Man, I've got to get up way early if I want to play this game. Jeez. Listen guys, without me you're nothing at all. This post is not for you, it's only for people who get out of bed when I do, it's not for the true! In any event, I "guessed" (no guess, it was a certainty) which one was Lex's pick, but missed Mark's (thought he was Behorkestrar Bakija Bacik from Vranje). I correctly guessed which was Julio's but didn't tell anybody my guess so I get no kudos for that.
I knew two of these (Ashlee and Sounds) and could have known the Lightning Bolt since I own it (haven't given them enough of a listen, obviously, but think they'll be worth the time when I have the time) and should have known the PJ Harvey since I recognized her but wasn't sure of the song, and the CD of mine I think it was on has gone missing. In any event, this was the best set so far; of the two I already knew, the Sounds track is one of the most delightfully ridiculously earnest songs ever, and the fact that it's half ironic (or totally confused) and wonderfully tuneful doesn't make it any less earnest and wonderful. When I played these, "Coming Back For More" at first sounded pedestrian on the heels of Nick Didkovsky's chopped-up swing - producer John Shanks is no rhythm star - but of course the ache and spirit of Ashlee's singing and the beauty of the melody then took over, as did the Shanks' pretty guitar tones. This is an excellently representative Ashlee song, and I love it, but it's not even in my Ashlee top ten. So, people, if you're listening, there's so much more to her you haven't seen.
How I'd have ranked them, minus those two:
Winners --Behorkestrar Bakija Bacik from Vranje: Beautiful tuba oompah and horn chording from I'm not sure where (wherever Vranje is, I suppose; also suppose it's not in Mexico, though from the sound it could have been); clarinet sneaks some jazz in. --Nick Didkovsky: Hornfest continues, with sliced-and-diced swing and an amped-up rock guitarist who's not shy. --The Bags: Grunt loudly and carry a big club. "We'll attack those cavemen across the stream." Singer sounded very familiar - was thinking he might be someone obvious like Farner or Gillan, and was kicking myself for blanking on who it was, fortunately it turned out to be a total stranger. --PJ Harvey: I once described this woman as "Chrissy Hynde having a cow." I can't say her labor pains here are subtler than usual, but the agonized crawl across the slow beat grabs me, and the infantile whispering pulls me in. I feel like a sucker for liking this, however. [Though when the Kelly Clarkson single comes out TOMORROW (remixes are already swarming the Web), this track and will be entirely moot.]
Draw: --The Gentle People: Comes too close to cutesy, but the singer's gentleness - appropriaste given the band name - carries it. Reminds me of Arling & Cameron.
Losers (though as you'll see I was enamored of the lot of them): --Haysi Fantayzee: Jumps head first into cutesiness but since the cutesiness is a justification for a random tour through any number of early '60s styles, I'm happy. Cowboy and Indian story; I guessed the performers were gay Germans, which isn't that far off, is it? --Utada: "Nevermore will the raven come to bother me." Deserves its win for that line alone; also for the warm keybs and the passionate Madonna-wannabe on vocals. --Lightning Bolt: Free drumming melds into hardcore punk. Maybe there's a more precise name for this subgenre. Rockcore? --LuxEterna: Forceful prog metal that's simultaneously heavy and busy and drama queeny. Not finding my way into emotion here, but this is damn good for my final spot.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
Without Me You're Nothing At All!
Date: 2007-04-12 01:10 pm (UTC)I knew two of these (Ashlee and Sounds) and could have known the Lightning Bolt since I own it (haven't given them enough of a listen, obviously, but think they'll be worth the time when I have the time) and should have known the PJ Harvey since I recognized her but wasn't sure of the song, and the CD of mine I think it was on has gone missing. In any event, this was the best set so far; of the two I already knew, the Sounds track is one of the most delightfully ridiculously earnest songs ever, and the fact that it's half ironic (or totally confused) and wonderfully tuneful doesn't make it any less earnest and wonderful. When I played these, "Coming Back For More" at first sounded pedestrian on the heels of Nick Didkovsky's chopped-up swing - producer John Shanks is no rhythm star - but of course the ache and spirit of Ashlee's singing and the beauty of the melody then took over, as did the Shanks' pretty guitar tones. This is an excellently representative Ashlee song, and I love it, but it's not even in my Ashlee top ten. So, people, if you're listening, there's so much more to her you haven't seen.
How I'd have ranked them, minus those two:
Winners
--Behorkestrar Bakija Bacik from Vranje: Beautiful tuba oompah and horn chording from I'm not sure where (wherever Vranje is, I suppose; also suppose it's not in Mexico, though from the sound it could have been); clarinet sneaks some jazz in.
--Nick Didkovsky: Hornfest continues, with sliced-and-diced swing and an amped-up rock guitarist who's not shy.
--The Bags: Grunt loudly and carry a big club. "We'll attack those cavemen across the stream." Singer sounded very familiar - was thinking he might be someone obvious like Farner or Gillan, and was kicking myself for blanking on who it was, fortunately it turned out to be a total stranger.
--PJ Harvey: I once described this woman as "Chrissy Hynde having a cow." I can't say her labor pains here are subtler than usual, but the agonized crawl across the slow beat grabs me, and the infantile whispering pulls me in. I feel like a sucker for liking this, however. [Though when the Kelly Clarkson single comes out TOMORROW (remixes are already swarming the Web), this track and will be entirely moot.]
Draw:
--The Gentle People: Comes too close to cutesy, but the singer's gentleness - appropriaste given the band name - carries it. Reminds me of Arling & Cameron.
Losers (though as you'll see I was enamored of the lot of them):
--Haysi Fantayzee: Jumps head first into cutesiness but since the cutesiness is a justification for a random tour through any number of early '60s styles, I'm happy. Cowboy and Indian story; I guessed the performers were gay Germans, which isn't that far off, is it?
--Utada: "Nevermore will the raven come to bother me." Deserves its win for that line alone; also for the warm keybs and the passionate Madonna-wannabe on vocals.
--Lightning Bolt: Free drumming melds into hardcore punk. Maybe there's a more precise name for this subgenre. Rockcore?
--LuxEterna: Forceful prog metal that's simultaneously heavy and busy and drama queeny. Not finding my way into emotion here, but this is damn good for my final spot.