Time to figure out who will be dancing with the Blue Devils in the Sweet 16! Today, the LCD Soundsystem and Wilco regions.
(1) Kanye West vs. (9) Beach House
Winner: (1) Kanye West
I watched "Role Models" last night, and good God I forgot how funny Jane Lynch is in that movie. In honor of her performance, this represents the "You Can't Bullshit and Bullshitter" match-up of the Second Round. As in, anyone who thinks Beach House can match up with Kanye is in all-out BS mode. Musically, Beach House likely draws the slight edge, but as a package, Kanye will roll through this round. We've already mentioned the change in style for 808s and Heartbreak, but we also have to consider Kanye's past, going as far back as a producer for Jay-Z's seminal album, The Blueprint. Even before getting behind the mic, West excelled at making beats and hooks, and being around one of the greatest rappers ever definitely contributed to his ability to successfully transition from soundboard to studio. Maybe I just don't have the patience for Beach House's critically-acclaimed Devotion, but when push comes to shove, I'd rather hear Kanye's auto-tuned conflict of bravado-meets-lonliness than Beach House's slow-burner.
(12) No Age vs. (13) The Cool Kids
Winner: (13) The Cool Kids
I really want The Cool Kids to get big. If the Beastie Boys were able to infiltrate pop culture and earn critical praise, then there's no reason why Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish should be unknown (the same could be said of Wale, who should've been included in this bracket simply because of the buzz he's generating right now). Will their style of late 80s/early 90s hip-hop fly in an era of "ring-tone rappers"? Can rappers be successful if they don't create songs simply for the purpose of starting a dance? Is the auto-tuner destined to stay, or will we see an eventual revolt against the electronic and a return to pure voices creating original raps? Will those raps, out of necessity, be about drugs and guns and gratuitous sex, or can they be funny... ironic... intelligent? Who knows, but I nominate The Cool Kids to be ambassadors for ushering in a cleansing of the hip-hop landscape and a movement towards a world that exists sans Soulja Boy. It's time.
(6) The Decemberists vs. (14) The Walkmen
Winner: (6) The Decemberists
Of all the albums I'm excited about coming out this year, The Decemberists' Hazards of Love has to rank near the very top. I have yet to be disappointed by any of their records, and each new volume provides a two-pronged experience... music and lyrics. I can go multiple listens without truly hearing what Colin Meloy is saying, and then all of a sudden it becomes apparent that I've been ignoring a tightly written story... usually one that would be equally at home in an AP English class as on my car stereo. Is there really an audience for a song entitled "Valerie Plame" (yes, that Valerie Plame)? Maybe not, but The Decemberists have never really cared about making contemporary albums. In fact, many of their early albums lean... maritime. Yeah, maritime. As in, boats, seas, knots, etc. But they're incredibly entertaining (and not as cringe-inducing as one would think upon hearing the term "concept album"). As long as they continue to create musically and lyrically hefty albums, they'll continue to advance.
(2) Yeah Yeah Yeahs vs. (10) Cut Copy
Winner: (2) Yeah Yeah Yeahs
This match-up hurts my heart. Every time I hear Cut Copy, I feel happy. Synths and drum kits and loops and wandering bass lines and whatnot... it's glorious dance music. "Out There On The Ice," "So Haunted," and "Hearts On Fire" were absolutely 3 of my favorite 20 songs from 2008. If you haven't heard them, DO IT NOW!! But It's Blitz!, the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs album, is sooooo good, I'm having trouble thinking of objective things to say about it. Karen O's voice is, for the most part, more restrained on this album than in the past... which makes her yelps and yips that much more goosebump-inducing when they do occur. This is looking like a serious contender for the overall title. Don't sleep on the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Showing posts with label LCD Soundsystem Region. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LCD Soundsystem Region. Show all posts
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
March Music Madness, Round 1 - LCD Soundsystem Region
Come on... seriously. You HAVE to have the bracket by now! Without further ado, the LCD Soundsystem region. Cowbell not included.
(1) Kanye West vs. (16) The Henry Clay People
Winner: (1) Kanye West
Kanye west is egotistical, selfish, brash, and probably about 64% schizo. But he's one of the very few people in hip-hop that's taking chances with sound and style, and 808s and Heartbreak is a prime example. He traded the tried-and-true sample-heavy style of College Dropout, Late Registration, and Graduation for Police's synthesizer (and 808). And (ugh...) the T-Pain vocoder. But if you can get past the pomp and circumstance, there's a good album there, and since I've never heard of The Henry Clay People, Kanye wins by default.
(5) Cat Power vs (12) No Age
Winner: (12) No Age
Cat Power is getting lazy. Yes, Chan Marshall... I'm talking about you. You have one of the best female voices going right now, and you just lay down Jukebox, a relatively uninspired collection of covers?? Come on, you're better than that. No Age, on the other hand, released the superb Nouns last year, and although I realize it may not appeal to as many people as Cat Power, it's a more relevant album than anything she's put out recently. And it rocks! This one is pretty close... I'm thinking maybe a +8, but 5 of those points probably came at the end of the game as Cat Power was fouling. No Age just knows how to make free throws.
(3) Arcade Fire vs. (14) The Walkmen
Winner: (14) The Walkmen
Wake up Arcade Fire! You can't just coast on the success of your past! Make some music already! After putting out the essential Funeral and solid follow-up Neon Bible, the band has been relatively quiet. If I was more informed, I'd probably know if they were planning on releasing something this year (I hope so)... but I'm not. The Walkmen own one of my all-time favorite pump up songs, "The Rat," and their recent You & Me, saw a return to form after a couple album missteps. We have two bands going in opposite directions. Hopefully Arcade Fire can right the ship this year, but in this tournament, they're getting bounced earlier. Drive home safely!
(7) Neko Case vs. (10) Cut Copy
Winner: (10) Cut Copy
My review of Cut Copy's In Living Colours was [cough] Big Brothered! [cough] and taken down from our site, but let me summarize it for you in a sentence: They're fucking awesome. Seriously, if you can't get down to some Cut Copy, there's very little hope for you. Picking just one song for their victory is probably the hardest thing I'm going to do today. I like Neko Case, but I like her Canadian indie supergroup New Pornographers even more. So, in conclusion... Cut Copy and New Pornagraphers > Neko Case.
(2) Yeah Yeah Yeahs vs. (15) Foals
Winner: (2) Yeah Yeah Yeahs
IT'S BLITZ!!!!!! That's the way I feel every time I listen to the new album by Karen O's Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I'll be devoting an entire column to a review, but literally every song on It's Blitz! is fantastic. It really is like a blitzkrieg of awesomeness... even when the songs aren't smacking you in the face, they're shockingly pretty (ex. "Skeletons"). In fact, the songs on this album are so diverse that I'm giving you two of them. I don't know who Foals are, and honestly, I don't even care. This is a beat-down... similar to Duke over Binghamton last night!
(6) The Decemberists vs. (11) Sigur Ros
Winner: (6) The Decemberists
Really? The Decemberists with a #6 seed? You're basically saying that they're not one of the top 20 bands in this tournament, and that can't possibly be true. Colin Meloy and company are the madrigals of indie-rock, cranking out hyper-literate songs that actually tell stories and build themes... what a novel concept (PUN)! Sigur Ros might possibly be my favorite music to study to, but their lack of intelligible lyrics (seriously... at one point, they used a "made up language"... I wish I was joking) keeps the ball solidly in The Decemberists' court (see what I did there? That's what the kids call a metaphor).
(4) Feist vs. (13) The Cool Kids
Winner: (13) The Cool Kids
I like Leslie Feist. I like her a lot. I like her style, I love her voice, and I'm a fan of the band from which Feist started her solo career (Broken Social Scene... check 'em out!). But she's resting on her laurels... and I don't like it! Her 2007 album The Reminder was phenomenal, but she's been riding that high for too long, even releasing a Deluxe version of that album (instead of releasing new music). I'm on the record for really liking The Cool Kids, and I think their approach to hip-hop is by no means original, but by all means refreshing. Gun to my head, I'd probably say I'm more excited for the next Cool Kids album than the next Feist album, and that's why they pull out the win.
(8) Sun Kil Moon vs (9) Beach House
Winner: (9) Beach House
I don't care about either of these bands, so I flipped a coin and Beach House won. Whatever. Dumb pairing.
That's it for the LCD Soundsytem region. Check back in the afternoon for the final Round of 64 results: the Wilco region. There were a lot more upsets in this round... hopefully that bodes well for some exciting basketball today (I'm pretty sure that's a scientifically sound correlation).
(1) Kanye West vs. (16) The Henry Clay People
Winner: (1) Kanye West
Kanye west is egotistical, selfish, brash, and probably about 64% schizo. But he's one of the very few people in hip-hop that's taking chances with sound and style, and 808s and Heartbreak is a prime example. He traded the tried-and-true sample-heavy style of College Dropout, Late Registration, and Graduation for Police's synthesizer (and 808). And (ugh...) the T-Pain vocoder. But if you can get past the pomp and circumstance, there's a good album there, and since I've never heard of The Henry Clay People, Kanye wins by default.
(5) Cat Power vs (12) No Age
Winner: (12) No Age
Cat Power is getting lazy. Yes, Chan Marshall... I'm talking about you. You have one of the best female voices going right now, and you just lay down Jukebox, a relatively uninspired collection of covers?? Come on, you're better than that. No Age, on the other hand, released the superb Nouns last year, and although I realize it may not appeal to as many people as Cat Power, it's a more relevant album than anything she's put out recently. And it rocks! This one is pretty close... I'm thinking maybe a +8, but 5 of those points probably came at the end of the game as Cat Power was fouling. No Age just knows how to make free throws.
(3) Arcade Fire vs. (14) The Walkmen
Winner: (14) The Walkmen
Wake up Arcade Fire! You can't just coast on the success of your past! Make some music already! After putting out the essential Funeral and solid follow-up Neon Bible, the band has been relatively quiet. If I was more informed, I'd probably know if they were planning on releasing something this year (I hope so)... but I'm not. The Walkmen own one of my all-time favorite pump up songs, "The Rat," and their recent You & Me, saw a return to form after a couple album missteps. We have two bands going in opposite directions. Hopefully Arcade Fire can right the ship this year, but in this tournament, they're getting bounced earlier. Drive home safely!
(7) Neko Case vs. (10) Cut Copy
Winner: (10) Cut Copy
My review of Cut Copy's In Living Colours was [cough] Big Brothered! [cough] and taken down from our site, but let me summarize it for you in a sentence: They're fucking awesome. Seriously, if you can't get down to some Cut Copy, there's very little hope for you. Picking just one song for their victory is probably the hardest thing I'm going to do today. I like Neko Case, but I like her Canadian indie supergroup New Pornographers even more. So, in conclusion... Cut Copy and New Pornagraphers > Neko Case.
(2) Yeah Yeah Yeahs vs. (15) Foals
Winner: (2) Yeah Yeah Yeahs
IT'S BLITZ!!!!!! That's the way I feel every time I listen to the new album by Karen O's Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I'll be devoting an entire column to a review, but literally every song on It's Blitz! is fantastic. It really is like a blitzkrieg of awesomeness... even when the songs aren't smacking you in the face, they're shockingly pretty (ex. "Skeletons"). In fact, the songs on this album are so diverse that I'm giving you two of them. I don't know who Foals are, and honestly, I don't even care. This is a beat-down... similar to Duke over Binghamton last night!
(6) The Decemberists vs. (11) Sigur Ros
Winner: (6) The Decemberists
Really? The Decemberists with a #6 seed? You're basically saying that they're not one of the top 20 bands in this tournament, and that can't possibly be true. Colin Meloy and company are the madrigals of indie-rock, cranking out hyper-literate songs that actually tell stories and build themes... what a novel concept (PUN)! Sigur Ros might possibly be my favorite music to study to, but their lack of intelligible lyrics (seriously... at one point, they used a "made up language"... I wish I was joking) keeps the ball solidly in The Decemberists' court (see what I did there? That's what the kids call a metaphor).
(4) Feist vs. (13) The Cool Kids
Winner: (13) The Cool Kids
I like Leslie Feist. I like her a lot. I like her style, I love her voice, and I'm a fan of the band from which Feist started her solo career (Broken Social Scene... check 'em out!). But she's resting on her laurels... and I don't like it! Her 2007 album The Reminder was phenomenal, but she's been riding that high for too long, even releasing a Deluxe version of that album (instead of releasing new music). I'm on the record for really liking The Cool Kids, and I think their approach to hip-hop is by no means original, but by all means refreshing. Gun to my head, I'd probably say I'm more excited for the next Cool Kids album than the next Feist album, and that's why they pull out the win.
(8) Sun Kil Moon vs (9) Beach House
Winner: (9) Beach House
I don't care about either of these bands, so I flipped a coin and Beach House won. Whatever. Dumb pairing.
That's it for the LCD Soundsytem region. Check back in the afternoon for the final Round of 64 results: the Wilco region. There were a lot more upsets in this round... hopefully that bodes well for some exciting basketball today (I'm pretty sure that's a scientifically sound correlation).
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