Sunday, April 25, 2010

This one was too easy

The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday vs. U2 - Achtung Baby

I was a little worried after my last match up that I had turned into a huge U2 fanboy... boy was I lucky to be assigned Achtung Baby.

Do people really think this is a great album? I'm not asking to be a smart-ass, but more in the light of 'what did I miss?' I thought it was boring, and even the songs I knew (one, even better, mysterious ways) seemed a little dull. Maybe my views were skewed by the fact that people who uploaded this album on grooveshark can't seem to get the track listings right... and I'll admit, I thought to myself that if this many people can't get the tracks right, we're probably dealing with an album people are just "supposed" to buy. The only positive thing about Achtung Baby is that I'm positive it sucks. Ok, maybe that's not fair, I mean, they do get points for having an album cover that kind of looks like a Bon Jovi album cover. I'm actually not sure if that is true, but it might be, so they get those points.

Maybe I'm all UPoo because I listened to Separation Sunday first, and pretty much immediately knew I'd like this album. While listening to this album I thought of a few other bands... Kings of Leon, Tragically Hip, Dead Milkmen, and that band that I can't remember the name of. I'm not saying these bands are at all similar or have some kind of connection, but I did think about them. For instance, the Dead Milkmen - I'm sure only came up because Andrew recently mentioned them. The key though, is that I didn't think of these bands when I was listening to U2. The Hold Steady made me feel good, increased my energy level, and made me a better person.

I also feel a lot better now that I have a valid reason for ignoring U2. That's a huge win for a weekend, and it is only topped by the few times I listened to The Hold Steady...

So, here we go, I'm proud to say this was easily the most lopsided match up so far, Separation Sunday wins. Sorry Daniel Lanois, 0 for 2 today (ok 1 for 2).

2 comments:

  1. Glad to know you liked Separation, Mark. I thought you would. In fact, this whole tournament has been an elaborate ruse to get you to listen to it.

    On another note, relistened to IV last night. Really, really enjoyed it this time.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just figured you matched it with my 2nd U2 listen, knowing I would let the first one through, but not the second. Either way, I'm sure we're playing a rigged game.

    It has been a long time since I've listened to IV, maybe I should give it another spin... It feels like a lot of work though... like getting out of bed.

    ReplyDelete