Top 50 Singles of 2015: 45-41

45. Shinee - Married To The Music



A funky, Michael Jackson inspired summer track that feels indebted in one way or another to the best of every decade's music trends.

44. Infinite F - My Heart Is Beating



Infinite's lightest and poppiest subunit debuted with this cotton-candy confection that's almost too sweet, but it's anchored by a wallop of a hook.

43. Bigbang - Sober



Bigbang released more singles this year than any other k-pop artist, and this rock-influenced track stood out with its anthemic hook and crunchy guitars.

42. Lovelyz - Ah-Choo 



The high energy "cute concept" was strong with girl groups this year in Korea, and Lovelyz was a chief example. This is their most addictive single yet.

41. Janet Jackson - No Sleeep 



The legend returned not with a bang, but a quiet storm of a single that hearkens back to the moodiest music of her past.

Lovelyz - For You

There's a very specific sound that's become especially popular this year with Korean girl groups. It's a bubbly, effervescent pop style that emphasizes bright melody and punctuations of synth that act more like guitar stabs. It's a high energy mix, and one that groups such as Lovelyz and Gfriend have mastered in 2015. For You is the new single from the former, although it sounds more like a track from the latter. It's not as cutesy or quirky as Lovelyz have been in the fast, opting instead for a more powerful, in your face production. While I liked it during the first listen, it took a few spins before that chorus really took hold. Now I can't get the damn thing out of my head!



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Lovelyz - Ah-Choo

Lovelyz have quickly become one of my favorite current k-pop girl groups. I recognize that their hyper-cutesy image may be too much for many, but I love that it's tempered with an incredibly quirky, dreamlike atmosphere for their music videos. The real reason that I love them, though, is that every single has been a joyful burst of bubblegum pop. Ah-Choo is easily their most instant release yet. It's so freaking catchy. That chorus is all sorts of silly, random fun. Bolstered by a heavy dose of bright, fuzzy synth, the song has a real momentum to it. I've also enjoyed their ballad pre-release, Shooting Star, more than I expected to. Some "lovely" understated synth touches there, too.



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Top 20 Albums of 2014: 20-19

20. BoA - Who's Back?



More of a compilation than an actual studio album, this collects many of BoA's Japanese singles from the past few years. That said, it still flows remarkably well, except for maybe one overlong ballad too many in the middle. It's a great place to start if you're interested in BoA's current output, though in general I tend to prefer her Korean releases, which are becoming few and far between these days.

19. Lovelyz - Girls' Invasion



In K-pop, there's a whole genre of "cute" girl group music. Not all of it is to my taste, and this group's overly girly/cutesy name certainly turned me off at first, but I was surprised just how much I ended up liking their debut album. It won't be to everyone's taste, but the first half especially is filled with wonderfully produced, slightly off-kilter dance pop.