Top 50 Singles of 2015: 40-36

40. Park Kyung + Park Boram - Ordinary Love



What could have been yet another midtempo collaboration was bolstered by Kyung's charismatic delivery throughout and a hook that became one of the year's most enduring earworms.

39. Romeo - Lovesick



The birth of my favorite type of k-pop boyband: one who works with production team extraordinaire Sweetune, and reaps the benefits of their best 2015 material.

38. Robin - Yö Kuuluu Meille



One of the most enduring artists on my countdown, Robin hits us again with an energetic track that one-ups Aerosmith and Run DMC's 'Walk This Way.'

37. 1PUNCH - Take Me Back 



Unfortunately their only track before disbandment, this still managed to be a dynamically produced throwback to 90's new jack swing.

36. Arashi - Under The Blue Sky, Next To You 



Japan's biggest boy (man?) band hit us with a track that's all about the soaring chorus. One of the year's best.

Arashi - Kokoro no Sora (Heart of the Sky)

Japan's biggest boy band (man band?) Arashi is back with a new album, Japonism. At twenty-one tracks, it's a bit of a behemoth. I gave it a listen last night and, other than the singles, I can't say much stood out to me. Based on the title, I was hoping that more songs would sound like this one, using traditional instrumentation and melodies and fusing it with something new. I did hear a bit of that in some tracks, but overall it kind of blended together into one boring slog. I think I need to explore some more, particularly since I loved their last album. This new single, however, is fantastic. Yes, it's pretty cheesy and gimmicky, but what a fun gimmick it is. The first time through, I thought the hook was a bit much, but I loved the drums and guitars. Now that I understand what the song's meant to be, I absolutely love every bit of it. Fun fact: the prominent guitar is played by Hotei Tomoyasu, the same legend who collaborated with Infinite for their excellent Dilemma at the end of the last year!

Arashi - Under the Blue Sky, Next to You

I think I've hit a wall in my new J-Pop obsession, but on my side of the wall is a trio of amazing groups all under leading music agency Johnny's Entertainment. I've already written about Kat-Tun and News, my two favorites, and now it's time for the country's biggest boyband, Arashi. Arashi have been around a little longer and, as such, are a little older. I don't think I'll be a fan of all of their material, but they have a handful of tracks that have this big, almost orchestral sound to them (make sure to check out Sakura, Nobody Knows and Breathless as well) that I'm absolutely obsessed with. Their newest single, which translates to Under the Blue Sky, Next to You, has a monster of a chorus. It reminds me of something my beloved Infinite would have knocked out a couple of years ago when they were still working exclusively with Sweetune. Those layered vocals... that abundant sound... it's the kind of thing I just live for. Unfortunately, it's ridiculously hard to find links to Johnny's Entertainment groups, so I'm embedding a low quality video below.

【PV】 Aozora no Shita, Kimi no Tonari
【PV】 Aozora no Shita, Kimi no Tonari Credit: Kiss Spirit ★Reiko★
Posted by Arashi Way on Saturday, May 9, 2015