Edward James

• shea nowicki +1
• Sam Ary +1
• fionmul 0 — Kinda goes off -- something about Russian rap. In the end was won over
• Edward James 0 — I hope these boys have made it through the Russian invasion alright
• Claire 0 — Umm…interesting. Beat had me bobbing my head a little but I feel without knowing the lyrics I’m not really “getting” this song
• Joseph Harvey 0 — Can the Russians not sing in tune
• judd.baker -1 — I just did not enjoy this at all, with apologies to the submitter

• Sam Ary +1
• Regina Scime +1
• fionmul 0 — Not egregious enough even for him. Also lol because I knew this was on the playlist but I was listening to Noah before I started this and then got confused when he came back on.
• Claire 0 — Eh, I imagine it annoys him, but feels too mainstream
• judd.baker 0 — Noah Kahan feels too easy
• Joseph Harvey -1 — This is a nice, competently written song that hooked my attention and kept it. Nice attempts at ragebait with the weed and Covid references
• shea nowicki -1

• ared56 +1
• SamRobertsND +1
• judd.baker +1
• Edward James 0 — I know this is Irish, but side note - Jake Xerxes Fussell is discovering/documenting forgotten American folk music in a way no one has done since the 70s, American gem
• Claire 0 — No shade to St Brendan but I find this one kinda corny

• judd.baker +1 — Avicii is a diagnostic specimen of the millennialcore genre. Much like Clarity, this instantly transports me to a time and place
• Regina Scime +1
• shea nowicki +1
• Peter Seeley 0 — This is the millennial equivalent of Bolero. Ravel would be proud
• Claire 0 — Maybe I’m a hater but the full version feels too long and kinda disunified to me. Still such an iconic melody

• ared56 +2
• Claire +1 — A song that birthed a new word that has become a cultural mainstay. Shakespearean really
• Joseph Harvey +1 — Seems fitting for our parasocial era
• judd.baker +1
• Peter Seeley 0 — Reminds me of how my fifth graders would

• ared56 +2
• judd.baker +1 — Five stars. One of the best tracks on a phenomenal album, and this is just what falling in love *sounds* like. It’s not enough for the song to be “about” falling in love, there is a certain cadence that just captures the feeling and the movement of falling in love. This is it
• Edward James 0 — Just sublime. This whole album is a masterpiece.

• ared56 +1
• SamRobertsND +1
• shea nowicki +1
• judd.baker +1 — Thank you for the reminder that I need to listen to more Black Keys, I like most everything I’ve heard. Lyrically this is exactly the kind of thing that makes this category so fun and interesting to me
• Joseph Harvey 0 — Aggressively mediocre
• Claire -1 — This might be me misunderstanding the song, but I feel like the religious allusions are intentional. So while they’re being used to talk about someone who’s not Jesus, I think this isn’t quite the right fit for this round bc the way in which the lyrics can be taken religiously was both foreseen and intended
• Peter Seeley -1 — Honestly great song but certainly not unintentional

• ared56 +1
• Peter Seeley 0 — Hmm
• Edward James 0 — What are you speeding away from....what are you speeding towards... Maybe this one is just me
• fionmul 0 — I really appreciate a JB inclusion but this makes me wanna set my cruise to 55
• Claire -1 — This felt like cruising down the highway at a pleasant but legal speed
• Joseph Harvey -1 — Only way I could speed to this is if I fell asleep with my foot on the throttle
• Regina Scime -1 — This is the song least likely to make me speed, but thank you for reminding me of my dad:) He would always play Jackson Browne on car trips… often the tribute album

• SamRobertsND +1
• Joseph Harvey +1 — Very cool interpretation in style, delivery, and lyrical substance
• Regina Scime +1
• shea nowicki +1
• Brad Stalcup +1 — Although I just didn't like the song, giving it an upvote b/c it's definitely up the right alley.
• Sam Ary +1
• Edward James 0 — I know I'm typecast as the Tom Waits submitter, but I had heard this song like 10 times and had no idea it was Tom Waits. I thought it was a black bluesman, until it came on shuffle on "Tom Waits Essentials" a while back.
• judd.baker 0 — White people doing blues is undeniably white people doing black music, and I love Tom Waits, but I liked some other reads of the theme better

Edward James: Almost my submission for “Whalesong”

• fionmul +1 — This is fun
• shea nowicki +1
• Peter Seeley +1
• Claire 0 — Fun song but went on for too long

• shea nowicki +1
• judd.baker +1
• fionmul 0 — loved this shout but not insidious enough for me
• Joseph Harvey 0 — Let the girls have a little fun
• Claire 0 — Maybe I need to look at the lyrics more closely but I don’t quite see the evil read of this

• Claire +1 — I never played this game so I don’t think this song hits the same for me, but it’s pretty
• Brad Stalcup +1 — Amazing pull. Our whale friends would love this one.
• SamRobertsND 0 — Your fixation is strange, Eddie, and this was lazy. Now I play the schoolmarm and say, “do better.”
• judd.baker 0 — Really liked this, wanted to upvote, but my research tells me there is actually no whale in Dire, Dire Docks
• fionmul 0 — Sorry, not holding its own with the other competitors
• Edward James 0 — Spiritually this is what I imagine whales listen to
• Joseph Harvey 0 — This is not what whales sound like if that’s what you were going for
• Regina Scime 0 — Also didn’t see the connection, but I not familiar with Super Mario Bros so perhaps I’m just uneducated here

• shea nowicki +1
• Edward James 0 — Tom Joad as the moment of apotheosis of the bindle-carrier into Christ figure
• fionmul 0 — This was lacking for me, hard as it is to say. It was almost too on the nose but also not on the nose enough? Not as authentic as some?
• Peter Seeley 0 — 2-3 minutes of this would have been great. 8 is brutal. No justification for the length.
• Claire -1 — 1. I need to read the grapes of wrath. 2. This song is cool. Epic guitar at the end 3. I feel, however, like this doesn’t quite fit with bindlecore as I understand it bc the misfortune it talks about seems caused by a system that is beyond our control rather than being in some way caused by oneself
• Brad Stalcup -1 — This was the furthest from bindledom of the songs on the list.

• Peter Seeley +2
• Spicey Riche +2
• ared56 +1
• SamRobertsND 0 — Shea strikes me as a Napoleon Dynamite enjoyer, Eddie, so she's probably heard this before.
• shea nowicki 0 — Cry!! This song is very tender. Evidences the beauty of friendship and makes me think of all of you and countless others with great gratitude. "Great is my inheritance" remains the prayer of my life!
• fionmul -1 — There are a couple I think she may have heard before but this seems like the one that is most commonly known and least likely to be her submission. And I find it the laziest submission for that reason (Darcy's Donkey was also on my chopping block I will say)
• Joseph Harvey -1 — Sorry I just don’t like this at all. Perhaps I’m getting too tripped up on my own tastes
• Claire -1 — There’s no way she doesn’t know this one
• judd.baker -1 — I can’t imagine that Shea has never heard this song before, and it also seems extremely generic

• SamRobertsND +3
• Joseph Harvey 0 — I see the vision
• judd.baker 0 — I was amused to see this here. I can see it as a death song but it’s just not particularly interesting
• fionmul 0 — Not quite it for me but movie themes are indeed my taste for this category
• Edward James 0 — Has been my pick for 10+ years and I stand by it

• Peter Seeley +1 — I don't ever remember it being so bad on the radio. Truly mumblesome. Absolutely terrible vocal clarity. Love it.
• shea nowicki +1 — Okay this actually got me haha... I was not pleased to see this on the playlist and then totally understood as I listened!! Great pull.
• Claire +1 — This isn’t the most unintelligible of the bunch but it surprised me the most—in the sense that I’ve heard this song a million times but only just realized that I had absolutely zero idea what the words of the verses were. Like if you asked me to start singing the song from the beginning I simply wouldn’t be able to make anything more than gibberish noises
• Joseph Harvey +1 — Perfect submission because I never noticed that this song is indecipherable before (aside from the hook)
• Spicey Riche +1
• fionmul 0 — This was a good pull But I opted for the songs that I get 0 lyrics
• Edward James 0 — I thought I knew what they're saying but realized it was really only like 2 lines in the chorus. Not a single clue about the rest of it.
• Brad Stalcup 0 — Slightly more decipherable than most of the songs on this list.
• judd.baker 0 — Ehhh this is pretty decipherable
• Regina Scime -1
• Sam Ary -1 — Decipherable.

• SamRobertsND +1
• Brad Stalcup +1 — Man, why you gotta bring Monica into this 😭😭 This is a really good take.
• ared56 +1
• judd.baker +1 — I loved this. Great song and interesting read of the category
• Claire +1 — Can’t not vote for this one, too spot on
• Spicey Riche +1
• Sam Ary +1
• Regina Scime +1
• fionmul 0 — I like the vision. And love me some PS
• Joseph Harvey 0 — Almost

Edward James: Simply for your own enjoyment, I recommend watching the music video

• SamRobertsND +1
• Peter Seeley +1 — Actually unironically enjoyed this.
• Brad Stalcup +1 — Man this song slaps.
• Sam Ary +1
• Edward James 0 — My own song was my fave by far. Not sure why but this was one of my least favorite playlists.
• Regina Scime 0 — The video was EVERYTHING, but not quite enough for an upvote
• Claire 0 — I imagine that if I were at a party this would absolutely make me want to get down on the dance floor. But I can’t say it fully lands on its own
• fionmul 0 — I think I have heard this; it's p fire
• judd.baker 0 — Cute but too obvious
• Joseph Harvey -1 — What began as an amusing novelty ended as musical torture

• judd.baker +1
• Brad Stalcup +1 — Excellent pick
• Spicey Riche +1 — Any Blues Traveler song will get me vote no matter the round.
• SamRobertsND 0 — I'm assuming Judd is responsible for this Gen X slop
• Edward James 0 — I have heard this song maybe 100+ times and it was only deep in my review for this round that it even hit me that it's actually sad. Obvious on a re-listen, but I think that's what makes it great. You don't even care enough to notice, because it's so happy-sounding.

• judd.baker +1 — Never heard this song before but I enjoyed, and this is definitely in line with what I had in mind for this category
• Peter Seeley +1
• Joseph Harvey +1 — Zeppelin worship classic rock slop is extremely white. The fact that the vocals sound slightly black is a nice twist
• Brad Stalcup +1 — EXCELLENT PICK. Shocked this is a black band.
• shea nowicki -1

Edward James: LET’S HUSTLE

• Regina Scime +1 — STEVIE
• fionmul +1
• Joseph Harvey +1 — Pretty good.
• Spicey Riche +1 — Stevie is king!
• judd.baker +1 — Beautiful
• SamRobertsND 0 — Meh
• Brad Stalcup 0 — thematically and musically appropriate.
• Claire 0 — I started out thinking I was gonna dig this, and the song is definitely cool, but it felt too long, almost as if the dance floor energy would die eventually

Edward James: Indie Coming-of-Age

• ared56 +1
• Claire +1 — This feels like an Eddie pick. Totally fits that genre
• Joseph Harvey +1 — This totally works. Painful nostalgia
• fionmul 0 — Sure
• Edward James 0 — The ultimate millennial "feeling of youth" song
• judd.baker 0 — I forgot this song existed, thank you for the reminder. Millennialcore throwback
• Brad Stalcup 0 — I was going to downvote this until I saw "indie coming of age."

• Peter Seeley +1
• Brad Stalcup +1 — Maybe my favorite of the list.
• judd.baker +1 — This is my favorite Beatles song and is I think the best and least obvious of the Beatles submissions here
• shea nowicki +1
• Joseph Harvey 0 — Gosh the Beatles were just great. That one guitar part is so darn cool. Tragically, this is not less than 2 minutes
• fionmul 0 — Like I said, Golden Slumbers is just too good and I couldn’t help but compare the other Beatles ones
• Edward James 0 — So many Beatles potentials but this one stands out to me for being less known and also fast.

Edward James: Also my runner-up for songs Regina would love

• Joseph Harvey +1 — This was hard to get through
• fionmul 0 — My high school voice teacher would play this 🥹
• Edward James 0 — The passage of time always gets me. Lord, what is man that you take notice of him; the son of man, that you think of him? Man is but a breath, his days are like a passing shadow.
• Brad Stalcup 0 — I wrote this song off when I first started listening, but man it's a beautiful carpe diem song. Plus these days anything that mentions the meaningfulness of being a father is gonna get me.
• Claire 0 — Corny as hell but I do still have a soft spot in my heart for this. At my Catholic school in the early 2000s they often had the eighth graders sing this at graduation, along with Seasons of Love from Rent

• fionmul +1 — The voice is sort of percussive in a good way. Grew on me overall as I listened. I think she would like this a lot. I hope this is Sammy since the artist is Sammy and that would be cute.
• shea nowicki +1
• Spicey Riche +1 — Brad
• Sam Ary +1
• SamRobertsND 0 — Utterly awful
• Claire 0 — The second I saw this song on the playlist I was like “yes I see the vision.” Like it strikes me as very squarely Reginacore. I also recognize that Reginacore != songs Regina would love. I do think she’d enjoy this but decided to vote for other songs that impressed me more.
• Brad Stalcup 0 — This song was really swell. 4th place.
• Regina Scime 0 — this song makes me want to move my hips💃 I liked that this song was last on the playlist, the last 2.5 minutes were gold:)
• Joseph Harvey -1 — Sorry, even if this is Regina’s favorite song ever I just cannot. Far worse than anything in songs I would hate, this hurts to listen to
• Peter Seeley -1

• SamRobertsND +1 — Really deserves all three votes but I can't justify that with only 3 to spare
• ared56 0 — Pure Michigan.
• Peter Seeley 0 — I still don't see what this has to do with the band.
• Joseph Harvey 0 — Cool but not a great fit
• judd.baker 0 — This would be a title winning submission if we were playing a game called Poem League
• Claire 0 — Respect the unorthodox read of the category and it’s a cool track but with a paucity of upvotes it didn’t quite make the podium
• Edward James 0 — "And they hadn't noticed the magic."
• fionmul -1 — …no
• Brad Stalcup -1 — This is music league not monologue league

• SamRobertsND +1
• Sam Ary +1
• judd.baker +1 — Hahaha I loved this, which is surely a sign it will perform well in a crowd of songs Joseph would hate
• Joseph Harvey 0 — This is just an amateur song
• fionmul 0 — “The lyrics are inane but the music is fine” - Claire
• Claire 0 — “This does seem kind of like Grease should sue [for copying their chord progression] …and maybe the country of Greece should sue for that shirt” -Fiona

• Peter Seeley +2 — Oddly I never heard this before . Very pleasant surprise. I know it's a normie song, but her singing is genuinely moving.
• fionmul +1 — This was really beautiful thank you. I think it could be lyrically a little stronger but I loved it so much that I dont care.
• judd.baker +1 — Beautiful
• Sam Ary +1
• Joseph Harvey 0 — Beautiful song. Not sufficiently “it’s so over”
• Brad Stalcup 0 — This is a sad song, and I guess it could be interpreted as despair... but it just sounds tired.
• Claire -1 — Good song but it’s not sufficiently giving “over” imo. Realizing things aren’t the way you thought they were =/= it being so over. More like a new start

• ared56 +2
• Brad Stalcup +1 — Very clever. Songs like this are why free speech is awesome. I wonder what a modern version would sound like. I'd also love to hear the conservative counterpart song.
• shea nowicki +1
• fionmul 0 — Defs the right type of funny for this group as a whole but not I (is this Eddie cuz Pete Seeger was mentioned)
• SamRobertsND 0 — Hi Eddie and/or Brad!
• Peter Seeley 0 — This song is just bullying Judd :-(

• SamRobertsND 0 — Slop but Honest Slop. Reminds me of the Squirtle meme. Sam?
• fionmul 0 — No
• Peter Seeley 0 — Wonderful saxophone. Not a fan of that vocal style.
• Joseph Harvey 0 — Sounds messy and amateur. Still some nasty sax sounds though.
• Regina Scime 0 — I may or may not have shouted when the saxophone started growling
• Spicey Riche 0 — More like Klingrunt

• Regina Scime +1
• Claire +1 — Love this song—automatic upvote from me. When I saw this on the playlist I immediately thought of the Hillsdale forum article about the blue album featuring Dwight Lindley. Idk what that says about me
• Joseph Harvey 0 — Good submission, I was going to upvote until I heard the Jeff Buckley. This is a great example of how rough-around-the-edges musicianship can contribute to a song. It really sounds like something a few college guys put together in a garage in the best way. The chorus progression is really weird and almost doesn’t work but major points for the creativity.
• SamRobertsND 0 — Hillsdalecore
• Edward James 0 — To me, a great yearning song needs to be pathetic, slightly cloying, and generally unattainable. To me this captures the "so hypothetical and unrealistic it's creepy" vibe which men can tend towards. Also a banger and a perfect album ender.
• judd.baker 0 — wow this playlist is so good. Shout out to one of the greatest albums ever made
• Brad Stalcup -1 — Only in dreams would this song be shorter or more interesting.

• Regina Scime +2
• Brad Stalcup +1 — Man I think I could say every word to this song. I've listened to it so many times. It was the song I analyzed the lyrics for as a project in 7th grade language arts class. I'm pretty sure my teacher hated me for it. As far as story telling goes, though, it's a bit meandering.
• Claire +1 — Hell yeah. Assuming this is Eddie. I haven’t heard this song in a number of years now and I’d forgotten just how many insane one liners it introduced into the young Murphy kids’ repertoire
• Peter Seeley 0 — I hate it. I love it. I mostly hate it. Yet I am in awe or p
• Edward James 0 — One of the songs I'm most glad to have heard live
• fionmul 0 — I think the key for me was songs that had melodic lyrics that told a story and this has a lot of talking
• Spicey Riche 0 — This song is amazing and awful and hilarious and terrible.
• judd.baker 0 — I did not care for Weird Al’s “Albuquerque.” Did not care for Albuquerque. It insists upon itself, Lois.
• SamRobertsND -1
• Joseph Harvey -1 — Brevity is the soul of wit
• Corey -1

• Joseph Harvey +1 — This is it!! An anarchist plot to overthrow one world government by crashing the world’s computer systems is as Coreycore as it gets. The super 90s beat and jungle-like atmosphere are perfect. The humorous undertones are spot on. I could easily picture Corey doing this (censored) for karaoke
• ared56 +1
• judd.baker +1 — This is a grand slam of a pick. Every part of it is perfect. The hook is funky, the lyrics are spectacular, this captures both the Corey ethos and a fairly niche part of the Coreycore genre. A+.
• Regina Scime +1 — Great read of Corey’s anarchist side
• Corey 0 — Honestly, never been much of a Deltron guy. Too urban for my tastes, though I can respect the lyricality. Very Adult Swim.
• Edward James 0 — I've had this in mind for a Corey round for weeks. Early 2000s concept rap album about a dystopian society in the year 3030. Corey could actually be Del the Funky Homosapien (or Deltron 3030).
• Brad Stalcup 0 — Eh.
• Peter Seeley -1 — Pain.

• Joseph Harvey +1 — This is a good song and good fit. I never noticed how bizarre the singing in this is but it is unhinged
• Regina Scime +1
• Brad Stalcup +1 — 3 seconds in I knew. Yes.
• SamRobertsND +1 — Ice Age!!! This was the second one on mu shortlist. Such an iconic intro, and the gobbledygook refrain with the whistling is peak 90s slop.
• Spicey Riche +1
• judd.baker +1 — hot take perhaps but the better of the two submissions from the soundtrack of an early 2000’s digitally animated movie
• Edward James 0 — The whole world opens up with its immense potential as you listen to this song. The build up is perfect for drawing you in to the road trip mood.
• fionmul 0 — Damn i do NOT have enough votes

• ared56 +1
• Brad Stalcup +1 — Surprisingly thoughtful and powerful song, especially as a new(ish) father. Is the pain of the end of life worth the beginnings of it? Or is it just wishful thinking? Beautiful.
• Sam Ary +1
• Joseph Harvey +1 — Holy cow what was this. Incredible
• Claire +1 — At first I thought this song was gonna be kinda corny but by the end I did quite enjoy the picture it painted lyrically
• shea nowicki +1
• fionmul 0 — This didn’t seem Memento Mori to me exactly but something adjacent
• judd.baker 0 — Big Thief knows how to write a downer

• SamRobertsND +1 — A really amazing song, and the only one on here I'd never heard before. It's got a bit, it's got piano, trumpets, what more can you ask for. It's become my new obsession, thanks!
• Claire +1 — The dog barking thing is weird as hell but it made me think to myself “2010 is the only possible time in history this could’ve worked.” Looked up the release year and sure enough, 2010. And the bright poppy piano and horns with the driving beat are delightfully 2010 as well. Even the guitar solo and tone just scream this time period. Cool pick, and I respect the choice to go with something less mainstream (Hi Eddie)
• judd.baker +1 — This was extremely fun
• fionmul 0 — No thoughts
• Brad Stalcup 0 — Great Song. But I don't think
• Joseph Harvey 0 — Total Bradcore. I actually love it, the screams are awesome!
• Regina Scime -1 — I didn’t absolutely hate it, but I needed to downvote something

• judd.baker +2 — Grand slam of a pick.
• Joseph Harvey +1 — This is incredibly toxic. “Happy wife happy life” energy
• Corey +1
• fionmul 0 — this is toxic femininity vibes enough. And girlboss. The song “that’s love” by Brad paisley is a cuter healthier version of this vibe.
• Edward James 0 — IMO one of the most insidiously evil songs ever. Probably the only song I can think of where a woman objectifies a man in such a uniquely feminine way. And the only song I could think of that hits all three themes.
• SamRobertsND 0 — Shania is usually a Sammy vote cheat code but not this round sorry
• Regina Scime 0 — Not toxic enough for me
• Claire 0 — Maybe I’m crazy but I see no problem here, it is good and fitting for a man to be a little bit obsessed with the woman he loves and that’s what she’s asking for
• Brad Stalcup 0 — Really enjoyed this song. And it's a *kind* of toxic femininity, but not the "gaslit gatekept girlbossed" version

Edward James: No song has better plumbed the depths of modern American ennui

• fionmul +1 — I’m going to a concert in Boulder next weekend with an ex roommate of mine who has my old mattress so I’ve been in the chainsmokers mood. Also she’s so relatable. “Oh no ugh I feel like I’m gonna throw up. Oh wait never mind I’m fine. Let’s go dance.” This is me emotionally all the time. Also the line “I guess I took a good selfie” iconic. #Spaghettibraincore
• SamRobertsND +1 — The only one on here that I thought I would hate initially but grew to really love over the course of the song. Perfectly captures the vapid, impulsive mindset of the modern secular girl, I imagine this is what plays in their head on loop.
• Claire +1 — It’s kind of insane how hard this goes
• Joseph Harvey 0 — Oh dear goodness
• Brad Stalcup 0 — I heard you out... but all I heard was unoriginal EDM background behind an unbearable voice track. The only way I could unironically tolerate this song is if I were intoxicated out of my mind. But I have to admit, it did make me laugh. Sam

• SamRobertsND +1 — Fantastic song. Idk what Alex's feelings are on Elton John exactly but we'll give it a spin.
• Claire +1 — I think he’d rock with this simple as. Never heard this song before but it’s a cool pull
• Regina Scime +1 — Freaking loved this
• judd.baker +1 — Wow this goes so hard
• fionmul 0 — This was great, I enjoyed Shea?
• Joseph Harvey 0 — 😴
• ared56 0 — 10 minutes. You really want to start this game with me? I will rain hellfire upon you. Luckily, there was a different option this time around. A man who listens to commercials doesn’t have this kind of time. 10 (Regina?)

• ared56 +1
• SamRobertsND +1 — This song best captures the spirit of "villain era." I daresay it is a perfect villain song.
• Sam Ary +1
• Joseph Harvey +1 — He sounds like RFK Jr. singing through a mouthful of scrap metal. Incredible vibe
• Brad Stalcup +1 — Perfect song for this category IMO.
• judd.baker +1
• Regina Scime 0 — Sammy?

Edward James: Some of you might be too young to fully comprehend the stranglehold this song had on the entire decade of the 1990s. Doesn’t matter if your parents stopped listening to new music in 1987, they were listening to this.

• SamRobertsND +1 — Fantastic, I’d absolutely listen to this during the sunset/night driving portions
• Brad Stalcup 0 — This would be a great cruising song. Tempting.
• Joseph Harvey 0 — I don’t know it’s a great fit, but it’s a vibe
• ared56 -1
• fionmul -1 — No me gusta and toooo long

• fionmul +2 — This was so great and I had never heard it before so it felt special. “I hope all your favorite bands stay together”🫰🏻
• Joseph Harvey +1 — DANG. That was really good. So many great lines in this especially the one about the El Camino running forever. This is exactly the vibe I’m looking for here.
• Claire +1 — Yeah this one really got me lyrically. Sometimes when you lose people it’s the little things that really get you, like seeing a random article of clothing like one they used to wear, or hearing a song that you absolutely know they’d love but not being able to share it with them.
• judd.baker +1

• Corey +1 — Let's say... Lauren.
• Regina Scime +1
• Claire +1 — Fiona
• Sam Ary +1
• fionmul 0 — 👸🏻📔 close but no cigarette 🚬 Eddie?
• Joseph Harvey 0 — (Sam)
• Edward James 0 — You would not believe the things this song has carried me through. The GOAT. I stay loyal.
• judd.baker 0 — Brad
• ared56 -1 — Regina

• ared56 +1
• Joseph Harvey +1 — This feels thoroughly Juddcore, from the 90s alternative sound to the uncomfortable artist name to the mysterious and intriguing lyrics. The line “feed the tree” goes quite hard
• fionmul +1 — This seems pretty Juddcore
• Claire +1 — 90s female fronted indie/alternative is pretty standard issue Juddcore
• judd.baker +1 — A fantastic submission. Made me smile the instant I saw it. This was one of 2 songs I had heard already (besides my own submission) and this is a deeply nostalgic track for me. I almost chose it as my #1 for the round; but I felt compelled to give top spot to a song that was a completely new introduction to me. But seriously phenomenal read. 80s/90s female vocalist alternative rock is my jam always. 🥈

Edward James: There is a phrase in this song that I think perfectly summarizes every Flannery O’Connor story.

• Regina Scime +1
• judd.baker +1 — This is an inspired take. Flannery O’Connor short story titles have a particular ring to them; this song title actually sounds like a Flannery short story title, which I had never noticed before despite hearing this song a million times. Thematically/aesthetically, it’s perfect too. The encounter with “Mr. Jimmy,” sharing a soda at the country drugstore while he simply whispers “Dead” to the narrator, could be a scene straight out of Wise Blood. The deceptive woman covered in blood (but is she really?). It’s murky, it’s violent but subtly so, it implies mystery and grace in weird ways. Never paid close attention to the words before. Great pick.
• fionmul +1 — My dad would sing this to us as kids and it was infuriating but imma do that to my kids too. This was an unexpected but great pick.
• Claire +1 — Getting what you need (not what you want) is very on point. The rest of the song didn’t quite fit the vibe imo. But it gets a vote from me because the hook is distinctively Flannery in a way that other songs were not
• Sam Ary +1
• Edward James 0 — In every Flannery O'Connor story, a character thinks they know what they want and who they are. Then through some inbreaking of grace, typically through the least likely avenue, they invariably get what they need. But never in the way they want to receive it. If I was to summarize every Flannery O'Connor story in one sentence, it would be "You can't always get what you want, but if you try, sometimes you just might find, you get what you need."
• Joseph Harvey 0 — I just can’t stand the Stones
• shea nowicki 0 — Totally agree. I like this song, a classic, but I struggled a bit to connect it to Flannery in the end.

Edward James: Trying to pull a Sammy on you all here. I remember hearing this song when I was about four years old and absolutely loving it. Then for the next 12 years I could distinctly remember the best and the 1-2-3 counting but assumed the song was lost forever. Then one random day, I heard about half a second of the counting part as my mom was flipping through the radio and freaked out and made her flip back through until we found it. And since then it’s been an all-time favorite. One thing I think this reveals is that time and place play a huge role in the music I like, which makes it hard to guess.

• fionmul +2 — Ohhhh yeah I lovvvvve Gloria. This might be Corey? And idk if Eddie digs this but my own digging of it is strong.
• Brad Stalcup +1
• judd.baker 0 — All respect to Gloria Estefan
• Sam Ary -1
• Regina Scime -1 — I am curious if Eddie and Gloria Estefan overlap…

Edward James: Not only is this not a woman, the artist is also not black…..and most offensively….is British

• Corey +2 — Kay J is an impeccable and unique vocalist, I've always loved his style and lyricism. "Step in my transporter, so I can teleport ya, all around my heavenly body."
• Brad Stalcup +1 — The nostalgia for Napoleon Dynamite is real. But so is the boogie. Voice is feminine enough.
• Joseph Harvey +1 — Nice one Corey, this was fun
• judd.baker +1 — Maybe my pick for #1. Jamiroquai isn’t simply singing in a high register, he actually has that female timbre, it’s a specific and hard to describe thing. But it’s perfect here
• ared56 +1
• shea nowicki +1
• fionmul 0 — Corey I missed you 💜
• Edward James 0 — Wow turns out you can leave comments on your own song if you use the desktop version. I was always wondering how y'all could do that. Anyway...I think my choice was 2nd only to "Go Your Own Way"
• Regina Scime 0 — This strikes me as Corey… love this!
• Claire 0 — Vote for Pedro

Edward James: My runner up for Superior Cover.

• SamRobertsND +1 — I loved this! The brass is amazing. I like Weird Al songs as humor/bits, but this shows just what a talented singer he really is.
• ared56 +1
• judd.baker +1 — This is fabulous. Had not heard this song before
• fionmul 0 — The way it says George Fest just makes me think of George Spohrer which is fitting
• Claire 0 — This was super cool. It’s a genuinely good cover and I like that it’s doing something very different than what I typically except from Weird Al, but doing it effectively
• Joseph Harvey -1 — Weird Al is a little annoying to me, and although this is by no means bad, something had to get the downvote
• Sam Ary -1

Edward James: Carly Rae should be our pop music muse, a role cruelly denied her.

• Joseph Harvey +1 — This wasn’t terrible. Certainly wasn’t good, but listenable
• fionmul 0 — I forget she is a one hit wonder because I listen to some of her other stuff hehe but in that vein I don't like this as much as some others of hers. I almost downvoted ngl.
• Claire 0 — Carly is far from a one hit wonder in my heart but she is a totally valid read of the theme wrt the general public. Fun song of hers that I lowkey forgot existed
• SamRobertsND -1 — Not a one hit wonder.
• ared56 -1
• shea nowicki -1 — I don't think Carly Rae Jepsen is a 1 hit wonder in the super technical sense, since Good Time and I Really Like You also charted (just not as high). But, I hear you that her other songs aren't as well known... CMM remains the classic. Downvoting bc I have to downvote something, I sorry : (

Edward James: Sunday Morning 102.3 baby

• Sam Ary +3
• Regina Scime +1
• Joseph Harvey +1 — Regina coded submission. Wasn't sold at the beginning, but man does it get going. Could foresee some strong Sammy appreciation for this.
• Claire +1 — At first one might think Sammy would be super into this sort of song as a bit. In fact, we’ve probably all seen him do some sort of effusive gospel/preacher bit before. So that initial read is not entirely wrong. But like an ogre, Sammy has layers, and there’s a deeper layer that is really sensitive and receptive to spiritual realities and that I think is really moved by this sort of music and lyrics. Really great read of the theme by whoever submitted this
• SamRobertsND +1 — I think this is Eddie, so I'll address him. This artist was a smart pick (Patrick, you did NOT have to go so hard on that, holy crap .... sing it, Brother Star!!! [Eddie gets this and that's all that matters]). It works as Gospel but also stands on its own as solid R&B. I was researching early 1900s fair music one time (part of inquiry into carousel design, obv) and was surprised by how much was popular hymns; white people eventually lost a taste for religious themes in every day music, but black people haven't, and they're the realest for it. Most importantly, however, this song made me think of listening to 102.3FM and going to the Linden Grill with Eddie. Consequently, it made me think of how much I deeply resonate with him on so many personality quirks/interests, how sorry I am not to have known him earlier in my time here, and how much I love and will miss him. When things get difficult, we can trust that we "will triumph over the Enemy, because God said yes you can." Gold!! 🏅
• fionmul 0 — Perhaps a secret Sami genre I didn’t know about, can’t wait to see what he thinks.
• judd.baker -1 — To paraphrase Joseph Harvey during the Claire round: if this is a part of Sammy’s musical landscape, it’s a part I’m unfamiliar with

Edward James: I do it for my daddy and I do it for Dale

• fionmul +2 — I really liked this take: the nihilistic American teen cries out, esp. considering the real life of the artist.
• shea nowicki +1 — Surprised me, but I really really liked the American teenage angst of this pick.
• Claire +1 — Ethel Cain I was not familiar with your game. I keep coming back to listen to this song. I think the ambient vibe/instrumentation/sonic landscape do a really excellent job of capturing the desperation we hear about lyrically. I really want to listen to the whole album now
• Joseph Harvey 0 — Vocals were drowned out by reverb so I can’t tell what she was saying
• SamRobertsND 0 — I liked this one well enough.

Edward James: I have been utterly transfixed by this song for over a decade now

• fionmul +1 — this was unique and pleasant. I like.
• Claire +1 — Great shout by Eddie (who didn’t know that Judd showed this to me a couple weeks ago after Eddie showed it to him). It’s a bit outside of my typical listening wheelhouse but the vocals are just amazing and it kind of surprises you with where it goes melodically/instrumentally. And I think that tracks with the uncertainty that’s being expressed lyrically. More generally I do feel like this is a song that does a neat job of embodying the conceptual/lyrical content in the energy and movement of the music itself.
• SamRobertsND 0 — A podium entry in "Songs that Brad Would Love." Ran out of votes for songs that I thought already covered the Claire spectrum of interests. This is probably the best song on the list, though.
• Joseph Harvey 0 — No idea if this will land or not
• judd.baker 0 — I know I spoiled the surprise but it’s so good I couldn’t help myself
• ared56 -1

Edward James: I humbly request you listen closely. One of the greatest murder mysteries ever written, and want to hear peoples’ conclusions

• judd.baker +1 — It almost feels too predictable to upvote this but I cannot resist. This is a work of art. Bob Dylan is a master of the 8 minute epic, and that’s a style that is especially well suited to songs about taking life.
• ared56 +1
• shea nowicki +1
• Sam Ary +1
• SamRobertsND 0 — Peter: "I liked it as a song. I would say it's good, not great. It does involve people dying, but that's just one of many elements. I like the withheld elements." Cool song, I hadn't heard of it before. So Rosemary kills Big Jim out of jealousy? Who got shot? I'm assuming that the Jack of Hearts is the other gang member who is helping to keep things lively at the cabaret so that his partners can steal the money (Big Jim must've seen his face on a wanted poster). A good submission.
• Joseph Harvey 0 — Can I get the tiniest hint of variation over eight minutes please
• fionmul 0 — this was really good. ofc.
• Claire 0 — I definitely don’t have a strong take on whodunit but my one take is that the line saying the Jack of hearts is an actor is probably more significant than I realize. Great song. I don’t however have enough votes for every great song on this list.

Edward James: T Pain is a renaissance man of the highest order

• ared56 +1
• SamRobertsND +1 — This is a great cover that succeeds in doing something different than the original while still remaining very recognizable. T-Pain’s depth is on full display, and he kills the cover. Glad to see him doing such excellent work all these years later.
• judd.baker +1 — This is it. THIS is a great cover. At first I didn’t think it was doing something all that different but it gets real good fast. Funky, doing something very distinct, interesting all the way through. I enjoyed.
• Claire +1 — I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Upvote for surprise, good deployment of organ, and genuinely cool vocals
• fionmul 0 — This was chaotic for me. I like the original better.
• Joseph Harvey 0 — When your production budget is $5
• shea nowicki -1

Edward James: SB Idol Contender

• Regina Scime +1
• judd.baker +1 — Maybe my favorite of this round, I really enjoyed this
• Joseph Harvey 0 — This nails the vocal chops part of the Fiona music taste equation. The vibe doesn’t feel like an exact match though.
• SamRobertsND 0 — Peter: “this sounds more like something Regina would like” Sammy: nice and I think Fiona would like it but there are better options.
• Claire 0 — I rock with this but I am out of votes alas
• fionmul 0 — Fi the showstopper: Perhaps I am too hard to nail down because the vocals are objectively good and it would be quite impressive to hear live. But I am not partial to the voice/this just is not my vibe. 3rd-to-last pl.

• fionmul +1 — I resisted the country urge because I know this crowd but thank you for doing this. I changed my last vote to this at the last second because the country vibes that important to me. And Kenny was a significant artist for me growing up 🥹
• Joseph Harvey +1 — Pretty fun
• Claire +1 — I’m not always a big country music girlie but this captures the vibe perfectly for me. I can so vividly imagine grilling somewhere in the south, sun beating down, cracking open a cold one, sitting on the tailgate…bliss
• Sam Ary +1
• SamRobertsND 0 — I love Kenny, one of the better bro country voices. But there were better choices from his repertoire (When the Sun Goes Down especially)
• shea nowicki -1 — it's a me problem... just not a Kenny Chesney girlie sadly

• ared56 +1
• Regina Scime +1 — Communist , yes Anthem, not quite?
• Sam Ary +1
• SamRobertsND 0 — Nice but a third of the song was unnecessary intro. Endearing to some, but it annoyed me.
• judd.baker 0 — Submitting an actual 20th century leftist political song for this round has the same energy as Evanescence for the unintentionally Christian round
• Claire 0 — Obviously on theme but arguably too obviously on theme. Not an “alternative” anthem
• Joseph Harvey -1 — I never wanted to know what it would sound like if white people had invented rap, but now I do, unfortunately
• fionmul -1 — Okay I am sorry this was just purgative and arguably not a song

Edward James: Her magnum opus

• fionmul +1 — I remember the first time I heard this, laying on my tummy on the carpet at a friend's 13th bday party, drinking in the lyric book like a medieval peasant after a drought. A wise woman calls it her strongest opening track. A very mature TS selection. "I love you doesn't count after goodbye" (iykyk) I considered this for both this round and last one.
• ared56 +1
• SamRobertsND 0 — Objectively great song, one of the best on Red. But again, I’m getting established relationship vibes more than longing or moment of first attraction.
• Claire 0 — Probably her best opening track but not her best track specifically about falling in love. Love the song though
• Joseph Harvey 0 — Kind of sounds like U2 with the guitar leads especially. Unfortunately doesn’t grab me
• [DELETED] -1
• Sam Ary -1

Edward James: We need more entries in the “Philosophical girl pop” genre

• judd.baker +1 — This was fantastic
• Claire 0 — It’s giving I still haven’t found what I’m looking for in a different font
• SamRobertsND 0 — An unknowingly Christian song, yes, but it describes the longing more than Christ himself. I neither vote nor down vote you; I look on with compassionate disdain.
• fionmul 0 — Very Disney Channel to me in a good way
• Regina Scime 0 — Agreed, I want my eyes to be opened to this genre

• fionmul +1 — I like dis
• judd.baker +1 — Great song and the ending is part of what does it for me. It doesn’t only end on a pathetic but also a creepy and somewhat fantastical note. Utterly unsympathetic protagonist but does what it’s trying to do well. Dark sad boy summer. Excellent
• Claire +1 — Quintessential sad boy narrative. Good pick
• ared56 +1
• SamRobertsND 0 — Great song.
• Joseph Harvey -1 — 💤
• Regina Scime -1

• judd.baker +2 — To help out the Congolese I too would become a vengeful headless spirit
• Claire +1 — Unhinged title, unhinged story. What a song
• SamRobertsND +1 — Norwegian ghosts gunning down people, doesn’t get harder or more Sammycore than that
• Joseph Harvey 0 — Left zero impression on me
• fionmul -1 — not going too hard to me
• Regina Scime -1 — Good lyrics, and I honestly think the music fits. But if I heard this song, I wouldn’t describe it as “goes hard”

Edward James: Let not the metal facade obscure the theater kid within

• Joseph Harvey 0 — Mmmm this is great and resonates on several levels. It was almost enough
• Claire 0 — I love this song but it doesn’t feel maximally Joseph coded so didn’t get a vote
• SamRobertsND 0 — Very true, Eddie, very true. He has the muscles for it.
• fionmul 0 — ok so fair but this isn’t even the one to pick from this act
• Regina Scime -1 — I would be *mostly* surprised if Joseph hasn’t heard this before
• ared56 -1

Edward James: Mechanical Music!

• Sam Ary +1 — Rush makes me want to rush on the road.
• Regina Scime +1 — Freaking loved this!! Good words, good music!
• fionmul 0 — "corvette" "a car without any top" "that's called a convertible"
• SamRobertsND 0 — We haven’t hit the Joseph category yet.
• Joseph Harvey 0 — Not intense enough for speeding music, but total classic
• Claire 0 — Rip to Neil Peart the goat

Edward James: An essential trait of the femme fatale is the ability to turn a man into a pathetic, simpering mess who she can then hold just a hair’s breadth away. This song examines the man’s perspective.

• ared56 +1
• fionmul 0 — the femme fatale don't give a shit about your simp-ass perspective; stay on-theme
• SamRobertsND 0 — If you have to explain this much, the song doesn’t speak to the theme on its own well enough. I like the song, though.
• judd.baker 0 — Lyrically I think I get it but this doesn’t *sound* like a femme fatale song
• Joseph Harvey 0 — Less F150 commercial than most AM but it’s not enough
• Claire -1 — 10/10 song but the lyrics are also perfectly compatible with the girl being utterly wholesome and the guy just being a hopeless romantic (or a simp)

Edward James: Thaxted!

• ared56 +2
• fionmul +1 — Crying at Thaxted.
• Claire +1 — I am one of those basic hoes who cries to thaxted every time
• Regina Scime +1
• SamRobertsND 0 — Thaxted is beautiful but the rest is Looney Tunes clown music, a very disjointed thing overall. Planets individually are nice but as a whole it’s messy.
• Sam Ary -1

Edward James: I know you feel it

• SamRobertsND +2
• ared56 +1
• Regina Scime +1
• shea nowicki +1
• judd.baker +1 — went in super down on it and by the end I was like “alright Miley u got me”
• fionmul 0 — the last chorus did it for me yes but I had to take this vote and put it elsewhere eventually. so sorry
• Joseph Harvey 0 — Is it possible to fit more cliches in a song?

Edward James: A throwback to “sad country porch sits” in early Hangar days. Maybe not what was meant, but this song for me will forever be sitting on the porch rocking chair watching the sunset

• Joseph Harvey +2 — I loved this!
• judd.baker +2 — I regret that I have but two upvotes to give
• Regina Scime +2
• ared56 +1
• SamRobertsND +1
• fionmul 0 — I am sorry I cannot relate as I was not there in the early days

Edward James: Imo no song put the “brutal” in brutal breakup better. The slow shift from focusing on other to self 👌

• ared56 +2
• [DELETED] +2
• fionmul +1 — wow. just wow. will have to save this for the next breakup 😵‍💫
• judd.baker +1 — This was an experience wew
• Regina Scime +1

Edward James: I can close the door on us, but the room still exists

• Joseph Harvey +1 — I think about this every day as a manual driver. Also minor iv chord gets me every time
• shea nowicki +1
• fionmul 0 — Judd? this reminds me of the movie 500 days of summer cuz the beths

Edward James: The feeling of being alive late at night

• [DELETED] +2
• SamRobertsND +1
• ared56 +1
• judd.baker +1 — this song was a bop in 8th grade on the only alternative station in the metro ATL area
• fionmul +1 — late night driving in the city
• Joseph Harvey 0 — Classic but a bit too hype (or not hype enough) for 3 am.

Edward James: May summer find us all this way

• Joseph Harvey +2 — WOW that was fun
• [DELETED] +2
• judd.baker +2 — This is it

Edward James: Written under the ever-present threat of nuclear annihilation around the Cuban missile crisis

• ared56 +2
• shea nowicki +2
• Regina Scime +1
• fionmul +1 — will never not get a vote of mine w/ Bobby
• judd.baker +1
• Joseph Harvey 0 — This would be better as a poem. The music adds nothing

• Joseph Harvey +2
• SamRobertsND +2
• shea nowicki +1