The Pop World Cup: Group Stage Roundup

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

It's HALF TIME in the pop world cup. Well not really, the competition is going on until June, but we've now heard half the songs we're going to hear. Here's a post to round up the stuff we've heard so far and see how it's gone. Have you enjoyed it? Has the standard met your expectations? Any really amazing discoveries? Notice any trends?

I'd like you to vote in this poll if you've been taking part in the PWC - you don't have to have voted in all 8 groups or anything like that. I want you to pick your EIGHT favourites of the thirty-two tracks we've heard in the group stage. This has two functions - firstly it helps me sort out the tracklisting for the special souvenir PWC CD that I'm giving away at the pop quiz on Thursday. And also the top 8 in the poll will go through to the eventual Player Of The Tournament vote at the end of it all. (I know this involves a certain amount of memory stretching but it really would be useful!)




[Poll #690754]


All tracks available at: http://www.freakytrigger.co.uk/popworldcup/

I've had lots of fun so far and I hope you have too.

(PS: If you have enjoyed the PWC, feel free to promote it on yr LJ or elsewhere online!)

Comments

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

Have enjoyed the PWC loads obviously. Even though only a couple of the tracks featured would actually make it onto my iPod, it has been great to experience what passes for pop in so many different countries.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Four of the tracks have taken up some kind of iPod residency, for me. Others enjoyed a brief spell of popularity and I'm happy to have them lurking around in the murky depths of the 'shuffle all tracks' mode.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Has everyone not voted for their own song?

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I voted for the Holland one in the poll, cos I love it, but I like the Iran and Brazil ones better I think.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

The Togo track is actually midtable for me!

[dorsalstop.livejournal.com]

I voted for Tunisia, definitely. Love the song, play it all the time. In fact, Arab pop has come to dominate my listening habits over the past few weeks.

I'm still sad I won't be able to let you hear the other good stuff I dug up. or will there also be a Losers' Round-Up Week, in which we can hear a sample of what was left on the bench in the first round?
(Otherwise I might just post the Amina and HAS Toxic tracks I had in waiting)

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I posted a few of the other good Holland tracks, and there's been some tracks posted on sukrat too.

It's interesting (to me) that arab pop seemed a harder sell than African stuff, I guess people are more 'used' to the latter even if they don't listen much to it.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I think it was just that the Spain and Ukraine tracks were relatively strong. In other groups Tunisia probably would've fared better. Maybe even Saudi Arabia too.

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

b-but saudi wz better than spain or tunisia!

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

i must get my upgrade and renewal of s!sk sorted -- i meant to turn sukrat into a loser's paradise!!

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

there should def. be some sort of redux thing where everyone shares what else they found, other recommendations etc.

[dorsalstop.livejournal.com]

I think stevem78 will like HAS Toxic very much, in fact.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

I insist you treat us to more Tunis-pop, dorsalstop, on either sukrat or poptimists as you see fit. I thought Tunisia were the best team in Group H, FWIW.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I'm not letting ANY of them hear the other good stuff I dug up. They don't DESERVE it.

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

Not I!

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Yes but your track was MENTAL.

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

True. But even if I'd come up with an absolutely stonking bit of italohouse, I'd probably still have voted for Australia or Ukraine instead.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Apologies to the last two groups, I didn't partake because I completely lost interest after my team's undeserved loss I haven't been able to download so I haven't heard yours. Apart from Saian Supa Crew which I'd heard already!

Cansei De Ser Sexy fans may be interested to note that I have managed to track down what appears to be an entire album by them, it is ace throughout.

I only just found out that Bodies Without Organs got their name from a Deleuzian term, this makes me even more angry at them because I love the idea of pop groups naming themselves after things Deleuze said but hate that the one which did is so crap.

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

it is AXIOMATIC that pop groups named after things deleuze said are RUB ONE AND ALL

(deleuze: "cat power! pavement! the clash!")

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I would dearly love a copy of said CDSS album pls the Lex. It would bring cheer to my dull Tuesday innit.

[catsgomiaow.livejournal.com]

Whot the Kat said about CDSS - today is being particularly RUB!

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

if you will be at the pop quiz thing on thursday, i can give it to you then!

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I will indeed be there.

WINNERS and LOSERS

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

WINNERS:
- Africa: 3 out of 5 countries through with a variety of pop approaches.
- Hip-Hop: not counting Smoosh, won through wherever it was tried.

LOSERS:
- 'Trad' Europop: only the Czechs succeeded, and that in a very weak group.
- The Americas: USA, Mexico, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Argentina - all out.

TICTACS

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Rumours that Spain fielded its catchy yet underappreciated electro-pop striker in the first round to save new and exciting genre-breaking mentalism for later rounds are TOTALLY UNFOUNDED.

[mostlyconnect.livejournal.com]

It's been a huge victory for pop, etc.

The lack of love for Tornero is actually the point where my tastes most diverge frm poptimist consensus! Clearly I am managing the right team. Do you think the iranian song's non-domination of a weak group bodes ill for trance, as a tactic?

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

it bodes ill for the WEST AS A IMPERIUM more like

[juror8.livejournal.com]

Actually, further to what was said upthread, is there any chance of a "Players that didn't make it" thread being started up in Poptimists? I need to share this horrendous Ukranian reggaeton song with the world.

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

dom it belongs on sukrat!!

[http://users.livejournal.com/xyzzzz__/]

"i must get my upgrade and renewal of s!sk sorted -- i meant to turn sukrat into a loser's paradise!!"

waaayyy ahead of you! but yes try and catch up :-)

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

now that i failed to get that nu-job i can back in the saddle

ps u can't have saddle w/o SAD

[jel-bugle.livejournal.com]

I am pleased.

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

Help I accidentally voted for the Costa Rican death metal instead of the Ecuadorian drill'n'bass!

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

The PWC is the apex of Interweb orgafun so far, by the way.