Ok-pop’s title tracks would possibly acquire most of listeners’ consideration, however many album tracks are price equal highlight. I name these “buried treasures.”
Past this, Ok-pop’s albums ship 1000’s of extra tracks that accept a extra restricted viewers. It’s these songs that may grow to be part of my “battle of the b-sides” function.
On this function, I’ll be placing on my A&R hat and taking a hear to 5 randomly-selected Ok-pop b-sides. I’ll write a mini overview for every, together with a Bias Checklist ranking, and rank them from least to most favourite. The winner will be part of a particular Bias Checklist B-side playlist. Consider it like my very own little company, hand-selecting songs I’d prefer to pitch to my nonexistent artists!
You possibly can try all rounds of my Battle of the B-sides right here!
Yena – LXXK 2 U (2022)
This can be a strong instance of the brilliant pop-rock sound Yena debuted with. She’s gone a bit quirkier than this since then, however her colourful vocal and persona match this model effectively. The track itself is extra simple than I would really like and the manufacturing is equally unadventurous. It’s a good b-side however lacks the wild sense of abandon that it might have. She additionally carried out this one on music exhibits, though it’s technically not a single.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Manufacturing | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
Lee Hello – What Is Love? (2021)
I really feel like I’m at all times speaking about “vibes” lately. There are few artists vibier than Lee Hello, and that attribute doesn’t at all times go down effectively for me. There’s no denying she has an exquisite voice, however a track like that is so muted that it nearly fades into the background. It’s vibe music by means of and thru, well-suited because the soundtrack to a second however not notably attention-grabbing by itself. It’s nearly tough to provide you with one thing to put in writing about this, truthfully. It’s simply so hushed and the melodies are so easy and repetitive.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Manufacturing | 7 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.25 |
Diva – Rumor (2001)
Ooh, we’re going far again in time with this one! Diva was an incredible first-gen group with fairly a couple of highlights to their title. When listening to early Ok-pop, I like to hint how its sounds influenced later generations. You possibly can hear touches of Sistar and Lady’s Day and all these nice second/third-gen teams in Rumor’s melodies, although this track has a less complicated – extra primordial – execution. I’m most intrigued by the surprisingly strong guitar riff that opens the monitor and reappears a number of instances. It nearly feels ripped from a distinct track totally!
| Hooks | 8 |
| Manufacturing | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8 |
Kara – Binks (2010)
It’s at all times good to revisit some early Sweetune as a part of this function. Binks is much from Kara’s finest track and finds the manufacturing staff working deep inside their treacly candy mode, however the melodies are sound and the manufacturing has that lush fullness you’d count on from a Sweetune monitor. Kara don’t ever get sufficient recognition for his or her vocals, however the beautiful mix of their voices actually makes this refrain come to life. I additionally love the electrical guitar that is available in for the track’s finale.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Manufacturing | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.25 |
The Boyz – They See Me Dream (2024)
The Boyz have launched a number of the finest Ok-pop of this decade however their albums are additionally filled with music I discover much less intriguing. I’ve by no means discovered all of them that convincing on extra sultry, mid-tempo materials. They See Me Dream feels very very like album filler, pushed by a fitful sound that continuously feels as if it’s going to construct to one thing greater than it does. This makes for a considerably irritating hear, although I get pleasure from a number of the textures they’re enjoying with right here.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Manufacturing | 7 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.25 |
Fifth: Lee Hello – What Is Love?
Fourth: The Boyz – They See Me Dream
Third: Yena – LXXK 2 U
Second: Diva – Rumor
First: Kara – Binks
Congratulations to Kara’s Binks – the sixty-eighth winner of my Battle of the B-sides!
Readers, what do you suppose? Did you uncover any hidden gems? Go away your individual rating within the feedback!
