#but i'm sooooo obsessed with the vocals and the production

[suedemotion]

this summer's deep purple album is stormbringer. i don't make the rules.

[jisungshotfirst]

top 10 title tracks of 2023

in which i am a nerd and rant about music<3

10. BYOB - Billlie

this is just the cutest little city pop song! it's simple and catchy and it was a real change to hear such soft voices from billlie! softer title tracks always stand out to me because they are often so so pretty and delicate and byob is so so pretty and delicate! and the lyrics... i have claimed this as an aromantic anthem, it's ours. not relating to your friends having crushes .... billlie i see u

9. Break the Brake - Xdinary Heroes

this song is just straight vibes... the loudest rock we've gotten from xdinary and I appreciate it SO much. the verses r so clean and the falsetto.. its harmonically so interesting so the noise of the chorus feels properly cathartic and doesn't feel like a loss which can sometimes happen in scream-esc choruses. It's arranged SO well to balance all these things and be stimulating while also being so emotive. AND JUNHAN WITH THOSE CRUNCHY NOTES IN HIS SOLO. the dissonance.. its so brain-sratchy

8. In Bloom - Zerobaseone

zebi brainrot is so real friends.. be careful. this song is so beautiful! i think its a perfect example of the song marrying the concept and mv and members tones so well. from literally the first minute of zb1 i was so excited about their concept of mixing natural imagery like flowers with glitchy technology imagery and i hoped the music would match... AND IT DID! its so lyrical while being crunchy and energetic. SUCH a slayful debut

7. #menow - Fromis_9

this song is sooooo pretty. epitome of a soft bop. it's a classic fromis sound but with this sense of maturity and humility that makes it so engaging and emotional. it demands to be taken seriously but still is so fun! the vocal production is next level.. the effect on their voices in the chorus so they're used like instruments... one of favourite techniques ever. i LOVE when the vocals truly feel like part of the arrangement and not just sitting on top and this song truly does that

6. Spicy - Aespa

the absolute cunt aespa serve in this song... who let them. anyone who knows me knows i'm obsessed with everything moonshine has ever made.. and so when i heard they were doing an aespa title... i went crazy. and i am so right for it. THE BASS IS INSANE?? it puts all other synth basses to shame with how in your face it is. and the crispy snare? idk how to describe this song other than cunty because she genuinely does not care about being clean or palatable... like she is In Your Face with sound. and aespa literally ate that up... they are so fun and cheeky and confident! i'm sorry this is the kind of song that only a group of baddies could handle and aespa stepped up

5. Sugar Rush Ride - TXT

txt doing disco... like you already have me at that. it's sooooo groovy and although the anti-chorus was surprising.. i'm not mad at it! I'm so happy they went into it full force with the whisper vocals and the choreo switching mood, it rly helped the genre change make sense. and the DISCOOO at the end.. bop central. the lyrics and choreo and vibes overall r just so beautiful.. what can i say i love songs about gay sex i mean forbidden love...

4. Groovy - Cravity

the funky bop of all funky bops... literally funk pop goodness! there is so much movement in this track theres so many different rhythms happening and the blend together sooo well. the dance break is perfect.. literally everything you want from a dance break with the continuation of the same sounds but a new tone to it and new rhythmic focuses. and the choreo for it literally hits ever beat you want it to and stretches out the time between them perfectlyyyy. but ultimately it is on here because it is a feel-good happy fun bop.. and she excels at it! vity makes me so happy and they are so good at making songs that make you happy

3. Galileo - Kep1er

cutest song of the year! it is so groovy and fun and danceable. it is sooo feel-good it literally makes me smile every time. thank you hiyyih for putting aegyo in a song<3 where is her nobel peace prize. this is the kind of song where you truly can't hear the music theory going on because it just does exactly what you want it to do! any tension chords are resolved perfectly where you want them to. it's the perfect example of chords from minor keys borrowed to make a song that sounds so major and happy. there is absolutely nothing i would change about this song it is sooo perfect. absolutely filled to the brim with joy

2. ROAR - The Boyz

...like literally hello? this song came out of nowhere for me i did NOT expect to be as impressed as i was like my life changed after this song. firstly the whistle.. hot and sexy and catchy. carrying it through as a motif, chopping it up, creating variations, translating it to a singable vocal line... all of that is SO impressive to be able to pull off. crunchy track underneath.. beautiful. but what is most impressive to me about this song is the topline. the vocals are literally insane.. chanhee and hyunjae have my favourite tbz voices and u are crazy if u don't agree that they r the main characters of this song. some of those chorus lines are So high and they can sing them in a way that sounds so effortless. and the backing vocals... the Incredibly high harmony in the choruses makes me want to scream (it's jacob i think.. jail). and there is just voices Everywhere.. everywhere theres little 'ahs' hidden around and it not only fits the songs sexy concept in such a natural way but it just fills up every bit of space in the song. and the lyrics... once again i love a song about ..*checks notes* forbidden love.. that is damned by heaven... definitely not about gay sex tho .. definitely not..

1. Chill Kill - Red Velvet

second moonshine on the list .. no one is suprised. i think this song has complimented red velvet's two sides of creepy and feel-good the most successfully. the tone shift from the verses to the chorus is so obvious... but seamless. and what does it is the harmony! the chords are perfect... it seems redundant to talk about rv vocals but they rly just make the song. and the outro... blending both vocal parts of the chorus together.. it sounds epic. it adds to both the happy and creepy by sounding like a group of friends together.. but also cult-y with all that creepiness still lingering. singing 'forget about your sorrow' with the happiest voices like the verses weren't filled with creepy minor sounds... literally gaslighting queens. this song is terrifying and also the most joyful (hi sooyoung ����) experience to listen to.... only the dream team of moonshine cazziopeia and red velvet can manage that. and it's no surprise this dream team gets my no.1 spot!

thank you for reading if you got this far ! pls share your favs with me and if we share any i'd love to hear what you think! happy new year everyone I truly hope it treats you well<3 and here's to more bops in the new year!!!

[a-moth-to-the-light]

Most-Listened of January 2024

[last month]

Yeah, winter officially hit this month. Half of December was too Finals to be winter, and the other half was me reflecting on the year in music (so lots of 2023's most hard-hitting songs, which weren't exactly cozy winter music!). But in January, the snowy-gray-won't-leave-the-house mood actually hit--and I think it shows in this list (prepare yourself for LOTS of gloomy folk)! There were so many exciting releases this month, though, even though I couldn't muster up all that much energy about them--I'm really excited to see how the Sleater-Kinney, G-IDLE & Andrea Santiago albums will age!

1 . Boy's a liar Pt.2 -- PinkPantheress, Ice Spice

Yeah I sooooo get it now!! Like I don't fully get the lyrics, but it's so charming that I don't care! It's peak girl-next-door sweetness :)

2. BDH - Acústica Versión -- Bely Basarte

The first time I heard this, I wrote down: "Now THIS is how you do layered harmonies, cowards." I stand by my assessment—this is proof that acoustic tracks aren't boring, at least not when you give them a soundscape as beautiful as this one!

3. Tanta adrenalina -- Bely Basarte

This reminds me of the summer I was obsessed with Chung Ha's "California Dream"—even in January, I need some light, fluffy house in my life! (And yes, you can see that my Bely Basarte phase has kept going strong from last month!!)

4. Big Black Car -- Gregory Alan Isakov

I am a sad boy <3 (HOPE WAS A LETTER I NEVER COULD SEND !!!!)

5. Lost On You -- LP

I've been watching Loudermilk this month, and when I heard this song in the end credits of an episode, I instantly went to find it online. It's so wonderfully desolate, especially with those vocals... and the soft jingling of the guitar... *happy arm wave*

6. Southern Star -- Gregory Alan Isakov

Can’t stop singing this one—the melody is pure magic!

7. When the Party's Over -- Faux Paz

I like the original version better, but I'll never get tired of Faux Paz, either!

8. Ungrateful -- Megan Thee Stallion, Key Glock

Saw @shyreol post about this, and I'm so glad I decided to check it out (thank you for sharing)!! I'm absolutely obsessed with the hook—instant comfort song!

9. The Healing Game -- Van Morrison

Loudermilk part 2. This one hasn't even been played in the show yet, as far as I know, it just gets quoted by one of the characters—and deservingly, because these lyrics hit HARD. (And now I can cross 'liking a new Van Morrison song' off my music bucket list for the year—thanks, Loudermilk!)

10. Lalalala -- Stray Kids

This one has lost most of its appeal after a few weeks of listening, but it was very good noise to keep me sensory-happy during some rough weeks (and that ‘lalalalala’ hook is still great)! We'll see how it ages, I guess!

11. The Fall -- Gregory Alan Isakov

Speaking of Stray Kids, Isakov's lower register in this song is GLORIOUS.

12. Soldier, Poet, King -- The Oh Hellos

Believe it or not, I hadn’t heard of this one before December! It’s so good tho :)

13. What's Love -- Empress Of, MUNA

This sounds like the best parts of nighttime—it’s a little more muted than most synthpop these days, but it manages to stand out with just how ethereal it is! The production really just gets more beautiful with every listen—okay, maybe I just have a thing for vocoders…

14. La isla de Lesbos -- Javiera Mena

I don't really remember listening to this one in the past month? But I'm not mad about it being here—it's a classic in my book, because I can never say no to sparkly house music!

15. Smiley -- Yena, Bibi

An instant shot of energy, every time!! So glad I finally added Yena to my stan list, her music soooo deserves it!

Five-Star Songs This Month:

Ungrateful -- Megan Thee Stallion, Key Glock

Hell -- Sleater-Kinney (i mentioned how excited i was about this album right?? i love the texture of this song i love how it go grrrrr i love the line “hell is just a place that / we can’t seem to live without” !! i have a very good feeling about this one helping me get through the year SCREEEEEE)

BDH - Acústica Versión — Bely Basarte

Certainty -- Big Thief (this is what love is to me btw like i realized this month that i don’t think any other song has captured it better so here we are) (YOU LAY BESIDE ME / SLEEPING ON A PLANE / IN THE FUUUUUTUREEEEEEEE)

Was I Just Another One -- Gregory Alan Isakov (i listened to this allll the time in 2020, but i ended up developing a new appreciation for its atmosphere this month like good god i’m in awe GLOOMY FOLK GLOOMY FOLK IT IS A WASTELAND IT IS IMMACULATE EEEEEE !!)