poptimists | Pop World Cup: Czech Republic vs Togo

DAY OF THE MINNOWS - nobody gave either the Czech Republic or Togo much of a hope in the group stages, but they battled through, and now one of them is going to be a semi-finalist in the pop world cup, against Iran. Can

mostlyconnect find the form which took his team past the might of Brazil? Will

stevem78's heavy involvement in Togo's training sessions pay off? LET'S FIND OUT!

Tracks can be found at http://www.freakytrigger.co.uk/popworldcup/ - if there's any problem email me at freakytrigger@gmail.com.

Czech Republic

Fullcontact Crew - "Ciny": Confident gaffer

mostlyconnect told us: "Two songs. For the past week I've listened to virtually nothing but Czech rap music, lost in beats and forbidden names, started to stop being sure that anyone even speaks Czech at all: that every verse isn't the hip-hop Cocteau Twins. It sounds like a hard language to rap in most of the time, and most of the time the sample ends up taking the lead over scratching and vocal gimmicks, chops and changes; at its best it's cerebral and totally banging at the same time. The team I was planning on naming at 1AM this morning are rock solid bruisers, smart and nasty, and they're a long way from getting dropped from the squad - I can't think of many teams left in the tournament who'd enjoy being up against them.

But then I heard this. Fullcontact Crew are from Liberec, unsigned, impossibly underground. If they're raw, if they're self-indulgent, if they flag towards the end, if it sounds an awful lot like people having fun, I'd like to ask you to chalk it down to inexperience, to a scene moving so fast there's no-one to tell them to slow down. I'm putting them in the team because I find them incredibly exciting, because those strings, that incredible snake-charmer wiggle, the verses they absolutely kill, get my arms cutting through the air every time. I'm giving them the nod because every round could be our last, and I don't want to miss the chance to show the biggest stage in pop what's so thrilling about the way we roll."

Togo

King Mensah - "Edidodo (Sven And Friends Planetarium Dub)": Hands-on coach

stevem78 said: "As the shepherd once said to the goat-farmer, "you don't win anything with kids". But he never said anything about experimentation or the pooling of all resources at our disposal. At this crucial stage we lift up our hearts, our souls take flight for the heavens. We do not want to soar too close to the sun nor look too long in it's face, but from the top of the world we hear the call of destiny and so we will follow. Innit."

So how will this struggle be resolved?

It's very simple. Listen to both the tracks, and mark each of them out of 5. You can give both of them 5 if you want, or both of then zero, or whatever you like. ~~Write your votes in the text boxes below, and that's all. Easy! If you dont want to use the poll you can~~ PLEASE EMAIL YOUR VOTES TO FREAKYTRIGGER@GMAIL.COM - DO NOT USE THE POLL (if you already voted you don't have to email them again)

From now on, also, we won't be taking into account the managers' votes, so don't bother if you're Greg or Steve - use the comments box to scream your touchline exhortations instead.

[Poll #734406]

Deadline is NOON on FRIDAY. And check back tomorrow for the final Quarter-Final, Japan vs France!