Best of Weekly Music Shows: 10/7 - 10/13

Welcome to another recap of the week’s music shows! This week saw a multitude of comebacks: SHINee, IU, Kahi, T-ara, AOA, Nine Muses, and MYNAME, to name some of them. This was probably a week where the number of come back stages exceeded the number of regular performance ones. Busker Busker nabbed wins on four of the five music shows, with Block B overcoming both Busker Busker and G-Dragon to grab their very first win on a music show on the last, SBS Inkigayo. Congratulations to both! Below are my favorite performances of the week, but please comment with your own as well!

IU’s “The Red Shoes,” Mnet M! Countdown, October 10, 2013

The song’s a playful one, from the start’s little fight over shoes to some of IU’s solo dancing here and there to the exaggerated faces on the dancers. The aesthetics, from the grand ballroom look to the reds, whites, and blacks on the performers, all work nicely together to add the to the showtime feel. It’s very theatrical and makes for a great performance. Dare I say that her scandal did her some good, letting her break somewhat free from her “little sister” image?

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaJYquIegvA]

Jung Joon-young‘s “The Sense of an Ending,” KBS Music Bank, October 11, 2013

Jung Joon-young’s voice is thick and fabulous, and although I prefer “Spotless Mind,” this song isn’t a disappointment either. As a debut song, it’s on the safer side — none of his rocker screams here — but its movement suits the content.

Block B’s “Very Good,” MBC Music Core, October 12, 2013

I’d a say a win is a pretty good way to anew, yes? Especially against such stiff competition. B-bomb is looking dashing while P.O.‘s rockstar hair and attitude are favorites. The boys are high energy, as always, and it’s great to see their personalities shine even through colorful suits with little things like Taeil forgoing one of his high notes to fake-punch out Zico and a lot of the roughhousing.

SHINee’s “Symptoms” + “Everybody,” MBC Music Core & SBS Inkigayo, October 12 & 13, 2013

This will probably be one of the only time where I actually want a group to have and promote two title tracks, the above two songs being it. “Symptoms” live is simply fantastic, aside from that thing on Onew‘s head. The song just swells and moves with great flow that’s mimicked in the choreography.Thank goodness it isn’t interrupted anywhere by a rap. “Everybody” is the fitting counterpart with its emphasis on dance performance. The toy soldier concept is so intricate, and I’m curious to see how they’ll do singing live with it.

Kahi’s “It’s Me,” SBS Inkigayo, October 13, 2013

Everything about this performance screams confident woman, from the ensemble of a suit jacket and pants, crop top, heels, and messy hair to the choreography and song. The low tones of the entire song, including Dumbfoundead‘s rap, lend an air of anticipation about the performance, almost captivating in a sense. Kahi’s obvious dancer background shines through, giving her obvious comfort in her moves that adds to the show.

MYNAME’s “Day by Day,” SBS Inkigayo, October 13, 2013

MYNAME’s comeback is a sleek one. The song’s on the quieter and emotional side, and the darker clothes and softer vocals complement that. My favorite parts are the ones where the members are alone or with just the dancers on the stage. Insoo‘s first solo lines and dance, in particular, were well done and eye-catching. The entire performance just sweeps you along with its consistent bounce and long movements.

(Mnet, KBS, MBC, SBS, YouTube [1][2][3][4])