Pop Culture Bracketology: Artist of the moment, Sweet 16 discussion and results

We’re now down to the Elite 8 of our Pop Culture Bracketology! This past weekend, members of the WEEKEND staff locked themselves in a conference room and hashed out the results of the Sweet 16 in person. Thus, instead of a running e-mail conversation, staffers penned summaries to each match-up, which follow each result for this round!

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Hip-Hop Region

1. Jay-Z – 85.7 percent of vote
13. Mos Def

Unfortunately for Mos Def, this one was never really a contest. Though his most recent works like “Blueprint 3” might not have been exactly vintage Jigga, he certainly knows what people like to hear and can create an album. Def is still more popular within the deeper parts of hip-hop and indie rock circles and his style can be inaccessible for some. In the end, he really wasn’t going to stand up to hip hop’s elder statesman. -- Adam Lukach

3. Lil Wayne
2. Kanye West – 85.7 percent of vote

In what could be considered as an upset by some, Mr. West took down Weezy F. to advance to face his “big brother” Jay-Z in the subsequent round. Two things significantly hurt Wayne: his current incarceration and his superfluous output. There are very few who can spit with the kind of energy, flow, and creativity that Wayne can, but sometimes he does it to the point of detriment and his best material gets lost in the shuffle. Regardless, Kanye is one of the few who can match him in quality, though their styles are remarkably different. Yeezy has disappeared from the limelight recently, but thanks to his recent collabs he never left our minds. His attention to detail and unadulterated passion for his music pushed him over the top. -- AL

Pitchfork Region

1. Radiohead – 83.3 percent of vote
4. Animal Collective

Radiohead owns this decade. Animal Collective’s last two LPs and most recent EPs have shown they can synthesize loops and samples to make something that’s incredibly catchy and melodic. But Radiohead is still king. “Kid A” is regarded by many as the past decade’s best album, with “Amnesiac” as a worthy companion. “Hail to the Thief” was a return to the guitar heroics of the ‘90s, while “In Rainbows” was an impressive blend of each previous album’s styles, even if you disregard its innovative pay scheme. Radiohead has been able to incorporate elements of the avant garde, electronica, and rock music in a way no one else can match. -- Brian Marks

Dissent: Any band with four or five monumental albums under their belt from the past decade has the right to take a prolonged breather if they so choose.  Since 2007’s predictably outstanding “In Rainbows,” Radiohead has taken this route, and who could blame them?  Regardless, for the first time in years, it leaves them vulnerable of losing at a game of pop culture bracketology.  Since that very year, Animal Collective has released about 3 times as much material, and to me, every bit of it is as good as “In Rainbows.” Radiohead might have had my vote before “Merriweather Post Pavillion,” but I think Animal Collective deserves the final four chance more than them right now. -- Steven Arroyo

3. LCD Soundsystem
2. The Flaming Lips – 66.6 percent of vote

James Murphy deserves a pat on the back for all that he has accomplished, both with his band LCD Soundsystem and solo, since LCD’s eponymous debut in 2005.  Between film soundtrack-ing and creating a modern classic with 2007’s lively and surprisingly moving “Sound of Silver,” the man is certainly in his prime.  Unfortunately for him, Wayne Coyne has been there for an entire decade now.  Punctuating the Flaming Lips’ case is last year’s “Embryonic,” their boldest effort in years and a fitting addition to their hefty, historic catalogue that also includes 1999’s “The Soft Bulletin” and 2002’s “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.” -- SA

Pop Region

1. Lady Gaga – 100 percent of vote
4. Taylor Swift

The pop bracket’s #1 seed, Lady Gaga, unanimously eliminated upstart Taylor Swift, whose bubblegum take on country was no match for the inimitable performance art of Gaga. Lady Gaga will take on second-seeded Beyonce in the Elite Eight, where the two titans of pop will square off for singing supremacy. Perhaps the deciding factor for who wins that match-up will be who has the better verses in “Telephone,” the recent hit single they both sing on. -- Brad Sanders

3. Rihanna
2. Beyonce – 57 percent of vote

A match-up that could be misconstrued as past versus present was still very much present versus present. Beyonce is still as relevant and ubiquitous as ever; “Telephone” is evidence of that. Rihanna is having and certainly will have her time, but “Rated R” just doesn’t stack up to “Sasha Fierce.” Ri-Ri’s track record just isn’t there like Queen B’s is. If there was any doubt in people’s minds about Beyonce’s stature in a gaga-for-Gaga pop world, her truly “fierce” performance in “Telephone” showed that Sasha Fierce and Beyonce are one and the same as much as ever. Unfortunately that’s just too much for Rihanna to overcome. -- AL

Miscellaneous Region

1. Mastodon – 57 percent of vote
4. Manchester Orchestra

Top-seeded Mastodon took down underdogs Manchester Orchestra in a close vote. Mastodon, whose most recent album “Crack the Skye” saw the band selling out the biggest venues of its career, and whose “Leviathan” is the only album of the past decade that sits comfortably atop lists of headbangers and Pitchfork readers alike, is arguably the biggest true American metal band of all time. Manchester Orchestra picked up a couple of votes, but were no match for the number one seed Mastodon, who will move on to face Muse in the Elite Eight. -- BS

3. Alicia Keys
10. Muse – 71 percent of vote

Muse remains the Cinderella darling of the bracket, pulling its third straight upset en route to a berth in the Elite 8. Perhaps Cinderella is an odd label for the British powerhouse Alternative trio, but they are still going strong and were perhaps underseeded to begin with. No one denies that Alicia Keys is good at what she does, producing soulful R&B that appeals to damn near everybody to some extent. Muse, however, has grown and changed over their five album run from a couple of guys doing their best Radiohead impression to a cohesive combination of forceful guitar solos, fleshed-out instrumentation, Matthew Bellamy’s soaring falsetto, and enough ambition to write a freaking 3 part symphony on their last record. Oh, and their live show blows minds. -- Max McCombs

Thoughts?