The Pop World Cup: Group C
Feb. 2nd, 2006 10:50 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
freakytigger.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
poptimistsStyle, sex, skanking and shouty men are the order of the day in Group C, which seasoned commentators have already in the pub called the GRUPO DEL MUERTE. Argentina look to join Ecuador in the round of 16, Holland and Serbia and Montenegro look to buck the trend of European underperformance and the Ivory Coast is the first African team to take to the field in this competition.
You can find all PWC entries here. If you can't download or are having trouble let me know either in the comments box or at freakytrigger@gmail.com.
So here are the four Group C contenders, with exclusive team talks from their managers.
Argentina
Miranda! - "Yo Te Dire". Boss![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
carsmilesteve was keen to talk up his charges: "miranda! (yes, the exclamation mark is part of their name, just like WHAM! and therapy?) are a magic argentinian !P!O!P! band, despite looking like ladytron on a bad day. they haf loads of ace songs that you can see the videos for on their website (which like all argentinian band websites i found is a FLASH NIGHTMARE, but not as bad as some of them). the song is "yo te dire" which haf DRIVING, SKANKING organ to push the track along and squidgy undefined instrument solo in the middle."
Cote D'Ivoire
Meiway - "Miss Lolo". Gafferpoptasticuk gave us a candid interview: ""I didn't even know the Ivory Coast was a country until I was their manager, but I did find an interesting article about their music scene suggesting that Meiway "trades on style and sex", which was enough to catch my interest. Having now seen a photo I wouldn't let him have hisway (bad pun quota filled) with me, but Miss Lolo probably would, if only in thanks for him making this rather fun song about her."
Holland
Twenty 4 Seven - "Leave Them Alone". Managerfreakytigger told us: "All the finest elements of eurodance are present and correct in this 1994 smash - enthusiastic rapping, monster-lunged vocal hook, big attacking synths and a hands in the air beat. I'm confident our uptempo style will see us through and if it doesn't, well, at least we'll have got the crowds dancing. The song is a thoughtful meditation on the plight of Native Americans, not that you can strictly tell this by the lyrics. Good work Nance, Stay-C and their producer Ruud van Reijen."
Serbia And Montenegro
Vrooom - "Budjenje": Supremoumlauts had this to say: ""Popular music in Serbia largely consists of this baffling genre called turbo-folk, which I don't get. They certainly lose out to the Croats if pop stars with great hair is what you're looking for. But lo, it's the preposterously named Vrooom, with a song whose chorus goes "ne ne ne ne ne ne!" shouted loudly by some blokes, while the verses have singer Vanja doing some mysterious stylings, asking to be your shelter, amongst other things. Lovely. It's all very primitive and tribal, while being quite acceptably shouty and noisy too. Smashing."
So how will matches be decided? HERE'S HOW.
You have 20 points to divide between the four teams, based on how much you enjoyed their tracks and on any other criteria you like.
No team can be given less than 1 point, no team can be given more than 10. If you fail to mark a team they will automatically get 5 points.
If that leaves a points total other than 20, or if you simply can't add up to 20, then the FIPA authorities will add or deduct points according to a highly complex system which can be explained in the pub by request.
Your votes should be in the following format:
"Argentina - 5. Cote D'Ivoire - 5. Holland - 5. Serbia&Montenegro - 5."
With the "5"s replaced by the points you allot to each team.
You can submit votes in one of two ways. In the poll below, or by email to freakytrigger@gmail.com if you can't vote in LJ polls. Any votes in the comments box will be disqualified. Voting closes at midnight GMT on Monday
The top two tracks, decided on total points, will go through to the next round. In the event of a tie the votes from the first 10 ballots received will be used to determine positions.
[Poll #665109]
Some indication of results will be given tomorrow.
Commence the mind-games!
You can find all PWC entries here. If you can't download or are having trouble let me know either in the comments box or at freakytrigger@gmail.com.
So here are the four Group C contenders, with exclusive team talks from their managers.
Argentina
Miranda! - "Yo Te Dire". Boss
carsmilesteve was keen to talk up his charges: "miranda! (yes, the exclamation mark is part of their name, just like WHAM! and Cote D'Ivoire
Meiway - "Miss Lolo". Gaffer
poptasticuk gave us a candid interview: ""I didn't even know the Ivory Coast was a country until I was their manager, but I did find an interesting article about their music scene suggesting that Meiway "trades on style and sex", which was enough to catch my interest. Having now seen a photo I wouldn't let him have hisway (bad pun quota filled) with me, but Miss Lolo probably would, if only in thanks for him making this rather fun song about her."Holland
Twenty 4 Seven - "Leave Them Alone". Manager
freakytigger told us: "All the finest elements of eurodance are present and correct in this 1994 smash - enthusiastic rapping, monster-lunged vocal hook, big attacking synths and a hands in the air beat. I'm confident our uptempo style will see us through and if it doesn't, well, at least we'll have got the crowds dancing. The song is a thoughtful meditation on the plight of Native Americans, not that you can strictly tell this by the lyrics. Good work Nance, Stay-C and their producer Ruud van Reijen."Serbia And Montenegro
Vrooom - "Budjenje": Supremo
umlauts had this to say: ""Popular music in Serbia largely consists of this baffling genre called turbo-folk, which I don't get. They certainly lose out to the Croats if pop stars with great hair is what you're looking for. But lo, it's the preposterously named Vrooom, with a song whose chorus goes "ne ne ne ne ne ne!" shouted loudly by some blokes, while the verses have singer Vanja doing some mysterious stylings, asking to be your shelter, amongst other things. Lovely. It's all very primitive and tribal, while being quite acceptably shouty and noisy too. Smashing."So how will matches be decided? HERE'S HOW.
You have 20 points to divide between the four teams, based on how much you enjoyed their tracks and on any other criteria you like.
No team can be given less than 1 point, no team can be given more than 10. If you fail to mark a team they will automatically get 5 points.
If that leaves a points total other than 20, or if you simply can't add up to 20, then the FIPA authorities will add or deduct points according to a highly complex system which can be explained in the pub by request.
Your votes should be in the following format:
"Argentina - 5. Cote D'Ivoire - 5. Holland - 5. Serbia&Montenegro - 5."
With the "5"s replaced by the points you allot to each team.
You can submit votes in one of two ways. In the poll below, or by email to freakytrigger@gmail.com if you can't vote in LJ polls. Any votes in the comments box will be disqualified. Voting closes at midnight GMT on Monday
The top two tracks, decided on total points, will go through to the next round. In the event of a tie the votes from the first 10 ballots received will be used to determine positions.
[Poll #665109]
Some indication of results will be given tomorrow.
Commence the mind-games!
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-02-02 10:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-02 11:33 am (UTC)Serbia's track has a menacing element of nu-metal to it! (I like it)
I was expecting a monster chorus which never quite came with both the other songs but I liked the manner in which they didn't get there.
Obviously I like the Holland track! I did think about going for something more subtle but it was my favourite of anything I downloaded (well, no, my favourite was "Are You Dreaming?" also by Twenty 4 Seven, but that was a real actual UK pop hit and I thought it might be a bit cheeky putting it in).
no subject
Date: 2006-02-02 11:36 am (UTC)is captain hollywood on this one?
i am looking forward to hearing our competitors.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-02 11:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-02 01:12 pm (UTC)You want Nance trivia?
no subject
Date: 2006-02-02 01:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-02 02:09 pm (UTC)Well I guess you won't need any Nance trivia, you see her on TV every year, don't you?
I'm curious though: why not "Slave to the Music" or "I Can't Stand It"? MUCH better tunes, IMO.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-02 02:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-02 09:17 pm (UTC)And it is proven by this fantastic website (http://eurokdj.free.fr/html/essai.php?letter=t#Twenty%204%20Seven) about Eurodance, with its lovely Dunglish:
"And suddenly in the late summer of 1993, there was a very 'aanstekelijk' song a the radio. It was Slave To The Music. Slowly whole dancing Holland became infected by Twenty 4 Seven. The song started slowly in the charts, but kept on climbing. And many weeks after it entrance it highest position in the charts. But the song didn't stop at the borders of its homeland, it grew and grew. Where most of the Eurodance stayed in west Europe and Japan, Twenty 4 Seven became popular in West Europe, Israel (where it reached position #17 in the national chart), Japan, Australia, South Africa, South America and even East Europe. Twenty 4 Seven was the first dance-act in ex Czechoslovakia who got platinum."
no subject
Date: 2006-02-03 10:48 pm (UTC)actually dubdobdee talkin for once, not those pesky persians
Date: 2006-02-02 11:48 am (UTC)oh the puninessi am def. up for the minnow action here -- as for holland NO FOCUS NO COMMENTno subject
Date: 2006-02-02 12:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-02 01:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-02 01:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-02 02:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-02 02:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-02 12:52 pm (UTC)If so, how about editing that band name there, Mr F? /picky
no subject
Date: 2006-02-02 12:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-02 01:28 pm (UTC)Fantastic, all of the tracks.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-02 05:56 pm (UTC)MIRANDA!!!
Date: 2006-02-02 06:20 pm (UTC)Re: MIRANDA!!!
Date: 2006-02-02 06:41 pm (UTC)Re: MIRANDA!!!
Date: 2006-02-03 10:45 am (UTC)(oops, now i haf given away my cunning plan, d'oh)
no subject
Date: 2006-02-02 07:13 pm (UTC)So, thoughts on just Argentina vs. The Neth for now.
Argentines off to a flyer, scoring in the opening seconds and regularly adding to their tally. Everything they try seems to come off from the driving ska rhythm to the cascading strings mid-way through the second half, and by the end it's exhibition stuff.
Holland put a lot of effort in, but at first seem oddly lacking in flair. Their "captain" (who rumour has it is actually named stay-c) is their most creative player, controlling the Dutch play from the middle of the park, combining well the singer to set up the boshing refrain. It's only with these set plays that Holland look likely to trouble the scorers tho'.
...and that postponed match in full
Date: 2006-02-04 09:22 pm (UTC)Ivory Coast - very good. I was worried that, with a nearly 6 minute running time this might be coasting on its juju beat and lengthy guitar breaks by the end. But not a bit of it. Rings the changes nicely throughout. Those heavily emphasised major chords in the backing vocals = charming.
Serbia - liked this as well. The rhythm, once it got going, reminded me a bit of Jamaican dancehall. A daring choice for sure - e.g. it's noticeably slower in tempo than most picks so far - but one that may well pay off for
Hmmm, points allocation is going to be tricky in this group but I fear it's the Dutch who are going to really miss out.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-03 06:24 am (UTC)Person Who Quotes Respected U.S. Trade Magazine
no subject
Date: 2006-02-03 06:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-03 06:49 am (UTC)He Who Chants "Meiway Or The Heiway"
no subject
Date: 2006-02-03 12:06 pm (UTC)Can we do experiments involving pop music and sleep deprivation, please?
THE JUDGE SUMS UP
Date: 2006-02-04 12:56 pm (UTC)Cote D'Ivoire: Specifically a play that reminds me of my earnest youth, wide-eared in a sea of dazzling African performance, an area I deserted for sel-related careerist reasons perhaps -- so perhaps it is simply my projection of guilt and loss that hops up this marvellously controlled and open and lovely, gliding, sparky engagement to an easy easy win.
Holland: Specifically a play that reminds me of everything: there are fields where this strategy would defeat all-comers but this is not one of them.
Serbia & Montenegro: Specifically a play that reminds me of nothing, quite, and yet so much: except how heatening I find the transformation from war to competition -- via sustained AntBurundi manoeuvres -- of Balkan-tribal energy. You can't win Euro-Prizes w/o EuroVision!! It's the botherd confidence -- esp. during the little village-green dawdle that -- that drives them past their supposed peers.
Re: THE JUDGE SUMS UP
Date: 2006-02-05 11:17 pm (UTC)Actually was a recently murdered Texan babe doing a cumbian impersonation of a Puerto Rican babe.
Your Pal Krupke
no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 02:28 pm (UTC)Nicely to see Holland hoofing it up to big rapper. It's predictable and obvious, but it nearly always works. In lesser groups, this would be a shoe-in for the knockout stages. Sadly, we could be looking at another big-name upset here.
Cote D'Ivoire are stroking around very nicely in midfield, keeping possession, fluid, silky passing. A tidy performance and a comfortable win.
Sebria & Montenegro - do I hear the words DARK HORSES?! They'll win themselves few friends but many admirers with this sort of gritty, tenacious performance, just clinching victory with a stolen clarinet flourish in the 85th minute.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 11:13 pm (UTC)