Best of Weekly Music Shows: 2/16- 2/22

Happy Lunar New Year, readers! Say goodbye to the year of the horse and hello to the year of the goat! While this holiday is great in many ways, its effect on the weekly music shows was not; It was a slow week this week. No debuts, no comebacks, and M!Countdown and Music Bank didn’t even air. On the shows that did air, it was 4Minute’s week. They won everything, even M!Countdown. However, the slow week was not lacking in great performances. These are some of my favorites.

4Minute “Crazy” Arirang Simply K-pop, February 20, 2015

The great thing about the first week of a comeback is the tight camera angles that follow the MV as closely as possible. The great thing about the second week of a comeback is breaking away from those same shots to get new angles. This is my favorite 4Minute performance of the week because of all the long shots. Being able to see the power these ladies exude takes “Crazy” from a ten up to an eleven.

G-Friend “Glass Bead” SBS MTV The Show, February 17, 2015

I fully concede to not being much of a cute fan, but “Glass Bead” is really growing on me. The mid-2000s sound, the vaguely pop-rock tendencies, and G-Friend themselves make this song work. The girls have a lot of confidence and stage presence, each giving their all to the performance. What cinches it, though, are their surprisingly powerful vocals. Keep giving performances like this, G-Friend, and you can count me as a fan.

Amber “Shake That Brass” MBC Show! Music Core, February 21, 2015 Neil

Amber and horns, ‘nough said. This is one of the best combinations since chocolate and peppermint. Amber is so at ease that it seems like she doesn’t care if she’s singing for a full house or three people as long as she’s singing. The inclusion of Luna as her guest vocalist is the cherry on top. The two group-mates have such a great rapport, built on years of performing together. Seriously, I am now aware of a burning need for an Amber/Luna sub-unit. SM, get on that.

EXID “Up and Down” MBC Show Champion, February 18, 2015

I’m still not sick of it! “Up and Down” is one of those few songs that can be listened to for months without it getting old. The saxophones, LE‘s rapping, Solji‘s killer vocals and the sass pouring over the whole track makes this a song that I can, have, and will gladly continue to listen to for months on end.

9Muses “Drama” SBS MTV The Show, February 17, 2015

9Muses is a group that tends to be better performers then they are technicians, which means their stages are usually excellent. I enjoyed all of their performances this week, but The Show won out as the best. Out of all their stages, this was the one that really let 9Muses’ vocal skills shine, and proved that they still have what it takes. The outfits were an added bonus, as well.

What were your favorites of the week, readers?

(YouTube  [1], [2], [3])