Top 50 Singles of 2015: 30-26

30. GD and Taeyang (ft. Kwanghee) - Mapsosa



Quite the unlikely collaboration, recorded as part of Korea's biggest reality show. It's a prime example of Bigbang members having fun, without worrying about the need to project a "cool" image.

29. Ola Salo - How I Kill



The Ark's frontman went solo with a track that sounded a lot like his old band. In the glam rock wasteland that was 2015, this is a very good thing. This is also the highest ranking English-language track on the countdown. My, how things have changed!

28. iKON - Airplane



YG's newest group blitzed us with five singles in three months, but this emotion, midtempo pop ballad was the best.

27. Bigbang - Bang Bang Bang 



The successor in many ways to the group's epic Fantastic Baby, the only thing that prevented this from being higher is that letdown of a chorus.

26. News - Chumu Chumu 



Cheesy? Yes! But that's okay when the best and most fun elements of Bollywood are so expertly translated to bombastic J-Pop.

Top 20 Albums of 2014: 4-3

4. Taeyang - Rise



Taeyang had never been my favorite member of Bigbang (which is honestly pretty hard anyway when G-Dragon exists), but this year he released one of the strongest solo albums of any band member. It was a long time coming, and the quality of the tracks gives the impression that he had a lot of material to choose from and selected only the best. This is the type of smooth, yet playful, modern r&b album that Usher should be releasing. It's high point after high point.

3. My First Band - Corazon



The biggest surprise of the year, when it comes to album releases. After a successful, yet somewhat so-so, single release, the Finnish pop/rock/glam band knocked me out with an album full of great melodies and the exact type of bombastic production that I go gaga for. For me, this was undoubtedly the rock album of the year, and hearkened back to the types of Scandinavian bands that got me into global pop music in the first place.

Top 50 Singles of 2014: 15-11

15. Josef Johanssson - Hela Natten



I love a choir in a pop song, but this galvanizing anthem is more than just its choir. It was the best song in this year's Melodifetivalen, even though it didn't make it to the final.

14. HyunA - Red



A demented and fun nursery-rhyme gone mad. This was the party track of the summer, with a deliriously in-your-face, irresistible hook.

13. Taeyang - Eyes, Nose, Lips



One of the biggest tracks in Korea in 2014, this ballad has immense staying power. Honestly, I'd already consider it a classic-in-the-making. And I'm not even a ballad guy!

12. Wolf Gang - Black River 



Undeservedly, this modern rock masterpiece flew under the radar this year. It's all about those layered, Fleetwood Mac-esque vocals that pop in more and more as the song grows and becomes a total epic.

11. Henry - Fantastic 



Just like I love choirs, I adore classical instrumentation in a pop song. The violin that forms the spine of this song elevates it into something really special. Add to that the amazing dance beat, and you've got something impossible to resist.

Don't forget, if you'd like to listen to the Top 50 Singles Countdown in full, download the audio version!

GD & Taeyang - Good Boy

"I am a good boy"

When I hear that G-Dragon is coming back (in any capacity), I automatically get very excited to hear what he's come up with. Now, of all the genres he dabbles in, trap is not really my favorite version of GD. Because of this, it took a couple of listens for me to get over the disappointment that Good Boy wasn't another Crooked and learn to enjoy it for what it actually is. Having fellow bandmate and old friend Taeyang on the track certainly helps, as his parts are easily the catchiest -- especially that rapid fire bridge before the breakdown. Even the squiggly beat, which I'd initially found a little annoying and overdone, has wormed its way into my head. Above all, this track makes me even thirstier for a full comeback from Bigbang. I can think of no other band in the world who is able to pull apart and be so incredibly awesome and successful as solo artists. I feel like all of that experience is going to make for one hell of an album once they decide to release it.



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

Taeyang - Stay With Me (with G-Dragon)

YG Entertainment never disappoints. They might not release albums quite as frequently as I'd like, but their roster of artists is simply the best, most consistent in K-Pop. I feel like they know each artists' strengths and run with it, so while many share the same collaborators and general vibe, there are a wide range of sounds present on their roster. Their last release, Akdong Musician's Play, will likely be known as this year's breakout, and rightly so. Big Bang member Taeyang's new album veers toward the r&b side of things, which is a 360 from Akdong's brand of quirky folk pop. And, like a lot of YG's releases, the first time I heard the album I was a little underwhelmed, but all it took was another listen and I was hooked. It helps that my favorite Korean artist, G-Dragon, features on this track. In fact, I'd go so far as say Stay With Me is more of a G-Dragon track featuring Taeyang, and I'm just fine with that. But the song would be nothing without that smooth, surging, melodic hook. It's like late 90's r&b all over again. It's a shame that the song hasn't been selected as one of the album's singles, because I'm sure it would do amazingly well.



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