Round 1: Nat Birchall Meets Al Breadwinner v. Proc Fiskal - Games

baystateoftheart

Neil Young as a butternut squash

Age: 30

Location: Massachusetts

Seed #30:

Sounds Almighty by Nat Birchall Meets Al Breadwinner

Nominated by: Jimmy Dread
Genres [RYM]: Reggae, Roots Reggae

Seed #31:

Insula by Proc Fiskal

Nominated by: Skinny
Genres [RYM]: Grime

Instructions:

If you have not already, please listen to both albums in full before voting. Share your thoughts and/or your vote in this thread. This poll will be tallied in no fewer than twenty-eight days. See Tournament Spreadsheet for the full bracket.
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Fischman

RockMonster, JazzMeister, Bluesboy,ClassicalMaster

Gender: Male

Location: Land of Enchantment

Easy choice here for Birchall after getting familiar with both these during the play in round.

baystateoftheart

Neil Young as a butternut squash

Age: 30

Location: Massachusetts

Proc Fiskal has my vote again in round one, although both are worthy.
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Luigii

Gender: Male

Age: 30

Hmm... Do I go for the reggae album or the electronic album?

I got to think about this. At least I have 4 weeks for this.

Repo

BeA Sunflower

Location: Forest Park

Nice! My two favorite albums from the play-in round.

dihansse

dihansse

Gender: Male

Age: 62

Sounds Almighty is my winner

Skinny

birdman_handrub.gif

Both are British attempts at reviving genres that their creators missed the respective boats on, but where one is a faithful retread of familiar sounds, the other is a genuinely inventive effort that breathes new life into its subject. One sounds like 1974 (excepting for a moment the clarity of the recording), and the other sounds like 2024. Both are highly enjoyable, but it's far harder to do what Proc Fiskal did than Nat Birchall. When we have a shameless retrofetishist pop, rock, or soul act, we feel comfortable calling them out for adding nothing new to their genre, but seem less keen to do so for those working in more niche genres, despite the principle - and lack of courage - being identical. It's a lovingly recreated rootsy dub record with some jazzy flourishes, but it belongs in a museum. Proc Fiskal uses found sounds, bubblegum melodies, clutter, and chaotic BPMs to take grime in entirely new directions, paying perfect homage to genre by recognising its initial desire to carve out something distinct from its forebears, and subsequently refusing to just tastefully regurgitate already existing styles. Nobody else in grime has yet caught up to what Proc is doing; people set the blueprint for what Birchall, Gordon and Breadwinner are doing decades ago. Both of these records are enjoyable, sure, but only one is truly interesting. How much that matters to you depends on what you want from music, but I'd like to think that most people would agree that evolution trumps recreation.

Ultimately, though, I just prefer listening to Proc Fiskal.
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Repo

BeA Sunflower

Location: Forest Park

Skinny wrote:

Both are British attempts at reviving genres that their creators missed the respective boats on, but where one is a faithful retread of familiar sounds, the other is a genuinely inventive effort that breathes new life into its subject. One sounds like 1974 (excepting for a moment the clarity of the recording), and the other sounds like 2024. Both are highly enjoyable, but it's far harder to do what Proc Fiskal did than Nat Birchall. When we have a shameless retrofetishist pop, rock, or soul act, we feel comfortable calling them out for adding nothing new to their genre, but seem less keen to do so for those working in more niche genres, despite the principle - and lack of courage - being identical. It's a lovingly recreated rootsy dub record with some jazzy flourishes, but it belongs in a museum. Proc Fiskal uses found sounds, bubblegum melodies, clutter, and chaotic BPMs to take grime in entirely new directions, paying perfect homage to genre by recognising its initial desire to carve out something distinct from its forebears, and subsequently refusing to just tastefully regurgitate already existing styles. Nobody else in grime has yet caught up to what Proc is doing; people set the blueprint for what Birchall, Gordon and Breadwinner are doing decades ago. Both of these records are enjoyable, sure, but only one is truly interesting. How much that matters to you depends on what you want from music, but I'd like to think that most people would agree that evolution trumps recreation.

Ultimately, though, I just prefer listening to Proc Fiskal.

Nice argument. I'm convinced. Love listening to both but completely agree Proc Fiskal is far more novel creating something that's pretty damn exciting.

Proc Fiskal.

craola

crayon master

Location: pdx

Skinny wrote:

Both are highly enjoyable, but it's far harder to do what Proc Fiskal did than Nat Birchall.

i too found both highly enjoyable, but i beg to differ on proc's being the more difficult feat. it'd be one thing if he was creating his own genre, but he's not. the sheer musicianship and mastery of instrument is on a whole different level, and in the area of training and expertise, it's a landslide for birchall. like each for their own merits, but i can't get behind the idea fiskal worked harder than birchall to produce his work.

that said, i enjoyed both of these thoroughly and will be pleased with whichever moves up to round 2.
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Skinny

birdman_handrub.gif

craola wrote:

i too found both highly enjoyable, but i beg to differ on proc's being the more difficult feat. it'd be one thing if he was creating his own genre, but he's not. the sheer musicianship and mastery of instrument is on a whole different level, and in the area of training and expertise, it's a landslide for birchall. like each for their own merits, but i can't get behind the idea fiskal worked harder than birchall to produce his work.

that said, i enjoyed both of these thoroughly and will be pleased with whichever moves up to round 2.

I generally meant in terms of the actual thought process behind it, and "brave" would have been a more suitable word than "difficult", so yeah point taken.
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2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.