Pop Culture Bracketology: Artist of the moment round two discussion and results

Below is the discussion that took place via e-mail between WEEKEND staffers over the past few days concerning round two of our artist of the moment bracket (note: grammar/style is conversational, and less “correct”). Then below that are the results!

Round three discussion begins today.

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Cory Barker: It’s time for round 2 of the music bracket discussion. Throw out some upsets!

Brad Sanders: Alright, I’ll get the ball rolling.

Lady Gaga annihilates Kelly Clarkson, no question. Not that Clarkson sucks, but Gaga is the most important pop star of our generation - any generation, maybe.

Taylor Swift takes down the Black Eyed Peas. The recent Grammys help, but it’s really her embodiment of the fusion of country and pop paired with the fact that she is actually listenable, unlike some of her comrades. Also, the Black Eyed Peas are nothing if not overrated.

JT takes down Rihanna. He’s been huge in so many different phases of his career and for so many different reasons that he basically transcends pop music; he’s one of the biggest music icons of the last decade.

And I’ve got Ke$ha for a big upset over Beyonce. Beyonce, to me, has had her time. Her song with Gaga is the worst song on the Gaga album, “Single Ladies” is laughably overrated, and her constant appearances at red carpet events show that she’s becoming a celebrity for the sake of celebrity rather than a good musician. Ke$ha represents a trend - a terrible trend, maybe, but a trend nonetheless. Love it or hate it, “Tik Tok” is stuck in your head because I just typed it.

And Mastodon takes down BTBAM in a moderately close one. They’re the only band right now loved by true metalheads and Pitchfork snobs alike, and while BTBAM continues to expand their sound, they’re still too abrasive for most people outside of the metal circle. Mastodon want everyone to like them, and they’re doing a damn good job of getting it done.

The rest I’ll hear arguments on.

Chad Quandt: Saying Gaga is the most important pop star of any generation is a dangerous statement. Gaga’s got some catchy songs, and she’s credited as co-writing a lot of them, but that’s any solid pop star. I still feel Gaga’s shtick is beyond any sort of pop genius. It’s random, everything goes, and just comes off like a large desperate grasp to shock the next generation of kids in Britney and Christina’s wake. She wants to be the next Bowie, but she hasn’t the collected vision he had.

Clarkson’s gone down in stock (and up in weight) recently, but she’s the main reason American Idol still has relevance. She’s got a solid catalogue and has a simple look. She’s Gaga’s antithesis. Gaga’s covered with so much costume and makeup you can’t even see what she really looks like. Clarkson’s guilty of seeming like she just showed up on stage in her street clothes. I go with Clarkson. She does need some new hits soon, though.

Rihanna’s new image and look seems to be imitating Gaga too much, but I’m amazed with how much power she’s got. I really thought “Pon De Replay” was going to be a one hit wonder.

Kid Cudi is hot right now and has some solid tracks, but he hasn’t proven himself like Jay-Z yet. The Blueprint 3 isn’t nearly as great as I hoped, but there’s some solid tracks (and don’t forget Cudi’s on it). Jay’s one of the few greats that hasn’t gone insane or made a show on Nickelodeon.

Taking Ghostface not for any recent work. More out of severe dislike for Young Jeezy.

I missed the discussion last week. How the hell did you guys let John Mayer beat Metric? Do I have to justify that question?

Max McCombs: I’d like to see Muse take down Mayer.  Anyone else backing me here?

BS: I’d also like to see Muse take down Mayer. I would have liked to see Metric take down Mayer in Round One.

Steven Arroyo: I’ll second that as well.

Kasey Devore: Swift over BEP. ‘08 was Swift’s year, just like ‘85 was Madonna and ‘10 may be for Gaga. BEP also had an EXCELLENT year, but we were sick of them by June, whereas we didn’t get totally sick of Swift until around November.

Next one is a hard one. I keep going back and forth. I think Rihanna is going to take the cake. She hasn’t been not been present on pop radio since about ‘05 and that’s a long time in pop standards. And if Justin had released a full-length album at all in the last 4 years or so ... he would probably take the cake.  (I went back and forth on that for entirely too long. But Justin does so much for everyone else in pop music! Ah! But alas, I’m going to stick with Ri)

Beyonce is one of the most overrated performers today (actually, personally, I haven’t thought she’s been excellent since she left her Destiny’s Child co-bandmates). That being said, Ke$ha is gonna get old -- fast. I do love her album, but I also once loved Ashlee Simpson’s album. Enough said.

Brian Marks: Lady Gaga as well.

Swift over Black Eyed Peas. Most bands make stupid songs by accident. They do it on purpose, and there’s no excuse for that.

I think Grizzly Bear should win over Flaming Lips. Grizzly Bear have released three phenomenal albums in a row that were each better than the last, plus an okay ep or two. Vekatimest does not have a single bad song, nor even any filler. The harmonies are just amazing. Flaming Lips on the other hand have gotten a little stale (I’m strictly going with who is most important RIGHT THIS MOMENT).

The Lips’ lush synth heavy albums are fascinating, but they got a bit stale by At War With The Mystics. The Christmas on Mars soundtrack was interesting but disposable. And Embryonic was just too scatterbrained. There are some great moments on that album, but too often it’s just them aimlessly jamming. I love experimental music, so it’s not the lack of nice orchestrations that bother me. It’s just that they seem lost too much of the time. Maybe they’re trying to recapture the sound of the early albums, but it’s sounds too much like warmed-over early Pink Floyd.

SA: I’m actually gonna have to rebut this with every inch of my being...clearly Grizzly Bear has garnered a huge new fanbase with Veckatimest but the fact is they just aren’t even in the same class as the Flaming Lips.  Adam said it best, the Lips do change lives.

We could debate our favorite albums all day...personally, I thought Veckatimest was weaker than Yellow House and I think Embryonic is the Flaming Lips’ 2nd or 3rd best record ever.  Mystics might have been a slight dud (for them), but that was 4 years ago, ancient history considering what they’ve done since.

The key thing about the Flaming Lips is they don’t just do albums, they do whole projects.  Christmas on Mars?  The Fearless Freaks?  Reinterpreting Pink Floyd?  That ridiculous video for Watching the Planets with hundreds of their fans naked on bikes?  Not to mention designing and hand-constructing the most epic live set you’ll ever witness and constantly touring.  

I happened to see them an hour after Grizzly Bear last summer and if GB’s music bores you, their show definitely will too...the Lips do more than great sound and a light show, their concert is Cirque de Soleil on crack.  They consistently emit more solid creative output than any other band I know, and it’s all secondary to their music.  I don’t see how anyone in the Pitchfork region could be more “artist of the moment” than them...maybe one band but that’s a later debate, and it’s definitely not Grizzly Bear.

CB: Co-signed.

BM: Oh well.

CB: Hahahahaha. I didn’t know anyone REALLY liked Grizzly Bear. I feel like so people like “Two Weeks” and try to convince themselves they like GB, but in the end, they’re just...there.

Good arguments though fellas. MORE!

AM: I’ll take Gaga over Kelly, too.

I wanted to throw my support behind Rihanna in her battle with JT. JT is undeniably super talented, and I loved FutureSex, but listening to Rated R was a really powerful experience for me. And it was a bold move on her part, because no one song on the album screams number 1 like “Umbrella” did, but she and her label released it anyway She runs a gamut of emotions, expands her vocal range, and nails nearly every song. (will.i.am nearly spoils the album with his insipid “Photographs,” but I’ll hold that against him and not RiRi.)

Adam Lukach: Okay, I’ll start in the hip-hop bracket since there are some really good match-ups in this second round. I think this bracket gives us our most obvious winners.

As much as I like Kid Cudi, Jay-Z is still Jay-Z. Even though BP3 wasn’t his best effort, he still had some pretty good tracks and his collaboratons are always good. Cudi is absolutely in the moment, but I don’t know that he is any more so than Hova, and he definitely doesn’t have the track record to stack up next to Jay.

I’ll take Weezy F. over Ghost; I don’t think you can go any other direction. There is no hip-hop artist that is really more “in the moment” than Wayne. Everything he throws up blows up, whether it’s good or bad. And there is some really bad Wayne out there because his output is so superfluous.

With that said, there is also some really good Wayne out there. “No Ceilings” can stand up next to “Drought 3,” arguably the greatest mixtape of all time. I love me some Ghost, but his stuff just isn’t as accessible to today’s generation of hip-hop listeners. That’s probably more an indictment on the public than it is on Ghost, but Wayne really appeals to all audiences and is really just too relevant and too huge to lose.

Kanye really kind of showed the world who Lupe was, so it’s interesting that they’re matched up here. Lupe has grown with every album and “Lasers” is highly anticipated, but I don’t think you can pick him over Mr. West. I think when you look at hip-hop right now, there is a very well-defined hierarchy and Kanye might very well be at the top. At the worst, he’s on the same level as Jay-Z and Lil Wayne.

Sure his most recent album was a little bizarre, but the kind of intimacy he allowed on “808’s” is the kind of thing you NEVER see in hip-hop. He also used his auto-tune to convey a very different kind of tone and mood than its other regular users, the dark, difficult moments of a lost love rather than popping bottles. He’s a completely different animal than anyone else in the game right now. Lupe has a flow that’s as good as anyone’s and I honestly believe “Lasers” is going to be huge but I don’t think this is a case of the son over the father, if you’ll allow the metaphor.

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RESULTS FOR ROUND TWO -- Winners in bold with percentage of vote

Hip-Hop Region

1. Jay-Z -- 85 percent of vote
9. Kid Cudi

12. Clipse
13. Mos Def -- 71 percent of vote

11. Ghostface Killah
3. Lil Wayne -- 57 percent of vote

7. Lupe Fiasco
2. Kanye West -- 71 percent of vote

Miscellaneous Region

1. Mastodon -- 100 percent of vote
8. Between the Buried and Me

12. Thrice
4. Manchester Orchestra -- 71 percent of vote

6. Mary J. Blige
3. Alicia Keys -- 85 percent of vote

10. Muse -- 85 percent of vote
2. John Mayer

Pitchfork Region

1. Radiohead -- 100 percent of vote
9. Passion Pit

12. The xx
4. Animal Collective -- 57 percent of vote

6. Vampire Weekend
3. LCD Soundsystem -- 71 percent of vote

7. Grizzly Bear
2. The Flaming Lips -- 100 percent of vote

Pop Region

1. Lady Gaga -- 85 percent of vote
8. Kelly Clarkson

5. Black Eyed Peas
4. Taylor Swift -- 85 percent of vote

6. Justin Timberlake
3. Rihanna -- 71 percent of vote

10. Ke$ha
2. Beyonce -- 57 percent of vote

Your thoughts? Did anyone get screwed?