There is something worth pausing on at the conclusion of League 26. Across 5 rounds and 120 submitted songs, 12 participants in the same ongoing conversation about taste — about what music means when it's placed in competition with itself — arrived at a verdict. Eric, with 80 points, carried the argument most convincingly.
Consider "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get - 2014 Remaster" by Morrissey, submitted by Shane. A song that earned 14 points is, in this context, a song the group agreed on. Agreement, in music, is rarer than it sounds. The song offered something that the room was ready to receive.
"First Ladytron I've heard since "He Took Her To A Movie" like 25 years ago... thanks for the reminder submitter!"
Shane on Destroy Everything You Touch by Ladytron · Shannon's Theme - Pet Thoughts
The "Super's Theme - It takes a Village" theme, won by Eric with "Get Down On It" by Kool & The Gang, is a useful lens for the season as a whole. "Shannon's Theme - Pet Thoughts" went to Shane with "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get - 2014 Remaster" by Morrissey (14 pts). And for "Jason's Theme - Soundalikes" went to Eric with "Fizzy" by ASHRR (12 pts). Each round is a small referendum on the group's collective memory.
In the standings, Eric climbed 5 spots, revleitner climbed 2 spots.
new wave and east coast hip hop defined the mood of this league. The 1990s cast a long shadow over the playlist. These aren't just data points. They're choices, which is to say, they're values.
League 26 is complete. Eric won. The playlist remains. And the conversation, as it always does, continues into League 27.