If there's one thing that's changed with Inkigayo since I last recapped it, it's that they're letting bands use hand mics now! That's basically it though - the sound still sucks and for Christmas, I would like the sound engineer fired, before he screws up this year's Gayo Daejun as well. He actually kinda reminds me of the sound guy in my school - he once "accidentally" stopped the backing music of one of our big music presentations. It was graded, mind you. I literally wanted to scream at him and have him fired when that happened.
YT credits go to Jackhklee5.
SM The Ballad - Hot Times
(note: This song is on my 50 best songs of 2010 list, so the full version of my fangirling is available when I publish that post. In a few days.) SM picked the right combination of the right people for this new sub-group/project - they could've picked Yesung SuJu or Onew or Key SHINee but they chose Jonghyun SHINee, Kyuhyun Super Junior, that guy from TRAX who has A GORGEOUS VOICE and Jino, who isn't too shabby himself. They're actually kinda like DBSK - they're not only lead singers of their respective bands, they're 4 (or today 3) vocalists who work extremely well together. Today's performance was half-mimed, and I'm not exactly happy with that, but at least the Inkigayo sound guy/girl had less chances to ruin their gorgeous vocals. For the live parts, it's a YESSSSSS.
VNT - Sound
Just when I thought there was nothing more pathetic than SISTAR, VNT show up. The entire facade is crap - the crappy choreography (and that's already coming from someone who knows nothing about dancing), the cheaper-than-SISTAR costumes and the pathetic song that makes them sound like nothing but wannabes. However, that girl with the black hair has a gorgeous voice, and that other girl who sings, albeit sloppy and given the worthless song, would sound pretty not-bad in say, KARA. There are times when I forget rapping-girl-in-yellow-jacket exists, until she comes in and tries to sound like Hyun A, who isn't exactly my favorite in 4Minute. Lesson learned - GET A GOOD SONG AND SIGN TO A TALENT AGENCY WITH MONEY. As much as I hate that everything revolves around money, in pop you need money to get a decent song.
SISTAR - How Dare You
After VNT, SISTAR actually sound pretty decent. Maybe after SISTAR, KARA will sound good. Wild guess. Their progress has basically halted, if there was any to start with. That 1 girl still carries and entire band, and she's doing a pretty good job considering who else is in that band, but as a group they still have no grace. I understand that you're supposed to just dance and sing like crazy when you're on stage, but you also have to do it with some grace.
BEAST - Breath + Beautiful
If there's one band I want to see sweep music shows and become legends in the near future, it's BEAST. They've gotten a heck of a lot better this year, and they still have the potential to get a hell of a lot better. They work well as a group, individually they all have decent vocals, some fantastic, and they're not afraid to try new things, without straying from who they've shown they are. That and they're an absolute pleasure to watch on stage, especially when they themselves are having fun, and even if the song's a little on the cheesy side *ahemBEAUTIFULahem*.
2NE1 - Can't Nobody
Performers in the truest sense of the word. They have the right balance of everything in the right amounts - the dance-like-crazy attitude, a sense of grace, strong live vocals and audience impact. (LOL that sounded like the criteria of some school presentation) Yes, even Sandara, even if she's weak compared to the other 3. At the end of the day, these girls know how to put on a show, they know how to make a mediocre and generic song sound great and they can show that their performances really had a lot of thought put into them.
2AM - Even If I Die, I Can't Let You Go + You Wouldn't Answer My Calls
Gorgeous. There's no other way to describe it, and I wouldn't want to say anything else. Gorgeous.
After School - LOVE LOVE LOVE
Ahhh yes, the RainaNanaandabitofUEE-fest. Raina now annoys me and she should be never let near this song ever again so Jung Ah can take all her parts and cream Raina at her own song. Nana is lightyears better than she was last year when she had just joined the band and she actually has a pretty decent voice, but if she so much as gets more lines than Gahee on their next single I am going to have to go and whack Pledis in the head. In a perfect world, After School is made up of Gahee, Bekah, Jung Ah and maybe Nana so there's someone for the fanboys.
SHINee - Hello (remixed) + Lucifer
They truly are the leaders of their generation of boybands, in my opinion. At least, not when the Inkigayo sound guy/girl is out to get them. HE TOTALLY RUINED ONEW'S BRILLIANT MIDDLE 8! And they even mimed part of it. OF ALL PARTS TO RUIN, IT HAD TO BE ONEW'S I WILL NEVER FOGIVE HIM FOR IT. Oh, and the slightly remixed version of Hello was a nice variation to a pretty song, and it's good to see everyone dancing again, even for a simple routine.
KARA - Jumping
So where's the singing? As if their vocals can get any worse, the sound guy strikes again. Has he no pity for these girls? No one can hear them on Music Bank and he chooses to literally drown them in the backing track, ruining the entire performance. The only actual vocals I can clearly hear are Nicole's squeaky high notes and short parts of Gyuri's solos. That's it. Everyone else is a blur.
GD&TOP - Oh Yeah (with Bom)
I won't be talking about High High because it's practically all rapping and if it weren't for Bom, I wouldn't be talking about this either. The song is all YG - the arrangement, the hook, the English, the rapping, GD and TOP. However, the melody fits Bom like a glove - something tells me that only she can sing it and have it sound like that. In a sense, you need a voice that wild but with that much body for it to make sense, because of the range of the melody. I say time and time again - YG acts are performers, and these three are no exception. I'm actually starting to like the song because of this! This doesn't always happen, but I'm all praises for them today.
Super Junior - No Other + Bonamana
It's been a while since I've heard, and seen, both songs performed live, but I gotta say, they really have gotten better vocally, under the crap Inkigayo sound. Ryeowook is starting to sound better, actually, which is GOOD. I mean, how can someone STILL sound bad using hand mics? If I had the money, I would willingly give SBS a new sound system for Christmas. But I don't, so they'll keep sucking. Aaaaand the dance break is still there.
IU - Good Day (WINNER)
May I just say that justice has been served because IU HAS FINALLY WON A MUSIC SHOW! I'm actually glad that she didn't win for Marshmallow or that other song because they simply did not do justice to her talent - this song, however, does. So I can sleep peacefully tonight knowing that the voting and buying public still know what talent mixed with a good song is like. She didn't hit the high note today, and like a lot of people, I'm quite pleased that she's changed things up a bit. For someone else that would be a sign of vocal inability, but for heaven's sake we've heard that note several times already, live mind you, so we know she can sing it. Apart from the fact that the theatrics can get boring at times, the performance was spot-on. But then again this is IU we're talking about - the girl is beginning to sound like Hwayobi for christ's sake!
Next week, on Christmas day, I'll be recap-ing the MUSIC CORE special, so read up on my past MuCore recaps beforehand!
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