R&P: Let's decide -- What are the best songs of 2009 (Round 1 - Part 1)?

1. I do not like either song, but before listening, I had never heard the Tisdale song, but it was just as I predicted; mundane, bland, tasteless crap. :D The GaGa song gets on my nerves because it is way. too. overplayed--curses, Clear Channel--and the lyrics make me cringe. "Bad Romance"... the lesser of two evils.

2. The Dream Theater song is not BAD... it just sounds like a thousand songs I've heard before all mashed up in one. I don't find it particularly, enjoyable, though. :) The Alice in Chains song, however, verry nice! Mellow, love the droning guitars. "Check My Brain"

3. First of all, I cannot stay post-2000 Green Day as they stand currently. 21 Guns is EXTEMELY annoying. Though I haven't really got into new Muse yet--I still find them very pompous, bombastic, etc... plus they totally ripped off Queen at 1:17-1:18, haha. Other than that--a bordeline good song... the Middle Eastern guitars are a nice touch, not a big fan of the intro though.

PS- Just wanted to add that the current link you have for "Eurasia" isn't the full song, I found one in the related video box if you want :) ---> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ok0expLH1o&feature...

Thanks for the great series of qs, Radio Waves! :)

No Hope Kids by Wavves I like the Yoko. I would rather have the Yoko shrieking than the Yoko sex sounds but I'm mature and we all make them so that isn't the reason I'm voting for the other. I just really like the Wavves. It's something I'd probably have in heavy rotation if I had it. So, I guess I'll be getting it. You Dissolve by The Thermals Maybe against a different song On a Highway would've been more appealing to me. I really enjoyed You Dissolve and I think that I might have know those kids in the video when I was 12 or 13. "Come Monday Night" by Stuart Murdoch I think this song is great. It sounds kind of Ye-ye. The Modest Mouse is a repetitive drone. I Knew by Lightning Dust Sophie's choice. The Visitor" by Jim O'Rourke The other one seems meh.

Youtube is being kind of a jerk so I'll have to do this in pieces... BTW, I like the commentary.

1. Bad Romance

I may not be a fan of Lady Gaga, even remotely, but Ashley Tisdale sounds like someone who has a tv show and got a nose job before the age of 20. Bad Romance was the less obnoxious of two obnoxious songs (although I do admit that the Ashley Tisdale song is moreso meant to appeal to a completely different audience than the one I am a part of).

2. Check My Brain

I kind of found both selections to be kind of disappointing honestly. I'd heard the front half of the AIC record and it felt to me, as does this particular song, a little too much like it came out of a freshly opened time capsule. Nothing wrong with that I guess, but I don't know... I guess I was just hoping for more. The Dream Theater tune is probably more because I just had the wrong idea what I was being sold over the last couple of years, but this is the first song of theirs I've heard and it just wasn't at the caliber I had expected after all the great things I heard about them. Alice in Chains wins the round very strongly.

3. United States of Eurasia

I was actually expecting this one to be a bit more decisive, but I wasn't quite as into the Muse tune as I expected to be. I had to think about it a little. Neither song really did a ton for me, but the Muse tune was more interesting. The Green Day song was pretty ok. A well constructed pop tune, but it just didn't move the meter for me. That and I could live without the "sensitive" falsetto in the hook.

Thanks a lot for throwing all of this together Radio. Going to be a lot of fun.

*I hereby promise to listen to every song from start to finish*

1: Not even close to Lady Gaga's best, beat is pretty boring actually. Still, best to judge a pop song by its chorus, the Bad Romance one is easily the best thing about the song whereas the Ashley Tisdale one is one step away from Alvin & The Chipmunks.

Bad Romance

2: That Alice In Chains song isn't anything they weren't doing much better 15 years ago but it's still better than that boring Rainbow cover.

Check My Brain.

3: I don't mind anti war songs but can they take a tip from Neil Young and actually make them good? The Green Day one is bleeeeh and the Muse one sounds entirely too much like Queen for my tastes. When you're younger and forming your first notions about the world all this peace and love stuff is appealing but eventually you realize the world is an ugly place and it isn't all America's/The West's fault. And don't get me started on this 'live as one' rubbish. Different cultures have different values based on their unique historical experiences. One set of values is not necessarily better than the other, but the values are sometimes wholly incompatible. I have no interest in watering down Western ideas regarding the value and primacy of the individual so that I can live as one with my Eastern neighbors. Why can't they do their thing and I do mine?

Slight edge to 21 Guns because it's at least only a bad peace song instead of a horrible idea.

Hey Radio, I guess this will catch me up on all the popular songs I missed this year.

Lady Gaga - Bad Romance (Ok it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, I don't know how I've avoided it this long though hah)

Alice In Chains - Check My Brain (I haven't listened to any of the new AIC until now, it was better than I expected.)

Muse - United States of Eurasia (I really liked their first three albums, couldn't really get into Black Holes though. Haven't heard the new one yet, but this song was good.)

Bad Romance vs. Acting Out: Acting Out (I really dislike both though to be honest)

Check My Brain vs. Stargazer: Check My Brain

21 Guns vs. United States Of Eurasia: United States Of Eurasia

Gaga vs Tisdale:

Both singer's voices annoy me a little. The Lady Gaga one sounds like just about every one of her songs that I have heard, specifically the "Ra ra" part. At last she does have a style at least a little different from other pop acts. Ashley Tisdale's sounded like just about any song from that genre, with very little standing out to make me recognize her in the future. On the other hand, I found myself waiting for the Lady Gaga song to end more than I did for Tisdale's. In the end, I think I'll have to go with "Bad Romance"

Alice in Chains vs. Dream Theater

I like the guitar in "Check My Brain". the lyrics were a little repetitive for my taste, but I found the vocal style to be very listenable. Other than that, not too much to talk about here. In "Stargazer", there's something about the opening drums that irritated me a little, and the vocals don't agree with me a whole lot. The instrumental is certainly more interesting, but at the same time, I kind of liked the simplicity of "Check my Brain", and the riffs of "Stargazer are not my favorite. While I didn't hate "Stargazer", and I'm glad it was as long as it was,because it grew on me towards the end, I still prefer "Check my Brain"

Green Day vs. Muse:

First reaction to Green day is that it's another one where the vocals annoy me. It also sounds out of place with the acoustic guitar. The chorus riff is so stereotypically Green Day. Overall, the song kind of sounds like them trying to do something that they're not really good at. I like muse's vocals a little better, but I'm still reminded of why I like growls and instrumental music. The song seemed far too short, especially with an introduction like it had, and felt like it didn't 'go anywhere'. Overall, though I preferred the sound of "United States of Eurasia"

edit: ok, if the Muse one actually isn't the whole song, then it turns out better. I had it as the winner before, and now it's just a little more decisive.

1) Lady Gaga - "Bad Romance"

2) Alice In Chains - "Check My Brain"

3) Muse - "United States of Eurasia"

...because green day doing a peace song sounds like a silly idea.

It kind of seems like theyre doing it for the image and not the cause.

I love Muse but this song's intro kind of drags on but its still a good song.

"Bad Romance"

If Dario Argento and David Lynch were to co-write a pop song, it would resemble "Bad Romance." Lady Gaga truly has talent and an original spirit, and this creepy, elegant, sexy single proves it. Blows the Disney **** out of the water and into the jungle to be devoured by swarms of insects.

"Check My Brain"

I can't get into the Dream Theater song -at all-, so the standard-issue, safe-zone AiC single wins. It's not half bad.

"21 Guns"

Easily prefer Muse overall (seeing them live in March!), but, in this specific head-to-head, I have to admit: I prefer the Green Day song. I simply find it more engaging and interesting. I definitely plan to support other Muse songs later in this contest, though.

Lady Gaga - "Bad Romance"

Alice in Chains - "Check My Brain"

Muse - "United States of Eurasia"