Welcome back to our weekly music shows segment! This week, most artists continued their promotions, while ZE:A, Boyfriend, U-Kiss and Sweet Sorrow made comebacks and Crush debuted. The first place trophies were split among several artists: Infinite beat Fly to the Sky for first place on M! Countdown and won on Show Champion as well, while Gary and Jung-in won on Music Core. Vixx finished the week with their second win ever on Inkigayo. Meanwhile, it was announced that Music Bank will finally make a comeback of its own next week. What follows are my personal favorites, and I hope that you will also comment with yours.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjnEeYAn4SQ]EXO‘s “Moonlight” on Mnet M! Countdown, June 5, 2014
I adore the restraint of this peaceful performance. D.O. and Baekhyun share the duet and the circular stage as equals, and the rest of the members support with controlled, nicely choreographed gestures. Baekhyun’s falsetto is gorgeous and I’m glad to finally see a live stage of this track.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xaj-pFYqAI]Seo Moon-tak with Bak Gyeong-hui’s “Flowers in the Brilliant Light” on KBS Immortal Song 2, June 7, 2014
An innovative beatboxer opens the performance, but as soon as Seo Moon-tak enters she utterly steals the stage. A rock singer who entered the music scene in 1994, she owns the song with her indelible presence. Her talented voice projects incredible power and her stage persona is infectiously confident. This performance is a true delight.
[youtube http://youtu.be/YQszSbD_KHw]Infinite’s “Last Romeo” on Mnet M! Countdown, June 5, 2014
Infinite continue their consistent promotions this week on M! Countdown. Their live singing, energy, and synchronization are well-appreciated. Between the slick choreography and the literal sparks bursting in the air, I barely notice that Woohyun isn’t using his injured left hand.
[youtube http://youtu.be/9ORhcCXjZoE]BTL‘s “Too-G” on Mnet M! Countdown, June 5, 2014
This performance starts out a little rough, but halfway through the group’s energy picks up and by the end they sizzle with intensity. These newly debuted rookies fully commit to the performance, and a few standouts caught my attention: Robin for the dynamic way he attacks the stage and Yua for his strong voice.
Honourable mentions: Apink, Jiyeon (T-ara) Sweet Sorrow, VIXX, ZE:A
(Mnet, KBS)