INDIE EAR MADNESS: 2nd Round (West Region)

Saturday, March 22, 2008 | 9:43 AM

1 Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks vs. 9 The Presidents of the U.S.A.
Many critics disagreed with the Indie Ear Selection Committee's #1 seeding of Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks. Sarah Pesin (one of our Indie Ear bloggers) even threw a temper tantrum when #16 seed Foals lost to the Jicks in the First Round (she had Foals going to the Sweet 16). Malkmus and his band took this to heart and played inspired music out on the stage today. The Presidents threw a couple cover songs late into their set, but it wasn't enough to stop the one-two punch of Malkmus and Janet Weiss.

(left: Stephen Malkmus leads his Jicks into the Sweet 16)

5 Rilo Kiley vs. 4 Hot Chip
Though Hot Chip was the higher seed, many people were expecting Rilo Kiley to easily roll over them--not the case. Hot Chip matched Rilo Kiley ballad for ballad and then pulled out some big-beat dance music to seal the win.

6 Against Me vs. 3 Tapes 'N Tapes
Against Me seemed like they wanted it more today. Tom Gabel brought out the "Piss and Vinegar"--literally. Besides playing that track from the group's latest effort, New Wave, Against Me sounded solid on "Up The Cuts", "American Abroad", and "Don't Lose Touch." Since Tapes 'N Tapes have been off the road for a while, they looked a tad shell-shocked in their Second Round defeat.

10 What Made Milwaukee Famous vs.
2 Band of Horses
Think of Sub-Pop as the Pac-10 of Indie Ear Madness. Band of Horses (Sub Pop's Conference Champs) have sounded great in the tournament thus far. Though there was some heckles from What Made Milwaukee Famous' student section about Band of Horses licensing their track "The Funeral" for a car commercial, Ben Bridwell silenced them all when he sang the song in question. He even seemed to look over at the student section when he sang the words, "And every occasion I'll be ready for a funeral." Band of Horses move on.