Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

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BleuPanda
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Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by BleuPanda »

Note: the other topic is still open until 8 PM CST, I just needed to get this up early.


The rules are simple: vote for your favorite in each match below. The winner will move to the next round. The deadline to vote is Thursday, June 30th at 8 P.M. CST. Please listen to these tracks before voting, even if you've heard them a thousand times before!

Bracket:
http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=463761

Blur - Coffee & TV
vs.
Erykah Badu - Windowseat

Pet Shop Boys - Left to My Own Devices
vs.
Japan - Nightporter

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born on the Bayou
vs.
Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood

Air - All I Need
vs.
Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend

The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends
vs.
Prince - Cream

Andrew WK - Party Hard
vs.
Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.

Tindersticks - City Sickness
vs.
Kasabian - Club Foot

Muse - Knights of Cydonia
vs.
Madonna - Lucky Star


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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by Bang Jan »

Blur - Coffee & TV

Japan - Nightporter

Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood

Air - All I Need

The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends

Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.

Tindersticks - City Sickness

Madonna - Lucky Star
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by tieb »

Ima have to check most of these out, but The Sundays always make great songs.

Blur - Coffee & TV

Japan - Nightporter

Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood

Air - All I Need

The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends

Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.

Tindersticks - City Sickness

Madonna - Lucky Star
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by slick »

Blur - Coffee & TV

Pet Shop Boys - Left to My Own Devices

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born on the Bayou

Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend

The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends

Andrew WK - Party Hard

Kasabian - Club Foot

Muse - Knights of Cydonia
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by bootsy »

Blur - Coffee & TV
vs.
Erykah Badu - Windowseat

Pet Shop Boys - Left to My Own Devices
vs.
Japan - Nightporter

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born on the Bayou
vs.
Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood

Air - All I Need
vs.
Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend

The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends
vs.
Prince - Cream

Andrew WK - Party Hard
vs.
Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.

Tindersticks - City Sickness
vs.
Kasabian - Club Foot

Muse - Knights of Cydonia
vs.
Madonna - Lucky Star
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by antonius »

Erykah Badu - Windowseat
Japan - Nightporter
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born on the Bayou
Air - All I Need
The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends
Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.
pass
pass
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Bang Jan
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by Bang Jan »

The version of In The Neighborhood in the playlist is a different version, the original is available here.
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by Romain »

My favorite week:

Blur - Coffee & TV
Japan - Nightporter
Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood
Air - All I Need
Prince - Cream
Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.
Kasabian - Club Foot
Madonna - Lucky Star
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by JohnnyBGoode »

Blur - Coffee & TV
vs.
Erykah Badu - Windowseat

Pet Shop Boys - Left to My Own Devices
vs.
Japan - Nightporter

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born on the Bayou
vs.
Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood

Air - All I Need
vs.
Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend

The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends
vs.
Prince - Cream

Andrew WK - Party Hard
vs.
Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.

Tindersticks - City Sickness
vs.
Kasabian - Club Foot

Muse - Knights of Cydonia
vs.
Madonna - Lucky Star
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by Dan »

5. Blur - Coffee & TV
vs.
11. Erykah Badu - Windowseat

6. Pet Shop Boys - Left to My Own Devices
vs.
14. Japan - Nightporter

9. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born on the Bayou
vs.
3. Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood

8. Air - All I Need
vs.
16. Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend

10. The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends
vs.
4. Prince – Cream

1. Andrew WK - Party Hard
vs.
12. Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.

13. Tindersticks - City Sickness
vs.
15. Kasabian - Club Foot

2. Muse - Knights of Cydonia
vs.
7. Madonna - Lucky Star

Thank you, Overlooked Songs Game, for easing my sadness today, even if just for an hour or two. “Party Hard” is my favourite song of the week, but that’s the complete opposite of what I feel like doing today.


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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by whuntva »

Coffee and TV

"Windowseat" was good, but Blur was hard to beat.


Left to my Own Devices

I'd rather dance than contemplate right now.


In the Neighborhood

I'll give ya this one Waits, although CCR was pretty good. The matches get tighter every week.


Girlfriend

Classic.


Where the Story Ends

The Sundays never made a bad song. "Cream" may win overall, and deservedly so I guess, but I enjoyed this one more.



Party Hard

Hard to pick against either of them, really. But Andrew packed a punch with unique production and just great energy.

Club Foot

I knew this would be competitive. But there was simply no other band like Kasabian at their peak. While not my favorite song by them, this is the one every one thinks of with them, so it wins handy.


Knights of Cydonia

A Top 100 Song vs. a Decent song. A bit of a contest, but this song would win no matter what this week.
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by Henrik »

I feel you, Dan. :(
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by Honorio »

9. Blur - Coffee & TV
vs.
10. Erykah Badu - Window Seat

13. Pet Shop Boys - Left to My Own Devices
vs.
4. Japan - Nightporter

7. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born on the Bayou
vs.
1. Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood

8. Air - All I Need
vs.
12. Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend

3. The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends
vs.
6. Prince - Cream

15. Andrew WK - Party Hard
vs.
2. Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.

5. Tindersticks - City Sickness
vs.
16. Kasabian - Club Foot

14. Muse - Knights of Cydonia
vs.
11. Madonna - Lucky Star


I'm sorry about the Brexit too. Hope that the personal consequences for Dan and the British AMers won't be too bad.
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by spiritualized »

Dan wrote:
Thank you, Overlooked Songs Game, for easing my sadness today, even if just for an hour or two. “Party Hard” is my favourite song of the week, but that’s the complete opposite of what I feel like doing today.


[imgsize 375x250]http://i.imgur.com/ANxnq6Y.jpg[/imgsize]

So so sorry Dan, I'm with you on this. Having lived in the UK for 15 years and the father of 3 dual nationality kids, I feel this is a very sad day for the UK and Europe...
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by Otisredding »

Erykah Badu - Windowseat
Japan - Nightporter
Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood
Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend
The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends
Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.
Tindersticks - City Sickness
Madonna - Lucky Star
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by DaveC »

Blur - Coffee & TV

Japan - Nightporter

Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood

Air - All I Need

The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends

Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.

Tindersticks - City Sickness

Muse - Knights of Cydonia
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by jamieW »

10. Blur - Coffee & TV 7
vs.
14. Erykah Badu – Windowseat 6

12. Pet Shop Boys - Left to My Own Devices 7
vs.
1. Japan – Nightporter 9

7. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born on the Bayou 7
vs.
11. Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood 7

4. Air - All I Need 7
vs.
15. Matthew Sweet – Girlfriend 6

6. The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends 7
vs.
5. Prince – Cream 7

16. Andrew WK - Party Hard 5
vs.
8. Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd. 7

9. Tindersticks - City Sickness 7
vs.
3. Kasabian - Club Foot 9

13. Muse - Knights of Cydonia 6
vs.
2. Madonna - Lucky Star 9

I, too, would like to offer my best wishes to our British/European forum members. I won’t get too political but, from everything I’ve seen and read, the Brexit reminds me of a certain “movement” we have going on in the United States right now. I can only hope it doesn’t turn out the same.
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by Sweepstakes Ron »

Splish splash, I was raking in the cash
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by andyd1010 »

3. Blur - Coffee & TV
vs.
12. Erykah Badu - Windowseat

15. Pet Shop Boys - Left to My Own Devices
vs.
13. Japan - Nightporter

6. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born on the Bayou
vs.
5. Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood

10. Air - All I Need
vs.
8. Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend

4. The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends
vs.
11. Prince - Cream

7. Andrew WK - Party Hard
vs.
9. Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.

14. Tindersticks - City Sickness
vs.
2. Kasabian - Club Foot

1. Muse - Knights of Cydonia
vs.
16. Madonna - Lucky Star

To me the last matchup is as much of a slam dunk as you could get, but the votes so far are making me nervous. I've seen a lot of fantastic concert finales. Paul McCartney ending his London show with Hey Jude, Arcade Fire with Wake Up, Foo Fighters with Everlong...Knights of Cydonia was as great of a showstopper as any of them. Incredible buildup with the vocal harmonies and galloping triplets into the phenomenal riff that drives the last two minutes of the song. On the other hand, the dated soundscape of Lucky Star makes me cringe. Some of her songs stand the test of time well (I voted for her in Week 1!), but to me this song sounds very much like it is stuck in the early '80s. Clearly this isn't how everyone else sees it, but to me it's a quintessential epic rock song vs. a forgettable pop song.

Tough draw for Creedence.
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by jamieW »

andyd1010 wrote: but to me this song sounds very much like it is stuck in the early '80s. Clearly this isn't how everyone else sees it
I can't speak for everyone else voting for "Lucky Star," but actually this is exactly how I see it, too. Unfortunately, since I was 13 in 1984 when the song was a big hit, I'm kinda stuck in the early '80s myself (which is why I've also recently voted for songs like "The Reflex," "Sunglasses at Night," and "Somebody's Watching Me"). I can't say for sure how I'd feel about any of these if I'd been born a decade or so later, but they still hold fond memories of my youth.
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by andyd1010 »

Interesting response, jamieW. I love the '60s, '70s, '90s, and '00s, but that particular kind of sound, so prevalent in the '80s, has always made that decade sit a tier below the others for me. I was a '90s baby, so that gives me somewhat of an inherent bias, but it still surprises me that people seem to be much more nostalgic for the '80s than the '90s.
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by jamieW »

andyd1010 wrote:Interesting response, jamieW. I love the '60s, '70s, '90s, and '00s, but that particular kind of sound, so prevalent in the '80s, has always made that decade sit a tier below the others for me. I was a '90s baby, so that gives me somewhat of an inherent bias, but it still surprises me that people seem to be much more nostalgic for the '80s than the '90s.
You definitely aren't alone. Most of the people I know who didn't grow up in the '80s seem to rank that decade last musically. I think the nostalgia for the '90s is just beginning. For many years, the "oldies" radio stations I listened to played only music from the '50s and '60s (perhaps very early '70s). I was surprised when I first heard a station devoted to the music of the '80s, and now they're everywhere. I don't listen much to the radio anymore, but I'm sure '90s stations are starting to pop up, as well. I think it's just a matter of when programmers feel there's a demographic that will feel nostalgic for a certain decade. But don't be in any hurry, because that's when you really start to feel old! ;)
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by Sweepstakes Ron »

Window Seat
Left to My Own Devices
Born on the Bayou (this one is very close)
All I Need
Here's Where the Story End
Party Hard
City Sickness
Lucky Star
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by luney6 »

16. Blur - Coffee & TV
vs.
9. Erykah Badu - Windowseat

Meh to both. But Coffee and TV is generic as hell.

15. Pet Shop Boys - Left to My Own Devices
vs.
3. Japan - Nightporter

I haven't heard much by Japan before, but this is pretty good, if a little too repetitively drawn out. Oh well. At least that solo in the end was really sweet. Pet Shop Boys are like an even worse version of Air.

6. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born on the Bayou
vs.
5. Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood

Both are two of the better tracks this week, although neither would be top tier. Alright, though.

8. Air - All I Need
vs.
4. Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend

I think that Moon Safari is fairly overrated. Girlfriend is one of the better tracks this week, and the singing strikes a positive personal chord.

7. The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends
vs.
12. Prince - Cream

I generally don't like Prince's funkier side much. Although, the Sundays song was just about passable.

11. Andrew WK - Party Hard
vs.
1. Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.

Party Hard is catchy, but boring and shallow. On the other hand, the Lou Reed track is one of the best this week. I really can't resist liking his singing almost everywhere.

2. Tindersticks - City Sickness
vs.
13. Kasabian - Club Foot

Kasabian feel like a slightly better Arctic Monkeys, with a thinner sound. Still, City Sickness is no masterpiece either, but can easily demolition this song.

10. Muse - Knights of Cydonia
vs.
14. Madonna - Lucky Star

I really wanted to vote for Madonna, because I have an intense personal dislike for Muse. But Madonna gave me no clutch, in what should have been an easy victory. Too bad...
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by Dan »

Thank you to all the well-wishers about Brexit. I probably don’t need to say anything else on the matter as I would likely only express biased political views (just like anyone else who expresses political views), but this has hit me quite hard, and – strangely – I feel a need to defend Britain to a certain degree, despite being aghast at its decision to leave the European Union.

I have lived in the UK for on and off 12 years now. My German partner has lived there for 16 years. As hard-working immigrants in the UK, we have both loved the country for similar reasons: the live and let live attitude, the tolerance, the inclusiveness, the wonderful humour – they were all things that made me proud of becoming a British citizen, holding a British passport, in addition to a South African one. Most of those things form an integral part of the values of the European Union, so my partner and I were surprised that the UK voted to leave the EU, even though there were indications that it might be a close decision. As you can imagine, the two of us (along with the millions of other European and international immigrants living and working in the UK) feel unwanted now.

Many politicians and ordinary people who voted for the UK to leave the EU are saying it’s a good thing that the UK will now be able to make its own decisions without having to be ordered around by Europe, but that it will remain an open and tolerant society. Many of those same individuals are also saying that Britain is not a racist country and that far-right nationalist parties will not govern the UK in the foreseeable future (unlike in other European countries, potentially); in fact, many people who voted to leave the EU expressed anger at being called racist for being anti-EU while all they wanted was for the UK itself to make decisions about immigration into Britain, instead of those decisions being made by the EU. I respect that and even sympathise with Eurosceptic Britons who are not racist. But the fact remains that a whole lot of people in the UK are deeply concerned about the number of refugees and immigrants that could potentially enter the UK under EU rule, even if those concerns and objections are (in my opinion) a little irrational and more than just a little inhumane.

Huge numbers of Britons outside of London, outside of other metropolitan areas in the UK, and outside the whole of Scotland, were clearly anti-immigration, and the vast majority of those voters were of older generations. This brings me to my next point, which is that I feel most sorry for young people in the UK. Approximately 75% of British people aged between 16 and 30 are believed to be in favour of staying in the EU and of continuing a close, inclusive relationship with Europe. Votes by older generations have now left the younger generations with a future Britain they didn’t want.

Then there’s also the matter of the UK having a powerful say in international relations. Historically, and certainly as part of the EU, the UK had a strong voice in international matters. It baffles me how people who voted for the UK to leave the EU thought that Britain would maintain its level of international influence while being excluded of the EU.

What also angers me is that it’s now emerging that a lot of people who voted in the referendum used their vote as a “protest vote”; in other words, they voted against an “elitist” government and an “elitist” London that kept telling them that to leave the EU would be disastrous. They felt that the government and experts in London used tactics of fear and scaremongering to exaggerate the consequences of the UK leaving the EU. Whatever your view, who in their right mind would use as important a decision as staying in or leaving the UK as a “protest vote”? Surely people could’ve used local elections for that?

And don’t get me started on this nationalist sense of Englishness, which insists on putting England first instead of worrying about a unified Europe. It’s a bit of a fucked up world we live in at the moment, and Europe needed Britain for stability, but instead older generations in the English countryside (and a few cities, admittedly) decided to give Europe the middle finger.

We’ll have to wait and see what the consequences are for British nationals, and for European nationals living in the UK. I would imagine that the EU would want to be strict and use the UK as example of why countries shouldn’t leave the EU, but at the same time the most powerful European leader, Angela Merkel, has graciously (and forgivingly) said that there’s no need to be nasty with the UK. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. In the meantime, I don’t think anyone could blame my partner and I for planning our own little exit, albeit an exit out of the UK and into Europe; unless, of course, the EU starts to crumble brick by brick, which is sadly not unlikely. There’s chaos and uncertainty in Europe, and chaos and uncertainty within the UK, and none of it needed to happen.

I wasn’t in the UK to vote for or experience the immediate aftermath of the referendum because I’ve had to make an emergency return to South Africa for a couple of weeks. My partner tells me that in Newcalstle (where I now reside and whose residents voted in favour of staying in the EU) people are crying in the streets. My friends from London, a city that voted overwhelmingly in favour of staying in the EU, are saying that the mood is even more downhearted over there. Half of the country is in mourning, as if they all knew a mutual loved one who died. Sad times for many people in the UK and beyond.
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by jamieW »

Beautifully expressed, Dan (as always). And your words made me realize even more the connection I made between the Brexit and the movement I mentioned in the U.S. It's one thing to be disenchanted with the state of a country, government, etc. (I can't even begin to express the pain I feel about the people clinging to a 200+ year antiquated amendment in the U.S. constitution that they misinterpret as meaning people can possess as many firearms as possible.) It's quite another to wish chaos and anarchy as a preferable alternative. I wish you and your partner the very best, and understand the difficult decision to leave that you're contemplating. (My brother, who is extremely successful financially, has said repeatedly that he will be relocating to his company's Toronto branch if a certain someone is elected President this November.)

I always thought "The Dark Knight" was a little overrated, but both situations remind me of a quote from the Joker in that movie, after Harvey Dent asks about his plan:

Do I really look like a guy with a plan? You know what I am? I'm a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it!

Unfortunately, some voters aren't interested in what's truly best for everyone. Some people are so unhappy with the current state of things and their own lives that they're perfectly content to jump from the frying pan into the fire - and bring everyone else with them.
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by andyd1010 »

jamieW wrote:You definitely aren't alone. Most of the people I know who didn't grow up in the '80s seem to rank that decade last musically.
Well this website does as good a job as any of representing songs from recent years, but still, here's the breakdown of songs in the top 500 from the last few decades:

1980s: 76
1990s: 46 (same number as the 1950s)
2000s: 51
2010s: 19

Maybe a disproportionate number of critics grew up in the 1980s, and the 1990s/2000s will catch up when my generation takes over the critiquing.
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by babydoll »

andyd1010 wrote:
jamieW wrote:You definitely aren't alone. Most of the people I know who didn't grow up in the '80s seem to rank that decade last musically.
Well this website does as good a job as any of representing songs from recent years, but still, here's the breakdown of songs in the top 500 from the last few decades:

1980s: 76
1990s: 46 (same number as the 1950s)
2000s: 51
2010s: 19

Maybe a disproportionate number of critics grew up in the 1980s, and the 1990s/2000s will catch up when my generation takes over the critiquing.
But the '90s also weren't that great, and I think 2000s is doing a fine job here. Even on the forum, I think the '90s get enough love.
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by Henrik »

Solid week.

11. Blur - Coffee & TV
vs.
4. Erykah Badu - Windowseat

1. Pet Shop Boys - Left to My Own Devices
vs.
3. Japan - Nightporter

8. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born on the Bayou
vs.
2. Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood

6. Air - All I Need
vs.
15. Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend

5. The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends
vs.
9. Prince - Cream

16. Andrew WK - Party Hard
vs.
7. Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.

14. Tindersticks - City Sickness
vs.
10. Kasabian - Club Foot

12. Muse - Knights of Cydonia
vs.
13. Madonna - Lucky Star
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by sonofsamiam »

The Top 6 here are all in my Top 2500, very good songs...

2 Blur - Coffee & TV
vs.
9 Erykah Badu - Windowseat

10 Pet Shop Boys - Left to My Own Devices
vs.
3 Japan - Nightporter

13 Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born on the Bayou
vs.
4 Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood

5 Air - All I Need
vs.
7 Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend

1 The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends
vs.
11 Prince - Cream

8 Andrew WK - Party Hard
vs.
15 Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.

6 Tindersticks - City Sickness
vs.
14 Kasabian - Club Foot

16 Muse - Knights of Cydonia
vs.
12 Madonna - Lucky Star
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by BleuPanda »

It's nice to reach a point where I'm not already familiar with all the songs. Definitely some great discoveries, and I like all the songs this week.


12. Blur - Coffee & TV
vs.
2. Erykah Badu - Windowseat

"Windowseat" is just a really pretty song. There's a sort of vulnerability to it, yet it gives me this mellow calm. I like a lot of Blur's stuff, but "Coffee and TV" has never clicked with me as much as their other hits.

14. Pet Shop Boys - Left to My Own Devices
vs.
15. Japan - Nightporter

I feel like Pet Shop Boys would be one of my favorite bands if they were instrumental. The way they do vocals has always rubbed me the wrong way. However, "Nightporter" stretches on longer than I cared for. They're both fun if flawed songs.

11. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born on the Bayou
vs.
1. Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood

Tom Waits is one of the kings of rugged vocals, yet "In the Neighborhood" finds beauty within his voice. There's something grandiose about the music, and the lyrics paint a beautiful picture of small town America. Definitely a contender for Waits' best song. "Born on the Bayou" is yet another CCR song; it doesn't do much to stick out, but it still has their classic style. In the end, I'll generally prefer a song that succeeds at going against the artist's style instead of another traditional take.

7. Air - All I Need
vs.
6. Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend

I feel like I like "Girlfriend" more than I should, in large parts due to nostalgia. This was definitely one of my favorite songs back in my Guitar Hero/Rock Band days, and it's stuck around ever since. Even then, it's a fun 90s rock song, with a pretty cool solo. "All I Need" reminds me that I need to revisit Moon Safari - I can only remember "Sexy Boy" and "Kelly Watch the Stars" clearly, but this song is quite different. It captures a great atmosphere, but it doesn't beat out nostalgia.

3. The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends
vs.
13. Prince - Cream

"Here's Where the Story Ends" is easily my favorite discovery this week, from a band I've never listened to. I'll have to check them out. I feel like my annoyance with having to hunt down Prince songs taints my view of those that I'm not immediately familiar with. But much like Blur and CCR, I feel there's plenty of examples of Prince doing similar things better.

8. Andrew WK - Party Hard
vs.
5. Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.

"Party Hard" is stupid fun; it's obnoxious, crass, and overwhelmingly dumb. It's also a song that doesn't care at all what you think about it, and its raw energy makes it a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, it faces off against one of Lou Reed's best solo songs. It's a simple song structure, but Reed fills the song with vivid descriptions of city life.

10. Tindersticks - City Sickness
vs.
9. Kasabian - Club Foot

Both of these are 'new' discoveries; I've listened to the self-titled album, but this was my first time listening to "City Sickness" on its own. Something about the atmosphere in both of these tracks is unsettling, but I have to go with "Club Foot" on first listen.

4. Muse - Knights of Cydonia
vs.
16. Madonna - Lucky Star

"Knights of Cydonia" is another song that's kind of dumb fun; it's like a Michael Bay movie in song form, but I love it. I think part of it is that the song feels self-aware, running off familiar tropes in dynamic forms. Its almost insufferable strangeness is part of the appeal. I don't generally care for Muse's normal style, but this one goes in a wild direction.

Now, on to the 'sound of the 80s.' I feel like it is discussed more than any other era's signature sound, and for good reason. The 80s synth-heavy pop style, much like Back to the Future II, had the nerve to predict the future would look or sound anything like the future through an 80s lens; it clearly doesn't. Of course, all eras seem convinced their own time is the height of social evolution, but no era went as head first into that belief as the 1980s. A lot of big 80s hits are marked by cheap electronic blips, a style that was outright rejected in the following era. As someone born in 1992, for the longest time, I ridiculed this style; it appeared markedly artificial, overly optimistic. In the past few years, something has finally clicked, in part due to a lot of modern acts taking obvious influence from this era (see "Still Life" next week for one of my favorite examples). Because these songs mark themselves as products of the 80s, they create this mass that manages to represent a specific era. These odd qualities are what make this music so unique. 80s pop is the height of naive artistic expression, and I think that's something to be cherished. There's this strange sense of ambition and an acceptance of weirdness that's hard to find in other eras, at least among the mainstream. Sometimes, it's nice to have an era that appears stuck in its own time, as it gives us a clear window into what was happening in those moments.

Unfortunately, I simply didn't care that much for "Lucky Star."
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spiritualized
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by spiritualized »

Blur - Coffee & TV
Japan - Nightporter
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born on the Bayou
Air - All I Need
The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends
Andrew WK - Party Hard
Tindersticks - City Sickness
Muse - Knights of Cydonia
Last edited by spiritualized on Wed Jun 29, 2016 9:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
Nassim
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by Nassim »

Not as good as the previous 2 weeks overall (though not bad either), and much harder to rank as it all feels pretty even.

Blur - Coffee & TV
vs.
Erykah Badu - Windowseat

Pet Shop Boys - Left to My Own Devices
vs.
Japan - Nightporter

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born on the Bayou
vs.
Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood

Air - All I Need
vs.
Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend

The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends
vs.
Prince - Cream
"Reading, Writing and Arithmetic" starts with a true wonder, Skin & Bones, so why is Here's Where the Story Ends the consensus pick is a mystery to me. Nice song anyway.

Andrew WK - Party Hard
vs.
Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.
Party Hard is dumb fun, and what you think of it mostly will depend on which part of that qualification you put the emphasis on.

Tindersticks - City Sickness
vs.
Kasabian - Club Foot

Muse - Knights of Cydonia
vs.
Madonna - Lucky Star
Black Holes and Révélations is when Muse became a terrible band, and of their last 4 albums the only songs I enjoy are either those where they let their rythmic backbone take full center and drive a groovy beat (Madness, Undisclosed Desires, Panic Station) or when they go so way over the top that they can not in their right mind keep their usual self-seriousness, and that mostly includes 2 songs, the taylor-made-for-James-Bond Supremacy, and the taylor-made-for-a-manga-OST Knights of Cydonia.
I have no issue with the "sound of 80s", it actually lead to some fantastic songs, except from the fact that it is for me a very reductive way to see the 80s, and it often overshadows the phenomenal variety of genres of that decade. When it comes to favorite decades, I'd put the 80s at the same level of the 60s (blasphemy, I know), quite far behind the 90s and 00s but easily before the 70s. Sure it had it fair share of terrible bands with terrible synths and/or haircuts, but I'd say commercial music has been even worse in the 90s (at least on this side of the pond, I guess US didn't suffer as much from eurodance), and it shouldn't make you forget that the 80s are the golden age of metal and hardcore punk, saw the rise of indie rock, hip-hop, house, techno, dream pop have some great never heard before or after albums (Violent Femmes, Rum Sodomy and the Lash...) and saw a bunch of the much iconic music artists ever at their artistic and commercial peak (MJ, Prince, Madonna, half of Springsteen's best run. I just guess more than any other décades, that's one where you have to dig a bit further than the most acclaimed and/or well-known genre to truly get a good appreciation, whether you look deep into the troves of synth-pop as Moonbeam would or jump from one genre to another to get a big picture.
deadpacifist
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by deadpacifist »

Blur - Coffee & TV
Pet Shop Boys - Left to My Own Devices
Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood
Air - All I Need
Prince - Cream
Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.
Tindersticks - City Sickness
Muse - Knights of Cydonia
Bruno
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by Bruno »

Erykah Badu - Windowseat
Pet Shop Boys - Left to My Own Devices
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born on the Bayou
Air - All I Need
Prince - Cream
Andrew WK - Party Hard
Tindersticks - City Sickness
Madonna - Lucky Star
Henry
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by Henry »

Blur - Coffee & TV


Pet Shop Boys - Left to My Own Devices

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born on the Bayou

Air - All I Need

The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends
vs.
Prince - Cream - pass

Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.

Tindersticks - City Sickness
vs.
Kasabian - Club Foot (pass)

Madonna - Lucky Star
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acroamor
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by acroamor »

I'll try the 1-16 ranking for the first time this week. Seems fun.

16 Blur - Coffee & TV
vs.
5 Erykah Badu - Windowseat

Impressively mediocre Blur song versus a wonderfully smooth Badu track. Easiest pick of the week.

15 Pet Shop Boys - Left to My Own Devices
vs.
9 Japan - Nightporter

Never much cared for the Pet Shop Boys or any of that style of music, really.

4 Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born on the Bayou
vs.
3 Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood

Very difficult choice

2 Air - All I Need
vs.
10 Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend

Matthew Sweet made a wonderful rock song that gets docked points for the inanity of its lyrics, while Air proved themselves the French Portishead I never realized I wanted.

6 The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends
vs.
11 Prince - Cream

Another match-up between a genre I love and one that I don't. :?

8 Andrew WK - Party Hard
vs.
7 Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.

I was surprised how much I loved the Andrew W.K. song, but it doesn't compare to one of Lou's great story songs.

14 Tindersticks - City Sickness
vs.
12Kasabian - Club Foot

The Kasabian song went to much more interesting places than Tindersticks.

1 Muse - Knights of Cydonia
vs.
13 Madonna - Lucky Star

Here's a fun fact (that also dates me): Black Holes and Revelations was the first album I ever bought, and as such it will always hold a special place in my heart regardless of how bad Muse's output has gotten since then.
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by Toni »

Seems like the level of the songs gets better each week. This time there are 10 very great songs and only one I really don't like.

11. Blur - Coffee & TV
vs.
2. Erykah Badu - Windowseat

7. Pet Shop Boys - Left to My Own Devices
vs.
9. Japan - Nightporter

12. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born on the Bayou
vs.
8. Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood

1. Air - All I Need
vs.
14. Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend

5. The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends
vs.
4. Prince - Cream
Ouch!

3. Andrew WK - Party Hard
vs.
6. Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.
At first, "Party Hard" looks like a dumb, plain rock song, but then you see Andrew WK achieves a point few other people manage to do in this musical style. It's explosion of energy seems very genuine, visceral, pure. Maybe it was unintentional, but, for once, he did it.

10. Tindersticks - City Sickness
vs.
16. Kasabian - Club Foot
The live version of "City Sickness" is beautiful.

13. Muse - Knights of Cydonia
vs.
15. Madonna - Lucky Star
Last edited by Toni on Thu Jun 30, 2016 5:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
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GucciLittlePiggy
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by GucciLittlePiggy »

If I have time before the deadline I'll be sure to vote for the rest of these matchups.

Blur - Coffee & TV
vs.
Erykah Badu - Windowseat

Pet Shop Boys - Left to My Own Devices
vs.
Japan - Nightporter

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born on the Bayou
vs.
Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood

This matchup was painfully tough. "Born on the Bayou" is a great discovery.
I just wanted to be one of those ghosts
You thought that you could forget
And then I haunt you via the rear view mirror
On a long drive from the back seat...
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Rob
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by Rob »

15. Blur - Coffee & TV
vs.
8. Erykah Badu - Windowseat
Another good entry by Badu this week, even if I preferred her song from last week. Someone I really should get more into. Coffee & TV never stood out much in Blur's catalogue to me.

7. Pet Shop Boys - Left to My Own Devices
vs.
3. Japan - Nightporter
I hate voting against the always enjoyable Pet Shop Boys, who always formed the greatest challengers of my aversion for 80's synth-pop (and Left to My Own Devices is another gem), but for me Nightporter is one of the greatest discoveries of this game this far. In contrast to most people here I think the length makes it only better than it already was. It sets a mood that needs to linger. A great song for a dark night.

1. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born on the Bayou
vs.
5. Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood
There are more famous songs by CCR and there is a handful I prefer, but to me Born on the Bayou has always been the quintessential song by the band. It's were John Foggerty's voice reaches a swampy peak and the band creates the most swampy sound. Add to that the lyrics that evoke a particularly American version of gothic imagery and you get the song that seems to create the most fully formed version of the kind of music CCR always seem to try to make. No offense to the equeally good entry by Waits, but this is a top effort by one of the great bands and one of those songs I always expect to rank higher in the main list than it actually does.

6.Air - All I Need
vs.
14. Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend
All I Need is one of those songs I had a massive turnaround for over the years. It was the favorite song of a music-loving friend of mine, but I couldn't get into it, no matter how hard I tried. Yet, somewhere, somehow, years later I started to love it. Maybe Girlfriend also needs a few years to convince me?

2. The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends
vs.
10. Prince - Cream
The biggest discovery for me in this game so far is Here's Where the Story Ends. I wasn't aware of The Sundays at all, but this is right up my alley. Prince is in fine form too. The kind of song you could criticize for being too much like other songs by the artist, but when it is done in such a good way as Prince does here it hardly matters. Yet, The Sundays is way too much competition and for me could stand toe to toe with the best of Prince, and beat it.

9. Andrew WK - Party Hard
vs.
11. Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.
Dirty Blvd. is an interesting case. Lou Reed is one of my top favorite artists and New York is a great album, but I never understood the specific praise Dirty Blvd. got. Sure, it's lyrics are great, but Reed has always been an artist that for me spoke as much through his guitar as through his words. The emotion that his voice tends to lack comes out through his instrument. But not really so in Dirty Blvd. The music has a nice rhythm and melody, but doesn't really enrich the song as a whole all that much for me. Still a good song, but no standout in a rich discography if you ask me. It feels almost bad to choose a silly song like Party Hard over something that feels more important, but Party Hard is actually very well executed, no matter its simple ambitions.

12. Tindersticks - City Sickness
vs.
13. Kasabian - Club Foot
Two songs that don't stand out much this week. Haven't much to say about them.

4. Muse - Knights of Cydonia
vs.
16. Madonna - Lucky Star
Knights of Cydonia is a grand spectacle. It really works for me. Madonna's Lucky Star is a good example of why I don't care too much about 80's synth-pop. It just sounds slight, unimaginative and lacks the type of detail or emotion to make me come back.
Jackson
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by Jackson »

Blur - Coffee & TV
Pet Shop Boys - Left to My Own Devices
Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood
Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend
The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends
Andrew WK - Party Hard
Tindersticks - City Sickness
Muse - Knights of Cydonia
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babydoll
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by babydoll »

9. Blur - Coffee & TV
vs.
3. Erykah Badu - Windowseat

4. Pet Shop Boys - Left to My Own Devices
vs.
14. Japan - Nightporter

5. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born on the Bayou
vs.
13. Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood

8. Air - All I Need
vs.
7. Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend

10. The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends
vs.
1. Prince - Cream

12. Andrew W.K. - Party Hard
vs.
11. Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.

16. Tindersticks - City Sickness
vs.
15. Kasabian - Club Foot

2. Muse - Knights of Cydonia
vs.
6. Madonna - Lucky Star
"Lucky Star" was just never one of my favorite Madonna songs.
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BleuPanda
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by BleuPanda »

Someone has brought my attention to the fact that one of the voters this week appears to be a spambot...and, from looking it over, I would have to agree. From a combination of sharing an exact vote with the person who voted before and advertising in their signature, I find this vote dubious. Luckily, their vote changes nothing if this is just spam. I'm going to post the scores with and without their vote.

Blur - Coffee & TV: 17 (18)
Erykah Badu - Windowseat: 12

Pet Shop Boys - Left to My Own Devices: 16
Japan - Nightporter: 13 (14)

CCR - Born on the Bayou: 11
Tom Waits - In the Neighborhood: 18 (19)

Air - All I Need: 20 (21)
Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend: 8

The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends: 19 (20)
Prince - Cream: 8

Andrew W.K. - Party Hard: 12
Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.: 16 (17)

Tindersticks - City Sickness: 14 (15)
Kasabian - Club Foot: 12

Muse - Knights of Cydonia: 17
Madonna - Lucky Star: 10 (11)
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babydoll
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Re: Overlooked Songs: Round 1 Week 3

Post by babydoll »

BleuPanda wrote:Someone has brought my attention to the fact that one of the voters this week appears to be a spambot...and, from looking it over, I would have to agree.
Who?

EDIT: Never mind. It's the person that I forgot to contact Bleu about. "I'm gonna have to check most of these out"????!!!!!
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