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Like the previous round, I just made running comments as I went, so below are those unedited comments. Note: when you get to the first song from Daria, you might want to also read the note I made with the 2nd song for explanation on the rankings.
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"Killer Tofu" - The Beets
www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7c3bQQmwVEHaha! Nice! I did NOT expect that one (and isn’t what this round was all about?). Good choice. I’m by far not the biggest Doug fan on these boards, but that was sweet! Well done.
"School of Rock" - The School of Rock
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgtHH4MXw1AJack Black gets on my nerves more than make me happy or laugh. I definitely get his appeal, but it’s not for me. I think his contributions to music are a little overhyped, so I didn’t love this pick. I don’t see any problem with it, but I find it a little bit lacking.
"Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" - The Blues Brothers
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCTJeT2i9QUAh yes, one of the “fake band” staples. There’s a reason why this 20-plus year old duo still bubbles up in pop culture today, there’s no denying it. They never made me jump for joy like some, but there’s simply no denying their appeal and popularity.
"Freakin' Friends" - Mystik Spiral
rutube.ru/tracks/432969.html?v=ad8a7a2234fdb82d32d232e284c429c6Haha once again! Where did you pull this from?! Wow! Now that’s called a “nostalgia pop!” I need to step away from scoring for a few minutes after this is done so that I don’t inflate the scores on this one. (In case you haven’t figured it out by now, great pick!)
"Fright Flight: - Milkcan
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQXQdANfjL0Another very solid pick in terms of originality. I would have never guessed I would see this song in this round. It’s now official at this point—I think this may be the dark horse round of the entire competition (much in the way “Country Week” was in the last game). Don’t get frustrated if this doesn’t top my charts; you should be pleased with a well thought-out pick here. There are just some absolute winners out there I have to choose from already and I’m not even through the list yet.
i2i" - Powerline
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9egDNv987DUYou definitely did the right thing in seeking the nostalgic value here. This round is already so stacked with mark-out moments right now that I’m not so sure this particular one stacks up for me. You’re definitely on the right track with this, and I wish I could give you more booster points that I’m giving. It’s just the nature of the round in this case. Still, good work. Fun fact: did you know “i2i” is an underwater telecommunications cable that connects southwest Asia to southeast Asia? I wonder if that’s where the “band” here got their name; makes you think and give props for a set of clever writers if that’s the case.
"Every Dog Has Its Day" - Mystik Spiral
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3NxQWaNny8Ok, a little bit of “ouch” here. Going in order of the songs the way they’re given to me, I have to state a little bit of an unfortunate blunder here. When the same artist is picked in the same round . . . I’m sorry, that just hurts originality points. When I was hosting, I tried to make sure the 2nd entry knew to pick a different artist, and even then, I remember a contestant refusing to change the artist. The fact that Mystik Spiral is picked twice in the same round takes a little bit of edge away from both this pick AND the one already used (which I think is the better of the two selections by a long shot).
"Soul Man" - The Blues Brothers
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnaSRhMB_qoMaybe I should just copy and paste what I just wrote. I’m sure these could have been accidents, but originality is part of the contest, so had you picked another artist with mass awesomeness, you and the other Blues Brothers contestant would have probably reaped higher rewards. It’s been policy of mine since the first WC Idol not to reward duplicity in this competition, and I’d be a hypocrite not to abide by it now. In fairness, I’m not sure if you were told that you might want to pick another artist or not. Also in fairness, however, this song is probably the most overplayed and worn of any possible selection in this particular category.
"On The Dark Side" - Eddie & The Cruisers
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmf8rZfGTKQWinner! Just … winner! Mystik Spiral was seriously going to make a run at #1 this week, but given the duplicate and now this gem, nuh uh. Eddie and the Cruisers for the win! I love it, and you deserve the top slot for this one! Keep up the good work, whoever this is!
"Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight" - Spinal Tap
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySIMlfLQUe4It was just a matter of time before we ran into Spinal Tap. I don’t know if that bodes well or not, since it’s a little predictable. Then again, so were The Blues Brothers. On the larger scale, I think the first Blues Brothers song probably carries a little more weight in my opinion. Iconic moment and iconic “fake” band though. I will NOT take that away from you, that’s for sure. I thought it was a great pick.
Timmy and the Lords of the Underworld" - Timmy and the Lords of the Underworld
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0enGOga5zJEOk, here comes the comment, and I humbly await the backlash. This song and concept defines overrated for me. This isn’t a knock on South Park as a whole (because it CAN be funny), but this is one of those examples of trying too hard (or not trying hard enough, I’m not sure which).
I, like Widow’s Peak, am very surprised that one artist didn’t make the list. It’s the first one I thought of when the category was revealed. I won’t say who it is, because I know for certain that the artist has been at least discussed in the past in this game and might still pop up actually. To be honest, I’m not all that disappointed that who I’m thinking of wasn’t used; it’s actually a relief more than anything, because I was certain (or so I thought) who would go for it.
On an additional note, there are probably a dozen or more others that immediately jumped to mind when I saw the category that weren’t used. Don’t worry, I think some of you surpassed those “bands” or “artists” that came to mind, but I just hope there isn’t any negativity about the round being difficult or anything of the sort. My first instinct was that this round would flop, but you all did a good job for the most part (even though I'm reeling back a little bit after working my way through the list that this might be the "dark horse" round of the competition), and even at that—like I said—there are several other good prospects that went unnoticed. So, good choice of round as well, THE Baldy Kendrick.
My rankings (after adjusting for the duplicity factor):
1. "On The Dark Side" - Eddie & The Cruisers
2. "Killer Tofu" - The Beets
3. "Freakin' Friends" - Mystik Spiral (would have been higher if not for duplication)
4. Fright Flight: - Milkcan
5. "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" - The Blues Brothers
6. "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight" - Spinal Tap
7. “i2i" - Powerline
8. "School of Rock" - The School of Rock
9. "Every Dog Has Its Day" - Mystik Spiral
10. "Soul Man" - The Blues Brothers
11. Timmy and the Lords of the Underworld" - Timmy and the Lords of the Underworld
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Just an observation I want to tag here: it took judges almost no time from the moment Kendrick sent us the picks to listen to 10 different songs, rank them, send them in, and then for our host to post the results. This game doesn't have to be frustratingly long if our contestants will simply check the thread at least every other day and get ONE song choice in when they see the new round posted. It's j-u-s-t one song choice; I don't think it takes three days to PM one song in. Sorry to be "parental," but I know from experience that people's interest and patience get tested because one or two people "slow roll."
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