Nice Expos hat, Big Boi.
Although we’ve come…
Folks, Round 1 has been a pleasure. Honestly, it feels like the quality and energy of the songs is stronger than a year ago, when I have memories of dishing out “2s” and “3s” left and right. We’re also ending on a very strong note. I have a feeling a major contender will emerge from this group. And the best part is that it only gets better from here.
To bring the first round home, listen to the Day 16 match-ups here, and vote by commenting before 8pm (EST) Friday. At that time I’ll be at a wedding in the Poconos. For those who know her, big shout out to Maia!
Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf) vs. I Belong In Your Arms (Chairlift)
Just Like Heaven (Cure) vs. We OK (The Very Best feat. K’Naan)
Shine Blockas (Big Boi) vs. Holland, 1945 (Neutral Milk Hotel)
Somebody That I Used To Know (Gotye) vs. Foundations (Kate Nash)
Living the Dream 
Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf) vs. I Belong In Your Arms (Chairlift) 9 – 3.5
Just Like Heaven (Cure) vs. We OK (The Very Best feat. K’Naan) 6 – 5.5
Shine Blockas (Big Boi) vs. Holland, 1945 (Neutral Milk Hotel) 6 – 7a
Somebody That I Used To Know (Gotye) vs. Foundations (Kate Nash) 4 – 7
Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf) vs. [9
– hard to argue with the classics of classic rock.
I Belong In Your Arms (Chairlift) [6
– Chairlift’s opening riff really grabbed me, but it just didn’t follow through. Maybe it’s the lack of decades of aural memory. Then again, classics become classics for a reason and I’m not sure this song is destined for heavy play 40 years from now.
Just Like Heaven (Cure) vs. [6
– Is shoegaze the right way to describe the cure? In any event, I tend not to dig the genre much, but the Cure does it as well as anyone.
We OK (The Very Best feat. K’Naan) [4
– I dig the Very Best. I hope we still ok, even though I think this ain’t your very best work.
Shine Blockas (Big Boi) vs.[7
– hip hop tends to play badly with me while I’m doing work, but this had great flow, and I might even give a second listen.
Holland, 1945 (Neutral Milk Hotel) [7.2
– I really dig NMH and don’t especially love hip hop. I was almost tempted to skip this whole matchup and just give NMH the win. And yet, I’m listening and tempted to persuade Jeff Magnum to return to his hiding place for another 10 years while Big Boi takes us on to Round 3. Update: I can’t do it! Not especially feeling NMH this morning, but I give them the edge.
Somebody That I Used To Know (Gotye) vs. [8
Foundations (Kate Nash) [5
Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf) vs. I Belong In Your Arms (Chairlift) = 9 to 7
Just Like Heaven (Cure) vs. We OK (The Very Best feat. K’Naan) = 6 to 4.5
Shine Blockas (Big Boi) vs. Holland, 1945 (Neutral Milk Hotel) = 9 to 6
“It’s Gucci!”
Somebody That I Used To Know (Gotye) vs. Foundations (Kate Nash) = 5.5 to 6.5
This Kate Nash tune sounds like like a more sentimental version of the 1st Lily Allen record.
Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf) 5 Too many beer commercials took the shine off this sometimes classic.
vs. I Belong In Your Arms (Chairlift) 6
Just Like Heaven (Cure) 7
vs. We OK (The Very Best feat. K’Naan) 5
Shine Blockas (Big Boi) 5
vs. Holland, 1945 (Neutral Milk Hotel) 5
Somebody That I Used To Know (Gotye) 6
vs. Foundations (Kate Nash) 3
Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf) 8.5
I Belong In Your Arms (Chairlift) 7
Just Like Heaven (Cure) 9.5
We OK (The Very Best feat. K’Naan) 6.5
Shine Blockas (Big Boi) 6
Holland, 1945 (Neutral Milk Hotel) 6.25
Somebody That I Used To Know (Gotye) 8
Foundations (Kate Nash) 7.8
Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf) vs. I Belong In Your Arms (Chairlift) 8 – 6.8
Just Like Heaven (Cure) vs. We OK (The Very Best feat. K’Naan) 7 – 6.5
Shine Blockas (Big Boi) vs. Holland, 1945 (Neutral Milk Hotel) 6.9 – 8
Grant recently turned me back on to 1945. It really does sound better the better the speakers, more so than a typical song.
Somebody That I Used To Know (Gotye) vs. Foundations (Kate Nash): 7.5 : 8.2
Gotye would’ve gotten a 9.5 the first time I heard this. Really digging Kate Nash.
Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf) vs. I Belong In Your Arms (Chairlift)-7.8/5.75
Just Like Heaven (Cure) vs. We OK (The Very Best feat. K’Naan): 6.5/5.25
Shine Blockas (Big Boi) vs. Holland, 1945 (Neutral Milk Hotel): 6 (what, really?)/6
Somebody That I Used To Know (Gotye) vs. Foundations (Kate Nash): 6/6.01
Remember when Somebody That I Used to Know what fresh, and innovative? Thank you Spring/Summer 2012 for ruining that. This song would have gotten a 9 in March or April.
Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf) vs. I Belong In Your Arms (Chairlift) 8.0 vs 4.5 Aaaaaaah! Finally something to listen to a second time.
Just Like Heaven (Cure) vs. We OK (The Very Best feat. K’Naan) 6.5 vs 5.0
Shine Blockas (Big Boi) vs. Holland, 1945 (Neutral Milk Hotel) 3.5 vs 3.5
Somebody That I Used To Know (Gotye) vs. Foundations (Kate Nash) 4.5 vs 4.0
Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf) 7
vs. I Belong In Your Arms (Chairlift) 4
Just Like Heaven (Cure) 6
vs. We OK (The Very Best feat. K’Naan) 7.5
Canada’s World Cup anthem writer manages to displace my enjoyment of The Cure.
Shine Blockas (Big Boi) 7
vs. Holland, 1945 (Neutral Milk Hotel) 6.5
Somebody That I Used To Know (Gotye) 2
vs. Foundations (Kate Nash) 6.5
So unbelievably tired of Gotye. Sorry. Kate Nash makes me smile.
Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf) 7
I Belong In Your Arms (Chairlift) 6
Just Like Heaven (Cure) 7
We OK (The Very Best feat. K’Naan) 10
Song of my summer, makes me want to go to a dance club in Accra.
Shine Blockas (Big Boi) 6.5
Holland, 1945 (Neutral Milk Hotel) 7.2
Somebody That I Used To Know (Gotye) 7.5
Foundations (Kate Nash) 7.3
Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf): 8.5
I Belong In Your Arms (Chairlift): 6
As much as Magic Carpet Ride has been played and over used over the past 40 plus years it still has this amazing draw with me. I always have this initial “I have heard this song a million times” feeling before the track starts and as soon as that dirty guitar fades in a big smile washes over my face and I’m ready to groove. I Belong In Your Arms is a catchy pop song that after two listens I can’t quite tell if this is the third coming of ABBA (second was Ace of Base). The only difference is they aren’t native Swedes.
Just Like Heaven (Cure): 7
We OK (The Very Best feat. K’Naan): 5
How about some groovy 80’s New Wave vs. synth/electro/hip-hop? If I grew up in 2000’s We OK would probably be my jam, I could see this being a popular song. It has everything a pop song could need: it has catchy lyrics, a simple and infectious electronic beat, and the typical posse chanting “hey”. But I grew up in the late 80’s and The Cure is going to take this with a solid song about love.
Shine Blockas (Big Boi): 7
Holland, 1945 (Neutral Milk Hotel): 5
I used to love Outkast and praise them for their innovation, but like all popular artists they eventually fall into a rut and innovation seems to disappear. Every once in a while you get that glimmer of what they used to be. Shine Blockas has that glimmer, sadly it’s almost ruined by a terrible and unnecessary verse by Gucci Mane.
Somebody That I Used To Know (Gotye): 8
Foundations (Kate Nash): 7
I agree with Dem Adam, Kate Nash is very Lily Allen-esque. Foundations is not a bad song overall, but Somebody I Used To Know is still a really strong song. I generally don’t listen to a lot of radio, so what I have heard of Gotye is still pleasing to me.
–This might have been an unnecessary diatribe on second thought, but I’m going to post it anyways.
On a side note to a tangent, a good song is a good song regardless of how many times you hear it. I know I have fallen into this prat fall myself and have used the “I have just heard it too much” excuse, but doesn’t that mean that maybe the song was never cracked up to what you initially thought it was? What do we do with music that we love? We listen to it over and over again because we enjoy it. I know there are songs that I have listened to hundreds, if not bordering on thousands, of times and I will continue to enjoy those songs. If you’ve heard a song too much maybe it just was never that good.
Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf) – 6.5
I Belong In Your Arms (Chairlift) – 6
Just Like Heaven (Cure) – 7.5
We OK (The Very Best feat. K’Naan) – 8
Shine Blockas (Big Boi) – 7.5
Holland, 1945 (Neutral Milk Hotel) – 7
Somebody That I Used To Know (Gotye) – 6
Foundations (Kate Nash) – 6.5