Match-ups:
1. Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque vs. Big Black - Atomizer
2. Morrissey - You Are the Quarry vs. Santigold - Santogold
3. Saint Etienne - So Tough vs. Spiritualized Electric Mainline - Pure Phase
4. Rodriguez - Coming from Reality vs. Georges Brassens - Chante les chansons poétiques (…et souvent gaillardes)
Also, a tie from the previous round: ***TIE Alert!!! Prefuse 73 - One Word Extinguisher vs. The Books - Thought for Food. Next Vote from someone who hasn't already voted in this matchup WINS!***
Children of tomorrow live in the tears that fall today
Will the sun rise up tomorrow bringing peace in any way?
Last edited by Brad on Tue May 02, 2017 5:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
1. Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque (1991) vs. Big Black - Atomizer (1986)
2. Morrissey - You Are the Quarry (2004) vs. Santigold - Santogold (2008)
3. Saint Etienne - So Tough (1994) vs. Spiritualized Electric Mainline - Pure Phase (1995)
4. Rodriguez - Coming from Reality (1971) vs. Georges Brassens - Chante les chansons poétiques (…et souvent gaillardes) (1953)
Favourite song from every album:
What You Do to Me | Kerosene | First of the Gang to Die | L.E.S. Artistes | You're in a Bad Way | Spread Your Wings | Cause | La mauvaise réputation
Favourite song of the week: First of the Gang to Die
1. Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque vs. Big Black - Atomizer
2. Morrissey - You Are the Quarry vs. Santigold - Santogold
3. Saint Etienne - So Tough vs. Spiritualized Electric Mainline - Pure Phase
4. Rodriguez - Coming from Reality vs. Georges Brassens - Chante les chansons poétiques (…et souvent gaillardes)
Find of the week: Santogold, should have listened to it before - but this time it faces tough competition.
So, after more than half the first round is played we finally get an album I nominated. Two in fact. Let's see how that goes. I'll only reveal which ones when I post my own votes around Monday or so.
Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque
Santigold - Santogold
Saint Etienne - So Tough
Georges Brassens - Chante les chansons poétiques (…et souvent gaillardes)
Bandwagonesque 78 - Atomizer 35
Santogold 85 - You Are The Quarry 80
So Tough 92 - Pure Phase 61
Coming From Reality 83 - Chante les chansons poetique 75
Sorry, I always reach a point of fatigue during the first round. I always want to commit and then I'll go a week where I don't have the time to actually listen, and if I miss one week, it starts to become a trend...
Brad wrote:Hey there! Anyone else out there want to vote in a match-up that doesn't involve their own nomination?
We need some participation here... the drop-off has been pretty steep lately!
Just listen and make a choice!
You're right, Brad. As you know I kept track of the participation in past editions and there always was a common trend, a high participation (18-20 voters) on the first 3 or 4 weeks followed by a decline on the second part of first round and second round, regaining some voters on the finals steps of the game. The difference this time, as you pointed, is the steepness of the fall. Only 12 voters the last two weeks (and a mere 8 voters so far this week) are all-time lows for this game (please correct me if I'm wrong).
As Brad said, just listen and make a choice!
I always vote later in the week (on Mondays mostly) and will keep doing so. I just want to give a heads up to this game, as for discoveries it is perhaps the best game of the site.
That might also be the reason for the drop-offs. Most games here rely on making lists of things already heard. Once it is required to do extended listens (especially albums as opposed to songs) you quickly notice a drop-off. That's why match-ups consisting of two more famous albums get more votes. I admit that this game is somewhat time consuming as it takes up almost all my music listening in a week. But the mostly high quality of the selections make it worth it.
1. Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque (5.0) vs. Big Black - Atomizer (4.0)
2. Morrissey - You Are the Quarry (4.0) vs. Santigold - Santogold (4.0)
3. Saint Etienne - So Tough (4.0) vs. Spiritualized Electric Mainline - Pure Phase (4.5)
4. Rodriguez - Coming from Reality (2.5) vs. Georges Brassens - Chante les chansons poétiques (…et souvent gaillardes) (3.0)
My picks:
1. Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque vs. Big Black - Atomizer
2. Morrissey - You Are the Quarry vs. Santigold - Santogold
3. Saint Etienne - So Tough vs. Spiritualized Electric Mainline - Pure Phase
4. Rodriguez - Coming from Reality vs. Georges Brassens - Chante les chansons poétiques (…et souvent gaillardes)
3 masterpieces this week. 2 of which are my selections. There are two other great albums as well, but the week is sadly closed off with three of the lesser albums I came across here.
4. Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque vs. 3. Big Black - Atomizer
Like probably most people I fell in love with Bandwagonesque very easily. I heard Teenage Fanclub for the first time only this year, through their latest album, which appeared in the Moderately Acclaimed Albums of 2016 game and then I already noticed their easy charms. They do nothing to reinvent rock music, but at the very least they make you feel like they do for 45 minutes or so. Lot's of fun.
Still, the moments the first riffs of Atomizer set in I knew Bandwagonesque didn't stand a chance of winning this match-up for me anymore; not an easy feat considering it's quality. But there is something deep and dark in the music of Atomizer that goes beyond fun, skill and beauty. It's nasty, unsettling and a masterpiece. Maybe, not as consistent as Bandwagonesque, but tracks like Jordan, Mississippi, Kerosene, Fists of Love and Strange Things make every tune of Teenage Fanclub look small and insignificant (which they aren't).
5. Morrissey - You Are the Quarry vs. 2. Santigold - Santogold
Although I wasn't paying attention when You Are the Quarry was released I understand that is was received with great hype at the time, because it was Morrissey's first album in years. All the more awesome was that he felt to revitalized. Yes, it's a good album, even if it is Morrissey being Morrissey. Still, more of the same is not necessarily a bad thing if it is done as well as here.
But Santogold is something else. It is one of my nominations and for me a rare thing: a perfect pop album. Pure pop is rarely my favorite kind of music, but Santogold is from start to finish full of surprises. I love every song here. It has a quirky nature all of it's own and Santigold's voice is a bit weird in an irresistible way. I perhaps know no album that is such a perfect bundle of joy. Not even Santigold herself could come close to it afterwards.
1. Saint Etienne - So Tough vs. 6. Spiritualized Electric Mainline - Pure Phase
Even better than Santogold is So Tough. I learned to know the album through my review for the 6000 Songs project, where Avenue was part of. There I immediately fell in love with the album and it became a very, very rare album I feel the need to return to every few weeks. It's soothing, beautiful and keeps on surprising after so many listens. Besides, the flow is amazing. If I ever for some reason would teach how you structure an album that's not a concept or story album I would pick this one. The little samples of English movies add a touch of fun, too.
Pure Phase never stood a chance here. Even so, it was still a disappointment, because I liked the little of Spiritualized that I heard before. Sometimes, it lives up to that, but mostly I just find it lifeless and it feels twice as long as it is. I've voted for a lot of atmospheric music in this game this year and Pure Phase just can't compete with most of them.
8. Rodriguez - Coming from Reality vs. 7. Georges Brassens - Chante les chansons poétiques (…et souvent gaillardes)
I still prefer Pure Phase over these two, because Pure Phase has The Slide Song, while these two have... Nothing that particularly gets to me. In the case of Georges Brassens, I can't blame him. He simply works in a mode that's not for me. There is a type of French chanson, mostly the more upbeat and sunny type, that always puts me off for some reason. Brassens works in that mode. Maybe if I could understand the lyrics it might help, but generally speaking this is not the type of music I would ever put on myself. That's not Brassens' fault, so that's why he still gets the vote.
Rodriguez, you see, works in a style I generally love. What's more, I really liked Cold Fact a lot. After seeing Searching for Sugar Man I sought out both albums, but only listened to Coming from Reality once, though I couldn't remember why I thought it was a lesser effort. Now I know: this album is just plain cranky. I love cynical and biting lyrics, but brought the wrong way it can sound like the nagging of a particularly sour person. There is something about Coming from Reality that is plain unlikable, no matter how relaxed Rodriguez looks on the cover.
4. Rodriguez - Coming from Reality vs. Georges Brassens - Chante les chansons poétiques (…et souvent gaillardes)
You know it's interesting, cos some Jamaican mento or calypso music sounds similar to Brassons. But it must be that I don't understand the language why Brassens is not one of my favs.
1. Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque vs. Big Black - Atomizer
Both of these are very well acclaimed within their narrower genres, but perhaps not very well-known outside of them. It was an interesting pairing. Big Black can feel overly abrasive when I listen sometimes, but I listened on a day when it really caught my interest.
2. Morrissey - You Are the Quarry vs. Santigold - Santogold
I was surprised how much I liked Santigold, who I had always thought of as a 2008-era flash-in-the-pan. The songs are really catchy!
3. Saint Etienne - So Tough vs. Spiritualized Electric Mainline - Pure Phase
My second favorite Saint Etienne album next to Tiger Bay, but it features three or four undeniable classics.
4. Rodriguez - Coming from Reality vs. Georges Brassens - Chante les chansons poétiques (…et souvent gaillardes)
Rodriguez is not as mind-blowingly amazing as that documentary made it out to be, but enjoyable enough to give it the win. Solid 70s singer/songwriter fare.
Big Black - Atomizer
Santigold - Santogold
Saint Etienne - So Tough (Great album - certainly among the most enjoyable I've ever heard.)
Georges Brassens - Chante les chansons poétiques (…et souvent gaillardes)
Favorite album I couldn't vote for: Spiritualized Electric Mainline - Pure Phase
1. Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque vs. Big Black - Atomizer
2. Morrissey - You Are the Quarry vs. Santigold - Santogold
3. Saint Etienne - So Tough vs. Spiritualized Electric Mainline - Pure Phase
4. Rodriguez - Coming from Reality vs. Georges Brassens - Chante les chansons poétiques (…et souvent gaillardes)
Match-ups:
1. Big Black - Atomizer
2. Morrissey - You Are the Quarry
3. Saint Etienne - So Tough
4. Georges Brassens - Chante les chansons poétiques (…et souvent gaillardes)
Nice lift in participation this week as we made it back up to 18 total voters:
Bang Jan
BleuPanda
bonnielaurel
Brad
DaveC
EmilienDelRey
hectorthebat
Honorio
jamieW
Jirin
Kingoftonga
luney6
Nassim
notbrianeno
PlasticRam
Rob
Romain
spiritualized
Winners:
1. Big Black - Atomizer over Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque 9-7
2. Santigold - Santogold over Morrissey - You Are the Quarry 8-7
3. Saint Etienne - So Tough over Spiritualized Electric Mainline - Pure Phase 10-3
4. Rodriguez - Coming from Reality vs. Georges Brassens - Chante les chansons poétiques (…et souvent gaillardes)***TIE! 7-7 Next Vote Wins!!!***
We have a Tie! Rodriguez - Coming from Reality vs. Georges Brassens - Chante les chansons poétiques (…et souvent gaillardes)***TIE! 7-7 Next Vote Wins!!!***
Honorio wrote:Mmm, weekus horribilis… Three of my nominations butchered on the same week. But it's OK, to each his own.
I'm just watching all of my remaining nominations in this week's poll with mounting terror. Why, oh why, did Ben Folds Five have to go up against Nancy and Hazel?
Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand - Sir Duke (1976)
Brad wrote:saw that H... tough week with some narrow losses. But at least participation picked up!
Yes, I shouldn't have encouraged participation, my nominations were doing quite well since then. Only joking, of course, I'm delighted to see the participation rising up…
Rob wrote:I know Brassens was one of your selections and I'd guess You Are the Quarry is another one. Which is the third? Bandwagonesque?
Exactly, Rob. And this is the problem. I'm scared to think that I'd need to listen again to "Atomizer" for the next round. Or even rounds. Really scary… Joking again. Or not?
Honorio wrote:
Exactly, Rob. And this is the problem. I'm scared to think that I'd need to listen again to "Atomizer" for the next round. Or even rounds. Really scary… Joking again. Or not?
I was surprised that Atomizer made it to be honest, as I thought dark albums like that have a small audience, while Bandwagonesque falls more directly into the tastes of AM. It's not hard to see why someone might not like Atomizer. I doubt its going to get far (even if I personally wouldn't mind). To be fair, I like Bandwagonesque more than many albums in this game, so it was an unlucky draw.