Pinkberry vs. Red Mango. Band vs. Band. Which would you rather?

This is intended as a fun post, something a little different around here which stemmed from my thoughts yesterday as I passed yet another Pinkberry and knew to look across the street to find a Red Mango. For those unfamiliar with the terminology here, Pinkberry and Red Mango are both frozen yogurt places – as in, if you take the yogurt you eat in the morning for breakfast and freeze it, you’d get this type of yogurt (essentially). You then choose from a bunch of options and fresh fruit as condiments. There has been hot debate as to which one is better. I personally think they are exactly the same, and would not be surprised if they’re secretly run by the same parent company in an effort to keep other competitors from popping up. But most people are strongly devoted to one or the other, usually Pinkberry. They say Pinkberry was the first in the U.S., which is true, but I say back, Red Mango was the actual original which started internationally. Which do you prefer?

All this being said about yummy yogurt, I’d like to expand the idea to a mini artist competition (all for fun of course). Know that I enjoy each of these following musicians’ work, i’m just comparing ones I find to be similar. Anddddd go!

1. Travis vs. Athlete. Britrockers actually from the UK, Travis and Athlete create swooping melodies with catchy vocals that range higher than most and an underlying electronic sound. They draw the line between their music and Coldplay’s, though of course there are similarities in this type of pop. Travis has been the more popular group, but Athlete has delivered some fantastic stuff themselves. Which would you rather?
   Travis – “Re-Offender” [MP3]
   Athlete – “Airport Disco” [MP3]
2. Iron & Wine vs. William Fitzsimmons. Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) is more lo-fi, but I couldn’t help from making this comparison, as most people do, to the two men with beards who make gorgeously earthy music. Acoustic and sublime, Beam and Fitzsimmons have a stranglehold on the recipe to singer/songwriter success for the folk genre. Which would you rather?
   Iron & Wine – “Fever Dream” [MP3]
   William Fitzsimmons – “You Still Hurt Me” [MP3]
3. The Decemberists vs. The Mountain Goats. This essentially comes down to the abrasive yet inviting and unique vocals of Colin Meloy (The Decemberists frontman) and John Darnielle (The Mountain Goats frontman). I actually bring this one up because of a debate the Knox Road authors had on our way back from a Mountain Goats concert last year. Bob asked which one I like better – really trying to mess with my head, I know. I sided with The Mountain Goats and was the odd man out. along with Jamie (as he informed me ever so nicely in the comments below…) while Bob chose The Decemberists. In my opinion, while it may be harder to fully latch on to some of Darnielle’s stuff, he’s one of the best lyricists of this decade, and that isn’t lost on me. Though, “The Crane Wife 3” is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. No hyperbole, I assure you. Which would you rather?
   The Decemberists – “The Crane Wife 3” [MP3]
   The Mountain Goats – “Woke Up New” [MP3]
4. The Notwist vs. Lali Puna. Whoa, whoa Lee. Hold up. The Notwist vs. Lali Puna? They sound nothing alike! One has a male lead and the other a female! Ok cool. So what? There are some songs that sound eerily similar – it really is scary. The electronic instrumentation is atmospheric and leaves you in a floating world (…Anathallo reference is unintended, but there you go.) This specific Lali Puna song should show you how similar they sometimes sound to The Notwist. Which would you rather?
   The Notwist – “Consequence” [MP3]
   Lali Puna – “Bi-Pet” [MP3]