Cinerama Cup: Quarter Finals

     


A comment from Jona:

'When Gricey suggested I join the Cinerama Cup I thought it sounded like fun. It has been, but I had no idea just how much of my listening time and thought I'd end up putting into it.'

And quite right too!

On to the serious business of the quarter-final ties...


Cat Girl Tights v Health And Efficiency

There wasn't much in the way of commentary this time round, perhaps not surprisingly at this stage. Johnny, however, had plenty to say about H&E:

'The voyeuristic eavesdropping, the secretly captured street scene overdub makes it so compelling right from to offset, musically it is a wholehearted serving of magnificent gorgeousness. Where much of the Gedge songbook rips it all apart in a brusque few minutes H&E lays it all bare in a tantric anthem to doomed youth and teen devotion. 

With an unrelenting gentleness this song tempts you, it teases you, it catches your eye and your ear across that crowded café, it hooks you without you ever realising it, easing you slowly, effortlessly pulls you down to the hidden depths, into a swirling, disorientating whirlpool of sinister delight…and you aren’t ever getting back out of there. Simple is effective, dismissive is alluring, so laid back it’s right there, in your face, your guts, your heart and your loins, kicking, punching, screaming, weeping…magnificent.

Marvin Gaye would have given his first born to have a song like this.'


Cat Girl Tights 7 - Health And Efficiency 13



King's Cross v And When She Was Bad

I (along with a few others) agonised over the King's Cross / Manhattan choice in the last round - but it was all to no avail in the end, as the distinctly more TWP-esque ATSWB made it through to the final with some comfort.

Kirk had no agonizing to do here:

'I’m amazed at the size of the KX fan club as I don’t really get it, a decent b-side but not deserving of quarter-final status. AWSWB takes the quiet/loud/quiet TWP trick, puts a Cinerama twist on it and it’s an easy winner for me here.'

King's Cross 6 - And When She Was Bad 14

Kerry Kerry v Your Charms

Dave 'opted for the more sophisticated Your Charms over Kerry Kerry' whilst Kirk went for the debut single: 'Not a song I predicted would get this far but I find myself voting for it for no other reason that it’s not the woeful Your Charms.' Johnny thought them 'a pair of perfect pop salvos, practically impossible to separate.'

Kerry Kerry 7 - Your Charms 13



Hard, Fast & Beautiful v Wow

A very difficult choice for most. Marc's reasoning was fairly typical:

'I’ve agonised over this for ages, and I bet I’m not the only one.

Hard, fast and beautiful has beautiful opening progressive chords, tied to melancholy lyrics. The song builds and builds beautifully to a great singalong chorus. “ now I know it was you all the time.” It is a glorious and grand sweeping song which I have really grown to love, listening to regularly over the last week.

BUT

Wow has that perfect combination of Cinerama vibe but with wedding present creeping back in. And a fantastic story, up there with the best of Gedge.'

Hard, Fast & Beautiful 7 - Wow 13



This means that the songs in the final will be:

  • Health And Efficiency
  • And When She Was Bad
  • Your Charms
  • Wow


Like the TWP Cup, there won't be a traditional semi-final / final set-up; instead, the panel are going to vote in a 'round robin' format. It will work like the group stage of the World Cup: each track will 'play' each of the other in three sets of matches.


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