Music Monday: Supporting Women's Rights and Wrongs

Happy spooky month! While I’m not doing any sort of dedicated horror related thing for this month like I have (and tried) in the past, I am focusing on getting back to creating posts more regularly. I’ve missed posting!

For the first Monday of October I thought it would be fitting to share some themed music that you can have on rotation during the month. I have a Halloween mix that is my normal go to, but I really wanted to create one that is all female.

Note: The list is varied and features level of scare/gore from mild gothic to heavy blood. Please be aware of that before watching the music videos!

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YouTube Playlist:

Spotify Playlist:

Tracklist:

+Red Velvet - Peek-A-Boo
+Dreamcatcher - Fly High
+Lee Jung Hyun - V
+Billlie - RING RING
+JeA - Dear Rude
+9MUSES - Remember
+NATURE - Girls
+DreamNote - GHOST
+LADIES CODE - Hate You
+SUNMI - You can’t sit with us
+SunnyHill - Midnight Circus
+Pink Fantasy - Poison
+DaHye - Bad Blood
+2NE1 - IT HURTS
+PIXY - Wings
+Minhye J - Knock Knock
+PURPLE KISS - Sweet Juice
+CLC - Devil
+Puer Kim -Manyo Maash
+BIBI - Animal Farm
+GFRIEND - Apple
+IU - Lost Child
+CRAXY - Poison Rose
+EXID - Every Night
+Seori - Trigger

Happy listening :)

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Album Review: eaJ - when the rain stopped following me

I haven’t done an album review since Dreamcatcher's Apocalypse: Save Us mini-album back like two years ago, and what a perfect time to dust off the keyboard and focus on an EP that has been on repeat since the second I had access to it.

Jae’s newest EP is finally out, after teasing us with it for a while. He went the Japanese release type route with it, dropping most of the songs throughout the year so while I’ve been able to sit with most of these songs for a while, we finally got the last two tracks with this drop on the 20th when the full EP was released. I want to say I am going to be objective with this review but the truth is that I just cannot. I have a deep relationship with Jae and his music and he - both as eaJ and as Jae of DAY6 - will always be part of the reason I kept going during very dark times so there is a connection to his music that I just cannot be objective about. It is so deeply tied to my emotions and mental well being it can’t, nor do I want it to, be separate.

That being said, I truly love the songs on this album. Since going solo, I’ve generally liked his songs to various degrees. I liked his dip into a more R&B sound, but Jae has a voice that needs to live in rock and this album truly captures that. As a fan, I’m proud of his journey. As a music lover, I’m happy that he finally stopped letting the guilt of stepping on toes prevent him from making music that is truly in line with his own personal sound. I think a lot of the past music reflects the trial period where he was experimenting with sound and trying to find his own. While I did enjoy it, nothing beats where we are with this latest release, especially notable in songs like right where you left me and when the rain stops.

Overall the album is a cohesive yet still rocky journey through mental strife and worry and he bears a lot of his emotions throughout the songs in raw and vulnerable lyrics. Even with the songs that he’s had for a while (friendly fire has been played in live performances for over a year), the selections paint a picture of the ups and downs of emotions and serve as a release of the rockiness that the past four years and before have been for him. It’s been hard and sad and frustrating and with this EP we are starting to see him coming out on the other side of that storm.

This album means a lot to me and have had it playing on repeat for the past few days. Jae makes me like music again in a way that I haven’t felt in a while and I will be ever grateful he didn’t give up, that I get to be here now listening to new music with a promise of new music to come.

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01. i just want my twenties back

i want my twenties back is an incredible intro into the mindset and tone of what is to come throughout the journey of this album. It is a plead to listen to the album for what it is: an ode to needing to be able to tell out loud his story instead of being silenced for the sake of others’ comfort. I love how raw and ethereal this is, but still is produced in a way that is classically Jae. Jae plays around with different sounds and arrangements in his songs and is present in a song that would probably be produced differently and much less by another artist. It is also at its core just a boy and his guitar and for Jae that’s a huge part of his life and the reason he was where he was in his 20s.

02. mad

If I had to pick a least favorite song off the album, it might be mad. It’s a good song, I like it fine. It is less introspective in the lyrics than some of the others and while I do sense that it mimics the moment where you just can’t find the words (or maybe shouldn’t) to talk about the big feelings you have and just want to put that into action than words. I do think it compliments the other two songs that lean more pop on the album, fire and burn.

03. friendly fire

friendly fire is just a fun song overall. Another heavy pop song this one just makes you want to go for a drive and put it on while screaming the lyrics. The bridge swaying in beat is a fun juxtaposition from the very staccato notes of the rest of the song. It’s sonically fun and light and inviting, while the subject is less about being friendly and more the reflection of a very toxic relationship.

04. right where you left me (ft. Hindia)

I don’t know if I can accurately put intp words how much I love this song. This is what I want from Jae in terms of sound. The guitar line in the back, the build up into the chorus that ends in letting the instruments take over with the vocals becoming almost background to it…it all just works so well for me. Hindia was absolutely the right choice to feature in this song. When their voices come together in the second verse...chef’s kiss. I love when voices match, and Jae and Hindia blend so well together, I could listen to that part for hours and be content “I don’t even gotta say to youuuu”.

05. burn (ft. salem ilese)

Burn has some really interesting work in the producing of the song. I don’t think I’ve heard Jae talk about it, but I want to know the reasoning to add in the voice announcing the verses. salem really works well in this song. She has such an interesting voice and in some of the ways that she emphasizes syllables and it gives it such an interesting vibe. I think both voices blend well, and it’s a great example of how Jae is good at spotlighting who he is with without overpowering them.

06. when the rain stops

While right where you left me is my favorite song of all his discography, when the rain stops is my favorite on this album. Lyrically it’s such a beautiful display of where Jae is now. Musically, I think right where you left me and this one follow closely together in sound and are the heavier rock-influenced tracks of the EP. The back line is written well and has a feeling of introspection and whimsy with the topline of Jae’s very emotional vocals. It’s very dreamlike in most of the song, especially as he almost mumbles the verses out, but then explodes into the chorus. There is hope of coming out on the other side throughout the song that transcends the lyrics. What a beautiful way to end an album that is so heavy and dark in one way or another. It needed to come out of that rainy mess from the other songs into this hopeful place with room to grow while still acknowledging the past.

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Check out the album on all platforms now.

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Some interviews to check out:

• Makana Talks - A Conversation With eaJ—An Artist, Not An Idol

• Billboard Philippines - Out Of The Shadows: eaJ On Accepting The Past And Being Honest In His Latest EP

• hype - Interview: eaJ Talks New EP, Biggest Change In His Life & His Cool Tattoos

• Zach Sang Show - eaJ | Burn, Day6 Regrets, Going Solo, Truth Behind Being An Idol

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Music Highlights: 4.22.2024

At work I was thinking about how sad I was that I haven’t done these music posts in a while. And even when I tried it was only one and then I just left. I really liked doing them, but to be fair I was doing them when I was layed off and had more time to just mindlessly listen to a bunch of music. But I want to change that so maybe we can find a way to do these and work lol. Below is mostly stuff that has released fairly recently, but I will throw in some older things that I want to touch on.

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+The Poles - Stargazing

A long-time fave The Poles came out with their EP Anomalies in the oddity space. The whole album is good, but I particularly loved Stargazing.

+ Solji - Western Sky

My girl. My fave. My ult bias. One of the best singers in kpop Solji came out with a new single Western Sky. During the MBC duet festival Solji sang this with Du Jinsu and now has a studio version.

+Band Maid - Bestie

Band Maid can do no wrong in my eyes.

+eaJ - Mad

eaJ has a lot of music coming out soon (like Friendly Fire!!) and we have to wait for it, but Mad has been on repeat for the past month getting me through it.

+Seungmin - Phobia (I'm the Queen in This Life OST)

This is such a great rock ballad for Seungmin. I’d love to hear more of this from him.

+Gyuna - Lava (Hide OST)

I found this on a random TikTok (she’s the sister of one of the New Jeans girls), and instantly fell in love. I’m not watching the drama but it’s now making me want to.

+VINCIT - KO

VINCIT releases such little music that it makes things a torturous wait. The wait is over with KO

+ONEWE - Beautiful Ashes

ONEWE is finally back full-member from the military and are really aiming to take away DAY6’s hold on me. It’s a good try. A great try even. Beautiful Ashes is the title which I love, but I think my favorite on the album is Shoot It Out. Still deciding.

+Chansung - Into the Fire

Chansung has a jdrama out, a kdrama out, and he released Into the Fire single with AK-69 and Changmin. All for me.

+Jun. K - Command C+Me

And Jun. K decided he would also join by releasing the Korean version of Command C+Me

+Jun Doohee - Sway

Jun Doohee’s Bad Flower is one of my top songs of 2020, and he quickly became a new favorite. His new single is Sway and everyone should be listening to it.

+Rolling Quartz - Stand Up

Rolling Quartz also came out with new music with Stand Up.

+DAY6 - Welcome to the Show

I’m in a weird conflicted place where I absolutely loved the DAY6 comeback but am also devastated that I don’t get to hear Jae’s voice with them. This is what I get for making them the only thing that got me through my deep depressive spot during COVID. I will get through it - hopefully, but now I’m just…kinda sad and happy to see them around at the same time. Grief and emotions are weird. Sad Ending was my favorite from the album, but the title is also great.

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Music Highlights: The Grand Return

It’s Music Monday’s grand return!

Since it’s been officially over a year since my last post, I can’t play that much catch up so I focused my post today on some of the things that caught my eye over the past month or so, but I may sporadically add some of my other favorites of the year in posts going forward.

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+ 2 Day Old Sneakers - Cherokee

I absolutely love 2 Day Old Sneakers and it’s been a while since they’ve uploaded new music so it was very fun to see at the end of October it show up on Spotify.

+Lee Earth - Mouth

I’ve never listened to any of Lee Earth and that is changing. I loved how weird and psychedelic both the music and video are. It’s the perfect music to have when you just want to be in a zone, you know?

+NELL - Moon Shower

I love NELL so much that I have dedicated a full post on this blog to them, and they never disappoint when it comes to their releases.

+PLAVE - You Were Beautiful (DAY6 cover)

They always do great on their covers, but PLAVE really hits it out of the park with this one. I don’t think I’ve heard a better cover.

+King Gnu - Glass Window

Not only is the song good, but the music video is fantastic, stop motion animation that’s just weird enough - something that King Gnu. It’s one of their slower ballad-less-rock songs but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have that great emotional build they just do well.

+Stray Kids - Cover Me

Oh hi. It’s me. The person who is still obsessed with Stray Kids. Cover Me is my favorite off the album, like play on repeat in one sitting.

+DPR IAN - Don’t Go Insane

Sigh. I just love him and his music and his videos and just everything.

+Yorushika - Moonbath

What can I say about Yorushika that hasn’t already been said. They are consistent with music that I can have on repeat. It hasn’t changed in the past 5ish years since I’ve been into them

+VIVIZ - Maniac

A surprise to me (and maybe you?) I’ve been really digging VIVIZ. Maniac has caught me and now I’m here.

+Barshy - Blossom

I love her voice, and the animation in the music video is so pretty.

+OAH! - Break Up to Make Up

High school Jessie would be so into this song.

+ALEPH - Hanging in the Sky

ALEPH is another one of those artists that I’ve never not liked what they’ve produced. They always have music to wind down the day with.

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Music Highlights 5.9.2022

What is this, Jessie making a music post after almost a year of stopping them? Yes. Yes it is. Now I’m not saying that I’m guaranteeing anything, cause we all know how much of a failure I am at actually following through, but I am going to try to post roundups of the music that I’ve been into a bit more frequently than I have been. Although they can be a bit of a bore to do all the time (especially when no one is actually viewing them), I did like that it gave me the excuse to spend some time focusing on all the music that was coming out. If I don’t have these posts to do, I don’t allow myself to make the time, and I know I’m missing some good music. So, here’s to the grand return or whatever.

I didn’t know where to really start with this post, and so much of the year has passed that would make this post way too long if I was going to post all that I’ve liked since the beginning, so here’s a small sampling of the top of the top. Minus Dreamcatcher since I did a full review of the album that you can find here. I’m also switching things up and trying to ease off of things that create more work for me (no matter how small) and won’t be including what I’m looking forward to and spotlights. I hope to incorporate more full artist spotlights going forward and everyone gives out their comeback dates basically the week before they drop music now anyway. Keeping up with the dates just became a burden, and we’re trying to do that whole “working on our mental health” thing this year. Burdens are not wanted here.

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King Gnu - 逆夢
I desperately need an album like yesterday, but I will settle with singles cause it usually means an album is in the future. Maybe. While this isn’t one of my top King Gnu tracks, it incorporates a lot of what I like with King Gnu: sweeping instrumentals and vocal lines.

Suzy - Satellite
I think it’s pretty clear that Miss A was one of the first girl groups I really got into, and so I’ve always had a spot for Suzy more as a music person than an actor. While her solos can be hit or miss for me, she always does things a bit differently and you never know what type of song you are getting. Satellite has that quality. I dig its indie quality, its quietness, and the breathiness in her vocals.

Tricot - エンドロールに間に合うように
Tricot just makes songs I like to listen to and music videos I like to watch.

Solji - Fade Away
Did we expect Solji not to make this list? If your answer was yes, then you don’t know me at all. Solji could sing the ingredients label on the back of a bag of chips and it would still give me chills.

Say Sue Me - Around You
This is such a fun song. Judging by this and the other song they’ve put our recently, To Dream, their upcoming album has the potential to be a favorite of this year. Around You is catchy and poppy with a constant beat that makes you feel youthful (even when the dread of the entire world and its crappy leaders are upon you). It almost takes me out of the dark places. Almost.

Big Bang - Still Life
I kind of had given hope on seeing Big Bang do anything anymore and had accepted that fact. I think Big Bang goes in and out of different music genres really well, and Still Life kind of proves that. I actually love that this wasn’t a big dance song. It’s underrated and quiet, a good introspective of where they are at this stage in life. Whether this means nothing in the future or a new something, I’m glad we at least got a good send-off.

AleXa - Wonderland
My BFF is currently competing on the NBC music show American Song Contest and she’s obviously doing great and wonderful, but the song is also really great. It’s catchy and I think works really well for the competition cause it allows her to show off how good she really is. AleXa is highly underrated, she’s got a good voice and is a good dancer. This song is a good showcase of it.

PURPLE KISS - Pretty Psycho
I wish this was what they followed Zombie with. It’s fun and quirky and yes I’m boring and love anything spooky and carnival but it’s also just fun and incorporates all of the girls’ unique voices, a huge advantage I think PURPLE KISS has over a lot of other groups out today. MeMeMe just kind of was meh in comparison. Not bad, just not PURPLE KISS.

Lanalogue - GOBLIN
If you’ve followed any of my music posts last year you’ll know that I fell deep in love with Lanalogue’s song White Light. It was one of my top songs and I had that thing on repeat. The problem was…it was kind of the only song I really liked that they had out and then I stopped actively looking for new music. I thought that it would stay a one-off thing for me, an oddball song, but here we are with another song I really liked. I haven’t had time to listen to the entire album, but am now super excited to check it out.

Jackson Wang - Blow
Do I have to say anything really? Yes, I love it. I’m a whore for creepy carnival music, haven’t we already established that? Give me the pipe organ intro. Give me the corsets. Give me the theatrics. Give me everything.

The Poles - High Tide
The Poles is easily one of my favorite Korean indie rock groups. Hands down they always give me what I want and I can consistently count on them for albums that I can repeat and live performances that match. The entirety of this new album is fantastic and I could equally pick any of the other songs, but High Tide caught me a bit more than the others.

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2021 Music

While it seems like I spent a lot of time devoted to music over the past year, especially on the blog with my weekly roundup of music, it was a fairly quiet music year for me. I wasn’t on top of everything and missed a lot of music towards the end of the year. It also seemed like a lot of my favorites were fairly quiet. Especially compared to last year, when there seemed to be a new online concert every week, or new live clips and singles. Maybe the pandemic is just hitting us all a lot harder this year, but things were definitely off. That doesn’t mean I didn’t listen to some really great music. On the contrary, I found some great things this year, an ult group came back, and I even added a new group or two.

Starting the post like I always do with my top ten songs of the year. I make a thread every year on Twitter where I explain my choices that you can find here.

Here they are in the order they were released:

• ‘White Light’ by Lanalogue (ft Nody Cika)

• ‘Obsessed’ by jujuland

• ‘Wonderland’ by Aimer

• ‘above the clouds’ by DAY6

• ‘OK or Not’ by 2PM

• ‘AuRoRa’ by ONEWE

• ‘BEcause’ by Dreamcatcher

• ‘SOOP’ by JENYER (ft. Heo Gayoon)

• ‘Fargo’ by TRAP

• ‘joke!’ by Se So Neon

I actually had some challenges making the list. A lot of the songs on my top 25 I really, really like so narrowing them down to ten was hard. This year I tried to keep an ongoing list of my top songs - a place for the best of the best - and while it helped in remembering songs (and not having to do go through the hundreds of songs I enjoyed over the year), I realized quickly the group was just too good. I finally came up with the list like I normally do, these are the songs that I just had on repeat the most. This list also had a good bit of songs that I fell deeply in love with the minute I heard it.

But, there must always be a winner and this year’s #1 song went to an artist who I’ve loved for years, and generally always makes their way to this list. This year that goes to Aimer with her song ‘Wonderland’. Aimer does everything I love and combines it in a way that is just artistic perfection. ‘Wonderland’ combines a rock guitar line with sweeping folk and string instrumentals and creates this really majestic song paired with her voice. It builds with intensity throughout the song’s length and echoes the lyrics perfectly. The music video is also great, with its creepy and dark Alice in Wonderland storyline that actually goes with the lyrics. If you know Aimer, the song is par for the course for her, but it held on to me all year since its release in April.

Here’s my top 25 in a full list:

While my top songs list was hard to narrow down, my album list proved even harder. This was the year of amazing full albums, and it was extremely hard for me to narrow down this list. Even as I work on this post, I’m still debating my choices. It’s interesting because I felt this year I didn’t have enough time to listen to full albums like I had the year previous. I found myself focusing on listening to all the music that was coming out for my weekly posts that I didn’t have the time to listen to more, and yet quite a few crept in and got me.

The list, in the order they were released:

-Unseen World by BAND-MAID
BAND-MAID is always going to jump to the top of my lists. They consistently put out great music, and music I love. You really can’t go wrong with them. Solid vocals, solid instruments.

Songs to check out: After Life, I Still Seek Revenge, and Sayonakidori

-Walpurgis by Aimer
Aimer does no wrong, but this album in particular is probably my favorite of hers. So many of my top songs are on this and when I want to feel all of the feelings, she’s the one I go to.

Songs to check out: SPARK-AGAIN, 季路 (kiro) and 春はゆく (haru wa Yuku)

-The Volunteers by The Volunteers
An album that is just good from top to bottom, The Volunteers went out of their way to release a phenomenal first full album. Produced by lead vocalist Baek Yerin’s label, the group debuted this year. They’ve got a great 90’s indie alt-rock vibe to them.

Songs to check out: Let me go!, Radio, and S.A.D

-Must by 2PM
2PM is back, and picking up perfectly from where they left off, giving a solid EP. If you are an older fan, you’ll appreciate the songs, but I think it also is a solid choice for new fans. The only problem with this EP is that it’s not a full album. While I had wanted that, I’m glad that it was at least an extended EP.

Songs to check out: Make It, OK or Not, On My Way, and Hold You

-Right Through Me by Even of Day
I know this might seem like sacrilege, especially seeing as DAY6’s The Book of Us: Negentropy - Chaos Swallowed Up in Love was released this year as well, and it’s not on this list. I love them, but really just fit more with the Even of Day sub-unit for the majority of the songs this year. I like what they did with this group, and I thought that this was a great follow up from their first album, The Book of Us: Gluon. It transitioned what they did in that to this well, and I think it effectively transitioned Even of Day from DAY6.

Songs to check out: WE, Right Through Me, and WALK

-COBALT by Meaningful Stone
This is the shortest EP on my list at only five songs, but I loved those songs enough to make room for it. Meaningful Stone a great indie rock singer/songwriter. Her album from last year, A Call From My Dream, caught my eye and this EP has solidly added her as a favorite.

Songs to check out: Dancing in the Rain and Fly

-Trap by TRAP
I’ll talk more about TRAP later in this post, but for now I will say that this is the top album of the year. It’s what I’ve wanted to find in Korean artists, and have been obsessed with this album since hearing it for the first time.

Songs to check out: Fargo, Surface, and New World

-Happiness, Flower by Soumbalgwang
Soumbalgwang is one of those artist that I just keep coming back to. In fact, their Fuze EP made it to last year’s list highlighting my favorite indie albums. Happiness, Flower is the type of album you want to throw on and turn up while you are driving around when you need to just drown your thoughts in nothing but music.

Songs to check out: Ember, Eve, and Happiness.

-This is NOT by Jun Doohee
When Jun Doohee’s ‘Bad Flower’ came out at the end of the last year, it immediately became a favorite, and here we are this year with a full album. His songs have that sound that you’d hear them as like a theme song for an HBO crime show, or straight out of True Blood with a great classic rock sound with a bit of grisliness (is that even a real word? I’m making it one, I’m no true music reviewer) and I am so incredibly into it.

Songs to check out: Just a Dream, Bad Flower, and Desire

-Sand by Bosudongcooler
Don’t be fooled by the fact that this album was released in November, it’s the perfect lazy beach day album. The songs make you feel like your floating on water, letting the current sway you, totally relaxed.

Songs to check out: Breath, Dani, and Rubber

One of the major comebacks in kpop for me this year was that with 2PM. 2PM has been my top kpop group for a very long time, well before I was on social media talking to anyone other than myself about dramas and music, so this felt like my first true comeback because there were people to share it with me. Since I’ve also still been unemployed, and just generally not doing well mentally, I spent a lot of the year in various stages of insomnia and being able to be up during livestreams and stages was a much needed bright light. Their comeback was great, and it was really nice to see them all together.

This was also the year that I really solidified my love of the kband ONEWE. This was something that had started last year (their song ‘Parting’ was on my top list last year), and I’ve just given in fully. Especially with DAY6 in various stages of enlistment and change - I have had time to focus on them, and they are good. I think they are fantastic with all their singles, but I’m partial to rock ballads and they are doing them well. Their song ‘Rain to Be’ was also fun. I also got into the girl group Purple Kiss, who debuted at the beginning of the year with their song ‘Ponzona’. Their discography is a bit different, they live in this world of fun darkness and I’m always partial to vocally-led groups. A lot of their songs have a jazzy quality. They also have members who are actively helping write and produce music, something that is not seen a lot. I look forward to what they do in the future.

I did find a lot of new artists in 2021, but a lot only had a few songs available and/or I didn’t make time to listen to the rest of their discography. That’s one of my missions this year and hopefully can track back to their work. But my favorite new discovery of the year hands down goes to the post-grunge band TRAP. I found them in the middle of October when their music video was released and fell hard. Their first full album, Trap, is fantastic and a no skip album from top to bottom. I’ve seriously played that album more than most of my other albums, and some of those have been out for much longer. While their one of those groups that are really hard to find things about (combine a very unsearchable name with my lack of Korean), I take any and everything I can, which their is a few things. Besides their album, they do have a couple more songs on Spotify, and a YouTube channel where they do live clips or covers and other various videos. I’m hoping to hear more from them soon, and now that they are officially on my radar that’ll be easier. If you are into grunge like I am, you’ll really like their songs.

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I think every year I talk about how I want to focus more on my favorite artists and have the intention to and every year I fail at that in some respect. I’ve been focusing a lot of my energy the last few months of 2021 focusing on what type of content I want on this blog and really looking at if some of the things that I had been doing are worth carrying into the new year. I have decided to move my weekly music highlights to Twitter posts, more loose than I had at the beginning of the year. They took too much time for me, and I felt they just weren’t as beneficial here as they could be on the timeline. Because of this, I hope I’ll be able to focus music posts on more in depth looks on my favorite artists and more album reviews.

Check out previous years: 2019 and 2020

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Music Highlights 8.23.21

This post is filled with returning favorites, including a lot of my favorite 2nd gen women. Music has been good.

Releases and Finds ▹▹▹

-We Are the Night came out with a new single, ‘Summer Fiction’.

-Fei has a very special place in my heart. She’s my bias in Miss A, one of the first girl groups I really fell hard for. It’s been a while since she’s released music and I’m very glad she has. My only complaint for ‘Stalker’ is that the background beats are too loud. I haven’t been able to get ahold of the song outside of YouTube, though, so there is a chance it’s not that present in the recording. Despite that, I really love the song and the MV.

-Hyolyn and Dasom did what they do best, and put out a great summer bop. Watching them do the dance on TikTok with the other members has been fun.

I really don’t need to add TXT to my too long music list, but as this is now the second release I’ve liked I might be losing that battle.

-I really liked Jenyer’s last release and was excited to hear more. And then she announced she was going to be featuring her former 4Minute member, Gayoon, on the single. I don’t know what happened in the universe that made it so we got Miss A, SISTAR, and 4Minute former member comebacks all in a span of two weeks, but I’m not complaining.

-I think this might be my favorite Lucy title track.

-I really like the lead singer’s voice, and I think it lends really well to the water/summer feeling of the songs, almost like waves. Adding the group to my every growing list to look more into.

-You really can’t go wrong with Standing Egg.

-Another group who can do no wrong for me, Yorushika. I think at this point if you haven’t listened to them yet just means we can’t be friends.

-Seori and eaJ (Jae from DAY6) came out with another collab. It’s the perfect song to throw on during a drive..

-Summer isn’t really my favorite season, but I still can’t seem to stop myself from adding all the summer songs.

Upcoming ▹▹▹

CL single, ‘Spicy’ (24th)
Ben&Ben album, Pebble House Vol 1 (29th)
The Black Skirts Japanese album, Team Baby (29th)
NELL album, Moments In Between (2nd)

Artist Spotlight ▹▹▹
Since the indie rock singer The Black Skirts will be releasing his first full Japanese album the end of this week, it seems fitting to focus a bit of attention on him. I’ve posted about him before, and I know the relatively he’s a bit more popular than a lot of the other indie artists I focus on, but if you haven’t listened to his work, specifically the 2017 Team Baby, you are really missing out on some solid music. The title track, ‘Everything’ was one of the first indie songs I listened to and still one of my favorites.

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Music Highlights 8.9.21

I’m back with another Monday filled with a lot of really great music. It’s been a while since I’ve posted an update of my recent music faves, and after missing the last post there was a good bit of music to go through so I tried to limit to what was at the top of my list so this post didn’t go on forever. I also know that I’ve probably missed some great music to mention but I was pretty random checking the new music that was coming out the past month. There were some good hidden gems this round, though.

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Releases and Finds ▹▹▹

-AKMU has a new album with a bunch of collabs, and they have been releasing it slowly. All have been very good, but I think ‘Hey Kid, Close Your Eyes’ with Lee Sun Hee is my favorite.

-sunwoojunga collabed with a number of people for 'Buffalo' including Dami, which is how I was introduced to the song. The song is great, and I've been really into it.

-E.So's 'Orgel' has a good beat and I loved how she uses her higher register.

-SURL rarely disapoints, and 'Beside' proves that. It's a chill song, but perfect for warm nights.

-Another band that doesn't disappoint is JANNABI.

-LOREN is back with another grunge rock single, 'NEED (ooo-eee)’

-I’ve regrettably haven’t made time to listen to the rest of the album, but if it’s anything like "‘I’m Alive’ it is safe to say I’ll dig it.

-Seoul Magic Club’s ‘Que Sera Sera’ is that perfect 90’s song that you’d blast with all the windows down while driving to the beach. Which is a vibe this Floridian is always into.

-You didn't think I would forget to talk about Dreamcatcher, did you? ‘BEcause’ was everything I wanted from a title track. It's creepy and catchy, the perfect Dreamcatcher summer bop. I have a full album review up that you can find here.

-I really liked both songs that SANJO came out with and they have been officially added to my new music list. I don't think they've been a group for very long, but even with the small sample I'm anticipating a lot more great music in the future.

-While ‘You Can’t Sit With Us’ is super fun and catchy (I’d delete the rap part, though), where it shines is the music video filled with great visuals and 90’s/00’s references. And zombies. Off the EP my favorite song is ‘Borderline’.

-’Ghosts Are Bored’ has a good beat and I love the lead singer’s voice. Another group I very much need to focus on the rest of their music.

OST ▹▹▹

-So I don’t really know anything about Nevertheless but I want to check it out purely because of its OST.

-Another Nevertheless, but Say Sue Me will always be the right choice.

-I haven’t started The Devil Judge yet, but oof. I loooove this song.

Upcoming ▹▹▹

We Are the Night single, ‘Summer Fiction’ (9th)
HYOLYN and DASOM unit single, ‘Summer or Summer’ (10th)
Fei single, ‘Stalker’ (12th)
Red Velvet EP, Queendom (16th)

Artist Spotlight ▹▹▹
I learned of the shoegaze/progressive rock group Monotheism a week or two ago and have been really into their music since then. Their most recent EP released in June is Rally, a sampling of their previous works live and a great introduction to what you can expect from them.

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Album Review: Dreamcatcher's Summer Holiday

For as much as I love Dreamcatcher, you would have thought that at this point I would have written an album review and yet this is the first one. Dreamcatcher knows and loves me, apparently, as they’ve put out a music video that just works for my Korean Summer Horror.

I’m a sucker for anything theatrical, and it’s one of the driving forces on why I love Dreamcatcher so much. They stick to a theme and do it well, and I think their collaboration with LEEZ and Ollounder pays off because they seem to like to work on these more theatrical pieces (you hear this in some of their other works with other artists such as ATEEZ), and they get to play around a lot with the musical styles because Dreamcatcher can pull off different styles. They are just inherently doing a different thing than most of kpop, and it allows a lot of creative freedom. Summer Holiday while a stand-alone album, incorporates a lot of Dreamcatcher’s earlier songs and sounds, with a lot of the nods seen especially in the title track. Each of the b-side tracks have their own summer flare to them, and while they work really well as singular songs they make up a really great full roundup of summer feelings, almost like the emotions you go through having a summer fling.

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01. Intro

I love that the ‘Intro’ sounds like it’s at an abandoned theme park, or a boardwalk with the wind/water sounds in the background. The emptiness of hearing the echoing of the single pair of footsteps ties in nicely with the creepiness of the title and is a great way to introduce ‘BEcause’. If I were to make a story based on this alone, it’s the opening of a store on the boardwalk. The bell ringing sounds like a door opening, the empty steps around the store with no customers; opening it up for the summer season.

02. BEcause (title)

I don’t want to go too deep into the music video and keep this centered on the song, but I will say that this is currently my favorite music video they’ve put out. It’s objectively their best, with probably the most budget put behind it. But besides that, part of what I like about the music video is how well it pairs with the song. While I do think a lot of their other releases work well, this one is the closest to what is going on with the song specifically with music elements and I think that it really creates a great musical experience. They use a lot of their doppelganger personas in the music video (which is a reoccurring theme from other music videos, despite this album being a one-off and not necessarily part of any of the arcs), but I think it plays into the doll-like actions they have and kind of mimics the playfulness of a carnival/vaudeville song.

Dami’s rap works really well with its mechanical run-down distortion and crunchy noise that help play into that fake doll/doppelganger concept and the added background sound clips are great with the song’s obsessive love lyrics. The chorus isn’t as strong as we normally see in their songs, but I really liked that it’s more reserved. It leans into that melodic carnival/music toy music and their voices kind of match. When I first saw their teasers I thought that maybe this comeback would be about sirens, and in a way the song does with its haunting and luring melody. SuA having a lot of the heavier rock belting is a nice change, I’ve always thought her voice was great in that range and allowed ‘BEcause’ to be different than some of the other songs that use Siyeon’s vocals in those areas and allowed Siyeon to get the softer melodies.

03. Airplane

While ‘Airplane’ might not be my favorite off the album, it has been growing on me the more I replay it. It’s a lot brighter and happier and really strays away from the carnival/creepy to a happier summer holiday. It’s got some 80’s synth underlying, but it’s really is closer to some older kpop groups. Dreamcatcher is a fan of groups like Girls Generation, and it reminds me of something that is a nod to older girl group songs. Would this be on a teen rom-com soundtrack? Absolutely. It’s a lot of fun and poppy and translates to the feelings of a young romance where everything seems to give you butterflies and are willing to go anywhere, as long as you are with the person.

04. Whistle

‘Whistle’ really is the perfect song to put on a summer road trip playlist. Dami’s part in this is one of my favorites, I love when they use her for vocal lines as her voice has grown a lot not just in her rapping. I really don’t know what to say about this one, it’s just…good. Like really good. I would say this has a place in the top favorite b-sides. I like how they play up the whistle part in the background, to the point that it is its own vocal line. Will you get what I mean when I say that this sounds like a sunset? I don’t know how to describe what I mean by that, but it’s got that freeing feeling of the day finally being over. Out of all the songs, this is the closest to the vibe of a summer festival.

05. Alldaylong

Did I expect a city pop song from Dreamcatcher? No. Have I always secretly wanted one? Yes. And to top it off it’s one where JiU worked on. The one thing that Dreamcatcher is really good at is their vocals, and this song showcases that. It strays away from the power pop they tend to go with in their title tracks and allows them to use a really light breathy voice. JiU, Yoohyeon, and Handong especially shine in this range. Is saying their breathy vocal qualities remind me of a windy night on the beach a stretch and looking too hard into things? Maybe. But I kind of think that was its intent.

06. A Heart of Sunflower

This is by far my favorite ballad that Dreamcatcher has ever done. To really experience how beautiful this song is, throw in a pair of headphones and close your eyes. The soft guitar line in the background. The vocals. They don’t do ballads a lot, but I love when they do. The build-up is nice on this one, starts off very low and light and rises and backs off when it needs to. The emotions are raw and the girls pull off a great rock ballad.

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I feel like I’ve said this before, but Dreamcatcher has some of the best b-sides and while I think that Dreamcatcher is starting to get out of that underrated spot for their main title songs, they are definitely underrated in how solid of a b-side lineup they have. They always play around with their sound, and can adapt well within the different genres. If you aren’t listening to their b-sides you are missing out on a lot. Summer Holiday did what all the other Dreamcatcher albums have done, and delivered solidly great varied songs.

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Music Highlights 7.12.21

I was a little bit busier than normal last week because of the KPSN Podcast Festival, and with 2PM and Even of Day’s comebacks I’ve not had as much time to keep up with new music so this week is going to be a little less diverse with newer groups since I pretty much zeroed in on prioritizing faves.

Releases and Finds ▹▹▹

-Let’s get the main ones out of the way, starting off with 2PM’s ‘Make It’. I, of course, loved every second.

-Do I wish it was full group? Yes. But Even of Day has just the slightest difference in sound that I am really into. If I find the time, I might be able to do an album review soon.

-THE ORAL CIGARETTES came out with a new song that is being used in an anime. I hadn’t been keeping up with any Japanese music news, so it was a pleasant surprise.

-Have I heard of LUAMEL before I listened to this? I don’t think so, but they’ve been added to my ever-growing list of groups I need to listen to their discography. Hasn’t happened yet, but it will.

-I loved Boyz II Men. LOVED them. They are currently promoting in Korea and we’re getting collabs with artists and I just want to tell 12 year old Jessie that this is happening.

-Say hello to my favorite TWICE song.

-Again, surprise music. And surprise SEKAI NO OWARI is the best kind of surprise…

-…which was then followed up by surprise NELL! It’s like the universe was like “Hey, Jessie. Heard you are preoccupied by 2PM and DAY6. Let me do this to you”.

-I liked Royal Pirates, but I was never into them when they were truly a group, so I didn’t focus on them a lot because I knew that I wasn’t going to get new music. And then, they followed on the surprise train and reformed as LIVIN.

-I know that I talked about ONEWE last post, but the put out a mv with my favorite song off of the album, and I have to share.

-Not a surprise, cause I saw them promote this for a while before it came out, but new TRICOT is always welcomed in this house.

OST ▹▹▹

-I feel like this is my third Voice 4 OST song that I’ve talked about, but it’s really starting to become a favorite.

Upcoming ▹▹▹

Currently I don’t really have anything scheduled for the next few weeks. Which is good since DREAMCATCHER DECIDED TO ANNOUNCE A COMEBACK AT THE END OF THE MONTH.

Album Spotlight ▹▹▹

Band Nah is a fun indie rock group that has grown a lot on me this past year. They are a relatively newer group, but they do have a good discography, and their music videos are a lot of fun. They just released their single, ‘Summer Days’ last week. You should check out their music.

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Music Highlights 6.28.21

Releases and Finds ▹▹▹

I love Hyolyn all the time, but I’m very partial to her slower songs that show off her voice. Happiness has such a good beat.

Another voice I always love to hear, iri.

ONEWE is consistently putting out great songs. I think they go more into rock ballads than a lot of the other kbands do, and I appreciate that.

I really wasn’t expecting any new EGOIST and when this showed up it was a surprise.

I just love Dreamcatcher and their covers.

Is Pink Fantasy’s inspiration Dreamcatcher? Yes. But what I really like about this song in particular is how much it’s a jpop song on top of a metal backtrack. I think it’s their best comeback.

I’ve already talked about Cotoba when the EP released, but they just put out a couple of their music videos up and had to plug them again. Check out ‘Goodbye Lilith’ here.

This is so beautiful.

OST ▹▹▹

I am SO into this song from Voice 4. So perfectly creepy for the scenes it was used in.

The added bonus of Hospital Playlist back on is all the great songs we get.

I’m not watching Montly Magazine but this song is so perfectly one of those kdrama songs that you’d get stuck in your head the entire time watching it. And it’s Hui!

Again, another drama I’m not watching but coming out with great music.

Upcoming ▹▹▹

2PM album, MUST (28th)
Epik High single, ‘Rain Song’ (29th)
AleXa ep, ReviveR (1st)
LIVIN first single release (2nd)
Even of Day (DAY6) ep, Right Through Me (5th)

Artist Spotlight ▹▹▹

Wetter is fairly well known if we are talking about Korean indie groups, but they still need some love and attention from the rest of the music world. They’ve been a group since 2016 and though I like their recent release ‘Love is All Around’, their ep We’ve Lost, What Now? is a favorite. Give them a listen and let me know what you think about them in the comments.

Check out the last music highlights post here.

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Music Highlights 6.14.21

I haven’t been on top of new releases as well as I have been, especially last week. A lot of old faves released new music that I wasn’t expecting. I’ve been a bit busy with other things going on on the blog and because 2PM. My energy is on them pretty exclusively.

Releases and Finds ▹▹▹

-’0x1=Lovesong’ is my new favorite TXT song. Granted it’s currently the only one, I’ve just never vibed with any of their other stuff, but it’s great and I really think people should listen to it if they haven’t yet.

-SOUNDBOX’s ‘Woman’ is a fun song.

-I got into the Low Hanging Fruit last summer, and they are back with another single that is perfect for the summer.

-I love this combo.

-New Utada!

-I didn’t know Tricot was going to release a new song, and this was a pleasant surprise. If you haven’t listened to them yet, you should. I even did a Tasting Notes on them.

-<3 VINCIT

-My days are spent finding music that make me want to go to the beach.

-Most of the music that came out this time was a complete surprise to me. Which is fun, because I can do things like open YouTube and find a new Kenshi Yonezu single.

-HooHaa’s ‘Letter’

-N.Flying always works.

-I don’t know how many times I can talk about how much I love Yorushika, but here I am telling you again.

-I really think my favorite time in Korean indie land is the summer. I love chill music I can bop my head to in the car (well, when I used to have a functioning car but I can still imagine)

-Seori (who is actually featured in the TXT song above) came out with a new single featuring Giriboy. I love her voice so much.

-SURA ‘Wake Up’

OST ▹▹▹

-All the grittier dramas have officially ended, so now I’m focused on ballads, like Kim Bumsoo’s ‘Winter of May’.

-I haven’t watched Doom yet, but this song is so pretty

Upcoming ▹▹▹

LUCY single, ‘Gatcha’ (16)
ONEWE mini-album, Planet Nine : Alter Ego (16)
Pink Fantasy first EP, Alice in Wonderland (21)
A.C.E mini-album, Siren (23)

Artist Spotlight ▹▹▹
This week I’m featuring the math rock Korean band, Cotoba. I came across them last year when I was specifically looking for math rock bands out of Korea. It was a newly realized music genre for me, and already had several Japanese groups I was into and wanted to expand more and instantly fell in love. They just came out with their newest EP, Since the World is About To End. They deserve a much larger spot than this from me, and don’t worry they are on the list, but right now listen to their latest music.

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Music Highlights 5.31.21

So much music came out these past weeks, and most of it was full albums/EPs that I loved, plus a few new adds to the playlist. I’m still not keeping up with a lot of news, out of laziness, but the amount of music is making up for it. I also thought it would be fun to separate out the OST music I was digging into it’s own separate section. There are some OST that I like immediately, and some that I like because I hear it 40 times a binge and it grows on me. I think if you aren’t watching dramas, you don’t focus on the songs coming out of those OSTs and some a really great. Maybe you’ll find a new song to add to your playlists.

Releases and Finds ▹▹▹

-Japanese group The GazettE put out a new album, MASS. It’s great, but I’ve also liked them for a while (they’ve been a group since I was in college) so I’m a bit biased.

-ARUM’s ‘No Gravity’ has prompted me to focus more on her: that voice!

-Confession: I haven’t listened to the rest of Taemin’s album yet. I’m sorry. I will do that soon, I’ve just been focused on a lot of other things. I have listened to ‘Advice’, though, and it’s great.

-O’Doyle’s ‘Silly Love With You’ is a pretty great song to add to your roadtrip playlist.

-I believe that punk is great all year, but it just fits the summer. O’summer Vacation apparently knows this too. I hadn’t known about them until their ‘Hommage’ video came up on my feed, but I immediately added them to my list of deep dives.

-I don’t think there is actually a Heize song I don’t like, she’s got the perfect voice to have playing in the background.

-PIXY came out with their second comeback with the song "‘Let Me Know’. The production quality has gone up, which is a good sign that they’ve been doing well. I think they are a good group, and I’lll always love a performance/theme based group.

-Punk band RUMKICKS came out with another single, ‘I Don’t Wanna Die’

-A couple of posts ago I talked about how I was going to make a playlist of songs good by the water, and Monday Off With Bluesy is 100% going on it. Also, very on brand.

-EVERGLOW.

-Drinking Boys and Girls Choir always makes me happy, but they make me even happier when they put out a new EP.

-I can not pick a favorite off of The Volunteers album. No skip and on repeat for the past week.

-This is a really cute song, I’m not going to lie the main reason I clicked play was because of the title.

-Minsu ‘Healthy Food’

-Vias’s ‘To Me’ is just one of those songs that you need to throw your headphones in, close your eyes, and crank up the volume.

-Last year Young K would do VLives every day on his way to his radio gig. Through it he found out that the Filipino band, Ben&Ben, were fans of DAY6 and had put out a cover. Now, almost a year later, they are collaborating on a remake of the Ben&Ben song ‘Leaves’. It’s as magical as everyone expected. If this produces more collaborations I will be the happiest.

-Another song to throw on that roadtrip playlist.

OST ▹▹▹

-There are some amazing songs coming off of the Taxi Driver OST, and this Sanha song is my absolute favorite. (Slight spoiler warning for the clips in the video)

-NIA’s ‘Save’ for the Dark Hole OST is chef’s kiss.

-Another Dark Hole offering, ‘Black Rain’ by Kim Young Heum.

Upcoming ▹▹▹

Cotoba EP, Since the World is About to End (31)
Monsta X EP, One of a Kind (1)
MAMAMOO EP, Where Are We (2)
N.FLYING album, Man on the Moon (7)
EXO EP, Don’t Fight the Feeling (7)

Album Spotlight ▹▹▹
I found out about Nemophilia, an all-female Japanese metal band through a person on Twitter, and now and now am obsessed. They have several EPs out, all easily available on Spotify. Their latest release Dissension (below) came out in February. Check out their YouTube channel for music videos, behind the scenes, live videos, and some awesome covers.

Last highlights post can be found here.

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Music Highlights 5.17.21

Releases and Finds ▹▹▹

Aleph - Instant Lover

SUMIN + Zion.T - Creamppang

BIBI - Birthday Cake

Balloonfish - Dancing in the Moonlight

Chae Jiho - 4Seasons

bobae - 0%

CHAI - Times Up

Super Beaver - 愛しい人

OurR - MUNG

Hoohaa - Alone

10CM (feat Lee Suhyun) - Sleepless in Seoul

Sagong - I Know But

Siyeon + Dami (Dreamcatcher) - Shadow (Dark Hole OST)

We Are the Night - Green War

Band Nah - Colours

Upcoming ▹▹▹

Taemin mini-album Advice (18)
Heize minI-album Happy (20)
PIXY minI-album Bravery (20)
EVERGLOW single album Last Melody (25)
Boyfriend digital single (26)

Album Spotlight ▹▹▹
I don’t know much about Vampire Hotel, I was just exposed to them when their live concert (below) was released, but now I need more. I always need more female-led hardcore/metal/rock groups. Especially with covers like this.

Last music highlight can be found here.

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Music Highlights 5.3.21

Releases and Finds ▹▹▹

DAY6 came out with their last comeback for a while as a full group, with the title ‘You Make Me’.

I got into Lanalogue last month - right in time for them to do a comeback.

I don’t know if I’ve listened to Dios (it’s possible, I’m terrible with keeping up with people…especially remembering names), but I really liked ‘Runaway’.

My new favorite thing is all the indie groups creating music videos featuring home videos of cats, like Bigbet’s ‘Rainbow Boy’.

IZ’s newest single, ‘Missing U’.

I just want to lay on a boat listening to Ohyoung’s ‘Siren’.

I’ve never listened to Crystal Tea’s music, but that’s going to change now. I think if you are into that singer/songwriter jpop vibe (but not Japanese), I think you’ll really like her.

I always enjoy indigo la End’s songs.

Add Wind&Wave’s ‘The Flow of the Water’ to the songs I want to listen to while laying in a boat.

Soul Echo - ‘Bird’

moi - ‘Kuuung’

My second favorite thing is indie groups putting out music videos featuring home videos of dogs.

If you’ve never listened to The Black Skirts, now is your time to start.

Upcoming ▹▹▹

Tricot single, ‘Exposure’ (5)
Ailee album, Lovin (7)

Album Spotlight ▹▹▹
Since there are quite a few songs on this list that would be good listening to on boats, I thought I’d keep the water theme with this week’s spotlight: the all-female rock trio, Fishingirls. They are a lot of fun, and put out just as equally fun music. They don’t get as much hype as they should, I really think they should be getting a lot more traction. They do a lot of covers and extra videos on their YouTube channel, so even though they don’t have that much in their discography there is plenty of content to check out. I highly suggest searching and watching some of their live sets.

Here’s their 2019 album, Fishing Queen:

Check out the last Music Highlights post here.

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