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symeraid-s · 4 months

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2023 Retrospective: Album of the Year

Once again, this is a very long post, reviewing all of the albums I bought this year. They are sorted by score of the album as a whole, so the first album is the best one and the last is the "worst" one.

WOODZ – OO-LI (7,4/10)

This album really is something. It doesn’t sound like anything an idol would release at all. It sounds like an indie rock album. Colorful Trauma was already an interesting step in his discography, but this took it even farther. At this point, he should just rebrand to a rock band, because he does it better than most K-Rock bands. The packaging is fine. The version I have is the tall magazine type, that barely fits in the shelf, because screw normal shelves at this point. Different from other ones though, the CD is actually attached to the Album properly and not in a way, when it feels like it might fall out any moment. The only problem I see with it, is that the poster and postcard in it, bulk it out.

Deep Deep Sleep 6/10 – Sounds very depressed.

Journey 7/10 – Sounds very personal and was probably the best title track choice because of it.

Drowning 9/10 – Makes me feel like I have a gaping hole in my chest. Put it on repeat!

Busted 8/10 – I adore this whole song. I really do. But it also peaks in its first 45 seconds.

Who Knows? 7/10 – I want this man to be studied in a lab.

Ready to Fight 8/10 – Abandon K-Pop and go full rock at this point. I wouldn’t complain.

Abyss 7/10 – A beautiful ballad, but I never listen to it.

U-KNOW – Reality Show (7,2/10)

Another year, another TVXQ solo album that becomes one of my favourites. It’s a great pattern, I can’t lie. The entire mini album just sounds very complete. Any song could have been the title track and picking a favourite is so hard, that I just refuse to do it. It also sounds very cinematic, like you can fit each song to a scene in a movie. U-KNOW also sells all of the songs with his personality. The packaging on the other hand seems very sloppy. It’s a magazine type and while it looks fun, like an ad for the “Reality Show”, there are glaring problems. Some of the pages are glossy and some aren’t, which looks awkward. It also protects nothing. While writing this, I pulled it off the shelf and everything just fell out the bottom, because it doesn’t protect shit. They really could have done that better.

Wannabe 6/10 – It’s a perfect introduction to the album that sets the tone, however it would sound better without the female voice.

Vuja De 8/10 – The title has been an inside joke between my sister and me for years now, which makes it feel even more like it was specifically catered to me.

Tarantino 8/10 – U-KNOW does seem to like his movies, so the title checks out. He also is a smooth badass.

Relax 8/10 – A song with a specific vibe that gets elevated by U-KNOW’s personality.

Spotlight 7/10 – Sounds like the calm before the storm.

Curtain 6/10 – Would have been better as a collaboration with Karina.

ATEEZ – The World Ep. 2: Outlaw (7/10)

The B-Sides on this album are better than the title track, but Bouncy really was the best choice. The World series really has cemented a music style specific to it and I love that. None of them sounds quite the same, but you can tell they belong together. I am very sad though, that this episode doesn’t have the same style as Ep. 1. The Treasure and Fever series were designed to looks similar and even The World Ep. FIN looks similar to Ep. 1. This just seems to be the odd one out. I do think it looks cool though. There are some problems with the cover because the foil seems a bit too tight, which causes the cover to coil outwards. The CD also is not attached to anything and is protected by merely an envelope. It can be jammed into the back or front of the album pretty securely though.

This World 7/10 – I love that the first track on Ep. 2 continues the last track from Ep. 1

Dune 8/10 – Probably the weirdest song on the album, but also my favourite.

BOUNCY (K-HOT CHILI PEPPERS) 7/10 – Grows on me, the more I listen to it. It’s just fun.

DJANGO 7/10 – Probably the most cohesive song on the album.

Wake Up 7/10 – I don’t think this would make a good alarm.

Outlaw 6/10 – It’s fine, but it has a lot of missed potential.

Jay Chang – Late Night (7/10)

I was very much looking forward to his solo debut after Boys Planet finished and I have to say that it’s really good. I don’t think there is a single song I really dislike. I just wish the album wasn’t made from cardboard paper, God, damn it! Why do companies think this is good packaging? It was already slightly squished when I grabbed it in the store and I was very careful transporting it home, but it still looks like I smashed it against the wall. Luckily nothing was damaged. The photocards also look overly bright for some reason, but it might just be the lighting.

I’ll Be There 8/10 – This is my new comfort song. It just sounds like a hug.

Rockstar 7/10 – It’s not a rock song, but I’ll let it slide this one time, because I know he can do it.

Up to You 6/10 – Jay is suave enough to make this song work.

Sunlight 7/10 – Another comfort song. The lyrics are also very sweet.

I’ll Be There (English Version) 7/10 – Bizarrely, he sounds a little less confident in this version.

Rockstar (English Version) 7/10 – Just as good as the Korean version, but the lyrics are a bit awkward.

Key – Killer (6,8/10)

It’s a killer repackage (ha). All of the new songs are very good and add well onto the songs already on it. They fit in with the tracks and really do complete the album. Since my opinion on the other songs hasn’t changed, I’ll just review the new songs and add them onto the score. The packaging looks great as always with Key. The “CRT” version I have looks fun and protects the CD well, by just putting it in a normal CD box. It’s a tiny bit loose, but nothing that stands out in a bad way.

Killer 8/10 – Key could do synthwave for the rest of his career and I don’t think I would get tired of it.

Heartless 8/10 – Very mad, we never got a performance of this song.

Easy 7/10 – Vibe is: “I am mentally unwell, but in a sexy way.” Please, just go see a therapist, honey.

Kang Daniel – REALIEZ (6,6/10)

This is just a very solid mini album. I feel like Kang Daniel really knows how to make consistent music most of the time and this is a very good addition to his discography. And, like a maniac, he once more claims the best album packaging in terms of protectiveness. There is a protective plastic cover around the album and then also a box sealed with a magnet. Everything in the album also is very orderly. He really should just design all albums from now on.

Wasteland 8/10 – Sounds desolate and sets the tone for SOS really well.

SOS 7/10 – “Call an ambulance, but not for me.”

Supernova 7/10 – Reminds me of something I can’t place, but it’s a banger so it doesn’t matter.

Liar 6/10 – Well, self-reflection is the first step to getting better.

Dreaming 5/10 – Sounds empty.

VIXX – CONTINUUM (6,6/10)

After a way too long hiatus, the concept kings of K-Pop are finally back. And even though it’s just half the group, this was a very solid comeback. Though there wasn’t really a concept. I guess it might have been Parallel but taken seriously. It does feel very good to have them back regardless. The album design kind of triggers a pet peeve of mine though. And that is clear plastic covers where you can see the glue holding it together. I don’t know why, but it just looks ugly to me. The album does very much fit into the plastic in a way that it’s not too loose, but also not to tight though, which is nice.

Amnesia 7/10 – The chorus is a bit too generic for me and the weird clicking/beeping noise in the background throws me off, but I still like the song.

Chemical 6/10 – Needs a better chorus, but otherwise slaps.

Lilac 6/10 – A nice ballad, but not much else.

Savage 8/10 – Should have been the title track. Also, Ken in this song continues to prove that he’s vocal Jesus.

If You Come Tonight 6/10 – I would come over immediately, if they’d ask me.

Key – Good & Great (6,5/10)

I think this isn’t Key’s best work. Some of the B-Sides sound too similar too each other. On their own, I think I would love them all, but after each other, I sometimes can’t tell where one song ends and the next one starts. There is one stand out regardless, aside from the title track of course. Conceptually, the packaging of the album is really cool but there are two issues I have with it. The first is that the File version, is way too big. I own a lot of big albums, but I seriously had to lower my shelf to get this album to fit in (I need a new shelf…). The other is with the different versions itself. Only the File version has a regular CD. The other versions that exist either are digital or use a mini-CD. Who the hell uses mini-CDs in 2023?

Good & Great 7/10 – Yeah, he better fucking get paid for constantly releasing good music.

Can’t Say Goodbye 7/10 – Fun to listen to.

Intoxicating 6/10 – Sounds way too similar to Can’t Say Goodbye.

Live Without You 6/10 – Just very generic

CoolAs 8/10 – I’m 100% convinced that this song was originally called “Cool Ass”. Also, I strive to be as suave as Key.

Mirror, Mirror 5/10 – The token ballad on the album.

PURPLE KISS – Cabin Fever (6,5/10)

Probably their most solid mini album so far. It doesn’t have something like Love is Dead on it, but all the songs are on the same level, which makes it feel very complete. However, the album already arrived damaged because it’s basically just cardboard paper. Come on, RBW. Stop doing this! Nothing in the album was damaged, but still… PURPLE KISS’ album packaging really seems to get worse.

Intro: Save Me 7/10 – Not their best intro but featuring some of their best vocals.

Sweet Juice 7/10 – The lyrics can be a bit wonky at times, but their voices carry it wonderfully.

T4ke 7/10 – Could have also been the title track, but really works better as a B-Side.

Autopilot 7/10 – Very sweet lyrics and vocals. A comfort song.

Agit 6/10 – Cute, but they also sound bored with it.

So Far So Good 5/10 – Good vocals, but not their best ballad.

TXT – The Name Chapter: Temptation (6,4/10)

All of the B-Sides on this album are better than the title track. Sugar Rush Ride isn’t necessarily bad, but there are some issues I have with the song. The other songs on the album just sound way more complete. The packaging of this album seems very half-baked. The book itself looks nice and protective, but once you open it, everything just falls out, because nothing is attached to it. Also, when you open the photobook, it creaks, and it shouldn’t do that. It’s a sign that the album isn’t bound properly, and the spine might break.

Devil by the Window 8/10 – Not title track material, but very good. It was also very funny to see catholic K-Pop fans lose their minds over the devil being mentioned in the lyrics.

Sugar Rush Ride 6/10 – Solid build up and anti-drop, but sadly the second half of the chorus is awful.

Happy Fools 5/10 – Not the worst collaboration to come out of HYBE, but I could do without it.

Tinnitus (Wanna be a Rock) 7/10 – The song slaps, but please stop naming your songs while drunk.

Farewell, Neverland 6/10 – Nice closer to the album.

Lee Seung Yoon – Shelter of Dreams (6,3/10)

Lee Seung Yoon is not really a K-Pop artist, but more an indie rock one and I can’t believe he didn’t slip onto my radar sooner. His voice is very nice, and the album is fine. The packaging is also very solid, being a box protected by a paper cover. The cover can get damaged easily, but the CD is very secure.

Hero Collector 7/10 – Sounds happy and sad at the same time without the two moods clashing.

Unsubtitled 6/10 – He should collaborate with WOODZ.

Some Some Some 7/10 - Sounds oddly upbeat, but like it hates itself for being like that.

Shelter of Dreams 8/10 – It’s lamenting, yet also very beautiful.

Poetic License 5/10 – A boring ballad. I don’t have anything else to say about it.

Summer in 1995 5/10 – An album can only have one really amazing ballad, I guess.

Wild Horse 8/10 – Makes me want to go for a run. Also, the guitar riff is really cool.

Pricey Hangover 8/10 – I don’t think rock music would help with your hangover, but that doesn't mean, I won’t try.

Upon a Smile 6/10 – It could do a bit more with its chorus.

Harder than a Prayer 5/10 – It’s lamenting, but in a boring way.

A Sip of Song 6/10 – The one song, where it actually would have been really funny if it were short.

Nickname 5/10 – Would have fit better near the beginning of the album.

CIX – OK Episode 2: I’m Okay (6,3/10)

This single album is very soothing to listen to. The only song I regularly listen to is Save Me, Kill Me, but the other songs are also nice. The album is a standard-book-style packaging. It’s nothing too fancy, but it works just fine, and the colour scheme looks nice. The CD is also properly attached to it, which seems to be so rare nowadays. The one problem I have with it, is that the pages of the photobooks seem hard to flip through properly.

Back to Life 6/10 – Sounds very soothing.

Save Me, Kill Me 8/10 – Tears my heart out.

Curtain Call 6/10 – This is what I imagine a star shower sounds like.

Color 5/10 – Would be better without the rap part.

PITTA – BE FREE (6,3/10)

Hyungho continues to bless us with his amazing voice, which really is the main reason I bought this album for. That, and the fact that it has a live DVD included with it, which I haven’t watched yet. It also chooses the best form of packaging: A box with a magnetic lid. It’s simple, but it works really well.

INTRO 5/10 – I’m pretty sure this has the voices of the other FORESTELLA members mixed in.

CARPE DIEM 6/10 – Gives me Bon Jovi vibes.

SMOG 6/10 – Perfect proof that insane vocals don’t immediately make a ballad good.

BE FREE 8/10 – Sounds like it should be a James Bond theme song.

DANDELION 6/10 – This is what I imagine heaven sounds like.

UNIVERSE 7/10 – Sounds very ethereal.

Red Velvet – Chill Kill (6,3/10)

It’s the first album I bought of Red Velvet. I’m not usually a fan of them, and I also don’t like the title track as much, but all of the B-Sides are really good, so I just had to get my hands on it. I guess people had a point with that: Their B-Sides are better than their title tracks. The version of the album I own, is an individual member version. Specifically, Irene’s. She’s… certainly not my favourite, but the normal version didn’t look structurally sound at all, so I got it regardless. It is a bit confusing, because I first thought that it might be a magnet box, but no, you just slide it out the top or bottom. Though there is some resistance to this, it still slides out to easy for me to be comfortable with.

Chill Kill 6/10 – If the first half of the chorus were better, this could be their best title track.

Knock Knock (Who’s There?) 7/10 – Could have also been the title track.

Underwater 6/10 – The right amount of boring.

Will I Ever See You Again? 6/10 – The chorus is a tiny bit too generic for me, but the verses are beautiful.

Nightmare 7/10 – More proof that songs called Nightmare can do no wrong.

Iced Coffee 5/10 – I… don’t get what the song name has to do with it.

One Kiss 8/10 – A Red Velvet song with an actual good rap part? In 2023? Also, their harmonies.

Bulldozer 8/10 – A Red Velvet song that actually shows personality? In 2023?

Wings 5/10 – Sounds a bit like a children’s song.

Scenery 5/10 – Sounds like it should be in a mafia movie.

Taemin – Guilty (6,2/10)

For his first solo comeback after his military hiatus, it’s fine. The title track certainly is the best song, and the rest is fine. It’s not something I feel incredibly strong about, but I do appreciate its existence. Taemin also took a page out of Key’s book for the album design. It’s a shoebox. Like… something you keep memorabilia from an ex in. He’s very much feeding our delusions and I love it. The disk still is properly protected, and the inserts are all fun, though I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with just one shoelace. ARMYs immediately cried plagiarism though, because it supposedly resembled V’s album design, but there is a very clear difference between the two. One is a shoebox, and the other is designed to look like a package you receive in the mail. One is good, the other is incredibly sleep including.

Guilty 7/10 – Sounds a tiny bit like a cult indoctrination, which is very fitting for Taemin. But he’s also too good for this song.

The Rizzness 7/10 – Hilarious but also cool at the same time. Only Taemin could make that work, really.

She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not 6/10 – Sounds a bit like it features NCT.

Not Over You 6/10 – Feels like swimming through sludge.

Night Away 5/10 – Seems to summon sleep instead.

Blue 6/10 – Does feel and sound blue.

ONEWE – Gravity (6,2/10)

This is an English album. You really should keep that in mind because I completely forgot. The English versions of the songs aren’t bad by any means, in fact, at least one is actually better than the original. In my opinion of course. Feel free to disagree. The packaging is very loose, causing everything to almost fall out just for grabbing the album off the shelf. The design of it is also kind off odd, with the picture on the front being printed with the long side on the bottom. The name of the album however, isn’t written on the short side, but the long side which causes the album to look a bit weird.

Gravity 7/10 – Yonghoon’s vocals are absolutely fantastic, and the song shows them off nicely, but I wish there was a bit more too it.

AuRoRa 7/10 – The English lyrics for this song are really nice.

Parting 6/10 - Sounds like they are cramming to many words per line.

Regulus 5/10 – A little too much autotune for my taste.

Montage_ 7/10 – Not as good as the original, but still very nice.

Rain to Be 7/10 – The transitions don’t seem to work quite as well in English.

Ring on my Ears 5/10 – Gotta love a man with piercings, but this ain’t it.

Trauma 6/10 – I… have no clue what this song is supposed to be about.

Logo 6/10 – Sweet, but also boring

End of Spring 7/10 – Actually sounds better in English. Probably because it sounds like an Avicii song.

Crazy Good 5/10 – The chorus is… not good.

PURPLE KISS – FESTA (6/10)

This might be their weakest release so far. I never really listen to any of the songs. The only reason why I got it, was basically just for completion’s sake. The album design is also baffling. Not only does the box look like there needs to be more filler material to not let everything fall inward, but it also comes with just a mini-CD. …didn’t I just go over this? No one uses mini-CDs. Some computers can’t even read mini-CDs. Luckily mine can, I just don’t understand, why it’s not a normal CD. Maybe because of production costs? But even then, it can’t be that much more. And if that’s where you’re failing, then I fear for the future.

7HEAVEN 6/10 – Their vocals are great as always, but they can’t save this song on their own.

Biscuit 6/10 – I don’t like the chorus.

Mistake 6/10 – Probably the best of the three songs, which is sad.

SHINee – HARD (6/10)

It really hurts me to say this, because SHINee is one of my ult groups, but I did not like this album that much. To be completely fair, a huge fault of that is the title track and I do think, that any of the B-Sides would have worked better as the title track. But none of them necessarily stuck with me, aside from two songs really. Also, they made the impossible, possible by creating multiple songs that actually sound better, when it’s just Minho, Key and Taemin performing them. Actually insane. In another first from SHINee, the packaging is actually really good. It did take me an embarrassing long second to figure out how to open it, but it’s surprisingly protective. It even has a magnet protecting it. The only complaint I have with it, is that I wish that the disk wasn’t just shoved into an envelope, but was properly attached, but I guess we can’t have everything.

HARD 4/10 – I believe there is a good song hidden in here, but it was split into so many parts that it’s unrecognisable.

Juice 7/10 – My favourite song on the album, ironically. Also, sounds better without Onew, which should be considered a hate crime.

10X 6/10 – The chorus is almost painfully generic.

Satellite 7/10 – The verses could be a lot better, but the chorus does save the song.

Identity 7/10 – My favourite song on the album, unironically. Should have been the title track, tbh.

The Feeling 6/10 – Very sweet song for Shawols, but the vocals and instrumental sound a bit… off.

Like it 6/10 – A bit generic, but still fun.

Sweet Misery 6/10 – Would sound better as a Taemin solo.

Insomnia 6/10 - Would sound better as a Minho solo.

Gravity 5/10 – Drags you down.

The Rose – Dual (5,9/10)

This album was very much an impulse buy because I really like Back to Me. The other songs on the album are not as good as that song and are pretty mediocre, but I can’t say I regret buying the album regardless. They did choose the very best type of packaging as well: a box with a magnetic lid. The disk is properly protected and there really is nothing to complain about.

Dawn 5/10 – Fine as an intro

You’re Beautiful 6/10 – Man, how whipped can you be for your significant other?

Nauseous 6/10 – Very generic.

Back to Me 8/10 – I don’t think I ever will get over these lyrics.

Lifeline 6/10 – Kind of a Nothingburger.

Dusk 5/10 – Weird place to put this song. I completely skipped it by accident.

Angel 5/10 – A nice ballad, but nothing special.

Eclipse 6/10 – Here I’m running out of things to call things mediocre with.

Alive 7/10 – A little too much autotune for my taste.

Cosmo 6/10 – Sounds like End of Spring by ONEWE.

Wonder 5/10 – Reminds me of Coldplay (derogatory).

INFINITE – 13EGIN (5,8/10)

It’s not their best album, but it’s just very nice to have them back. And under their own name in their own company no less. I really hope this wasn’t just a one-time thing. The packaging is very good. It’s a box that protects the CD properly and has a photobook for each member, which is something, I don’t think I have ever seen. The box also, despite being simply black with their logo on it in gold, looks very fancy.

Intro: 13 3/10 – Very unpleasant to listen to. Especially with headphones.

New Emotions 6/10 – Not their best work but the chorus has no business being so smooth.

Time Difference 8/10 – A beautiful song that shouldn’t be relegated to being just a B-Side.

TXT – The Name Chapter: FREEFALL (5,7/10)

The album took a while to grow on me, but the more I listen to it, the more I like it. There are some baffling choices this album made though, but I’ll mention it when I talk about specific songs. The album packaging also is really weird. You are supposed to rip one side open and like… damaging an album like that is always not good. Everything else is also just kind of shoved into there. It doesn't fall out because of there are folds on the top and bottom, but they also cause some problems with the photobook. The book is attached to the back and if you try to casually browse through the book, the pages constantly brush against the folds, which is mildly annoying. I also don’t understand, why they made random posters of buildings and walls instead of the members. Like, sure that’s what I would put on my wall.

Growing Pain 8/10 – Maybe it wouldn’t fit, but it would have made a much more interesting title track. They do make this style work.

Chasing that Feeling 6/10 – Baby’s first synthwave song. It seriously sounds like a first draft.

Back For More (TXT Ver.) 5/10 – Wow, just… just, wow. Why would you remove Anitta’s verse? It’s the best part. Did you want to make this song more generic? Is it because fans were being weird? And also, this is the collaboration you want to erase, HYBE???

Dreamer 5/10 – Way too much autotune. I’m so sorry HYBE would do this to you, boys.

Deep Down 6/10 – Could be better, if the chorus wasn’t so painful.

Happily Ever After 5/10 – Painfully generic

Skipping Stones 7/10 – Would be better without the Autotune, but still good.

Blue Spring 4/10 – The vocals at the beginning are painful to listen to.

Do It Like That 5/10 – It’s just a huge pile of nothing. Also, this is the collaboration you chose to keep on the album?