90s Cup Round 6 Match 8 *BFOT 8- Kaspar 13*

[never/ever]

A

Neil Young - Throw Your Hatred Down





B

Madrugada - Strange Colour Blue

[Dayodead]

B

[Purgatory Brite]

A

[Polishgirl]

Tough one; they're both sort of ok.

A

[Penk!]

Look, I love Neil Young, but again, he's done that song before and better dozens of times.
B is very self-conscious and moody, and there's not really anything there, but still.

[toomanyhatz]

Finally Pearl Jam makes their appearance! I actually liked that album, thought they were a good band for Neil, who I'd rather listen to than you-know-who. I don't remember it well, but there's some great guitar playing here, as well as a fairly coherent song (by Neil's ever-varying standards). It's stretched a bit far, but not like at his worst.

Somewhat hilariously, the Madrugada song is based (accidentally, I assume) on a Neil Young riff! I like their stuff generally, for how well it sets and keeps a mood, but I find this one a bit distracting - the dynamic is too extreme. A bit like a more acoustic version of the quiet/loud variance of the Pixies and Nirvana. Neil does the repeating the same two chords over and over so much better, and would probably throw in a one-note-repeated solo for good measure.

I suppose it wouldn't be a question were it Crazy Horse instead, but Pearl Jam does a decent job. A in a close one.

[Loki]

I sure didn't expect to see so much Neil in this contest. Hmmmmm.....

Meh

[copehead]

Neil Young vs someone who sounds like Neil Young

Nil punt

No score draw

[Darkness_Fish]

Only on this site would so many people think "90s? Neil Young was all over that." As opposed to the last track, which was more pastoral and pretty, this is that lame old man rock boogie thing that you'd expect to hear in any local pub during daytime where horse racing is on the TV and people are still smoking inside.

The cover art of B makes it look like The Misfits recorded for Blue Note. Very portentous vocal so far, like a poet who damned well wants you to understand the importance of his words. It's never going to replace "Blue is the Colour" at Chelsea. There's a lot to dislike here, from the vocals (there's a hint of Mark Sandman though, isn't there?), to the countrified rock twanging, but it doesn't feel as much of a half-arsed album filler as the Neil did, and the production job is much better.

B

[Diamond Dog]

Look, I love Neil Young, but again, he's done that song before and better dozens of times.
B is very self-conscious and moody, and there's not really anything there, but still.

100%

B

[The Modernist]

Yet another predictable Neil Young song which pretty much sounds like the other two.
B sounded very different to what I was expecting (I'm sure there was a neo-prog outfit with a similar name). It sounded like a goth Chris Isaacs..which is no bad thing. I enjoyed it well enough..

B

[Nettle Bed]

Easy

A

[Jumper K]

If I had to choose its B. I'd rather get ear cancer than listen to either again.

[C]

A



.

[WG Kaspar]

B

[algroth]

A is a better Neil Young rocker than the one we first had, I find, but while B seems to be going for a Young-like vibe all around, I feel it's doing it better than Neil in this one case. B, though I liked both.

[never/ever]

Tough one. Neil has a nice sustained groove going on that doesn't really excite but is pleasant enough. B has a more threatening vibe and drama built in and I really like it.

B

[fange]

Good match. I really enjoy A, but B being new to me will get my vote here.


B

[trans-chigley express]

A

[Rayge]

a - well, there's a lot I like about rockier Neil (he can shove the sensitive troubadour shit), and I haven't hear this track before. It was all right, I find that familiar guitar sound comfortable
b - heard of Madrugada, but not listened to them before as far as I remember. Like Darkness Fish, I hear a clattery Morphine rather than a Neil Young soundalike. It's all right, too, although over fussy.

Given that I can't find any good reason to prefer one over the other, I'm going with the usual police of voting for current loser and, as an unlooked-for corrollary, with the prog boys massive in this one

A