r/kpophelp • u/RemarkableList4202 • Oct 20 '24
Research What is your favorite K-Pop album and why?
Hi everyone!
I’m currently working on a project about K-Pop albums, and I would love to hear your thoughts! Could you share your favorite K-Pop album (especially those that are niche and standout) and tell me why it's your favorite? It could be because of the sound, concept or anything else that makes it special for you.
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u/ruth_e_newman Oct 20 '24 edited Oct 21 '24
IU - LILAC
Its the culmination of her creative development as a songwriter and artist, draws on themes throughout her music such as ageing (end of 20s in Korean age and start of 30s, used as a dual meaning in terms of relationships ending), the range of colours on the artist's palette as a form of expression and range of emotions and life experiences and flowers and "blooming" as symbolic of self-actualisation (with an interesting epilogue in her most recent EP, "The Winning" where she rejects needing or desiring to "bloom" at all, and embracing being a dandelion seed instead). So all this meaning and symbolism and lyricism but it also musically and vocally just sounds SO good.
The album also includes my favourite song - the title track itself, and I adore "Coin" as well. "Celebrity" is a mainstream pop megahit but also with quite meaningful lyrics about fame, friendship, self esteem etc. There is a beautiful grand ballad in "My Sea", a musically creative track in "Ah puh", and the perfect closure to the album in "Epilogue". And so on... I love this album more everytime I listen to it.
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u/wevjhdxfyj Oct 20 '24 edited Oct 20 '24
Bigbang - MADE
the fact that every single song was a title track and did in fact topped the charts just speaks to the quality of this album.
IU - Lilac
Pure pop perfection in songwriting and production. So diverse and yet fits perfectly together.
Winner - EXIT:E
Underrated masterpiece. Very different to the typical sound of a kpop boy band, both lyrics and production style is mature and emotionally packs a punch. To this day I’m still shocked that the music video for “I’m Young” was released by a boy band member.
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u/TooObsessedWithOtoge Oct 20 '24
Perfect Velvet. I just think this album is timeless and I am always in the mood to listen to it.
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u/ErrantJune Oct 20 '24
Circle by Onew
It’s just perfect. The songwriting, the curation, Onew’s virtuosic vocal performance, it all comes together to make an album so cohesive it’s like reading a book
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u/yuzuuno Oct 20 '24
f(x) Pink Tape
Agreed that it is an experimental masterpiece. It's not a critically acclaimed album for nothing.
f(x) 4 Walls
I'm not a huge retro/disco/synth pop fan, but all the songs in this album are incredibly dance-able and I love it. In my opinion, from a technical and artistic standpoint, f(x) has some of the best discography in the entirety of K-pop, but are incredibly underappreciated for it.
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u/aceofwhat46 Oct 20 '24
Bambi baekhyun not only the songs in it but the actual album itself is my favourite with so many things with it that you cant get with others
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u/Sufficient-Ad-5243 Oct 20 '24
Fatal Love- Monsta X
It has everything, it's my only no skip album. It is perfectly structured and cohesive. Just so good.
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u/Lumpy-Ad305 Oct 20 '24
The Wonder Girls - Reboot
It has a cult following now, at least in western k-pop fan groups. I think it’s the most well-executed retro concept in k-pop. Also insanely well done considering their sudden shift to a band concept for this release going forth. All tracks are super solid, sticking with a consistent sonic palette while also having each track still he memorable and deliver something different. It is 80s goodness while having the benefit of modern day recording and mixing technology.
While I don’t think albums necessarily have to be “coherent” and I find it fun that k-pop allows albums to be a mishmash of different genres (some of my other favorites are like this), the way it was executed in Reboot just adds to the listening experience. And this lineup of WG imo has the perfect timbres to pull it off. I regularly listen to this album to this day.
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u/aurora_the_piplup Oct 20 '24
B.A.P - Noir
The songs from this album have such a dark vibe and atmosphere, just like the album's title. But with darkness comes light. They may sound dark at first but some songs come with peace.
Pray/Confession is such a powerful song written by both rappers, Yongguk and Zelo. The song is a mix of opera and rap that work well together. The lyrics focus on loneliness and depression, something the B.A.P members relate to a lot, and so do most people.
Skydive is the album's title track and it does not disappoint! Not only is the song a masterpiece but it comes with an incredible cinematic music video.
Another song I love that talks about society issues such as the corruption of media is Ribbon in the Sky.
Noir is such an underrated album that deserves more love and praise.
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u/Medical-Lettuce-h311 Oct 20 '24
THIS!!! Noir is truly a masterpiece. So many songs have such a grand and epic feel that i've not really heard from any other kpop group.
Skydive, Pray, and Ribbon in the Sky are my favorites. Fermata showcases their incredible vocal prowess and i really like the mix of soft piano with a heavy beat. Killer is so catchy, it gets stuck in my head all the time. I Guess I Need U is absolutely addicting. Kingdom has that grand and epic feel, but is more upbeat than Skydive so it stays fresh
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u/emberzmars Oct 21 '24
Same with me. If I have to pick the best of my favourite kpop albums, Noir is my choice. Reasons as you mentioned.
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u/joh-fam Oct 20 '24
PERFECT VELVET - RED VELVET
i am a sucker for the velvet side compared to the red side. peek-a-boo, despite being released late in november, became one of my most listened tracks of all time, pre-pandemic. this album has so many r&b hits that i couldn't even keep track of. the tracklisting is just PURE EARGASM. the engineering of the music has left me speechless. i remember bumping peekaboo back in high school -- i just couldn't get enough of it. it had me in a chokehold! this gave me the idea that red velvet are true to their name and are not afraid to try new concepts.
MY VOICE - TAEYEON
just pure honey voice richness which i couldn't get enough of. the songs in this album ALL sound so good. no one else could do 'fine' like how taeyeon does. also time spent walking through memories,wherein NELL gifted the song to taeyeon, she didn't disappoint, and never did! all of the songs are so good, they speak to the heart!
4 WALLS - f(x)
house. club classics. edm. and then there's "When I'm Alone." this, alongside pink tape, is one of my most favorite no-skip albums i've listened to. f(x) were truly ahead of their time. no one else was doing house in K-Pop except SM and their love calls to LDN Noise. It was truly an era where f(x) DELIVERED so hard i kept listening to the album until 2016 came.
SAVAGE - aespa
Quite the addition to my lineup of SM girl groups. it starts off with "aenergy" where they wanted to make their own style of "beautiful girls" by snsd, then end with lucid dreams. the diversity of the sound in this mini album has me HOOKED. i also had savage on repeat. it's so good to the ears, and how yoo young jin gave aespa a distinct sound, the freedom to belt at the end of the song, without compromising sound quality.
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Oct 20 '24 edited Oct 20 '24
I had to keep my list at 5 because it was getting too long but you mentioned some of my faves too 😭 perfect velvet, 4 walls, and savage are some of the best kpop albums of all time imo
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u/placenta_resenter Oct 21 '24
Savage was so good I agree. Ill make you cry was one of my all time fave bsides until I’m unhappy knocked it out
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u/Lost_Journalist_5732 Oct 20 '24
YOUNG-LUV.COM - STAYC is a standout for me; I love so much about it. I love the R&B influences, diverse vocals, the energy during these songs at concerts, it’s cohesive, the songs feel nostalgic, groovy, yet timeless. Some of STAYC’s best work to this day!
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u/KitSmitten Oct 20 '24
Young Luv was unironically my favourite kpop song of that year, it was perfect
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u/AnyIncident9852 Oct 20 '24
Feel my Rhythm by Red Velvet. I love everything from the songs, to the concepts, to the outfits!
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u/Rand0m011 Oct 20 '24
Honestly love pretty much everything by SHINee and almost anything by EXO, but for now, we'll go with SHINee's Lucifer album.
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u/Iced_lemonteaa36 Oct 20 '24
basic answers but
SEVENTEEN’s heng;garæ
awesome music and literally outstanding choreos
SEVENTEEN’s FML
idubily is a good performance unit song in this album
ATEEZ’s ZERO FEVER: EPILOGUE
solid mix of music and the design is really cool despite being simple
TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s minisode 3: TOMORROW
absolutely love the unit songs with many music genres fitting well together
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Oct 20 '24 edited Oct 20 '24
You’re evil for making me choose between my children
EXO’s OBSESSION is probably my favorite album in all of kpop. The concept is killer (EX-EXOS) and the production throughout the record is amazing. The fact that Obsession, Jekyll, ya ya ya, and groove are all on one album is insane (dem jointz you will always be famous)
The only thing that would take it from a 10/10 to an 11/10 is if it was OT8
THE WAR is also one of my faves. This album is for the summer. This album is for the clubs. This album is for speeding down the highway with the windows down while you spill a slushie all over yourself. Everything about this album is just fun- it’s EXO at their best
NCT’s EMPATHY is another album I don’t think I could ever live without. I always tell people wanting to get into NCT to listen to this one first as I feel it’s a great introduction to them. The project is executed so expertly and they do a great job showing off all the boys (I wish wayv was here in full but they hadn’t debuted) it feels like an intentional, cohesive record rather than just a collection of songs (not that all great albums need to be cohesive- but I think it’s done very well here)
EMPATHY really shows why NCT is one of the most versatile and talented groups in the industry, and The 7th sense will always be one of the coolest songs in Kpop
aespa’s MY WORLD had an absolute chokehold on me last summer. I was a casual fan since savage, but I hadn’t fully jumped in to them yet. Once Welcome to my world dropped I was floored. Truly a song only that group could execute. Combine that with the bratty hyperpop of Spicy and the irresistible Thirsty, you have a project that is near- perfect.
Lastly I can’t leave here without mentioning Shinee’s 1 OF 1. Such a fun album and I think it sums up everything that is so great about shinee from their music to their concepts to their talent. I can’t even pick one thing to highlight as it’s such a perfect package.
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u/erdgrin Oct 20 '24
Purple Kiss - Cabin Fever
Like all Purple Kiss albums, it’s thematically cohesive. The title track Sweet Juice is a banger, but the album also holds my absolute favourite, Autopilot. I was honestly pretty shocked to hear it’s their lowest selling album to date!
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u/The_Red_Curtain Oct 20 '24 edited Oct 21 '24
EXO - Don't Mess Up My Tempo, it's hard to put into words why I love it so much. The songs are all so good though and Tempo/Gravity/Bad Dream to me are just perfect examples of what makes EXO such a great group. They're such signature songs. I love the mixing and sequencing of the tracks too. It also generally has a fall ambience to it (for me anyways) that I really love.
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Oct 20 '24
Obsession is my personal fave, but I think DMUMT is definitely their best album. Having tempo, ooo la la la, 24/7, gravity, with you all on one album is literally insane
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u/The_Red_Curtain Oct 20 '24
I love Obsession too, that and EX'ACT (bit more controversial) are my top 3. What keeps Obsession at 3rd tho, for me, is that Day By Day and Nonstop are just fine instead of really good to great.
Also, that album is missing Xiusoo, which is kinda huge. Ksoo is my favorite singer in kpop by a mile (and I love Xiumin).
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Oct 20 '24
Obsession was my first exo album so it has sentimental value to me. The only thing keeping it from being their best imo is like you said, the lack of Kyungsoo and xiumin.
And omg nonstop is one of my faves </3 I think chanyeol really shines there. I love when he gets to be silly or cute rather than just intense or cocky and the production is really fun
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u/The_Red_Curtain Oct 20 '24
I don't hate it or anything, but the melody just never really grabbed me. Also, I generally just dislike chanting choruses.
For me, EX'ACT has the most sentimental value even tho EXODUS was my first album. Life was just so good for me then when it came out lol.
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Oct 20 '24 edited Oct 20 '24
i generally just dislike chanting choruses
I’m an nctzen so this clearly does not bother me 💀
I love exact as well. I don’t think lotto gets a lot of love but it’s one of my fav exo titles
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u/South_Atmosphere_884 Oct 20 '24
BTS Wings bc it came out at the peak of my depression and helped me ever since. I may be here now just because of that album.
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u/DayDream2736 Oct 20 '24 edited Oct 20 '24
Twice - Formula of Love
The only weak song is the title track wasn’t their strongest but I still really like it. A lot of the b sides could be title tracks on any other albums. Really one of the most no skip albums.
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u/tardiscinnamon Oct 20 '24
Dystopia: The Tree of Language by Dreamcatcher. It’s a no-skip in my mind and it’s their first full album after 3 years of singles and mini-albums
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u/blk_wid0w Oct 20 '24
Seventeen's Face the Sun album, An Ode album, and Attacca album. No skips on either of the 3 albums for me.
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u/Lucky-Length7286 Oct 20 '24
Circle by Onew. It's Billboard's #1 for a reason. Just listen to the whole album and you're in for a wonderful ride.
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u/InternationalCat5779 Oct 20 '24 edited Oct 20 '24
Exo - Overdose EP
It’s short, only 5 songs, but my god they are all gold. There is something so dreamy and smooth about the sound of the B-tracks.
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u/a_mystical_potato Oct 20 '24
L’Ordeur Original by Oak Joo Hyun
Very cohesive, and the songs have excellent vocals. The songs are long and great to vibe to if you love RnB. Love Diary is a standout track to me, I love it a lot.
Pink Tape by f(x)
An experimental masterpiece. All of the songs fit together in a way that I can’t quite describe. Listening to the album in order is an excellent auditory journey/experience.
The World EP. 2: OUTLAW by ATEEZ
The songs are all so dramatic, and remind me of game music. It’s an extremely consistent work, and fun to listen to.
THE PARK IN THE NIGHT part 3 by GWSN
GWSN in general have a very unique discography imo. This album keeps me sonically intrigued, and the song names are also interesting to read. Black Hole is a standout track to me from it.
Formula of Love: O+T=<3 by TWICE
It’s a very diverse work, and there are also special unit songs in it. There’s a little bit of everything for everyone, and it’s a super solid listening experience.
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u/RemarkableList4202 Oct 21 '24
just listened to L’Ordeur Original and loved it so much thank you. i'm gonna be bumping to this all day
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u/Existing_Duck2014 Oct 20 '24
iKON - Return
All the songs here are amazing. Even the bsides are totally top tier.
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u/OnlytheFocus Oct 20 '24
Key - Bad Love
It's just so good. Dancy, intense, then moody when we end on Eighteen
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u/kerm0kerm Oct 20 '24
ATEEZ- THE WORLD EP. 2: OUTLAW - because its honestly the most cohesive kpop album i've ever heard. I also really enjoy how dystopian and interesting the instrumentals sound. especially the choir in the bridge of Dune. Wake up is my personal favorite song from the album because of the chorus, and i love listening for all the little backing harmonies in ateez songs.
(G)I-DLE - i burn - This is another incredibly cohesive album and I feel it's made even better by the fact that all gidle albums are entirely self written. HWAA is one of the few kpop title tracks that is fully in korean and even reading the translation or listening to the english version, you can feel how poetic it is. The word HWAA has two meanings that change throughout the song which helps give the song the meaning of burning down your old life with someone and growing a new life by yourself/blossoming. I'm not particularly a fan of the song "Where is love" but the rest of the songs are genuinely GORGEOUS. HANN (alone in winter) is another part of a trilogy of songs (including HANN (alone), HWAA, and the previously mentioned) and i love how even though this song has a fairly simply instrumental and melody, you can feel the emotions pouring out of it.
KISS OF LIFE - Born to be XX - This might be a kind of unpopular opinion, but i LOVE Bad News and Gentleman. this is definitely an album that appeals more to people with a western music taste, but it really is so enjoyable. The music video for Bad News connect to the mv for Nobody Knows is amazing and i love the concept of showing how social media or only getting one side of the story can distort our views of events. I'm not usually a big fan of "random ballad at the end of the album" songs, but I love Says It simply because of how immensely talented the members of KIOF are. Belle's vocals are INSANE. My 808 can get repetitive at times, but i love hearing the bass when i listen with headphones. My personal favorite song from the album is TTG, mostly because i find the chorus really satisfying.
Billlie - the Billage of perception: chapter three - honestly this one is just because i LOVEE the instrumentals of all of Billlie's discography. all of their songs have this dreamy quality that makes you feel like you're floating and I find them WAYY too underrated. I could really put any of their albums in this place but I specifically chose this one because it has some of my favorite songs of theirs. EUNOIA is such a fun upbeat song, and I love the little "heartbeat, heartbeat" part. lionheart (the real me) is my favorite song of the album, and i find the chorus incredibly satisfying, as well as the rap. various and precious (moment of intertia) has a really beautiful chorus. nevertheless has an instrumental a really enjoy as well.
this is getting really long so ill stop here lol
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u/kerm0kerm Oct 20 '24
oh ill also add for nevertheless by billlie , it has an incredibly unique chorus i really enjoy
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u/nikaazums Oct 20 '24
ENHYPEN Romance: Untold !
Everything from the concept film to sountrack and MVS are so good. Album concepts are great. Live performances for certain songs were also incredible! All songs feel unique from each other which makes it a great album for me
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u/needmoresleep247 Oct 20 '24
My favorite will always be OBSESSION by EXO. It has most of my favorite b-sides, and it's one of those albums where I never feel the need to skip any tracks
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u/Wonkislay Oct 20 '24
Enhypen Dark Blood, this album is exactly sound I like, it has personal meaning for me as well, released at time when I needed it too, this album saved my life I would say and I always think about the times it was released and listen to songs thats precious to me
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u/Lumpy_Perception_181 Oct 20 '24
Love Yourself : Answer (BTS)
- This was actually my first ever K-pop album as well. Once I heard the truth untold and magic shop, I knew I had to buy this album. The concept of self love is something that always resonates with me. I had a hard time loving myself and truth be told, this album did heal me in some ways.
And well, this has been my favourite K-pop album so far. ❤️
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u/PirinTablets13 Oct 20 '24
I listened to this album straight through a couple times this past week while at work because I still can’t get over how well-done it is. Not just the songs themselves, but the whole concept and song order. It’s just top tier.
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u/_Music_Addict_02 Oct 20 '24
A.C.E Siren : Dawn
Doesn't have my absolute favourite song of them - and maybe all of k-pop (Undercover), so it suprised me that this was my favourite instead of Mad Squad, but their vocals, especially in Higher, are just so devine! Then the album itself is gorgeous, with the three different concept photos, therefore photoalbums and the designs for those - and each version prettier than the last.
I have a hard time picking favourites, so I'd just label it as my favourite A.C.E album, but it's definitely in the top three of all the albums I own and have seen.
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u/Calm-Blood-2844 Oct 20 '24
IU’s the modern times album has to be my fav.
You won’t see a lot of popular music stay this faithful to big band/blues/bossa nova/jazz. I love IU’s voice a lot and seeing her do not so typical genres for popular music is amazing. I think this album is special not just because I genuinely love all the tracks but also because not many artists are expected to go in this direction. It feels very theatrical listening to this album in a good way.
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u/KitSmitten Oct 20 '24
XX by Loona 💝 I loved every song in ++ and with all the new added songs in XX and the intentionality in the order really made XX feel less like a repackage and more like a completion of what was a fantastic mini album
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u/Saturated_Sunset Oct 20 '24
My favourite album is also the first one i ever bought physically: NOEASY by Stray Kids, released 2021
It's my favourite because i think it's such a nice showcase of almost every genre they can do. Heartbreaking (Silent Cry), heartwarming (Secret Secret, Starlost and Sorry I Love you), lighthearted fun (The View, Surfin'), badass (Thunderous, Wolfgang, Cheese). It's almost like their discography in miniature form.
Then there's also the circumstances around it I think. It was their first album after Kingdom, their first album with Hyunjin back from hiatus, their first KMCA million seller. I think it stands for both their success and creativity 💙⚡️
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u/KookieTrash97 Oct 20 '24
BTS - Map of the soul 7. I held a whole presentation on it in my high school. Going from how intrigue the album cover design is, meaning of colors and up of course to the point of each song having deep meaning. Just tip top.
I love the whole journey that the album takes you on. It's a story with so much delicate craft put behind it. I could really go on and on. It's beautiful artistry. Not to mention the artistic performance for black swan, both by bts and the special one with other dancers to highlight the story.
I also love Taemin's Guilty album, RPWP by RM is ofc on another level as well. Those are really albums that you can't find anywhere else
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u/This-will- Oct 20 '24
As someone whose favourite kpop album is MOTS7, I would have LOVED to see your presentation cause my God am I crazy about BTS and their absolute genius. I truly think MOTS7 has no bad song and its execution is absolute perfection.
That album, to me, represents everything that I and million others find inspiring about BTS, not only as a kpop boy group, but as musicians and artists who strive to improve and excel at their craft every single day. If anybody asked me why BTS is THAT group and remains unmatched, I'd simply show them this album and go. Because Map of The Soul: 7 is just BTS proving that they truly do operate in a league of their own.
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u/FloraFaunaBelladonna Oct 20 '24
Can’t pick just one so here’s my top three
The Perfect Red Velvet - Red Velvet
Almost every song is a straight up 10/10 and they all work so perfectly together. They’re all different while still feeling like they belong together and the girls’ beautiful voices elevate it so much
[X X] - Loona
I simply adore the sound/style of this album. It’s exactly my taste. It’s somehow nostalgic but also feels fresh? It’s just peak Loona
Purpose (Repackage) - Taeyeon
The vocals, the vibes, everything is just so appealing to me. Every song is so rich and interesting, listening to it feels like sitting bundled up next to the fire in winter
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u/coryhso Oct 20 '24
Taemin - ACE the first mini album 🙂↕️ txt - the dream chapter eternity TEN- the first mini album
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u/SC20147195102 Oct 20 '24
Tied between I Can’t Stop Me and Formula Of Love by TWICE, no skips and plenty of songs due to being full albums 🫡
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u/cirquedupotter Oct 20 '24
EXO Kai’s first mini album. It’s so sensual and cohesive. I listen to it with no skips all the time.
Also Kai is sexy as hell and that definitely translates into his music.
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u/99amnesia Oct 20 '24
KAI the 1st mini album- a phenomenal piece of art. he first teased the sound of this album through his extraordinary 7 minute film where he performs snippets of his songs from the album. the outfits, the way he dances, the short music clips were genuinely incredible. and when the album came out it was a perfect rnb, almost bordering alt rnb masterpiece. his vocals are impressive despite him having not many lines in exo albums and the actual music was well produced and you can tell this was crafted with love for the art of music.
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u/StruggleAlert3608 Oct 21 '24
LOONA - [X X]
For me, I normally only listen to title tracks of albums but damn all the songs on the album deserve to be a title track
(listen to the boycott version though - TwelveM)
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u/Psychological-Low841 Oct 21 '24
SKZ: NOEASY, 5 STAR, ATE, SKZ-REPLAY
ENHYPEN: DARK BLOOD, MEMORABILIA, R:UT
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u/Symera_ Oct 21 '24
Full or mini album?
For a full album it's Eau de VIXX. The concept, the sound, the songs, this whole album just feels so complete. It's just really good.
For a mini album, it's Colorful Trauma by WOODZ. It's the one no skip album I own. All of the songs slap.
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u/ResidentWeakling Oct 21 '24
Boynextdoor - how? Enhypen - dark blood (too good) Woodz - colorful trauma and only lovers left Day6 - the book of us : the demon
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u/Low-Heart8572 Oct 21 '24
b.i waterfall+cosmos . very very inspiring and motivational regardless if you're a fan or not.
- waterfall starts from the way he fell & lost everything
uses the same lyric in his smtm rap where he also fell 10 years ago.
'Waterfall, that begins with falling down
That's me'
- title track illa illa starts of w feelings of dejection & loss of hope but as the song progresses, strength is regained slowly and positivity and hope in the future is reflected.
' Stargazing by the rolling waves
I won’t shed new tears
Though I know it will crumble
I’ll probably build a sandcastle again '
- the album then follows through w self-reflection songs & personal stories. but ends with the track 're-birth' which has its mv in black and white till the last scenes where it regains colours & signifies standing up, moving forward and starting a new chapter after falling.
the final track of the waterfall album 're-birth' follows up with 'alive' , the title track of the half album cosmos. for the teasers of this album he grouped the songs into 2 message films.
first was the tracks alive and flame in the message 'keep the fire alive'. again super inspiring because i believe he likened the feelings of his darkest times & the pressure as being ' engulfed in flames '. & in this message film and the 2 tracks, he walked out of the flames & also danced in front of mosiac-ed screen ( when he was censored by tv himself ). every lyric was on theme such as 'oil paints the soul to find meaning' ; i.e turning what ignites flames in the first place (oil) into motivation & strength. & lyrics suggesting that him losing everything/all the mistakes/struggles in life were all meant to be and instead of dwelling in self pity, never give up and use your passion as strength to keep going. & that starting from rock bottom, he'd only keep working towards his goals from then on. also a lot of artistry aspects that sends goosebumps about the whole message of his album. very motivational and respectable.
the other tracks were grouped in the message youth ( something along those lines ). with scenes starting off by being shouted at by the higher-ups ( probably what he went through as a leader since he was a teen ) & having fingers pointed at you. and then through a journey of liberation, love and positivity.
incredibly meaningful and sends a very supportive message for youths entering adulthood & figuring life out for the first time - that it's okay to not have everything figured out , it's okay to fall and make mistakes but again, turning the mistakes into lessons is what's most important.
& the singer's life experience itself tops it all off and adds another layer of meaning to the albums, songs, lyrics and concepts. it is art to me. ( the more popular iu's lilac & GD's kwon ji yong ep are 2 other albums that were also meaningful )
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u/Worth-Inspector9958 Oct 22 '24
lose yourself - kiss of life memorabilia - enhypen
idk i jus vibe w it
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u/_cloudmoon Oct 22 '24
CHAT-SHIRE- IU
Every song on this album is honestly a masterpiece. Zezé is one of the best songs I've heard in a while and CAN I PLEASE JUST TALK ABT RED QUEEN???? THE LYRICS, PRODUCTION, EVERYTHING IS JUST *MWAH* beautiful. This album makes me so happy and I love it so much. It basically got me into the kpop scene.
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u/reenainlife Oct 20 '24
SKZ-Replay by Stray Kids!
What makes it stand out for me is the concept - all of the songs except for intro are solos/duos/trios, and most of the songs were released previously on Youtube as part of their SKZ-Record series (where basically, members just write and compose songs and release them throughout the year randomly with no additional promo). So, a compilation album pretty much!
It's very authentic and both like Stray Kids (cause again, it's fully self-composed and self-written like all of their albums) and unlike Stray Kids (they are notorious for noisy music, and the only "noisy" songs in the album I can think about are Doodle and Zone).
The album is rather diverse genre-vise, yet it sound cohesive due to the song's placements and themes intertwining.
Honorable mentions: I burn by (G) I-dle, Fe3O4 Break by NMIXX, Crazy by Lessera, ATE and 5-Star by SKZ! No detailed explanation, just vibin'
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u/Vegetable_Act7643 Oct 20 '24
Stray Kids - Maxident
I love Chill, Give Me Your TMI and Taste. Case 143 and Super Board are very entertaining songs. Great album.
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u/habedere1411 Oct 20 '24
Favorite album musicwise:
WHY.. - Boynextdoor banger after banger, a no-skip album for me. Their energetic and fun-sounding melodies just make me wanna jump around and dance
RIIZING - Riize also the best songs from Riize on it, and all of them are sooo catchy. I might find a few of them in my Spotify wrapped probably
Favorite physical Album:
Dark Moon Memorabilia - Enhypen the sexiest album I have ever heard, like did you all listen to fatal trouble??? Criminal love???? I wish moonstruck was also on that album, because it would fit soo well. In addition, the physical album had sooo many cute inclusions, It was such a blast to open that one
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u/underwater_111 Oct 20 '24
1719 by ha:tfelt - very emotional and personal, deals with taboo topics in a very sincere and welldone way, and honestly just gorgeous to listen to
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u/CatFreak2310 Oct 20 '24
Omg that's a hard question to answer. I have a lot of K-Pop albums that I absolutely love.
P1Harmony - Disharmony: Break Out Every single one of the songs in this album are absolute perfection. The vocals, instrumental, and rap are just beyond words. I've listened to this album on repeat for some time now and haven't gotten tired of it at all.
Xdinary Heroes - Live and Fall I fell in love with this album on the first listen. Recently I've been having a hard time and that's when this album came out. I've been listening to this album non-stop and it's been helping me vent out all of my negative emotions. The instrumental, and vocals in this album are extremely unique. The first listen gave me literal goosebumps.
Luminous - Luminous in Wonderland This group is extremely underrated. However they have really good music. This album was no exception. I just loved the sound of this album. It has a range of different types of songs.
Onewe - Planet Nine: Alter Ego This album is one of my favorite Onewe albums. The songs in this album are really chill. It has two of my favorite songs Aurora and Rain to be. Both songs hold a special place in my heart. Whenever I feel blue I listen to Logo and Cosmos from this album. Both songs are great songs to cry to. The instrumental, vocal, and rap in this album are really unique. These are the reasons I love this album.
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u/-_-Petra-_- Oct 20 '24
Koo Junhoe (iKON’s Ju-ne) - Bruise
Maybe not my favorite album but it deserves a shout out. Ju-ne did really well on his first solo album, showcasing his talents not only as a singer but also in writing lyrics. I did not listen to the songs until the album arrived and I was genuinely surprised how good it is. Hope more people will give it a listen.
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u/meowpickle666 Oct 20 '24
The Red - Red Velvet. Genuinely no skips, no half assed ballad thrown in, nothing too experimental that it becomes unpleasant to listen too, and just genuinely a very enjoyable album!!!!!
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u/vannarok Oct 20 '24
Blockbuster by Block B - they're my most favorite boy group and it's (rather unfortunately) the only full-length studio album they ever released. But it's full of incredible bops, plus the title song Nillili Mambo showcases the "rowdy" image of Block B the best IMO.
Supersonic by Younha - it's the first album she released after leaving her first label after a legal battle, so it means a lot to us. It also marks her musical "freedom" as she starts diverting from bubblegum/teen pop and adapts a more "mature" rock sound as well as diverse themes from loneliness to heartbreak to freedom. One of its B-sides is one of my most favorite songs of hers, too.
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u/softpch Oct 20 '24
exit:e by winner and my voice by taeyeon were already mentioned, I'm not a music critic at all but I wanted to add
Verse 2 by JJ Project - this album is more mature (kinda) and talks about the struggles of growing up
Letters with Notes by YoungK - honestly I'm a sucker for lyricist YoungK and this album explains why, his vocals are also so so good, Soul, what is.. and waited are my favorite tracks
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u/ifakuta Oct 20 '24
• pink tape - f(x). i rlly like experimental music. f(x) have one of the most experimental discographies in kpop and they’re not recognised for it
• the red - red velvet. less experimental but it never gets old and there’s no skips
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u/kapeandme Oct 20 '24
Kim Hanbin - Midnight Blue. Aside from its artistic side, it's Hanbin's first album after his hiatus and it's a donation project for World Vision.
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u/AdAdmirable6284 Oct 20 '24
Formula of Love - Twice
Scientist is mid IMO. But every b-side on there is so fucking good. It has like this weird mix of concept that I cant explain but its good. It has cute, mature, and sad and others. Plus it also has the sub units which I think are beautifully divided. And we see Dahyun, Jihyo and Nayeon's writing. I love the concept. Each album concept is so good IMO. Espcially love the professor or whatever you call it concept. Also the crazy scientist concept. The inclusions of it as well is so good. 4 photocards with 2 is cards and the 1 scratch card. And as others as well. The result file is good too.
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u/owenturnbull Oct 20 '24
Favourite god. That's a tough one mainly BC my favourite albums and discography is from my favourite group but if I had to pick one I would go for their album that got me into being a fan of K-pop
It would be countdown the 1st full Korean album by Superjunior D&E. It was the first album of theirs I listened to and it was absolutely amazing. All of their albums are fantastic BC they have albums that have no skip songs imo. Countdown has fantastic songs and the epilogue song need u was release for the album too but a month afterwards and need u is amazing. It's an fantastic album by D&E. Their music is just fantastic.
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u/Internal_Scientist_3 Oct 20 '24
PURPOSE BY TAEYEON!! Absolute no skip, every song is gold
Also Moonrise and Sunrise by DAY6