COMMENTARY/CURATION

Why Mainstream Media Often Gets K-pop Wrong - Nothing raises the ire of the K-pop fan like having a mainstream media outlet provide sloppy coverage of K-pop. More often than not, writers for these outlets simply don’t know what they are talking about. Those who have been K-pop fans for a while feel ambivalent when they see a mainstream media outlet run a… Continue reading Why Mainstream Media Often Gets K-pop Wrong
What Matters in K-pop? - I have often viewed increased visibility of K-pop in mainstream American media with ambivalence. On one hand, increased visibility may mean more opportunities for concerts and access to K-pop-related media. On the other hand, it may mean significant changes to K-pop and its fandom that take away the things that drew fans in the first… Continue reading What Matters in K-pop?
What I’m Listening To: “Love Style,” Boyfriend - “Love Style” is from Boyfriend’s 2012 EP Love Style.
What I’m Listening To: “Tripping,” Hyun Seong - “Tripping” is Hyun Seong’s solo from the Boyfriend’s 2012 album Janus. Image: Jeff Benjamin. “Boyfriend to Bring K-pop to Middle America for Chicago & Dallas Shows.” billboard. 3 Jan 2014. http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/5820050/boyfriend-to-bring-k-pop-to-middle-america-for-chicago-dallas-shows (9 Jun 2017). Video: KookieCane13. “Shim Hyunseong – 이랬다 저랬다 (Trippin’) [Han & Eng].” YouTube. https://youtu.be/fsESKprKK1I (9 Jun 2017).
What I’m Listening To: “Carnival,” B.A.P - “Carnival” is from B.A.P’s 2016 EP Carnival. Image Tamar Herman. “B.A.P Brings Party Baby Tour Stateside, Talks ‘Wake Me Up”: ‘We Are Part of the Current Generation.” billboard. 10 May 2017. http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/7752638/bap-interview-party-baby-tour-wake-me-up (9 Jun 2017). Video MBCkpop. “박정아의 달빛낙원] B.A.P – Carnival, 비에이피 – 카니발 [박정아의 달빛낙원] 20160320.” YouTube. https://youtu.be/CIA2h-dAEO8 (9 Jun 2017).
What I’m Listening To: Seventeen, “Love & Letter” (Repackage) - I’ve slipped into the shining diamond life with Seventeen and their repackaged album, Love & Letter! The group’s strategy is to not only use the power of the numbers, but also their unique sub-units, divided into the vocal team, the hip-hop team and the performance team. The repackage provides some delightful versions of Seventeen’s songs. Upbeat… Continue reading What I’m Listening To: Seventeen, “Love & Letter” (Repackage)
EXO’s Lucky One. . . . Is On My Mind! - “Lucky One” is one of two comeback tracks for EXO’s EX’ACT album. You know I am down for this disco-infused extravaganza! I also like the video (which opens with a shot that takes advantage of D.O.’s natural lack-of-expression) and gestures back to previous EXO concepts, including the superpowers, the EXO-planet and the team jerseys, which lends… Continue reading EXO’s Lucky One. . . . Is On My Mind!
A Brief Message From Our Sponsor…. - This brief lapse of posts has been brought to you by HARD DRIVE FAILURE. HARD DRIVE FAILURE has a long and distinguished tradition of bringing creative expression to a complete halt and is proud of that. It has cornered the market. However, I no longer find my partnership with HARD DRIVE FAILURE to be beneficial,… Continue reading A Brief Message From Our Sponsor….
Amoeba Culture. . . Is On My Mind! - Once I processed (ok, I’m still processing) the news of Zion T.’s departure from Amoeba Culture to a sub-label at YG headed by Teddy, I’m also thinking about Amoeba Culture. This doesn’t seem to be an acrimonious split, and I was happy to see Amoeba Culture’s official statement, which acknowledges their previous relationship: “During that… Continue reading Amoeba Culture. . . Is On My Mind!
2015 in review - The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 23,000 times in 2015. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 9 sold-out performances for that many… Continue reading 2015 in review