May 29, 2007
Roxy Music bracket: 2+2=5 (2) v Exit Music for a Film (6)
2+2=5
Hail to the Thief
(2)
Sporting equivalent: Germany national soccer team. Efficient, calculated, stronger. Then, without much notice, they explode with a thunderous goal. "You have not been; paying attention. You have not been. GOL!"
VS
Exit Music (For a Film)
OK Computer
(6)
Sporting equivalent: Cincinnati Bengals passing attack. If you've ever watched Carson Palmer connect with Chad Johnson, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh in slow motion; this is the song that plays in your head. Sheer aerial beauty.
Listen to the songs after the jump
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 09:00 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Roxy Music bracket: Paranoid Android (1) vs Optimistic (4)
Paranoid Android
OK Computer
(1)
Sporting equivalent: 2006-2007 New England Patriots. It's well known that Bill Belichick is a coaching genius. Nowhere was this more apparent than when the Patriots played the Minnesota Vikings in 2006. The Vikings were (are?) a substandard team that just happened to do one thing well (stop the run). So what did Belichick do? He had Tom Brady pass and pass and pass to a 31-7 victory. That's what "Paranoid Android" does. It does what is necessary to win, and it does it well, no matter what structure it requires.
VS
Optimistic
Kid A
(4)
Sporting equivalent: Acie Law IV - Texas A&M point guard. All heart. Throughout the song, you don't think that much of it. But when it comes times to send it home, it won't let you. It wants to win too much.
Listen to the songs, after the jump
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 08:47 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Pink Floyd Bracket: There There (3) v Airbag (10)
"There There (The Boney King of Nowhere)"
Hail to the Thief
(3)
Sporting Equivalent - Chicago Bears: Fueled by a rhythm that is partly plodding and partly marching, these teams create an increasingly chaotic environment before pounding their opponents into submission.
VS
"Airbag"
OK Computer
(10)
Sporting Equivalent - Detroit Pistons: There are attempts at beauty, such as Thom Yorke’s rising vocal in the second verse, or Richard Hamilton rising for a jumper on the wing, but those are just segues into the grinding, industrial, wintry themes that are the trademarks of these teams.
Listen to the songs after the jump
Posted by Randall Monty at 03:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Pink Floyd Bracket: Karma Police (1) v The National Anthem (5)
"Karma Police"
OK Computer
(1)
Sporting Equivalent - Muhammad Ali: Many have lined up to face these juggernauts, only to be laid to wayside. The pace is not surprising: slow and calculated until you are worn out. And "This is what you get when you mess with us" is about as close to outright braggadocio that Radiohead gets.
VS
"The National Anthem"
Kid A
(5)
Sporting Equivalent - 1975-1976 Red Army Ice Hockey Tour: Fans and opponents weren't quite sure what to make of these teams the first time they stepped on the ice. They were bigger, meaner, uglier and carried with them wave of disaster total disaster. The two best Russian clubs skated to a combined 5-2-1 record, but many NHL proponents remained defiantly unimpressed.
Hear the songs after the jump
Posted by Randall Monty at 03:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Kraftwerk bracket - Idioteque (2) vs How to Disappear Completely (14)
Idioteque
Kid A
(2)
Sporting equivalent: Air Force football or the 2007 Boise State football team in bowl game. Sheer audio audible. Whereas "Everything" was the clue to the departure, no one truly knew where Radiohead would go until they heard Idioteque.
How to Disappear Completely
Kid A
(14)
Sporting equivalent: George Mason (obviously); San Antonio Spurs. This songs lulls you into complacency with its methodological structure; but it's the little flourishes that gets its through the competition.
Listen to the songs after the jump
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 11:13 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Pixies bracket: Fake Plastic Trees (2) v Let Down (3)
"Fake Plastic Trees"
The Bends
(2)
Sporting Equivalent - 1915 Boston Red Sox: Just like I (sometimes) long for the days when Radiohead made straight-forward, guitar oriented rock, I long had to look to the past to find Boston baseball greatness. That Sox teams won three World Series titles in four years, but it was in '15 when the starting rotation (Ruth, Foster, Shore, Wood and Leonard) combined to go 86-36 with a 2.00 ERA. Nearly flawless, just like this track, albeit now just a distant history.
VS
"Let Down"
OK Computer
(3)
Sporting Equivalent - Fans of the '06-'07 Dallas Mavericks: If basketball fans in D-Town knew a damn thing about the sport, they'd probably be more bit more depressed than they are now. But Dallas is a Cowboys town, so the depression will never reach suicidal proportions. So Mark Cuban is free to try keepin' up with the Joneses from San Antonio, a mirror of a team that is much more polished (like "No Surprises").
Listen to the songs after the jump
Posted by Randall Monty at 09:14 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Pixies Bracket: The Bends (9) v No Surprises (4)
"the Bends"
The Bends
(9)
Sporting Equivalent - Liverpool: Not the first teams you'd mention, they kind of get lost in the mix of the other squads ("High and Dry", "Fake Plastic Trees", Manchester United, Chelsea). But put 'em all in a giant tournament (such as this one, or the just completed UEFA Champions League), and these two always seem to end up standing.
V
"No Surprises"
OK Computer
(4)
Sporting Equivalent - Detroit Lions (Barry Sanders era): When you stepped on the field against the Sanders-led lions, you always knew what you were going to get: 35-40 carries for #20, and a bunch of your defenders strewn on the ground. It didn't matter if you put eight in the box, Sanders would get his buck-twenty and a score or two. And you can't tell me that the lullaby piano part wouldn't beautifully soundtrack a slow-motion YouTube clip of Barry's highlights.
Listen to the songs after the jump
Posted by Randall Monty at 09:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 28, 2007
Kraftwerk bracket - Everything in its Right Place (1) vs A Wolf At The Door (4)
Everything in its Right Place
Kid A(1)
Sporting equivalent: Phoenix Suns. When the NBA was mired (my opinion) in defensive snore fests, the Suns got, as alchemy, Steve Nash and were suddenly reborn as saviors of the world's best basketball league. While Radiohead did not need saving by the time the Kid A lead track hit your stereo, it mirrored the Suns' ascension by pointing out that things would never be the same.
VS
A Wolf at the Door
Hail to the Thief(4)
Sporting equivalent: Ohio State football - 50s-60s. Whereas a majority of Hail to the Thief is a study in (shorter) Paranoid Androidian structure changes, A Wolf is three yards and a cloud of dust pounding.
Listen to the songs after the jump
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 11:10 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 26, 2007
More high seeds left High & Dry
Third-round previews
Pink Floyd bracket
Karma Police (1)
74% (23 votes) defeats Where I End and You Begin (9) 26% (8 votes)
VS
The National Anthem (5)
71% (22 votes) defeats (Nice Dream) (4) 29% (9 votes)
__
There There (3)
66% (23 votes) defeats You and Whose Army? (11) 34% (12 votes)
VS
Airbag (10)
80% (28 votes) defeats High and Dry (2) 20% (7 votes)
WINNER OF PINK FLOYD BRACKET TO FACE
Kraftwerk bracket
Everything in its Right Place (1)
73% (24 votes) defeats Bullet Proof (8) 27% (9 votes)
VS
A Wolf at the Door (4)
defeats 53% (18 votes) Subterranean Homesick Alien (5) 47% (16 votes)
--
Idioteque (2)
74% (26 votes) defeats Motion Picture Soundtrack (10) 26% (9 votes)
VS
How to Disappear Completely (14)
70% (26 votes) defeats Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box (6) 30% (11 votes)
Roxy Music bracket
Paranoid Android (1)
90% (27 votes) defeats Lucky (9)10% (3 votes)
VS
Optimistic (4)
52% (16 votes) defeats Street Spirit (5) 48% (15 votes)--
Exit Music (For a Film) (6)
71% (22 votes) defeats Planet Telex (3) 29% (9 votes)
VS
2+2=5 (2)
84% (26 votes) defeats The Tourist (10) 16% (5 votes)
WINNER OF Roxy Music bracket TO FACE Pixies bracket
Pixies bracket
The Bends (9)
74% (23 votes) defeats Scatterbrain (16) 26% (8 votes)VS
No Surprises (4)
77% (23 votes) defeats Morning Bell (5) 23% (7 votes)
--
Fake Plastic Trees (2)
63% (20 votes) defeats Pyramid Song (10) 38% (12 votes)
VS
Let Down (3)
68% (21 votes) defeats A Punch Up at a Wedding (11) 32% (10 votes)
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 10:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Second round stats
Notables
Lowest seeds remaining: You and Whose Army (14), Airbag (10), The Bends (9)
Highest seeds ousted: Creep (1), High & Dry (2), Just (3), Planet Telex (3)
Album records
Pablo Honey: 0-6
Bends: 9-10 (2-3 in the second round) Remaining (2): Fake Plastic Trees, The Bends
OK Computer: 15 - 5 (6-3 in the second round) Remaining (6): Karma Police, Paranoid Android, Let Down, No Surprises, Exit Music (For a Film), Airbag
Kid A: 12-2 (5-2 in the second round) Remaining (5): Everything in its Right Place, Idioteque, Optimistic, The National Anthem, How to Disappear Completely,
Amnesiac: 3-8 (0-3 in the second round)
Hail to the Thief: 9-6 (3-3 in the second round) Remaining: 3 (2+2=5, There There, A Wolf at the Door)
B-sides 1-11 (Pearly* winning the play-in game) Remaining: 0
More stats after the jump
1 seeds: 6-1 (yes, Timmy, a 1 seed lost).
2 seeds: 7-1
3 seeds: 5-2
4 seeds: 7-1
5 seeds: 5-3
6 seeds: 3-3
7 seeds: 1-4
8 seeds: 1-4
9 seeds: 4-3
10 seeds: 4-3
11 seeds: 2-4
12 seeds: 0-4
13 seeds: 0-4
14 seeds: 2-3
15 seeds: 0-4
16 seeds: 1-4
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 10:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
SECOND ROUND VOTING HAS ENDED
All matchups below are no longer in play.
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 10:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 23, 2007
Pixies Bracket: A Punch Up at a Wedding (11) v Let Down (3)
"A Punch Up at a Wedding (No No No No No No No No)"
Hail to the Thief
(11)
Best Shout-Along Lyric: the first "In a drunken punch-up at a wedding, yeah"
VS
"Let Down"
OK Computer
(3)
Best Shout-Along Lyric: "You know, you know where you are with you, know where you are / With floor collapses floating, bouncing back and one day?
Posted by Randall Monty at 04:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Pixies Bracket: Pyramid Song (10) v Fake Plastic Trees (2)
"Pyramid Song"
Amnesiac
(10)
Best Shout-Along Lyric: the closest this song comes is the "ooo" part
VS
"Fake Plastic Trees"
The Bends
(2)
Best Shout-Along Lyric: "He used to do surgery for girls in the eighties / but GRAVITY always
wins / and it wears him out"
Posted by Randall Monty at 04:23 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Pixies bracket: No Surprises (4) v Morning Bell (5)
"No Surprises"
OK Computer
(4)
Best Shout-Along Lyric: "This is my final fit, my final belly-ache with..."
VS
Morning Bell
Kid A
(5)
Best Shout-Along Lyric: "Sleepy jack the fire drill / Run around around around around around..."
Posted by Randall Monty at 04:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Pixies Bracket: The Bends (9) v Scatterbrain (16)
"The Bends"
The Bends
(9)
Best Shout-Along Lyric: "they brought in the CIA / the tanks and the whole marines to blow me away / to blow me sky high"
VS
"Scatterbrain. (As Dead as Leaves.)"
Hail to the Thief
(16)
Best Shout-Along Lyric: "somewhere I'm not / scatterbrain" (at 2:27)
Posted by Randall Monty at 04:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Roxy Music Bracket: The Tourist (10) v 2+2=5 (2)
"The Tourist"
OK Computer
(10)
Sexiest Lyric: "I guess it's seen the sparks a-flowing / No one else would know"
VS
"2+2 = 5 (The Lukewarm.)"
Hail to the Thief
(2)
Sexiest Lyric: "Because / You have not been / Payin' attention"
Posted by Randall Monty at 03:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Roxy Music Bracket: Planet Telex (3) v Exit Music (6)
"Planet Telex"
The Bends
(3)
Sexiest Lyric: "You can walk it home straight from school / You can kiss it, you can break all the rules"
VS
"Exit Music (for a Film)"
OK Computer
(6)
Sexiest Lyric: "Breathe, keep breathing, don't lose your nerve, breathe, keep breathing / I can't do this alone"
Posted by Randall Monty at 02:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Roxy Music Bracket: Paranoid Android (1) v Lucky (9)
"Paranoid Android"
OK Computer
(1)
Sexiest Lyric: "Why don't you remember my name?-- I guess he does"
VS
"Lucky"
OK Computer
(9)
Sexiest Lyric: "Kill me Sarah, kill me again with love"
Posted by Randall Monty at 01:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Roxy Music Bracket: Optimistic (4) v Street Spirit (5)
"Optimistic"
Kid A
(4)
Sexiest Lyric: "If you try the best you can / The best you can is good enough" right into the "whoa-a-whoa" part
VS
"Street Spirit (Fade Out)"
The Bends
(5)
Sexiest Lyric: aided by the tapping percusion, "this machine will not communicate these thoughts"
Posted by Randall Monty at 01:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Pink Floyd Bracket: Airbag (7) v High and Dry (2)
"Airbag"
OK Computer
(7)
Most Self-Indulgent Lyric: "I am born again"
VS
"High and Dry"
(2)
Most Self-Indulgent Lyric: "All your insides fall to pieces / You just sit there wishing you could still make love"
Posted by Randall Monty at 10:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Pink Floyd Bracket: You and Whose Army? (11) v There There (3)
"You and Whose Army?"
Amnesiac
(11)
Most Self-Indulgent Lyric: "You and whose army? / You and your cronies / You forget so easily"
VS
"There There. (The Boney King of Nowhere.)"
Hail to the Thief
(3)
Most Self-Indulgent Lyric: "Just cause you feel it doesn't mean it's there"
Posted by Randall Monty at 09:50 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Pink Floyd Bracket: (Nice Dream) (4) v The National Anthem (5)
"(Nice Dream)"
The Bends
(4)
Most Self-Indulgent Lyric: "I call up my friend the good angel / but she's out with / her ansaphone"
VS
"The National Anthem"
Kid A
(5)
Most Self-Indulgent Lyric: "It's holding on" (x5)
Posted by Randall Monty at 09:45 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Pink Floyd Bracket: Karma Police (1) v Where I End and You Begin (9)
"Karma Police"
OK Computer
(1)
Most Self-Indulgent Lyric: "This is what you get / when you mess with us"
VS
"Where I End and You Begin"
Hail to the Thief
(9)
Most Self-Indulgent Lyric: "X' will mark the place / like the parting of the waves / like a house falling in the sea"
Posted by Randall Monty at 09:31 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 22, 2007
Kraftwerk bracket - How to Disappear Completely (14) v Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box (6)
"How to Disappear Completely"
Kid A
(14)
defeated "Just" (3)
Most Depressing Lyric: "I'm not here. This isn't happening. "
vs.
"Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box"
Amnesiac
(6)
defeated "Anyone Can Play Guitar (live)" (11)
Most Depressing Lyric: "After years of waiting nothing came."
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 10:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Kraftwerk bracket - Idioteque (2) v Motion Picture Soundtrack (10)
"Idioteque"
Kid A
(2)
defeated "Polyethylene (Parts 1& 2)" (15)
Most Depressing Lyric: "Throw them in the fire"
vs.
"Motion Picture Soundtrack"
Kid A
(10)
defeated "Sulk" (7)
Most Depressing Lyric: "Red wine and sleeping pills. Help me get back to your arms."
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 10:42 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Kraftwerk bracket - A Wolf at the Door (4) v Subterranean Homesick Alien (5)
"A Wolf at the Door (It Girl. Rag Doll)”
Hail to the Thief
(4)
defeated "A Reminder" (13)
Most depressing lyric: "Steal all my children if I don't pay the ransom"
vs.
"Subterranean Homesick Alien"
OK Computer
(5)
defeated "The Trickster" (12)
Most depressing lyric: Of all these weird creatures Who lock up their spirits Drill holes in themselves And live for their secrets."
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 09:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Kraftwerk bracket - Everything in its Right Place v Bullet Proof (I Wish I Were) (8)
"Everything in its Right Place"
Kid A
(1)
defeated "You" (16)
Most depressing lyric: "Yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon."
vs.
"Bullet Proof (I Wish I Was)"
The Bends
(8)
defeated "Stop Whispering" (9)
Most depressing lyric: "Heat the pins and stab them in."
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 08:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
FIRST ROUND HAS ENDED
For your edification, there is no more voting on the entries below. That ship, she has sailed.
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 02:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 21, 2007
Obviously, I have no idea what I am talking about
I’ll get right out with it: I am utterly disappointed in the results from the first round of voting of the Radiohead bracket. The gallery chimes in: “But aren’t upsets the reason we love tournaments such as this?” To that point: yes, they are. Further to that point: when they do happen, it is conceivable, and should be expected that people will get, you know, upset. Consider this rant a fulfillment of that overstated expectation.
There are some results that are upsets only in my own mind. I am aware that “True Love Waits”, “Stop Whispering” and “How Can You be Sure” are two of my favorites, not necessarily universally adored cuts. (Does nobody else like Bends-era b-sides?) But “Just” losing out to “How to Disappear Completely” I simply do not get.
And let us not forget the result that completely belies the supposed intelligence of our readership: “Scatterbrain” over “Creep”. Really? I’ll tell you what, I’ll give the Swanksters the benefit of the doubt; perhaps people were simply voting against my smarmy preview of the Hail to the Thief track.
I’m also willing to allow for the possibility that I am completely in the wrong here, so after seeing the results, I listened to the two tracks in question, back to back. And then I listened again. And again. And again and again and again. Ten times. Not once did “Scatterbrain” ever sound like the better song. (Although a couple of times, I will admit that I felt it could have been ranked a seed or two higher.) Sure, I’ve loved “Creep” for some 14 years now, and I’ve had only (sic) four years to digest the other song, but you could give me another one hundred fourteen and one hundred four more years and I likely wouldn’t change my mind on this issue. This may be precisely because I’ve had so much more time to stew over it, but there is permanence to “Creep” that “Scatterbrain” just simply does not possess. It’s a nice song, but ultimately stands a better chance of being one of the forgotten Radiohead tracks, while “Creep” is forever ingrained in our subconscious. Then again, referring to the title of this pose, perhaps I’m just flat out wrong.
But I’d like an explanation. Apparently, 23 people disagree with me, and I think I’m owed an explanation. I’m not suggesting that anyone try to convince me to change my mind (probably won’t happen), I’m just curious as to what other people are thinking: What makes “Scatterbrain” so wonderful? Where in the canon does it really reside? More importantly, what’s wrong with “Creep”?
Posted by Randall Monty at 07:49 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
No accusations of electioneering: Pink Floyd bracket results
Karma Police
OK Computer (1)defeats
Blow Out
Pablo Honey (16)28-5
Where You End and I Begin.
Hail to the Thief
(9)
defeats
My Iron Lung
The Bends (8)16-13
(Nice Dream)
The Bends (4)defeats
Killer Cars
Anyone Can Play Guitar EP (13)23-9
National Anthem
Kid A (5)defeats
Talk Show Host
Street Spirit (12)18-14
You and Whose Army?
Amnesiac (11)defeats
Electioneering
OK Computer (6)24-6
There There. (The Boney King of Nowhere.)
Hail to the Thief (3)defeats
Dollars and Cents
Amnesiac (14)23-8
"Airbag"
OK Computer (7)defeats
"Bones"
The Bends (10)29-2
High & Dry
The Bends (2)defeats
How Do You?
Pablo Honey (15)31-2
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 09:19 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 20, 2007
Democracy is messy: Pixies bracket results
A quick note. While I may think its queer that Creep was ousted in the first round, there are at least 23 people who think justice is rightfully served. While "Scatterbrain" might have been a tough first-round matchup, it's safe to assume Creep would not make it very far, if faced and beated another 16 seed.
"Scatterbrain"
Hail to the Thief
(16)
defeats
"Creep"
Pablo Honey
(1)
23-22
"The Bends"
The Bends
(9)
defeats
"Myxomatosis (Judge, Jury & Executioner)"
Hail to the Thief
(8)
23-20
"No Surprises"
OK Computer
(4)
defeats
"Like Spinning Plates"
Amnesiac
(13)
29-12
"Morning Bell"
Kid A
(5)
defeats
"You Never Wash Up After Yourself"
My Iron Lung
(12)
29-2
"A Punch Up at a Wedding (No No No No No No No No)"
Hail to the Thief
(11)
defeats
"How Can You be Sure?"
Fake Plastic Trees
(6)
28-13
"Let Down"
OK Computer
(3)
defeats
"Go To Sleep (Little Man Being Erased)"
Hail to the Thief
(14)
31-10
"Pyramid Song"
Amensiac
(10)
defeats
"True Love Waits"
I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings
(7)
25-18
"Fake Plastic Trees"
The Bends
(2)
defeats
"How I Made My Millions"
No Surprises
(15)
36-5
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 07:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
2 seed just enough: Roxy Music bracket results
Paranoid Android
OK Computer (1)defeats
Pearly*
Airbag/How Am I Driving? [EP] (16)31-2
Lucky
OK Computer (9)defeats
I Might Be Wrong
Amnesiac (8)57-44
Optimistic
Kid A (4)defeats
Knives Out
Amnesiac (13)58-38
Street Spirit (Fade Out)
The Bends (5)defeats
Sit Down. Stand Up.
Hail to the Thief (12)76-20
Planet Telex
The Bends (3)defeats
Life in a Glass House
Amnesiac (14)54-39
Exit Music (For a Film)
OK Computer (6)defeats
Fog
Knives Out (11)80-11
The Tourist
OK Computer (10)defeats
Black Star
The Bends (7)54-36
2+2 = 5
Hail to the Thief (2)defeats
Climbing Up the Walls
OK Computer (15)47-38
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 07:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Just not enough: Kraftwerk bracket results
"Everything in its Right Place"
Kid A
(1)
defeats
"You"
Pablo Honey
(16)
134-15
"Bullet Proof (I Wish I Was)"
The Bends
(8)
defeats
"Stop Whispering"
Pablo Honey
(9)
107-37
"A Wolf at the Door (It Girl. Rag Doll)”
Hail to the Theif
(4)
defeats
"A Reminder"
Airbag / How am I Driving?
(13)
97-42
"Subterranean Homesick Alien"
OK Computer
(5)
defeats
"The Trickster"
My Iron Lung
(12)
115-30
"How to Disappear Completely"
Kid A
(14)
defeats
"Just"
The Bends
(3)
101-58
"Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box"
Amnesiac
(6)
defeats
"Anyone Can Play Guitar (live)"
Just
(11)
117-26
"Motion Picture Soundtrack"
Kid A
(10)
defeats
"Sulk"
The Bends
(7)
113-24
Idioteque
Kid A (2)defeats
Polyethylene (Parts 1& 2)
Paranoid Android (15)129-18
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 12:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 18, 2007
Tourney schedule
Each day this week, we published the matchups of a different bracket.
We will close voting on that sliding scale.
Voting for the Kraftwerk bracket will end Friday 11:59 PM.
Voting for the Roxy Music bracket will end Saturday 11:59 PM.
Voting for the Pixies and Pink Floyd bracket will end Sunday 11:59 PM.
Godspeed.
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 03:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Disinfected... and eager to please
So begins our Radiohead tournament. New and improved. How new? How improved.
Well, we have a poll system that actually allows you to see the votes. We have a sonic device mechanism that allows you to listen (stream) the two songs in contention. Caution, it may be a little slow at first. No defenestration of computers.
After the jump, the full lineup of matchups. Voting starts now.
Kraftwerk Bracket:
Everything in its Right Place (1) v. You (16)
Bullet Proof (8) v. Stop Whispering (9)
A Wolf at the Door (4) v. A Reminder (13)
Subterranean Homesick Alien (5) v. the Trickster (15)
Just (3) versus How to Disappear Completely (14)
Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box (6) v. Anyone Can Play Guitar (11)
Idioteque (2) v. Polyethylene (Parts 1& 2) (15)
Sulk (7) v. Motion Picture Soundtrack (10)
Pixies Bracket:
Creep (1) v Scatterbrain (16)
Myxomatosis (8) v The Bends (9)
Morning Bell (5) v You Never Wash Up (12)
No Surprises (4) v Like Spinning Plates (13)
How Can You Be Sure (6) v A Punch Up at a Wedding (11)
Let Down (3) v Go To Sleep (14)
True Love Waits (7) v. Pyramid Song (10)
Fake Plastic Trees (2) v How I Made My Millions (15)
Roxy Music bracket:
I Can't (16) v. Pearly (16) (play-in game)
I Might Be Wrong (8) v Lucky (9)
Optimistic (4) vs Knives Out (13)
Street Spirit (5) v Sit Down. Stand Up. (12)
Planet Telex (3) v Life In A Glass House (14)
Exit Music (For A Film) (6) v Fog (11)
Black Star (7) v The Tourist (10)
2+2=5 (2) v Climbing up the Walls (15)
Pink Floyd Bracket:
Karma Police (1) v. Blow Out (16)
My Iron Lung (8) v. Where You End and I Begin (9)
(Nice Dream) (4) v. Killer Cars (13)
National Anthem (5) v. Talk Show Host (12)
There There (3) v. Dollars and Cents (14)
Electioneering (6) v. You and Whose Army? (11)
Airbag (7) v. Bones (10) rwmonty
High & Dry (2) v. How Do You? (15)
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 12:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Roxy Music bracket: Paranoid Android (1) v. Pearly (16)
First result
Pearly* 88% (76 votes)
defeats
I Can't 12% (10 votes)
Now, it goes onto to face Paranoid Android, the overall #1 and Radiohead's kinda-homage to Roxy Music.
Paranoid Android
OK Computer (1)This song is a good song.
VS
Pearly*
Airbag/How Am I Driving? [EP] (16) Very little of this song sounds like it would come from Radiohead. Thom has adopted a much more menacing voice (and Thom echo self-duo in the chorus), and the vampy cha-cha-cha melody don't have any sort of kin elsewhere in the Radiohead canon.
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 10:48 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Pink Floyd Bracket: Airbag (7) v. Bones (10)
"Airbag"
OK Computer (7)It started out as Radiohead's homage to DJ Shadow, and ended up being one of the great side 1, track 1s of all time. (Although, let's be realistic here, Keith, it's no "Teen Spirit".)
VS
"Bones"
The Bends (10)Beginning with some werid, wavy pedalwork, then opening up into one of the best basslines Colin Greenwood has ever laid down. Great harmonizing screams in the far background, as well. Thematically, it's another dip into the well that will (seemingly) never run dry.
Posted by Randall Monty at 10:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Pink Floyd Bracket: High & Dry (2) v. How Do You? (15)
High & Dry
The Bends (2)If you thought Thom was melancholy before! Sacre bleu. I always felt this song was the one that ensured Radiohead would have its mainstream fanbase. A simple, yet beautiful song that underscores the band's predilection for breaking up even in the simplest songs with a little rawk.
"All your insides fall to pieces, you just sit there wishing you could still make love."
VS
How Do You?
Pablo Honey (15)Here's Thom employing the bratty vocal effect that pretty much disappeared by The Bends. One of the few Radiohead songs that could be categorized as angry (though many could be also tagged "indignant"). A short song, but it nonetheless, upon revisiting, shows glimpses of the future with an odd piano tromp and guitar hysterics.
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 10:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Pink Floyd Bracket: (Nice Dream) (4) v. Killer Cars (13)
(Nice Dream)
The Bends (4) The Bends' prom song. And if you're attending your prom with a friend who rebuffs your request for help because the sea would electrocute you all, then it's poignant.VS
Killer Cars
Anyone Can Play Guitar EP (13) "Killer Cars" - you suffer from being my last write up. You sound like the perfect marriage of the Bends and Pablo Honey. Which means, you're both good and not so much. You're going to have to live with that.
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 10:32 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Pink Floyd Bracket: Karma Police (1) v. Blow Out (16)
Karma Police
OK Computer (1) I suppose its mere luck that some homicidal teen hasn't left behind a videotape quoting Thom saying, "This is what you get when you mess with us." Maybe it's not the lyrical content, but the anger in the music, that attracts our disaffected youth. Instead, the lyrics of this simple and elegant song are perhaps invoked, unironically, when Enron-like traders gleefully talk about bilking Grandma Millie.VS
Blow Out
Pablo Honey (16)This is the song -- whose opening sounds a bit like Sleater-Kinney's "Jumpers" -- that will lose to Karma Police.
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 10:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Pink Floyd Bracket: There There (3) v. Dollars and Cents (14)
There There. (The Boney King of Nowhere.)
Hail to the Thief (3) While this song might have fit the mantle of Radiohead's "return to rock," it also confirms that Radiohead has reached the point of no return. Nothing rock-like tackled (even sans electronics) post-OK Computer seems unaffected by the band's new trajectory. They like where they're at. Stop asking them to come back.
VS
Dollars and Cents
Amnesiac (14) This song is the best kind of interlude - one that you don't skip over. It doesn't seem fully formed, but its patient calm makes up for that.
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 10:19 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Pink Floyd Bracket: Electioneering (6) v. You and Whose Army? (11)
Electioneering
OK Computer (6) Just when you might have been lulled into a calming bliss by "Exit Music (for a Film)," "Let Down," and "Karma Police," Radiohead brings the speed and energy with Electioneering. Thom & Co. brings more cowbell, squealing guitar, and a march-step drum anchor in what we could be categorized as their last "rock and nothing else" song.
VS
You and Whose Army?
Amnesiac
(11)
Radiohead's attempt to emulate 20s radio? Or Thom responded to the three space aliens that sequestered him behind a foam room that distorts his voice.
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 10:15 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Pink Floyd Bracket: National Anthem (5) v. Talk Show Host (12
National Anthem
Kid A (5)This song might be the most "Kid A" song out there. Anchored by the circular baseline, it combines outerworldly theremin, sparse Yorke vocals, and a mix between what sounds like movie clips and fat brass. This is the big song that anchors Radiohead's fourth proper CD.
VS
Talk Show Host
Street Spirit (12)Oh, the controversy. The sun will set on this unkind world before differing minds will agree on where to place this song in the Radiohead oeuvre. Some think the song is the linchpin in the Bends-OK Computerprogression, others think its something new, but something borrowed. This song finds the band a little less straight-ahead rock, and a little more calculated.
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 10:00 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Pink Floyd Bracket: My Iron Lung (8) v. Where You End and I Begin (9)
My Iron Lung
The Bends (8) Bendy guitar and languorous Thom voice is interrupted by some thunderous guitar thrash. Hello Pixies. Oh, and Thom thinks, often, "You should be frightened."
VS
Where You End and I Begin.
Hail to the Thief (9) Another great example of Radiohead's allure. The foreground song is a pretty simple scratching drum beat and simple baseline, but it's the X-Files spookiness in the background that gives this song its strengthPosted by Keith O'Brien at 08:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 17, 2007
Pixies Bracket: True Love Waits (7) v. Pyramid Song (10)
"True Love Waits"
I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings
(7)
This is the best straight-laced love song that Thom Yorke has ever written. This is double edged sword: while it stands out in Radiohead's catalogue, it could be anybody's song.
VS
"Pyramid Song"
Amensiac
(10)
In both instrumentation and theme, this is Radiohead's Thelonious Monk-style track. It's smokey, urban and mysterious, like good jazz should be.
Posted by Randall Monty at 12:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Pixies bracket: Fake Plastic Trees (2) v How I Made My Millions (15)
"Fake Plastic Trees"
The Bends
(2)
I won't hide my preference: this is a perfect song. It is pensive, explosive, realist and optimistic, all at the same time. At no other point in their entire canon does Radiohead feel this human, or this humane.
VS
"How I Made My Millions"
No Surprises
(15)
Lyrically, this track shows a heavy influence of Black Francis vagueness. Musically, it's all Leonard Cohen. Recorded during the OK days, it would probably seem out of place on that album, but fits perfectly on an accompanying single.
Posted by Randall Monty at 12:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Pixies bracket: How Can You Be Sure (6) v A Punch Up at a Wedding (11)
"How Can You be Sure?"
Fake Plastic Trees
(6)
This one could have fit right in on the Bends, but they probably decided to keep it off because the lyrics are too easy to comprehend. Still, it's another bright, singable tune about how wrong horrible the whole world is. This song's greatest strength is that it could go on forever, and it would even require any new lyrics. Just keep slowing everything down and then building it all back up to the destructive melisma chorus.
VS
"A Punch Up at a Wedding (No No No No No No No No)"
Hail to the Thief
(11)
I don't know if there's any truth to the rumor that the parenthesized title of this song was taken from Radiohead fans after learning that the band planned on doing yet another "experimental" album, but it sure looks funny when scrolling across my iPod. The slinking bassline is both sexy and bad ass, even though the track can be a little too jazzy.
Posted by Randall Monty at 11:35 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Pixies bracket: Let Down (3) v Go To Sleep (14)
"Let Down"
OK Computer
(3)
According to today's Wikipedia entry, "Let Down" is "about the alienation and emptiness of life in modern society." You don't say! This track combines the rarefied air of being extremely melodic and deceptively complex. Also, it contains one of the laziest metaphors in the Radiohead canon: "Crushed like a bug in the ground". Seriously, guys, that's fourth-grade material.
VS
"Go To Sleep (Little Man Being Erased)"
Hail to the Thief
(14)
There's a very Johnny Cash-esque guitar strum introducing this song, but, in theme, it is more Carly Simon. Thom Yorke claims that the album's title isn't a direct stab at W, but I don't see how a musician could make a far-reaching political statement in today's world that isn't about the current US president. "We don't want the loonies taking over"? A bit too late for that, I'm afraid.
Posted by Randall Monty at 11:32 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Pixies bracket: No Surprises (4) v Like Spinning Plates (13)
"No Surprises"
OK Computer
(4)
The perfect lullaby is a welcome reprieve from the remainder of OK Computer's complexities. Still, it fits because, lyrically, it might be the most thematically precise track on the album. Yet another song that sounds uplifting but is actually/probably about how horrible modern life has become.
VS
"Like Spinning Plates"
Amnesiac
(13)
The second most gimmicky song in the band's repertoire, this time with a Twin Peaks midget effect going on with the vocals. If you love Radiohead because of their experimentation, then you probably really, really dig this track. If you love them for their musicianship, then you probably (like me) prefer the piano ballad version from I Might Be Wrong. If you don't love Radiohead, then you're probably getting ready to leave some sort of jerk comment right about now about how they're a bunch of wussies.
Posted by Randall Monty at 10:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Pixies bracket: Morning Bell (5) v You Never Wash Up (12)
"Morning Bell"
Kid A
(5)
"It's very, very violent. Extremely violent," according to Thom Yorke. Also, it's either about divorce, King Solomon, ghosts or something else. I can say that the pliable Rhodes combined with the hurried drum fills give this song a pacing that feels like endless freeway driving.
VS
"You Never Wash Up After Yourself"
My Iron Lung
(12)
Johnny Greenwood unleashes in inner Eddie Hazel while Thom wonders aloud if the band is getting to comfortable.
Posted by Randall Monty at 10:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Pixies bracket: Myxomatosis (8) v The Bends (9)
"Myxomatosis (Judge, Jury & Executioner)"
Hail to the Thief
(8)
Myxomatosis can sure do a number on rabbits; any guesses as to what Thom is implying about human population control? Any guesses as to why this song is told from the point of view of a cat and backed by some of the rudest synths I've ever heard?
VS
"The Bends"
The Bends
(9)
This is about as close to a "fun" song that Radiohead seems to get, not to mention about as close to classic rock as well (three guitar attack!). Something about the CIA, something about the Marine Corps, something about decompression sickness, something about the sixties, a couple breakdowns, and one kick ass solo.
Posted by Randall Monty at 08:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Pixies bracket: Creep (1) v Scatterbrain (16)
"Creep"
Pablo Honey
(1)
Last year, while researching for my coming trip to Hawaii, I came across a list of the "Ten Most Important Historical Events" pertaining to the 50th state. Number one? An anti-climactic, "formation of the islands". As in, the underwater volcanoes poking above the sea, lava spilling through, and over a course of about 5,000 years, forming a speckled land mass in the middle of the Pacific. In other words, a complete cop out. But the explanation made more than a little sense: had these formations not occurred, then every single other nameable thing from Hawaii's history would likewise have never occurred. The formation of islands is the single most impactful, influential and prescient event the state's history. If that didn't happen, nothing else would have. See where I'm going with this? Maybe you like better lyricism that Radiohead later showed. Perhaps you prefer the experimentation of their later work. But that would all be moot if not for this song. Because of "Creep", we were blessed with the rest of Radiohead's catalogue. We are in this track's debt. Even if the song didn't have the coolest guitar cruch in pop music history, it'd still be a #1 seed.
VS
"Scatterbrain"
Hail to the Thief
(16)
This is the song that loses to "Creep" in the first round.
Posted by Randall Monty at 08:04 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
May 16, 2007
Roxy Music bracket: Black Star (7) v The Tourist (10)
Black Star
The Bends (7)I could see a riot breaking out over such a non important topic, but "Black Star" always struck me as the most "Bends" track of the Bends songs. Lugubrious Thom (and his frequent falsetto) mixes with the fade-in guitar and the now-famous choral guitar crunch (cited elsewhere). One of those songs that disappears in spontaneous Bends recollecting, but one of the album's (admittedly many) highlights.
VS
The Tourist
OK Computer (10) In which Radiohead remind you its members don't feel everything has to be soooo complicated. Thom complains about his lot and, even when he's trying to comfort himself (or is it someone else), he can't leave the insults behind ("Idiot.") Simplicity, not banality, as the languid, careful guitar is a sound to behold.
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 12:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Roxy Music bracket: 2+2=5 (2) v Climbing up the Walls (15)
2+2 = 5
Hail to the Thief (2) Radiohead continues its streak of killer album-leading songs. Oh, the Bends-era fanboys must have salivated upon the first sound being a guitar plugged into an amp. Pscyhe! While astute Radiohead students must have known the metronome-like (muffled hi-hat?) drums were harbingers of a climax, but what strikes me so much about this song is that frenetic break seems simultaneously completely controlled and as if the sound got away from the band like water permeating after a wave hits the shore.
VS
Climbing Up the Walls
OK Computer (15)Speed junkies might initially look at the end of OK Computer as soporific, but there's some real nuanced quality back there. "Climbing" at nine (immediately following the rousing "Electioneering" is perhaps the least compelling of the "come down" songs, but its brooding quality (and seagull-like effects) make it a worthy contender.
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 12:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Roxy Music bracket: Exit Music (For A Film) (6) v Fog (11)
Exit Music (For a Film)
OK Computer (6) If I were to lose my mind someday, and my psychosis is Radiohead-related, this would be the song I rant about most as if it had "deeper" meaning. The title is spot-on, as the tone evokes a community of survivers discussing their bleak future in a bombed-out shelter (the lyrics suggest domestic abuse?). Paradoxically lush and sparse; it's epic.
VS
Fog
Knives Out
(11)
"Fog" begins and ends with little fanfare. Thom & Co. play it pretty straight, and the result is a Radiohead palate cleanser. I have little to say about this song that can help you appreciate it.
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 11:22 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Roxy Music bracket: Planet Telex (3) v Life In A Glass House (14)
Planet Telex
The Bends (3) Let me take the liberty to state that this is my historic favorite song. I truly adore this song. Will you let me down? Now, onto the objective: this song perfectly sums up the Radiohead lyrics-tonality conundrum. Pretend you don't know English (or the lyrics), how exultant, exuberant, and hopeful does this song sound? It's pure affirmation. Oh, what's that? He repeats how everyone and everything is broken? Let me look that up in the dictionary. That bad? Oh, ok.
VS
Life in a Glass House
Amnesiac (14) This -- and "You and Whose Army" -- are like Radiohead's Luddite songs. Hey, look at how technology and our information/communications swarm are consuming us. Let's pretend we're a tired speakeasy band. Yes, this is my croon. Deal with it.
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 11:21 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Roxy Music bracket: Street Spirit (5) v Sit Down. Stand Up. (12)
Street Spirit (Fade Out)
The Bends (5) I suspect more people like this than don't, but I think the world is pretty well divided on whether this song is underrated or overrated. Most like the video. Falling around in trailer parks. The song is tender.VS
Sit Down. Stand Up.
Hail to the Thief (12) I suppose this isn't as much of a slam dunk statement as I think it should be, but this song sort of provides the perfect unintentional Radiohead parody. The song, piano-anchored, progresses well enough despite the limited choice of options and repetitive melody, but you know, like 2+2=5, that there will be a buildup. And it does. Jungle-breakbeat and Thom robotically chanting "the raindrops."
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 09:55 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Roxy Music bracket: Optimistic (4) vs Knives Out (13)
Optimistic
Kid A (4)I suppose the boys from Travis and Coldplay point to this song when they make the argument (begrudgingly and only to people who could further their careers) that they sound like Radiohead. I've always enjoyed this song (as well as its competition). It's accessible and pleasant. And, almost, well, optimistic! Trying my best is good enough? Thom, will you be our dads? Thom, now that you're our dad, shouldn't you talk to us every once in awhile. No, dad, we're not from Q Music. We're your sons and daughters. And your cryptic notes to us make us unhappy about the future.
VS
Knives Out
Amnesiac (13) Sprinkled liberally with jazz (as understood by surf rock), this Amnesiac song breezes by pleasantly enough, which might be its death sentence. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the way Thom's voice is the steady instrument surrounded by experimentation in this song.
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 09:53 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
I am not wrong...
When I urge you to use the comments function to complain about seeds, wax dramatically about your favorite songs, and call Monty names. Nudge, nudge.
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 09:14 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Roxy Music bracket: I Can't (16) v. Pearly (16) (play-in game)
I Can’t
Pablo Honey (16) This song to me is like a canvas of scribbles - is it art or shite? I kind of like this song, but it's a little too emotive. It's best and worst quality is that Thom seems to care.VS
Pearly*
Airbag/How Am I Driving? [EP] (16) Very little of this song sounds like it would come from Radiohead. Thom has adopted a much more menacing voice (and Thom echo self-duo in the chorus), and the vampy cha-cha-cha melody don't have any sort of kin elsewhere in the Radiohead canon.
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 08:15 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Roxy Music bracket: I Might Be Wrong (8) v Lucky (9)
I Might Be Wrong
Amnesiac (8) I really like the garage-band like guitar lick to this song. It's not a blue chipper in my book, but I might resemble the track name.VS
Lucky
OK Computer (9) OK Computer is a soundtrack to a 90s movie never made, that only exists when it plays in my head. Despite (or in spite) of being a man who makes his living on putting thoughts onto paper, most of my OK Computer images stem from the music. Depsite the chorus having the line "Pull me out of the lake," it's the sudden stabbing of Johnny Greenwood's guitar that makes me think of some character getting submerged in water.
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 08:14 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 15, 2007
This is what you get, when you interact with us
Hello Merry Swankster and Idolator visitors. We will be here all week. Tomorrow, we tackle the vaunted Roxy Music bracket (complete with play-in game).
I Can't (16) v. Pearly (16) (play-in game)
(winner to face Paranoid Android)
I Might Be Wrong (8) v Lucky (9)
Optimistic (4) vs Knives Out (13)
Street Spirit (5) v Sit Down. Stand Up. (12)
Planet Telex (3) v Life In A Glass House (14)
Exit Music (For A Film) (6) v Fog (11)
Black Star (7) v The Tourist (10)
2+2=5 (2) v Climbing up the Walls (15)
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 03:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Kraftwerk Bracket: Idioteque (2) v. Polyethylene (Parts 1& 2) (15)
Idioteque
Kid A (2)Lyrically, this song might be about the end of the world, or maybe just the end of human existence, almost certainly not about a CGI children's movie. Sonically, it's a Terry Riley-flavored dance track that gets the body movin'. Who really cares what they're talking about, anyway?
Polyethylene (Parts 1& 2)
Paranoid Android (15) Scene missing.
Posted by Randall Monty at 12:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Kraftwerk Bracket: Sulk (7) v. Motion Picture Soundtrack (10)
"Sulk"
The Bends
(7)
From Pitchfork:
"Okay, wait. Jimmy Eat World have released a new song and called it... "Pain"? This is actually great. I hope this monosyllabic truth-in-advertising extends to singles from other artists. Look out for the Rolling Stones' "Old", Linkin Park's "Angst", R.E.M.'s "Dull", and "Dead" from Nirvana's upcoming box set."
Don't get lazy on m PFork! How could you miss "Sulk"?
"Motion Picture Soundtrack"
Kid A
(10)
This as an extremely beautiful song that is equally over-regarded and under-appreciated. The blissful harp that enters about two minutes in would fit perfectly in that scene in Disney's Fantasia where the cherubs are running around Mount Olympus. The final 4:30 of alternating nothingness and ambient noise raises an eyebrow, however.
Posted by Randall Monty at 12:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Kraftwerk Bracket: Just (3) versus How to Disappear Completely (14)
"Just"
The Bends
(3)
Johnny Greenwood’s coup de grace solo is the second-best single-instrument work ever put forth by this band. Sick, just sick.
VS
"How to Disappear Completely"
Kid A
(14)
Less quirky than most of Kid A (it has a guitar!), it fits perfectly into the album thanks to its popping brass and what I can best describe as “whale sounds”.
Posted by Randall Monty at 11:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Kraftwerk Bracket: Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box (6) v. Anyone Can Play Guitar (11)
"Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box"
Amnesiac
(6)
Kid B’s opening track is monotonous and awkwardly danceable, drumming up authentic near-angst. Composed entirely with electronics, yet it comes across as calmingly organic, thanks to the sounds of bees and clanging bell.
"Anyone Can Play Guitar (live)"
Just
(11)
Here's a bit of trivia: the album version of this song was actually Radiohead's first single, coming out in EP format a couple month prior to that really popular one. But its this live version, which follows the "I wanna be Jim Morrison" wail with the worst guitar solo this side of Robby Krieger, more fully captures the sarcasm intended in that verse. I don't know what's funnier, that line, or the people who take it seriously.
Posted by Randall Monty at 11:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Kraftwerk Bracket: A Wolf at the Door (4) v. A Reminder (13)
"A Wolf at the Door (It Girl. Rag Doll)”
Hail to the Theif
(4)
A crooked lullaby of a song accompanied by some of Colin Greenwood's most hypnotic bass work. I think this song is about living with organized crime, possibly the sort run by one's own government. Or wolves. Cam'ron would be proud.
VS
"A Reminder"
Airbag / How am I Driving?
(13)
Here's Radiohead's "When I'm Sixty-four", although with less nostalgic foreshadowing. I suppose if Thom Yorke ever befalls a fate similar to Teri Schaivo, and the rest of the band is arguing with Thom's family over whether or not to pull the blug, the guys can play this song at the trial.
Posted by Randall Monty at 11:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Kraftwerk Bracket: Subterranean Homesick Alien (5) v. the Trickster (12)
"Subterranean Homesick Alien"
OK Computer
(5)
This is the most Bends-y of all the OK songs, while there are hints of experimentation, the hook is straight guitar-paced rock. It's kind of like a reverse "I'm Only Sleeping"; rather than predicting the direction the band will be going, it's a send off to its past successes.
VS
"The Trickster"
My Iron Lung
(12)
I can't prove it, but I'm quite certain that Radiohead pilfered this song's entire guitar part from an NES game. Possibly one of the later levels of Mega Man.
Posted by Randall Monty at 11:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
This is what you get, when you interact with us
Hello Merry Swankster and Idolator visitors. We will be here all week. Tomorrow, we tackle the vaunted Roxy Music bracket (complete with play-in game).
I Can't (16) v. Pearly (16) (play-in game)
(winner to face Paranoid Android)
I Might Be Wrong (8) v Lucky (9)
Optimistic (4) vs Knives Out (13)
Street Spirit (5) v Sit Down. Stand Up. (12)
Planet Telex (3) v Life In A Glass House (14)
Exit Music (For A Film) (6) v Fog (11)
Black Star (7) v The Tourist (10)
2+2=5 (2) v Climbing up the Walls (15)
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 10:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Kraftwerk Bracket: Everything in its Right Place (1) v. You (16)
"Everything in its Right Place"
Kid A
(1)
The joke at the time was, “More like ‘Everything in its Wrong Place’!” Clever. But this track was the perfect initiation for Radiohead’s movement into completely theoretical music. Abandoning pop structure in favor of songs that seemingly go nowhere has been done before and since, but never with such authority.
VS
"You"
Pablo Honey
(16)
There is no Radiohead album more entrenched in its timestamp than Pablo, therefore/unfortunately “You” fits perfectly in the early ‘90’s grunge canon.
Posted by Randall Monty at 04:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Kraftwerk Bracket: Bullet Proof (8) v. Stop Whispering (9)
"Bullet Proof (I Wish I Was)"
The Bends
(8)
I keep wanting this song to explode into the perfect r’n’r crescendos that characterize the rest of the album, but perhaps this one, an honest ode to your own insecurities, maintains a Brian Ferry softness.
VS
"Stop Whispering"
Pablo Honey
(9)
It’s a good thing that Texas has rather loose speed limit enforcement, for unabashed shout-alongs for driving through the middle of nowhere, few Radiohead songs can match this.
Posted by Randall Monty at 04:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
