Great Music - Round 1: 2000-2004 (Group 10 of 16)

[mae]

During the first round of The Great Music Tournament, please vote for up to five tracks you would like to move onto the next round. The top five tracks will be moving on. Keep in mind that the percentage of the vote a given track receives will determine its standing going forward.

IMPORTANT! Please do not simply vote on name recognition (or lack thereof) alone. Please do listen to each nomination and then make your choice. Even if you think you know a track well, it's still worth giving it a listen for a refresher.

The poll will run for seven days. Discussion is greatly encouraged!

The nominees are (please let me know if any video doesn't play for you):

Murcof - Urano (2003)

Outkast - Ms. Jackson (2000)

Slipknot - Duality (2004)

Enya - May It Be (2001)

Alien Ant Farm - Smooth Criminal (2001)

Madonna - What It Feels Like For a Girl (Above & Beyond 12" Club Mix) (2000)

The Killers - All These Things That I've Done (2003)

[mae]

Okay, I feel like I should explain "Urano" or at least give it a little context. It's by this Mexican artist who likes to combine classical music samples and orchestrations in his otherwise electronic music. It was my nomination and I'm super glad that Tommy, I believe, seconded it. It's not a track to drop on an unsuspecting public because it's probably one of the most out there picks of this entire tournament. However, I feel it is one of the best electronic/ambient pieces of the last 10-15 years. When I nominated it I described it like the soundtrack to a fucked up version of 2001: A Space Odyssey, so that should give you some quick idea. It's a long track, yes, but the genius lies in how it evolves and progresses and by the last third it becomes this horrifying wall of sound that actually creeped the shit out of me on numerous occasions. Not for the faint of heart. I kept imagining these otherworldly Cthulhu-like creatures engulfing planets and other crazy crap like that... So yeah. I love this track. I realize it's probably not going anywhere and will be clobbered here, but just making it this far is good to see.

[Jon]

Okay, I feel like I should explain "Urano" or at least give it a little context. It's by this Mexican artist who likes to combine classical music samples and orchestrations in his otherwise electronic music. It was my nomination and I'm super glad that Tommy, I believe, seconded it. It's not a track to drop on an unsuspecting public because it's probably one of the most out there picks of this entire tournament. However, I feel it is one of the best electronic/ambient pieces of the last 10-15 years. When I nominated it I described it like the soundtrack to a fucked up version of 2001: A Space Odyssey, so that should give you some quick idea. It's a long track, yes, but the genius lies in how it evolves and progresses and by the last third it becomes this horrifying wall of sound that actually creeped the shit out of me on numerous occasions. Not for the faint of heart. I kept imagining these otherworldly Cthulhu-like creatures engulfing planets and other crazy crap like that... So yeah. I love this track. I realize it's probably not going anywhere and will be clobbered here, but just making it this far is good to see.

It got my vote.
I wanted to thank those who nominated, and seconded this tune. It is a real treat for the ears. Very unique.

[mae]

The poll has closed and the following tracks are moving on to the next round:

• Alien Ant Farm - Smooth Criminal (2001) 66.67%
• The Killers - All These Things That I've Done (2003) 66.67%
• Enya - May It Be (2001) 50.00%
• Outkast - Ms. Jackson (2000) 50.00%
• Slipknot - Duality (2004) 44.44%

And the following are eliminated:

• Murcof - Urano (2003) 27.78%
• Madonna - What it Feels Like for a Girl (Above & Beyond 12" Club Mix) (2000) 22.22%