04 April 2022 - It's all about the Music 🎶

Okay, so before I disappear off back to school for Easter (yes, obviously I’m talking about Hogwarts Legacy) and end up forgetting to post again, I thought I’d better check in and have a K-Pop catch up. I’m not intending to do any more 24 hr stints, but you never know. I get so engrossed with the game, and exploring both Hogwarts and the world outside it, that I don’t realise how much time has passed, and suddenly it’s 3, 4 or 5 am. That’s why I’ve had to give up playing on work nights (yes, I was still happily exploring a bandit camp at 3am on Monday morning) 🤦🏻‍♀️.

However, I am now on leave until next week 🎉 so can justifiably immerse myself, but first I have to watch the last episode of My Lethal Man, which I will be watching once I’ve posted this. I also want to play the new EXO game that a fan created, which can be found here, so I’m probably not going to go back to Hogwarts until tomorrow evening – I have laundry and other chores, including buying some food, to do tomorrow during the day and don’t want to be distracted or too tired to do them.  

So, it’s a new month and as I said yesterday (and is posted at the top of the sidebar ➡️), I have a new playlist. It currently stands at 79 songs – Merlin only knows how big it will be by the end of April. The March playlist topped 400 tracks in the end, mainly because I found a Spotify playlist that has a lot of new Korean music, which is updated daily, and added a lot of it to my already quite extensive list. To make it more manageable (if it can be called that at 400+ tracks 😂), I removed a lot of the Original Soundtracks (OSTs) to their own playlist and also moved some of the more obviously traditional Korean artists that I like but aren’t really K-pop to their own playlist too, as well as removing the stuff that I probably wouldn’t want to listen to again, whatever mood I’m in. However, as with previous months, as I come across new artists and discover songs I missed, they will be added if I think they’re worth being on there, as has already happened with previous months.

So, from that behemoth I had to add to my 'top 3' playlists for albums, EPs and singles (as defined by Spotify). I was actually quite confident about all of them, until I found that bloody playlist and some absolute crackers that I would never have known about otherwise.

In the end, it was a difficult choice for all three categories, but after some really tough love – I dread to think how much time I’ve spent listening to all these tracks over and over – I did manage to get the top three albums:

Onew (SHINee)– Circle (I couldn’t not, seeing as he's my ult of ults 💖).
Kingdom – History of Kingdom Pt VI: Mujin (this album is better than the last, in my opinion, and that was in my top 10 of the year for 2022, so it couldn’t not make the list).
BamBam (GOT7) – Sour & Sweet (just an amazing album from start to finish). 

However, although they didn’t make it to the playlist, I really want to give a shout out to JJax, Cosmic Boy and heyden, who all made me agonise for a good long while, and who are all well worth checking out.

I also managed, with even more difficulty, to decide on the top three EPs:

Sion – Live (probably not a surprise to anyone given how much I’ve raved about him recently).
Weder – Nera (a complete surprise and so totally different from anything else on the playlist, but I fell in love within the first few seconds of hearing it).
Lꬾren – Put up a Fight (another very late entry and it’s totally 90s indie rock but so good).

Here I really want to shout out to Gaho, who was in the top 3 right up until I heard Lꬾren (sorry, dude 😔, but your EP is absolutely ace). Also, Trade L and Futuristic Swaver.

I also want to recommend Xikers (labelmates of Ateez), whose debut EP, House of Tricky: Doorbell Ringing, I would definitely have hyped here had I not been MIA at the time – watch the MV for the lead track to make up for me missing it on release day.

The real problem came with the singles. Unsurprisingly, there were loads that I really enjoyed, so it was a battle to cut them down. To do so, I had to discard tracks by Sion and Zior Park (which I deemed to be OSTs to say a 😢 farewell to them) as well as many other artists I both know and love, or just found and have become attached to. In fact, as I write this, I still haven’t managed to choose a top 3.

I have created a new playlist (yes, I know, but seriously, I love a playlist 😂) containing the 7 tracks that I just can’t choose between. Which 3 do I keep? Which 4 do I have to drop? It really is impossible for me to choose, so I have no choice but to resort to other opinions. I’ve posted the link to the playlist on Facebook in hopes someone might give it a listen and comment about one or more (but no more than 3 😂) tracks they like. I have also given the playlist to Quincy (I even created it in Apple specially for her) so she can tell me her top 3. I’m not sure it will help, but it might focus my thoughts a bit . . . maybe. Should you feel the urge to tell me your favourite track (or 3) from the 7, please do so.

Anyway, despite the huge monthly playlist, that I listened to multiple times over the month, I did still have time to listen to other stuff too. Most notably, again, the tracks from Song of the Moon by Zhang Binbin (Vin Zhang) and a lot of other Chinese music, too (especially Lay (EXO member and general powerhouse) and Lu Han (ex-EXO member, of whom I’ve recently become reacquainted with his solo music - although I was surprised that he came top). Also shocking (for me anyway), was that Pentagon didn't appear anywhere in the top 10 😱.

My Receiptify Spotify stats for March are as follows:

Here are the receipts for my all-time Spotify listening:

The most interesting thing, to me anyway, is that Kai’s (EXO) Mmmh has finally dropped from the top spot in my all-time tracks list, replaced by D.O’s (EXO) That’s Okay. I have always been amazed that not only was it top in the first place, but that it remained there for so long (given that it was released in 2020). I do like the song a lot, but not as much as several others on the list, and definitely not as much as the one now in first place, which is a beautiful song (it's considered the healing song in Korea). I really was a good EXO-L and streamed the album, and that song in particular, very well. I also did the same for Kai’s release this month, as can also be seen above – but not enough to beat Binbin (those 2 tracks really are my comfort songs), and with so much other stuff to listen to I doubt they will remain in the top 10 for long.

However, if I continue listening to the current favourites playlist (and I am being a bit obsessive about certain songs so it's highly likely), I think iKON and Stray Kids could be on next month’s receipts, as well as Baekhyun (EXO), probably.

Wow, how many links? Yep, I totally missed the midnight deadline thanks to them😂.

Well, I think that’s it for now. All that’s left is to wish Eunhyuk from Super Junior a really Happy Birthday 🎂🎁🎉

Finally, finally, I want to say a big🎉WELCOME BACK🎉to Taemin from SHINee, who finished his military service yesterday. I look forward to a comeback from the band shortly and, no doubt, a solo album by him.

Welcome back, Taemin

I’ll see you tomorrow . . . probably . . . maybe 🤷🏻‍♀️.