Best Song of the 2010s Bracket

[atooloftheboss]

Whoa Connor is the brand you're trying to maintain the musical equivalent of the "mumbo sauce" they sell at my local suburban grocery store as a shitty, easily marketed commercialization of DC Urban culture

[Asterias Wrathbunny]

Lana del Rey - Video Games vs. Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best

Childish Gambino - This Is America vs. Weyes Blood - Movies

M83 - Midnight City vs. Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk

Azealia Banks - 212 vs. Fiona Apple - Every Single Night

Adele - Rolling in the Deep vs. Earl Sweatshirt - Solace

David Bowie - Lazarus vs. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round

Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales vs. Radiohead - True Love Waits

Frank Ocean - Pyramids vs. Burial - Come Down to Us

[Sam]

Lana del Rey - Video Games vs. Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best

Childish Gambino - This Is America vs. Weyes Blood - Movies
Much as Will Nediger loves the movies, I love America. Which is what "This Is America" is about. Pretty sure.
This was another match-up where, even though I ended up voting for the other song, I really enjoyed the one I hadn't heard before.

M83 - Midnight City vs. Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk

Azealia Banks - 212 vs. Fiona Apple - Every Single Night

Adele - Rolling in the Deep vs. Earl Sweatshirt - Solace

David Bowie - Lazarus vs. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round

Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales vs. Radiohead - True Love Waits

Frank Ocean - Pyramids vs. Burial - Come Down to Us

[MiltonPlayer47]

Lana del Rey - Video Games vs. Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best

Childish Gambino - This Is America vs. Weyes Blood - Movies

M83 - Midnight City vs. Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk

Azealia Banks - 212 vs. Fiona Apple - Every Single Night

Adele - Rolling in the Deep vs. Earl Sweatshirt - Solace

David Bowie - Lazarus vs. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round

Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales vs. Radiohead - True Love Waits

Frank Ocean - Pyramids vs. Burial - Come Down to Us

[34 + P.J. Dozier]

Lana del Rey - Video Games vs. Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best

Childish Gambino - This Is America vs. Weyes Blood - Movies

M83 - Midnight City vs. Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk

Azealia Banks - 212 vs. Fiona Apple - Every Single Night

Adele - Rolling in the Deep vs. Earl Sweatshirt - Solace

David Bowie - Lazarus vs. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round

Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales vs. Radiohead - True Love Waits

Frank Ocean - Pyramids vs. Burial - Come Down to Us

[TaylorH]

Lana del Rey - Video Games vs. Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best

Childish Gambino - This Is America vs. Weyes Blood - Movies
The first time I ever listened to the Weyes Blood album and this song was at the Orlando airport waiting for our 10-hour-delayed flight to 2019 ACF Nationals. We were supposed to get to Philly in the afternoon but ended up arriving after 1 AM. Most of my teammates credit our poor day 1 performance on the stress and lack of sleep caused by this delay, but to my knowledge none of them had heard "Movies," particularly the part when the strings come in to play that arpeggio that was being carrying by the synth. Anyways I credit my individual ACF National performance to "Movies."

M83 - Midnight City vs. Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk
In 2011, during my junior year of highschool I was infatuated with a girl with very similar music taste to me. We'd often talk about our favorite albums during weekday lunches when I would drive us off campus to a nearby Tropical Smoothie Cafe. We got into the habit of burning mix CDs and full albums for each other. One day, I had promised to burn her four albums I had been enjoying. They were: Drake - Take Care, Pepper Rabbit - Red Velvet Snow Ball, Kate Bush - 50 Words for Snow, and M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming. The next day, with these four CDs in my backpack, we went to get our smoothies and hit it off. On the drive back to school I decided I would ask her to be my girlfriend. We were listening to the burnt CD of M83. I don't remember if Midnight City played during the car ride. We pulled into the school parking lot and I turned to her and asked her out. I was immediately shot down, she wanted to remain friends. After a sad comedic beat of silence, she asks "hey can I still get those CDs?" I had to turn the car back on and eject the M83 out of the CD changer then reach back and dig in my backpack for the other CDs in an agonizingly awkward silence. M83 soundtracked my post-rejection sadness very well.

(This story actually has a happy ending: the two of us actually ended up together and we dated for four years before amiably going our separate ways in 2016.)

Azealia Banks - 212 vs. Fiona Apple - Every Single Night

Adele - Rolling in the Deep vs. Earl Sweatshirt - Solace

David Bowie - Lazarus vs. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round
In 2013, with the now-girlfriend described in the above vignette, I attended the Ariel Pink show at Bonnaroo. We managed to wriggle our ways into the front row. Ariel Pink was among my favorite artists at the time. When he finally played it was pretty awful. He had this very antagonistic attitude toward the audience where he kept kind of sneering at applause and heckling people. At one point he says "thanks for coming to to only ing show at this festival worth seeing." A guy nearby in the crowd kept yelling things like "Ariel, step on my face!" Ariel was exclusively playing bizarre ambient deep cuts and not really any of his "hits." Finally, he played "Round and Round" and all was well for a few minutes. Ariel Pink make me think of all the expired internet microgenres of the late 00s/early 10s: chillwave, witch house, bed room pop, early vaporwave, etc. This song isn't really any of those things exactly but Ariel's ethos has somethings in common with that time that I'm pretty nostalgic for.

Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales vs. Radiohead - True Love Waits
The live version of True Love Waits on the Kid A Collector Edition is one of my favorite songs ever, and the album version feels flat in comparison. This is also the best Car Seat Headrest song.

Frank Ocean - Pyramids vs. Burial - Come Down to Us
This is cruel, as these are two of my favorite artists of the decade. Burial just barely takes it.

[tpmorrison]

Lana del Rey - Video Games vs. Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best

Childish Gambino - This Is America vs. Weyes Blood - Movies

M83 - Midnight City vs. Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk

Azealia Banks - 212 vs. Fiona Apple - Every Single Night

Adele - Rolling in the Deep vs. Earl Sweatshirt - Solace

David Bowie - Lazarus vs. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round

Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales vs. Radiohead - True Love Waits

Frank Ocean - Pyramids vs. Burial - Come Down to Us

[Wynaut]

Lana del Rey - Video Games vs. Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best

Childish Gambino - This Is America vs. Weyes Blood - Movies

M83 - Midnight City vs. Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk

Azealia Banks - 212 vs. Fiona Apple - Every Single Night

Adele - Rolling in the Deep vs. Earl Sweatshirt - Solace

David Bowie - Lazarus vs. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round

Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales vs. Radiohead - True Love Waits

Frank Ocean - Pyramids vs. Burial - Come Down to Us

[Apocolocyntora]

Lana del Rey - Video Games vs. Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best

Childish Gambino - This Is America vs. Weyes Blood - Movies --Man, This is America deserves the win, but I love Weyes Blood, and Movies is beautiful

M83 - Midnight City vs. Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk

Azealia Banks - 212 vs. Fiona Apple - Every Single Night

Adele - Rolling in the Deep vs. Earl Sweatshirt - Solace

David Bowie - Lazarus vs. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round -abstain

Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales vs. Radiohead - True Love Waits

Frank Ocean - Pyramids vs. Burial - Come Down to Us

[A Dim-Witted Saboteur]

Lana del Rey - Video Games vs. Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best
Voting for Lana significantly bc of the sheer sweep of the song. It feels like listening to a Griot. Pedestrian at Best is a nice song but can't compete.

Childish Gambino - This Is America vs. Weyes Blood - Movies*
I had never listened to a Weyes Blood track before; this was really good and I look forward to more!

M83 - Midnight City* vs. Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk
Midnight City was boring. Uptown Funk is not.

Azealia Banks - 212 vs. Fiona Apple - Every Single Night*
212 is just an incredibly fun song. That's enough to get my vote here against a song I didn't really vibe with.

Adele - Rolling in the Deep vs. Earl Sweatshirt - Solace
I'm not depressed enough at the moment to vote for Earl here.

David Bowie - Lazarus vs. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round*
Not the best "person who knows he's dying says a final farewell" track of the decade (that's "You Want it Darker"), but still pretty darn good.

Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales vs. Radiohead - True Love Waits*

Frank Ocean - Pyramids vs. Burial - Come Down to Us*
Pyramids is less too long than Come Down to Us.

[kammajos000]

Lana del Rey - Video Games vs. Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best

Childish Gambino - This Is America vs. Weyes Blood - Movies
abstain

M83 - Midnight City vs. Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk

Azealia Banks - 212 vs. Fiona Apple - Every Single Night
abstain

Adele - Rolling in the Deep vs. Earl Sweatshirt - Solace

David Bowie - Lazarus vs. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round

Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales vs. Radiohead - True Love Waits

Frank Ocean - Pyramids vs. Burial - Come Down to Us

[Og's Magog Bog]

Lana del Rey - Video Games vs. Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best

Childish Gambino - This Is America vs. Weyes Blood - Movies
I only did this competition to vote for This is America, it's such a good song. Movies is fine, I guess, but meh.

M83 - Midnight City vs. Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk
I actually had Midnight City stuck in my head before I started listening to the playlist but I couldn't remember the name and it was annoying me, so thanks. I liked Uptown Funk when it came out, but it was so overplayed it's physically hard to listen to now.

Azealia Banks - 212 vs. Fiona Apple - Every Single Night

Adele - Rolling in the Deep vs. Earl Sweatshirt - Solace

David Bowie - Lazarus vs. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round

Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales vs. Radiohead - True Love Waits
This was a really tough choice but tie goes to the more overtly depressing song.

Frank Ocean - Pyramids vs. Burial - Come Down to Us

[$5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy]

Lana del Rey - Video Games vs. Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best

Childish Gambino - This Is America vs. Weyes Blood - Movies

M83 - Midnight City vs. Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk

Azealia Banks - 212 vs. Fiona Apple - Every Single Night

Adele - Rolling in the Deep vs. Earl Sweatshirt - Solace

David Bowie - Lazarus vs. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round

Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales vs. Radiohead - True Love Waits

Frank Ocean - Pyramids vs. Burial - Come Down to Us

[Harpie's Feather Duster]

Lana del Rey - Video Games vs. Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best

Childish Gambino - This Is America vs. Weyes Blood - Movies*

I'm not crazy about either of these songs

M83 - Midnight City vs. Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk

Azealia Banks - 212* vs. Fiona Apple - Every Single Night

Adele - Rolling in the Deep vs. Earl Sweatshirt - Solace*

David Bowie - Lazarus* vs. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round*

Very close between two i hadn't listened to!

Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales vs. Radiohead - True Love Waits*

Frank Ocean - Pyramids vs. Burial - Come Down to Us*
_________________

[warum]

#1 Lana del Rey - Video Games vs. #16 Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best
#8 Childish Gambino - This Is America vs. #9 Weyes Blood – Movies
#5 M83 - Midnight City vs. #12 Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk
#4 Azealia Banks - 212 vs. #13 Fiona Apple - Every Single Night
#6 Adele - Rolling in the Deep vs. #11 Earl Sweatshirt – Solace
Pass
#3 David Bowie - Lazarus vs. #14 Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round
#7 Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales vs. #10 Radiohead - True Love Waits
#2 Frank Ocean - Pyramids vs. Burial - Come Down to Us

[VSCOelasticity]

#1 Lana del Rey - Video Games vs. #16 Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best

#8 Childish Gambino - This Is America vs. #9 Weyes Blood - Movies

#5 M83 - Midnight City vs. #12 Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk

#4 Azealia Banks - 212 vs. #13 Fiona Apple - Every Single Night

#6 Adele - Rolling in the Deep vs. #11 Earl Sweatshirt - Solace

#3 David Bowie - Lazarus vs. #14 Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round

#7 Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales vs. #10 Radiohead - True Love Waits

#2 Frank Ocean - Pyramids vs. #15 Burial - Come Down to Us

[nicole.]

Lana del Rey - Video Games vs. Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best
Personally, I don't get Lana Del Rey but I get that a lot of people like her, if you like this, godspeed, but this just isn't my thing.

Childish Gambino - This Is America vs. Weyes Blood - Movies

M83 - Midnight City vs. Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk
Midnight City got into my mind first and I've always been a bit reticent to Uptown Funk.

Azealia Banks - 212 vs. Fiona Apple - Every Single Night


Adele - Rolling in the Deep vs. Earl Sweatshirt - Solace
These two songs are a major study in contrast. One is one of the tightest pop songs that I have had the pleasure of listening to, while the other is a scattered but haunting 10 minute mini epic. That crescendo in Rolling In The Deep is killer though

David Bowie - Lazarus vs. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round

Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales vs. Radiohead - True Love Waits
One of the best epics on an album chock full of them for Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales. CSH would have probably won anyway, but it would probably be a decent amount closer if Burn The Witch or The Numbers was the Moon Shaped Pool song featured

Frank Ocean - Pyramids vs. Burial - Come Down to Us

[rylltraka]

#1 Lana del Rey - Video Games vs. #16 Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best
Neither of these songs really do it for me; I normally like Lana del Rey, and this does have a sort of dreamy feel to it, but there's nothing in the vocals or the lyrics to hook me. On the surface, I should like "Pedestrian at Best" for its punk-flavored production and composition, but I don't really want to listen to it either again. Abstain on this one.

#8 Childish Gambino - This Is America vs. #9 Weyes Blood - Movies
Here I like both ones - "This is America" has a good number of moving parts, most of which are pretty good, although it doesn't seem to me to match the hype I vaguely recall. There have been a number of songs in the bracket who try to make a soundscape like "Movies" does, but rarely this well. Tough call.

#5 M83 - Midnight City vs. #12 Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk
Midnight city seems like 75% of a song, since what limited vocals there are are entirely in service to the production and instrumentation. Not that I minded much, but "Uptown Funk" is a force of nature - although not quite as good as I recalled.

#4 Azealia Banks - 212 vs. #13 Fiona Apple - Every Single Night
Everything about "212" sounded nice until she started talking. I can get the appeal of the brashness of the presentation, which held me about half the time and, well, not the other half. And congrats to Ms. Apple on experiencing a career revival, but the vocal delivery is so stilted in this one that I can't approach it as an organic whole.

#6 Adele - Rolling in the Deep vs. #11 Earl Sweatshirt - Solace
Don't think I'd ever heard the first one before, and sir, there is some power behind that. Hard to argue against, although in principle I like "Solace" as an unfocused, introspective, unstructured rap epic.

#3 David Bowie - Lazarus vs. #14 Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round
Wow, how Bowie it was to create compelling art out of the act of dying, and to make it sound listenable and enjoyable regardless. I mean, I love Bowie, but tend to stay away from his post-1985 work, although the power of the statement here is unmistakable. "Round and Round" is okay, I guess?

#7 Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales vs. #10 Radiohead - True Love Waits
I didn't like anything about the first song, so I guess my vote goes to this Radiohead song from *25 years ago* which is somehow in the 2010s bracket.

#2 Frank Ocean - Pyramids vs. #15 Burial - Come Down to Us
Both of these songs are far longer than they have any right to be, but at least "Pyramids" isn't meandering nonsense.

[vinteuil]

#1 Lana del Rey - Video Games vs. #16 Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best

#8 Childish Gambino - This Is America vs. #9 Weyes Blood - Movies

#5 M83 - Midnight City vs. #12 Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk

#4 Azealia Banks - 212 vs. #13 Fiona Apple - Every Single Night

#6 Adele - Rolling in the Deep vs. #11 Earl Sweatshirt - Solace

#3 David Bowie - Lazarus vs. #14 Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round

#7 Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales vs. #10 Radiohead - True Love Waits

#2 Frank Ocean - Pyramids vs. #15 Burial - Come Down to Us

Great list of songs, thanks for running this William!

[Charm Bison]

Lana del Rey - Video Games vs. Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best
These songs are two sides of the same coin: one is super-polished and produced, with over-the-top strings coating the smooth, sultry vocals, while the other is raw, wry, aggressive, and I think I remember hearing somewhere it was the first time it had ever been played? I'm gonna lean towards Lana on this one, but I would not be disappointed at all if we put Pedestrian at Best on a pedestal.

Childish Gambino - This Is America vs. Weyes Blood - Movies*
Didn't expect this, but "Movies" is really good

M83 - Midnight City vs. Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk
The world needs more funk

Azealia Banks - 212 vs. Fiona Apple - Every Single Night
Every Single Night is really good, but 212 is just straight up scorched earth [doody].

Adele - Rolling in the Deep vs. Earl Sweatshirt - Solace*
Solace just didn't land for me. I represent the voting constituency of moms in casting my vote for Adele.

David Bowie - Lazarus* vs. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round
Bowie's swan song is fine, but it's not for me. Round and Round isn't quite either, but at least it comes closer, especially in its second half.

Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales* vs. Radiohead - True Love Waits*
I can't exactly articulate WHY, but I think I just fell in love with this song

Frank Ocean - Pyramids vs. Burial - Come Down to Us
If I have to choose between two great ten-minute odysseys, I'm gonna go with the one with the crazy synth drop.

[BenWeiner27]

Lana del Rey - Video Games vs. Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best

Childish Gambino - This Is America vs. Weyes Blood - Movies

M83 - Midnight City vs. Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk

Azealia Banks - 212 vs. Fiona Apple - Every Single Night

Adele - Rolling in the Deep vs Earl Sweatshirt - Solace

David Bowie - Lazarus vs. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round

Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales vs. Radiohead - True Love Waits

Frank Ocean - Pyramids vs. Burial - Come Down to Us

[bolshevik]

A lot of great songs I haven't heard before in this bracket!
Lana del Rey - Video Games* vs. Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best*
Lana is great, don't get me wrong, but her ultra-smooth, glossy sound on Video Games is less captivating for me than Courtney's rockadelic vibes and deadpan humor

Childish Gambino - This Is America vs. Weyes Blood - Movies
I have this white cousin who used to rap This Is America in the car when we'd hang out. Then later she'd casually use the N-word in conversation. As much as I love my family, that cousin is cringe, and this song is mediocre at best. The music video truly makes it. Meanwhile, the Weyes Blood song is hauntingly beautiful. (Plus I'm a film major, hahaha right guys? Because the song is called Movies hahaha)

M83 - Midnight City vs. Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk
Despite what Bruno would have you believe, I think the M83 song is the truly funky one. It's iconic yet not so iconic that it makes me sigh every time I hear it

Azealia Banks - 212* vs. Fiona Apple - Every Single Night*
Two great options. 212 has a real rawness to it and a sick beat, but I love the poignant and relatable idea behind Every Single Night's lyrics and Fiona's great singing

Adele - Rolling in the Deep vs Earl Sweatshirt - Solace*
Solace: it's like five songs in one, and all of them are far better than Rolling in the Deep!

David Bowie - Lazarus* vs. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round*
I love the instrumentation on Lazarus. Those blaring saxophones, distorted guitars, synths, and drum grooves get me every time. Every element of this song makes me feel like a bird flying over a desolate, gray landscape where there's only death and the realization of our mortality. The Ariel Pink song is great but it doesn't do what Lazarus does for me.

Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales vs. Radiohead - True Love Waits*
One of the most quintessential indie rock anthems ever made against a decent Radiohead song (but I definitely do need to listen to more of Radiohead's discography). The vote here is very easy for me.

Frank Ocean - Pyramids vs. Burial - Come Down to Us*
Vote was insanely tough. Like, insanely. But Pyramids is Pyramids.

[mrtyrmystry]

Lana del Rey - Video Games vs. Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best
i have heard video games between fifty and a hundred times.
though i wish this was depreston, courtney barnett is utterly original.

Childish Gambino - This Is America vs. Weyes Blood - Movies*
>this is america
>this is how it feels to be in love this is life from above
i do not love the movies. i think i like Movies more than Motion Picture Soundtrack, which i like a lot.

M83 - Midnight City vs. Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk
abstain

Azealia Banks - 212 vs. Fiona Apple - Every Single Night

Adele - Rolling in the Deep vs. Earl Sweatshirt - Solace*
in 6th grade choir my teacher suggested we walk through the hallways singing rolling in the deep, which is the only memory i have associated with a song.

David Bowie - Lazarus vs. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round*
pass

Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales vs. Radiohead - True Love Waits
1. i can't remember if ive heard either song before.
2. i have definitely heard Vincent and Kid A.
3. uhhhhhbstain

Frank Ocean - Pyramids vs. Burial - Come Down to Us
i remember most every part (and also the single cover LUL) of Pyramids. it would be nice to remember every detail of Come Down to Us.

[Quinctilius Varus]

Results, including the fall of a #1 seed!


Lana del Rey - Video Games vs. Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best (11-17)

Childish Gambino - This Is America vs. Weyes Blood - Movies (9-19)

M83 - Midnight City vs. Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk (18-10)

Azealia Banks - 212 vs. Fiona Apple - Every Single Night (12-16)

Adele - Rolling in the Deep vs Earl Sweatshirt - Solace (12-16)

David Bowie - Lazarus vs. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round (20-6)

Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales vs. Radiohead - True Love Waits (23-5)

Frank Ocean - Pyramids vs. Burial - Come Down to Us (23-6)


I've enjoyed reading everyone's commentary and personal anecdotes. I'll have an actual visualization of the bracket up in the next few days. In the meantime, the first half of the second round will last until Friday at 11:59 p.m. central. The allotted time for voting is now 48 hours instead of 72, since most voters have likely heard the songs previously.


Robyn - Dancing on My Own vs. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me

Perfume Genius - Queen vs. Björk - Stonemilker

Rosalía - Malamente (Cap.1: Augurio) vs. LCD Soundsystem - dance yrself clean

Tame Impala - Let It Happen vs. Grimes - Oblivion

Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky vs. Taylor Swift - Blank Space

M.I.A. - Bad Girls vs. Solange - Cranes in the Sky

Mitski - Your Best American Girl vs. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) vs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City

[bolshevik]

Perfect timing for me to procrastinate an essay! Thanks for doing this, William.

There won't be much more to say than I already have in the OG matchups, but I'll add stuff where I think it's salient.
Robyn - Dancing on My Own vs. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me

Perfume Genius - Queen vs. Björk - Stonemilker

Rosalía - Malamente (Cap.1: Augurio) vs. LCD Soundsystem - dance yrself clean
Malamente has grown on me a lot since the first time I heard it.

Tame Impala - Let It Happen vs. Grimes - Oblivion
The above also applies to this Grimes song. There's something strangely infectious about her voice and the weird, dissonant beat. I love the Tame Impala song too though.

Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky vs. Taylor Swift - Blank Space
luck intensifies again
One of the fondest memories I'll have from college when I finish, I think, is my Intro to Western Art History course. One among many of his hilarious and endearing mannerisms and idiosyncrasies, my professor would always play music before class started. One day early in the semester, we were on the chapter about Classical Greece, and before the class started, there was a giant picture on the screen of a penis from a Greek nude sculpture. The song playing that day was, of course, Get Lucky.

M.I.A. - Bad Girls vs. Solange - Cranes in the Sky
I can't really get behind the MIA song. I love Solange's vocal performance on this track.

Mitski - Your Best American Girl vs. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) vs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City
Maybe more than any of the songs here, Sprawl II has grown on me. I'm glad it made it past the first round, but of course it and Yonkers both stand no chance against this absolute behemoth of a Kendrick song.

[Auks Ran Ova]

Damn, apparently missed the deadline by half an hour but here are my votes anyway.

#1 Lana del Rey - Video Games vs. #16 Courtney Barnett - Pedestrian at Best - this is a good song, unlike any Lana del Rey song I've heard.

#8 Childish Gambino - This Is America vs. #9 Weyes Blood - Movies - I feel like I could list a bunch of music-review adjectives that apply to the Weyes Blood song ("lush", "ethereal", "atmospheric", etc.) but none of them would actually mean that I enjoyed listening to it. This is certainly less true of This Is America, which also has a great video.

#5 M83 - Midnight City vs. #12 Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk - pretty easy to pick an enjoyable song that I've happily listened to on my own plenty of times over the national anthem of H&M fitting rooms, though that might be a little unfairly dismissive of Midnight City. Whatever, Uptown Funk is great.

#4 Azealia Banks - 212 vs. #13 Fiona Apple - Every Single Night - really liked the beat on this one; the song itself is also pretty fun. The minimalist approach of Every Single Night, and Fiona Apple's particular vocal style, aren't really my thing.

#6 Adele - Rolling in the Deep vs. #11 Earl Sweatshirt - Solace - I bounced off just about everything in Solace, including the ten-minute length and the just-woke-up delivery. Part of that I think is that Solace isn't really a "song" in the sense of a lot of the bracket's other entries; as basically a full suite it doesn't accomplish, nor does it set out to accomplish, the same things as what I'm looking for in "the best song of [x]". Another part is that I'm just not generally a fan of music that's so weighted down with depressed energy you can feel it, which this certainly was. The latter isn't a strike against it in an objective sense--it does a fantastic job of communicating those feelings! I don't really like music that reflects depression back at me like this, though; it doesn't feel like what I need or want when I'm already down. There's just not really many situations where Solace will appeal to me, even though I can recognize the proficiency with which it's doing what it's doing.

Given all that, uh, Rolling in the Deep is a fine song.

#3 David Bowie - Lazarus vs. #14 Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round - Round and Round is fine. Lazarus, though, holy hell. The instrumentals are killer (especially that saxophone!), the vocals and lyrics are perfectly elegiac without being glum, everything comes together for a really powerful song.

#7 Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales vs. #10 Radiohead - True Love Waits - no thank you to an egregiously sad piano ballad by a dull band. Yes please to a song that, despite its melancholy, also features a catchy pair of choruses (especially the "it doesn't have to be like this" refrain) and is generally more...animated? I think the falsetto lines are a weird weak spot in DD/KW but overall I liked it a lot, and I would like to check out more Car Seat Headrest.

#2 Frank Ocean - Pyramids vs. #15 Burial - Come Down to Us - okay, first, this is 23 total minutes of music, what the hell. I assume it's going to be a continued source of friction between my personal taste and the music of the bracket, since most of what I generally gravitate towards is on the shorter and/or faster side. Curmudgeonly carping aside: I felt like Pyramids was more focused but I actively enjoyed more of Come Down, enough to make up for some of the meandering. I would have kind of a hard time declaring a lengthy, like, "soundscape" like this to be "the best song of the 2010s", but it was definitely the one I liked more here.

Sad I missed the last round and CRJ lost by a vote. Big oof. Also RIP Danny Nedelko!

[Auroni]

Robyn - Dancing on My Own vs. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me - still gay, still anthemic

Perfume Genius - Queen vs. Björk - Stonemilker

Rosalía - Malamente (Cap.1: Augurio) vs. LCD Soundsystem - dance yrself clean - now that I've voted against my bias, gotta run with it ("dance yrself clean" takes a few minutes to really get going and build up, "Malamente" is energetic and engaging throughout)

Tame Impala - Let It Happen vs. Grimes - Oblivion

Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky vs. Taylor Swift - Blank Space

M.I.A. - Bad Girls vs. Solange - Cranes in the Sky

Mitski - Your Best American Girl vs. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July - two heavy, powerful songs here; I still think "Fourth of July" is the more effective one, but the opening of "Your Best American Girl" is really good and deserving of mention. Incidentally, if you want a darker, more disturbing (and, in my opinion, better) take by Mitski on this interracial relationship dynamic, check out "Happy".

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) vs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City

[Auks Ran Ova]

Robyn - Dancing on My Own vs. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me - both pretty good!

Perfume Genius - Queen vs. Björk - Stonemilker

Rosalía - Malamente (Cap.1: Augurio) vs. LCD Soundsystem - dance yrself clean - RIP short song

Tame Impala - Let It Happen vs. Grimes - Oblivion - surprisingly similar, in that they're both songs with generally upbeat/enjoyable instrumentals that are dragged a bit down (to different degrees) by kind of irritating vocals. Let It Happen also suffers from just going on and on though, so Grimes gets the edge here--though I do feel obligated to note that as far as 2010s music by Canadian women who go by single mononyms and were first introduced to me by Cody Voight go, Lights* is the superior choice.

Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky vs. Taylor Swift - Blank Space - unfortunate once again that two very solid pop songs meet so early! Easy choice of Blank Space here though.

M.I.A. - Bad Girls vs. Solange - Cranes in the Sky

Mitski - Your Best American Girl vs. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) vs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City - I'd be perfectly happy with either of these songs winning here! The pre-chorus/chorus section of Sprawl II is melodically really pleasing to me.

*if you're like me, you'll probably enjoy her acoustic cover of Rancid's "Fall Back Down"

[Auroni]

though I do feel obligated to note that as far as 2010s music by Canadian women who go by single mononyms and were first introduced to me by Cody Voight go, Lights* is the superior choice.

I prefer the possible world in which this is the pick for Grimes

[Tippy Martinez]

Robyn - Dancing On My Own vs. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me
I first encountered Angel Olsen’s music in 2016 when My Woman came out. I saw some positive reviews and checked it out, but first semester freshman year me was not really the type of person to enjoy Angel’s music. As I went back and listened to this song though, I found its grooves and witty lyrics extremely enjoyable. I really do like this Robyn song guys, I REALLY DO, but it has just been up against some of my favorite songs in this bracket.

Perfume Genius - Queen vs. Bjork - Stonemilker
I’m really not a massive fan of either of these songs.

Rosalía - Malamente (Cap.1: Augurio) vs. LCD Soundsystem - dance yrself clean
Rosalia has already proven to be one of pop’s greatest singers at the moment IMO. “dance yrself clean” is ok but is an actual snoozefest compared to “Malamente.”

Tame Impala- Let It Happen vs. Grimes - Oblivion
“Let It Happen” continues to be great and has gotten me back into Tame Impala. Grimes sucks.

Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky vs. Taylor Swift - Blank Space
Guess Taylor’s blank space wasn’t big enough to win this matchup.

M.I.A. - Bad Girls vs. Solange - Cranes in the Sky
I’ve already articulated my concerns with “Cranes in the Sky.” “Bad Girls” is quickly turning into one of my most played songs at the moment, that chorus is just so catchy.

Mitski - Your Best American Girl vs. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July
This vote is great because not only is YBAG the better song it also serves as a protest vote since Sujan beat Chief Keef last round!

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) vs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City
“m.A.A.d City” is the last song left in this bracket that I actually want to win. Sadly it’s against one of quiz bowl’s favorite indie acts, so I’m not very hopeful. But, in some doomed effort to try and salvage one of hip hop’s greatest songs of this decade by explaining how much Kendrick means to me.

I first really got into Kendrick in the spring of 2015 (for context, this would have been the spring of my 7th grade year,) shortly after To Pimp a Butterfly came out. I listened to that album for the first time on a rainy March Sunday and immediately fell in love. I was amazed by how easily Kendrick was able to keep me interested for all 78 minutes of the album, taking me on a musical odyssey that included so many fantastic sonic elements and social commentaries. My body needed more, and I went and listened to all of Kendrick’s other work, including good kid, m.A.A.d city. While I certainly didn’t love it as much as TPAB, I found many fantastic elements on the album, of which “m.A.A.d city” was the foremost. The song is a masterpiece, with fantastic production and great performances by both Kendrick and MC Eiht. There’s almost no hip hop better than it from this decade and if you don’t like it, well then I guess hip hop isn’t for you. I have some opinions about that that I won’t say, but hey if hip hop isn’t your thing I guess that’s ok.

My final plea is this: please consider giving Kendrick your vote in this matchup. Even if you aren’t the biggest fan of hip hop, he deserves some votes. I promise.

[women, fire and dangerous things]

Robyn - Dancing on My Own vs. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me

Perfume Genius - Queen vs. Björk - Stonemilker

Rosalía - Malamente (Cap.1: Augurio) vs. LCD Soundsystem - dance yrself clean

Tame Impala - Let It Happen vs. Grimes - Oblivion

Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky vs. Taylor Swift - Blank Space

M.I.A. - Bad Girls vs. Solange - Cranes in the Sky

Mitski - Your Best American Girl vs. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) vs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City

[bolshevik]

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) cs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City
“m.A.A.d City” is the last song left in this bracket that I actually want to win.
...
My final plea is this: please consider giving Kendrick your vote in this matchup. Even if you aren’t the biggest fan of hip hop, he deserves some votes. I promise.

seconded, but don’t let Connor fool you, I like Kendrick more

[kammajos000]

Robyn - Dancing on My Own vs. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me
abstain

Perfume Genius - Queen vs. Björk - Stonemilker
abstain

Rosalía - Malamente (Cap.1: Augurio) vs. LCD Soundsystem - dance yrself clean

Tame Impala - Let It Happen vs. Grimes - Oblivion

Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky vs. Taylor Swift - Blank Space

M.I.A. - Bad Girls vs. Solange - Cranes in the Sky

Mitski - Your Best American Girl vs. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) vs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City

[Wynaut]

Robyn - Dancing on My Own vs. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me

Perfume Genius - Queen vs. Björk - Stonemilker

Rosalía - Malamente (Cap.1: Augurio) vs. LCD Soundsystem - dance yrself clean

Tame Impala - Let It Happen vs. Grimes - Oblivion

Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky vs. Taylor Swift - Blank Space

M.I.A. - Bad Girls vs. Solange - Cranes in the Sky

Mitski - Your Best American Girl vs. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July - toughest choice here

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) vs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City

[TaylorH]

Robyn - Dancing on My Own vs. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me

Perfume Genius - Queen vs. Björk - Stonemilker

Rosalía - Malamente (Cap.1: Augurio) vs. LCD Soundsystem - dance yrself clean


Tame Impala - Let It Happen vs. Grimes - Oblivion

Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky vs. Taylor Swift - Blank Space

M.I.A. - Bad Girls vs. Solange - Cranes in the Sky

Mitski - Your Best American Girl vs. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) vs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City

[Asterias Wrathbunny]

Robyn - Dancing on My Own vs. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me
I see Dancing on My Own on a lot of these "best of the decade" lists. I tried to get it, but it really doesn't do much for me.

Perfume Genius - Queen vs. Björk - Stonemilker

Rosalía - Malamente (Cap.1: Augurio) vs. LCD Soundsystem - dance yrself clean
I would love to see Rosalía get recognized more, but dance yrself clean is the better song.

Tame Impala - Let It Happen vs. Grimes - Oblivion

Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky vs. Taylor Swift - Blank Space
I wouldn't mind if Get Lucky wins the whole bracket.

M.I.A. - Bad Girls vs. Solange - Cranes in the Sky

Mitski - Your Best American Girl vs. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) vs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City
I really enjoy both of these songs, but I think the latter better defines the decade.

[tpmorrison]

Robyn - Dancing on My Own vs. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me

Perfume Genius - Queen vs. Björk - Stonemilker

Rosalía - Malamente (Cap.1: Augurio) vs. LCD Soundsystem - dance yrself clean

Tame Impala - Let It Happen vs. Grimes - Oblivion

Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky vs. Taylor Swift - Blank Space

M.I.A. - Bad Girls vs. Solange - Cranes in the Sky

Mitski - Your Best American Girl vs. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) vs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City

[34 + P.J. Dozier]

Robyn - Dancing on My Own vs. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me

Perfume Genius - Queen vs. Björk - Stonemilker

Rosalía - Malamente (Cap.1: Augurio) vs. LCD Soundsystem - dance yrself clean

Tame Impala - Let It Happen vs. Grimes - Oblivion

Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky vs. Taylor Swift - Blank Space

M.I.A. - Bad Girls vs. Solange - Cranes in the Sky

Mitski - Your Best American Girl vs. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) vs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City

[Charm Bison]

Robyn - Dancing on My Own vs. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me

Perfume Genius - Queen vs. Björk - Stonemilker
Listening to Stonemilker for the first time is probably one of the most pleasant surprises from this bracket for me

Rosalía - Malamente (Cap.1: Augurio) vs. LCD Soundsystem - dance yrself clean
This song would not be nearly as good as it is if it launched right into the core of the song with no buildup. That three minutes of intro makes the whole track, the slow build in anticipation of what's coming next. This is the kind of track that only works at the beginning of an album, and it does that job beautifully. And then after all that, the drop hits, and you get to come into the party with everyone else. This is happening. This Is Happening is happening. Come and go nuts with us. Dance yrself clean.

Tame Impala - Let It Happen vs. Grimes - Oblivion

Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky vs. Taylor Swift - Blank Space

M.I.A. - Bad Girls vs. Solange - Cranes in the Sky

Mitski - Your Best American Girl vs. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) vs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City

[VSCOelasticity]

Robyn - Dancing on My Own vs. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me

Perfume Genius - Queen vs. Björk - Stonemilker

Rosalía - Malamente (Cap.1: Augurio) vs. LCD Soundsystem - dance yrself clean

Tame Impala - Let It Happen vs. Grimes - Oblivion

Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky vs. Taylor Swift - Blank Space

M.I.A. - Bad Girls vs. Solange - Cranes in the Sky

Mitski - Your Best American Girl vs. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) vs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City

[CPiGuy]

Robyn - Dancing on My Own vs. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me

Perfume Genius - Queen vs. Björk - Stonemilker

Rosalía - Malamente (Cap.1: Augurio) vs. LCD Soundsystem - dance yrself clean

Tame Impala - Let It Happen vs. Grimes - Oblivion

Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky vs. Taylor Swift - Blank Space

M.I.A. - Bad Girls vs. Solange - Cranes in the Sky

Mitski - Your Best American Girl vs. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) vs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City

[Og's Magog Bog]

Robyn - Dancing on My Own vs. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me

Perfume Genius - Queen vs. Björk - Stonemilker

Rosalía - Malamente (Cap.1: Augurio) vs. LCD Soundsystem - dance yrself clean

Tame Impala - Let It Happen vs. Grimes - Oblivion

Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky vs. Taylor Swift - Blank Space

M.I.A. - Bad Girls vs. Solange - Cranes in the Sky

Mitski - Your Best American Girl vs. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) vs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City

[Sylvia Pankhurst]

Robyn - Dancing on My Own vs. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me

Perfume Genius - Queen vs. Björk - Stonemilker

Rosalía - Malamente (Cap.1: Augurio) vs. LCD Soundsystem - dance yrself clean

Tame Impala - Let It Happen vs. Grimes - Oblivion

Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky vs. Taylor Swift - Blank Space

M.I.A. - Bad Girls vs. Solange - Cranes in the Sky

Mitski - Your Best American Girl vs. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) vs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City

[The Unbearable Lightness of Negging]

• Robyn - Dancing on My Own vs. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me

• Perfume Genius - Queen vs. Björk - Stonemilker

• Rosalía - Malamente (Cap.1: Augurio) vs. LCD Soundsystem - dance yrself clean

• Tame Impala - Let It Happen vs. Grimes - Oblivion

There are a good number of Tame Impala songs for which I would vote over "Oblivion", but none of them are on Currents

• Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky vs. Taylor Swift - Blank Space [abstain]

This matchup was precision designed for abstention

• M.I.A. - Bad Girls vs. Solange - Cranes in the Sky

• Mitski - Your Best American Girl vs. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July

• Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) vs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City

[nicole.]

Robyn - Dancing on My Own vs. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me

Perfume Genius - Queen vs. Björk - Stonemilker
I probably should have tried to get a bit acquainted with Bjork’s vocals before this, but that synth line gives Mike Hadreas the edge here.

Rosalía - Malamente (Cap.1: Augurio) vs. LCD Soundsystem - dance yrself clean
I have to say, while This is Happening is a good to great album in its own right, my still favorite tournament buzz comes from a LCD Soundsystem clue, which pushes Dance Yrself Clean as a clear winner

Tame Impala - Let It Happen vs. Grimes - Oblivion

Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky vs. Taylor Swift - Blank Space

M.I.A. - Bad Girls vs. Solange - Cranes in the Sky
Bad Girls’s synth line is extremely catchy. Did not expect it to win this matchup but here we go.

Mitski - Your Best American Girl vs. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) vs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City

[1.82]

Robyn - Dancing on My Own vs. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me

I have told this story in various forms to a lot of people, but there's a church-themed bar in Atlanta that I like about as much as it's possible for me to like such an obviously sacrilegious place. On Wednesday nights they have karaoke with a live organ, and in graduate school it was feasible to go out on Wednesday nights, so one evening after final exams were done I went with a gaggle of my classmates to karaoke at this place. To our surprise, we found out that there was a wedding taking place at this spot that was not actually a church, with a bride and groom dressed for the occasion. It turned out that the couple was getting married that weekend but they were having a fake ceremony here because they liked it so much, and so they passed around a guestbook and I signed it and it would have really been a lot of fun if the groom hadn't been hammered out of his mind. For the first dance, the officiant just picked the first song on the list of karaoke signups, which happened to be one of my friends; the song she had signed up to sing was Dancing on My Own.

Dancing on My Own is such a good song that even when played on an organ in a setting where the lyrics are completely inappropriate, it still goes. It has my vote.

Perfume Genius - Queen vs. Björk - Stonemilker

I don't think I'd ever heard a Perfume Genius song previously, which seems like an oversight on my part.

Rosalía - Malamente (Cap.1: Augurio) vs. LCD Soundsystem - dance yrself clean

I like Space Song better than either of these songs, but alas.

Tame Impala - Let It Happen vs. Grimes - Oblivion

Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky vs. Taylor Swift - Blank Space

M.I.A. - Bad Girls vs. Solange - Cranes in the Sky

live fast die young bad girls do it well

Mitski - Your Best American Girl vs. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July

"Your mother wouldn't approve of how my mother raised me" is a great line.

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) vs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City

Connor's heartfelt plea to spare a vote for Kendrick Lamar would be a lot weightier if it seemed likely that he would lose this round; if there's one thing that white people love more than white music, it's showing their appreciation for the rap stylings of Kendrick Lamar. I won't ask anyone for their vote, but my vote for Sprawl II is not just because it's a great song (although it really, really is), but because it's hard to think of anyone who has captured my experiences as a white person as well as Arcade Fire.

The Suburbs is not at all subtle about identifying its subject, which is right there in the name of the album and in the name of this song. Like most posters on this forum, I grew up in the suburbs. By the time I was in high school, when this album came out, I had developed a habit of waiting at night until my parents were asleep and then sneaking out the side door to go on long walks. On those walks I would think about myself and I would think about the suburbs and I would think about The Suburbs; as Régine Chassagne sings on a different song from the album, when I was by myself I could be myself. Aside from the occasional passing car, the only time I ever saw other people on these walks were when I passed by the park; sometimes there I would find the group of high school kids who hung out at the park, most of whom were white (unlike the vast majority of the other students at my high school) and many of whom were my teammates on the football team. I was friendly enough with those kids at practice, but I didn't spend time with them outside of school. Invariably the reason they were congregated at the park was to drink, which certainly in my community marked them out as delinquents. (Don't drink underage, kids, or for that matter at any age.)

Sprawl II is about feeling different from the people around you, the people where you're from. Obviously I felt different from those kids, because I was, but I felt more different from most of the kids who looked like me and populated my AP classes. I didn't hang out with the high achievers outside of school, either. At least with the kids imbibing at Rainbow Park, I had faced a number of them in the Oklahoma drill, so we'd always have that connection. I felt like I had nothing much to say to the kids in my classes who talked about studying EECS at Berkeley or regular CS at MIT and seemed to have nothing at all in the way of intellectual interests. (I mean no offense to the readers of this post who chose to study computer science at Berkeley or MIT.) Nowadays if you look on LinkedIn, most of them call themselves Full Stack Developers or some title I understand less than that and they all work at tech companies in Palo Alto or Redwood City or even the city itself. I never hated the suburbs in the abstract, but when I imagined the future I vaguely imagined myself in some sort of city (maybe Arcade Fire's city, Montreal), probably not making a lot of money because I had negative interest in computer science but living an intellectually rewarding life.

Of course, most of that had very little to do with reality and a lot to do with excessive self-regard. I last saw people from high school two years ago, at my five-year reunion. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to go, but I was home for the holidays and I didn't have anything better to do than go to a bar in Cupertino, so I went. (I later found that this was true of nearly everyone.) The long walks late at night made me especially misanthropic, but most of the time I liked high school. Everyone at the reunion was pleasant, and a surprising number of people were excited to see me, because they were all nice people even if I'm not in contact with any of them at all now. On my own end, despite feeling as if I broke the mold by majoring in a humanities subject, I ended up right back in the family business working as a code monkey, which is to say that in the end I'm not really different. The line in Sprawl II about the city lights calling to come and find your kind doesn't really work. I don't live in the city; in fact, I live in a place that looks a lot more like where Win Butler came from than where he ended up. I can't say that the people I spend time with now are any better or more interesting or more "my kind" than the people I knew when I was in high school; I just met them at a different place in life. (This does not apply to quizbowl people, because all of you are incomparably interesting and special and I love every one of you.)

On another level, though, Sprawl II is about lacking and having agency (this is especially noticeable when paired with Sprawl I, the song that immediately precedes it), and that's the way I connect to it now. It's the idea of being in a place where you can't be told to stop. In another song on the same album, Win Butler sings (to paraphrase slightly) about leaving San Francisco and heading back east to find a livable community, which is a line that puzzled me a bit when I was younger but doesn't now. I never did get away from a sprawl, but eschewing the city lights was a choice that I made. I realized of my own accord that the suburbs offer me the two things I value most in the world: abundant space to walk late at night in silence, and abundant fast food. I don't think that Sprawl II was really ever about having the freedom to decide to live down the street from Taco Bell, but I've just now decided that that's what it means to me.

[Apocolocyntora]

Robyn - Dancing on My Own vs. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me

Perfume Genius - Queen vs. Björk - Stonemilker

Rosalía - Malamente (Cap.1: Augurio) vs. LCD Soundsystem - dance yrself clean

Tame Impala - Let It Happen vs. Grimes - Oblivion

Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky vs. Taylor Swift - Blank Space

M.I.A. - Bad Girls vs. Solange - Cranes in the Sky

Mitski - Your Best American Girl vs. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July
Fourth of July is the best song in this round and quite possibly in the entire bracket.

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) vs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City

[warum]

Robyn - Dancing on My Own vs. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me

Perfume Genius - Queen vs. Björk – Stonemilker

Rosalía - Malamente (Cap.1: Augurio) vs. LCD Soundsystem - dance yrself clean

Tame Impala - Let It Happen vs. Grimes - Oblivion

Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky vs. Taylor Swift - Blank Space

M.I.A. - Bad Girls vs. Solange - Cranes in the Sky

Mitski - Your Best American Girl vs. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) vs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City

[Wartortullian]

Robyn - Dancing on My Own vs. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me

Perfume Genius - Queen vs. Björk - Stonemilker

Rosalía - Malamente (Cap.1: Augurio) vs. LCD Soundsystem - dance yrself clean

Tame Impala - Let It Happen vs. Grimes - Oblivion
Not that I didn't like this song at first, but it's really grown on me over the course of the bracket.

Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky vs. Taylor Swift - Blank Space

M.I.A. - Bad Girls vs. Solange - Cranes in the Sky

Mitski - Your Best American Girl vs. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July
Sufjan bad.

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) vs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City
Pity that the Kendrick pick isn't "Alright."

[A Dim-Witted Saboteur]

Robyn - Dancing on My Own vs. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me

Perfume Genius - Queen vs. Björk - Stonemilker

Rosalía - Malamente (Cap.1: Augurio) vs. LCD Soundsystem - dance yrself clean

Tame Impala - Let It Happen vs. Grimes - Oblivion

Daft Punk (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky vs. Taylor Swift - Blank Space

M.I.A. - Bad Girls vs. Solange - Cranes in the Sky

Mitski - Your Best American Girl vs. Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) vs. Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d. City

You people voted out Video Games; no anecdotes for you