90s Cup Final Round Match 7 *Buddha B-Rex 9- joels344 10*

[never/ever]

A

Soul Coughing - The Idiot Kings





B

Red House Painters - Down Colorful Hill

[Dayodead]

B

[copehead]

Nope, not a chance.

[Diamond Dog]

A had a kind of "Why Did You Do It" groove to it... 20 years too late.

B felt like it filled that 20 year gap all by itself.

A

[The Modernist]

I really liked the playing in A, particularly the drumming. But (and I seem to be saying this a lot in this competition) it was killed by a really amateurish, under-nourished vocal that not only added nothing, but actually detracted from the track. I would have preferred it as an instrumental.

B is a really pretty track that gets locked into one musical idea ( that militaristic drumming gets really monotonous) for far too long, it does eventually start to change but not until nearly the 7 minute mark. An example of self-indulgence killing a very promising track. It is the better track here though..

B

[Polishgirl]

Bring back Bryan & Mel C.

[C]

A




.

[Purgatory Brite]

B

[Loki]

I guess

[toomanyhatz]

I know I've harped endlessly on this NPR Playlist thing, but there's a reason. NPR in LA was the origin of a show called Morning Becomes Eclectic that, in the beginning, was appropriately named. Then the original host left (or was fired, not sure which) and the next two hosts set toward "branding" the show at which point it became about as eclectic as a KKK rally. I suppose I might have some unresolved bitterness about it, but damn it, I lived through it once. And it pains me that so much of their playlist is getting a second airing here when there's so much good 90s stuff being overlooked.

Anyway, here's a battle between two of them. Fucking great.

And as much as it annoys me to have to pick either of these, I don't like to abstain either. So A is slightly less objectionable. I guess.

[Diamond Dog]

I know I've harped endlessly on this NPR Playlist thing, but there's a reason. NPR in LA was the origin of a show called Morning Becomes Eclectic that, in the beginning, was appropriately named.

I have approximately a dozen CD's of that show - they contain some of the most wonderful moments from that decade, with some weird match ups and acoustic/live versions of some well known and some much less obvious songs. They're well worth seeking out - and can come fairly cheaply.

[Darkness_Fish]

A has a chunky enough bass-line, the rhythm section is doing a decent enough job. It's definitely starting off a distance away from my particular wheelhouse, and the lifeless vocal is killing it. It's the kind of track that doesn't have much there, but could pass muster if there was a joie de vivre imparted, if it was being given everything. And it isn't.

I thought B was going to be a cover of "The Carnival is Over" from the opening seconds. I mean, 11 minutes is going to be some feat here, it's got an elegance, and I can't imagine that this will lose the tie, but it's almost like a shoegaze track that forget to add the guitar. That's literally crying out for a big wash of guitar feedback here, it's the half-arsed wishy-washy vocal that doesn't work without a morass of noise to support it. Oh, there's some leccy guitar coming in, but it's not nearly enough, ramp it up to 11, and press all the pedals at once. A bit of a frustrating emptiness of a track. But not A.

B

[Penk!]

A is what happens when ska-punk bands go experimental. There are lots of ideas flying around and the playing is good enough... but no.
B has enough. As I said of Kozelek earlier in the competition, he certainly has talent and can produce moments of beauty, but he lacks the imagination or inspiration to develop them and they lose their power by being dragged out so long without any dynamics or tension added to the mix.

[Jumper K]

A. It’s less dreary

[trans-chigley express]

I found B just too dreary and dragged out

A had a nice bass line and was just more enoyable all round

[WG Kaspar]

Α

[never/ever]

Like I said before, I really like those 4AD-RHP-albums. A was not my bag at all.

B

[Buddha B-Rex]

A

[algroth]

B is a superb track. A wasn't terribly unpleasant but not particularly interesting either.

[Ranking Ted]

B