Showdown (Pendulum song)
Encyclopedia
"Showdown" is the fourth single
and first track from the album In Silico by Australian drum and bass
band Pendulum
. It has been remixed by several artists, including DJ Clipz (who is also Redlight) and Excision. It is also the first single taken from In Silico not to use the album logo prominently on its cover.
The single was originally released through various online music store
s on 5 January 2009. It was not available in any physical format until 9 February, when Warner Music UK
released the 12"
picture disc
of "Showdown". To help promote the single, Pendulum also released a Space Invaders
themed video game which offered players a chance of winning an official framed gold disc of In Silico.
. Although primarily influenced by drum and bass
, the song contains prominent elements of both early hard rock
and techno
, and has even been described as "dance metal
" by some critics. "Showdown" opens with vocals from Swire, before going into a heavy guitar
riff
which is the main focus of the track. It also makes extensive use of both sampled
and acoustic
drums to produce large and heavy sounds respectively.
reading community, very happy". David Knight observed that "you won't hear a better riff
on a dance
track without a great amount of searching", but described the remix
es released with the single as "absolutely terrible". It was chosen as "Single of the Week" on 12 January 2009 by the British tabloid newspaper Daily Star.
.
The video draws parallels from dog fighting
, focusing on a fight scene
in which the dogs are replaced by two young women, and culminates in the escape of one woman at the end of the video. It also depicts controversial scenes of women being kept in cages
and men gambling
on the outcome of fights, which contributed to Knight describing the video as "highly problematic". Some scenes of the video have been compared with the movie Fight Club
by various sources, including Bartleet.
themed video game on their website to further promote "Showdown". By scoring more points, players who submitted their details could unlock more of the "Live at the Brixton Academy" version of "Showdown". They also had a chance of winning an official framed gold disc of In Silico.
The game was a modified version of Space Invaders, in which the aliens had been replaced with different coloured variants of the In Silico logo, and the bunkers were replaced with pairs of letters spelling out the band's name. Players had three lives to score as many points as possible, after which their score was logged on a high score table. The album version of "Showdown" was played during the game.
s, including 7digital
, Amazon.com
, and iTunes
. Along with the album version and radio edit
of the song, the download bundle included a live recording and several remix
es by other artists. The single was later released on a 12"
picture disc
, containing the album version and Excision remix of "Showdown", on 9 February by Warner Music UK
.
The song "Showdown" was featured on In Silico as the opening track. It was the first single from the album not to use the In Silico logo prominently on its cover
, although most of the logo can be seen on a bass drum
in the cover art
. Live versions of the song have appeared on iTunes Live: London Festival '08, as a B-side on "The Other Side
", as well as in the single download bundle. It was also featured in the soundtrack
of Disney Interactive Studios' off-road racing video game Pure
. The track is also featured in the first trailer for Forza Motorsport 3
, on the Xbox 360
as well as in the game itself during races, and CSI: NY
episode "Green Piece".
.
Music download
(released 5 January 2009)
12" picture disc vinyl
(WEA454T; released 9 February 2009)
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
and first track from the album In Silico by Australian drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
band Pendulum
Pendulum (band)
Pendulum is an Australian drum and bass and electronic rock band founded in 2002 in Perth by Rob Swire, Gareth McGrillen, and Paul Harding.Swire and McGrillen were members of the rock band known as Xygen. After hearing Konflict's "Messiah" at a club, they were inspired to enter into the drum and...
. It has been remixed by several artists, including DJ Clipz (who is also Redlight) and Excision. It is also the first single taken from In Silico not to use the album logo prominently on its cover.
The single was originally released through various online music store
Online music store
An online music store is an online business which sells audio files, usually music, on a per-song and/or subscription basis. It may be differentiated from music streaming services in that the music store offers the actual music file, while streaming services offer partial or full listening without...
s on 5 January 2009. It was not available in any physical format until 9 February, when Warner Music UK
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
released the 12"
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
picture disc
Picture disc
Picture discs are gramophone records that show images on their playing surface, rather than being of plain black or coloured vinyl.-Development:...
of "Showdown". To help promote the single, Pendulum also released a Space Invaders
Space Invaders
is an arcade video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released in 1978. It was originally manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and was later licensed for production in the United States by the Midway division of Bally. Space Invaders is one of the earliest shooting games and the aim is to...
themed video game which offered players a chance of winning an official framed gold disc of In Silico.
Background and writing
"Showdown" was originally written and produced for the album In Silico by Rob SwireRob Swire
Rob Swire , is an Australian record producer, singer and keyboardist. Swire is best known as lead singer and producer of Australian electronic band Pendulum and is sometimes referred to by the stage name Anscenic...
. Although primarily influenced by drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
, the song contains prominent elements of both early hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
and techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
, and has even been described as "dance metal
Neue Deutsche Härte
Neue Deutsche Härte is a genre of industrial metal. The term was invented by the German music press after the release of the debut album Herzeleid by Rammstein....
" by some critics. "Showdown" opens with vocals from Swire, before going into a heavy guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
which is the main focus of the track. It also makes extensive use of both sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
and acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
drums to produce large and heavy sounds respectively.
Critical reception
"Showdown" has received generally positive reviews from music critics. Angry Ape reviewer David Adair described the single as "a snappy and slightly abrasive number that will keep their new found fans amongst the KerrangKerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
reading community, very happy". David Knight observed that "you won't hear a better riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
on a dance
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
track without a great amount of searching", but described the remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es released with the single as "absolutely terrible". It was chosen as "Single of the Week" on 12 January 2009 by the British tabloid newspaper Daily Star.
Music video
The music video for "Showdown", directed by Nick Bartleet, was released on MySpaceTV on 12 December 2008 to promote Pendulum's upcoming single. It was originally intended to be Internet-only, but was subsequently A-listed on the television channel MTV DanceMTV Dance
MTV Dance is a 24-hour dance music channel operated by MTV Networks Europe.The channel is widely available throughout Europe on subscription satellite and digital television services...
.
The video draws parallels from dog fighting
Dog fighting
Dog fighting is a form of blood sport in which game dogs are made to fight, sometimes to the death. It is illegal in most developed countries. Dog fighting is used for entertainment and may also generate revenue from stud fees, admission fees and gambling....
, focusing on a fight scene
Stage combat
Stage combat is a specialized technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. It is employed in live stage plays as well as operatic and ballet productions. The term is also used informally to describe fight choreography for other...
in which the dogs are replaced by two young women, and culminates in the escape of one woman at the end of the video. It also depicts controversial scenes of women being kept in cages
Cage (enclosure)
A cage is an enclosure made of mesh, bars or wires, used to confine, contain or protect something or someone. A cage can serve many purposes, including keeping an animal in captivity, capturing, and being used for display of an animal at a zoo.-History:...
and men gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
on the outcome of fights, which contributed to Knight describing the video as "highly problematic". Some scenes of the video have been compared with the movie Fight Club
Fight Club (film)
Fight Club is a 1999 American film based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. The film was directed by David Fincher and stars Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter. Norton plays the unnamed protagonist, an "everyman" who is discontented with his white-collar job...
by various sources, including Bartleet.
Promotional video game
On 24 December, shortly after the release of their music video, Pendulum presented a Space InvadersSpace Invaders
is an arcade video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released in 1978. It was originally manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and was later licensed for production in the United States by the Midway division of Bally. Space Invaders is one of the earliest shooting games and the aim is to...
themed video game on their website to further promote "Showdown". By scoring more points, players who submitted their details could unlock more of the "Live at the Brixton Academy" version of "Showdown". They also had a chance of winning an official framed gold disc of In Silico.
The game was a modified version of Space Invaders, in which the aliens had been replaced with different coloured variants of the In Silico logo, and the bunkers were replaced with pairs of letters spelling out the band's name. Players had three lives to score as many points as possible, after which their score was logged on a high score table. The album version of "Showdown" was played during the game.
Marketing and release
"Showdown" was first released on 5 January 2009 through various online music storeOnline music store
An online music store is an online business which sells audio files, usually music, on a per-song and/or subscription basis. It may be differentiated from music streaming services in that the music store offers the actual music file, while streaming services offer partial or full listening without...
s, including 7digital
7digital
7digital is a privately held digital media delivery company based in the United Kingdom, offering downloadable music, video and movies to customers primarily within major European markets...
, Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
, and iTunes
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
. Along with the album version and radio edit
Radio edit
In music, a radio edit is a modification to make a song more suitable for airplay, whether it be adjusted for length, profanity, subject matter, instrumentation, or form...
of the song, the download bundle included a live recording and several remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es by other artists. The single was later released on a 12"
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
picture disc
Picture disc
Picture discs are gramophone records that show images on their playing surface, rather than being of plain black or coloured vinyl.-Development:...
, containing the album version and Excision remix of "Showdown", on 9 February by Warner Music UK
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
.
The song "Showdown" was featured on In Silico as the opening track. It was the first single from the album not to use the In Silico logo prominently on its cover
Album cover
An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...
, although most of the logo can be seen on a bass drum
Bass drum
Bass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
in the cover art
Cover art
Cover art is the illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book , magazine, comic book, video game , DVD, CD, videotape, or music album. The art has a primarily commercial function, i.e...
. Live versions of the song have appeared on iTunes Live: London Festival '08, as a B-side on "The Other Side
The Other Side (Pendulum song)
"The Other Side" is the third single from Australian drum and bass band Pendulum's second album In Silico. It was released on 28 July 2008 to coincide with their iTunes Festival gig at London's Koko. The song peaked at number 54 in the UK Singles Chart on 3 August, one week after it was first...
", as well as in the single download bundle. It was also featured in the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of Disney Interactive Studios' off-road racing video game Pure
Pure (video game)
Pure is an off-road, quad-bike trick-racing video game for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows published by Disney Interactive Studios and developed by Black Rock Studio...
. The track is also featured in the first trailer for Forza Motorsport 3
Forza Motorsport 3
Forza Motorsport 3 is a racing video game developed for Xbox 360 by Turn 10 Studios. It was released in October . It is the sequel to Forza Motorsport 2 and the third installment in the Forza Motorsport series...
, on the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
as well as in the game itself during races, and CSI: NY
CSI: NY
CSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...
episode "Green Piece".
Release history
| Region | Release Date | Format | Catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... EP Extended play An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact... |
none | |
| 12" single 12-inch single The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality... |
WEA454T |
Formats and track listings
These are the major formats and associated track listings of single releases of "Showdown", written and produced by Rob SwireRob Swire
Rob Swire , is an Australian record producer, singer and keyboardist. Swire is best known as lead singer and producer of Australian electronic band Pendulum and is sometimes referred to by the stage name Anscenic...
.
Music download
(released 5 January 2009)
- "Showdown" – 5:27
- "Showdown" (radio edit) – 3:22
- "Showdown" (DJ Clipz remix) – 4:52
- "Showdown" (Excision remix) – 4:47
- "Showdown" (Redlight remix) – 5:09
- "Showdown" (Live at the Brixton Academy) – 7:38
12" picture disc vinyl
(WEA454T; released 9 February 2009)
- "Showdown" – 5:27
- "Showdown" (Excision remix) – 4:47
Video personnel
The music video for "Showdown" is credited to:- Nick Bartleet – directorMusic video directorA music video director is driven by a given music track. These are called music videos and are then used as promotional tools for popular music singles...
, editorFilm editingFilm editing is part of the creative post-production process of filmmaking. It involves the selection and combining of shots into sequences, and ultimately creating a finished motion picture. It is an art of storytelling... - Phoebe Lloyd – producerFilm producerA film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
- Marko Fuchs – assistant directorAssistant directorThe role of an Assistant director include tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of health and safety of the crew...
- Eric Maddison – director of photographyCinematographerA cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
- Zara Phythian – actorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, lead martial artistMartial artsMartial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development.... - Helen Bailey – actor, martial artist
- John Moule – video commissioner
External links
- "Showdown" at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- "Showdown" at MusicBrainzMusicBrainzMusicBrainz is a project that aims to create an open content music database. Similar to the freedb project, it was founded in response to the restrictions placed on the CDDB...
- "Showdown" at rolldabeatsRolldabeatsrolldabeats is an online music database dedicated to drum and bass and its various stylistic origins. It was launched in February 2005 by the original webmaster Thijs Engels, and web designer Tom "Haste" Johnson...