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, July 7th at 8 P.M. CST. Please listen to these tracks before voting, even if you've heard them a thousand times before!
Fiona Apple - Criminal
The Jacksons - Shake Your Body
The Roots - You Got Me
Father John Misty - Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Sacrilege
Les Savy Fav - The Sweat Descends
Kanye West - Bound 2
Mercury Rev - Holes
The Ronettes - Baby, I Love You
The Jacksons - Shake Your Body
The Roots - You Got Me
Missy Elliott - Pass That Dutch
Super Furry Animals - Juxtaposed With You
Mos Def - Ms. Fat Booty
Sonic Youth - Death Valley '69
Janis Joplin - Summertime
2. The Ronettes - Baby, I Love You
vs. 1. Fiona Apple - Criminal
1 vs 2. Cruel. It hurts. But Criminal is definitely my favorite in this group.
10. The Horrors - Still Life vs.
12. The Jacksons - Shake Your Body
Hey BleuPanda, I voted for your '80s-style song! The '80s weren't all bad after all.
6. The Roots - You Got Me vs.
8. Souls of Mischief - 93 'Til Infinity
3. Father John Misty - Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings vs.
14. Missy Elliott - Pass That Dutch
9. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Sacrilege
vs. 4. Super Furry Animals - Juxtaposed With You
11. Les Savy Fav - The Sweat Descends
vs. 7. Mos Def - Ms. Fat Booty
16. Kanye West - Bound 2
vs. 13. Sonic Youth - Death Valley '69
...And I also voted for the only actual '80s song in this group!
I love Kanye but Yeezus has never been my favorite. It's bizarre even by his standards, and unfortunately in a way that hasn't really connected with me.
The Ronettes - Baby, I Love You
The Jacksons - Shake Your Body
The Roots - You Got Me
Missy Elliott - Pass That Dutch
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Sacrilege
Mos Def - Ms. Fat Booty
Kanye West - Bound 2
Janis Joplin - Summertime
These were very similar, but I liked the chorus a lot more on this one.
Hollywood Cemetery Forever Sings
I liked this song more than I expected. It felt warm and welcoming.
Juxtaposed with You
SFA is a band that seemed to be popular a long time ago, but now are somewhat forgotten. Shame, because this song and its accompanying album were fantastic. It feels nostalgic but also new and exciting at the same time.
Bound 2
I'm almost certain "Death Valley 69" was bad on purpose. "Bound 2" was not impressive either, but it did not offend or irritate me quite as much.
Pretty phenomenal week. 1 song I strongly dislike, 1 I don't like, but everything else is top quality ; the best 11 are all fantastic and deserve to go to the 2nd round. Luckily, it lead to only 2 really tough choices.
14. The Ronettes - Baby, I Love You
vs. 3. Fiona Apple - Criminal
8. The Horrors - Still Life
vs. 7. The Jacksons - Shake Your Body
Shake Your Body have all the seeds of what would make MJ the king of pop, I'm surprised it wasn't an even more massive hit.
4. The Roots - You Got Me
vs. 1. Souls of Mischief - 93 'Til Infinity
Not nice to see my pick, and a top 100 song of all time for me, get wrecked, but if it has to happen I'm glad it is to another hip-hop masterpiece.
13. Father John Misty - Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings
vs.
12. Missy Elliott - Pass That Dutch
Another tough choice, though less heartbreaking than The Horrors vs the Jacksons.
9. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Sacrilege
vs.
15. Super Furry Animals - Juxtaposed With You
2. Les Savy Fav - The Sweat Descends
vs.
10. Mos Def - Ms. Fat Booty
The Sweat Descends is the perfect rock party anthem that even Andrew WK could not pull. Unstoppable drum, 2 guitars on fire and a perfect delivery by one of the most uncool frontman in rock, the sweat is indeed descending. If anybody liked the song, I can only recommend to also listen to The Equestrian.
Another of my pick being destroyed by a hip-hop classic
16. Kanye West - Bound 2
vs. 5. Sonic Youth - Death Valley '69
If I ranked all Kanye West songs, Bound 2 would be bottom 5.
An interesting week, because I haven't spend much time with any of these songs before. Sure, Shake Your Body and Baby, I Love You still get some airplay on oldies radio and a couple of other songs I heard once or twice before, but this was the first time of close listening for each of them.
13. The Ronettes - Baby, I Love You
vs. 4. Fiona Apple - Criminal
Baby, I Love You is a pretty good sixties girl group song, but Criminal is more unique.
10. The Horrors - Still Life
vs.
12. The Jacksons - Shake Your Body
Shake Your Body belongs to the more like-able group of songs that The Jackson produced. It's catchy and fun, but I just thought Still Life was more captivating and mysterious. Also, the full length version of Shake Your Body is rare instance in which a long length really puts me off. It just drags after a while. Fun fact: for years I thought Jackson sung "Shake your body now, toucan." Sadly, it's not to be.
9. The Roots - You Got Me
vs.
11. Souls of Mischief - 93 'Til Infinity
Two good hiphop tracks. I love the production work on 93 'Til Infinity, but for the third week in a row Erykah Badu steals my heart. Hopefully this one does pass.
14. Father John Misty - Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings
vs. 8. Missy Elliott - Pass That Dutch
What's this? Rob voting for an R&B song and against a folky indie track? The thing is, this early Father John Misty work strikes me as minor Fleet Foxes. Miss Elliott does far more her own thing and it's a type of R&B I like a lot.
1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Sacrilege
vs.
7. Super Furry Animals - Juxtaposed With You
I would say this is a tough one, but that is a lie. Juxtapozed With You is great, but Sacrilege is easy the week's standout for me. Like many of the best Yeah Yeah Yeahs' songs it is very creative in it's combination of different types of music. This might grow out to be my favorite of them. The more I hear of this band the less I get why Maps is seen as their best song.
16. Les Savy Fav - The Sweat Descends
vs. 15. Mos Def - Ms. Fat Booty
The weakest match-up, but also an easy win by Mos Def. It's a decent rap song, that could still grow for me. The Sweat Descends is one of those songs that just passers me by, without evoking my interest anywhere.
2. Kanye West - Bound 2
vs.
3. Sonic Youth - Death Valley '69
Man, this is tough! Apparently Bound 2 is extremely divisive (with far more people hating it than loving it) and Death Valley '69 is even being called deliberately bad! I love both and really think they belong to the top of the week. The build-up and production of Bound 2 sound really fresh and exciting. It's one of the most original and best things Kanye has done if you ask me. Death Valley '69 is filled with atmosphere and the guitar is wonderful. A rare vote for Kanye from me, but this is pretty much a tie.
5. Janis Joplin - Summertime
vs.
6. Mercury Rev - Holes
Another near-tie. I really like the composition of Holes. Mercury Rev is one of those bands that sound typically indie and at the same time transcend the style with ease. Yet they come up against one of the greatest voices of music and at the moment I can't resist Joplin.
Fiona Apple - Criminal
The Horrors - Still Life
The Roots - You Got Me
Father John Misty - Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings
Super Furry Animals - Juxtaposed With You
Les Savy Fav - The Sweat Descends
Sonic Youth - Death Valley '69
Janis Joplin - Summertime
Too bad for Mercury Rev, Janis Joplin is my 1 of the week and Mercury Rev is my 2.
By far the weakest week so far. Of the 16 songs, I'd only care to listen to the top 2 ever again, all songs after the top 7-8, I'd probably give below a 5. If only the rap and the indie rock songs weren't so repetitive. After listening to Super Furry Animals, and Father John Misty, and The Roots, Bound 2 seemed so much more fresh in comparison. And even then, the top two, this week would probably only place in the top 5 on any of the other weeks so far.
4. The Ronettes - Baby, I Love You
vs.
6. Fiona Apple - Criminal
14. The Horrors - Still Life
vs.
5. The Jacksons - Shake Your Body
16. The Roots - You Got Me
vs.
10. Souls of Mischief - 93 'Til Infinity
15. Father John Misty - Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings
vs.
13. Missy Elliott - Pass That Dutch
8. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Sacrilege
vs.
9. Super Furry Animals - Juxtaposed With You
12. Les Savy Fav - The Sweat Descends
vs.
11. Mos Def - Ms. Fat Booty
7. Kanye West - Bound 2
vs.
1. Sonic Youth - Death Valley '69
Hopefully will get to the other matchups before the deadline. The Roots/Souls of Mischief competition is painful. Both are classic hip-hop tracks that deserve to move on.
The Ronettes - Baby, I Love You
vs. Fiona Apple - Criminal
The Horrors - Still Life
vs. The Jacksons - Shake Your Body
Father John Misty - Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings
vs. Missy Elliott - Pass That Dutch
Very good Missy Elliott song here but it stands no chance against a top 100 all-time favorite.
Les Savy Fav - The Sweat Descends
vs. Mos Def - Ms. Fat Booty
This was a close matchup, as I dig both songs. Les Savy Fav's "Hold On to Your Genre" would have won easily. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoyed this song.
Kanye West - Bound 2
vs. Sonic Youth - Death Valley '69
One of the best Sonic Youth tracks I've heard, but really no contest because "Bound 2" is among my favorite tracks ever. Was a serious contender for top ten when Yeezus first came out. Had it (and the entire album) on repeat for weeks.
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...
2. The Ronettes - Baby, I Love You
vs.
13. Fiona Apple - Criminal
Oh, Fiona, for a second there, I thought you might actually beat my twentieth favorite song of all time. That opening line, "I've been a bad, bad girl," and the way you delivered it was so masterful. Then you went into "blah blah blah" territory.
The Ronettes, I've always felt were a forgotten girl group. Sure, their song, "Be My Baby", is deservedly hailed as one of the greatest pop songs of all time, but people tend to forget the rest of their category. Now I'm not a huge love song fan, as in I don't cry over them, but the pure joy of loving is heard here, the same joy of love that is sorely lacking from most. It's a beautiful song backed with beautiful production from the maestro, Phil Spector.
15. The Horrors - Still Life
vs.
6. The Jacksons - Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)
"Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" really showed the world what Michael Jackson was capable of. There are better songs made by him, including an earlier one called "I Want You Back", but the thing about him was that almost every song was memorable as hell which is something "Still Life" cannot say.
7. Father John Misty - Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings
vs.
9. Missy Elliott - Pass That Dutch
This actually kind of hurt. I voted for "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings" because the production was INSANE! Just great. Of course, "Pass That Dutch" featured some fabulous production, too, and a very heartfelt Missy Elliott. I like that in a rapper. It was a nice song that really touched on a lot of subjects.
5. The Roots featuring Erykah Badu - You Got Me
vs.
12. Souls of Mischef - '93 til Infinity
I'm thinking it's about time an "Underrated Artist: Erykah Badu" thread was created. That stunning chorus!
3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Sacrilege
vs.
14. Super Furry Animals - Juxtaposed With U
Holy shit. "Sacrilege" is a phenomenal song. Maybe "Maps" will click with me this time!
11. Les Savy Fav - The Sweat Descends
vs.
4. Mos Def - Ms. Fat Booty
"The Sweat Descends" is a bit catchy, but Mos Def spat out some of the best lines in "Ms. Fat Booty".
10. Kanye West - Bound 2
vs.
16. Sonic Youth - Death Valley '69
"Bound 2" is the weakest song on Yeezus and, sadly, the precursor to The Life of Pablo, but there are things going for it. The fact that I never cared much for Sonic Youth definitely helped it, too.
1. Janis Joplin - Summertime
vs.
8. Mercury Rev - Holes
I remember the first time I heard "Summertime". I had already associated "Summertime" as the best thing Gershwin has ever written, but, damn, this strange cover was like seeing God. Joplin's rough vocals and wild interpretation of the lyrics lend such a beauty to it. Oh, but then, the climax! Those acid guitars then you hear her break in with a haunting "One of these mornings, you're gonna rise up to the sky". I love this song too much.
Oh, and after five listens, "Holes" finally clicked for me!
The Roots - You Got Me
vs. Souls of Mischief - 93 'Til Infinity
The truly mesmerizing beat of "93 'Til Infinity" won me over in this matchup, but this stands as one of the closest competitions for me so far in this tournament.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Sacrilege
vs. Super Furry Animals - Juxtaposed With You
Janis Joplin - Summertime
vs. Mercury Rev - Holes
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...