Tag: Korean Popular Music

Playlist Roulette ~ Miracle [GOT7]

~ Michele ~ Leave a comment

Oh my . . . how oddly fortuitous this pull while at the same time quite sentimental and timely given the recent turn of events regarding my beloved GOT7. If you are at all familiar with the extensive discography GOT7 has built over these past seven years, you can easily understand and surmise that the Strictly Korean playlist could have shuffled out any one of so many possible tracks (G7’s entire discography minus their Japanese albums is contained on that list) and yet it conspired with the K-pop gods to give me the gentle and very meaningful ballad, Miracle, the title track from the group’s repackaged third full studio album, Present: You> & Me. Sigh . . .

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On My Playlist ~ What I Said [Victon]

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Letting Victon marinate in all of their underrated talent and finesse was bound to result in an explosive comeback worth waiting for. Releasing their first full length album, Voice: The future is now a mere eleven days into the new year was, in my opinion, strategic and smart. Even though their adoring Alice (the fandom) were expecting a comeback this past December, I think it far better they ushered in a fresh new year with fresh new music, and lots of it. And forget about starting slow and easy. Nope, not with Victon. The title track, What I Said, is a powder keg of sound complete with silky vocals, rapid fire rap (is Hanse even human?), and a whole lot of swag.

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Playlist Roulette ~ Can You Feel It 감이 오지 [Pentagon]

~ Michele ~ 2 Comments

When I sat down and was ready to see what the pull for the week would be for this edition of Playlist Roulette, I thought to myself that I could really use a bit of a banger as it were to help burn off some of the anger, disbelief, and embarrassment of the events of last week here in the US. I also needed something to bring me back to my safe and happy place that is K-pop. Pentagon’s Can You Feel It [감이 오지] came to the rescue.

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Playlist Roulette ~ Breathe 한숨 [Lee Hi]

~ Michele ~ Leave a comment

I was wondering when the Strictly Korean playlist would shuffle out a song from a female artist because really, I do have quite a few contained on this playlist. I am rather pleased that the first pull for the new year is a female artist. Of course, I was not expecting to be hit in the feels this early after the year we have had, but in many ways, it is the perfect way to begin; and that is, to simply have Lee Hi tell us to Breathe.

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Playlist Roulette ~ PicassO [OnlyOneOf]

~ Michele ~ 1 Comment

I love it when the Strictly Korean playlist pushes a newer group to the forefront to get some exposure. OnlyOneOf arrived on the K-pop scene in May 2019 and are probably at the point now of shedding their rookie skin, finding their color and sound, and of course gaining momentum. The B-side track PicassO from their debut album, dot point jump, really jumped out at me and hit me point blank in the core of my R&B heart.

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Playlist Roulette ~ So Bad.. [Victon]

~ Michele ~ Leave a comment

The Strictly Korean playlist really dove deep this week and surfaced with a B-side from Victon’s second mini album, Ready, which was released four months after the group’s November 2016 debut. So Bad.. is a jazzy pop number that opens with a rap verse and eventually settles into a playful groove fortified by solid vocals and some pretty impressive ad libs by rapper/vocalist, Seungwoo.

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Playlist Roulette ~ Retro Future [Triple H]

~ Michele ~ Leave a comment

Here’s a K-pop quiz for you: Name a collaboration or subunit, past or present, that has the level of sexy, sparky,  and steamy chemistry as Triple H’s Hyuna, Hui and Dawn (formerly e’Dawn). I could not decide on just one adjective so I had to use them all. This week, the Strictly Korean playlist shuffled out the trio’s funkadelic old school track, Retro Future, from their second EP release, Retro Futurism, and I was immediately transported back to the early days of hip hop.

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On My Playlist ~ Breath and Last Piece [GOT7]

~ Michele ~ Leave a comment

With so much new music coming out at once, I admit that I have been unable to keep up. In anticipation of GOT7’s November 30th album release, Breath of Love: Last Piece, the group whet appetites with a pre-release track, Breath, on November 23rd. It was then that it truly sunk in how long they had been away, and how much I have missed them. On November 30th, along with the album release, they dropped a second title track, Last Piece, and with that, were officially back. Yes, they have been away, but I easily place this comeback in the worth the wait column.

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Playlist Roulette ~ And I [NU’EST W]

~ Michele ~ Leave a comment

Maybe, just maybe there is a force that connects the biorhythmic waves between us and the universe that understands us better than we ourselves do, knowing exactly what, when and how we can use some healing. That is how I am feeling about the pull for this week’s Playlist Roulette. I guess I really needed to hear something soft and soothing and NU’EST W’s And I, from the Mr. Sunshine OST is the perfect offering.

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On My Playlist ~ Be Your Enemy [Taemin]

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One afternoon about two years ago, I walked into my meditation room (yeah, I am new-agey like that) and was overcome with an intense floral aroma. It kind of freaked me out because there were no fresh flowers in the room, nor was I burning incense or any candles. I immediately jumped online and called upon the university of Google to ask what the cause of this phenomenon could be. Was I having some kind of existential or out of body experience? Why were the aromatics so intense and so beautiful? One of the reasons the new age professors at Google offered was the presence of an angel or angels in the room. I was completely on board with that and surmised that was the reason. It was brief, intense and to date, has not happened again. But, I kind of have a similar experience when I listen to Taemin’s gentle pop songs and ballads. They offer a fragrance of their very own. Case in point: the winsome and angelic Be Your Enemy.

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