Welcome back, readers, to the Best of Weekly Music Shows! While things were slow on the debut front, the summer comebacks are continuing full speed ahead. We saw comebacks from Map6, Big Brain, Tahiti, Oh My Girl, and Jonghyun, plus even more. The awards this week were ladies’ choice, or rather a choice of ladies, with AOA and Twice as our frontrunners. AOA took Show Champion, The Show, and Music Bank, while Twice got M!Countdown and Inkigayo. Yet with Twice winning a triple crown on M!Countdown and Jonghyun on the horizon, who knows how next week will turn out.
“Journey To Atlantis”, Laboum, Show Champion, MBC, May 25, 2016
[youtube www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOTQMMLpjDE]“Journey To Atlantis” is the perfect song for the turn to summer. It’s bright, it’s catchy, it’s lighthearted. What makes this stage stand out is the camera work, which goes for everything from long shots to close-ups to overhead shots. Not only does this help the simple choreography look fresh, but it provides a lightheartedness that matches the song.
“Tinkerbell”, April, The Show, SBS MTV, May 24, 2016
[youtube www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpvIqriLkew]No, you’re not miscounting the members; there are only four girls on stage. Hyunjoo has had to go on hiatus for health reasons, and I wish her a speedy recovery. However, the four remaining members cover for her without missing a step or skipping a beat. Seriously, having to rework choreography that’s already been committed to memory is hard, and I respect April for getting their new choreography right straight out of the gate.
“White T-Shirt” , Jonghyun, M!Countdown, Mnet, May 26, 2016
[youtube www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ITAzmpf0dc]No disrespect to “She Is”, but this stage of “White T-Shirt” is glorious. The playful song is matched by Jonghyun’s playful performance for a fabulous summer jam. What really makes “White T-shirt”, though, are the back-up dancers. The flirty interplay between Jonghyun and the dancers elevates them from living props to performers whose role in “White T-Shirt” is just as vital in making the performance click.
“Windy Day”, Oh My Girl, Show! Music Core, May 28, 2016
[youtube www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4U7t6fVEpM]The song might be derivative, the MV might be an ethereal mess, but the choreography for “Windy Day” is banging. It’s fast paced and intense, full of unison flailing and rubber legs. Yet, “Windy Day” never loses the grace and gentleness of the song, creating a hypnotic performance. The styling needs a mention too: the ruffled dresses, shorts and cuts sleeves are stunning, matching the song and flattering every girl’s body. Whoever their stylists are, they deserve a raise.
“How People Move”, AkMu, Inkigayo, SBS, May 29, 2016
[youtube www.youtube.com/watch?v=thkgpOrwNmY]“How People Move” is silly, childish, and fun to watch for precisely those reasons. We do take things way to seriously as we get older, and AkMu serve as a 3-minute reminder that growing old may be required, but growing up is optional. The simple steps and buoyant music help emphasize that AkMu are having the time of their lives on that stage, and it just makes me smile.
Those were my favorite performances of the week. Any you think I missed? Leave a comment!
