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Unacclaimed Week 2

Welcome to Week 2!

Please listen to the songs before making your choice, and provide comments (however brief) to form the basis of your pick.

The deadline for Week 2 is 11:59 PM, October 9th AM time.

You can read the descriptions of why these songs were nominated in the rules thread.

Match 5:

Architecture in Helsinki- "Heart It Races"
Newsboys- "Entertaining Angels"

Match 6:

Brazilian Girls- "Homme"
Genesis- "Behind the Lines"

Match 7:

Georges Brassens- "La Marine"
Cardiacs- "Dirty Boy"

Match 8:

Game Theory- "Erica's Word"
Siouxsie and the Banshees- "Dazzle"

And we're off!

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2
Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Match 5:

Architecture in Helsinki- "Heart It Races"
I’m not a big fan of either song, but I’ll chose the first one for its greater originality (and nice video)

Match 6:

Brazilian Girls- "Homme"
Same as match 1 (even worse). Homme has a better sound (progressive rock from the 80s is definitely not my thing)

Match 7:

Georges Brassens- "La Marine"
My favorite’s opponent is a good song, that will win in the end, I can bet that, but of course, like a good politician, I vote for myself.

Match 8:

Game Theory- "Erica's Word"
IMO, this week’s songs are much weaker than last week’s. There’s hardly anything that I really liked. The first song is decent, with a good guitar sound, but Siouxsie’s music’s too cold and dark for me.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

nicolas
(progressive rock from the 80s is definitely not my thing)



Please help the rest of us understand your comment above, e.g., whether there is any period from which progressive rock is "your thing."

If not, please help us understand what is it about progressive rock that you do not care for.

If so, what is different about progressive rock from the 1980's compared the era you prefer.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Match 5:
Architecture in Helsinki- "Heart It Races"
Newsboys- "Entertaining Angels"

Heart It Races is wonderful in its weirdness, Entertaining Angels is not bad at all, but not as nuanced. The idea of angels is pretty entertaining though, so I'll agree with that (I know, that's not what the song is about).

Match 6:
Brazilian Girls- "Homme"
Genesis- "Behind the Lines"

The first 20 seconds of Homme I was trying to find out why there were two songs playing, which is never a good thing, but after another listen it sounds better. Behind The Lines is probably not in my top 25 of best Genesis songs, but it's still a highlight on that album. That said, this is probably my least favorite bracket of this week and I'll agree with nicolas that the overall level is not quite as high as last week.

Match 7:
Georges Brassens- "La Marine"
Cardiacs- "Dirty Boy"

Brassens is amazing, and this is the only blowout in this week's competition to me; La Marine is the only song in this list I already knew well and also the best song of the week. Cardiacs sound a little like the winner of the previous bracket except, you know, not as good.

Match 8:
Game Theory- "Erica's Word"
Siouxsie and the Banshees- "Dazzle"

Erica's Word really makes me want to dig into Game Theory, which makes this a contender for this week's favorite discovery along with Heart It Races. Dazzle makes me wonder why Moonbeam doesn't like Queen; it's all there! All jokes aside, a pretty entertaining song, but not as good as Game Theory.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Match 5:

1. Newsboys- "Entertaining Angels" is a fairly straightforward and enjoyable song and I prefer it to the weirdness and somewhat annoying vocals of 2. Heart it Races by Architecture of Helsinki.

Match 6:

1. Genesis- "Behind the Lines" - clearly one of my favorites and my selection here - with excellent composition by Banks and vocals by Collins. I preferred Duke to many of the earlier Genesis albums, but would guess that Stephan prefers the older albums. My friends who are big Genesis fans typically hail the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway as their best. I wonder if Stephan agrees and I also would appreciate it if Stephan would let us know the 25 or so Genesis songs he prefers to Behind the Lines.
2. Brazilian Girls- "Homme" is a very well performed song with clean vocals and instruments. I didn't find it especially challenging, but is was certainly pleasant enough. It could grow on me.

Match 7:

1. Georges Brassens- "La Marine"wins this match for me. I am not familiar with Brassens, but he strikes me as a performer who doesn't clutter his songs up with a lot of hooks and the like.
2. Cardiacs- "Dirty Boy" - this song is pretty good, but it seemed to get stuck in a mode where the transitions were not particularly interesting.


Match 8:

1. Siouxsie and the Banshees- "Dazzle" - I am not a big fan of Siouxsie and the Banshees - but I found this song to be compelling and I enjoyed the sparse sound, strong vocals and interaction between the vocals and percussion.

2. Game Theory- "Erica's Word" This is a strong contender, but I found myself thinking that it was jammed with hooks that could become less interesting after hearing the song repeatedly.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Not really a big fan of any of the 8 here, which scares me a little that one bracket is going to have 8 songs I really like where the 4 losers in those could have won all 4 this week...

"Heart It Races" - Has a unique sound, kind of like They Might Be Giants collabed w/Vampire Weekend and brought the chick who sang "Barbie Girl" (Aqua) in to sing after ODing on some major depressants...

"Behind The Lines" - Had the album as a kid.

"Dirty Boy" - I flipped a coin and it came up tails.

"Dazzle" - It wouldn't make my top 10 Siouxsie songs, but it does win this matchup.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

We should have video match-ups for this week too. Some of the vids are amazing.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Henry


Please help the rest of us understand your comment above, e.g., whether there is any period from which progressive rock is "your thing."

If not, please help us understand what is it about progressive rock that you do not care for.

If so, what is different about progressive rock from the 1980's compared the era you prefer.


I'm a big fan of early Genesis (Foxtrot is in my top 200) and I like some songs from the Phil Colins era ("Home By The Sea", "ABACAB")

Why I dislike 80's progrock is probably because of the synthetizers. I don't like Marillion either. In general I don't like 80's production especially when it relies too much on synth, with exceptions of course (Soft Cell, some Depeche Mode).

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Architecture in Helsinki- "Heart It Races"
Newsboys- "Entertaining Angels"

"Heart it Races" was a cool song. It reminds me of The Knife's "Pass This On" and that's a very good thing.


Brazilian Girls- "Homme"
Genesis- "Behind the Lines"

I'm a sucker for lounge beats, so "Homme" was really nice. For more music like this I recommend De-Phazz's "Godsdog". As for "Behind the Lines", I prefer Phil Collins' solo version from "Face Value".


Georges Brassens- "La Marine"
Cardiacs- "Dirty Boy"

"La Marine" does not have as strong melody as "La mauvaise réputation", but would have had my vote against much better songs than "Dirty Boy". The Cardiacs boys should take a break and listen to Brazilian Girls or something. Or why not Georges Brassens.


Game Theory- "Erica's Word"
Siouxsie and the Banshees- "Dazzle"

Interesting matchup with two different sounds of the 80s. Siouxsie and the Banshees had the sound for me.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

I've never really attempted to make a top 25 favorite Genesis songs, which is why I said 'probably'. That said, my favorite album is indeed "The Lamb Dies Down On Broadway" and I prefer more than half of those 23 songs over Behind The Lines. "Selling England By The Pound" and "Foxtrot" also have some songs that I prefer as well, so I reckon 25th is about right.

I'm far from a big Genesis fan though, so don't pay too much attention to my ramblings.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Vote: Entertaining Angels
I liked In Case We Die, but Heart Races is AIH at their most jarring, bouncy, saccharine twee. Entertaining Angels is a little too predictable a song but it has a good melody.

Vote: Homme
With Homme I like the drumline and the weird quirky ghost-like string section. I liked Behind the Lines more than I expected, but I'm just not a fan of Genesis-style histrionics. The melodies are a little overly clever.

Vote: La Marine
La Marine is a nice charming song, indicating that yes, I do need to look into Brassens' stuff. Dirty Boy is proggy, but with all the drawbacks without the benefits. If you're going to try to sound this grandiose, you better be an instrumental virtuoso with more clear ideas.

Vote: Erica's Word
Erica's word is a well formed pop song, relying a bit too heavy on the repeated power chords. Dazzle is not bad, but it overuses the dreamy echo and in my opinion, misses the feel it's going for.

Best of week: La Marine

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

nicolas
Henry


Please help the rest of us understand your comment above, e.g., whether there is any period from which progressive rock is "your thing."

If not, please help us understand what is it about progressive rock that you do not care for.

If so, what is different about progressive rock from the 1980's compared the era you prefer.


I'm a big fan of early Genesis (Foxtrot is in my top 200) and I like some songs from the Phil Colins era ("Home By The Sea", "ABACAB")

Why I dislike 80's progrock is probably because of the synthetizers. I don't like Marillion either. In general I don't like 80's production especially when it relies too much on synth, with exceptions of course (Soft Cell, some Depeche Mode).


Are there progressive rock bands from the 70's or 90's that you prefer to the 80's prog rock bands?

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Match 5

"Entertaining Angels" - didn't like either of these, but this wasn't actively annoying

Match 6

"Homme" - nice vocals, cool beat

Match 7

"La Marine" - not even close. fantastic lyrics!

Match 8

"Dazzle" - i would have taken some of the other songs on the big shot chronicles over dazzle, "where you going northern" for instance, but not this one

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Another exciting matchup of almost entirely new material:

Match 5:

Architecture in Helsinki- "Heart It Races"

Not an incredible song but it has that little fun Caribbean beat that reminded of their better song Do the Whirlwind. The Newsboys didn't do anything for me... it sounded more dated than the Jars of Clay song.

Match 6:

Brazilian Girls- "Homme"

Some Brazillian Girls (and this song) are actually on my playlist from way back, as someone from graduate school shared his collection with me, containing mostly bands I knew about, and these guys. I still haven't listen to an entire Brazilian Girls album but their songs are very unique. I was digging the progressive rock fanfare in which the Genesis song opened, but then it started sounding soft and mushy. Not quite Invisible Touch but they were getting there.

Match 7:


Cardiacs- "Dirty Boy"

What an incredibly odd matchup!! Hard to compare these two, but while the French song was lovely, the relentless onslaught and completely left-field sound of the Cardiacs really captured my attention.

Match 8:

Game Theory- "Erica's Word"

A little more equal music genre ground to cover than the last round. I have to go with Game Theory because it sounded like the precursor to all the quirky indie music I've grown up with. Siouxsie's orchestral tone didn't engage me as much.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Match 5:
1) Architecture in Helsinki- "Heart It Races"
2) Newsboys- "Entertaining Angels"
La chanson de Architecture in Helsinki est plaisante avec une rythmique sympa. Un petit ovni rigolo !
Newsboys : c'est un gag ?

Match 6:
1) Brazilian Girls- "Homme"
2) Genesis- "Behind the Lines"
J'ai toujours aimé le tango, la chanson n'a rien de transcendante mais s'écoute sans déplaisir.
Genesis : ça se rapproche assez de tout ce que je peux détester dans la musique.

Match 7:
1) Georges Brassens- "La Marine"
2) Cardiacs- "Dirty Boy"
Imbattable Brassens...il me touche dans ma mémoire la plus profonde, mon grand-père, ma grand-mère, des souvenirs, émouvant.
Cardiacs : je ne connaissais pas la groupe et...ce n'st vraiment mon style.

Match 8:
1)Game Theory- "Erica's Word"
2)Siouxsie and the Banshees- "Dazzle"
Deux belles chansons...que je ne connaissais pas. Le choix a été difficile mais mon vote va à Erica's world.


Can we put the dates of the songs for the next matchs, I found this important.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Henry


Are there progressive rock bands from the 70's or 90's that you prefer to the 80's prog rock bands?


I love Pink Floyd, early Genesis, and all of the Canterbury scene (Soft Machine, Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Caravan, Gong, etc..)
King Crimson and Procol Harum too. I'm not a prog rock specialist but "Rock Bottom" is in my all-time top 3 (with Abbey Road and Darkness On the Edge of Town).

As for the 90's I don't know any prog rock band from that era.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Romain

Can we put the dates of the songs for the next matchs, I found this important.


I'm not sure what the dates for the songs are! I suppose those who nominate the songs can provide dates, though.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Match 5:

Architecture in Helsinki- "Heart It Races" - Not my favorite AiH tune, but I like this way better than the Newsboys song ("It's not my bag, Baby!")

Match 6:

Genesis- "Behind the Lines" - Not crazy about either of these. "Behind the Lines" sounds good after not hearing it for about 20 years. A couple years ago, I really tried to like the two Brazilian Girls' albums but ultimately deleted them from my computer.

Match 7:

Cardiacs- "Dirty Boy" - Brassens got a tough matchup here... I like the Brassens tune, but was really impressed with the Cardiacs, whom I will be seeking out based on the epic awesomeness of this track.

Match 8:

Game Theory- "Erica's Word" - Siouxsie, as fine as she can be, did not have a chance with me in this match-up. Love Game Theory!

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Match 5:

Architecture in Helsinki- "Heart It Races"

I hadn't realized I'd heard the AiH song previously, but when I relistened to it I recognized it and it's pretty good. Newsboys weren't bad either; now I understand why CCM became so popular in the nineties.

Match 6:

Brazilian Girls- "Homme"

I liked, but didn't love "Homme". It had some interesting things going on it, which was enough to beat the overproduced Genesis song.

Match 7:

Georges Brassens- "La Marine"

I thought the Cardiacs song had great potential in the beginning, but I don't like the singer's voice that much, and definitely not enough to listen for nine minutes. Even though "Dirty Boy" had a great instrumental, Brassens wins for brevity and having stronger material in general.

Match 8:

Game Theory- "Erica's Word"

A very close matchup, I like the Game Theory song for being more polished. They remind me of The Jam, or a poppier version of the Replacements, which is a very good thing.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Match 1
Architecture in Helsinki - Heart It Races: A really hard choice. The first one fun and different with a bit of Yeasayer about it, and the second has a catchy tune. But the early 2000s boyband sound swayed me away from Newsboys.

Match 2
Brazilian Girls - Homme: This is easily my favourite song of the week, maybe my favourite discovery so far. I had heard of Brazilian Girls before, just never heard their stuff. Have to seek them out. I really got into the Genesis song for about five seconds somewhere in the middle; the synths can be uplifting, but most of the time just boring.

Match 3
Cardiacs - Dirty Boy: I found the Brassens song a very pleasant listen apart from that jump in his voice when pronouncing certain consonants, which makes heim sound like he has a bad cold (unless it was just on the record). Dirty Boy has a huge tune with brilliant guitars and quirky time signatures, and never tires in nine minutes. And what an ending!

Match 4
Game Theory - Erica's Word: The start reminds me a lot of The Stone Roses' I Wanna Be Adored, and the rest is pure, light bliss. I did enjoy the Siouxsie and the Banshees song, just didn't really get into it as much.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Match 1

Architecture In Helsinki-Heart It Races: Fun song, even funnier video.
Newsboys-Entertaining Angels: What?! After Jar Of Clay another christian band? Ehmm guys, now you're really trying my patience. Just kidding. After the first 20 seconds I was fearing the worst, but the chorus is so fucking catchy, my nod goes to Newsboys.

Newsboys wins.


Match 2

Brazilian Girls-Homme: Wait a minute, this is good. Need to check out more from these guys.
Genesis-Behind The Lines: Decent Genesis track.

Brazilian Girls wins.


Match 3

Georges Brassens-La marine: During the '50s poll Georges Brassens usually ended up in the lower regions of my lists, I considered him a bit too French for non-francophones. Brilliant lyrics probably, but the melody and music don't really jump at ya. After repeated listenings however, I came to appreciate him more. Yep Nicolas, I'm finally getting Brassens.
Cardiacs-Dirty Boy: In the late '80s Cardiacs was one of those lesser known bands that I liked a a lot-an odd mash-up of new wave and Gentle Giant. A Little Man And A House And The Whole World is a great album and their live shows were nothing less than spectacular. Dirty Boy is from a later period and although a lot of things are going on in this song, it somehow takes quite a while before it really lifts off. The marvelous finale is worth the wait, though.

Georges Brassens wins.


Match 4

Game Theory-Erica's Word: REM-lite? Infectious jangly guitar pop, the accompanying very '80s video did put me off, though.
Siouxie & The Banshees-Dazzle: Which means that the Banshees win. Nice tune by the ice queen, but not as good as its original b-side, a majestic version of Overground.

Siouxie wins.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Match 5: "Heart It Races"- Architecture in Helsinki
This match was actually rather close. Once I heard "Christian Rock" I thought I would hate the Newsboys song, but it turned out to be not that bad. Rather catchy, but a bit too M.O.R. for my tastes. But "Heart It Races" won out in the end, I really like the variety of sounds that song brings.

Match 6: "Homme"- Brazilian Girls.
I barely understand any lyrics in the Brazilian Girls song, but damn they sound cool. I think "homme savage" means something like wild man, correct me if I'm wrong. Anyways, the combo of electro beats and violins seals the deal for me. As for the Genesis song, it was a bit too bloated, and the lyrics were weak (yes, lyrics I can't understand win out over weak lyrics)

Match 7: "La Marine"- Georges Brassens
Once again, I barely understand a single lyric in the song I'm voting for, but "La Marine" just has a strange foreign appeal that I can't quite place. As for "Dirty Boy", it sounds like Billy Corgan on helium fronting an art rock band on coke. And as much as Billy Corgan and coke have done for music, that wasn't a compliment.

Match 8: "Erica's World"- Game Theory
"Dazzle" was a bit much. The strings in the intro didn't really appeal to me, and the production, specifically the mixing of the vocals wasn't too good. I prefer the more straight forward college rock sound of "Erica's World".

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Match 5:

Architecture in Helsinki- "Heart It Races": The steel pans make for a spritely and fun production indeed! I can see how it would be jarring to some listeners, but I like it.

Newsboys- "Entertaining Angels": This is a catchy song with some nice piano and strings, but the vocals kind of spoil it for me, such as the enunciation of "entertEYEning EYEngels". Still, I wish songs like this were played on my local Christian radio station instead of crap like Revive and TobyMac.

Match 6:

Brazilian Girls- "Homme": There's an eerie creepiness in the production that is really appealing to me. This competition continues to surprise! I had heard a Brazilian Girls track before this one that didn't appeal to me much, but this is a different story entirely.

Genesis- "Behind the Lines": I like the bombast of the total 80s sound it has going on as well as the extended, ever-changing instrumental opening. To be honest, I like this a lot more than I was expecting on face value alone, as I had yet to hear a Genesis track I liked. It may very well have won Match 5 or Match 7, but "Homme" edges it just, for me.

Match 7: Could these songs be any more different?!

Georges Brassens- "La Marine": It's definitely more engaging than most music of its ilk for me, but that still is not enough to overcome my bias against music from before 1965.

Cardiacs- "Dirty Boy": Where "La Marine" was simple and understated, this is totally ambitious, making for a great contrast! I tend to appreciate ambition within the genres I like, and this seems to fall in that category. I'm not crazy about the vocals, but the sprawling expanse and sense of urgency more than make up for it!

Match 8:

Game Theory- "Erica's Word": It's a nice, straightforward pop song from the 80s, but I find the vocals to be off-key and rather off-putting. Off-key vocals can work for me sometimes, but not here. The guitar solo is pretty great, though.

Siouxsie and the Banshees- "Dazzle": I nominated this song, so of course it's my pick! I'm a bit surprised that it hasn't caused much of a fuss either way from voters so far, because it's got its heart so firmly planted on its sleeve. Siouxsie is known as such an "ice queen", but I find this song to be bursting forth with warmth, with melodies that are thrillingly triumphant, culminating with the wonderful line "baby piano cries under your heavy index and thumb, pull some strings, let them SIIIIIIIING!" Sure, the production may sound like the song was recorded underwater, but I think that's part of the charm. Siouxsie's voice and lyrics were just an unstoppable force at this point, and there's not an instrument or subject that they wouldn't tackle.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Moonbeam
Match 5:

Architecture in Helsinki- "Heart It Races": The steel pans make for a spritely and fun production indeed! I can see how it would be jarring to some listeners, but I like it.

Newsboys- "Entertaining Angels": This is a catchy song with some nice piano and strings, but the vocals kind of spoil it for me, such as the enunciation of "entertEYEning EYEngels". Still, I wish songs like this were played on my local Christian radio station instead of crap like Revive and TobyMac.



Ironic, since like AIH, the Newsboys are AustrEYElian. :)

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Larry
Moonbeam
Match 5:

Architecture in Helsinki- "Heart It Races": The steel pans make for a spritely and fun production indeed! I can see how it would be jarring to some listeners, but I like it.

Newsboys- "Entertaining Angels": This is a catchy song with some nice piano and strings, but the vocals kind of spoil it for me, such as the enunciation of "entertEYEning EYEngels". Still, I wish songs like this were played on my local Christian radio station instead of crap like Revive and TobyMac.



Ironic, since like AIH, the Newsboys are AustrEYElian. :)


So true! I hadn't thought of that.

Sometimes, pronunciation and enunciation can really piss me off in a song. This wasn't that bad, but Katy Perry's extension of the word "it" to 3 syllables in "I Kissed a Girl" makes me violently angry, for some reason!

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Match 1:

"Entertaining Angels" - Newsboys

Agony.

"Heart it Races" was amazing. I loved it. The quirkiness, the vocal percussion...fantastic. And yet, "Entertaining Angels" has been a favorite of mine for at least 6 years. I would have given AIH the nod in any other match (well, except vs. "Liquid") so far. My apologies to Nassim. I guess it is some consolation that "Heart it Races" will probably win big and I'll get another chance to vote for it later (well, I guess since it's double elimination, there's always a second chance to vote at this point :)

Match 2:

Genesis - "Behind the Lines"

Genesis is not a band I was familiar with prior to this match...just kidding!

I have to get something out of the way...the first thought I had when I saw the live version on YouTube was "That is the hairiest image of Phil Collins I've ever seen." As far as the song goes, "Behind the Lines" was just standard 80s fare, in my opinion. I like a fair number of Genesis songs, but nothing stood out here. "Homme" didn't do anything for me either, so this one was a coin toss...bonus points for the hairy Phil Collins video though. Can I vote for "Heart it Races" to win Match 2? :)

Match 3:

Georges Brassens - "La Marine"

This is the only match this week where I was not familiar with either of the artists. This was another strange matchup. I thought "La Marine" perfectly captures the feeling of what I imagine a small, French sea-side town to be like (though I've never been). A beautiful song. I didn't like "Dirty Boy". It seemed cacophonous.

Match 4:

Game Theory - "Erica's Word"

Wow...an 80s band I hadn't heard of! I really liked the Game Theory song. It was poppy, hooky, classic 80s fun. Props to Harold for unearthing this gem!

I was not a fan of Siouxsie and the Banshees during the 80s, but I thought I'd see if time had been kind to their music. And well, I was actually surprised. Siouxie's voice is really good on this song, and I kind of like it. And props to Moonbeam for re-introducing me to an artist I'd long ago written off...I still give Game Theory the nod, but "Dazzle" has a good chance of growing on me.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed the music this week.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Match 5.
"Architecture in Helsinki - Heart it races"

A lovely song that i enjoy very much. For Newsboys i feel it is a pity that a promising intro is quickly killed by a bad vocal. The singer makes me loose interest completely.

Match 6.
"Brazilian Girls - Homme"

"Homme" makes me want to listen to the song again and again to see what i missed the previous ten times. The song grows on me. I can not shake the feeling that i have heared "Behind the lines" before. If so it did not leave a lasting impression. It still doesn´t.

Match 7.
"Georges Brassens - La Marine"

This was the toughest match of the week. My weakness for classic frensh "chansons", versus a Cardiacs song i like a lot. "Dirty Boys" is a little to monotone to get the vote. I would have like Cardiacs to "cranck it up" and twist it even further to get even more energy in to the song.

Match 8.
"Siouxsie and the Banshees - Dazzle"

This weeks weakest bracket. "Dazzel" gets it due to the very nice intro.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Match 5:

Architecture in Helsinki- "Heart It Races"

Well sorry Larry, I don't like your pick as much as you seem to love mine !

Match 6:

Brazilian Girls- "Homme"
In a fight between two genres I usually dislike, Brazilian Girls is easily the best surprise

Match 7:

I will wait a bit on that one... I like Brassens but Cardiacs sounds like a possible grower

Match 8:

Game Theory- "Erica's Word"

I'm a bit disappointed by Dazzle, I expected something as great as "Cities in Dust" and well it's not. On the other hand, Erica's Word is a surprisingly catchy rock song.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Match 5 Winner - Architecture in Helsinki, "Heart It Races"
- Mostly went for "Heart It Races" because it was so enjoyably weird. The Newsboys track had some nice points to it. Intro made me take notice, but I didn't care for the verses (agree with those who downgraded based on lead singers voice). Then the surprising chorus kicked in, and it was such a great sing along chorus, that it almost beat out "Heart it Races." But the AIH track made me smile throughout.

Match 6 Winner - Brazilian Girls, "Homme"
- Like the strings on "Homme" a lot. Like the urgent vocals. My one complaint is the song loses focus at the end of each verse, dragging me out of the great mood created before. Breakdown sections in the middle and end are so-so. Great bass line, which the song misses when it cuts out.
- Don't care for the synths on "Behind the Lines." So the long intro I didn't like. It was a nice surprise when Collins' voice kicked in; I figured after 2:00 that it was to be an instrumental. Listening to this gave me nice thoughts about all the Collins/Genesis hits I grew up with. But all in all, I liked the Brazilian Girls' song better.

Match 7 - Cardiacs, "Dirty Boy"
Neither track floated my boat.
- Didn't get any emotion from Brassens' vocals, and the song felt slight to me. Loved the French pronunciation throughout though... added to musicality of the delivery.
- As for the Cardiacs' song... I'll quote one of the YouTube commenters: "What the fuck just happened to me." Makes me feel silly for ever having used the term epic to describe any other song. It's all hugeness. Frankly... it's way too much. If there is any story or message in there, it got lost. And the vocals just got silly at the end. Couldn't understand any of the lyrics. But it wins on sheer ambition.

Match 8 - Siouxsie and the Banshees, "Dazzle"
- Didn't like the vocals on "Erica's Word." Kinda a shaky voice. The tune was nice, but the background instrumentation was unexceptional.
- Liked the instrumentation on the intro to "Dazzle." And it led to an interesting, quintessentially 80's place, but with a few twists. It wasn't, for me, a particularly ear-catching tune or delivery from Siouxsie, but there was much to recommend it.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Match 5:

Architecture in Helsinki- "Heart It Races" ftw.
Newsboys- "Entertaining Angels"

At least they try to look like rock stars, Newsboys. I got afraid the guy to the right was going to fall while putting one leg behind the other. Actors? Nickelback-warning. I fall for the temptation to dis this severly because I'm sure it was intended.


Match 6:

"Homme" - "Behind the Lines" 1-0, barely. "Homme" has a good sound.


Match 7:
"La Marine" - "Dirty Boy" 0-1. In some situations I prefer "La Marine" to "Dirty Boy", though. The latter hits a nerve. It's huge in its sound. The ending works even though it is "samey".


Match 8:

Game Theory- "Erica's Word"
Siouxsie and the Banshees- "Dazzle" 0-1

amateurs vs pros.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Fred
Match 5:

Architecture in Helsinki- "Heart It Races" ftw.
Newsboys- "Entertaining Angels"

At least they try to look like rock stars, Newsboys. I got afraid the guy to the right was going to fall while putting one leg behind the other. Actors? Nickelback-warning. I fall for the temptation to dis this severly because I'm sure it was intended.


Match 6:

"Homme" - "Behind the Lines" 1-0, barely. "Homme" has a good sound.


Match 7:
"La Marine" - "Dirty Boy" 0-1. In some situations I prefer "La Marine" to "Dirty Boy", though. The latter hits a nerve. It's huge in its sound. The ending works even though it is "samey".


Match 8:

Game Theory- "Erica's Word"
Siouxsie and the Banshees- "Dazzle" 0-1

amateurs vs pros.


Just making sure of your votes!

Are your choices:

Architecture in Helsinki - "Heart It Races"
Brazilian Girls - "Homme"
Cardiacs - "Dirty Boy"
Siouxsie and the Banshees - "Dazzle"

?

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Matchup 1:
"Heart It Races" is amazing. The doo-woppy background vocals combined with a poppy indie song made a great freaky piece of music. Exactly my cup of tea. "Entertaining Angels" is a very good and catchy song, but consists of comparably few musical ideas, and doesn't stand a chance here.

Matchup 2:
"Homme" was a nice listen, though I like the electronic arrangement more than the actual song, which becomes a bit boring towards the ending in my opinion. "Behind the Lines" on the other hand doesn't really grab me at all. It isn't an annoying song but the beginning is rather monotone and I personally think this kind of early 1980s pop/rock sound to be rather uninteresting.

Matchup 3:
"La Marine" is a beautiful French chanson with a nice sparse arrangement that fits the song very well. "Dirty Boy" does not have a sparse arangement at all. Actually the vocals are kind of buried in the thick sound. Sounds similar to Muse but less accessible and more ambitious. It completely lacks any hooks. In my opinion this is the most annoying song so far.

Matchup 4:
"Erica's Word" was a very interesting mix of a catchy pop chorus, punk spirit and a more unconventional melody in the verses. One of my favorites so far. Youtube doesn't open "Dazzle" for me, so I can't vote on this matchup.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

pauldrach
Youtube doesn't open "Dazzle" for me, so I can't vote on this matchup.


Geh mal auf hidemyass.com und gib den Original-Link ein. Dann klappt's.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Match 5:

Architecture in Helsinki- "Heart It Races"
Newsboys- "Entertaining Angels"

Not a big Arch in Helsinki fan, though this oddball world music-filtered track is probably the most enjoyable I've heard by them. As far as Newsboys...er, give me Jars of Clay?

Match 6:

Brazilian Girls- "Homme"
Genesis- "Behind the Lines"

About 20 years ago I was a BIG Genesis fan. I still love the Gabriel years, and have a soft spot for certain Phil-era tracks, at least from 76-83. But re-listening to "Behind the Lines", I find it just bombastic, and not too moving. As far as "Homme", good vocal, and nice 'n' French/fresh, so it gets the win, though the trip-hop touches make me feel like I could change my mind over time. Weak, though close, bracket.

Match 7:

Georges Brassens- "La Marine"
Cardiacs- "Dirty Boy"

Tough one...Brassens is charming, but a little too removed from my experience to get me beyond the craft. "Dirty Boy", however, is pretty outrageous in its epic scope. Maybe too long, maybe that's the point, but pretty damn gripping.

Match 8:

Game Theory- "Erica's Word"
Siouxsie and the Banshees- "Dazzle"

Strongest bracket this week. Game Theory is solid, but not really something I would play a lot. "Dazzle" on the other hand is my favorite Siouxsie track...gorgeous stuff, and a wonderful arrangement.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

nj
pauldrach
Youtube doesn't open "Dazzle" for me, so I can't vote on this matchup.


Geh mal auf hidemyass.com und gib den Original-Link ein. Dann klappt's.


Funzt. Vielen Dank, die Seite merk ich mir.

My updated comment for matchup 4:
Matchup 4:
Both songs are great and would have won against all of the songs this week save "Heart It Races". "Erica's Word" is a very interesting mix of a catchy pop chorus, punk spirit and a more unconventional melody in the verses. But "Dazzle" is such an amazingly atmospheric track that it wins this matchup, even if not by much.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Moonbeam


Just making sure of your votes!

Are your choices:

Architecture in Helsinki - "Heart It Races"
Brazilian Girls - "Homme"
Cardiacs - "Dirty Boy"
Siouxsie and the Banshees - "Dazzle"

?[/quote]

Yes, sorry for being unclear!

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Match 5
Architecture in Helsinki, "Heart It Races" - Going into this, I am already quite sure I know what I am voting for, however, I will give this a fair chance. I will be honest, I quite love this song, and as my nomination likely won't be moving on very far in the competition, I would gladly see this song succeed in the competition. Possibly my 2nd or 3rd-favourite song this week.
Newsboys, "Entertaining Angels" - My favourite song from one of my all-time favourite artists. Love the string introduction, love the vocals (which many here have criticized), love the lyrics, love the melody. There are so many songs* that I would have loved to nominate for this game, but "Entertaining Angels" was the one that stood out the most for me.
Winner: Newsboys, "Entertaining Angels"

Match 6
Brazilian Girls, "Homme" - I have never heard of the Brazilian Girls, so I didn't know what to expect. I really liked the introduction, and thought to myself "this could turn out to be amazing, or one of those songs where I only like the introduction." It reminds me of when I used to listen to French radio, and although I couldn't understand what was being sung, I loved the sound of the music and vocals. This is the case here. I only wish the last half of the chanson was as enjoyable as the first.
Genesis, "Behind the Lines" - Reminds me of Van Halen's "Jump," which I always thought was incredibly overrated. Too much synth. It also annoys me when guitarists feel the need to show off their ability to perform a solo. The song gets much better once the vocals kick in, but the horribly long introduction and dated production ruins the song for me.
Winner: Brazilian Girls, "Homme"

Match 7
Georges Brassens, "La Marine" - I am enjoying the amount of French songs this week! However, this one doesn't do it for me as much as the Brazilian Girls number. However, that doesn't matter, since they're not competing against each other.
Cardiacs, "Dirty Boy" - Since I didn't absolutely love "La Marine," I kind of figured I would at least enjoy this number. One of my favourite songs of all time is "Bohemian Rhapsody," and this song sounded just like it...if you played it backwards...and if "Bohemian Rhapsody" were sung by cats...and if there were enough scratches on your vinyl to make it repeat itself in some parts over and over until the running time was increased by 3 minutes. I could not wait for it to end. No offence to the people who nominated these two songs, but this is probably the worst match-up I have heard so far in the competition. Any of the other songs I didn't pick so far this round would have gotten my vote if pitted against any of these two.
Winner: Georges Brassens, "La Marine"

Match 8
Game Theory, "Erica's World" - I enjoy this song. I am not blown away by it, but it is a song that could grow on me with multiple listens. For some reason, it reminds me of the type of song Elvis Costello would play.
Siouxsie and the Banshees, "Dazzle" - I am a sucker for classical-sounding music. If you stuff an orchestrated introduction in your song, I will probably like it that much more. However, this feels like a forced tack-on, and find an orchestration can usually enhance an already-good song, not carry a mediocre song.
Winner: Game Theory, "Erica's World"

*Other songs I would have nominated, if we were given an option to nominated multiple tunes:
George Harrison, "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)," "This Is Love," "Blow Away," "Beautiful Girl"
Baz Luhrmann, "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)"
The Hollies, "He Ain't Heavy...He's My Brother"
Queen, "Don't Stop Me Now"
Manfred Mann's Earth Band, "Blinded by the Light"
Chicago, "Colour My World"
The Beach Boys, "Forever"
The Beatles, "Real Love," "Hey Bulldog"
John Lennon, "Grow Old with Me"
Tal Bachman, "She's So High"
dc Talk, "Colored People"
Sloan, "The Other Man"
Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World"
Styx, "Come Sail Away"
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, "Walls"
I could list many many more songs, but I'll resist the bore
I highly recommend checking some of these songs out though!

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

pauldrach
Matchup 1:
"Heart It Races" is amazing. The doo-woppy background vocals combined with a poppy indie song made a great freaky piece of music. Exactly my cup of tea. "Entertaining Angels" is a very good and catchy song, but consists of comparably few musical ideas, and doesn't stand a chance here.


You use an interesting phrase "comparably few musical ideas" that makes me think that some people are able to listen to these songs in a completely different way from myself. Could you expand on the "musical ideas", um, idea? For example, give a song with a significant number of musical ideas, and list what those ideas are?

Thanks!

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Larry
pauldrach
Matchup 1:
"Heart It Races" is amazing. The doo-woppy background vocals combined with a poppy indie song made a great freaky piece of music. Exactly my cup of tea. "Entertaining Angels" is a very good and catchy song, but consists of comparably few musical ideas, and doesn't stand a chance here.


You use an interesting phrase "comparably few musical ideas" that makes me think that some people are able to listen to these songs in a completely different way from myself. Could you expand on the "musical ideas", um, idea? For example, give a song with a significant number of musical ideas, and list what those ideas are?

Thanks!

What I meant was that "Entertaining Angels" sounds like a rather ordinary pop song to me. The melody in the chorus largely comprises just two different notes. The ending is very repetitive. There are not that many different parts in the whole song. The overall structure is quite simple. The instrumentation is that of a typical pop/rock band. "Heart It Races" had a more interesting and unusual climax, and a rather unconventional arrangement.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

pauldrach
Larry
pauldrach
Matchup 1:
"Heart It Races" is amazing. The doo-woppy background vocals combined with a poppy indie song made a great freaky piece of music. Exactly my cup of tea. "Entertaining Angels" is a very good and catchy song, but consists of comparably few musical ideas, and doesn't stand a chance here.


You use an interesting phrase "comparably few musical ideas" that makes me think that some people are able to listen to these songs in a completely different way from myself. Could you expand on the "musical ideas", um, idea? For example, give a song with a significant number of musical ideas, and list what those ideas are?

Thanks!

What I meant was that "Entertaining Angels" sounds like a rather ordinary pop song to me. The melody in the chorus largely comprises just two different notes. The ending is very repetitive. There are not that many different parts in the whole song. The overall structure is quite simple. The instrumentation is that of a typical pop/rock band. "Heart It Races" had a more interesting and unusual climax, and a rather unconventional arrangement.


Interesting response in view of your assessment of "Behind the Lines" - "Behind the Lines" on the other hand doesn't really grab me at all. It isn't an annoying song but the beginning is rather monotone and I personally think this kind of early 1980s pop/rock sound to be rather uninteresting.

I haven't yet figured out why you refer to the beginning as monotone. Tony Banks puts down some relatively complicated interweaving melodies and harmonies during the introduction, even if the percussion is put in front a bit. Is there a more clearly performed tune that you could cite that I could contrast against your perception that Behind the Lines is "monotone." Perhaps and example with a description that contrasts with "monotone" would be especially helpful.

I can't find anything meaningful to parse in the view that you consider 1980's pop/rock rather uninteresting; but I'm not sure that most would put the Genesis version of Behind the Lines in the category of pop/rock.

I hope that I am not coming on too strong here, because your comments are insightful and clear; and thereby indicate that you put some effort in to listening to the song.

Your effort is very much appreciated.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

I'm surprised how much people are liking Heart It Races. It sounds to me like straight twee. High fructose corn syrup: The song.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

BillAdama
I'm surprised how much people are liking Heart It Races. It sounds to me like straight twee. High fructose corn syrup: The song.


Spot On!!

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

My votes for Week 2:

Match 5:
After several listens I honestly like both of them but the music and arrangement for "Heart it Races" ultimately won out. Love the driving rhythm.

Match 6:
I'll admit I have a built-in bias against music sung in languages I don't speak. However, "Behind the Lines" only occasionally grabbed me musically and never lyrically. So it's "Homme" by default even though I have no idea what it means...liked the music better.

Match 7:
The Cardiacs' vocals felt a bit "whiny" for my taste so my vote goes to Georges Brassens' "La Marine".

Match 8:
The glistening melody of "Erica's Word" has my vote over Siouxsie. I didn't hate Siouxsie but it didn't lodge in my head, either.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Henry
Interesting response in view of your assessment of "Behind the Lines" - "Behind the Lines" on the other hand doesn't really grab me at all. It isn't an annoying song but the beginning is rather monotone and I personally think this kind of early 1980s pop/rock sound to be rather uninteresting.

I haven't yet figured out why you refer to the beginning as monotone. Tony Banks puts down some relatively complicated interweaving melodies and harmonies during the introduction, even if the percussion is put in front a bit. Is there a more clearly performed tune that you could cite that I could contrast against your perception that Behind the Lines is "monotone." Perhaps and example with a description that contrasts with "monotone" would be especially helpful.

I can't find anything meaningful to parse in the view that you consider 1980's pop/rock rather uninteresting; but I'm not sure that most would put the Genesis version of Behind the Lines in the category of pop/rock.

I hope that I am not coming on too strong here, because your comments are insightful and clear; and thereby indicate that you put some effort in to listening to the song.

Your effort is very much appreciated.
When I say that the sound is that of early 80's pop/rock, I am not referring to the composition. The recording certainly has an early 1980's arena pop/rock sound, even though the songwriting may be more complex than your usual pop/rock song of that era. With the word "monotone" I was only referring to the beginning, that uses the same basic rhythmic pattern over and over again. It may be just me, but I already find myself losing attention in the very beginning. I did not mean to say that the song is musically uninteresting. It is a tightly arranged and constructed piece of music, and Genesis are good musicians who know how to handle their instruments. It just does not really have anything that makes it stand out from other progressive rock songs. If I wanted to listen to something musically challenging, I would much rather listen to classical music. In the end an opinion is always something very subjective, and it is hard to give reasons for liking or not liking certain things, yet I try, since comments are required. The simple truth is that the song just really doesn't grab me. It makes a nice listen and I appreciate what Genesis are doing, but it will never be one of my favorite songs.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Match 5:
Architecture in Helsinki- "Heart It Races"

The Newsboys track was enjoyable enough,but definitely doesn't stand out as much as 'Heart It Races' - amazing track.

Match 6:
Genesis- "Behind the Lines"

Not a huge fan of either,I'd see myself returning to the Genesis track more often though...

Match 7:
Georges Brassens- "La Marine"

The Cardiacs song sort of bored me,La Marine was a nice enough tune even if I had no clue of it's meaning.

Match 8:
Siouxsie and the Banshees- "Dazzle"

Erica's Word is an enjoyable,catchy 80s tune but Dazzle made a much bigger impression on me. Moreso than the small amount of Banshees material I have heard already...

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Match 5:

I would prefer never to listen to either song again, but given the choice I'll take the inoffensive "Entertaning Angels" over the annoying "Heart It Races," which represents a brand of indie rock I can't stand. Sorry to be so negative.

Match 6:

"Homme" wins easily with its slick atmosphere. I could see it growing on me as the competition progresses. "Behind the Lines" is typical of 80s Genesis in that a lot of things happen without anything interesting going on. That into keyboard riff is so cheesy, and then it's repeated for two minutes.

Match 7:

"La Marine" has an amazing melody; "Dirty Boy" had a unique atmosphere but overstayed its welcome after a while.

Match 8:

"Erica's Word" takes this one very easily. Nice power-pop tune.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

nicolas

My favorite’s opponent is a good song, that will win in the end, I can bet that


Monsieur Brassens appears to be holding his own quite nicely. The only predictable thing about this game is its complete lack of predictability, and long may it last

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Match 5:
Architecture in Helsinki- "Heart It Races"
Wow a Christian rock song that didn't make me gag. Still loses out to the deliriously bonkers Architecture in Helsinki track.


Match 6:
Brazilian Girls- "Homme"
Weak match-up. The Genesis song had no appeal for me at all, and so my vote goes the other way.

Match 7:
Georges Brassens- "La Marine"
This vote was far to easy. Loved Brassens' powerful voice and the gentle guitars. It brought back memories of a wonderful wedding I attended in France last year. The Cardiacs song was completely OTT and far to long.


Match 8:
Game Theory- "Erica's Word"
Beautiful catchy number wins over the slightly bland Dazzle.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Match 5: Architecture in Helsinki “Heart It Races”: not my cup of tea any of those (and sorry for the negativity), in fact I vote for Architecture in Helsinki basically because I like the name of the band. Coffee for me, please.

Match 6: Brazilian Girls “Homme” for many reasons: a) some arrangement choices as the warm accordion, the ghostly string quartet and the cold electro beats, b) the smart structure of the song with its unexpected turns, c) the elegant vocals and d) I can’t stand Phil Collins.

Match 7: George Brassens “La marine”: one of the easiest decisions I’ve taken in my whole life.

Match 8: Siouxsie & the Banshees “Dazzle”: I use to prefer simple pop songs like that charming song by Game Theory but I’m going for the dark but majestic drive of that Siouxsie number.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Beans
The only predictable thing about this game is its complete lack of predictability, and long may it last

I fully endorse that view. Very refreshing to have a game which is not dominated by the usual suspects (Beatles, Radiohead, REM, etc.).

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

Voting for this week is now over!

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

And here are your results!

Match 5:

Architecture in Helsinki - "Heart It Races": 21
Newsboys - "Entertaining Angels": 7

Newsboys hung close early on, but were quickly overwhelmed, giving Architecture in Helsinki an easy win.

Match 6:

Brazilian Girls- "Homme": 22
Genesis - "Behind the Lines": 6

Another match that was close early, only to end in a blowout.

Match 7:

Georges Brassens - "La Marine": 19
Cardiacs - "Dirty Boy": 8

This time, the winner was pretty clear early on, although Cardiacs made the result closer than the first two matchups.

Match 8:

Game Theory - "Erica's Word": 15
Siouxsie and the Banshees - "Dazzle": 13

The first close matchup of the tournament, the lead went back and forth early before Game Theory built a lead of 4. Siouxsie clawed back to a tie, but Game Theory nabbed 4 of the final 6 votes to eke out a win.

The winners advance to the Winners Bracket 1 (W1), while the losers can take heart in the fact that they are not out of the game yet, and move to Losers Bracket 1 (L1).

Up-to-date brackets are available here.

Re: Unacclaimed Week 2

I totally forgot to vote.