The Final CHAOS - S3 - neige 8 - fange 8

[osgood]

A - Shelagh McDonald – Liz’s Song

B - Sun Ra - Where Pathways Meet

[bungo the mungo]

ffs another jazz selection, and another with a 'funky' groove. it's like killing two birds with one stone. this one does go off the rails too much for my taste.

fortunately, 'liz's song' is a favourite so i don't need to give this tie too much thought.

A

[~ / % ? *]

both good

A

for now

[Deleted]

A's vocal was very Joni in its mannerisms, but strangely seemed to acquire more of its own character as the song continued. This isn't pure olde worlde folk, so may fuck off the purists, it has pop elements such as the backing vocals, but that's what I liked about it. Best folk pick of the competition, really enjoyed it.

I've never quite understood the fuss around Sun Ra and I've been trying with him since the early 90s! Too much of his stuff sounds like a drunk Salvation Army band. This was one of the better things I've heard from him, but still lost its way towards the end.

A

[Crunchy Col]

A was charming, but I'd have preferred it with just the voice and the guitar - the backing vox are an unwelcome distractione

The Sun Ra thing sounds like KOJAK incidental music and I can't be arsed with it

A

[toomanyhatz]

Two interesting characters whose biographies are as engaging as the actual music.

Like with a lot of jazz eccentrics, once you get used to Sun Ra's way of doing things, he's really not all that weird. But his music is spirited and unique, and imbued with personality, even so.

Same can be said for A, of course, but it's not lacking for votes, so I'm going B for now, mostly because I think it should be closer. Might be my favorite match of the final, in fact.

Usual caveat of reserving the right to change my mind, but these are both good picks. Shame they have to go against each other considering some of the other crap put forth.

[fearlessfreap]

I don't like folk -- not in the least. I do like Sonny Blount, however, and Lanquidity is one of my favorite albums of all time. B

[rayge]

Voice is a ringer for Song to Seagull Joni, with that hiccuping pitch. It's Ok, but ultimately it's all a bit lightweight – as was she, if she's sticking to her wikipedia story that one differently good trip sent her into a 40-year death spiral. Ruined her voice? Pull the other one, dearie.

Sun Ra was on hippiedrill's shortlist, but what I really like form him are his three-minute poppy and doo-woppy singles - most of which, it turns out, were released under other names not beginning with S. I actually listened to this, which is more than I did with any of the jazz picks in the group stages. Basically I feel that, as anhedonia strikes, and I find the prospect of listening to music of any kind less and less appealing, long jazz pieces, especially from the last Sixties years or so, can just fuck right off; I never understood modern jazz (Fifties or later), or improvisation, and while the odd track manages to make a direct connection, most of them are just difficult texts in a foreign language that I have neither the skill nor the will to decipher: it's the same problem I have with most classical music, and - for different reasons - with reggae and dub. There was the odd, brief, pleasant noise in this, but it's basically formless honking and tinkling to my ears. Some people love it, and that's cool, but me, no thanks, sorry.

Can't vote for either of these, sorry.

[sloopjohnc]

B

[morgan]

A was great, so is the rest of the album, it's little wonder she disappeared for forty years, the music industry appears to be a shit place at the best of times. I really can't bear to talk about B.

A

[DayoRemix]

UGH...Was trying not to abstain in the finals, but geez..Neither does anything for me..I'll come back to this..

[osgood]

Sorry but A was not for me. I found the melody uninspired and her voice didn't help.

B had a strange effect on me, I found its interest growing as it went on getting more atonal, which is something that usually puts me off. Played it twice to better grasp it and the second listen was even more rewarding. An excellent ending to the cup for yours truly

B

[DarknessFish]

I've had the Gather in the Mushrooms comp on the stereo a few times this week, without seeing that this was being used in the cup. It's really strange to hear something I've heard recently and regularly being used in a cup, it threw me a bit. Lovely track, it doesn't need those pop backing vocals, but they're also not intrusive enough to mar it in anyway.

I'll give the Sun Ra pick a listen while it's the last tie of the cup. The clumsy naivete of the band is quite charming in a Maher Shalal Hash Baz way, although obviously not quite as formless, fumbly fun, but it's always good to hear a bit of looseness and freedom. Not a bad tie to end the cup on, folk vs freedom, there hasn't been enough of either in this cup.

A

[Sneelock]

the first one is simply lovely. what a nice voice. Sun Ra is like the Grateful Dead. they are frequentlywalking a tightrope but they never quite fall off. I think it's a good trick. B

[fange]

Sept 15, 2021 22:06:38 GMT Sneelock said:

the first one is simply lovely. what a nice voice. Sun Ra is like the Grateful Dead. they are frequentlywalking a tightrope but they never quite fall off. I think it's a good trick.

Couldn't say it any better, cheers Snee. Lovely tie.


B