As mentioned in the list for top songs of 2015, I considered this year to be one of the most iconic in my opinion due to the sheer number of amazing songs that were released. However, I personally feel like the albums released around this time were even better and more iconic than 2014 while that year had overall really good full albums. As stated in my previous list, this is a sort of K-pop renaissance for me as I discovered a newfound love for girl groups and it is not more apparent than what I loved listening to this year.
As always these will be my personal favourite albums of the year and will not be about the most successful or iconic. However as much as I have a lot of love for girl group music this year, there will still be a lot of boys involved because old habits die hard and there is still a lot of good music by them this year. You may also be wondering why the number of albums are never consistent and that is because there’s a lot of albums I can’t leave out so I go for lowest number possible after filtering the initial list.
13. HALO - Young Love
Favourite songs: 느낌이 좋아 (Feel So Good), 행복하게 해줄게 (I’ll Make You Happy), 뜻밖에 행운이야 (Lucky), 잠이 안오네 (Can’t Fall Asleep)
Despite not having an official music video, HALO managed to return with their first mini album and give us an overall great album. Even if they still had their happy and youthful sound for this album, they still gave us an album full of great songs despite the apparent budget issues the company had. Feel So Good is probably my favourite title track by them as it takes the youthful bright sound and adds the right amount of funky-ness to it while also being just an overall fun song. Starting with simple keys, a funky guitar and a funky bassline, the song manages to make the most of what it has and plays all the elements in the most effective way possible. The melodic writing is complimented by the simplicity as the track is active enough to keep the listener engaged while being fun enough to enjoy the song as it is.
The rest of the album follows a similar style, fun, simple songs that are well crafted but each song has it’s own charms and quirks to set it apart. Lucky is another fun, happy song that uses more brass and bounce in its funky sound while having an interesting pre-chorus that makes use of a chromatic sort of electronic style. On the other hand, Can’t Fall Asleep is more retro inspired song that makes use of older pop song elements while still keeping the sound modern enough to set it apart. I Wanna Hold Your Hand is a more slower song that still has a lot of momentum and funk to it, making use of a funky guitar and having some beautiful harmonies within the track. I’ll Make You Happy is the slow song of the album, acting as a fan song, but it is still following the style of being happy and upbeat. Being an acoustic pop song, the song is just a fun time despite being there only being a guitar in the track and knowing that I don’t like acoustic songs, I really enjoy this. Despite them not doing well around this time and the obvious budget problems to not even have a proper music video, they did their absolute best with all the songs on the album and gave us something very enjoyable.
12. Dal Shabet - Joker is Alive
Favourite songs: OK Boy, I’m Not, Joker, To.Darling
Dal Shabet has quite an array of different types of songs ranging from the normal cute to the sexy style that was popular around this time. They are very similar to Rainbow to me in the sense where while there are a few songs I did like from them, they didn’t manage to capture me early on. However, their later albums did manage to do the trick for me with Joker being my favourite of the bunch. Joker is a more sexy song, with a lot of jazzy influences, yet it has a subtle hint of cuteness sprinkled in. The use of the horns and active piano line has a lot of variation and adds a lot of dynamics to the song. Despite its sexual undertones, the track is very active and does quite a lot to keep the listener engaged.
The intro to the album, To.Darling, follows a similar style of being quite jazzy while also being quite sexy, having an RnB flare to it. It acts as a great starter and leads into the album well. Obsessed acts a great accompaniment to the album as it has the funky elements of the songs mentioned before while also having quite the interesting pre-chorus. Its energy levels sets the pace for the album and leads into Joker quite well. I’m Not and OK Boy, my favourite songs, are contrasts to the other songs but serves as great B-sides nonetheless. The former has a lot of elements thrown into its mix, from the standard pop elements to having an interesting mix of different EDM elements, while the latter has a happier, brighter feel of a standard synth pop song that’s fit for the summer. While it may seem generic or typical to some people, the whole album has enough variation to set it apart and to keep listeners engaged while still being familiar enough for any listener to jump into.
11. DAY6 - The Day
Favourite songs: Colours, Congratulations, 이상하게 계속 이래 (Out Of My Mind), 태양처럼 (Like That Sun), Free하게 (Freely)
DAY6 is probably one of my favourite rock bands in K-pop and they started right out the gate with an amazing debut song and an amazing debut album too. As the first band from JYP, having them around felt like an odd choice considering that JYP was once known for having some of the best dancers in the industry. However, the band managed to prove themselves from debut that they are capable enough to win people over with their music.
Congratulations is an instant timeless classic with the way the song was written and produced. From the drums to the acoustic guitar strums starting the song, a nostalgic sound fills the ears as the song progresses. The song has a very 2010s pop rock formula and it plays into that idea wonderfully as it even has some variation in the song with the keys and Young K’s incredible rap verse. Congratulations is an instant classic with such oddly relatable but emotional lyrics that anyone can have a good cry over.
The rest of the album also has such a timeless sound and feel to it that anyone can go back to this album and have such an experience listening to it. Freely, Habits and Like That Sun all act as the happier, brighter songs of the album with the first song acting as a fun song while the last one acting as a song fit for summer. Out Of My Mind has quite an older, nostalgic sound that is reminiscent of the older 2000s pop rock. With a more mature sound, the song has a much lighter texture that honestly has the potential for more. Colours, being my favourite on the album, has such a darker, brooding sound to it that it leaves the listener in awe. From the opening synths to the slow introductions of the other instruments, the song takes its time to build and lets go of everything for an impactful chorus with outstanding vocals from Sungjin and Junhyeok. This album is a classified classic by sound alone and it is amazing to see such amazing work by the band since day 1.
10. CLC - Question
Favourite songs: 숨바꼭질 (Hide and Seek), Hey-yo, 어쩌죠 (What Should I Do), Lucky
CLC had an amazing debut song, making it onto my songs of the year list, while also having a really good debut album. However, the next comeback had a lot of mixed feelings as this was very focused on the cute side but people shouldn’t dismiss it completely because of that. While not my favourite title track, Like is still a fun enjoyable song which has its own little quirks. With a set of funky, quirky little samples from the synths to the horns(?) and a funky bassline, the song is more varied and active than one would expect based on visual style and concept. The percussions are also very active and varied as the song progresses and the song is quite melodically driven too as seen in the chorus. It’s a simple fun song but it shouldn’t be dismissed simple because of its style.
The rest of the album is absolutely splendid and does show a great balance of sounds that CLC is capable of before they went more hardcore later on. Hide and Seek, my favourite from the album, is a more neutral pop song, focusing on the more electronic/synths elements of a normal pop song without leaning towards any sort of specific style. It is one my favourite songs of theirs ever because of how sonically pleasing and smooth it is on the ears. Lucky also focused on more neutral sound but with a cuter lean towards it, as it is very happy without being overbearing. It has a lot of different higher synths and quite the funkier bassline at certain sections but gives an overall lower energy but happy feel to it.
Hey-yo follows a similar style as Like, having a brighter and more upbeat sound but more focused on the summer/tropical style. With a more swinging rhythm on the synths, a reggae-esque guitar rhythm and overall melodic writing, the song embodies a beach summer style in its soundscape. What Should I Do acts as the album’s ballad and it does a good job fulfilling that role. It serves as a simple pop ballad, having the standard elements such as a piano and string lines, faint synths and overall beautiful writing for it. This album doesn’t get as much attention as the others which is a shame considering CLC has some amazing songs done around this time.
9. Monsta X - Tresspass
Favourite songs: Interstellar, One Love, 훔쳐 (Steal Your Heart), 출구는 없어 (No Exit), 무단침입 (Trespass)
Starship’s first attempt at a fully Hip-Hop focused boy band, Monsta X was created from the survival show called No Mercy. Their sound may have evolved in many ways but their humble beginnings all started from a sound and album I never thought I’d love. Trespass is their debut song and has many elements of Hip-Hop and Trap, which would drive me away in many other circumstances, but their execution here somehow makes me like it a lot. Their commitment to the sound makes it all the more enjoyable as the various different synths and focus on rhythm and rap makes it feel so full and exciting. The bridge also happens to add a lot of flavour and some much needed variation as the piano and harmonies breaks up the constant hype and walls of siren like sounds.
Half of the album also takes a more Hip-Hop approach while the rest focuses on a more RnB sound in different styles. No Exit and Steal Your heart focuses on the darker, more hard-hitting sound as Trespass with the former focusing on rap and the more rhythmic style of Hip-Hop while the latter has more dynamics going on within the track and leans towards the electronic sound. Interstellar is a song performed on No Mercy and while it is a rap focused song, the soundscape is much lighter and upbeat as apparent in the horn line. There’s more groove within the song as the chorus is more melodic and plays with a lot of synths during the hook.
One Love is one of the RnB focused songs, more simpler than the rest but it has an overall smooth, sexier sounds with its use of different synths and keys. Blue Moon is an RnB focused song with a more jazzy feel to its sound as its more mellow, low-energy and focuses on the groove and vocals. Honestly is a much happier song compared to the rest of the album as the piano line is much brighter in timbre and has some movement to it. Despite them being more focused on rap and Hip-Hop in the beginning, Monsta X manages to show enough variety through their debut album to keep listeners interested and not too stagnant with enough room to make improvements and adjustments to their sound as they grow through the years.
8. Taeyeon - I
Favourite songs: U R, Stress, 쌍둥이자리 (Gemini), I, 먼저 말해줘 (Farewell)
I think I have mentioned how I’m not exactly fond of many solo debuts from people in bands/groups. Besides the fact I’m not into the dynamic of a soloist in the music, it’s also just not my type of music most of the time. But not only was Taeyeon’s solo debut one of my favourites despite not being a bias of mine, she was immensely successful too which led to everyone wanting a solo debut to be as successful as hers. I was an amazing song for her to debut with as not only did it showcase her abilities as a vocalist but it’s also a style that fit her timbre and style so well. With a more pop rock style, the guitar and drum lines add such a hopeful and inspiring sound to it while still leaving enough room to showcase the power of the voice. Having Verbal Jint as a featured rapper also added an interesting dynamic to the song.
The rest of the album mostly follows how it would be for most solo debuts, ballads to help showcase the voice and abilities of the singer. However, the ballads in this album are all very distinct from each other while still being very interesting on their own. U R is my favourite as it has all the standard ballad elements of a piano and string lines and still being able to build itself up to sound ethereal and theatrical while Farewell uses those elements to make the sound more full and having a more traditional ballad style. Gemini, on the other hand, has a more pop/RnB flavour added in despite having similar elements as U R and Farewell. It has more groove and rhythm to it which sets it apart enough. Stress is the most different song on the album as it is very upbeat and has an older pop style behind it. With its use of the active piano line and drum line, it is a song that has a lot of energy and sass behind it. Taeyeon has set the standards with this album and even if it may not seem much to some people, the success brought with this album is not something to brush off.
7. Seventeen - Boys Be
Favourite songs: 표정관리 (Fronting), 어른이 되면 (When I Grow Up), Rock,만세 (Mansae), OMG
With Pledis’s declining rate of success over time despite having some of the most unique and innovative artists like After School and NU’EST, they debuted Seventeen as their last hope. Seventeen ended up being one of their most successful boy bands in the company to this day and from debut it is easy to see why. By debuting with a much brighter and happier sound, it sets them apart from everyone else at the time and brings something fresh to people’s ears around the time. While they debuted with Adore U, our focus will be on Mansae as it is my personal pick between the two. Mansae is a song that is similar to Adore U, in the sense that it is happier and brighter than most songs while being very groovy, but elevates the style to a new height that only they can manage to pull off. While having the standard elements of funky and groovy from Adore U like the funk guitar and bass line, a very active percussion and more dynamics in the song overall, it still provides a more exciting and fresh experience and doesn’t feel stale or repetitive compared to Adore U. The chants of Mansae during the hook also adds a level of energy and excitement to the song. Personally, it provides a more dynamic and fulfilling experience as a song and anyone can enjoy it.
The rest of the album provides some of the earliest examples of what the units are best at doing doing. Rock, despite being the only other full group song, provides an amazing accompaniment to Mansae while still being different. Focusing on the more electronic/EDM elements of pop, the song has a more toned down yet somewhat darker sound compared to the title track. The different synth riffs during the sections are all different and interesting while still providing the right soundscape and style the song is going for.
As for the unit songs, they all provide a unique experience while still fitting the style and mood of the overall album. Fronting, being the hip-hop unit’s song while featuring Hoshi and Woozi, is a more chill and pop stylised song that showcases the rapper’s abilities without falling too much within the idea of them only doing hip-hop style songs. The choice of synth chords for the song all fits the soundscape amazingly well and allows the song to be smooth and groovy enough for the listener. OMG, being the performance unit’s song, is the darkest sounding song on the album but only by instrumental style choices rather than actual sound or genre choice. The song focuses heavily on EDM, which is the unit’s main focus as to allow room for them to showcase their dancing, but it doesn’t feel too repetitive or loud or even boring as it still is very dynamic and has enough changes to allow the members to sing and rap.
When I Grow Up, being the vocal unit’s song, is the slowest song on the album but that doesn’t automatically mean it’s boring. For being a pop ballad, the song is the most mellow and chill as it keeps a constant pace with its use of guitar, piano and minimal synth lines. The song is not the best example of the vocal unit’s full capabilities but this is the type of song that doesn’t need that, it’s a song that just needs the vocalists to sing and match the style and mood of the song. While Seventeen has gone on to produce better albums in the future, this will forever be one of the best overall albums they’ve made in my eyes.
6. BTS - 화양연화 Pt. 1
Favourite songs: 잡아줘 (Hold Me Tight), I NEED U, 흥탄소년단 (Boyz With Fun), 쩔어 (Dope), Outro: Love Is Not Over
BTS is back with not only the album that started their rise to stardom but the series that will forever be my personal favourite line of BTS albums. The Most Beautiful Moments In Life trilogy (or known as the HYYH trilogy when using the Korean name) is one of the most beautiful and well crafted series of albums I’ve ever heard in my life. While I do wish for them to return to a sound like this, I feel like the heights this album has reached would be near impossible to recreate. I Need U, being the the title track, is a departure from their older, darker sound and decided to use a more mature yet pop focused sound with EDM elements. The song is more mainstream and pop focused but the use of the EDM elements gives it a more intense but well rounded soundscape for such a lighter, mature song. With how well rounded the song is in terms of its sound and balance, this has stayed as my favourite BTS title track from the day it released.
The rest of the album follows a more mature sound while still having its own standout tracks in their own rights. Hold Me Tight, Moving On and Outro: Love Is Not Over follows the mature, slower sound of the album as Hold Me Tight, being my favourite song on the album, is a slow RnB/Ballad while the outro follows a more traditional ballad formula. Moving On is more of chill hop type of song as it is slow but has its own groove for the rappers to use. Boyz with Fun and Converse High are both happier, more fun songs with the former being more groovy and funky that anyone can have fun listening to it while the latter is slower but is still upbeat and happy enough to bring a smile to anyone’s face. Dope, acting as the follow up song to I Need U, is the standout track as it has a more intense but still memorable sound. The entirety of the trilogy will be some of my favourite albums in K-pop but the first part holds a special place in my heart for giving me some of my favourite BTS songs to date.
5. Red Velvet - The Red
Favourite songs: Dumb Dumb, Oh Boy, Huff N Puff, Don't U Wait No More, Time Slip, Cool World
Red Velvet has some of my favourite albums and songs from the last generation and The Red is one of the earliest examples of this. While their debut was not my favourite, they started to pick up the pace with Ice Cream Cake after adding Yeri to the lineup and it has been a good ride up from then on. The Red is an album meant to showcase the red side of their concept, being the brighter and more energetic side that includes a whole array of weird songs too. Dumb Dumb is the perfect example of that as it is such an upbeat song that uses some weird motifs and uses them in the composition in ingenious ways. From the use of the repeated dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb in the actual song writing structure to the use of some very unique horn samples and an active bassline, it’s very clear as to how this song became my favourite red title track from them.
As it is an album meant to show off the red side of them, The Red has a lot of songs that show off the upbeat nature that Red Velvet is able to pull off while still having the songs be different from each other. Campfire and Day 1 are probably the songs with the lowest energy in the album yet it still has enough momentum to keep you moving. The former has a more groovy and funky feel to make it upbeat while the latter has a more acoustic type of instrumentation but written in a way that is very reminiscent of an anime opening so it has a lot of happy energy and forward momentum.
Oh Boy is a song that relies heavy on the RnB sound and groove while Time Slip has a more hip-hop style influence while making use of the RnB chords for the chorus. Huff n Puff, Red Dress, Lady’s Room, Don’t U Wait No More and Cool World are all what you would expect from an upbeat, energetic Red Velvet song but they make use of different sounds and styles like more EDM and dubstep elements. The Red is a very active and energetic album but they all show off different types of upbeat music that it makes for a very interesting experience to anyone listening in for the first time.
4. Beast - Guess Who?
Favourite songs: ONE, Hands Up, 最後の一言 (Last Word), Only One, Stay Forever Young
After setting up their own Japanese label called Beast Music, Beast had decided to release a new song every month following the creation of their new label. Despite losing the label after losing the rights to the name Beast the following year, they still released some excellent music following the creation of this album from 2015 all the way to the next year. Despite each song on the album having a video and not having a real proper title track, I'll give this section to the song ONE as it is the first song of the album that kicked off the project and it is my favourite one. Following a more hip-hop approach to their sound for some of the songs, ONE serves as an excellent start to the album with its darker timbres and instrumentation. With how the song presents itself, it marks itself as the start of a new era for the boys and for the album.
Each song on the album is unique in their own right and brings something new to the table even if it's a style the boys are not used to doing. Songs like Only One ans Guess Who? follow the style of ONE with a more hip-hop sound with the former being more RnB focused and the latter being more trap inspired. Hands Up and All Is In U acts as the more club oriented songs with how upbeat they are while Can't Wait To Love You, #TBM and Stay Forever Young are more happier, brighter songs with some of them having a more EDM focus. Last Word acts as the album's ballad and it is one of the better ballads they've done as the writing makes use of the minimal instrumentation to make a well rounded, pop ballad. The album may not be one of my favourites of all time but it does act as the album that adds a lot of variety of their discography and marks the start of what could've been an excellent journey for their Japanese discography.
3. Lovelyz - Lovelyz8
Favourite songs: Hug Me, 새콤달콤 (Sweet & Sour), 라푼젤 (Rapunzel), Ah-Choo, 예쁜 여자가 되는 법 (How to Be a Pretty Woman)
After their phenomenal debut last year, Lovelyz marked the return of Jisoo with the album that brought what is arguably one of their most iconic title tracks in their career. Ah-Choo is not only an iconic song but one that is well done. Starting with the piano opening, the song lulls the listener into a false soundscape before the synths and percussion kicks in. The song makes use of the synths and funky bassline to create such a happy, feel good song with a catchy chorus that anyone can latch onto.
The album follows a similar style and sound that Lovelyz is known for but makes each song different and unique from each other to set them apart. Shooting Star was the album's pre-release and acts as the slow, pop ballad of the album but it still has a lot of momentum to the track. The instrumentation is very reminiscent of older ballads done by Infinite and the girls put their own twist into the song making it somewhat more of an upbeat pop ballad. Hug Me and Sweet & Sour, both being my favourite songs on the album, are both happy songs that has very different soundscapes and styles while still being bright. The former is more understated in its instrumentation and plays around within the chords used while the latter has more dynamic and is more upbeat. Rapunzel is a song that still takes the happy, bright atmosphere from other songs but adds more funky elements and makes it more swung. Following the return of Jisoo to the lineup, the girls created a well rounded album that shows off their bright charms excellently while still having more dynamics throughout the album.
2. Twice- The Story Begins
Favourite songs: OOH-AHH하게 (Like Ooh-Ahh), Truth, 미쳤나봐 (Going Crazy), 다시 해줘 (Do It Again), Like A Fool, Candy Boy
After being the show Sixteen, the final lineup from the show finally debuted as Twice. Being the first girl group from JYP after the legendary Miss A, there has been a lot of hype and pressure on them but they delivered with an amazing debut album. Like Ooh-Ahh, the debut song, is a very bright and happy song in style but has lots of quirks in its composition to make it stand on its own against other songs in the style. With its use of guitar, synths and uniquely weird chord choices, the song ends up being a surprisingly interesting experience you wouldn't have imagined from a song in this style.
The next 3 songs were first performed on the show but they all transitioned well into being full group songs for the girls and shows off different sides and skills of the girls. Do It Again is a very hyper and active song that brings out a lot of energy based on the soundscape alone. Going Crazy is a more mellow pop song that has some very bright sounds and synths and focuses more on the vocals while Truth focuses more on the groove and rhythm as there's an emphasis on the bassline.
Candy Boy is another interesting song as it plays with the mode and switches between major and minor which plays with the overall sound in the more subtle ways. Like A Fool acts as the album's ballad which is not only a good song in general but it does have more unconventional choices like having a harmonica as part of the instrumentation for an acoustic pop ballad. There aren't many debut albums that manage to blow me away as hard as Twice's does and even within the realm of their discography, it has been extremely difficult for then to top this album in terms of my favourites, at least for the next few years.
1. BTS - 화양연화 Pt. 2
Favourite songs: Butterfly, Run, 고엽 (Autumn Leaves), 뱁새 (Baepsae), Whalien 52, Intro: Never Mind
Despite Part 1 having some of my favourite songs in the HYYH trilogy, Part 2 gives me the best overall album experience which puts this above Part 1. BTS has been on a roll in terms of not only popularity but also music as this has been the most well rounded and well produced songs theyve done yet. Continuing from I Need U, Run also takes a more mature sound but in a different aspect as it has more pop rock feels to it. The song overall has more momentum to it without going overboard in its instrumentation as opposed to the EDM elements in I Need U.
The rest of the album also takes a more mature sound but takes them in a different direction just like Run. Butterfly acts as the pop ballad of the album and has very standard writing and production behind it but still manages to be a very good song on it's own. Having a standard string line and synths in the track, Butterfly still manages to be a very heartfelt and emotional pop ballad with a lot of movement to it. Autumn Leaves is a more RnB style song with the synth choices and rhythmic style but it still has a pop flair to it. Its soundscape is very full with the wall of synths and it's sound design is also very intricate with the small hints of other samples in the track. Whalien 52 is also very RnB inspired with the piano line and the use of its background harmonies but still quite a bright sound despite the sad lyrics.
Ma City and Baepsae are the standout tracks as they are the most contrasting in terms of sound with the rest of the album. The former has a more rock style, very reminiscent of the older coastal style sound while the latter has a hip-hop style sound with a lot of trap elements too, which is also reminiscent of their older sound but done in a more modern context at the time of the albums release. Part 2 of the HYYH trilogy really took whatever was done in the first part and improved in all areas as I even enjoyed both the intro and outro for the album and created the best overall experience as an album which is why it ultimately became my favourite album of 2015.
This list took a longer time to finish as classes had started in between me writing this but I finally managed to complete the 2015 section of the retrospective. This year had been one of the most iconic years in K-pop as I mentioned as many iconic songs and albums were released during this time. But now we move onto, what is probably, one of my personal favourite years in K-pop, as it brought some of my favourite songs, albums and groups of all time, 2016.
