SCORES & UPCOMING GAMES



CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL SCORE: (2) JEFF BUCKLEY 168, (7) Tracy Chapman 159 .......... FINAL FOUR FINAL SCORES: (7) TRACY CHAPMAN 154, (1) Joy Division 90 ..... (2) JEFF BUCKLEY 137, (1) The Cure 89 .......... ELITE EIGHT FINAL SCORES: (1) JOY DIVISION 74, (14) Low 60 ..... (7) TRACY CHAPMAN 85, (1) Elliott Smith 69 ..... THE CURE 65, (2) Radiohead 58 ..... (2) JEFF BUCKLEY 74, (1) Neutral Milk Hotel 44 ..... FINAL SWEET SIXTEEN SCORES: (1) JOY DIVISION 75, (5) PJ Harvey & Nick Cave 24 ..... (14) LOW 73, (2) Concrete Blonde (64) ..... (1) ELLIOTT SMITH 78, (4) Gary Jules 44 ..... (7) TRACY CHAPMAN 74, (6) Kate Bush 53 ..... (1) NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL 54, (13) The Church 49 ..... (2) JEFF BUCKLEY 73, (3) Sinead O’Connor 35 ..... (1) THE CURE 109, (3) Tori Amos 86 ..... (2) RADIOHEAD 76, (6) This Mortal Coil 50 ..... (1) JOY DIVISION 96, (9) Mazzy Star 91 ..... (2) CONCRETE BLONDE 76, (7) Bob Mould 28 ..... (14) LOW 60, (6) Crowded House 51 ..... (5) PJ HARVEY & NICK CAVE 65, (4) Alphaville 38 ..... (1) ELLIOTT SMITH 113, (8) Replacements 88 ..... (6) KATE BUSH 87, (3) Nirvana 64 ..... (7) TRACY CHAPMAN 99, (2) The Eels 62 ..... (3) GARY JULES 103, (12) Morrissey 63 ..... (6) Kate Bush 72, (3) Nirvana 53 ..... (3) SINEAD O'CONNOR 66, (11) Ride 27 ..... (13) THE CHURCH 106, (5) James 44 ..... (2) JEFF BUCKLEY 95, (10) Smashing Pumpkins 40 ..... (1) NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL 80, (9) New Order 56 ..... (2) RADIOHEAD 102, (7) Nine Inch Nails 99 ..... (6) THIS MORTAL COIL 61, (3) Indigo Girls 60 ..... (4) TORI AMOS 89, (5) Swans 40 ..... (1) CURE 82, (8) Tom Waits 68 ............... FINAL 1ST ROUND SCORES: (5) PJ HARVEY & NICK CAVE 93, (12) Midnight Oil 38 ..... (7) BOB MOULD 63, (10) Peter Murphy 47 ..... (1) JOY DIVISION 117, (16) Erasure 19 ..... (6) CROWDED HOUSE 98, (11) Leonard Cohen 54 ..... (7) TRACY CHAPMAN 199, (10) The Smiths 162 ..... (5) MORRISSEY 115, (12) Morphine 83 ..... (3) NIRVANA 137, (14) Slowdive 102 ..... (8) THE REPLACEMENTS 128, (9) Dream Academy 82 ..... (13) THE CHURCH 262, (4) Magnetic Fields 193 ..... (10) SMASHING PUMPKINS 165, (7) Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds 155 ..... (9) NEW ORDER 160, (8) Sarah McLachlan 78 ..... (1) JEFF BUCKLEY 204, (16) Bjork 92 ..... (4) TORI AMOS 78, (13) Echo & the Bunnymen 22 ..... (8) TOM WAITS 72, (9) The Pretenders 22 ..... (6) THIS MORTAL COIL 51, (11) Yaz 31 ..... (3) INDIGO GIRLS 71, (14) Pavement 26 ..... (9) MAZZY STAR 132, (8) REM 46 ..... (2) CONCRETE BLONDE 88, (15) Psychedelic Furs 34 ..... (4) ALPHAVILLE 71, (13) Dead Can Dance 36 ..... (14) LOW 120, (3) U2 65 ..... (1) ELLIOTT SMITH 63, (16) 10,000 Maniacs 24 ..... (2) EELS 50, (15) Counting Crows 46 ..... (4) GARY JULES 62, (13) Depeche Mode 19 ..... (6) KATE BUSH 59, (11) Sisters of Mercy 20 ..... (1) NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL 42, (16) Violent Femmes 12 ..... (11) RIDE 25 (6) Peter Gabriel 24 ..... (3) SINEAD O'CONNOR 37, (14) Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark 17, ..... (5) JAMES 24, (12) Red House Painters 23 ..... (7) NINE INCH NAILS 46, (10) Wilco 31, (5) SWANS 31, (12) Pet Shop Boys 18 ..... (1) THE CURE 50, (16) Gear Daddies 10 ..... (2) RADIOHEAD 40, (15) Liz Phair 35


CURRENT GAMES BELOW — PAST GAMES ARCHIVED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE

Sunday, March 13, 2016

The Second Round: THIS MORTAL COIL vs INDIGO GIRLS

This game offers us the first opportunity to test out some cover-on-cover action (with two other covers still playing in the tournament: Jeff Buckley's version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and Gary Jules' version of "Mad World" by Tears for Fears*). Here we see the 4AD label's all-covers project featuring 2/3 of the Cocteau Twins up against the Indigo Girls. Both these songs are all about the women singing and the lyrics, with very little instrumentation (just guitar, reverbed in "Siren," with less processing in "Romeo") backing them up. That seems right for a sad songs bracket: the human voice is where the ache begins and where all the action happens. Both bands could easily have had their other original songs make the bracket, but the committee found these to be the most affecting, indeed perhaps the two most affecting songs in the entire tournament. One song crushed both committee members. The other simply crushed—and just keeps crushing—only one and finds the other a little mystified by the song's effect.

In judging how great (or sad) a cover version is, we probably need to compare it against its original, since that should give us some objective measure of what the performers found or brought to their versions. So watch/listen to Tim Buckley's 1968 original version (from The Monkees television show). Try out, too, the Dire Straits original version of "Romeo & Juliet." In our view, both are dramatically transformed by the versions here.

The Indigo Girls take a great song that's a little more resigned, with an emphasis on fate (the video certainly overemphasizes this point) into a much more impassioned and personal tragic experience that might just be in a class by itself in the tournament—that is, if you're susceptible to being moved like that, as we are. It's worth noting that almost no one else of note (correct us if we're wrong, please, in the comments) has covered the song since.

It's perhaps notable that there are quite a few other cover versions of "Song to the Siren" by 2016 March Sadness teams Dead Can Dance and Sinead O'Connor, as well as Robert PlantBryan Ferry,  The Czars, John FruscianteGeorge Michael, Amen Dunes, David Gray, and a whole lot more. (These are presented in roughly descending order of quality.) It's worth saying that all these versions are covering the This Mortal Coil version of the song, not the original, which means that TMC found something essential in the song and elevated it. We think that says something about just how much of a game-changer the This Mortal Coil version is. We don't believe it's been surpassed.

These are both towering songs that should have made it to the final four, but they're matched up here, and only one moves on. Personally I find this a wrenching choice, easily the hardest one to make so far, but I lean "Song to the Siren," as I think it surpasses and renders the original almost unlistenable to me. I love the Indigo Girls' version of Romeo & Juliet too, but I can still listen to the Dire Straits' song and think it good. This ought to be a bruiser.

*

For more information on these songs, check out our original coverage of "our original coverage of Song to the Siren" and of "Romeo & Juliet."

* If This Mortal Coil advances, there is a definite possibility we could it up against Tim Buckley's son Jeff Buckley in the national semifinal. Damn would that be a game.

*

(6) This Mortal Coil, "Song to the Siren"



vs

(3) Indigo Girls, "Romeo & Juliet"





Which song's sadder, better? Vote by 9am 3/14

Romeo & Juliet
Song to the Siren
make your own quiz

3 comments:

  1. This one's also brutal. It will be a bit of referendum on beautiful sadness versus ugly/raw sadness (though in both cases the covers carry a bit of the other thing because of the nature of their respective originals).

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  2. I'm not surprised that it's tied up going into halftime: heart's kind of in my throat on this one. Should go down to the wire.

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  3. As you know, the Dire Straits version is the correct one. But Erik and I still capitulate. Romeo and Juliet.

    ReplyDelete