Lights going out and a kick in the balls - that's entertainment.

#14 Blondie, Rip Her to Shreds – 11 votes
defeats
#19 The (English) Beat, Tears of a Clown – 6 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis:
“Weeping clowns? Are we talking about Julianne Moore's role in "The Ladies' Man" here? I would rather vote for "X Offender," but as long as it's not "Maria", I'll vote for Blondie.” - JZ

#11 New Pornographers, Letter from an Occupant – 9 votes
defeats
#22 Yo La Tengo, Sugarcube – 9 votes

Analysis:
“Yo La Tengo (Carl Newman annoys me, and the best thing about New Pornographers is Neko Case.)” – AH [Ms. L: You, me, and possibly Mr. Smith need to have a little chat about this.]

#10 New Order, Bizarre Love Triangle – 17 votes
defeats
#23 Laurie Anderson, O Superman – 1 vote

Analysis:
"New Order. The soundtrack to at least one relationship you had in junior high." - Mr. Smith

#18 Belle and Sebastian, Lazy Line Painter Jane – 9 votes
defeats
#15 The Police, Message in a Bottle – 9 votes

Analysis:
It's good to be queen. – Ms. L

“Belle & Sebastian. The perfect example of how a lot of their best songs are on the EPs. How anyone can vote against this is beyond me. The Police are OK, and maybe I'm a bit biased since B&S are probably my favorite band ever, but really now. Monica Queen is great on this track. Besides, B&S vs. The Smiths next round will be interesting, whereas there's no way in hell the Police would beat the Smiths. Right? Right? Sigh....” – Cokehead Matt

#19, Pulp, Common People – 11 votes
defeats
#14 Hole, Doll Parts – 6 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis:
“Pulp. Shatner will never cover Hole. Nuff said.” – Mr. Smith

#11 Oasis, Supersonic – 10 votes
defeats
#22, The Cult, She Sells Sanctuary – 8 votes

Analysis:
“She Sells Sanctuary, just for showing up in GTA:Vice City.” – Cranky Uncle Greg

#10 Beck, Where It's At – 15 votes
defeats
#23 The Residents, Hello Skinny – 3 votes

Analysis:
“Beck scares me less.” – SRF
“Residents, *because* they scare me more.” – Cranky Uncle Greg

#15 Dead Milkmen, Bitchin' Camaro – 9 votes
defeats
#18 Black Flag, TV Party – 8 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis:
“Dead Milkmen - I temporarily confused Black Flag with Big Black and was
going to vote against them because Steve Albini is a pompous, obnoxious,
self-aggrandizing jackass. Fortunately, the same phrase also applies to
Henry Rollins, so the vote stands.” – Canadian Dave

Hey, it's the second round! Possibly more songs that you have (or really should have) actually heard. Maybe not, though.

Voting for this round will end at 9:00pm CST Wednesday. Comment or email me. We'll post and tally the results then.

An important point: Consistency is not your friend. So you claimed to dislike a song last round, but it got through. It's okay to vote for it now. We won't mind. Well, maybe we will, and we'll yell about it, but I promise, we have no inconsistency corps dedicated to torturing those who change their minds between rounds.

That you know about.

From the Mid-Atlantic Regional, at the Middle East, Cambridge, MA

#1 Joy Division, Love Will Tear Us Apart (video)
vs.
#17 Jane's Addiction, Jane Says (video)
Happy times in this matchup.

#9 The Clash, Train in Vain (video)
vs.
#8 The Jam, That's Entertainment (video)
Tourmates for one month in 1977, long before either of these songs were released.

#5 The Buzzcocks, Ever Fallen In Love? (video)
vs.
#12 Television, Marquee Moon (video)
Do you prefer emotions expressed verbally, or through really long guitar solos?

#20 Liz Phair, Flower (video)
vs.
#4 The Ramones, Blitzkrieg Bop (video)
I don't have anything to tie these together. I'm just sifting through YouTube and want to point out that no one, NO ONE, asked for a fan video of "Why Can't I?" set to an imagined romance between Draco and Hermione.

#3 Lou Reed, Walk on the Wild Side (video)
vs.
#14 Soundgarden, Black Hole Sun (video)
Sampled by Marky Mark vs. covered by Steve & Eydie.

#11 Talking Heads, Life During Wartime (video)
vs.
#6 Public Image Ltd., This Is Not A Love Song (video)
Well, that's not a love song, either.

#7 Husker Du, Makes No Sense At All (video)
vs.
#23 Sonic Youth, Teen Age Riot (video)
Former SST labelmates square off.

#15 Joe Jackson, Is She Really Going Out With Him? (video)
vs.
#2 Weezer, Undone (The Sweater Song) (video)
I challenge you to find a more tunefully neurotic matchup than this.

Sending out an SOS

Tonight, a special message from Cranky Uncle Greg:

Based on the number of abstentions lately, I'm done adding the Allmusic links for band overviews and song reviews. I'm going to stick with the YouTube links and other snippets because they're really fun to dig through. But all these links are designed to help you not cop out. A fuzzily-formed vote is better than no vote.

#14 Cowboy Junkies, Sweet Jane –8 votes
defeats
#19 Postal Service, Such Great Heights – 8 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis:
First tie of the tournament! I can block out Woody Harrelson most of the time. CJs move on.
“My theory as to why only 500 people bought an Velvet Underground album but every one of them went out and started on the band depends on the fact that every VU cover I've heard is better than the original. Each of those 500 people said, ‘These are great songs but I can make them sound a lot better.’” – Canadian Dave

#11 Billy Bragg, A New England – 11 votes
defeats
#22 Red Hot Chili Peppers, True Men Don't Kill Coyotes – 2 votes
(3 abstentions)

Analysis:
“Billy Bragg. I pushed for early, good, non-singing RHCP to make the cut, but didn't expect them to meet Mr. Bragg (and his covering sidekicks, Kirsty MacColl and To Much Joy) in the first round.” – Cranky Uncle Greg

#10 Replacements, Left of the Dial – 10 votes
defeats
#23 Sebadoh, Rebound – 5 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis:
“So the Mats get a home game, and they cruise. When you have a song about indie rock radio in a tournament about indie rock, I think you could go far.” – CDB

#15 Wilco, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart – 9 votes
defeats
#18 Morrissey, Every Day Is Like Sunday – 7 votes

Analysis:
“I Am Trying To Break Your Heart is one of the greatest album openers ever, the constant, subtle changes, the way the instruments drop out for that one a capella part. I still wish Bennett was around, because the band could use one more fat dude with dreads and one less European on a keyboard.” –Rud (they could always hire Phillip Seymour Hoffman to stand in, y’know)

#16 Gil Scott-Heron, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised – 9 votes
defeats
#17 Elvis Costello, Oliver's Army – 7 votes

Analysis:
“Elvis Costello? Even though the other day there was something that caused me to say "the revolution will not be televised, but it will be on arxiv.org!" in an attempt to mock some physicist. Oh wow, am I a dork.” – Cokehead Matt

#9 Pixies, Debaser – 12 votes
defeats
#24 The Plimsouls, A Million Miles Away – 4 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis:
“The Pixies; smart money's on an all-Pixies Final Four.” - Rud

#12 Velvet Underground, Rock 'n' Roll – 9 votes
defeats
#21 Psychedelic Furs, Pretty In Pink – 7 votes

Analysis:
“P-Furs. Now, if you had put the original "Sweet Jane" in here, there might be more of a contest.” - Mike

#13 Tori Amos, Silent All These Years – 8 votes
defeats
#20 The Beta Band, Dry the Rain – 6 votes
(2 abstentions)

Analysis:
“Beta Band, schmeta band.” - AH

And now, the final matchups of the first round. Voting for this round will end at 9:00pm CST Sunday. Comment or email me. We'll post and tally the results then.

From the Far West Regional, from the 100 Club, London, U.K.

#14 Blondie, Rip Her to Shreds (iTunes)
vs.
#19 The (English) Beat, Tears of a Clown ( right-click or opt-click to download)
Combined, a harrowing account of how Debbie Harry beat a circus performer until she wept.

#11 New Pornographers, Letter from an Occupant (iTunes)
vs.
#22 Yo La Tengo, Sugarcube (video)
Two labelmates face off. The Mr. Show folks helped YLT make one of the funniest videos ever. Then David Cross and Carl Newman drunkenly dissed Neko in a Magnet interview.

#10 New Order, Bizarre Love Triangle(video)
vs.
#23 Laurie Anderson, O Superman(video)
Either of these songs could be about Laurie's husband, Lou Reed.

#15 The Police, Message in a Bottle (streaming audio via Youtube)
vs.
#18 Belle and Sebastian, Lazy Line Painter Jane (video)
I could pretend that I can stand this (or really any other) Police song, and I could hide the fact that this B&S song is one of my favorites of all time, but why? You'll have to listen to both songs and make your own decision. I'm going to play with my Sting voodoo doll now.

Today's matchups from the Northeast Regional, at CBGB & OMFUG, New York City, NY

#14 Hole, Doll Parts (video)
vs.
#19, Pulp, Common People (video)
Two classic public meltdowns: 2005 Friar's Club Roast meets 1996 Brit Awards. God help us if Jarvis Cocker and Ms. Love ever get together.

#11 Oasis, Supersonic(video)
vs.
#22, The Cult, She Sells Sanctuary(video)
One eyebrow or two?

#10 Beck, Where It's At(video)
vs.
#23 The Residents, Hello Skinny(iTunes)
Weirdness for its own sake meets...weirdness for its own sake. Do we really know Beck any better than we know the guys(?) behind the eyeball masks? Winner faces Björk, herself no stranger to calculated kookiness.

#15 Dead Milkmen, Bitchin' Camaro(video)
vs.
#18 Black Flag, TV Party (video)
Very different songs musically, but they're birds of a feather thematically.

Read about your band in some local page. Didn't mention my name.

Sorry about the belatedness. Here we go:

#19 Franz Ferdinand, Take Me Out – 11 votes
defeats
#14 Pere Ubu, The Modern Dance – 8 votes

Analysis:
“Franz Ferdinand -- Much like a clock that loses a half a minute each day, a frat boy's taste in music is right about twice a decade.” – Canadian Dave

#11 The Pixies, Gigantic – 18 votes
defeats
#22 Big Audio Dynamite, The Bottom Line – 1 vote

Analysis:
“The Pixies (song can easily be reworked to be about quizbowlers by changing "his teeth as white as snow" to "he wobbles to and fro".)” - SRF


#10 U2, Where the Streets Have No Name – 10 votes
defeats
#23 Interpol, PDA – 7 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis:
“3. I vote U2, and so would everyone in Interpol... except maybe Paul, who would vote for Public Enemy. Hm, I might be using the "Who would Interpol vote for?" test later on.” - JZ

#15 Sinead O'Connor, Nothing Compares 2 U – 13 votes
defeats
#18 Art of Noise, Beat Box – 1 vote
(3 abstentions)

Analysis:
“I like SO'C fine, but c'mon! Art of Noise! This was a revelation when it came out.” – Cranky Uncle Greg, unsuccessfully

#16 Squeeze, Pulling Mussels (From the Shell) - 8 votes
defeats
#17 Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians, Balloon Man – 7 votes
(1 abstention, 1 iPod shuffle)

Analysis:
“Abstain. Interpol would be going on a coke binge at this point.” - JZ

#24 King Missile, Jesus Was Way Cool – 7 votes
defeats
#9 Adam Ant, Goody Two Shoes – 6 votes
(3 abstentions, 1 iPod shuffle)

Analysis:
Happy Easter!
“King Missile - I like Adam Ant, but why did that have to be his hit?” - ML

#21 X, Los Angeles – 10 votes
defeats
#12 Ben Folds Five, Song For the Dumped – 6 votes
(2 abstentions)

Analysis:
“X. Billy Zoom is the coolest person ever to pick up a guitar, while I can think of several guitarless bands cooler than BF5 (no, not Keane).” – Cranky Uncle Greg

#13 Pet Shop Boys, What Have I Done To Deserve This? – 14 votes
defeats
#20 Badly Drawn Boy, The Shining – 4 votes

Analysis:
“Pet Shop Boys (because it's Dusty...you people who voted for BDB voted for REM too, didn't you?)” – Mr. Smith

Voting for this round will end at 9:00pm CST Wednesday. Comment or email me. We'll post and tally the results then.

From the West Regional, at First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN

#14 Cowboy Junkies, Sweet Jane (video)
vs.
#19 Postal Service, Such Great Heights (video)
My blatant attempt to get more Velvet Underground songs in vs. my blatant attempt to include more recent songs.

#11 Billy Bragg, A New England (video)
vs.
#22 Red Hot Chili Peppers, True Men Don't Kill Coyotes (video)
Billy Bragg once rollerskated around a CMJ music conference with an amp strapped to his back, singing about the comeback of live music. You know what RHCP are known for wearing.

#10 Replacements, Left of the Dial (iTunes)
vs.
#23 Sebadoh, Rebound (iTunes)
Scruffy, crazy indie men do battle: one is complaining about his girl, one about all the people on the radio.

#15 Wilco, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart (video of Tweedy solo)
vs.
#18 Morrissey, Every Day Is Like Sunday (video)
Will the desire to avenge the first-round Smiths loss topple the only Wilco song in the tournament?

From the Far West Regional, from the 100 Club, London, U.K.

#16 Gil Scott-Heron, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (video)
vs.
#17 Elvis Costello, Oliver's Army (video)
Oh my. What an interesting pairing.

#9 Pixies, Debaser (video)
vs.
#24 The Plimsouls, A Million Miles Away (video)
A song referencing Un Chien Andalou meets a song from the Valley Girl soundtrack.

#21 Psychedelic Furs, Pretty In Pink (download)
vs.
#12 Velvet Underground, Rock 'n' Roll (fan video)
Venus in Psychedelic Furs?

#13 Tori Amos, Silent All These Years (video)
vs.
#20 The Beta Band, Dry the Rain (video)
RAINN supporter vs. the song featured in High Fidelity.

'Cause our poor boy believes in chance, he'll never get the modern dance.

I think we all know the drill by this point.

#19 My Bloody Valentine, Only Shallow – 9 votes
defeats
#14 Michael Penn, No Myth – 6 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis:
“He is still more successful than Chris, but I should really speak well of the dead.” - CDB

#11 Minor Threat, Straight Edge – 10 votes
defeats
#22 Garbage, Queer –5 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis:
“Minor Threat -- I'll vote for any song that allows my non-drinking, non-smoking, non-rebellious ass to claim it's punk.” – Canadian Dave

#10 The Ramones, Sheena is a Punk Rocker – 8 votes
defeats
#23 The La's, There She Goes – 7 votes
(1 iPod shuffle)

Analysis:
“The La's (There are other Ramones songs in the running, and "There She Goes" has got to be one of the most wondrous one hits ever.)” – AH

#15 Joy Division, Transmission – 10 votes
defeats
#18 Bauhaus, Bela Lugosi's Dead – 4 votes
(1 abstention, 1 iPod shuffle)

Analysis:
“15 vs 18: Oh man. The live music test would have to go to "Bela" (but mostly because I saw these songs both last year and Peter Murphy was hanging upside down... and I should stop now.) I'm still voting "Transmission." Unless I can count the live version of "Bela" from Press Eject... though if that counts there are enough stunning live versions of "Transmission" that that still pulls out ahead.” – MMC, streaming his consciousness.

#16 X Ray Spex, Oh Bondage, Up Yours! – 7 votes
defeats
#17 Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Rich – 6 votes
(2 abstention, 1 iPod shuffle)

Analysis:
“Oh Bondage, Up Yours! X Ray Spex invented raw and playful; the YYY's merely use it to good effect.” - JZ

#9 R.E.M., The One I Love – 13 votes
defeats
#24 New York Dolls, Personality Crisis – 2 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis:
“R.E.M. (are any members of NY Dolls plausible candidates for the Missing Link?)” - SRF

#12 The Clash, White Man (in Hammersmith Palais) – 11 votes
defeats
#21 'Til Tuesday, Voices Carry – 4 votes
(1 abstention, 1 iPod shuffle)

Analysis:
“12 The Clash (And I was just saying yesterday how purty Aimee Mann was in that video.” – LLL
“(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais - And I was just disagreeing yesterday with Laura's assessment of Aimee Mann's purtiness.” - DC

#13 Grandmaster Flash, The Message – 11 votes
vs.
#20 Cocteau Twins, Lorelei – votes

Analysis:
“Cocteau Twins, but I'll back Melle Mel & co. against the odious Violent Femmes in the next round.” – Cranky Uncle Greg

Voting for this round will end at 9:00pm CST Wednesday. Comment or email me. We'll post and tally the results then (well, after Sopranos and Big Love).

From the Southeast Regional, at Max's Kansas City, New York City, NY

#14 Pere Ubu, The Modern Dance (iTunes)
vs.
#19 Franz Ferdinand, Take Me Out (video)
Teaching the kids about Alfred Jarry or the origins of WWI?

#11 The Pixies, Gigantic (video)
vs.
#22 Big Audio Dynamite, The Bottom Line (iTunes)
Battle of the second fiddles! This is one of Kim Deal's few lead vocals in the Pixies, B.A.D. was formed by Mick Jones after he was fired by The Clash.

#10 U2, Where the Streets Have No Name (video)
vs.
#23 Interpol, PDA (video)
Spy plane or multinational jackbooted thugs. Paranoid yet?

#15 Sinead O'Connor, Nothing Compares 2 U (video)
vs.
#18 Art of Noise, Beat Box (video)
Trevor Horn's band-as-corporation is up against the very independent Sinead.

From the West Regional, at First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN

#16 Squeeze, Pulling Mussels (From the Shell) (iTunes)
vs.
#17 Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians, Balloon Man (video)
Witty Beatle-inspired pop vs. witty Beatle-inspired pop. Squeeze co-frontman Glenn Tilbrook appears on the Hitchcock album this song comes from, while Egyptian Andy Metcalfe toured with Squeeze 'round the same time.

#9 Adam Ant, Goody Two Shoes (video)
vs.
#24 King Missile, Jesus Was Way Cool (video)
If you want to vote for "Detachable Penis" instead, I guess that's fine.

#21 X, Los Angeles (video)
vs.
#12 Ben Folds Five, Song For the Dumped (iTunes)
Sure it's anachronistic, but let's all just think of what Exene Cervanka and John Doe could've done with this Ben Folds song.

#13 Pet Shop Boys, What Have I Done To Deserve This? (video)
vs.
#20 Badly Drawn Boy, The Shining (iTunes)
Dusty Springfield vs. that really good song from the GAP holiday ads of 2001.

Onstage they ain’t got no roots rock rebel

Results first, ask questions later.

#19 Cracker, Low – 8 votes
defeats
#14 Madness, One Step Beyond – 7 votes
(2 abstentions, 1 iPod shuffle)

Analysis:
“One Step Beyond. Yet another entry in this tournament that I only know thanks to the musical tastes of Lane Kim...and I've got to admit, it did work surprisingly well as background music for the Stars Hollow High School cheerleading squad.” – Hedge H.


#11 Flaming Lips, She Don't Use Jelly - 13 votes
defeats
#22 Foo Fighters, This Is A Call - 5 votes
(1 iPod shuffle)

Analysis:
“foo fighters -- continuing my present straight-ahead rockin' mood, though, contrary to popular belief, wayne coyne is way hotter than dave grohl.” -A


#10 Nick Lowe, Cruel to Be Kind – 9 votes
defeats
#23 Tricky, Black Steel - 7 votes
(1 abstention, 1 iPod shuffle)

Analysis:
“Damn, damn, damn, damn...Slight edge to the Jesus of Cool, because:
1. early Stiff Records material underrepresented and the whippersnappers will vote it down
2. Portishead and Massive Attack get byes; therefore Bristol triphop has its props
3. Black Steel's a cover.” – Verbose Uncle Greg


#15 Blur, Girls and Boys – 13 votes
defeats
#18 Ani DiFranco, Napoleon – 3 votes
(1 abstention, 1 iPod shuffle)

Analysis:
“My favorite radio yell-along song defeats a song I can turn off by the
third note: "Napoleon" wins.” (what radio station can play “Napoleon” and not get shut down by the FCC?)


#17 They Might Be Giants, Birdhouse in Your Soul – 9 votes
defeats
#16 The Cure, Lullaby – 7 votes
(1 abstention, 1 tie)

Analysis:
“They Might Be Giants -- Triangle Man, Triangle Man, Triangle Man hates Pouty Goth Man. They have a fight, Triangle wins, Triangle Man.” – Canadian Dave


#9 David Bowie, Heroes – 14 votes
defeats
#24 The Raincoats, No One's Little Girl – 3 votes
(2 abstentions)

Analysis:
“My previous position on Bowie notwithstanding, there's too much violin in that Raincoats song, and it reminded me of Dave Matthews. And we can't have that.” – Cranky Deaf Uncle Greg


#12 PJ Harvey, Down By the Water – 10 votes
defeats
#21 Suzanne Vega, Luka – 6 votes
(2 abstentions)

Analysis:
“Down By the Water. I'll give that Luka song props for being unique and interesting but I can't vote against Polly Jean.” - MMC


#13 Neutral Milk Hotel, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea – 11 votes
defeats
#20 Marshall Crenshaw, Someday, Someway – 5 votes
(3 abstentions)

Analysis:
“Neutral Milk Hotel, because it's the most heartbreaking, intense record ever commited to tape. It's a shame that people lump it in with E6, because it's so much more than that.” – Rud (Editorial from Ms. L: if you’ve not heard it, do try to hunt down this song. Seriously amazing, and you’ll be voting on it again.)

And now, the predictable part... Voting for this round will end at 9:00pm CST Wednesday. Comment or email me. We'll post and tally the results then.


From the South Regional, at the Whisky-A-Go-Go, Los Angeles, CA

#14 Michael Penn, No Myth (video)
vs.
#19 My Bloody Valentine, Only Shallow (video)
Sean's brother and reclusive noise genius Kevin Shields in an apples and oranges battle.

#11 Minor Threat, Straight Edge (iTunes)
vs.
#22 Garbage, Queer (video)
The Minor Threat snipped is actually 3/4 of the song. One song inadvertently launched a movement. The other...has Shirley Manson singing it.

#10 The Ramones, Sheena is a Punk Rocker (video)
vs.
#23 The La's, There She Goes (video)
The band with One Song vs. the band with a zillion interchangeable songs.

#15 Joy Division, Transmission (video)
vs.
#18 Bauhaus, Bela Lugosi's Dead (video)
Mope-itty, mope mope. If you have any doubts these bands are birds of a feather, here is horrible-quality video of Bauhaus covering the Joy Division song.

From the Southeast Regional, at Max's Kansas City, New York City, NY

#16 X Ray Spex, Oh Bondage, Up Yours! (video)
vs.
#17 Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Rich (video)
Two kickass frontwomen some 30 years apart.

#9 R.E.M., The One I Love (video)
vs.
#24 New York Dolls, Personality Crisis (video)
R.E.M. have cited the New York Dolls as an influence, but David Johansen and co. never got as big as R.E.M. was by the time this song was released. Of course, I don't believe any of the Dolls ever coated themselves with yogurt on an airplane, either.

#21 'Til Tuesday, Voices Carry (video)
vs.
#12 The Clash, White Man (in Hammersmith Palais) (video)
Treble or bass?

#13 Grandmaster Flash, The Message (video)
vs.
#20 Cocteau Twins, Lorelei (video, iTunes)
One's all about the lyrics. The other is too, but good luck deciphering them. (iTunes clip included because the video quality is so poor)

But really I'm not actually your friend (But I am.)

Results! One side note--just as there are many ways to decide your vote in this tournament, there are also many ways to not decide. We've been using abstentions mostly, but you also have a tie/draw option, and an "I'd rather listen to my iPod on shuffle than suffer through either of these songs" option. All three were used today....

#19 The Church, Under the Milky Way - 12 votes
defeats
#14 Camper Van Beethoven, Take the Skinheads Bowling - 7 votes
(3 abstentions)

Analyis:
"Under the Milky Way. How many times in this tournament will I have to apologize for voting against one of my mother's favorite songs." - CDB (Does this mean his mom loves "Take the Skinheads Bowling"?!)
"Bagpipes!" - Cranky Uncle Greg


#11 Duran Duran, Girls on Film - 11 votes
defeats
#22 Magnetic Fields, 100,000 Fireflies - 9 votes
(2 abstentions)

Analysis:
"Duran Duran - Just because Stephin Merritt doesn't sing on this song doesn't mean I can't vote against it because I don't like his voice." - Canadian Dave


#10 Nirvana, Lithium - 17 votes
defeats
#23 Everything But the Girl, Missing - 4 votes
(1abstention)

Analysis:
"Nirvana - I really hope that there isn't any lithium missing. That's the sort of situation that can lead to clashes and massive attacks." - Canadian Dave


#18 Guided By Voices, I Am A Scientist - 11 votes
defeats
#15 Tom Tom Club, Genius of Love - 8 votes
(3 abstentions)

Analysis:
Perhaps we have a skewed field:
"GVB--how can I not vote for this? I AM a scientist!" - SRF
"Guided by Voices! (I am a scientist, I seek to understand QCD.)" - He-who-likes-Coke
"I Am a Scientist def. Genius of Love. Some music is timeless. And then there's the Tom Tom Club." - MP


#16 XTC, Senses Working Overtime - 11 votes
defeats
#17 Siouxsie and the Banshees, Cities in Dust - 9 votes
(1 abstention, 1 draw)

Analysis:
"Draw (This would be a fun mash-up, actually.)" - AH

#9 Talking Heads, Once in a Lifetime - 19 votes
defeats
#24 Mudhoney, Touch Me I'm Sick - 1 vote
(2 abstentions)

Analysis:
An old-fashioned whuppin', kept from complete shutout only by the kind-hearted Trip-L.
"You may ask yourself, why am I voting in this contest? You may say to yourself, this is not my music contest, this is not my beautiful blog." -JoRite


#12 R.E.M., Driver 8 - 16 votes
defeats
#21 Erasure, A Little Respect - 5 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis:
"R.E.M - Hey, I grew up about two hours from Athens. I think I'm required to vote for them. One of their best songs, too." - Bunoich


#13 Kraftwerk, The Robots - 11 votes
defeats
#20 Elastica, Connection - 8 votes
(2 abstentions, 1 iPod shuffle)

Analysis:
"The Robots. I'm obligated to vote for this one because my boyfriend and I have claimed it as 'our song.'" - L (Wow.)

Continuing on... Voting for this round will end at 9:00pm CST Sunday. Comment or email me. We'll post and tally the results then.

From the Great Plains Regional, at the 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA

#14 Madness, One Step Beyond (video)
vs.
#19 Cracker, Low (iTunes)
Could Sandra Bernhard take Madness in a fight?

#11 Flaming Lips, She Don't Use Jelly (video)
vs.
#22 Foo Fighters, This Is A Call (video)
The ones at the Peach Pit and the ones with that airplane video.

#10 Nick Lowe, Cruel to Be Kind (video)
vs.
#23 Tricky, Black Steel (video)
Elvis Costello's first producer has girl problems while fellow Brit and early Massive Attacker Tricky rages about institutionalized racism.

#15 Blur, Girls and Boys (video)
vs.
#18 Ani DiFranco, Napoleon (iTunes)
Ani DiFranco... always should be someone you really love?

From the South Regional, at the Whisky-A-Go-Go, Los Angeles, CA

#16 The Cure, Lullaby (video)
vs.
#17 They Might Be Giants, Birdhouse in Your Soul (video)
This one's gonna kill all the former teenage goths who enjoy a good James K. Polk song.

#9 David Bowie, Heroes (video)
vs.
#24 The Raincoats, No One's Little Girl (iTunes)
If you decide The Raincoats are talking about Bowie, they may be the only people in the 70s who didn't want to sleep with him.

#21 Suzanne Vega, Luka (video)
vs.
#12 PJ Harvey, Down By the Water (video)
Both are songs about troubled women; Vega goes for vulnerable, Harvey for menacing.

#13 Neutral Milk Hotel, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (video of Jeff Mangum performing solo acoustic)
vs.
#20 Marshall Crenshaw, Someday, Someway (iTunes)
The title song of Magnet's best album in its first 10 years is up against a power pop classic.

We can reach our destination, but we’re still a ways away.

First off, results:

#14 Soundgarden, Black Hole Sun - 13 votes
defeats
#19 Fugazi, Waiting Room - 8 votes

Analysis:
"Fugazi - Mostly because Chris Cornell inflicted Audioslave upon us. And, because the first 30 seconds of The Argument are transcendent." - Rud

#11 Talking Heads, Life During Wartime - 14 votes
defeats
#22 Verve, Bittersweet Symphony - 7 votes

Analysis:
"Bittersweet Symphony. This provided the backing for one of my favorite summers ever -- may I always be 14." - Jay-Zee [14?! Shudder. - Ms. L]

"Talking Heads--I was honestly unaware that anyone other than my dad liked the Verve." - SRF

#23 Sonic Youth, Teen Age Riot -11 votes
defeats
#10 Sex Pistols, God Save the Queen - 8 votes
(2 abstentions)

Analysis:
"Don't pass the cheese. I know that every so-called punk has to like the Pistols at some point, and then is supposed to be disenchanted, but isn't that the point?" - Bunoich

#15 Joe Jackson, Is She Really Going Out With Him? - 11 votes
defeats
#18 Echo & the Bunnymen, The Killing Moon - 9 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis:
"The Killing Moon. In "Freaks and Geeks," Seth Rogan calls the JJ song "new wave crap." He can't be with us today, so I'll be his proxy." - Jay-Zee

"Actually Jan, Ken bags on "I'm the Man" in that episode. JJ's got much better songs, but I'll vote for this one." - Cranky Unlce Greg, smacking down a whippersnapper.

#16 The Stooges, Search and Destroy - 15 votes
defeats
#17 The Slits, Typical Girls - 3 votes
(2 abstentions)

Analysis:
"I really respect Iggy's desire to get the fuck out of Ann Arbor." - Canadian Dave

#9 Elvis Costello, Radio, Radio - 17 votes
vs.
#24 Let's Active, Every Word Means No - 2 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis:
"Actually, Let's Active. Although it's a losing proposition, I'd think." - Rud

"See post title." - AH

#12 David Bowie, Sound and Vision - 15 votes
defeats
#21 The Sugarcubes, Birthday - 3 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis:
"The Sugarcubes vs David Bowie - You know, I like both artists... so how is it that I don't care here? Abstain." - MMC

#13 Elliott Smith, Miss Misery - 10 votes
defeats
#20 Mazzy Star, Fade Into You - 9 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis:
"You know, until every movie decided to use it as background music, I always had this vision that it would make perfect backing music for a scene in a movie. Then I was disappointed when I realized that everyone else had the exact same idea." - CDB


Here are the next 8 matchups. Voting for this round will end at 9:00pm CST Wednesday. Comment or email me. We'll post and tally the results then.

From the Midwest Regional, at The Hacienda, Manchester, U.K.

#14 Camper Van Beethoven, Take the Skinheads Bowling (iTunes)
vs.
#19 The Church, Under the Milky Way (iTunes)
Bowling for Columbine vs. Donnie Darko?

#11 Duran Duran, Girls on Film (video NSFW)
vs.
#22 Magnetic Fields, 100,000 Fireflies (iTunes)
An early, incredibly famous song up against an early, incredibly obscure song.

#10 Nirvana, Lithium (video)
vs.
#23 Everything But the Girl, Missing (video)
I'm so ugly, that's okay 'cause YOU CANNOT HAVE THE MANGO!

#15 Tom Tom Club, Genius of Love (video)
vs.
#18 Guided By Voices, I Am A Scientist (iTunes)
"We went insane when we took cocaine" or "I am a lost soul, I shoot myself with rock and roll"?

From the Great Plains Regional, at the 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA

#16 XTC, Senses Working Overtime (video)
vs.
#17 Siouxsie and the Banshees, Cities in Dust (video)
Pick your British import: pop or goth?

#9 Talking Heads, Once in a Lifetime (video)
vs.
#24 Mudhoney, Touch Me I'm Sick (iTunes)
Will the Talking Heads have an easier competition against these early grungers than they did against The Verve?

#12 R.E.M., Driver 8 (video (MTV, clip))
vs.
#21 Erasure, A Little Respect (video)
Early R.E.M. (from the band's least-favorite album) goes up against a hit from Erasure's breakthrough.

#13 Kraftwerk, The Robots (video)
vs.
#20 Elastica, Connection (video)
Everyone has stolen a little bit from Kraftwerk; Elastica was successfully sued for stealing heavily from Wire's Three Girl Rhumba (an 8 seed in the Midwest region) in this song.

You had better do as you are told. You better listen to the radio.

Or your iPod, if you prefer. Results:

#17 Jane's Addiction, Jane Says - 14 votes
defeats
#16 10,000 Maniacs, What's The Matter Here? - 4 votes

Analysis:
" Jane--because I used to live right next to that St. Andrews Street." - JoRite, who is hopefully also through with Sergio.


#9 The Clash, Train in Vain - 15 votes
defeats
#24 Dinosaur Jr., Freak Scene - 2 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis:
"Dinosaur Jr - Freak Scene. I know it's going to lose but I still gotta go with my heart. And that guitar solo. And that beautiful, fuzzy guitar. Either way the winner will be a good song." - MMC


#12 Television, Marquee Moon - 12 votes
defeats
#21 Veruca Salt, Seether - 6 votes

Analysis:
"Riot Grrrl? More like slight altercation at a Hot Topic. " - Cranky Uncle Greg (who is not currently quoting himself -Ms. P)


#20 Liz Phair, Flower - 11 votes
defeats
#13 Radiohead, Fake Plastic Trees - 5 votes
(2 abstentions)

Analysis:
People like hot girls who sing dirty songs. Does there need to be more analysis? Well, okay:

"'Fake Plastic Trees' is in my senior yearbook's list of top 10 songs, nestled right between Oasis' Wonderwall and Silverchair's Tomorrow. I don't think there's a better reason not to vote for it." - Canadian Dave


And now, introducing the extensive use of YouTube! I like this so much better than providing nearly-identical 20-second soundbytes. Also, introducing 8 matchups per round. Twice the potential bickering!

Voting for this round will end at 9:00pm CST Sunday. Comment or email me. We'll post and tally the results then.

From the Mid-Atlantic Regional, at The Middle East, Cambridge, MA

#14 Soundgarden, Black Hole Sun (Amazon, iTunes)
vs.
#19 Fugazi, Waiting Room (Amazon, iTunes)
The latter proved they could have a sustainable career without selling out. The former proved selling out is pretty damn sweet.

#11 Talking Heads, Life During Wartime (Amazon, iTunes Live, from Stop Making Sense )
vs.
#22 Verve, Bittersweet Symphony (Amazon, iTunes)
The most clearly divided college rock vs. modern rock battle in the first round.

#10 Sex Pistols, God Save the Queen (music video, Amazon)
vs.
#23 Sonic Youth, Teen Age Riot (music video, iTunes)
Did you know that Kim Gordon is 2-3 years older than Johnny Rotten?

#15 Joe Jackson, Is She Really Going Out With Him? (iTunes)
vs.
#18 Echo & the Bunnymen, The Killing Moon (video, iTunes)
While I'm only linking to the studio-album samples, there are multiple versions of both songs on iTunes, all worth checking out. You'll need to listen to all four very different ISRGOWH live samples to recover from the nausea of the Sugar Ray cover.

From the Midwest Regional, at The Hacienda, Manchester, U.K.

#16 The Stooges, Search and Destroy (iTunes)
vs.
#17 The Slits, Typical Girls (Video, iTunes)
Two pioneers; only one got a Nike commercial.

#9 Elvis Costello, Radio, Radio (Amazon)
vs.
#24 Let's Active, Every Word Means No (Amazon)
A pure-pop showdown. Producer of the Pogues or producer of R.E.M.?

#21 The Sugarcubes, Birthday (Video, iTunes)
vs.
#12 David Bowie, Sound and Vision (Video (live), iTunes)
Blue-eyed pop meets one blue/one brown-eyed pop.

#13 Elliott Smith, Miss Misery (Video)
vs.
#20 Mazzy Star, Fade Into You (video, iTunes)
Could Mr. Smith be singing about Ms. Sandoval?

So all alone I keep the wolves at bay.

Leah here, with the results half of this post. Sorry about the slight delay, I was out seeing Ray Davies (spiritual grandpappy to many of these bands) rock out. Anyhow:

Results - Round One: Northeast bracket, top half

#17 De La Soul, Me, Myself and I - 12 votes
defeats
#16 The Smiths, This Charming Man - 10 votes

Analysis:
"The Smiths. Who clearly should win this round and the next one, at least. Quite possibly the one after that as well." - Matt (Sorry.)

"De La Soul - Morrissey wouldn't want a Canadian voting for him right now." - Canadian Dave


#9 Nirvana, All Apologies - 15 votes
defeats
#24 Stereolab, Ping Pong - 7 votes

Analysis:
"Stereolab. Because of my position in the seattle/twin cities turf war, I'll almost always vote down Nirvana and their ilk." - Cranky Uncle Greg


#12 The Specials, A Message to You Rudy - 13 votes
defeats
#21 Pavement, Range Life
(1 abstention)

Analysis:
"I hated Pavement for a very long time until about six weeks ago. I still don't like them, but I at least found one song I like, the one that sounds nothing like anything else they did. As someone heading for his ten year HS reunion in Michigan this year, I am happy to know I won't have to explain the fact that I am a hitman." - CDB

"Pavement. In the spirit of senseless online arguments, I ask, "What is wrong with you people?" This is maybe the catchiest song on one of my favorite albums." - JZ


#13 The Dead Kennedys, Kalifornia Uber Alles - 12 votes
defeats
#20 Aztec Camera, Oblivious - 9 votes
(1 abstention)

Analysis:
"Aztec Camera - It seemed wrong to vote for a band that advocates the partition of California in one matchup, and then vote for "Kalifornia uber alles" in the next." - Canadian Dave

"Kalifornia. How can you not love a song so out of touch with American politics that it thinks Jerry Brown is a right-wing Nazi?!" -JoRite

Moving on... voting for this round will end at 9:00pm CST Wednesday. Comment or email me. We'll post and tally the results then. Turning things over to Greg...

I think the idea is to launch one more four-matchup slate, to let people find us and to get ourselves set up. Then we'll delve into 8-match up slates, to move things along.


Today's matchups, from the Mid-Atlantic Regional, at the Middle East, Cambridge, MA

#16 10,000 Maniacs, What's The Matter Here? (Amazon, iTunes)
vs.
#17 Jane's Addiction, Jane Says (Amazon, iTunes)
Do you prefer your songs about abuse to be about children or drugs? The choice is yours!

#9 The Clash, Train in Vain (Amazon, iTunes)
vs.
#24 Dinosaur Jr., Freak Scene (Amazon, iTunes)
The quintessential "hidden track" meets a top-notch leadoff track.

#21 Veruca Salt, Seether (Amazon, iTunes)
vs.
#12 Television, Marquee Moon (Amazon, iTunes)
3-minute nugget meets 10-minute motherlode.

#13 Radiohead, Fake Plastic Trees (Amazon)
vs.
#20 Liz Phair, Flower (Amazon, iTunes)
You'll definitely have to chuck the Radio Test here, as stations playing the Phair song likely face hefty FCC fines.