Aside from our residential troll (Aiya!Tuc), we like to keep the focus of Kpop on the music. In most cases, we do that by writing music reviews on the latest singles and albums released by all our favorite idols, indie gems and hip-hop peeps.

Today, I present a monthly blog post entitled “Month In Kpop“, where I gather all the reviews we’ve written in a month and also highlight the “Five Star Reviews” ~ or ~ the McRoth’s Residence reviews that received a perfect score of five stars out of a maximum five.

Below is the full batch of reviews we wrote in the month of January*. There are heaps of them, so if you missed one or you’re in the process of catching up, this post will make it easier to navigate through McRoth’s Residence and hopefully it’ll introduce you to music that you might’ve missed along the way.

Also, if there were releases that we didn’t review, make sure to share all your suggestions via the “suggest a review” link above. And remember to follow me on twitter @rothsresidence and like the blog on Facebook. Enjoy!

*it’s worth noting that not all songs/albums reviewed were necessarily released in this specific month and the dates shown are the dates when the reviews were published.

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[Single] Heenain – “Aniya”

““Aniya” portrays a hazy break-up story narrated through layers of whispers and whines. The song itself fuses beatbox and blues quite beautifully and pairs really well with Heenain’s voice…[it's] an expressive and tantalizing piece of music that is filled with dark overtones and glossy transitions. It’s edgy, urban, and kind of masterful.” (January 5)

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[Album] Yoon Mi Rae (Tasha) – “Yoon Mi Rae”

“As a record, ‘Yoon Mi Rae’ is a period piece of South Korea’s obsession with R&B sounds during the late 2000’s. Rain, SE7EN and BMK had success with this sound, and idol power players Brown Eyed Girls made their debut with this style of music as well. ‘Yoon Mi Rae’ is full of those tropes, with smooth R&B tracks, mournful piano ballads and bombastic hip-hop songs to keep the album from sinking into depression.” (January 13)

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[Album] Monotoi – “Gloomy Cat”

“For a Korean musical group that I’ve never heard, and I’ll take a guess that neither have you, Monotoi blew me away. A very clear concept throughout the record, individual tracks that surpass anything I’ve heard of in terms of production and arrangement, and then some, and the ability to do all of that without a single lyric, astounds me.” (January 21)

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[Album] Navid – “The Bridge of Color”

“Navid definitely leaves a strong impression in “The Bridge of Color.” Each song speaks in different tones but they come together under one marvelous voice. Navid’s melodies are strong and they pierce right through the soul.” (January 23)

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Reviews In The Month Of January
(January 4) (4/5 Stars) [Single] Shingun & taesabie – “이 또한 지나가리라”
(January 4) (4/5 Stars) [Album] Huckleberry P – “Man In Black”
(January 4) (3/5 Stars) [Album] MIB – “Most Incredible Buster”
(January 5) (3/5 Stars) [Album] TEEN TOP – “It’s”
(January 11) (3/5 Stars) [Album] MBLAQ – “100% Ver.”
(January 11) (3/5 Stars) [Single ] Super Junior’s Donghae and Eunhyuk – “OPPA OPPA”
(January 11) (2/5 Stars) [Single] Nine Muses – “News”
(January 13) (4/5 Stars) [Album] Sunny Hill – “The Grasshoppers”
(January 17) (4/5 Stars) [Single] FT Island – “Distance”
(January 17) (4/5 Stars) [Single] SPICA – “Potently”
(January 19) (2/5 Stars) [Album] AZIATIX – “Nocturnal: Deluxe Edition”
(January 20) (3/5 Stars) [Single] Baby Soul & Yoo Jia Feat. Infinite’s Dongwoo – “She’s a flirt”
(January 26) (3/5 Stars) [Single] BEAST – “I Knew It”
(January 27) (2/5 Stars) [Single] Dal Shabet – “Hit U”
(January 28) (3/5 Stars) [Album] Brian Joo – “Reborn Part. 1″
(January 29) (4/5 Stars) [Single] B.A.P, Not Your Normal Bowl of Bap
(January 29) (4/5 Stars) [Album] B.A.P – “Warrior”
(January 31) (3/5 Stars) [Single] EXO – “What Is Love”