With 38 Years Old the clear choice to be eliminated in Round 5, we are left with two songs to compete for the champion of Up To Here.
Eliminated in Round 1:
Another Midnight
Everytime You Go
Trickle Down
Eliminated in Round 2:
She Didn't Know
When the Weight Comes Down
I'll Believe in You (or I'll be Leaving You Tonight)
Eliminated in Round 3:
Boots or Hearts
Eliminated in Round 4:
Opiated
Eliminated in Round 5:
38 Years Old
Choose the song you think is the weakest on the album from the two remaining. After 48 hours, the song with the most votes will be eliminated and the remaining song will be declared the champion.
Happy voting!
Note - voting will end Friday at 8:11 Eastern.
Shane
Complete toss up for me but I went with NOIS as the weaker link as I think Blow has all members firing and I'm a sucker for a good WOO!
Both 'Blow' and NOIS are of course massive, classic Hip songs. What distinguishes the two, to my mind, is
1. Lyrics.
2. Musical distinctiveness.
On (1), there is no question that NOIS has it all over 'Blow' as a lyric. 'Blow' is not a bad lyric, but it's basically one step above the juvenilia of the EP - lots of somewhat arbitrarily chosen imagery to capture the rather shopworn romantic showbiz theme of the costs of excess. NOIS, by contrast, is a lyric few other acts could have written, mysterious and evocative, and also bubbling over with joy and wit. Otherwise put, it puts forward a highly distinctive lyrical sensibility missing from 'Blow,' which is nothing special as a lyric.
On (2), the *sound* of NOIS - that combo of ominously grinding rhythm guitar and classic, jittery riff - stands out, not only from anything else on the radio, but from anything else in the Hip's catalogue. Add to that Downie's inspired vocal and it's an unforgettable combination. Again, I'm not saying that 'Blow' sounds run-of-the-mill - it too stands out - but it's a more conventional exercise in soft-loud power-chordal excitement.
All told, for my money 'Blow' is a great post-adolescent rave-up, NOIS is by any measure a great, great song and a great track - period.
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This is an incredibly tough decision; I've been waffling on it since I posted the poll and I've been trying to look just at the two songs as they appear on the album as opposed to what they meant to me live or on bootlegs.
I've come to the same conclusion as KWT; while I love Gord's bass line (who doesn't) on Blow, it is mostly just a straight ahead power chord with great fills as far as song structure while NOIS is much more guitar driven but less formulaic. Similarly, while the lyrics for Blow are fun, they aren't at the same level as NOIS.
Two great songs; love listening to and playing both songs and choosing between them was really tough.
Shane
gsmacleod Wrote:This is an incredibly tough decision; I've been waffling on it since I posted the poll and I've been trying to look just at the two songs as they appear on the album as opposed to what they meant to me live or on bootlegs.
I've come to the same conclusion as KWT; while I love Gord's bass line (who doesn't) on Blow, it is mostly just a straight ahead power chord with great fills as far as song structure while NOIS is much more guitar driven but less formulaic. Similarly, while the lyrics for Blow are fun, they aren't at the same level as NOIS.
Two great songs; love listening to and playing both songs and choosing between them was really tough.
Shane
Can I change my vote??????
ikky99 Wrote:Can I change my vote??????
Sorry, didn't enable that option.
Shane
for the record, this exercise will be impossible when we get to DFN.
mark Wrote:for the record, this exercise will be impossible when we get to DFN.
It will happen before then. Road Apples and FC will be just as brutal.
mark Wrote:for the record, this exercise will be impossible when we get to DFN.
I have been dreading round 3 of DFN for the past week, lol. The first round will be like choosing one of the noisy kids from down the street to throw out of the lifeboat, but the 3rd round will be WHICH ONE OF YOUR 6 CHILDREN ARE YOU GOING TO THROW OVERBOARD
potsie Wrote:mark Wrote:for the record, this exercise will be impossible when we get to DFN.
It will happen before then. Road Apples and FC will be just as brutal.
The first round , or two, of RA will be ok. But then it gets tough
It's tied 15-15!!!!!!!!! When does the voting end?
And we have a champion; New Orleans is Sinking edges out Blow at High Dough for the best song on Up To Here!
Shane
Thank goodness. I was worried for a while there...
That was too close for comfort