End of Month List: February 2021
Photo Source: Wikimedia CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Well, that was a weird one, wasn't it?
February initially thrived due to late January releases, some of which only bloomed in February. Of those, I counted several as February releases anyway. After that streak of solid releases, most of the month was dead empty.
Then, the final week came, and boy was it jam-packed. I gave 5 songs from that week a 9, and I think I have been harsher than ever this month. SHINee's new album quickly destroyed the competition, while there were some solid J-Pop OST songs in this time too. There were a few solid debuts, as well as legacy act returns. My top 5 is stacked, and arguably interchangeable.
Indie acts had a particularly great month across the board, providing strong quality between the major releases. Kudos to Lili, Bonander, and Se So Neon, in particular, they returned with some great singles. Also a shout out to Shreya and Soumyadeep Ghoshal's new single, it is great.
Outside of the actual releases, there still was a lot happening this month. Several new Eurovision releases are excellent, but I am shocked and totally disappointed that KEiiNO's Monument failed to qualify for the actual competition. It is my favorite song from this year's Eurovision and nearly broke into the top 5, along with SHINee's CODE.
Also, several K-Pop songs were removed from Spotify due to the disagreements between said streaming service and Kakao M. And suddenly, J-Pop is more accessible and available on Spotify than K-Pop, which says a lot.
Korean idols also are hit by a wave of bullying allegations. Some of them seem pretty fake, but others actually have strong evidence. I just hope those guilty will get what they deserve.
And on the charts, Oliva Rodrigo's debut continues to thrive worldwide, while Laboum and Brave Girls are having much-needed, yet sudden, revivals due to some great older songs from them.
My number one pick is a masterpiece. If you have not, hear it now. Also, numbers 2-4 are arguably interchangeable.
Finally, March will be a busy month for me. Sorry if my schedule is a bit slower than it was for the last two months.
Songs of the Month
Honorable Mentions
AB6IX - Stay Young
aespa - Forever
Bonander - Gone in the Wind
C.T.O - Oh! That Girl
Charlotte Perrelli - Still Young
CIX - Cinema
Dimash Kudaibergen - Golden
DISH - Birthday
Dotter Little Tot
Duo Liang - Sword of the Martial World (Jian Zhen Jiang Hu)
Epik High - Based on a True Story
Gaho - Home
Golden Child - Breathe
IU - Celebrity
Jessie Ware - Remember Who You Are
Kang Daniel - Paranoia
KEEMBO - Inside
KEiiNO - Monument
Kero Kero Bonito - The Princess and the Clock
Kingdom - Excalibur
Lili - Reset
Lucy - Stove
Nissy - Get You Back
Parampara Tandon (of Sachet-Parampara) - Chhor Denge
Se So Neon - Jayu
SHINee - Kind, Body Rhythm, Heart Attack, Don't Call Me, CØDE
Shreya & Soumyadeep Ghoshal - Angana Morey
Sunmi - Tail
The Chain G - Love Again, Wicked Night
The Mamas - In The Middle
TRI.BE - Doom Doom Ta
Tusse - Voices
Wonho - Lose
Yukika - Lovemonth
5. Wagakki Band - Aria of Life
4. ONF - Beautiful Beautiful
3. SixTONES - Boku Ga Boku Janai Mitai Da
2. SHINee - I Really Want You
1. Shinsei Kamattechan - My War (Boku No Sensou)
Top Album of the Month
Epik High - Epik High is here: Part 1
February was so weird haha, one good thing about it (beside SHINee) is that I had loads of work so I didn't mind not being in the loop that much with all these bullying news and stuff going on. Seems like March is similar to February with barely anyone coming back at one point and then 50 comebacks in one week which is... always a fun ride.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to see I Really Want You so high hehe *-* I already said it like 5 times but I love it so so much. I'm sad they didn't promote it because I'm sure it would've been super fun.
Aria of Life is so beautiful! So interesting, both in instrumental and vocals, love it. ☆
Glad you like Aria of Life, it really is amazing!
DeleteI Really Want You was actually a few spots lower. Then, I took a drive, and I Really Want You is such a joy to listen to while running or driving, and I jumped its spot up!
ONF would probably be #2 to me.
ReplyDelete"My number one pick is a masterpiece." YES. And so cathartic to listen to. My #1 as well!
My number 2-4 are arguably interchangeable by mood. Who knows, it might rise there soon.
DeleteThere is no other way to describe my number one song. Lyrically and conceptually, there has not been such an ambitious piece in years.
I am absolutely enthralled by this list! I am going to review all of those Japanese releases really soon! My Top 5 would be Jayu, Beautiful Beautiful, Cinema, Boku Ga Boku Janai Mitai Da, and Breathe! I didn't rank them but I love them all. I expect My War to be very compelling so I might separate it!
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I'm planning to review the new SB19 single which seems to be very interesting. I hope you do too review it!
Great top 5! Surprised by Breathe, I thought you had middling thoughts over it. I'd still give it a low 8 or something like that. Glad it grew on you!
DeleteMy War is truly amazing, listen to it as soon as you can. With the lyrics of course, the lyrics are great as well.
Already wrote a review, but will wait a few days before publishing, wanting to see how it will age. Man, those transitions were confusing.
Yes I do agree about that transitions in SB19! It was off-putting at times. But it grew quickly on me because of the lyrics. It was just amazing fresh I guess.
DeleteI wish I did not always need to rely on subs, maybe some songs would be better for me if so.
DeleteBy the way, My War by Shinsei Kamattechan is UNIVERSE SHATTERING. 10/10 (Personally). It is the definitive SOTY of Japan for sure. It will definitely get a lot of awards, I tell you. I will rate it 9.75 on my blog though It was just impeccable.
DeleteLooking forward to your review! I'll be surprised if something this year can top it. But then again, I said the same thing about Wadachi.
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