Best Song of 2003: Heat #2

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Heat #1 saw tATu storm ahead with the best tick-turnout of the decade so far; Yulia and Lena are joined in the final by the White Stripex, Xtina, Jay-X & Beyonxe and RicharX-v-LibertX.

On to heat #2, in which the wailing/gnashing of teeth may rise to new heights. But only five can go through, and it's up to you lot to pick which ones! Choose wisely, o Poptimists...

• You get SIX TICKS over the three bits of the poll, unless you played the investigation game on the previous heat and told us all your new favourite (and why). Put your new favourite in the box below and get an extra tick for the next heat - do this on five or more of the eight heats and get an extra nomination slot for 2004! (thx to credoimprobus for this suggestion)



• The top five in each heat will go through to the next stage. Make sure you rep for your faves in the comments!



• If you want to fill in the 'best song I only heard today' box later, change your vote (or tick too many by mistake), you can edit your votes by clicking on 'Poll #12345' then 'Fill Out Poll'.



• You have until Tuesday lunchtime to vote

[Poll #1478382]


Extra ticks for this heat go to jeff_worrell, credoimprobus, meserach, koganbot and me.

P.S. HALLOWEEN POPTIMISM TONIGHT! Be there or be Jason Bateman in Teen Wolf 2!

Comments

When you're feeling so hopeless

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

'Bring Me Closer' is track 2 off Michael Mayer's Fabric 13 mix and is full of sweeping emo orchestra and an emo dude on vocals to match. It's like someone has sat down and thought 'I shall now create a track that will make Kat cry on the bus'.

Can't Hold Us Down

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I'm considering rescinding my tick for this - I thought I loved it dearly but listening back, it's a bit underwhelming (esp Kim's singing at the end - hmmm). Also Xtina's outfit NEEDS TO STOP NOW, especially the socks. However the crowd 'shout-out's might just save it.

[miss-newham.livejournal.com]

I'm very sorry for ticking Red Hot Chilli Peppers but I maintain that this is the only good song they've ever done...

Open to persuasion

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Bouncy, Justin and Elec6 won't need my help. I've ticked six others off the bat, but it ain't obvious to me that this is The Heat of Death. I have one tick free and might be ready to switch others. So keep those YouTubes coming.

Ridiculous

[koganbot]

Yikes! Without having heard most of these I used all my ticks already (subject to change when I do listen) without ticking Fannypack, A.R.E. Weapons, Blu Cantrell (just heard this for the first time, as far as I know, and it may get my endorsement in that category), Electric Six, and "Deliverance." Ridiculous.

My world hasn't stopped turnin', but it's fallin' apart

[koganbot]

Gary Allan "Can't Do It Today"

Country track that's absolutely gorgeous and absolutely rocking. Not on YouTube unfortunately, but please listen.

Pimp my voice and mack these beats, and pray to the Lord for these Mississippi streets

[koganbot]

Pimp my voice and mack these beats, and pray to the Lord for these Mississippi streets
David Banner "Cadillac On 22's"


I use the words "strange" and "haunting" too much, but here's a song that's strange and haunting.

I shake their hands 'cause I'm out of sedatives

[koganbot]

FM Knives Cassavetes vs. The Moneygoround, like the Buzzcocks in dark mode.

Diamonds and Guns

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I was mildly obsessed with this song just after I finished my finals. Then Garnier nicked it for a hair gel advert and turned it RUBBISH.

Bubba

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I thought I'd never heard anything by him until I listened to 'Ugly' in the 2001 heats and went "OHHHHH THAT ONE".

However I definitely haven't heard 'Deliverance' or 'Comin Around' before. The former lacks anything like the eeedly-eeee hook of Ugly, but the latter has some awesome squelchy bits AND the fiddle.

A.R.E. Weapons

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

OK who nominated this? It's DREADFUL and I would like you to explain yrself pls!

RUN, RUN, RUN BUT YOU SURE CAN'T HIDE

[credoimprobus]

Eye for an Eye opens UNKLE's excellent Never, Never, Land album, and sets up its bleakness brilliantly: it's absolutely merciless, a giant war machine crushing everything in its path and leaving nothing but a scorched landscape behind. The numerous dialogue samples from The Thin Red Line are chillingly effective, scattered like guideposts throughout the song.

And if for nothing else, play this for the video, which is fucking INCREDIBLE.

[credoimprobus]

On the completely opposite end of the scale, here's Zombie Nation with a sparkling burst of technicolour ethnic magpiery (shush that is totally a word).

Coin Operated Boy

[ijgrieve.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure who originally nominated this, but it's great. Give it a listen and give it a tick, and it can still get through...

Jay Sean's breakout hit

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, I nominated this. I'd better plug it a bit. Will probably tick as well. Now that he's suddenly HUGE in America, it's worth recalling where he started from.

Only 2 ticks????

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Aw come on, ppl! Here's Fannypack with a none too tactful warning to the ladies out there.

Ups and Downs

[meserach.livejournal.com]

Things I am pleased about:

* Evanescence look set to qualify which is a doubleplusgood thing as I suspected they might stuggle especially in such a strong heat. "Bring Me To Life" is the nu-metal generation's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and is a preposterous monstrous religion-and-sex power-ballad very much to be celebrated. I was so obsessed with the "Fallen" album back in the day.

Things I am at least somewhat sad about:

* No-one (NO-ONE!) has ticked Mis-Teeq's "Can't Get It Back"! Ok it is not their finest hour but it would totally be my eight tick if I had one, and indeed I might subtract ticks from Justin and Beyonce who are sure to qualify just to spread the love a little.

Video also features brassieres on the head of perturbed judges in wigs:



I mean come on that is a classy slice of tuneage right there. Not one tick? "Keep your zip closed" Oh Alesha why did you give up on the rapping...

*

Almost certain to get my 'best new' vote

[credoimprobus]

I am an ever-loving SUCKER for trance when it's well done. My song of the year for '03* is trance; one of my top 5 tunes of '05 is a trance remix. This one gets me with its crystal-pure vocals, floating in space over the beat, which is a trance trope that never fails to choke me up like the music-emo loser I am.

*) we won't be seeing this one until the '04 polls, though, since it didn't chart till January

[credoimprobus]

Oh man, I have to post this one too, just because this fan video, as basic and cheap as it is, is BRILLIANT: