Have a look at me introducing a characteristic in February 2023 after which not following up on it till fifteen months later. Oops!
As a spin-off to my Battle of the B-sides characteristic, I’m happy to announce the arrive of “Battle of the Title Tracks!” On this characteristic, I’ll be pitting three Okay-pop title tracks/singles towards one another and selecting a winner. These songs will largely be from pre-2016 since I’ll attempt to give attention to music I haven’t but written about on the weblog.
As at all times, the competitors is all in good enjoyable. Most significantly, I hope you uncover (or re-discover) some nice songs!
Berry Good – As a result of Of You (2015)
Berry Good have been a really underrated act, marred by a horrible group identify and restricted price range. However inside this framework, they managed to churn out their fair proportion of highlights. I consider As a result of Of You is what netizens would name “Christian horse lady music” — an invented sub-genre I’ve at all times liked and a moniker that’s at all times made me chuckle.
As a result of Of You is gentle and ethereal, solely actually leaving its mark throughout the refrain. I like the acoustic influences within the manufacturing, peppered with strings to provide the observe a fragile vibe. The post-chorus vocal hook is past attractive and well worth the worth of admission by itself. A standout bridge and finale give the observe motion and payoff, even when they’ve extra dynamic songs than this of their arsenal.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Manufacturing | 8 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
F.Cuz – No. 1 (2012)
F.Cuz are one other underknown group with loads of bangers of their arsenal. They’re higher identified in Japan, however their few Korean tracks are effectively price searching for out. No. 1 is one in all my favorites. It arrived proper inside Okay-pop’s obsession with slamming electro beats and rugged, mechanical vocal results. By itself, this sound is a ton of enjoyable. However when paired with glorious melodies it actually soars.
No. 1 has its foolish moments. The spoken-word, extremely processed hook feels very tied to its period, however when the track launches into its hovering refrain we’ve entered timeless pop territory. An prolonged dubstep-influenced dance breakdown results in a killer energy observe, sending the track out on a excessive. It follows a longtime 2012 formulation however does it so effectively.
| Hooks | 9 |
| Manufacturing | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 10 |
| RATING | 9.25 |
Xia Junsu – Unbelievable (ft. Quincy) (2013)
Now, we’ve got a track launched on the tail finish of the early-2010’s EDM period. This may increasingly have induced Unbelievable to really feel a bit extra generic by the point 2013 rolled round, nevertheless it’s laborious to overstate the attraction of an enormous dance observe led by a voice as highly effective and distinct as Junsu’s.
This model of surging dancefloor power will at all times be to my liking, and Unbelievable scores additional factors for its easy drive. That is additionally the place it struggles compared to its many friends. Past Junsu himself, there’s not a lot concerning the track that stands out as distinctive. It’s boilerplate EDM pop, delivered with panache. That is nonetheless sufficient to make it a spotlight and I’d most likely be falling throughout myself to reward its charms if a Okay-pop artist launched this in 2024.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Manufacturing | 8 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
The successful observe of this version is F.CUZ’s NO. 1!
Readers, what do you suppose? Depart your personal rating within the feedback!