The Pop Open Group G - INJUSTICE

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

This week's group is the fiendish INJUSTICE - well done to all participants for finding their tracks. As before, you can download the tracks from sendspace - http://www.sendspace.com/file/o2sn93 (it's a 38Mb file) - or stream them at Freaky Trigger: http://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2007/06/pop-open-week-3/ (make sure you play each track individually so you know which they are!)

Pick your favourite two and vote for them below - BUT! you can't vote for any you already know. Closing date for votes is next Monday - 12 noon GMT.

[Poll #1010274]

I'll reveal what the tracks are on Thursday. This week's players are alexmacpherson, celentari, hauntedballroom, lockedintheatti, and ruudboy. (Also - can piratemoggy choose her group for next round? Thanks!)

Also - what would YOU have submitted?

Comments

[inhibitorylinks.livejournal.com]

All of these were pretty good actually, though my two winners came out pretty easily. It's a shame about the track I already knew, as I definitely would have given it my vote.

Is it here that we can talk about what we might have submitted were we to play in this round?

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

This looked like the hardest group but I'm not sure it really was - lots of songs by people who feel hurt, wronged etc.

I think I might have submitted "Shack Up" by Banbarra - it's about a (perceived) injustice and also it's unjust that everyone knows the much worse A Certain Ratio version. Along similar lines, the Valentine Brothers' "Money's Too Tight To Mention". But both of those are still QUITE well known.

[inhibitorylinks.livejournal.com]

The song that instantly came to my mind was "Not Fair" by Kate Havnevik, which shows no hesitation in chucking small string ensembles all over the place. This = a good thing.

While I think it's terribly gorgeous, it took me more than a few listens to get into it, so I don't know if it would have been suitable for something like the Pop Open. I don't know how well-known she is, either.

(I still think Injustice was easier than Religion...time will tell, I guess)

[koganbot]

Liking this round most by far; the injustice here is that I can't vote for all five. Several sound like one genre while having a touch of another. E.g., first track is straight-up funk but feels African, somehow, something loping in its motion. Second is powerful Dance-Oriented-Rock but with tinkle melody stuff in the background that reminds me of Crime Mob (a scrappy crunk group, not art school like these people). Third track starts like debutante country but gets boshier and boshier as it continues and things go worse for the heroine. Reminds me of that Stones song ("Flight 505"), where Mick is feeling restless so he books a flight to anywhere and ends up in the middle of the sea. Track Four is a good little lounge bossa nova, track five is powerful and grimey and I'm with it.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Don't know any of these, but can identify the track 4 artist. That track is also the only one so far to really grab me. But tbh I don't know what I'll vote for yet.

Is it me or do the Pop Open tracks have a different feel to the LoP submissions (by and large)? Perhaps it's something to do with the weather.

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

Didn't know any of these but feel like I might recognize the singers behind Track 3 and Track 4 after I see the reveal. Liked the Afropop-ish Track 1 best, also signified INJUSTICE most directly to me (first time theme has actually been an issue in this series!), except maybe for Track 5 which was my borderline #2 (went for Track 3 instead). Track 2 and 4 were also nice but tied for third (or something). My fave round so far, but the Stush track is my #1 keeper from the Open so far.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Can I have the noughties, please? I have to choose for byebyepride, too, don't I? In which case he can have the eighties.

[umlauts.livejournal.com]

My two clear favourites were sadly ones I knew. The other three I quite liked but none of them really grabbed me, but I felt the two I picked were strong enough that I'd quite like to listen to them again even after a few listens.

[jel-bugle.livejournal.com]

I would have picked "Indians" by Anthrax.

[celentari.livejournal.com]

I cannot tell, based on people's descriptions, which one is even my track. Oh dear.

Am I allowed to vote? Is it bad form to vote for your own track?

[koganbot]

I was really torn as to what to vote for; all came through with grooves and tunes, so it came down to the vocals, with 1 ending up too diffuse, and 2 (which has a really good melody) sounding disconcertingly pale. (Are these people Swedish?) The number 5 woman grabbed me right away, was my number one. Which left the battle for second between 3 and 4; both great stories of injustice, the number 4 woman in good voice and having a good beat, number 3 not quite as strong but pleasingly plaintive, and she eventually got my vote 'cause number 4 went on too long and the stylization lost its impact.

[strange-powers.livejournal.com]

I knew two songs Tracks Two and Four, one of which would definitely have been my top pick. Otherwise, I'm convinced I know who track four is by but I've never heard the song. If it is who I think it is, and it's from this person's new album, then I'm sold. Track One is a great stomping blinder, too. Track Five is bloody awful.

Violins, violins, is the only thing that will make you see sense

[koganbot]

Track 5 also gets my vote for its excellent violins-as-violence move.

[poptasticuk.livejournal.com]

The only ones I like here are the ones I already knew. In fact I haven't liked many of the Pop Open songs so far, Piratemoggy's from last week being a great exception. My tastes seem to be very different to a lot of people playing this game, even though I couldn't really be more pop-oriented. It doesn't give me much hope for my chances in Death week, even though my song is brilliant.