Best of Weekly Music Shows: 12/31 - 1/6

And we’re back with another set of choices from this week’s music shows. Since I also selected choices for the post on the MBC Gayo Daejejun, which falls into this week’s span, I’m excluding the festival from the choices for today. This week saw performances by the Top 12 of Superstar K4 on Mnet M! Countdown while big names Girls’ Generation and Baek Ji-young–or rather, Baek Z Young–made their comebacks. The Brown Eyed Girls‘ leader JeA (finally) made her solo debut as well this week. On KBS Immortal Song 2, it was the Uhm Jung-hwa week, and several of the performers rocked it. Here are my choices for the best performances of the week! Don’t forget to comment on your favorites of the week!

Dickpunks‘ “One Candle” + “Confession” + “Red Dragonfly” covers, Mnet M! Countdown, January 3rd, 2013

As part of the Superstar K4 group, Dickpunks got their own stage doing covers of older songs. It definitely was a good way to welcome the new year as when done well, the older songs are always great.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTtrYtEICLU&w=560&h=315]

Airplane‘s “So Pretty,” KBS Music Bank, January 4th, 2013

Is this the first debut of the year? If not, it’s definitely close to being the first. If all of this year’s debuts are like this or better, I’ll be a happy camper. The trio hails from Winning Insight Entertainment, the same company that houses ChAOS. The group’s strong suit is definitely the vocals and rap, but they still mix in some choreography around their main vocalist, Sung Min-ki, that keeps the performance moving a bit more.

JeA’s “While You’re Sleeping,” KBS Music Bank, January 4th, 2013

With a set of instruments surrounding JeA, there’s a very dramatic feel to the performance. The song builds fantastically, and JeA hits every note. She honestly doesn’t need anything else on stage with her since just watching her sing is that captivating. Thank goodness she finally made her solo debut.

Big Star‘s “I Got Ya,” KBS Music Bank, January 4th, 2013

Here. Have some adorable boys. But really, Big Star’s never-ending energy serves them well on the stage. The more I see them perform, the more I like their sound. I’m still cringing at the stage name for the group’s leader and rapper, Feeldog, but at least his hair is more reasonable looking now.

Cherry Filter‘s “Tell Me” cover, KBS Immortal Song 2, January 5th, 2013

The rock band covered Jinusean‘s “Tell Me” which featured Uhm Jung-hwa. The group’s singer definitely has a unique voice that draws some while repelling others. It dips and squeaks in an interesting manner. It works well with the drummer’s rap. Overall, it was an enjoyable performance that ramped up the intensity from the original to fit the band’s sound.

UV‘s “Eye” cover, KBS Immortal Song 2, January 5, 2013

UV always brings the fun to their performances, and it’s no different this time around. Incorporated near the end were references to the game Go Stop, delighting the audience. The crowd clearly loved the group’s performance and their gags, so it’s no surprise that they came out on top this week.

(Mnet, KBS)