Best Decade Tournament 2010->: Finals 9/18-9/20

[Heathen]

Marissa Nadler - Baby I Will Leave You in the Morning

[BigRedLedbetter]

I can make 1 pick, right?

[ABNorman]

I can make 1 pick, right?

Yup.

[BigRedLedbetter]

Bon Iver - Wash

[Brett]

Back to the grind for a bit. Had to do some housework.

Birds of Tokyo: I wouldn't have thought that alt rock would feel like a breath of fresh air, but this one does. It's not really like any other picks in this tournament, so far. Pretty glossy on the production end, but it's an okay song. Some of the melodies are really nice.

"Go Long" is one of the songs from Have One On Me that I don't really remember. Unsurprising, since it's towards the end of the second disc and is pretty low-key. Outside of that context it's a pretty nice, if not overlong, song.

I really feel like I've not given enough attention to m b v, so this song still sounds sort of "fresh" even though I've listened to it several times. There's a really warped feeling to this one, thanks to all the fuzz and note-bending. Good tune.

This PJ Harvey album was pretty lauded if I remember right. I don't know if this song's a good entry point, though. Kinda ramshackle folk, with a bit of jazzy horns added in.

British Sea Power - "Baby": It's a slow-moving number with big, empty sense of sound. Everything feels like it's far away; the vocals are airy, the violin echoes across a vast expanse, the rhythm is ponderous.

I don't like Arctic Monkeys. This song's not gonna change that. Ugh, I don't even really feel like writing any more about it. It's got the same annoying vocals that all other Arctic Monkeys have. It should probably go back to into the trees; I think it fit in better there.

"Drover" has got some neat arrangement choices going on, with the fluttery percussion at points, along with the weird guitar and violin deviations. Not my cup of tea, overall, but it certainly carves out its own identity, distinguishing it from other "dark" folk music.

[bada]

Soundgarden - A Thousand Days Before

[Farmer John]

Soundgarden - A Thousand Days Before

[Farmer John]

My turn?

[ABNorman]

Yup - Plat's skippable. IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.

[Farmer John]

tUnE-yArDs - Bizness

[ABNorman]

FUCK.

[ABNorman]

I take it back. Plat isn't skippable. You can't go.

[ABNorman]

But awesome pick - now I have to re-consider my next pick.

[Farmer John]

But awesome pick - now I have to re-consider my next pick.

I was going to wait a couple rounds for that one, so I'm glad I didn't.

[Heathen]

I hope someone picks a St Vincent song soon, it's been a while.

[Jorge]

Elvis Costello- "You Hung the Moon".

[ABNorman]

I hope someone picks a St Vincent song soon, it's been a while.

You just wait your turn, you.

[Heathen]

nice pick Jorge, Buffering Till the End of Time is my favorite Elvis Costello song

[Jorge]

Elvis Costello- "You Hung the Moon".

Fixed the mp3. I'd accidentally uploaded an m4a file.

[Brett]

Back to the landfill, we go, with Florence + The Machine. What machine, you say? I have no idea. Anyway, swelling organs, pounding drums, a singer who sounds like a bunch of other singers I can't name. You know the drill by now.

"Government Trash" is more on the noisy and abrasive side of things, insofar as this tournament's concerned. A bit of hardcore influence with some decent melodic bits. I think the fuzz on the vocals might be a bit too much, as they could be a nice counterpoint to the music otherwise.

I was kind of hoping "Big Wave" would be a Pearl Jam cover, but it's not. I've heard this song somewhere before. By all rights, I shouldn't find this enjoyable, but I do. Not the point of actually liking it, or anything, but I don't want to turn it off, and there are some compelling moments. That's also a pretty good title for the "ocean-front" style the song's giving off.

Low is another band that I have nothing more than a passing familiarity with, but I still tend to enjoy on most occasions. I don't know about this one, though. I can see that there might be something interesting hiding underneath there, but it's covered by some less than stellar choices.

The Beach House song could definitely be a slog if not for the choruses. The little breathy vocal thing is kinda dumb and played out in this instance. I do like the jangly guitar. It adds a bit of life to an otherwise pretty colorless tune.

Sharon Jones has got a pretty authentic R&B, soul-throwback sound. If you didn't know better, you'd think it came out in the '70s. It's not in my wheelhouse, so I don't feel properly equipped to articulate my thoughts on it. Not a favorite, though.