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MAD's ROUND 2!! # 1's have been posted!! (6 Viewers)

#30 - THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS - CHALLENGERS

The title track from 2007's Challengers, the album I referenced in my "Crash Years" post that was a critical let down for a band that to that point had been nothing but darlings. And there's no doubt that it was a turn for the band away from their banging power pop, to a slower, more mid-tempo sound, highlighted with more strings and less big guitars.

This song certainly fits that mold, it's a simple, acoustic ballad, which on their past records would at some point build into a big harmonious chorus, rather than stay contempt to lightly float along as it does here. Despite that, I still think it's a fantastic song. Neko Case's big voice once again taking the lead, over some pretty background "ola-olas" from Carl Newman. Sparse, simple and without a chorus, it was the start of the band finding a bit more range in their sound.

The New Pornographers Top 31 by the Numbers

Albums Represented:

Challengers (2007) - 1
Together (2010) - 1


Song Writers:

Carl Newman - 2


Lead Singers:

Neko Case - 2
 
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Also, I know there are some other New Pornographers fans in here, can someone tell me why "Challengers" is their most played song on Spotify? Was it in a movie or something? It was randomly playing at our brewery the other day, which I'm guessing was just a random indie playlist, so maybe it's just Spotify algorithm magic?

Edit - I answered my own question, apparently it was featured in "Chuck" a TV show that I'm sure I watched every episode of and barely remember exists.
 
Edit - I answered my own question, apparently it was featured in "Chuck" a TV show that I'm sure I watched every episode of and barely remember exists.

Chuck was that show about the guy with the weird super power of foresight or deja vu and various spies and agents, one of whom was Yvonne Strohofski (sp.?). It was very popular in the late aughts before it got really stupid and jumped the shark.


It got pretty emo because of the unrequited love between Chuck and Yvonne, and then when it was requited, was lacking in honesty.
 
Edit - I answered my own question, apparently it was featured in "Chuck" a TV show that I'm sure I watched every episode of and barely remember exists.

Chuck was that show about the guy with the weird super power of foresight or deja vu and various spies and agents, one of whom was Yvonne Strohofski (sp.?). It was very popular in the late aughts before it got really stupid and jumped the shark.
Knowing nothing about the show, I would have figured it was a Happy Days spin-off.
 
Selected favorites from the #30s (randomized order! We’ll see how well this works).


Familiar songs:
Love’s No Friend - Rainbow
Running Back - Thin Lizzy. I’ve only a vague memory of this song, though it definitely has their signature sound.
One - Chris Cornell. I was expecting the U2 sound, but not the Metallica lyrics. No idea how I didn’t stumble across this before.
Isolation - Kyuss (/Josh Homme)
We Came Along This Road - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

New discoveries:
I Feel Better - Frightened Rabbit (/Scott Hutchison)
Different Drum - Tanya Donnelly
Shroud - Nathaniel Rateliff
Are You In? - Incubus
Lick A Message - Kim Mitchell

Shuffle adventures:
Mastodon ended up between Kid Rock (where the transition rather worked) and Drive-By Truckers (where it was… slightly more jarring). Oh, and it was the correct Drive-By Truckers song.
 
Selected favorites from the #30s (randomized order! We’ll see how well this works).


Familiar songs:
Love’s No Friend - Rainbow
Running Back - Thin Lizzy. I’ve only a vague memory of this song, though it definitely has their signature sound.
One - Chris Cornell. I was expecting the U2 sound, but not the Metallica lyrics. No idea how I didn’t stumble across this before.
Isolation - Kyuss (/Josh Homme)
We Came Along This Road - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

New discoveries:
I Feel Better - Frightened Rabbit (/Scott Hutchison)
Different Drum - Tanya Donnelly
Shroud - Nathaniel Rateliff
Are You In? - Incubus
Lick A Message - Kim Mitchell

Shuffle adventures:
Mastodon ended up between Kid Rock (where the transition rather worked) and Drive-By Truckers (where it was… slightly more jarring). Oh, and it was the correct Drive-By Truckers song.
The non-shuffle transition of Mastodon to Neko Case isn't any less jarring. :lol:
 
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night SweatsAAABatteriesShroud

In Memory of Loss was Rateliff's solo album debut in 2010. I feel like he was still developing his musical chops but his often self-reflective lyrics were already on display, as well as the powerful voice. This is a haunting song for me as I feel like at times in my life I could absolutely relate....

I could go backwards forever
I could be boxed inside
And living without, well don't blow my cover
It's taken years to make a beautiful shroud
I got no use in talking about anything
And I could tell you it seems to be so hard to me
It does no good to talk about anything


His pain and anguish come through in his songs - his Father's death when he was a kid, the death of his friend and manager, his alcoholism and eventually his divorce. I love his upbeat stuff, but his ballads are probably more meaningful to me.

Up next from Rateliff is a cover of a music legend.
 
Some random stand outs for me from the 30s:

Fourth of July - little crabby that 80s made me cry this morning, but haunting and beautiful tune.

Sufjan has a lot of depressing tunes but I find he often manages to make them surprisingly uplifting as the same time. Even this song with it's repeated refrain "We're all gonna die" ends with a thunderous response of "but I'm still alive". It ends on an oddly inspiring note to me.
 
Finished the #31s and have added the following as my favorites. This is a pretty good round for me

Known
Fight For Your Right
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
Fame
R.O.C.K. In The USA
Runaway (the song, not the Wilbury's version)

New
I Got Loaded - Fun tune
Never Gonna Change
Suffering Jukebox - A little too much organ at the start but the rest was cool

Intro
Crash Years
Birmingham Blues - I expect to like many from this artist
 
Sorry, just finishing 31.

31 Review

New 2 Me
(not familiar with the artist or song)

Good Year – The Refreshments
STAR – Belly: Only know her from The Breaders, glad that’s about to change
Destiny – Sia: Going to enjoy this deeper dive into Sia
Suffering Jukebox – Silver Jews: Have heard of them, but never gave them a shot.
Sister Winter – Sufjan Stevens: I think I’m going to like him
Crash Years – The New Pornographers: Man, I’ve missed a lot of music in the 90’s and 00s
Guided by Wire – Neko: See above

Known Favorites:

Fame – Bowie
Judy Blue Eyes – CSN
R.O.C.K. – Mellencamp: Great way to start off his playlist
I Wanna Be Your Lover – Prince
Never Gonna Change – DBT: maybe top 5 for me?
Birmingham Blues – John Lee Hooker: My wife had several Hooker CDs in college (which was weird – not really like anything else she listened to) So I know him pretty well and grew to like.
Everybody Wants to Rule the World – Tears4Fears: Such a great song, I think Beto did a video on this one.
Summer’s End – Prine: I know someone else has drafted this in the past, gets better every time.

Know the Artist, but appreciate learning more:

Absolute Beginners – The Jam: Really excited to learn more from them, this was a great start
I Got Loaded – Los Lobos: Like someone said, I know like 3 songs from them and one is a Christmas song.
This – Collective Soul: Only know the hits, Looking forward to more
The Keeper – Chris Cornell: Don’t know his solo stuff, so this should be fun
Intro – Nathaniel Rateliff: Only know the popular stuff, this was great.
 
Pointer SistersMrs. RannousI Need A Man

Fierce bass work here - damn. Not sure which of these legends are playing here from the Wiki album notes:
Their early work involved a lot of well-known musicians. I meant to point those out, but I don't know enough about those bass players to know who they are.

I will try to do better.
 
Against Me #30 - Stabitha Christie

Album: standalone single (from the Shape Shift With Me recording sessions)
Year: 2017

The last original song released by Against Me! before they went on hiatus, Stabitha Christie barely sounds like the same band that did Reinventing Axl Rose 16 years earlier. For good reason, given the multitude of changes that the band and its members went through over the years, many of which will be highlighted in future posts. One thing that remained constant: Laura Jane Grace's ability to cram a ridiculous amount of words and syllables into a single line.
 
Homme #30 - Isolation - Kyuss

Going right back to the start with a track of album one of Homme's career. Short three minute banger. Immediately starts punching you in the face. Has a fair bit of Nirvana feel about it, but heck, it's a West coast guitar band album released in the early 90's, it's to be expected. Never really listened to a great deal of Kyuss, if any, prior to this countdown (despite my usual pool practice partner at uni being a big fan when I was already into QOTSA), there's a small number of tracks that I think were better, but this had enough about it to creep into the lower echelons of the countdown
 
Never Gonna Change – DBT: maybe top 5 for me?
It’s obviously not Top 5 for me, but I did want to grab attention with the first exposure (for some) - so it may be a few slots higher in pure rankings. I think the catalogue is strong and deep so I hope you won’t be disappointed with the Top 5 here.
 
#30 - David Bowie - China Girl


Always loved this MTV classic - you couldn't get away from it back in the early 80s.

And of course since we adopted our daughter from the Jiangxi Province back in 2004 at the tender age of 1 - we have our very own China Girl!

PS - the super long nails on the girl in the video always kind of freaked me out.
 
Ben Folds
30 - Fred Jones, Pt. 2
One of the "saddest" song in the countdown. Always bums me out, especially as a approach retirement age. The part 1 is Cigarette from the BFF album Whatever and Ever Amen where Fred Jones is mentioned - also extremely sad. (came from a newspaper story Ben saw). Come to think of it a lot of his songs are sad.

He's forgotten and not yet gone

ENJOY!!!
 
#30 - David Bowie - China Girl


Always loved this MTV classic - you couldn't get away from it back in the early 80s.

And of course since we adopted our daughter from the Jiangxi Province back in 2004 at the tender age of 1 - we have our very own China Girl!

PS - the super long nails on the girl in the video always kind of freaked me out.
Oh baby, just you shut your mouse <— what I thought it was for the longest time
 
#30 - David Bowie - China Girl


Always loved this MTV classic - you couldn't get away from it back in the early 80s.

And of course since we adopted our daughter from the Jiangxi Province back in 2004 at the tender age of 1 - we have our very own China Girl!

PS - the super long nails on the girl in the video always kind of freaked me out.

Julia Gulia
 
I listened to the #30 playlist.

Excluding my own song, I already knew that I liked these songs:
  • David Bowie - Little China Girl
  • Incubus - Are You In?
On first listen to this playlist, these were the unfamiliar songs I liked the best:
  • Röyksopp & Robyn - Do It Again - nice beat
  • Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July - wow
  • Nathaniel Rateliff - Shroud - wow again
  • Tears For Fears - Creep - the song is familar, but not this version, which is great (even if not as great as the original); never heard this version, nice inclusion in the playlist
  • John Prine - Clay Pigeons - my oldest friend and best man always loved John Prine when we were in college, but I never really gave it a chance; this song is awesome... I'm going to have to call him soon about this
Another great playlist.
 
30. Burning Sky
Album: Setting Sons (1979)
Released as a single? No

Punk/mod bands aren't associated with concept albums, but The Jam almost made one. Paul Weller conceived Setting Sons as a song cycle about three childhood friends who go off to war and reunite afterward only to discover they have changed too much to be friends anymore. Several songs that made the released version of Setting Sons have this theme, and Burning Sky is one of them.

And in any case it wouldn't be the same
'Cause we've all grown up, and we've got our lives
And the values that we had once upon a time
Seem stupid now, 'cause the rent must be paid
And some bonds severed, and others made
Now I don't want you to get me wrong
Ideals are fine when you are young
And I must admit we had a laugh
But that's all it was and ever will be


The clanging guitars and ambling bass reflect the post-punk sounds that the band was starting to incorporate into their sound, and the chorus melody is a strong one. In spots, Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler get funkier than they had before, a step toward the more swinging rhythms the band would employ in the final phase of its career.

Setting Sons is paradoxically an album that seems cohesive and disjointed at the same time. The cohesion part comes from about half its tracks originating from an idea for a concept album, and from a more compact but cluttered sound than predecessor All Mod Cons on most tracks. The disjointed part comes from the other half of the album seeming pretty random, including an old B-side reworked with a string quartet and a Motown cover. It appears the band's label demanded the album be delivered before Weller could finish his song cycle. The album is best known for featuring The Eton Rifles, arguably their signature song in the UK, which was released as a single in advance of the album; it fits in with the war-buddies songs sonically but not thematically.

Live version from the Live Jam album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PD1LUHJ-ZE

At #29, one of the band's more American-sounding tracks, which is ironically a critique of capitalism.
 
Everybody Wants to RUN the World – Tears4Fears: Such a great song, I think Beto did a video on this one.
Just clarifying that this is nor Rule. Sorry for the confusion
#30 - David Bowie - China Girl


Always loved this MTV classic - you couldn't get away from it back in the early 80s.

And of course since we adopted our daughter from the Jiangxi Province back in 2004 at the tender age of 1 - we have our very own China Girl!

PS - the super long nails on the girl in the video always kind of freaked me out.
Long rumored that Bowie and the girl were not faking during the beach romp.
Heavily edited these days, but the fully released/uncensored clip is pretty hot and heavy without showing Bowie dong
 
Round 30

Top 5 Songs "New To Me"

  1. Challengers - The New Pornographers
  2. I Feel Better - Frightened Rabbit
  3. Not The One - Collective Soul
  4. Stabitha Christie - Against Me!
  5. Fred Jones, Pt. 2 - Ben Folds
Top 5 Songs "Known To Me"
  1. Hello There - Cheap Trick
  2. Creatures of Love - Talking Heads
  3. Dance Naked - John Mellencamp
  4. The Move - Beastie Boys
  5. Clay Pigeons - John Prine

Other Notes
  • Although I'm only listing a Top 5 in order to narrow it down, there are many more songs/bands "New To Me" that I've found great thus far, but haven't shouted out yet like black midi, Royksopp and Los Lobos (each's two songs just missed the list). Los Lobos I know probably 5-6 songs (with two being covers) and I have seen them live (opening for the Further incarnation of post-Jerry Grateful Dead) and thought they were fun, but never really dove in. black midi and Royksopp, I've hear of, but have not listened to and like both so far.
  • Lots of covers this round and I thought all were great (including Clay Pigeons which I singled out) but also loved the Donelly, Cornell, Buffet, Tears for Fears and Bowie covers as well.
  • I was kind of worried about a playlist with a classical composer on it, but putting them at the end was a great decision - its a nice wind-down and very soothing to relax with
  • I said before that Tom Petty and David Bowie are both Top 5 artists for me, so I expect to see them in my Top 5 "Known To Me" often despite getting shut out this round. I do like both songs, just not as much as some of the others.
  • @KarmaPolice, since you asked for honesty, I'll say "sorry" but I just can't do those vocals. The music is impressive but at least try and sing or just do without vocals at all. It's just something I don't get, but it's always interesting being exposed to something outside one's wheelhouse. I do think there will be some songs coming that do work for me though, we'll see.
  • I found 31 to be a bit better than 30 - but that's likely a function of most wanting to start their artists off on a strong note.
 
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EXTRA SURPRISE BONUS TRACK!!!

In case we've already forgotten, one of the bands that had a hand in creating The Seldom Scene included Roy Clark. His talent, as we saw already, was too big to be contained to a regional bluegrass band, so at some point he struck out on his own and found his way into the national spotlight. This link is to one of his early appearances, on the Jimmy Dean Show. I only stumbled on this clip after submitting my list, but felt it deserved some love here. I get a vibe from him similar to what Chris Pratt was going for when he was on Parks and Rec. Any musicians out there should appreciate the difficulty of what he was doing here. Hope y'all enjoy...
 
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#30 Favorites

Tough to pare down a few of these categories:

Known Knowns:
Gold: The Move by Beastie Boys. I think my first FB status back in the day [when the format was different] was "Scorchy is intercontinental when he eats french toast." A friend responded, "My man scorchy t has a beard like a billy goat."

Silver: Primer Coat by DBT. English Oceans is probably the Truckers' album that I pull out the least, but love Primer Coat. Vintage Cooley.

Bronze: Clay Pigeons by John Prine


Known Unknowns (or was it the other way around?)
Gold: Do It Again by Royskopp/Robyn. Only in this category because I'm intimately familiar with Robyn. Maybe intimately isn't the right word here...

Silver: Everlasting Now by Prince

Bronze: Burning Sky by The Jam


Unknown Unknowns
Gold: Empty Highway by Roger Clyne

Silver: I Feel Better by Frightened Rabbit

Bronze: Fred Jones Pt. 2 by Ben Folds
 
@KarmaPolice, since you asked for honesty, I'll say "sorry" but I just can't do those vocals.
I do appreciate the first song more now and you said it will be a mix on the vocals going forward- so I do look forward to seeing where this goes.
 
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I only entered this round with 1 existing heart - Cornell's mashup of two different one's. Glad we've got more on board with this gem! I've dolled out 4 new hearts from round 2 (so far) - cutting this off halfway as I check out for the week. Will try to finish Sat before the 29's come up.

While a lot of Prince is a miss with me based on the hits I've had I'm expecting a few to sprinkle in throughout this exercise. The Everlasting now is the first of hopefully more to come!

It took a 2nd spin, but we're now 2-for-2 on Los Lobos hearts. I must've gotten distracted the first time through...it happens.

Lick A Message was the other. In reading the thread it appears there is some level of inappropriateness in its content. It's well documented around these parts that I absorb my music with lyrics last, so I'm curious what my impression is when I get through spin #2.

Today's new heart winner though - 4th of July. Wow.
 
Round 30 Thoughts

New to me favorites

Sia /Zero 7 - I’m really enjoying Sia so far and plan on checking her out more (uknowwhadimsayin)

Los Lobos - really liked this song, can’t wait to hear the rest of their selections

Nina Simone - this was awesome. That line I’d rather be lonely than happy with somebody else is powerful.

Pointer Sisters - I know I joked about taking them, but @Mrs. Rannous is killing it with her selections so far. This was great.

Sufjan Stevens - wow this was incredible. I’m adding it to my patriotic holiday playlist for the 4th parties.

Chris Cornell - I’d never heard this before. Gave me chills.

Others - Royksopp, Roger Clyne (reminds me of some other song I can’t put my finger on), Collective Soul, Ben Folds

Known to me favorites
CSN, Bowie, Incubus, Linkin Park (forgot about this one, love it)

Lots of great stuff and quite a few new to me artists I’m excited to hear more from. :thumbup:
 
@KarmaPolice, since you asked for honesty, I'll say "sorry" but I just can't do those vocals.
I do appreciate the first song more now and you said it will be a mix on the vocals going forward- so I do look forward to seeing where this goes.
Your original post before the edit was funnier. ;) Yes, if you could at least tolerate the vocals on the 1st track, that is the majority of the songs. Fire Ants is the only one off the really growly album, so that sound is mostly one and done. The song coming up tomorrow is still growly, but different and that is the sound for about 6 songs from their 2nd and 3rd albums. After that, Brann is in the mix and their is more of a balance like my #31.

Looking at my playlist, I am confident that about 6-8 songs would be tolerated largely by the group. I would categorize them as groovy, rocking bangers - stuff that would make a workout playlist or the like for people who don't like metal much at all. Sultan's Curse is not one of those either, FWIW. After that, I think there are about 10-15 that casual metal listeners could like. I'm talking people that loved stuff like Megadeth and Metallica in the day, but don't listen to newer stuff. OR fans that dabble in bands like Tool, System of a Down, Deftones but thought Mastodon or other bands might be too heavy or growly. That is where I would have Sultan's Curse. March of the Fire Ants is a song I'd expect only fans of the genre to like. That would be about 7-8 songs on the playlist.

Love the feedback though, keep it coming.
 
And I get it, I don't like the more growly stuff either. The vocals is not a sound I seek out, but metal music always has been. It was the cathartic release growing up that sulky angry KP needed. It's always been mostly a calming thing for me. That said, the vocal styles come with the territory and in a way I think you just get used to it over time. I was also big into horror and sci-fi, and where that stuff mixed together with metal, it largely pushed towards the growly vocals.

When I was putting together the playlist, I also had this in mind. One of the reasons I thought this chronological order idea was a good one to start with is that it would push some of the harsher vocals at the start because I thought it might do a couple things. First, it might make people appreciate the other stuff more by comparison. Second, the 2nd half of Emperor of Sand's songs are heavier, so I paired the other songs from their 2nd and 3rd albums with them more. I thought maybe by the time we got there, we could step back up to more harsher vocals and there'd be a chance people might appreciate the songs more.
 
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In hindsight, what I should have done for my warm up songs was stuff like THIS so people would be glad they could even understand a couple words from Mastodon. :lol:

How Dr. Octopus felt about Fire Ants is how I feel about this crap. I don't get it.

ETA: That's my way of saying I 100% understand the sentiment, we just disagree about the level of tolerance on the vocals.
 
#29's PLAYLIST
#29 -
PrinceRamsay Hunt ExperienceChelsea Rodgers
Tanya DonellyplinkoWhiskey Tango
Whiskey Tango Ghosts, 2004
Talking Headskupcho1Seen and Not Seen
Sia FurlerScoresmanSomersault (Zero 7)
Los LoboseephusMas Y Mas
The Seldom SceneCharlie Steiner
Kid RocksnellmanJohnny Cash
Against Me!scorchyAndrogynous (Replacements cover, feat Joan Jett and Miley Cyrus)
MastodonKarmaPolice Blood and Thunder
Neko CaseMister CIAThat Teenage Feeling
Faith No MoreJBBreakfastClubWe Care a Lot
black midiJuxtatarotBmbmbm
Nina SimoneDon QuixoteTo Love Somebody, from To Love Somebody
Beastie BoysYo MamaLee Majors Come Again
Drive-By TruckersDr. OctopusPlastic Flowers On The Highway
Jimmy Buffet-OZ-Everybody's talkin'
The JamPip's InvitationPretty Green
RöyksoppJMLs secret identity29 - Bounty Hunters (Instrumental featuring Star Wars Samples)
Nick Cave and the Bad SeedssalterifficWater's edge
CSNYjwbRock and Roll Woman
Roger ClyneMt. ManNever Thought
David BermanThe Dreaded MarcoStrange Victory, Strange Defeat
David BowieBinky the DoormatLet's Dance
Pointer SistersMrs. RannousDon't Walk Away

IncubusMAC_32Make Yourself
John MellencamptuffnuttRumbleseat

Sufjan Stevens Ilov80sChicago
Mike ShinodaJust Win BabyOpen Door
Chris Cornell Raging Weasel Patience
Josh HommetitusbrambleGive The Mule What He Wants
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night SweatsAAABatteriesBlue Eyes Crying in the Rain
Kim MitchellSullie2 UP 2 B Down
Thin LizzyzamboniLittle Girl In Bloom
Collective SoulfalguyWhen The Water Falls
Tears for FearsJohn Maddens LunchboxChange (Vocals Curt)
Cheap TrickFairWarningThat 70's Song - Live
John Prinelandrys hatThe Great Compromise

Ben FoldsHov34Underground
Tom PettyZegras11When The Time Comes
Scott Hutchison snevenelevenFloating in the Forth
The New PornographersNorthern VoiceSweet Talk, Sweet Talk
John Lee HookerDrIan MalcolmFrisco Blues


This is a cool one.
Rainbow Sam Quentin Ariel
Pyotr Ilyich TchaikovskyzazaleVariations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, TH. 57: Variazione VII e Coda: Allegro vivo
 
Beastie Boys #29 - Lee Majors Come Again
Album - Hot Sauce Committee Part Two (2011)

Peacockin'
Ad-Rock: 0, MCA: 0, Mike D: 0, Beastie Boys: 0, Greater NYC: 0

Name Rockin'
Sleestacks, Dr. Brassiere, Mormons, Lee Majors (duh), Bill Piedmont

Rhyme Squawkin'
I'll stage a coup and usurp your position
Cause like a Mormon, I'm on a mission


Yo Mama Talkin'
This was a fun one from their final (😢) studio album. It was in a couple video games including the final stage of DJ Hero in a mix with Da Funk by Daft Punk (link below). @rockaction

https://youtu.be/WaUNy0eZuQo?si=8G5MjdIKpLfOTfYa
 

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