May 2023 Directory
A guide to the past month of podcast episodes and articles!
On 17 Carat K-Pop
ENHYPEN’s Epic Tales: A guide to all the major references, from Bach to Greek mythology, in ENHYPEN’s DARK BLOOD mini-album! That analysis comes after a recap of ENHYPEN’s Webtoon, DARK MOON : THE BLOOD ALTAR, and a re-interpretation of some past music video details in light of the Webtoon’s context.
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D-DAY Deep Dive: A track-by-track analysis of Agust D’s D-DAY album, interpretations of the “AMYGDALA” and “Haegeum” music videos, and an assessment of the profound social commentary underlying all of SUGA’s work.
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K-Pop Talk with Krysta Youngs: Singer-songwriter and founder of The Haus of Creativity Krysta Youngs talks about writing for BIGHIT artists, a song that almost went to BLACKPINK, working on “The View” by Stray Kids, experiences with songwriting camps, and more!
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Billlie’s World 2.0: After decoding all the clues in the Billage of perception: chapter three and the corresponding track videos, I present several theories about Billlie’s musical world. I reach several conclusions about Billlie Love’s true identity, what really happens at the 11th hour, why the group actually DOESN’T want to succeed in finding Billlie Love, and how the books the videos feature provide big hints!
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PURPLE KISS!: Meet multitalented, underrated girl group PURPLE KISS! In addition to a catchy discography, this group astounds with the ways the members weave spellbinding stories that balance cuteness with kookiness, fun with feelings, and humanity with supernatural traits. This episode follows their mystical narrative in its entirety, told through both lyrics and music videos!
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NCT Talk, Vol. 17: DOJAEJUNG & The Dream Show: Part one of this episode: a recap of the highs and lows of NCT DREAM’s Chicago tour stop! Part two: the most noteworthy aspects of NCT DOJAEJUNG’s debut, from hidden details in their videos to the best song lyrics!
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SM 3.Whoa: What went wrong with E’LAST’s North American tour, how BLACKPINK ticket prices led to legal disputes, some intriguing and overlooked details in the “SM 3.0” announcements, the debate over the Lee Seung Gi Law, details about Rain’s new movie, and more of the latest K-pop/music industry headlines!
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Sphere I Am: ENHYPEN's odd new gig, controversy over TV show hires, the best of Coachella, the most interesting comments in Mr. Bang's Billboard cover story, a rapper's ban from Hong Kong, rumors swirling over an award show's cancellation, a heated Reddit discussion, and SO much more!
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“DARK BLOOD” Recap: All the notable details in ENHYPEN’s “DARK BLOOD” comeback trailer and my previous predictions about what this era would have in store!
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Best New Music: April 2023: A ranking and review of the 20 best new K-pop, J-pop, C-pop, and P-pop releases!
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My Writing
DARK BLOOD and ENHYPEN’s Humbling Journey
A Guide to TAEYONG’s Solo Songs
The Best New Music: April 2023
Ra.D Talks About “Kidult,” “always,” and More!
Jay Marie on Moving to Korea, Working with HYUKOH, and Much More
“What an Irony”: Puer Kim on Life’s Simultaneous Highs and Lows
Isaac Hong Talks Inspiration, Differences Between Competition Shows, and the Role of OSTs
The SEVENTEEN Files, Ch. 3 (paywalled)
The SEVENTEEN Files, Ch. 4 (paywalled)
The SEVENTEEN Files, Ch. 5 (paywalled)
The SEVENTEEN Files, Ch. 6 (paywalled)
Sources and Further Reading
The psychological impacts of listening to Bach, especially “Chaconne”
More on the power of music
The rise in Latin music’s popularity in the U.S.
A look at trends in the VFX industry
Bang Si-Hyuk’s Billboard cover story
The discovery of a flower species that was named after BLACKPINK’s Lisa
The opposition companies have to the Lee Seung Gi Law
K-pop fans upset with rising ticket prices
Censorship of musicians and comedians
The epic poem The Divine Comedy
In Search of Lost Time: a series by Marcel Proust
Enchanted Night by Steven Millhauser
Matilda by Roald Dahl
P.S.
Here’s an interview with the artist behind the “death by a thousand cuts” visualization I mentioned in my Autism Acceptance Month speech!