From now on I'll be leaving out the seedings and the AM rank to make the presentation more neutral.

Division 1 (1959-1971) final:

Bridgitte Fontaine - Comme A La Radio (1971)
def The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour 5-4
def The Monks - Black Monk Time 6-4
def Nico - Chelsea Girl 6-4
vs
The Beatles - Help (1965)
def Vince Guaraldi - A Charlie Brown Christmas 6-4
def The Millennium - Begin 7-5
def Ennio Morricone - Once Upon A Time In The West 12-5

Comme a la Radio is the only album that managed to knock off a #1 seed in the first three rounds, and so far as an underdog has snuck by with low vote totals. The Beatles started out with the 1-2-3 seeds in this division but only Help made it through the first round. Will Comme a la Radio sneak out another underdog win, or will the higher vote totals favor the Beatles?

Division 3 (1983-1992) final:

REM - Life's Rich Pageant (1986)
def Bruce Springsteen - Live 1975-1985 8-3
def The Cars - Heartbeat City 13-1
def Depeche Mode - Violator 10-9
vs
Talking Heads - Speaking In Tongues (1983)
def They Might Be Giants - s/t 7-3
def Madonna - Madonna 10-3
def They Might Be Giants - Flood 12-4

Life's Rich Pageant has had a lot of momentum on the board lately, but just barely won against Violator last week. Speaking in Tongues has quietly coasted with three easy victories against weaker opponents. Will it be able to make it through a tougher matchup, or will REM continue to ride their recent momentum?

Division 5 (1997-1999) final:

Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (1998)
def The Boredoms - Super AE 8-5
def Ben Folds Five - Whatever and Ever Amen 10-2
def Belle and Sebastian - The Boy With The Arab Strap 10-7
vs
Elliot Smith - XO
def The Dandy Warhols - Come Down 11-2
def PJ Harvey - Is This Desire? 11-3
def Beck - Mutations 11-2

By far the toughest matchup so far in the tournament. Aeroplane is in a lot of people's top ten of all time, but it has more detractors too, getting twice the amounts of votes cast against it in the first three rounds. Will the people who absolutely love it continue to pull it through, or will the Elliot Smith fans plus the NMH detractors be enough to knock it out?

Division 7 (2003-2005) final:

The Go Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike (2005)
def The Decemberists - Her Majesty 9-5
def Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever To Tell 9-6
def Gorillaz - Demon Days 8-7
vs
Sufjan Stevens - Michigan (2003)
def The Strokes - Room On Fire 9-4
def Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans 10-3
def Joanna Newsom - The Milk Eyed Mender 12-4

Thunder, Lightning, Strike was the lowest overall seed to get a #1 seed in the draw, and it's managed three very close victories so far. Michigan drew far less support in the qualifying rounds, but it's managed three crushing victories so far, including one over a #2 seed. Is the strong support The Go Team got in the qualifying round going to be the deciding factor, or the strong support Sufjan Stevens got in the first three elimination rounds?

One week to vote, vote closes Tuesday at midnight board time.

1. (pass)
3. R.E.M. - Life's Rich Pagaent
5. Elliott Smith - XO
7. (pass)

no clue how this works, but going by the above post:

1. (pass)
3. (pass)
5. NMH
7. The Go! Team

Elliott Smith - XO

Both albums top 30 all time. Admittedly haven't listened to any of the others.

NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL

SUFJAN STEVENS

Brigitte Fontaine - Comme A La Radio (1971)
Talking Heads - Speaking In Tongues (1983)
Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (1998)
Sufjan Stevens - Michigan (2003)

Elliott Smith - XO
Sufjan Stevens - Michigan

Bridgitte Fontaine - Comme A La Radio
REM - Life's Rich Pageant
Elliot Smith - XO
The Go Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike

Brigitte Fontaine - Comme A La Radio (1971)
Talking Heads - Speaking In Tongues (1983)
Elliot Smith - XO
Sufjan Stevens - Michigan (2003)

How Brigitte Fontaine can arrange it here ? With one of his less good album.I love it, but I wonder how she can appeal to non-French speaking people ?

Bridgitte Fontaine - Comme A La Radio (1971)
REM - Life's Rich Pageant (1986)
Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (1998)
Sufjan Stevens - Michigan (2003)

Only the last one was a tough choice for me.

The Beatles - Help!

This game introduced me to a couple of really great albums, Comme la Radio being one of them. But I still prefer Help!

Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues

In my opinion, the closest draw of the tournament. These are both great albums, and I like them pretty much equally.

Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane over the Sea

I really like XO, and it's definately my favorite Elliot Smith album. By In the Aeroplane is my all-time #2. I will be very sad if it fails to advance.

Sufjan Stevens - Michigan

Because of Detroit alone, Michigan advances here.

Help!
Speaking in Tongues
In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
Thunder, Lightning, Strike

The Beatles - Help!

I'm beginning to think that "Help!" might be one of the Beatles' best albums - it's certainly very underrated.

R.E.M. - Lifes Rich Pageant

I've never understood Talking Heads, so while I don't think this is my favorite R.E.M. album, it's still a good deal better.

Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane over the Sea

I love "XO," but "Aeroplane" is my favorite album of all-time...

Sufjan Stevens - Michigan

Not much to say here, just that I prefer "Michigan."

In the Aeroplane over the Sea

Thunder, Lightning, Strike

Brigitte Fontaine
R.E.M.
Elliott Smith
Sufjan Stevens

Help!
Life's Rich Pageant
XO
Thunder Lightning Strike

Div 1: Help! - As someone said, it's an underrated Beatles album.
Div. 3: Speaking in Tongues - My second favorite Talking Heads album vs. my sixth favorite R.E.M. album.
Div. 5: XO - A close call, but I'll take Smith's delicately elegant beauty.
Div. 7: Thunder, Lighting, Strike - Irresistible grooves.

Bridgette Fontaine
REM
Neutral Milk Hotel
aaaannnddd.... Sufjan Stevens

Bridgitte Fontaine - Comme A La Radio (1971)

Talking Heads - Speaking In Tongues (1983)

Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (1998)
In the former rounds I have voted for XO and against In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. So looks like some paths to the final are easier than others. This is actually an easy choice.

The Go Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike (2005)

My vote:

-Comme a la Radio

My best discovery of this whole tournament.

-Life's Rich Pageant vs Speaking in Tongues: Abstain

Two albums I sort of like but don't feel that strongly about.

-In The Aeroplane Over The Sea

Sort of a 'Be honest' vote for me. I listened to them both two days ago and on those particular listens, NMH sounded better. I hope this doesn't turn out to be the winning vote, because I'd really like to see it knocked out. (The more I listen to it, the less I can stand the lyrics)

-Michigan

Big grower.

Bridgitte Fontaine - Comme A La Radio

SO great that this is still around.


REM - Life's Rich Pageant

One of their most consistent albums.


Elliott Smith - XO

Wins the battle of "which am I more likely to play?"


The Go Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike

The toughest choice here...I love Sufjan, but this is just a more solid album front-to-back.

The Beatles - Help (1965)
REM - Life's Rich Pageant (1986)
Elliot Smith - XO (1998)
Sufjan Stevens - Michigan (2003)

Division 1 (1959-1971) final:
The Beatles - Help (1965)

In the words of Soul Brother Number One: Revenge! The big payback!

Division 3 (1983-1992) final:
REM - Life's Rich Pageant (1986)

Division 5 (1997-1999) final:
Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (1998)

Division 7 (2003-2005) final:
Sufjan Stevens - Michigan (2003)

One more day to vote.

In easily the most voted in week since the beginning of the qualifying round, no album has less than six votes, and no album is trailing by more than four. Two of the matchups are only separated by two votes, but with the high turnout, any matchup is still winnable.

Division 1 - Beatles - Help
Division 3 - R.E.M. - Life's Rich Pageant (1986)
Division 5 - Elliott Smith - XO
Division 7 - Sufjan Stevens - Michigan (2003)

Edit: Moved top part to new voting thread

And now the results.

Division 1:

Brigitte Fontaine - Comme a la Radio 9 def
The Beatles - Help 8

In another narrow victory, the 16th seed manages to make it to the quarterfinal.

Division 3:

REM - Life's Rich Pageant 11 def
Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues 6

The obscure early REM album that's been a big subject of conversation on the board lately advances in the easiest victory of the week.

Division 5:

Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea 11 def
Elliot Smith - XO 10

In the most voted in matchup of the tournament so far, Neutral Milk Hotel squeak by. They survived, but the margin makes them look more vulnerable in the last three rounds. There are no more easy victories.

Division 7:

Sufjan Stevens - Michigan 13 def
The Go Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike 8

Michigan, the #11, is the second lowest seed to win it's division, and Thunder, Lightning, Strike becomes the first #1 seed to be knocked out since the first week.