Welcome to the first recap of weekly shows for the new year! This week, both MBC Music‘s Show! Champion and Mnet‘s M! Countdown didn’t air, leaving us with three of the regular five shows. Nonetheless, Exo was announced as winner for M! Countdown, giving them a triple crown for “Miracles in December.” On the later three shows of the week, IU managed to stay ahead of the rest even without doing promotions for “Friday.” This week saw comebacks from TVXQ, Girl’s Day, VIXX, and more. Below are my favorites, but do comment with your own as well!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKsetBcVuJU]Tasty‘s “Day’n Night (Remix),” KBS Music Bank, January 3, 2014
The duo’s performance makes me feel nostalgic. The “remix” sounds mostly like the original, aside from the oddly clashing dance break that was still fun to watch. The chorus is catchy and accompanied by easy moves. I wasn’t expecting to still like the performance so much since the song has been around for over a month.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08ipJgCk7A4]
The Boss‘ “Why Goodbye,” KBS Music Bank, January 3, 2014
This song is so smooth. The vocals pair so well to come across as soothing and non-invasive. The choreography isn’t anything special, but the song more than makes up for it. It has this heavy beat that grounds the whole song while the vocals seem like they should be drowned out by the instrumental but aren’t. I’ll be watching out for The Boss much more in the future.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwbDMkJq8_M]TVXQ’s “Something,” MBC Music Core, January 4, 2014
While the set isn’t as extravagant as it was on Inkigayo, Music Core‘s camerawork allowed for a little more to be seen of the choreography. It’s rather engaging to see how all the wires come into play on the stage without impeding any of the choreography or phasing either performer. Though I admit, I’m watching how the backup dancers arrange everything more frequently than the main performers. Also, I think I have a soft spot for Music Core’s effects, like the cheesy fire addition.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20OCrTd8duk]Moon Myung-jin‘s cover of Hye Eun-ee‘s “You Wouldn’t Know,” KBS Immortal Song 2, January 4, 2014
Here’s a no frills performance that just swells so beautifully here and there. It follows the much-used format you see on Immortal Song 2 of starting off quietly, building up something more lively, dropping it again, and then coming back full force, but that doesn’t make it any less good. Moon Myung-jin’s control and ability really shine through.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzyiQL2e3G0]Bada‘s cover of Lee Eun-ha‘s “As Like the Smiling Face on Parting,” KBS Immortal Song 2, January 4, 2014
Some of the choreography was a little jerky, but I like the arrangement of this song. In a way, it really sounds like a song suitable for a fairy, which of course, Bada is through and through. She also managed to create a concert-like atmosphere by moving to all parts of the stage and engaging the crowd at appropriate moments.
