Unacclaimed III Group Stage, Week 4

[whuntva]

Here's next week. I'm only half awake right now, so I'll keep it short.

Vote 1-4, with four points going to the top, 1 to the bottom. Top Two advance and ties broken by #1 votes.

You are allowed to skip group. Comments encouraged but not required.

Voting closes at 11: 59 pm UTC on Oct. 30


FRANZ LISZT GROUP
Sufjan Stevens-Djohariah
The Kinks-This is Where I Belong
Nicholas Jaar-With Just One Glance You
Ellie Goulding-Lights

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF GROUP
Shiina Ringo-Souretsu ("Funeral")
Seatbelts/Yoko Kanno-Tank!
Beach House-Master of None
Acid Mothers Temple-La Novia

[ordinaryperson]

FRANZ LISZT GROUP
1. Nicolas Jaar- With Just One Glance You
2. Ellie Goulding- Lights
3. The Kinks- This Is Where I Belong
4. Sufjan Stevens- Djohariah

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF GROUP
1. Seatblets/Yoko Kanno- Tank!
2. Shiin Ringo- Souretsu ("Funeral")
3. Beach House- Master of None
4. Acid Mothers Temple- La Novia


See You Space Cowboy ...

[Romain]

"The kinks - Face to Face" unacclaimed? All time rank : 637

Maybe we have to check wich songs are really unacclaimed ?

Or I missing something?

[Romain]

I play like the Kinks are elligible.

Sufjan Stevens- Djohariah
Nicolas Jaar- With Just One Glance You
The Kinks- This Is Where I Belong
Ellie Goulding- Lights

Seatblets/Yoko Kanno- Tank!
Beach House- Master of None
Shiin Ringo- Souretsu ("Funeral")
Acid Mothers Temple- La Novia

I love this game so much, once again two songs here are incredible and new for me. Thanks folks.

[phil]

Great selection this week.

FRANZ LISZT GROUP
1. Nicholas Jaar-With Just One Glance You
2. Sufjan Stevens-Djohariah
3. The Kinks-This is Where I Belong
4. Ellie Goulding-Lights

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF GROUP
1. Seatbelts/Yoko Kanno-Tank!
2. Shiina Ringo-Souretsu ("Funeral")
3. Beach House-Master of None
4. Acid Mothers Temple-La Novia

[DaveC]

"The kinks - Face to Face" unacclaimed? All time rank : 637

Maybe we have to check wich songs are really unacclaimed ?

Or I missing something?

'This is where I belong' was not on Face to Face, but was added as a bonus track in the 1998 re-issue. I think it was first released on the Mister Pleasant EP in 1967.

[Chilton]

"The kinks - Face to Face" unacclaimed? All time rank : 637

Maybe we have to check wich songs are really unacclaimed ?

Or I missing something?

"This Is Where I Belong" was only a bonus track on the 1998 and 2004 reissues of "Face to Face", so I guess it's eligible?

Edit: What DaveC said, basically

[Bang Jan]

Turns out the place I am at has Internet but only in certain areas. Anyway, here are my votes.

FRANZ LISZT GROUP
The Kinks-This is Where I Belong
Sufjan Stevens-Djohariah
Nicholas Jaar-With Just One Glance You
Ellie Goulding-Lights

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF GROUP
Shiina Ringo-Souretsu ("Funeral")
Acid Mothers Temple-La Novia
Beach House-Master of None
Seatbelts/Yoko Kanno-Tank!

[Romain]

"The kinks - Face to Face" unacclaimed? All time rank : 637

Maybe we have to check wich songs are really unacclaimed ?

Or I missing something?

"This Is Where I Belong" was only a bonus track on the 1998 and 2004 reissues of "Face to Face", so I guess it's eligible?

Edit: What DaveC said, basically

Thanks guys !

[Nassim]

FRANZ LISZT GROUP
Nicholas Jaar-With Just One Glance You
Ellie Goulding-Lights
The Kinks-This is Where I Belong
Sufjan Stevens-Djohariah

Very close group, nothing stands out, neither in a positive nor in a negative way

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF GROUP
Seatbelts/Yoko Kanno-Tank!
Shiina Ringo-Souretsu ("Funeral")
Acid Mothers Temple-La Novia
Beach House-Master of None

Japan Group ! Tank! is a classic among anime lovers, I'd even say it is THE classic pretty much all of them when cite when talking about OST, and for good reason. Never got into Cowboy Bebop, but that song stuck with me (but no, I didn't nominate it )
Souretsu is gorgeous too, would have won the other group hands down.
Is the version of La Novia on youtube normal ? The transitions between sections of the song seems odd.
All Beach House soungs sound the same to me, nice but utimately not memorable, and this is no exception.

[jamieW]

FRANZ LISZT GROUP
Ellie Goulding-Lights
Sufjan Stevens-Djohariah
Nicholas Jaar-With Just One Glance You
The Kinks-This is Where I Belong

As a pop fan, when I’ve complained in the past about some of the artists the critics have acclaimed (Swift, Cyrus, Jepsen) while ignoring others, “Lights” would be a good example of one of the songs I thought deserved more attention. Since I think it’s one of the better pop songs of the past several years, I’m picking it ever-so-slightly over great songs by Sufjan and Jaar. (The Kinks are fine, as always, but the other three feel fresher to me. I should also admit that, after all my support for “Lights,” it is the only Goulding song I’ve ever liked!)

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF GROUP
Shiina Ringo-Souretsu ("Funeral")
Beach House-Master of None
Acid Mothers Temple-La Novia
Seatbelts/Yoko Kanno-Tank!

“Souretsu,” a song I’ve known for a few years now, is easily my favorite of the week (and may end up as my favorite of the entire tournament). I love everything about it, from the moody instrumentation to Shiina’s remarkable voice. I’m usually not the biggest Beach House fan, but I do really like “Master of None.” I also enjoyed the trippy “La Novia” and the jazzy “Tank!” In fact, this was the first week so far that I’ve liked all eight songs.

(Note: Apparently, the license-holder for “Tank!” has made all YouTube videos unavailable in my region. Since there were so many of them, I was hoping they missed one. But (other than live and abbreviated versions) it seems they went through them all with a Prince-like zeal. I did find it on SoundCloud, and provided the link for anyone else facing the same problem (and so the nominator can makes sure this is the correct version).

https://soundcloud.com/redfenix-1/the-seatbelts-tank

[luney6]

Is the version of La Novia on youtube normal ? The transitions between sections of the song seems odd.

It is the live version, although the starting is similar. I have the studio version, but it is not available on youtube. However the whole album is available on youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28IlBe9GqXU. I'm not entirely sure how long the song is though, because it is hard to tell when it changes, and the track lengths aren't given anywhere on the internet (at least I haven't been able to find them). This version is a lot noisier quieter than the studio version.

Or, if need be should I change my selection?

I'm sorry for the confusion I've caused. I hadn't seen the link before, and didn't know that the studio version was unavailable on youtube.

[BleuPanda]

FRANZ LISZT GROUP
Sufjan Stevens-Djohariah
Ellie Goulding-Lights
Nicholas Jaar-With Just One Glance You
The Kinks-This is Where I Belong

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF GROUP
Seatbelts/Yoko Kanno-Tank!
Acid Mothers Temple-La Novia
Shiina Ringo-Souretsu ("Funeral")
Beach House-Master of None

[whuntva]

LISZT GROUP

Ellie Goulding-Lights
Nicholas Jaar-With Just One Glance You
Kinks-This is Where I Belong
Sufjan Stevens-Djohariah

"Lights" wins basically by default, as this group gave no real excitement. I'm actually surprised "Lights" is unacclaimed, as I remember it being fairly popular.

Jaar gave a decent performance. Downbeat and slow, it at least mildly piqued my interest.

"Djohariah" was not bad, but took forever just to get started. If the song were five minutes shorter, maybe I'd be more forgiving.

RACHMANINOFF GROUP

Seatbelts-Tank!
Beach House-Master of None
Shiina Ringo-Souretsu ("Funeral")
Acid Mothers Temple-La Novia

The one who nominated "Tank!" probably had my favorite overall list. It warms my heart to see one of my favorite anime themes on here.

Liked all of these fine except "La Novia". I normally like post-rock, if you could call it that, but it didn't pull me in at all.

[spiritualized]

FRANZ LISZT GROUP
Ellie Goulding-Lights
Nicholas Jaar-With Just One Glance You
Sufjan Stevens-Djohariah
The Kinks-This is Where I Belong

I found the Kinks track really sub-par, whilst Ellie Goulding's Lights is by far the catchiest of all. Although a fan of Sufjan, Djoharjah is far too long and drones incessantly with a tune which isn't that nice....

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF GROUP
Shiina Ringo-Souretsu ("Funeral")
Acid Mothers Temple-La Novia
Seatbelts/Yoko Kanno-Tank!
Beach House-Master of None

[Honorio]

Liszt group:
3. Sufjan Stevens - Djohariah (2010)
4. The Kinks - This Is Where I Belong (1967)
5. Ellie Goulding - Lights (2010)
7. Nicolas Jaar - With Just One Glance You (2012)

Rachmaninoff group:
1. Seatbelts - Tank! (1998)
2. 椎名林檎 (Shiina Ringo) - 葬列 (Sōretsu) (2006)
6. Acid Mothers Temple and The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. - La Nòvia (2000)
8. Beach House - Master of None (2006)

[sonofsamiam]

Liszt group:
4. The Kinks - This Is Where I Belong (1967)
5. Ellie Goulding - Lights (2010)
6. Nicolas Jaar - With Just One Glance You (2012)
8. Sufjan Stevens - Djohariah (2010)

Rachmaninoff group:
1. 椎名林檎 (Shiina Ringo) - 葬列 (Sōretsu) (2003)

This track is actually from 2003, and it's a shame the brilliant studio version can't be found on YouTube. I will seek it out more, because the album version is mindblowing. (Not that the live version is bad, mind.) She's the Japanese Bjork you know.

2. Seatbelts - Tank! (1998)
3. Acid Mothers Temple and The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. - La Nòvia (2000)
7. Beach House - Master of None (2006)

[DaveC]

FRANZ LISZT GROUP
Nicholas Jaar-With Just One Glance You
Sufjan Stevens-Djohariah
Ellie Goulding-Lights
The Kinks-This is Where I Belong

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF GROUP
Shiina Ringo-Souretsu ("Funeral")
Acid Mothers Temple and The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. - La Nòvia
Seatbelts/Yoko Kanno-Tank!
Beach House-Master of None

Didn't ever expect to put Beach House at the bottom of a list, don't expect to do it again.

[Krurze]

Unfortunately didn't find the time to participate last week.

FRANZ LISZT GROUP
Sufjan Stevens-Djohariah
Nicholas Jaar-With Just One Glance You
The Kinks-This is Where I Belong
Ellie Goulding-Lights

Probably my favourite group until now. I think Djohariah might actually be moderately acclaimed if it would have been included on a more high-profile Stevens release. And I admit that it is hard for me to judge "Lights" objectively because it has been so overplayed on German radio.

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF GROUP
Acid Mothers Temple-La Novia
Beach House-Master of None
Seatbelts/Yoko Kanno-Tank!
Shiina Ringo-Souretsu ("Funeral")

This group wasn't for me that much. Acid Mothers Temple's exemplary psychedelic excursion takes the cake.

[bonnielaurel]

FRANZ LISZT GROUP
1. Ellie Goulding- Lights
2. Sufjan Stevens- Djohariah
3. Nicolas Jaar- With Just One Glance You
4. The Kinks- This Is Where I Belong

"Lights" by Ellie Goulding's is one of the most arousing dance tracks of the past five years. The lyrics are a bit mysterious: she feels depressed, but someone she calls "you" gives her hope. "You show the lights that stop me from turning into stone" would be the full sentence.

Sufjan Stevens sings about his sister who was abused by her partner. It's long and repetitive, but has a beautiful sound. Some of the lyrics are hard to explain: "the backseat driver in the carpetbagger", "the yard is grown to a hilt".

Nicolas Jaar sounds minimalist, a bit monotonous, although the electronic sound is good.

The song by The Kinks sounds like a B-side. He sings it a bit out of tune.

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF GROUP
1. Beach House- Master of None
2. Shiin Ringo- Souretsu ("Funeral")
3. Seatbelts/Yoko Kanno- Tank!
4. Acid Mothers Temple- La Novia

Beach House's style is called dream pop. The warm electronic sound reminds me a little of trip hop. The lyrics are about a man who had a lot of short affairs, but ends up alone.

Shiina Ringo has a voice I have to get used to, and it's a weird combination of styles. She does bring it with conviction.

Seatbelts sounds like a jazzy/bluesy television tune.

Acid Mothers Temple is an eclectic potpourri. The beginning sounds like Tibetan monks, but then it jumps from one style to another.

[Honorio]

1. 椎名林檎 (Shiina Ringo) - 葬列 (Sōretsu) (2003)

This track is actually from 2003, and it's a shame the brilliant studio version can't be found on YouTube. I will seek it out more, because the album version is mindblowing. (Not that the live version is bad, mind.) She's the Japanese Bjork you know.

Yes, I know, the original studio version is from 2003 but the live version was recorded in 2006 (although not released in audio format until 2012). I wrote 2006 because I though the nominated version was the live version. But I found in You Tube the original studio version but sadly with an abrupt ending missing the last (noisy) 25 seconds. Sonofsamiam, I agree, the studio version is better. In fact if the originally nominated version was the studio one I want to change my votes on the Rachmaninoff bracket to put Shiina on #1. Please whuntva consider this ones my new votes:
Rachmaninoff group:
1. 椎名林檎 (Shiina Ringo) - 葬列 (Sōretsu) (2003)
2. Seatbelts - Tank! (1998)
6. Acid Mothers Temple and The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. - La Nòvia (2000)
8. Beach House - Master of None (2006)

[sonofsamiam]

1. 椎名林檎 (Shiina Ringo) - 葬列 (Sōretsu) (2003)

This track is actually from 2003, and it's a shame the brilliant studio version can't be found on YouTube. I will seek it out more, because the album version is mindblowing. (Not that the live version is bad, mind.) She's the Japanese Bjork you know.

Yes, I know, the original studio version is from 2003 but the live version was recorded in 2006 (although not released in audio format until 2012). I wrote 2006 because I though the nominated version was the live version. But I found in You Tube the original studio version but sadly with an abrupt ending missing the last (noisy) 25 seconds. Sonofsamiam, I agree, the studio version is better. In fact if the originally nominated version was the studio one I want to change my votes on the Rachmaninoff bracket to put Shiina on #1. Please whuntva consider this ones my new votes:
Rachmaninoff group:
1. 椎名林檎 (Shiina Ringo) - 葬列 (Sōretsu) (2003)
2. Seatbelts - Tank! (1998)
6. Acid Mothers Temple and The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. - La Nòvia (2000)
8. Beach House - Master of None (2006)

Yep, I should have mentioned it was my nomination, so the studio version is what I intended.

[notbrianeno]

FRANZ LISZT GROUP
Sufjan Stevens-Djohariah
Nicholas Jaar-With Just One Glance You
Ellie Goulding-Lights
The Kinks-This is Where I Belong

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF GROUP
Beach House-Master of None
Seatbelts/Yoko Kanno-Tank!
Acid Mothers Temple-La Novia
Shiina Ringo-Souretsu ("Funeral")

[Maschine_Man]

FRANZ LISZT GROUP
1. Nicholas Jaar-With Just One Glance You
2. Ellie Goulding-Lights
3. The Kinks-This is Where I Belong
4. Sufjan Stevens-Djohariah

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF GROUP
1. Seatblets/Yoko Kanno- Tank!
2. Beach House- Master of None
3. Shiin Ringo- Souretsu ("Funeral")
4. Acid Mothers Temple- La Novia

[acroamor]

FRANZ LISZT GROUP
Sufjan Stevens-Djohariah
Truly epic. I'd heard this once before this game but didn't really gain an appreciation for it until hearing it here.
Nicholas Jaar-With Just One Glance You
Tonally masterful. Perfectly treads the line between a classic jazz and modern electronic sound.
Ellie Goulding-Lights
Good song, bad artist.
The Kinks-This is Where I Belong
I was underwhelmed by this song, even though I'm a big Kinks fan.

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF GROUP
Easily my favorite group of the tournament so far. I wish all four of these songs could make it through.

Seatbelts/Yoko Kanno-Tank!
A favorite of mine since middle school, one of the most thrilling pieces from start to finish that I've heard. Perfect.
Acid Mothers Temple-La Novia
I have no idea what these people were on when they recorded this, but I am sure glad they were.
Shiina Ringo-Souretsu ("Funeral")
I expected this piece to play out as a conventional ballad and was glad to find it taking a number of unexpected left turns.
Beach House-Master of None
Beach House at their conventional best, very pretty, very soothing, but not as bold as their competitors here.

[Sweepstakes Ron]

LISZT:
1. Lights - This song was popular during my period when I thought that constantly listening to top 40 radio was a good idea. It holds up MUCH better than most of its contemporaries.
2. With Just One Glance You - We're chillin' with the chillest of vibes here.
3. Djohariah - Xpcveaoqfoxso
4. This Is Where I Belong - The Kinks give do their alrightest.

RACHMANINOFF:
1. Souretsu - Simply amazing art pop. I need more!
2. Tank! - My sister has a habit of constantly listening to theme songs of anime she hasn't actually watched. I'm the type of person who tends to skip the theme song after episode 1, so the fact that a this jam of a theme song even exists is a blessing.
3. Master of None - Nice dreamy sound, but comparing this to the stuff on Teen Dream shows that the band still had much evolving to do at this time.
4. La Novia - Why do I keep getting roped into this...

[whuntva]

Last call! This week is really close!

[luney6]

I haven't had a lot of time this week, and therefore I am a little late with my scores.

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF GROUP

Acid Mothers Temple-La Novia - Considering that we're counting the studio version, because, the live version isn't as good, and would probably place a few spots lower.

Beach House-Master of None - I, surprisingly, like this more than a lot of Beach House's other output. It sounds more dreamy, and unorganized.

Seatbelts/Yoko Kanno-Tank! - It is nice, and catchy to an extent, but it doesn't sound very original.

Shiina Ringo-Souretsu ("Funeral") - I haven't been able to find the studio version, unfortunately, but this version isn't all that bad. The studio version appears to promise to be more promising. But I actually liked all the other tracks in this group as well, so I decided to put this at the bottom.

[luney6]

FRANZ LISZT GROUP

The Kinks-This is Where I Belong - This song is actually really good. It is like the general 60s rock format, but more rugged, and better done. I like this quite a lot.

Sufjan Stevens-Djohariah - I have always liked Sufjan Stevens, and this one sounds really good, actually.

Nicholas Jaar-With Just One Glance You - It's good, but sounds too much like generic dance music at times.

Ellie Goulding-Lights - It's catchy, but sounds too much like a ringtone would. Ellie Goulding's vocals aren't bad, but they don't suit the music very well. The track could be better, but it seems like something about the music is done wrong, possibly the beats, or the bass.

[Chilton]

FRANZ LISZT GROUP
1. Sufjan Stevens - Djohariah
3. Nicholas Jaar - With Just One Glance You
5. Ellie Goulding - Lights
6. The Kinks - This is Where I Belong

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF GROUP
2. Acid Mothers Temple - La Novia
4. Seatbelts/Yoko Kanno - Tank!
7. Beach House - Master of None
8. Shiina Ringo - Souretsu ("Funeral")

[Brad]

FRANZ LISZT GROUP
1. Sufjan Stevens-Djohariah
2. Nicholas Jaar-With Just One Glance You
3. The Kinks-This is Where I Belong
4. Ellie Goulding-Lights

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF GROUP
1. Shiina Ringo-Souretsu ("Funeral")
2. Seatbelts/Yoko Kanno-Tank!
3. Acid Mothers Temple-La Novia
4. Beach House-Master of None

Thanks!

[whuntva]

I should probably mention before we close that Bang Jan PMed me votes in advance.

FRANZ LISZT GROUP
The Kinks-This is Where I Belong
Sufjan Stevens-Djohariah
Nicholas Jaar-With Just One Glance You
Ellie Goulding-Lights

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF GROUP
Shiina Ringo-Souretsu ("Funeral")
Acid Mothers Temple-La Novia
Beach House-Master of None
Seatbelts/Yoko Kanno-Tank!

This week was actually close enough to warrant a recount. So keep this ballot in mind if you decide to help me.

[BleuPanda]

Does that matter since Bang Jan actually voted?

[whuntva]

Oh.

Silly me, just disregard that post, then. The advance votes don't matter.

I actually have to recount my recount since I recounted that ballot twice.

[whuntva]

Either way, the winners of both groups were super close. One seems more decisive than the other, though.

[whuntva]

Alright. I recounted THRICE with a possible margin of error of +/- one vote.

LISZT GROUP
Nicholas Jaar-With Just One Glance You (60, 5)
Sufjan Stevens-Djohariah (59, 8)
---
Ellie Goulding-Lights (51, 5)
The Kinks-This is Where I Belong (40, 3)

This was the closest group in Unacclaimed history. Only on the last recount did Jaar win.

Miss Goulding was actually in a position to advance, but she couldn't keep up with the main two.


RACHMANINOFF GROUP
Seatbelts-Tank! (62, 8)
Shiina Ringo-Soretsu "Funeral" (58, 8)
---
Acid Mothers Temple-La Novia (47, 3)
Beach House-Master of None (44, 2)

Sometimes Shiina led, sometimes she didn't. Regardless, "Tank!" got the most total points this week. The other two never really stood a chance.