The New Sound

“Black Out” IU IU (real name Lee Ji-eun) has been making music for about ten years, during which she has taken more and more artistic control of her output. Her most recent album, Palette , was almost entirely written by IU herself. It seems her hard work paid off, as the album was awarded Album of the Year at the MelOn Music Awards (an annual South Korean music awards show). The album also received international attention: Billboard named it the best K-Pop album of 2017 and Fuse TV ranked it 12th on their “Best Albums of 2017" list (the only Korean album on the list). For me, the best track from Palette is the darkly intoxicating, and surprisingly refreshing, “Black Out.” The song was written and produced by IU, with music and arrangement by Lee Jong-hoon. (Source: Wikipedia ) K-Pop is known for it’s brilliantly polished and shiny production, nary a breath or note out of it’s predetermined place. “Black Out” is gleefully not that. The rhythm section is clanky an

"A, B, C, Dumb Dumb..." by Daniel R.

The Basics Let’s get the basic basics out of the way: Yes. I know I am late to the Red Velvet Party. Sleep. Yes. Red Velvet are slaying. Yes. I am snatched. Yes, these are my own thoughts, opinions, interpretations, and experiences (except where noted). Yes, I may be off-base, and you may strongly disagree with me. And that is okay. K-Pop I had no prior knowledge of the behemoth that is the Korean Pop music machine when I first forayed into K-Pop some time in 2016. In hindsight, I didn’t stand a chance against this addicting creature. For a long time, though, I mistakenly considered K-Pop to be somewhat of a novelty item. The occasional catchy and kitschy pop confections would temporarily draw my attention. But like chewing gum that quickly loses its flavor, there was no lasting impact. Despite that erroneous and myopic perspective, I kept finding myself drawn to the production quality of K-Pop. It seemed the sound engineers and producers knew what

"A Mmnt w/ MMLND" by Daniel R.

“When you hear our music you can be healed and feel happy.” -Ahin The Bscs Momoland (often stylized as MOMOLAND or MMLND) are a South Korean girl group comprised of nine members: Hyebin , Yeonwoo , Jane , Taeha , Nayun , Daisy , Jooe , Ahin , and Nancy . Momoland were formed through the reality program Finding Momoland and the group debuted on November 10, 2016. Momoland’s debut mini album Welcome to MOMOLAND , was released on the same day. Momoland’s second mini album, Freeze! , was released August 2, 2017. (Source: generasia ) One of the unifying threads omnipresent throughout Momoland’s music is the precise production. All of Momoland’s songs are textured and complicated soundscapes. The percussion is industrial and hard-hitting, sparkling synths shimmer, snag, and screech, while multi-layered, pitch-shifted vocals float above the production like seraphic spun-sugar. The whole experience is a bit like being delightfully punched in the face with candied brass knuckl

The New Sound

2017 - A Playlist

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