OK, the first batch of potential WINNERS make it through. They are:
Phoenix Rise
(Who’s basically un-googleable, named after a totally generic phrase which is also a place in her hometown. Come on!!)
Rage Against the Machine
Matches 3 & 4 still open above.
Round 2 - Match 5 (of 16)
Bad Religion - Vanity
Vs
Bob Dylan - Knockin on Heaven’s Door
@CanadaMatt3004 took the win for Vanity, it was handed down from @seities for a Category all about songs mentioning animals. it then won Group 6.
This one got dropped into first place right from the start and never moved from there (though it was very close)
I think a key reason is that I have gone on quite a punk/hardcore bender in recent years and as a result have grown quite partial to songs that come in, leave an impact, then wrap it up without dragging on at any point. This is quite an interesting thing to say given my predilection for prog metal….
Graffin’s vocals are on point, the backing vocals add some extra depth throughout, and it’s just a great burst of energy that doesn’t linger a second too long.
@SwankyWilder and Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door ruled supreme in @RiskyFlush’s song off of a soundtrack category. It then got 2nd in Group 9.
The one shining spot of the film that no one could disagree with was “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” written by Bob Dylan just for this movie. I don’t know that I have anything more to say about the song that hasn’t been said before. It is one of Dylan’s finest songs.
Round 2 - Match 6 (of 16)
Explosions in the Sky - Your Hand in Mine
Vs
St. Paul & The Broken Bones - Call Me
@ChrisV thought that @hokie and Your Hand in Mine had the best personal connection. It won Group 14.
It’s new to me and I was quite taken with it. The band have referred to their compositions as “cathartic mini-symphonies”, which I think is on point. The sort of wistful build-up gives way to the joyful crescendos in a way that remains exciting for me even after a bunch of listens (and I’ve heard this 10+ times at this point). It’s quite pop in its sensibilities, really, but it’s beautiful.
@m_hood115 won a round about feelings of isolation with Call Me, it was adjudicated by @anon29622970. The song then came second in Group 6.
When this song started, I thought I was listening to something out of motown, and really that’s what this is to me, with a modern spin. A really enjoyable listen that I wouldn’t have expected to like as much as I did. Definitely hits some of that isolation feel too.
I don’t remember if this came up in the original thread, but I believe the phrase was meant to be a euphemism for oral sex.
More hopes and dreams continue to exist!
(Specifically for these winners of Round 2 matches 3&4.)
Jack Rose
Sparks
Round 2 Match 7 (of 16)
Seafood - Scorch Comfort
Vs
Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell
I won @SwankyWilder’s category about debut singles with Scorch Comfort. It then won Group 4.
This couldn’t have been more up my street if it had moved in next door, rang my bell, and left me a cold socially distanced beer on the front step.
I absolutely loved everything about it.
@CanadaMatt3004 won the @LouisCyphre ‘Delusions of Grandeur’ category with Bat Out of Hell. It then came second in Group 1.
This is the purest distillation of the category in my opinion. What screams delusions of grandeur more than creating a ten minute song that has lots of moving parts. This could have easily crashed and burned.
The first two minutes already give you a full song’s worth of experiences and you ain’t seen nothing yet. Say what you will about Meat Loaf, that guy can sing. The chorus rocks. In the course of this ride we get opera levels of pathos. The tension nicely ebbs and flows for about 8 minutes before Meat Loaf once more goes pedal to the metal for the finale of the song.
That’s how you do a power ballad.
Round 2 Match 8 (of 16)
Johnny Cash - Hurt
Vs
Lafayette Afro Rock Band - Darkest Light
@mjiggy awarded @SwankyWilder first place for Hurt in a “cover that improves the song” round. It won Group 2.
Take what I said about Chris Cornell’s Nothing Compares 2 U and then take it up another level for this song because of the weight added by him singing this song, with these lyrics, at the end of his career and towards the end of his life. It just takes on a completely different life than the original version in Cash’s hands.
@MimosaDef persuaded @Jalfrezi that Darkest Light was the best use of a saxophone. It then came second in Group 15.
Wiki tells me it’s been sampled by numerous other artists including Public Enemy, Ice Cube and Jay-Z and I’m not surprised because it sounds almost definitive of its type and therefore gets maximum points and me annoying people by whistling it sometimes. I’d be happy if it went on for 20 minutes which is how I often feel about songs with a persistently deep rhythmic hook.
This has so much feeling, and every time I came back to this I was sure.
The obvious favourite is in this batch, but somehow I found myself not voting for the 'Loaf!!
Same. Also I just voted to create 2 ties! Didn’t vote rounds 3&4 but they weren’t particularly close (probably would’ve voted for both losers).
Basically this
My vote was simply a vote against meatloaf. Didn’t even listen to the songs.
Round 2 Match 9 (of 16)
Suicidal Tendencies - Institutionalized
Vs
Jim Croce - I Got a Name
@JohnnyTruant submitted Institutionalized, and @seities thought it was the angriest angry song. It then won Group 7.
I mean this just perfectly encapsulates the category for me. And if you don’t like it then I’m not crazy, you’re the one that’s crazy.
@TheDuker was the one who managed to calm @cassette down best with I Got a Name, which then came second in Group 8.
I had never heard of this guy, which is exactly what I hope for in a podium track. A great voice and a great melody. It’s calm, hopeful, but not boring. Just an all-round treat. Thanks.
Round 2 Match 10 (of 16)
Fleetwood Mac - Oh Well (1 & 2)
Vs
Kenny Hoopla - How Will I Rest in Peace if I’m Buried by a Highway
@suzzer99 won plaudits from @Jalfrezi with Oh Well when asked to submit London bands. it then won Group 8.
A great choice, half of which didn’t get much radio play so no dockage for familiarity - nice one if that was in suzzer’s thinking.
@mjiggy took down @Yuv’s song from 2020 category to get this honour with How Will I Rest in Peace…. It then came second in Group 3.
This was so far and away my favorite song. I don’t know what KennyHoopla is, if it’s a dude or a band, but this is a great song. Liked it from the first listen. I’m just happy whoever sent it didn’t end up shipping it to Rivaldo’s category. Good job, well deserved win.
fuck, Match 9 is gonna take me some thinking to decide
Awww man, Bad Religion misses by a vote. Not bad against a Bob Dylan powerhouse
Come on Kenny Hoopla, my only real dog in this race! Tough first round matchup though, that Fleetwood Mac song is really sweet
I missed the Hoopla first time around. Good song.
I was just about to smash the vote button for Bad Religion, alas I was late
Well now I has a sad
