These guys wanna Make It Better for you this round.
Hope everybody’s Labor Day weekend is going well! Here’s hoping this eclectic octet of songs in our next day of the Round of 128 keeps things going- grab some of your friends from the porch and pop the speaker cord from the iPod dock on the cooler and into the computer. This set is bound to start some debate in a good way. Playlist is here and your votes are due no later than Tuesday, September 4th at 8:00 PM.
* Playlist now updated with studio version of “Bloom”, sorry about that. If you already voted and want to do an amended score please do.
Sequestered In Memphis (The Hold Steady) vs. Scarlet Begonias (cover) (Sublime)
Memories (David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi) vs. Til Kingdom Come (Coldplay)
Pulling On A Line (Great Lake Swimmers) vs. Getaway (Dr. John)
Make It Better (The Knocks) vs. Bloom (Radiohead)
Living the Dream 
Votes are from G-mo and Chelby. Comments by moi.
Sequestered In Memphis (The Hold Steady) 5.8 / 5
Scarlet Begonias (cover) (Sublime) 7 / 6
I thought the Hold Steady song was ok, but nothing special. As per the “cover has to do something different to the original” comment from earlier, this version of Begonias is super catchy and pleasant, and the interpretation took a song I already don’t mind up another notch.
Memories (David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi) 6/5
Til Kingdom Come (Coldplay) 4/3
“…this song is still playing?” Seriously, these are both songs with a bit of repetition to them, but the difference is that the first one does it on purpose and also helps people make out on dance floors. I can get behind that much more than Coldplay.
Pulling On A Line (Great Lake Swimmers) 6/5
Getaway (Dr. John) 7.8/6.5
Great Lake Swimmers was better than Hold Steady but still nothing too special. And kinda sleepy. Loved the zydeco feel of Dr. John (I mean, obviously) and this one gets my vote of the round so far.
Make It Better (The Knocks) 4.2/5
Bloom (Radiohead) 4.5/7
Knocks- “This sounds like a car commercial. No. It sounds like a kid’s juice commercial. No, a car commercial. Probably one with a group of diverse friends representing all races going somewhere.” That was Chelby. I’m similarly not sure about this. Am I trapped in Mario Kart? I think this is the theme song to the Rainbow Road level. Bloom- “The beginning sounds like I’m in Nordstrom’s. This is what they play there.” Chelby again. As for me, someone else that feels strongly about either of these is going to have to craft some sort of explanation of what I’m missing here, seems like Dr. John has a cakewalk to the Round of 32.
Bump my Bloom up to a 6 based on the studio version. still kinda cacophonic, but seeing that my favorite Radiohead song to date is still “Talk Show Host” I’m not sure I’ll ever understand the post-Bends era.
Sequestered In Memphis (The Hold Steady) vs. Scarlet Begonias (cover) (Sublime) 6.5/7.25
The Hold Steady always reminds me of The Wallflowers, which is a good thing. I liked Sequestered well enough, but I thought the lyrics were kind of dumb. And lyrics are a big deal to me. On the other hand, I love this cover of Scarlet Begonias.
Memories (David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi) vs. Til Kingdom Come (Coldplay) 3.5/8.75
I didn’t find Memories very memorable. A few notes into the next song, and I’ve already forgotten it. TKC is one of my favorite Coldplay songs. Beautiful.
Pulling On A Line (Great Lake Swimmers) vs. Getaway (Dr. John) 6/6.5
Make It Better (The Knocks) vs. Bloom (Radiohead) 6.49/8
Getting rid of the whistling at the beginning would really Make It Better. But otherwise, I like the song quite a bit. Bloom is a nice note on which to end.
Sequestered In Memphis (The Hold Steady) vs. Scarlet Begonias (cover) (Sublime) 5 / 4.5
I never think to listen to the Hold Steady per se, but I always like when they come on the radio. Unfortunately, this is the flattest, lowest-energy track I’ve heard from them. Feels like they’re phoning it in.
Memories (David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi) vs. Til Kingdom Come (Coldplay) 5.8 / 7
I’ve always thought you it was possible to do good things with a house beat. “Memories” is getting there. Was surprised by this Coldplay song. It’s nice, and kept getting nicer.
Pulling On A Line (Great Lake Swimmers) vs. Getaway (Dr. John) 8.5 / 6
I get “Pulling on a Line” fiercely stuck in my head from time to time. It reminds me of kids’ songs, I think specifically “There’s a Hole in the Bucket.” Both of these are positives in my book. It’s kind of sleepy, but it caught me the first time I heard it, and it’s completely grown on me.
Make It Better (The Knocks) vs. Bloom (Radiohead) 5.5 / 4
Radiohead really lost me after “The Bends.” But their stuff is so weird and they just kind of do what they want to do, so I kind of like that they still have such a large and devoted fanbase.
Sequestered In Memphis (The Hold Steady) 5.5
Scarlet Begonias (cover) (Sublime) 3.5
Memories (David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi) 6.5
Til Kingdom Come (Coldplay) 7
If you told me my that two of my highest scores in any round of anything, ever, would be for David Guetta and Coldplay I’d have fought your slanderous words to the death. However, here we have it…
Pulling On A Line (Great Lake Swimmers) 6.5
Getaway (Dr. John) 5
Make It Better (The Knocks) 6
Bloom (Radiohead) 9
Some Radiohead songs are easy to love but others take time to sink their teeth in and are more like art projects that take some contemplation to fully appreciate. Bloom is one of those art projects – personally, I think it’s pretty powerful stuff and I hope folks give it a chance with a couple of spins
Sequestered In Memphis (The Hold Steady) vs. Scarlet Begonias (cover) (Sublime)-6/4
The vocals on Sequester in Memphis drag down the rhythm & melody a bit. But Scarlet Begonias hasn’t impressed me at any point over the last 20 years.
Memories (David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi) vs. Til Kingdom Come (Coldplay)-6.5/7
I think that both of these songs are good; it’s hard for me to say that about most Coldplay.
Pulling On A Line (Great Lake Swimmers) vs. Getaway (Dr. John): 6/5.5
Close. Average.
Make It Better (The Knocks) vs. Bloom (Radiohead): 4.5/5
I like what I heard, but to Make It Better, the song can’t be cut off.
Very average.
Sequestered In Memphis (The Hold Steady) vs. Scarlet Begonias (cover) (Sublime) 5.0 to 6.0
Memories (David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi) vs. Til Kingdom Come (Coldplay) 6.0 to 7.0
Pulling On A Line (Great Lake Swimmers) vs. Getaway (Dr. John) 7.0 to 8.0
Make It Better (The Knocks) vs. Bloom (Radiohead) 4.5 to 4.0
Sequestered In Memphis (The Hold Steady) vs. Scarlet Begonias (cover) (Sublime) 4.5 to 5.0 Where’s the snooze button?
Memories (David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi) vs. Til Kingdom Come (Coldplay) 5.0 to 6.0 Not much better!
Pulling On A Line (Great Lake Swimmers) vs. Getaway (Dr. John) 6.5 to 6.0 Improving! Usually like Dr. J, but this one……….not so much.
Make It Better (The Knocks) vs. Bloom (Radiohead) 5.0 to 4.0 Back to sleep time.
Sequestered In Memphis (The Hold Steady) – 7.7 not a bad tune but kind of repetitive
Scarlet Begonias (cover) (Sublime) – 9 simply sublime!
Memories (David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi) – 10 i mean, i still dance every time
Til Kingdom Come (Coldplay) – 9
Pulling On A Line (Great Lake Swimmers) – 10
Getaway (Dr. John) – 8.8
Make It Better (The Knocks) – 8.9
Bloom (Radiohead) – 8.5 love radiohead but got bored
Sequestered In Memphis (The Hold Steady) – 6
Scarlet Begonias (cover) (Sublime) – 10 (Yeah, I submitted this song, but the 10 is for the memories of high school and my teenage love affair with my Integra’s subwoofers. For those haters, if you listened to this without the aid of a subwoofer, you have grossly slighted your listening experience. )
Memories (David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi) – 8 (Super-catchy)
Til Kingdom Come (Coldplay) – 5.5 (This sounds a little too Mumford-and-Sons for Coldplay)
Pulling On A Line (Great Lake Swimmers) – 7 (If a sweating glass of iced tea on a dock at the end of summer had a sound, I swear this would be it.)
Getaway (Dr. John) – 4.5
Make It Better (The Knocks) – 6 (This sounds like the background music to that Katamari video game.)
Bloom (Radiohead) – 5
Sequestered In Memphis (The Hold Steady) vs. Scarlet Begonias (cover) (Sublime): 6.5 : 7
I really dig the Dead and Sublime, so expectations were high, and not totally met.
Memories (David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi) vs. Til Kingdom Come (Coldplay): 4 : 5
Tough times match-up.
Pulling On A Line (Great Lake Swimmers) vs. Getaway (Dr. John): 5 : 5
Make It Better (The Knocks) vs. Bloom (Radiohead): 4 : 8
This is the wrong version of Bloom (unless Cristina requested this remix)
Use this version (studio): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9AzpQSZXCU
Sequestered In Memphis (The Hold Steady) vs. Scarlet Begonias (cover) (Sublime) 6.5 – 6
Memories (David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi) vs. Til Kingdom Come (Coldplay) 3 – 6 – I’m a big coldplay fan, but this song doesn’t excite me that much
Pulling On A Line (Great Lake Swimmers) vs. Getaway (Dr. John) 4 – 7
Make It Better (The Knocks) vs. Bloom (Radiohead) 3.5 – 1. I guess I’m one of the only non-radiohead fans here. I don’t even understand how this song is considered music… Perhaps it’s “art” or “a project”, but I prefer to not have to figure out my music. I prefer music that is… musical.
Sequestered In Memphis (The Hold Steady) – 5.5
i want to like the hold steady, but whats-his-face has this whiny, preachy thing going on that irritates me. if this was the first song i heard by them, i might like it more, but my opinion is somewhat tainted.
Scarlet Begonias (cover) (Sublime) – 7
Memories (David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi) – 6
part of me thinks this is pretty terrible, but it made me happy
Til Kingdom Come (Coldplay) – 9
i wouldn’t expect one of the highest scores i give to go to coldplay, but i love this song. i’m glad to see it in the tourney.
Pulling On A Line (Great Lake Swimmers) – 6.5
this is my type of jam, but not a standout
Getaway (Dr. John) – 7.5
Make It Better (The Knocks) – 6
Bloom (Radiohead) – 4
Sequestered In Memphis (The Hold Steady) vs. Scarlet Begonias (cover) (Sublime) = 7 to 4.5
I like that many of the Hold Steady’s songs are about places in American and being in places in America.
Memories (David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi) vs. Til Kingdom Come (Coldplay) = 5 to 7
Chris should dump the rest of coldplay. Their best songs are when the rest of the band isn’t involved.
Pulling On A Line (Great Lake Swimmers) vs. Getaway (Dr. John) = 7.5 to 6.5
I liked the guitar in the Dr. John tune
Make It Better (The Knocks) vs. Bloom (Radiohead) = 8.5 to 9
WOW. I’ve made a career out of hating on Radiohead for 10+ years, but I saw them earlier this year and it changed my opinion. Now, to hear this song, I am very very into this. Still not big on Thom’s vocals, but I appreciate his effort.
The Knocks song is cool, though, but two very different approaches to things here. The Knocks remind me very much of Moloko. Is there a relationship here?
Sequestered In Memphis (The Hold Steady) 4.5
Scarlet Begonias (cover) (Sublime) – 4
Memories (David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi) 3
Til Kingdom Come (Coldplay) 7
Pulling On A Line (Great Lake Swimmers) – 6.5
Getaway (Dr. John) – 5
Make It Better (The Knocks) – 6.5
Bloom (Radiohead) – 2
Sequestered In Memphis (The Hold Steady) – 6
Scarlet Begonias (cover) (Sublime) – 4
I remember loving Scarlet Begonias, but for some reason it doesn’t hold up for me.
Memories (David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi) – 2
Til Kingdom Come (Coldplay) – 5.5
Pulling On A Line (Great Lake Swimmers) – 5
Getaway (Dr. John) – 6.5
Make It Better (The Knocks) – 9
Bloom (Radiohead) – 5
JPatt from The Knocks is a friend of mine. They were picked by JayZ for his Made in America festival which is pretty awesome and probably marks the last time I will hear from my friend. Make It Better is one of their poppier jams. Give ’em a listen if you want to later say “well I knew them before they were cool.”
I like Radiohead and I admit I tend to like their more tune based stuff rather than their experimental work. According to Radiohead fans that probably means I don’t like Radiohead. Alas, this one just didn’t do it for me.
Sequestered In Memphis (The Hold Steady) 6
Scarlet Begonias (cover) (Sublime) – 3
Memories (David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi) 5
Til Kingdom Come (Coldplay) 10
Pulling On A Line (Great Lake Swimmers) – 7
Getaway (Dr. John) – 7
Make It Better (The Knocks) – 7
Bloom (Radiohead) – 6
The Hold Steady (Sequestered in Memphis) 5.5
Sublime (Scarlet Begonias) 4
David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi (Memories) 4
Coldplay (Til Kingdom) 3.5
Great Lake Swimmers (Pulling On a Line) 5
Dr. John (Getaway) 8
The Knocks (Make it Better) 7
Radiohead (Bloom) 8
Sequestered In Memphis (The Hold Steady): 5.5
Scarlet Begonias (cover) (Sublime): 3
I have never heard the original version of Scarlet Begonias (I’m going to listen to listen to The Grateful Dead version after this), but I’m sure that Sublime killed a song that was/is a beloved song for deadheads.
Memories (David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi): 6
Til Kingdom Come (Coldplay): 4
The one positive thing I can say for Kid Cudi is that he does his thing and doesn’t give two fuck’s about what anyone thinks about his music. I can respect that. I really don’t know David Guetta other than he’s another electro DJ, which mixes well for Cudi’s style. I have never been able to get into Coldplay. This didn’t change my mind.
Pulling On A Line (Great Lake Swimmers): 5
Getaway (Dr. John): 7
I love Dr. John.
Make It Better (The Knocks): 6.5
Bloom (Radiohead): 6
Make It Better is a cute(for lack of a better word) song, reminded me of some PB&J. Radiohead has been hit and miss over the last few years. Maybe, I’m just not in the mood for their more experimental stuff right now. Maybe, I’m in too happy of a mood. A very odd match-up and hard to really put one song against the other.
Sequestered In Memphis (The Hold Steady): 6
Scarlet Begonias (cover) (Sublime): 5
Memories (David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi: 5.4
Kingdom Come (Coldplay): 6.4
Pulling On A Line (Great Lake Swimmers): 6.7
Getaway (Dr. John): 6.2
Make It Better (The Knocks): 6
Bloom (Radiohead): 5.8
Sequestered In Memphis (The Hold Steady) 6
Scarlet Begonias (cover) (Sublime) 5
Memories (David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi) 5
Til Kingdom Come (Coldplay) 6.9
Pulling On A Line (Great Lake Swimmers) 9
Getaway (Dr. John) 6
Make It Better (The Knocks) 8
Bloom (Radiohead) 8
8- Sequestered In Memphis (The Hold Steady) vs.
4- Scarlet Begonias (cover) (Sublime)
4- Memories (David Guetta feat. Kid Cudi) vs.
8- Til Kingdom Come (Coldplay)
9- Pulling On A Line (Great Lake Swimmers) vs.
7- Getaway (Dr. John)
4- Make It Better (The Knocks) vs.
7- Bloom (Radiohead)
Quick and dirty to get in under the wire. Missed a couple days last week. Loved the Hold Steady song. Surprised by Coldplay and have been a huge Great Lake Swimmers fan. Happy to see that on the boards. Hope everyone had a great long weekend.