Summer Psychosis: Results for Part 2 of the First Round

Hello everyone,

Well, I hope you have been pondering this Part 2 of the First Round as much as we have: http://frogsonaloginabog.blogspot.com/2012/06/summer-psychosis-preview-for-part-2-of.html

Updated bracket: http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=428801

Like Part 1, Part 2 has its fair share of heavyweights. Artists that are poised to go deep into this bracket such as Radiohead and The Who lived up to their hype and swept their opponents. But just because you have a high seed doesn't mean it's smooth sailing. You'll see what I mean... 

Prince 3, The Temptations 2

"While it’s tempting to vote against Prince, no one was more influential to modern music than Prince. Not only did he write a bunch of famous hits for himself, but he also penned dozens of songs for other artists that went on to be a top 10 hit. People used to get into arguments over Prince vs. Michael Jackson, just as normal people argue Rolling Stones vs. The Beatles. Clearly, doo-wop needs to find another savior for this tournament." - Eric

All I can say is wow. A 1st seed almost lost in the first round! Look out Prince, it looks like your support from the blog is shaky at best.

Chuck Berry 4, The Cure 1

"Chuck Berry basically invented rock music. Sure, he totally stole 'Johnny B. Goode' from Marty McFly, but 'Roll over Beethoven' makes up for that. His music still sounds fresh to ths day after 60 years; it makes me tap my toes and want to boogie. Music that can do that despite being older then my parents deserves recognition." - Elliott

While the Cure were at their peak, Berry was still able to capture a new audience through "Back To The Future". Funny how a well-placed reference can tie everything together.

Johnny Cash 4, The Flaming Lips 1

"Tough one. Flaming Lips are extremely good. But I think Cash’s image and giant legacy (not to mention great comeback period) puts him over the top." - John

While Cash is moving on in this bracket, the Flaming Lips would be moving on if we were only judging on batshit craziness. Seriously:  http://pitchfork.com/news/46404-flaming-lips-blood-vinyl-10-copies-2500-features-keha-erykah-badu-nick-cave-chris-martin-blood/

The Doors 4, Kanye West 1

"Prolific, Powerful, Influential, Timeless. Sorry Eric, these words might also describe that other guy, but you can’t look at the Doors' music without instantly feeling it." - Mark

The Doors may have won, but they don't have a freaking dissertation written about them. Yeezy told me to thank you, Eric, for giving him an excuse to inflate his ego even more.

Leonard Cohen 4, Roxy Music 1

"This one is easy, since I haven’t really heard anything by either of these artists. I have no inherent biases, nor do I have a bunch of rabid fans brow beating me to listen to their music. I only have my own taste in music, along with a few selected tracks from Youtube. Now, I like both artists. But Roxy Music just feels to much stuck in their era; there’s nothing that lets it transcend decades, or even genres. Yes, it’s fun and interesting, but Leonard Cohen is the perfect musician. His simple yet affecting style can be enjoyed by anyone, and is more perfect for a rainy day than any Adele song. Also, Bryan Ferry’s voice borders on annoying and funny a bit too much." - Eric

Eric definitely said it best. Have to admit, this was the token "We don't know these artists that well, but we're going to judge them anyway" matchup. It happens.

Pink Floyd 4, Grateful Dead 1

"Dark Side of Moon, The Wall, Wish You Were Here, Animals, Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Do I really need to say more? I will save a long description of how they are incredible for a later round." - Elliott

Somewhere, a Deadhead is wincing, but it's hard to ignore Pink Floyd's storied discography.

The Band 3, AC/DC 2

"Two bands with very well defined images. I think the Band is just a bit more compelling musically." - John

This matchup was the most divisive and hard-fought. There was just a little more Weight than TNT.

The Who 5, The Stone Roses 0

"Sorry Stone Roses, but at least you were drawing from these guys." - Mark

Ah, finally a sweep. Not surprising, with all due respect to the Stone Roses. What rock band doesn't look to the Who for inspiration these days?

Radiohead 5, Curtis Mayfield 0

"I am convinced that Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood are space aliens who have come to Earth to enrich our culture so that our brains might taste better when the rest of their species arrive. Everyone knows that cultured brains taste better. Also, Creep is probably the worst song to pick to represent Radiohead despite how awesome it is." - Elliott

Not much to say about this one. But it does beg the question: if Yorke and Greenwood are aliens, what are the other three band members?

The Jam 5, Oasis 0

"I’ve never been a huge fan of punk music. It has its merits, and I don’t mind if someone is playing it, but I wouldn't invest in an album. That said, if I were to buy any punk music, I’d get either a Clash or a Jam album, which is saying something. Also, fuck Oasis and their shitty music." - Eric

This clean sweep wasn't so much about the Jam, though they're certainly great. It's clear now that Oasis is very high on the blog's shitlist.

Beastie Boys 4, Fleetwood Mac 1

"Beastie Boys, because they changed the landscape of hip-hop and to an extent popular music" - John

Fleetwood Mac may have matched every artistic shift of their opponent, but Beastie Boys arguably made more of an impact with greater chemistry.

Van Morrison 4, Husker Du 1

"It was a bit before our time, but Van Morrison was considered one of the best performers alive. From what he did with his voice, guitar and piano coupled with the songs he wrote, I bet it was quite a show." - Mark

Luckily, Morrison is still around to give us that performance. Husker Du is no longer around, but we can still get a nice performance from the solo work of Bob Mould.

Creedence Clearwater Revival 5, Patti Smith 0

"Born on the bayou. Born on the baaaaayou."- John

Actually, CCR weren't born or formed 'on the bayou', but they still were able to dominate the 70's punk icon.

Bob Marley and The Wailers 5, Sam Cooke 0

"Literally timeless music!" - Mark

I chose this quote over the two separate blurbs that mentioned Marley's prevalence on the Reggae radio station in GTA IV. Really guys, how much GTA IV do you play?

Kraftwerk 3, Wilco 2

"Wilco are indie darlings for pretty much one reason only: they stuck it to the man and released their album on their own without studio backing. While 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot' is a good album, and it takes some serious balls to stream an album for free in 2001, Wilco isn’t anything that special as a band. Kraftwerk, however, essentially created a new genre of music. While electronic music was out and about when Kraftwerk came into existence, it was really only as a way to back up more traditional instruments, or to beep along to some vocals. But Kraftwerk actually made it into an art, and used the computer as an instrument. Just about any electronic-based group is based off of the foundation that Kraftwerk laid." - Eric

There's no denying Kraftwerk's influence, but a strong opponent in Wilco almost denied their advance.

Crosby, Stills, Nash (& Young) 4, R.E.M. 1

"I love CSNY. UPSET! UPSET! UPSET! UPSET! UPSET! UPSET!" - Elliott

Absolutely right, Elliott! CSNY pulls off a stunning upset as a 15th seed, and does it handily. It wasn't really close. This kind of upset happened twice in the first round during March Madness this year. Why not this bracket?

Another exciting week of action! Now, I'd like to add a brand new twist to this voting. Here's the best minority opinion I saw from this round of voting.

Best Minority Opinion - Eric:

"This is a wasted vote. This is a wasted paragraph. I know I’m going to lose. But no one has done more for their genre as Kanye West has. He singlehandedly made rap into something the whitest of the white can enjoy. He’s one of 2 true musicians that make top 40 songs in contemporary music (the other is Lady Gaga). He’s produced some of the best instrumentals in the best songs for the past 15 years in hip-hop and R&B. He produced the goddamn hip-hop equivalent of 'Sgt. Pepper' for Christ’s sakes! He doesn’t influence the industry; he takes it by the neck and drags it to where he wants it to go (and that’s usually a good thing). Yes, he’s egotistical. Yes, he’s controversial. But goddammit, he’s earned the right to be like that (and don’t think that Jim Morrison wasn’t either of those things too [but he was cool and edgy, because I’m looking back at him 50 years later and have no idea of what the real social norms and standards were back then{yes, I’m angry and bitter that I’m going to lose this vote, because even though I love and respect The Doors, Kanye should win based on talent and influence. Fuck social biases that say The Doors should win}])."

Simply put, this epic, vitriolic rant had to be in this post somehow. Though one is the loneliest number, Eric stuck with Kanye as his bracket campaign went down in flames, with an absurd triple parentheses (??) to boot. 

Since Steve was not able to provide explanations for his voting this week (on vacation), I wasn't comfortable with posting a best minority opinion runner-up as well. Look for it next week, and start brainstorming guys!