexpectedly become one of my favorite songs of the year so far. For one, her voice is outstanding, especially for an artist still in her teens. Also, the song itself is pure fun. Despite being a different genre, it has the aura of Taylor Swift if Taylor didn't seem so contrived and... well... annoying. This feels like exactly the type of song Shannon should be releasing from now on. Catchy, fun and super youthful.



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

EXO - Call Me Baby

Expectations can be so irritating. Being a pop music fanatic has its drawbacks, and one of them is that I always place unrealistic expectations on soon-to-be-released songs or albums by artists I like. So many times, these expectations are impossible to meet and I wind up being initially disappointed in a release only to backtrack a day or two later and realize that the song or album is actually quite good… just different than I had set it up in my mind. Such is the case with EXO. Now, EXO is not my favorite K-Pop group, but they were my first. And they’re also (arguably) the most globally successful Korean group of the moment. So, when they release something new, I sit up and pay attention. While the new album as a whole is solid, if a little slow/boring, the single (Call Me Baby) is fantastic. But it did take me a couple of days to get used to. It has a lighter, less experimental feel than most of the band’s singles, and was initially jarring because of this. I dig the Michael Jackson influence as usual, but I'm also (strangely) feeling a bit of an 'Nsync Pop-era influence. This seemed like a step back for the group at first, but now I'm kind of loving it. Call Me Baby won’t end up being my favorite single of theirs, and I bet the inevitable repackage track will be even better, but at least one of the big dogs of K-Pop has finally released something new this year. I hope it opens the floodgates for all of the other A-Level acts to come back.



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

Nightwish - Weak Fantasy

Last week, Finnish symphonic rockers Nightwish released their new album, and first with vocalist Floor Jansen. As usual with Nightwish albums, it takes some time to fully ingratiate with the dense, often long songs. Honestly, the twenty-four minute track that closes the album probably won't even find its way onto my ipod. I'm not a hardcore enough fan to have time for that. Upon listening to the album, there was one song that stuck out immediately as being incredibly awesome and exactly what I love about the band. Weak Fantasy is the second track, and it's classic, bombastic Nightwish. Both the hard rock and symphonic elements are operating at full tilt, and the song as a whole has a theatrical, aggressively insistent feel to it. It kind of sounds like it could have come from a heavier version of The Phantom of the Opera or something! The hook is especially indelible, with its snarling delivery and crushing production. Though I'm not sure how often I'll be revisiting the album as a whole, I can't stop listening to this song.


Nightwish 2015 - Weak Fantasy by MusicHits1

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