With 18 total responses, this round saw twice the votes of round 1. Unfortunately for me, there were numerous ties so I had some tough decisions to make. Here are the results:
Avenged Sevenfold vs. Them Crooked VulturesI was really hoping this wouldn't turn out to be a tie, but it was. The supergroup known as Them Crooked Vultures could prove to be a powerful force that's here to stay if their rumored second album comes out at the end of the year as expected. Until then, however, I have to give it to the higher seed.
Winner: Avenged SevenfoldArctic Monkeys vs. WolfmotherIt was a close race, but Wolfmother's tough to beat even with an almost entirely new lineup of musicians.
Winner: WolfmotherLCD Soundsystem vs. Calvin HarrisSurprisingly one-sided, James Murphy's LCD Soundsystem takes this contest easily. After his shows at MSG, however, LCD Soundsystem will apparently be no more.
Winner: LCD SoundsystemThe Darkness vs. JusticeApparently rumors of The Darkness reuniting were enough to catapult them over Justice.
Winner: The DarknessDeadmau5 vs. PriestessAnother tie! I love Deadmau5, but with Calvin Harris and Justice already out of the tournament, it seems as though Priestess has the better shot at continuing on past this round.
Winner: PriestessAudioslave vs. AirbourneAlthough Audioslave has split up, the collective fanbase of Rage Against the Machine and Soundgarden was enough to give Audioslave the majority.
Winner: AudioslaveThe Sword vs. The RaconteursWith almost 70% of the vote, Jack White's only remaining horse in the tournament moves on.
Winner: The RaconteursThe Black Keys vs. Band of SkullsI'm shocked this came out as a tie, but despite the media over-saturation, The Black Keys are, in my opinion, the frontrunner for this region.
Winner: The Black KeysElbow vs. Local Natives60% voted for Local Natives. A 16 seed knocks the first 1 seed out of the tournament.
Winner: Local NativesBand of Horses vs. Beach HouseWith over 70% of the vote, Band of Horses are the clear winners of this match.
Winner: Band of HorsesThe Decemberists vs. Fleet FoxesRough matchup for Fleet Foxes. They may have been able to take a lot of the bands in this region, but not The Decemberists.
Winner: The DecemberistsThe National vs. Paper RouteAnother difficult tie. While I love The National, I see an immense potential for Paper Route moving forward. They have a rough matchup against The Decemberists in the next round, but I urge all of you to give them a listen before making any hasty decisions.
Winner: Paper RouteThe Postal Service vs. Vampire Weekend60% of voters are hoping The Postal Service eventually releases a second album.
Winner: The Postal ServiceThe Strokes vs. Florence & the MachineThe Strokes have a new album coming out this week which is the only thing that could have made Florence & the Machine old news. With 70% of the vote, however, The Strokes won easily.
Winner: The StrokesBloc Party vs. Angus & Julia StoneIt's hard to get used to Julia's voice which may be part of the reason Bloc Party took 78% of the vote. One of the most one-sided matches in this round.
Winner: Bloc PartyThe Shins vs. Mumford & SonsUnfortunately for me, this turned out to be a tie. Two of my favorite bands in this region going head to head in an early round is tough to pick, but I am rarely as impressed by a band's debut as I was with Mumford & Sons'. Let's see how they do against Bloc Party.
Winner: Mumford & SonsAlicia Keys vs. James Vincent McMorrowAlicia Keys has significantly more time in the spotlight which was enough to rocket her to victory in this round.
Winner: Alicia KeysIngrid Michaelson vs. RihannaRihanna had the early lead, but Ingrid Michaelson pulled through in the end and lived to do battle with Alicia Keys in the next round.
Winner: Ingrid MichaelsonSara Bareilles vs. Taylor SwiftTaylor Swift is the better songwriter, but Sara Bareilles is the better performer. Since this came out as a tie, I'm going to tip the hat to Sara and see how she does in the next round.
Winner: Sara BareillesAmy Winehouse vs. Bon IverAmy Winehouse hasn't released anything in a while, but then again, neither has Bon Iver.
Winner: Amy WinehouseKanye West vs. Aloe Blacc83% wanted Kanye to move on. I can't possibly argue with that.
Winner: Kanye WestJustin Timberlake vs. Lady GagaAnother tough tie. Although Lady Gaga's latest single, "Born This Way," is disappointing, I've gotta give her credit for being the Madonna of the 21st century.
Winner: Lady GagaTristen vs. Alexi MurdochIt was a close race, but fans of Alexi Murdoch pulled through in the end.
Winner: Alexi MurdochCee Lo Green vs. JonsiAnother very close race, but perhaps there are enough Sigur Ros fans familiar with Jonsi's work to keep him alive.
Winner: JonsiGorillaz vs. Foster the PeopleFoster the People is the newest band in the tournament, but their catchy beats weren't enough to beat out Damon Albarn and company.
Winner: GorillazArcade Fire vs. Kaiser ChiefsKaiser Chiefs are incredibly catchy, but even at an 8 seed, Arcade Fire is the band to beat in this region.
Winner: Arcade FireTV On the Radio vs. Hard-FiI'm actually surprised at the support for Hard-Fi. Often compared to The Clash, Hard-Fi is working on their 3rd album currently, but it won't be out in time to have an impact on the rest of this tournament.
Winner: Hard-FiFranz Ferdinand vs. Gnarls BarkleyOver 70% took Franz Ferdinand. Cee-Lo Green is officially knocked out of the tournament.
Winner: Franz FerdinandKeane vs. EditorsWith Keane handling Editors easily, it looks like Interpol is the last remaining hope for Joy Division fans.
Winner: KeaneKings of Leon vs. MGMTA solid victory for the boys from Nashville, TN.
Winner: Kings of LeonThe Killers vs. The BraveryAlthough they have been around a similar amount of time, The Killers significantly more popular worldwide and that helped them to victory here.
Winner: The KillersInterpol vs. Empire of the SunEmpire of the Sun is often compared to MGMT And if MGMT couldn't even make the next round, how is Empire of the Sun expected to?
Winner: Interpol