Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums
This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
2017 FBG Album Poll - COUNTDOWN TODAY (Feb 22) (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Northern Voice
- Start date
Northern Voice
Footballguy
No longer coming out of left field...
#10
Portugal the Man - Woodstock
65 points, 5 votes
Ranked Highest By: Jaysus, jvvdesigns, Nick Vermeil, shuke, mphtrilogy
Previous Albums on our Countdown: Evil Friends (#5 in 2013), In the Mountain in the Cloud (#30 in 2011)
Review:
On this set, Portugal. The Man continue to work with Mike D. but also with Danger Mouse and John Hill. They enlisted no less than nine engineers and more than 20 guest musicians and singers, and Woodstock sounds like it. It's an enormous-sounding, splashy album.
While the recording contains the band's hyperkinetic, sometimes frantic tapestry of sounds from neo-psych to glam and indie (in places), they've upped their "commercial" ante considerably as evidenced by single "Feel It Still," which has a punchy, fingerpopping rhythm worthy of both Pharrell Williams and Mark Ronson, complete with bumping brass, crisp snares, and Gourley's falsetto. The irony of such an overt pop single isn't lost on the band: They've printed T-shirts that read "I was into Portugal. The Man before they sold out." The pop approach is subversive but you'll need to get to the various song's lyrics to discover it. (No spoilers.) Check the nocturnal loop and groove of "Easy Tiger" that weaves traces of glam and multi-layered psych into its dubby, club-floor stomp. While "Keep On" contains ghost traces of the band's indie past, it's more influenced by alternative R&B and still rocks. The Pharcyde's Fatlipguests on the wonderful, snare/hi-hat/acid-tinged zaniness that is "Mr. Lonely," while the hip-hop drums and Hill's multi-layered, Brian Wilson-esque swooping vocal and backmasked Baroque psych production on "Tidal Wave" are infectious. Closer "Noise Pollution" offers an upfront vocal mix with Mary Elizabeth Winstead & Zoe Manville adding a prominent vocal chorus into the meld of psychedelic pop, hip-hop, and dancefloor tropes in a dense production by Mike D. It'll be interesting to observe how P.TM's longtime fans react to Woodstock, or if it will even matter. They'll certainly retain enough of their base to chart, but the bet is, given how accessible and attractive (and yes, derivative) their loopy brand of pop is, they'll attract an entirely new crop of fans to compensate. Pump your fist, be "a rebel just for kicks now," and most of all, dance like your life depended on it. As far as P.TM is concerned, it does.
#10
Portugal the Man - Woodstock
65 points, 5 votes
Ranked Highest By: Jaysus, jvvdesigns, Nick Vermeil, shuke, mphtrilogy
Previous Albums on our Countdown: Evil Friends (#5 in 2013), In the Mountain in the Cloud (#30 in 2011)
Review:
On this set, Portugal. The Man continue to work with Mike D. but also with Danger Mouse and John Hill. They enlisted no less than nine engineers and more than 20 guest musicians and singers, and Woodstock sounds like it. It's an enormous-sounding, splashy album.
While the recording contains the band's hyperkinetic, sometimes frantic tapestry of sounds from neo-psych to glam and indie (in places), they've upped their "commercial" ante considerably as evidenced by single "Feel It Still," which has a punchy, fingerpopping rhythm worthy of both Pharrell Williams and Mark Ronson, complete with bumping brass, crisp snares, and Gourley's falsetto. The irony of such an overt pop single isn't lost on the band: They've printed T-shirts that read "I was into Portugal. The Man before they sold out." The pop approach is subversive but you'll need to get to the various song's lyrics to discover it. (No spoilers.) Check the nocturnal loop and groove of "Easy Tiger" that weaves traces of glam and multi-layered psych into its dubby, club-floor stomp. While "Keep On" contains ghost traces of the band's indie past, it's more influenced by alternative R&B and still rocks. The Pharcyde's Fatlipguests on the wonderful, snare/hi-hat/acid-tinged zaniness that is "Mr. Lonely," while the hip-hop drums and Hill's multi-layered, Brian Wilson-esque swooping vocal and backmasked Baroque psych production on "Tidal Wave" are infectious. Closer "Noise Pollution" offers an upfront vocal mix with Mary Elizabeth Winstead & Zoe Manville adding a prominent vocal chorus into the meld of psychedelic pop, hip-hop, and dancefloor tropes in a dense production by Mike D. It'll be interesting to observe how P.TM's longtime fans react to Woodstock, or if it will even matter. They'll certainly retain enough of their base to chart, but the bet is, given how accessible and attractive (and yes, derivative) their loopy brand of pop is, they'll attract an entirely new crop of fans to compensate. Pump your fist, be "a rebel just for kicks now," and most of all, dance like your life depended on it. As far as P.TM is concerned, it does.
Northern Voice
Footballguy
ericttspikes
Footballguy
Kind of surprised Evil Friends was #5 in 2013 and posted higher than this one. Feel it Still was a monster. Good for them, they deserve it. The Satanic Satanist is still my favorite.
Northern Voice
Footballguy
This is actually very high for a rap album on this poll
#9
Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
67 points, 6 votes
Ranked Highest By: jvvdesigns, rockaction, Workhorse, Eephus, Ahrn, Bogart
Previous Albums on our Countdown: To Pimp a Butterfly (#43 in 2015), Good kid, m.a.a.d city (#12 in 2012)
Review:
Throughout Kendrick Lamar’s fourth full-length, he can be heard lamenting that there is no one left to pray for him. But if he’s beyond redemption, it’s not his burden alone. Over 14 tracks, Lamar spins his Section 8 childhood, current status as rap royalty and the ensuing contradictions that plague his personality into a grand and complex narrative. The assertion is that his environment made him what he is, and if that self is beyond repair then, like America under Trump, which also figures into his narrative, it’s everyone’s problem to deal with.
And yet, Lamar lives with the combined anger and fear that his point will be misunderstood. Enter his sampling of Fox News’s Geraldo Rivera asserting that hip-hop has done more damage to young African-Americans than racism on the track DNA. That beat’s machine-gun freneticism comes courtesy of producer Mike WiLL Made-It. Tracks like XXX. (featuring U2), which is helmed by a host of producers including Bekon, and the 9th Wonder-produced DUCKWORTH. follow suit. They splice together chopped up samples and jump between wildly disparate beats, giving Lamar avenues to throw his lyrical dexterity in any number of directions.
But it’s Lamar’s lyricism that holds court. Like his idol 2Pac, he explores the microcosm of his personal struggles through the macrocosm of society’s ills. Nowhere is this more powerful than when he pairs opposing concepts: the track PRIDE. is followed by HUMBLE.; LUST. is followed by LOVE.; and, perhaps most tellingly, GOD. is followed by DUCKWORTH. (Lamar’s last name). Somewhere in the constant tension between the three pairs lies their reconciliation.
Countless rappers claim to have transcended the game. Kendrick Lamar actually does. There’s the sense his ambitions on DAMN. are even larger, reaching toward something more universal, fateful even spiritual in its reach to find the link tying all contradictions together. On FEAR., Lamar raps: “What happens on earth stays on earth / I can’t take these feelings with me / So hopefully they disperse.” One can spend hours unpacking what he really means.
#9
Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
67 points, 6 votes
Ranked Highest By: jvvdesigns, rockaction, Workhorse, Eephus, Ahrn, Bogart
Previous Albums on our Countdown: To Pimp a Butterfly (#43 in 2015), Good kid, m.a.a.d city (#12 in 2012)
Review:
Throughout Kendrick Lamar’s fourth full-length, he can be heard lamenting that there is no one left to pray for him. But if he’s beyond redemption, it’s not his burden alone. Over 14 tracks, Lamar spins his Section 8 childhood, current status as rap royalty and the ensuing contradictions that plague his personality into a grand and complex narrative. The assertion is that his environment made him what he is, and if that self is beyond repair then, like America under Trump, which also figures into his narrative, it’s everyone’s problem to deal with.
And yet, Lamar lives with the combined anger and fear that his point will be misunderstood. Enter his sampling of Fox News’s Geraldo Rivera asserting that hip-hop has done more damage to young African-Americans than racism on the track DNA. That beat’s machine-gun freneticism comes courtesy of producer Mike WiLL Made-It. Tracks like XXX. (featuring U2), which is helmed by a host of producers including Bekon, and the 9th Wonder-produced DUCKWORTH. follow suit. They splice together chopped up samples and jump between wildly disparate beats, giving Lamar avenues to throw his lyrical dexterity in any number of directions.
But it’s Lamar’s lyricism that holds court. Like his idol 2Pac, he explores the microcosm of his personal struggles through the macrocosm of society’s ills. Nowhere is this more powerful than when he pairs opposing concepts: the track PRIDE. is followed by HUMBLE.; LUST. is followed by LOVE.; and, perhaps most tellingly, GOD. is followed by DUCKWORTH. (Lamar’s last name). Somewhere in the constant tension between the three pairs lies their reconciliation.
Countless rappers claim to have transcended the game. Kendrick Lamar actually does. There’s the sense his ambitions on DAMN. are even larger, reaching toward something more universal, fateful even spiritual in its reach to find the link tying all contradictions together. On FEAR., Lamar raps: “What happens on earth stays on earth / I can’t take these feelings with me / So hopefully they disperse.” One can spend hours unpacking what he really means.
Northern Voice
Footballguy
Nick Vermeil
Footballguy
Northern Voice
Footballguy
How could anybody have you and lose you and not lose their minds too?
#8
St. Vincent - MASSEDUCTION
71 points, 5 votes
Ranked Highest By: kupcho1, jvvdesigns, E-Z Glider, Steve Tasker, Nick Vermeil
Previous Albums on our Countdown: St. Vincent (#22 in 2014), Strange Mercy (#22 in 2011), Marry Me (#28 in 2017)
Review:
If you’re wondering where Annie Clark’s head is at, it’s not hard to dig it out from the name of her upcoming tour: Fear the Future. On her fantastically nervy new album MASSEDUCTION, the musician pseudonymously known as St. Vincent is a restless, jittery pop star for the age of anxiety; an electric hook girl circling the apocalypse.
MASS offers 13 soundtracks for sleepless nights and social-media voyeurs, self-medicating and slow discos. Glitchy opener “Hang on Me” blisters and blooms into a haunted 3 a.m. anthem; the spiky, shiny-bright “Pills” (featuring her model-actress ex Cara Delevingne) counts down the many virtues of pharmaceuticals: “Pills to f—, pills to think, pills pills pills for the family.” The robo-sexual title track, with its moaning, strangled refrain — “I can’t turn off what turns me on” — sounds like a Patrick Nagel painting come to life; digital-witness rock opera “Sugarboy” swoons and slithers; “Savior” plays with BDSM intimacy and role-play clichés (“You dress me in a nun’s black habit/ Hail Mary pass, cuz you know I’ll grab it”).
There’s an ’80s-neon-meets-aughties-existentialism to it all, like the gleaming thought bubbles of a Robert Palmer backup dancer high on synthesizers, pedal steel, and the collected works of Marshall McLuhan. Sometimes those lyrical obsessions threaten to slide toward glibness (newsflash: L.A. is a strange, predatory place; also, absolute narcissism corrupts absolutely). But Clark is way too intuitive, and too human, not to pull herself back from the brink. Many of the record’s best moments are actually its most tender: the lovely, elegiac “New York,” the wry relationship autopsy “Young Lover,” the crooked lullaby “Happy Birthday Johnny.” (Is he the same “Prince Johnny” and “John” from past albums? In a recent BuzzFeed interview, she pointedly wouldn’t say).
If there’s an easy way to live in the world, MASS hasn’t found it. “Am I thinking what everyone’s thinking?/ I’m so glad I came but I can’t wait to leave,” she asks ruefully on the penultimate ballad, and contemplates early-exit scenarios on the epic, disorienting closer “Smoking Section”: the rogue spark from a lit cigarette, a loaded pistol, a rooftop leap into traffic. Instead she stays, insisting “it’s not the end” over and over in a quavering falsetto. Five studio albums in, it feels more like another new beginning, and pretty close to a masterpiece
#8
St. Vincent - MASSEDUCTION
71 points, 5 votes
Ranked Highest By: kupcho1, jvvdesigns, E-Z Glider, Steve Tasker, Nick Vermeil
Previous Albums on our Countdown: St. Vincent (#22 in 2014), Strange Mercy (#22 in 2011), Marry Me (#28 in 2017)
Review:
If you’re wondering where Annie Clark’s head is at, it’s not hard to dig it out from the name of her upcoming tour: Fear the Future. On her fantastically nervy new album MASSEDUCTION, the musician pseudonymously known as St. Vincent is a restless, jittery pop star for the age of anxiety; an electric hook girl circling the apocalypse.
MASS offers 13 soundtracks for sleepless nights and social-media voyeurs, self-medicating and slow discos. Glitchy opener “Hang on Me” blisters and blooms into a haunted 3 a.m. anthem; the spiky, shiny-bright “Pills” (featuring her model-actress ex Cara Delevingne) counts down the many virtues of pharmaceuticals: “Pills to f—, pills to think, pills pills pills for the family.” The robo-sexual title track, with its moaning, strangled refrain — “I can’t turn off what turns me on” — sounds like a Patrick Nagel painting come to life; digital-witness rock opera “Sugarboy” swoons and slithers; “Savior” plays with BDSM intimacy and role-play clichés (“You dress me in a nun’s black habit/ Hail Mary pass, cuz you know I’ll grab it”).
There’s an ’80s-neon-meets-aughties-existentialism to it all, like the gleaming thought bubbles of a Robert Palmer backup dancer high on synthesizers, pedal steel, and the collected works of Marshall McLuhan. Sometimes those lyrical obsessions threaten to slide toward glibness (newsflash: L.A. is a strange, predatory place; also, absolute narcissism corrupts absolutely). But Clark is way too intuitive, and too human, not to pull herself back from the brink. Many of the record’s best moments are actually its most tender: the lovely, elegiac “New York,” the wry relationship autopsy “Young Lover,” the crooked lullaby “Happy Birthday Johnny.” (Is he the same “Prince Johnny” and “John” from past albums? In a recent BuzzFeed interview, she pointedly wouldn’t say).
If there’s an easy way to live in the world, MASS hasn’t found it. “Am I thinking what everyone’s thinking?/ I’m so glad I came but I can’t wait to leave,” she asks ruefully on the penultimate ballad, and contemplates early-exit scenarios on the epic, disorienting closer “Smoking Section”: the rogue spark from a lit cigarette, a loaded pistol, a rooftop leap into traffic. Instead she stays, insisting “it’s not the end” over and over in a quavering falsetto. Five studio albums in, it feels more like another new beginning, and pretty close to a masterpiece
AhrnCityPahnder
Yinz-o-riffic
Northern Voice
Footballguy
Two turntables and a microphone
#7
Beck - Colors
74 points, 5 votes
Ranked Highest By: jvvdesigns, mphtrilogy, E-Z Glider, steelcitysledgehammer, Eephus
Previous Albums on our Countdown: Morning Phase (#20 in 2014)
Review:
True to its name, it’s a jovial psychedelic mixture of ‘60s rock, ‘80s synth pop and modern electronic that, like many of its predecessors, finds Beck channeling the current musical zeitgeist while also maintaining his trademark sensibilities and personality. Although Color’s sustained templates make it a tad repetitious overall, the album is still a very pleasing, cohesive and imaginative sequence.
In a recent interview with Vulture, Beck said that the goal behind Colors was “ to make something that was uplifting, had a lot of energy, and made you want to sing along”; in addition, the LP marks the first time producer and musician Greg Kurstin also served as a co-songwriter: “I write a lot on my own, so having someone else there inspired me to come out of my comfort zone. I was trying not to be afraid of simplicity on this album,” Beck added. In those respects, the album is quite successful, as its sparkling production, bouncy rhythms and alluring melodies make it irresistibly celebratory and, well, colorful.
This festive penchant is perhaps best represented on the eponymous opener, whose initially muddled blend of dazzling effects and party percussion quickly rises to a clearer surface. Interestingly, there are also subtle bursts of woodwinds and strings beneath Beck’s marching verses—adding even more endearing variety to the mix—while his slow, surreal transitions provide fine segues into the modulated vocal counterpoints of the chorus. It’s a blissfully vibrant and engaging way to begin, and it sets the stage well for the overarching vibe of the disc.
Of course, several other tracks maintain a comparably glorious attitude and digital sheen, including “I’m So Free,” a very catchy track with arena rock guitar chords and even a bit of Beck’s old school hip-hop deliveries. It seems like the perfect fit for a life-affirming commercial, as does centerpiece “No Distraction,” which, oddly enough, features an urgent, Beatles-esque chorus in the midst of an arrangement that evokes Portugal. the Man’s “Atomic Man” (from 2012’s Evil Friends). In fact, the latter group’s mixture of contemporary hip-hop, electronic, and pop/rock also comes through on “Dreams (Colors Mix)” and “Up All Night,” two highly multifaceted compositions that are equally suited for academic close listening and revelry background coating.
While Colors is filled with moments of elation, it also has a few sections that exude Beck’s characteristic introspection and melancholy. For instance, “Seventh Heaven” oozes shimmering reflections and breezy triumphs (as if its speaker has just conquered hardships and can breathe easily again). Elsewhere, the punchy piano chords, grungy guitar lines, subtle strings and empowered melodies of “Dear Life” immediately and consistently recall the dense and slightly antagonistic sing-along nature of ‘70s Elton John and modern Paul McCartney. Naturally, “Fix Me” concludes the sequence with delicate dreaminess and longing as Beck sings softly over faint orchestration and folk-rock instrumentation. In terms of sheer songwriting, it’s the highlight of the whole record.
Beck has always been a master of infusing his signature essence into whatever styles—retro and/or modern—he wants to play with at any given moment, and that remains true on Colors. While its glittery timbres and programmed beats can be a bit overbearing and repetitive at times, they never truly detract from how enjoyable and creative the record is. Beyond that, Beck is one of only a handful of popular artists over the last few decades who legitimately reinvents himself with almost every new studio work—so he deserves praise for that alone. As both a quintessential entry into his catalog and a striking entry into mainstream popular culture, Colors once again cements Beck as a clever, ever-dynamic and enduring artist. https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/10/beck-colors-review.html
#7
Beck - Colors
74 points, 5 votes
Ranked Highest By: jvvdesigns, mphtrilogy, E-Z Glider, steelcitysledgehammer, Eephus
Previous Albums on our Countdown: Morning Phase (#20 in 2014)
Review:
True to its name, it’s a jovial psychedelic mixture of ‘60s rock, ‘80s synth pop and modern electronic that, like many of its predecessors, finds Beck channeling the current musical zeitgeist while also maintaining his trademark sensibilities and personality. Although Color’s sustained templates make it a tad repetitious overall, the album is still a very pleasing, cohesive and imaginative sequence.
In a recent interview with Vulture, Beck said that the goal behind Colors was “ to make something that was uplifting, had a lot of energy, and made you want to sing along”; in addition, the LP marks the first time producer and musician Greg Kurstin also served as a co-songwriter: “I write a lot on my own, so having someone else there inspired me to come out of my comfort zone. I was trying not to be afraid of simplicity on this album,” Beck added. In those respects, the album is quite successful, as its sparkling production, bouncy rhythms and alluring melodies make it irresistibly celebratory and, well, colorful.
This festive penchant is perhaps best represented on the eponymous opener, whose initially muddled blend of dazzling effects and party percussion quickly rises to a clearer surface. Interestingly, there are also subtle bursts of woodwinds and strings beneath Beck’s marching verses—adding even more endearing variety to the mix—while his slow, surreal transitions provide fine segues into the modulated vocal counterpoints of the chorus. It’s a blissfully vibrant and engaging way to begin, and it sets the stage well for the overarching vibe of the disc.
Of course, several other tracks maintain a comparably glorious attitude and digital sheen, including “I’m So Free,” a very catchy track with arena rock guitar chords and even a bit of Beck’s old school hip-hop deliveries. It seems like the perfect fit for a life-affirming commercial, as does centerpiece “No Distraction,” which, oddly enough, features an urgent, Beatles-esque chorus in the midst of an arrangement that evokes Portugal. the Man’s “Atomic Man” (from 2012’s Evil Friends). In fact, the latter group’s mixture of contemporary hip-hop, electronic, and pop/rock also comes through on “Dreams (Colors Mix)” and “Up All Night,” two highly multifaceted compositions that are equally suited for academic close listening and revelry background coating.
While Colors is filled with moments of elation, it also has a few sections that exude Beck’s characteristic introspection and melancholy. For instance, “Seventh Heaven” oozes shimmering reflections and breezy triumphs (as if its speaker has just conquered hardships and can breathe easily again). Elsewhere, the punchy piano chords, grungy guitar lines, subtle strings and empowered melodies of “Dear Life” immediately and consistently recall the dense and slightly antagonistic sing-along nature of ‘70s Elton John and modern Paul McCartney. Naturally, “Fix Me” concludes the sequence with delicate dreaminess and longing as Beck sings softly over faint orchestration and folk-rock instrumentation. In terms of sheer songwriting, it’s the highlight of the whole record.
Beck has always been a master of infusing his signature essence into whatever styles—retro and/or modern—he wants to play with at any given moment, and that remains true on Colors. While its glittery timbres and programmed beats can be a bit overbearing and repetitive at times, they never truly detract from how enjoyable and creative the record is. Beyond that, Beck is one of only a handful of popular artists over the last few decades who legitimately reinvents himself with almost every new studio work—so he deserves praise for that alone. As both a quintessential entry into his catalog and a striking entry into mainstream popular culture, Colors once again cements Beck as a clever, ever-dynamic and enduring artist. https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/10/beck-colors-review.html
Northern Voice
Footballguy
It almost made the top 5. @El Floppo
#6
IDLES - Brutalism
78 points, 3 votes
Ranked Highest By: rockaction, El Floppo, Ahrn
Review:
To describe Idles as punk can be somewhat misleading, if only because it conjures images of late-'70s fashion and politics. However, they certainly inhabit the spirit of punk -- including the spittle-inducing vitriol and the acerbic lyrics -- but with a newfound energy that isn't trying to re-create an old aesthetic; instead, it's the sound of an angry band reacting to an increasingly tense and imbalanced world. On their debut album, they deftly walk the tightrope between tragedy and comedy, making it just as likely to rile you up as it is to make you laugh. This is exemplified on their breakthrough track, "Well Done," which sounds off on the rich elite's attitude and lack of understanding toward the poor, all the while sneering lines about Mary Berry's supposed love of reggae, just one example of the absurdist satire scattered throughout the record. That isn't to say Brutalism relies solely on contrasting dynamics; it backs up every gut punch and s with solid songwriting, featuring choruses that soar -- often ramping up the energy to frenzied levels -- and Joe Talbot's infectious lyrics that do more than enough to warrant snarling along with him.
Every track is surprisingly dense, considering that Talbot doesn't waste time on long-winded wordy verses. His lyrics might even seem sparse at first, when in fact they contain a wealth of references -- specifically to U.K. political history and culture -- and can be interpreted in multiple ways. It's the razor-sharp precision of his words that allows for effective interlocking with the rest of the band, so much so that they seem to move through each song as a combined force of nature, matching tight yet crunchy instruments to the poignancy of every syllable. Everything is tailored toward delivering their message; whether it be about art ("Stendhal Syndrome") or religion ("Faith in the City"), they paint a bleak but relatable picture.
Brutalism could have easily fallen into the trap of repeating itself, but every track has a personality. "1049 Gotho" is the most melodic, complete with a screeching Editors-esque chorus; "Divide and Conquer" slowly smothers, reflecting the suffocation of the NHS that the track confronts; "Mother" manages to combine a critique of voter apathy, a singalong expletive-filled chorus, and a tribute to Talbot's late mother into three and a half minutes. Perhaps Brutalism's most vital aspect is that it helps to articulate the anger -- an emotion often difficult to communicate effectively -- that the disenfranchised feel toward self-serving members of the elite; that it does this with intelligence, catharsis, and a wry smile makes for a necessary and thrilling listen from start to finish. https://www.allmusic.com/album/brutalism-mw0003040892
#6
IDLES - Brutalism
78 points, 3 votes
Ranked Highest By: rockaction, El Floppo, Ahrn
Review:
To describe Idles as punk can be somewhat misleading, if only because it conjures images of late-'70s fashion and politics. However, they certainly inhabit the spirit of punk -- including the spittle-inducing vitriol and the acerbic lyrics -- but with a newfound energy that isn't trying to re-create an old aesthetic; instead, it's the sound of an angry band reacting to an increasingly tense and imbalanced world. On their debut album, they deftly walk the tightrope between tragedy and comedy, making it just as likely to rile you up as it is to make you laugh. This is exemplified on their breakthrough track, "Well Done," which sounds off on the rich elite's attitude and lack of understanding toward the poor, all the while sneering lines about Mary Berry's supposed love of reggae, just one example of the absurdist satire scattered throughout the record. That isn't to say Brutalism relies solely on contrasting dynamics; it backs up every gut punch and s with solid songwriting, featuring choruses that soar -- often ramping up the energy to frenzied levels -- and Joe Talbot's infectious lyrics that do more than enough to warrant snarling along with him.
Every track is surprisingly dense, considering that Talbot doesn't waste time on long-winded wordy verses. His lyrics might even seem sparse at first, when in fact they contain a wealth of references -- specifically to U.K. political history and culture -- and can be interpreted in multiple ways. It's the razor-sharp precision of his words that allows for effective interlocking with the rest of the band, so much so that they seem to move through each song as a combined force of nature, matching tight yet crunchy instruments to the poignancy of every syllable. Everything is tailored toward delivering their message; whether it be about art ("Stendhal Syndrome") or religion ("Faith in the City"), they paint a bleak but relatable picture.
Brutalism could have easily fallen into the trap of repeating itself, but every track has a personality. "1049 Gotho" is the most melodic, complete with a screeching Editors-esque chorus; "Divide and Conquer" slowly smothers, reflecting the suffocation of the NHS that the track confronts; "Mother" manages to combine a critique of voter apathy, a singalong expletive-filled chorus, and a tribute to Talbot's late mother into three and a half minutes. Perhaps Brutalism's most vital aspect is that it helps to articulate the anger -- an emotion often difficult to communicate effectively -- that the disenfranchised feel toward self-serving members of the elite; that it does this with intelligence, catharsis, and a wry smile makes for a necessary and thrilling listen from start to finish. https://www.allmusic.com/album/brutalism-mw0003040892
Northern Voice
Footballguy
Not sure if the top 5 here is obvious or not. I think there's one that we wouldn't expect to be so high.
Northern Voice
Footballguy
Former FBG Poll #1 Alert!
#5
The War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding
99 points, 5 votes
Ranked Highest By: The Dreaded Marco, mphtrilogy, Workhorse, Steve Tasker, shuke
Previous Albums on our Countdown: Lost in the Dream (#1 in 2014), Slave Ambient (#12 in 2011)
Review:
Imagine, somewhere on the LA airwaves, there’s a station that you can only pick up from a convertible radio after midnight. Its skunk-blasted DJs play nothing but the distant, hazy sound of ’80s soft rock – Bryan Adams, Foreigner, Don Henley’s ‘Boys Of Summer’, Eric Carmen’s ‘Hungry Eyes’ – merged together into an endless narcotic drawl of slick nightrider riffs and husky vocals that sound like Bruce Hornsby flicking a mullet over the raised collar of a red leather jacket.
This, essentially, is where the music of The War On Drugs’ Adam Granduciel lives, and lovers of the plush paranoia of 2014’s breakthrough album ‘Lost In The Dream’ will be relieved that his fourth outing doesn’t touch that dial. From the opening highway piano judder of ‘Up All Night’ it’s like losing yourself once more in some lost golden age of MOR.
But Granduciel is a reinventor rather than a recreator – his vision of ’80s pop-rock is warped through the prism of second-wave shoegaze. These songs revel in their spaciousness, like three- minute drivetime anthems from 1986 set free from their radio edits to muck around with 2017’s oddest noises for seven minutes at a time. Granduciel’s music is such a sumptuous wallow we don’t mind moving forward by the inch.
This is the only War On Drugs that should continue, because it’s working. Tune in.
Read more at http://www.nme.com/reviews/album/the-war-on-drugs-deeper-understanding-album-review#
#5
The War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding
99 points, 5 votes
Ranked Highest By: The Dreaded Marco, mphtrilogy, Workhorse, Steve Tasker, shuke
Previous Albums on our Countdown: Lost in the Dream (#1 in 2014), Slave Ambient (#12 in 2011)
Review:
Imagine, somewhere on the LA airwaves, there’s a station that you can only pick up from a convertible radio after midnight. Its skunk-blasted DJs play nothing but the distant, hazy sound of ’80s soft rock – Bryan Adams, Foreigner, Don Henley’s ‘Boys Of Summer’, Eric Carmen’s ‘Hungry Eyes’ – merged together into an endless narcotic drawl of slick nightrider riffs and husky vocals that sound like Bruce Hornsby flicking a mullet over the raised collar of a red leather jacket.
This, essentially, is where the music of The War On Drugs’ Adam Granduciel lives, and lovers of the plush paranoia of 2014’s breakthrough album ‘Lost In The Dream’ will be relieved that his fourth outing doesn’t touch that dial. From the opening highway piano judder of ‘Up All Night’ it’s like losing yourself once more in some lost golden age of MOR.
But Granduciel is a reinventor rather than a recreator – his vision of ’80s pop-rock is warped through the prism of second-wave shoegaze. These songs revel in their spaciousness, like three- minute drivetime anthems from 1986 set free from their radio edits to muck around with 2017’s oddest noises for seven minutes at a time. Granduciel’s music is such a sumptuous wallow we don’t mind moving forward by the inch.
This is the only War On Drugs that should continue, because it’s working. Tune in.
Read more at http://www.nme.com/reviews/album/the-war-on-drugs-deeper-understanding-album-review#
Brony
Footballguy
I don't recall any hype on this one throughout the year. It is a really strong Beck album. Surprised/not surprised to see it this high.
Northern Voice
Footballguy
We’re the greatest
They’ll hang us in the Louvre
Down the back, but who cares—still the Louvre
#4
Lorde - Melodrama
106 points, 7 votes
Ranked Highest By: kupcho1, rockaction, Ilov80s, Northern Voice, jvvvdesigns, mphtrilogy, shuke
Previous Albums on our Countdown: Pure Heroine (#14 in 2013)
Review:
“Fluorescent”—has there ever been a better descriptor for first love? When Lorde sings it to the empty space beside her on “Supercut,” toward the end of her shining record Melodrama, we share a bit of her noted synesthesia: We see that bright, electrode glow of possibility, feel its siren shine on our faces. That neon is too beautiful to last, though; its buzz requires an effortful chemistry.
But when it is gone, the rest need not pale by comparison. The same could be said for one’s teenage years, which the 20-year-old Ella Yelich-O’Connor exits so graciously on this album. That formative era is a fraught time for girls, a dizzying span in which they’re most sought for beauty and cultural cachet yet their perspectives are forcefully minimized. Hear a song from a singer who taps their first euphorias, but know it’s merely real adults’ “fetishization.” Try to understand your ever-changing physiology, then have a porcine politician insist that it’s not yours to protect. And the growing pains feel endless; while it is horrible to be a teen girl who isn’t taken seriously by society, it’s even worse being a young woman unsure what to do with the autonomy that threatens it.
Melodrama is Lorde’s study of being a young woman finding her own conviction in unsteady circumstances. Sometimes, this also involves being single—a breakup and a raucous house party serve as thematic through-lines—but romance is only part of the album’s script. In the difficult, exhilarating course of the record, written largely when Lorde was 18 and 19, her true reward comes with her embrace of self. As a nod to her clearest pop forbearer, her peace is in accepting that she will, sometimes, end up dancing on her own.
Like her 2013 debut Pure Heroine, Melodrama is a work of sleek self-possession, packed with bursts of peculiar rhymes and production that confound expected song formulas. However, while Heroine cast off the trappings of materialism atop spacious trip-pop, Melodramacatches the mist off of New Wave rhythms that befit the name. (Bleachers’ Jack Antonoff, in his first production for Lorde, leaves a pliant and romantic thumbprint throughout; Heroine veteran Joel Little also returns.) Its first single and opening track, “Green Light,” casts a long shadow in its anthemic bliss. There’s a reason Max Martin called the New Zealander’s approach “incorrect songwriting”—by no Top 40 rubric should her song fire off, within its first 60 seconds, a spectral synthesizer wobble, a strident line of house piano, a subterranean vocal plunge, and an apropos-of-nothing gear shift that feels like storm clouds ebbing to the sun. Her lyrics, too, occupy an underexplored space; reams have been written about volatile breakups and last-call debauchery, but Lorde rages in a self-aware hedonism, reckless in grief yet knowing that tomorrow her heart will begin to heal. (“But I hear sounds in my mind/Brand new sounds in my mind,” she exults, after thoroughly mocking the ******* in falsetto sing-song.)
This breakup continues to provide fodder in her keening, Kate Bush falsetto warble on “Writer in the Dark” and the creaky, atonal electronic rasp of “Hard Feelings/Loveless.” When she sways alone in “Liability,” wondering if she’s too complicated to find love, it is heartrending and uncomfortably relatable. But the album is no saccharine journal entry by any means. Her party has pills, dresses rumpled on the floor, no absence of profanity, and a sense of humor, too: the moxie it takes to not only acknowledge your extravagant emotional contortions, but wink at them drolly by calling the whole thing a Melodrama.
Her percussive delivery, both in her smoky lower register and lean falsetto, cuts sharpest in the bacchanalian bangers. “Sober” folds humid brass into a stutter that lightly recalls her Heroine hit “Royals,” along deft turns of phrase that suggest even in her imbibing, she’s too sharp to turn off self-scrutiny (“Midnight, lose my mind, I know you’re feeling it too/Can we keep up with the ruse?”). She’s a touch self-deprecating in the height of the party (“Homemade Dynamite”) and tenfold pensive as it wears down (“Perfect Places”). The record’s bittersweet trajectory feels not unlike Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Fever to Tell, intent on capturing both the carousing and the come-down in one breathless spree.
And the places Lorde goes on Melodrama really are special, particularly “The Louvre.” This track, in its gleaming synths and heartswell harmonies, captures an immersive bliss, a shared frequency of love just as irrepressibly grandiose as its sound. It’s the kind of connection that, even once it’s gone, lightens your bones forever. Whatever the next “Gossip Girl” is—whatever soapy serial next attempts to harness the teen zeitgeist with plush fabrics and sharp cheekbones—“The Louvre” will probably soundtrack its climactic moment. But as Lorde’s voice rises in it, awed in adoration as she whispers, “Well, summer slipped us underneath her tongue/Our days and nights are perfumed with obsession,” whatever’s onscreen can’t match her luminosity. It’s not enough to say Lorde is one in a generation. Really, it’s amazing this is the first time she was a teenager for how good she was at it.
They’ll hang us in the Louvre
Down the back, but who cares—still the Louvre
#4
Lorde - Melodrama
106 points, 7 votes
Ranked Highest By: kupcho1, rockaction, Ilov80s, Northern Voice, jvvvdesigns, mphtrilogy, shuke
Previous Albums on our Countdown: Pure Heroine (#14 in 2013)
Review:
“Fluorescent”—has there ever been a better descriptor for first love? When Lorde sings it to the empty space beside her on “Supercut,” toward the end of her shining record Melodrama, we share a bit of her noted synesthesia: We see that bright, electrode glow of possibility, feel its siren shine on our faces. That neon is too beautiful to last, though; its buzz requires an effortful chemistry.
But when it is gone, the rest need not pale by comparison. The same could be said for one’s teenage years, which the 20-year-old Ella Yelich-O’Connor exits so graciously on this album. That formative era is a fraught time for girls, a dizzying span in which they’re most sought for beauty and cultural cachet yet their perspectives are forcefully minimized. Hear a song from a singer who taps their first euphorias, but know it’s merely real adults’ “fetishization.” Try to understand your ever-changing physiology, then have a porcine politician insist that it’s not yours to protect. And the growing pains feel endless; while it is horrible to be a teen girl who isn’t taken seriously by society, it’s even worse being a young woman unsure what to do with the autonomy that threatens it.
Melodrama is Lorde’s study of being a young woman finding her own conviction in unsteady circumstances. Sometimes, this also involves being single—a breakup and a raucous house party serve as thematic through-lines—but romance is only part of the album’s script. In the difficult, exhilarating course of the record, written largely when Lorde was 18 and 19, her true reward comes with her embrace of self. As a nod to her clearest pop forbearer, her peace is in accepting that she will, sometimes, end up dancing on her own.
Like her 2013 debut Pure Heroine, Melodrama is a work of sleek self-possession, packed with bursts of peculiar rhymes and production that confound expected song formulas. However, while Heroine cast off the trappings of materialism atop spacious trip-pop, Melodramacatches the mist off of New Wave rhythms that befit the name. (Bleachers’ Jack Antonoff, in his first production for Lorde, leaves a pliant and romantic thumbprint throughout; Heroine veteran Joel Little also returns.) Its first single and opening track, “Green Light,” casts a long shadow in its anthemic bliss. There’s a reason Max Martin called the New Zealander’s approach “incorrect songwriting”—by no Top 40 rubric should her song fire off, within its first 60 seconds, a spectral synthesizer wobble, a strident line of house piano, a subterranean vocal plunge, and an apropos-of-nothing gear shift that feels like storm clouds ebbing to the sun. Her lyrics, too, occupy an underexplored space; reams have been written about volatile breakups and last-call debauchery, but Lorde rages in a self-aware hedonism, reckless in grief yet knowing that tomorrow her heart will begin to heal. (“But I hear sounds in my mind/Brand new sounds in my mind,” she exults, after thoroughly mocking the ******* in falsetto sing-song.)
This breakup continues to provide fodder in her keening, Kate Bush falsetto warble on “Writer in the Dark” and the creaky, atonal electronic rasp of “Hard Feelings/Loveless.” When she sways alone in “Liability,” wondering if she’s too complicated to find love, it is heartrending and uncomfortably relatable. But the album is no saccharine journal entry by any means. Her party has pills, dresses rumpled on the floor, no absence of profanity, and a sense of humor, too: the moxie it takes to not only acknowledge your extravagant emotional contortions, but wink at them drolly by calling the whole thing a Melodrama.
Her percussive delivery, both in her smoky lower register and lean falsetto, cuts sharpest in the bacchanalian bangers. “Sober” folds humid brass into a stutter that lightly recalls her Heroine hit “Royals,” along deft turns of phrase that suggest even in her imbibing, she’s too sharp to turn off self-scrutiny (“Midnight, lose my mind, I know you’re feeling it too/Can we keep up with the ruse?”). She’s a touch self-deprecating in the height of the party (“Homemade Dynamite”) and tenfold pensive as it wears down (“Perfect Places”). The record’s bittersweet trajectory feels not unlike Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Fever to Tell, intent on capturing both the carousing and the come-down in one breathless spree.
And the places Lorde goes on Melodrama really are special, particularly “The Louvre.” This track, in its gleaming synths and heartswell harmonies, captures an immersive bliss, a shared frequency of love just as irrepressibly grandiose as its sound. It’s the kind of connection that, even once it’s gone, lightens your bones forever. Whatever the next “Gossip Girl” is—whatever soapy serial next attempts to harness the teen zeitgeist with plush fabrics and sharp cheekbones—“The Louvre” will probably soundtrack its climactic moment. But as Lorde’s voice rises in it, awed in adoration as she whispers, “Well, summer slipped us underneath her tongue/Our days and nights are perfumed with obsession,” whatever’s onscreen can’t match her luminosity. It’s not enough to say Lorde is one in a generation. Really, it’s amazing this is the first time she was a teenager for how good she was at it.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Spotify sets me up with all my new music. What that misses, FFAs yearly new music thread fills in.
Northern Voice
Footballguy
If we were vampires and death was a joke
We'd go out on the sidewalk and smoke
Laugh at all the lovers and their plans
I wouldn't feel the need to hold your hand
Maybe time running out is a gift
I'll work hard 'til the end of my shift
And give you every second I can find
And hope it isn't me who's left behind
#3
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit - The Nashville Sound
114 points, 7 votes
Ranked Highest By: dal_boys_phan, mphtrilogy, Nick Vermeil, shuke, Eephus, Workhorse, landrys hat
Previous Albums on our Countdown: Something More Than Free (#29 in 2015), Southeastern (#16 in 2013), Here We Rest (#31 in 2011)
Review:
Jason Isbell is often cited as being one of the best songwriters in the world. That sort of expectation can be a challenge to live up to, but for some reason Isbell continues to sally forth, upping the ante in all aspects of his craft. His new record The Nashville Sound, his first with the 400 Unit since 2011’s Here We Rest, is triumphant in its topical resonance, but draws influence from the timelessness of lyrical curiosity. Whether delivering heart-wrenching lines on the crumbling of the American Dream, or the crumbling of a relationship, each is given an equal shake, and that makes his songs unreasonably powerful.
“Last of My Kind” recalls the melodic cadence of the Dead’s “Friend of the Devil,” though Isbell’s demons arrive in the form of big city isolation, the reminiscence of bygone years and cognizance of the galloping hooves of mortality. The sparse acoustic number is an interesting choice as album intro, given that The Nashville Sound is Isbell’s first non-solo record in a while. Its doubling as an indictment of metropolitan homelessness, and the futility of looking back, gives its starkness more gravity, as Isbell mournfully notes, “Daddy said the river would always lead me home/but the river can’t take me back in time/and Daddy’s dead and gone.”
The vestiges of Isbell’s solo ambiance on the opening track is pounded back on the “Keep On Rockin’ in the Free World” abandon of “Cumberland Gap,” the first song to showcase the 400 Unit’s riotous rock ‘n’ roll combustion. The tune paints a despondent tale of being caught in an alcoholic tailspin in the shadow of the Appalachian Mountains, where the coal mines have dried up, and “there’s nothing here but churches, bars, and grocery stores.” It’s vivid commentary on the overlooked populace of boom towns in decline, and an animal of a rock song on par with the best of Ryan Adams’ more churning efforts.
The calming “Tupelo” shuffles in a honky-tonk weariness, with Isbell again intimating the sentiment of leaving home for greener pastures, or in this case, a girl in Tupelo. Here, the band’s tempered backbone emerges as crucial, tastefully divining subtle Americana accoutrement in the form of steady drums, wistful fiddle, and athletic bass lines to fill in the blanks of Isbell’s outlines.
In the most glaring leveling of anti-Trump poetry, Isbell offers the Crazy Horse jitter of “White Man’s World.” The blues-slathered track levels on white privilege, Native American genocide, the enduring scars of racism, and the baffling notions of patriotism in a contentious geopolitical landscape. It’s heavy stuff for Isbell, though he is an outspoken critic of Trump’s dizzyingly egotistical agendas. It’s another unsubtle picture being painted, as Isbell sings, “I’m a white man looking in a black man’s eyes/wishing I’d never been one of the guys/who pretended not to hear another white man’s joke/Old times ain’t forgotten.” Through it all, Isbell finds a semblance of salvation, singing, “I still have faith but I don’t know why/maybe it’s the fire in my little girl’s eyes.”
“Anxiety” wields a loud, raw anthem for anxiety-riddled citizenry, of which it appears Isbell is most assuredly a member, with passionate, literal lines pleading, “Anxiety/How do you always get the best of me?/I’m out here living in a fantasy/I can’t enjoy a ####### thing.” It’s a narrative that will hit close to home for anyone living with anxiety, where even with universally accepted comforts, apprehension can rear its ugly maw. The song could be described as something of an epic, and is perhaps the best example of a no-frills lyrical message from Isbell. There is a call for resolve toward the song’s end, when Isbell’s strong vocals insist “I’m wide awake and I’m in pain,” while a squall of feedback writhes and the song’s Rush-like prog intro is fleshed out to include sweeping strings. Here, Isbell nails the drawing of the aural curtains as a kind of commiseration on the nature of debilitating mental disorders to spellbinding effect.
The late-album folk ditty “Chaos and Clothes” casts dancing shadows like a campfire at dusk, exhibiting Isbell’s most poetic manifestos on lost love, paranoia, and moving on from bad times. With just acoustic guitar and vocals, Isbell crafts vivid insights to an unnamed protagonist, singing, “You’re in a fight to the death my friend/a black metal t-shirt your shield/you’ve got the past on your breath my friend/let’s name all the monsters you’ve killed.”
Through matter-of-fact lyrical acuity, Isbell peels back layers of cultural abstraction to reveal the grit of the human experience on The Nashville Sound, and renders it much more inclusive than the title’s regional attribution might make it seem. The Nashville Sound is the sound of America, pulling up its sleeves, confronting its bull####, raging at its flickering beacon. Isbell, maybe better than anyone else on the planet, can tap into the polarizing societal veins of the country’s manias, and transform them into anthems for—hopefully—much better days ahead. https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/06/jason-isbell-the-400-unit-the-nashville-sound-revi.html
We'd go out on the sidewalk and smoke
Laugh at all the lovers and their plans
I wouldn't feel the need to hold your hand
Maybe time running out is a gift
I'll work hard 'til the end of my shift
And give you every second I can find
And hope it isn't me who's left behind
#3
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit - The Nashville Sound
114 points, 7 votes
Ranked Highest By: dal_boys_phan, mphtrilogy, Nick Vermeil, shuke, Eephus, Workhorse, landrys hat
Previous Albums on our Countdown: Something More Than Free (#29 in 2015), Southeastern (#16 in 2013), Here We Rest (#31 in 2011)
Review:
Jason Isbell is often cited as being one of the best songwriters in the world. That sort of expectation can be a challenge to live up to, but for some reason Isbell continues to sally forth, upping the ante in all aspects of his craft. His new record The Nashville Sound, his first with the 400 Unit since 2011’s Here We Rest, is triumphant in its topical resonance, but draws influence from the timelessness of lyrical curiosity. Whether delivering heart-wrenching lines on the crumbling of the American Dream, or the crumbling of a relationship, each is given an equal shake, and that makes his songs unreasonably powerful.
“Last of My Kind” recalls the melodic cadence of the Dead’s “Friend of the Devil,” though Isbell’s demons arrive in the form of big city isolation, the reminiscence of bygone years and cognizance of the galloping hooves of mortality. The sparse acoustic number is an interesting choice as album intro, given that The Nashville Sound is Isbell’s first non-solo record in a while. Its doubling as an indictment of metropolitan homelessness, and the futility of looking back, gives its starkness more gravity, as Isbell mournfully notes, “Daddy said the river would always lead me home/but the river can’t take me back in time/and Daddy’s dead and gone.”
The vestiges of Isbell’s solo ambiance on the opening track is pounded back on the “Keep On Rockin’ in the Free World” abandon of “Cumberland Gap,” the first song to showcase the 400 Unit’s riotous rock ‘n’ roll combustion. The tune paints a despondent tale of being caught in an alcoholic tailspin in the shadow of the Appalachian Mountains, where the coal mines have dried up, and “there’s nothing here but churches, bars, and grocery stores.” It’s vivid commentary on the overlooked populace of boom towns in decline, and an animal of a rock song on par with the best of Ryan Adams’ more churning efforts.
The calming “Tupelo” shuffles in a honky-tonk weariness, with Isbell again intimating the sentiment of leaving home for greener pastures, or in this case, a girl in Tupelo. Here, the band’s tempered backbone emerges as crucial, tastefully divining subtle Americana accoutrement in the form of steady drums, wistful fiddle, and athletic bass lines to fill in the blanks of Isbell’s outlines.
In the most glaring leveling of anti-Trump poetry, Isbell offers the Crazy Horse jitter of “White Man’s World.” The blues-slathered track levels on white privilege, Native American genocide, the enduring scars of racism, and the baffling notions of patriotism in a contentious geopolitical landscape. It’s heavy stuff for Isbell, though he is an outspoken critic of Trump’s dizzyingly egotistical agendas. It’s another unsubtle picture being painted, as Isbell sings, “I’m a white man looking in a black man’s eyes/wishing I’d never been one of the guys/who pretended not to hear another white man’s joke/Old times ain’t forgotten.” Through it all, Isbell finds a semblance of salvation, singing, “I still have faith but I don’t know why/maybe it’s the fire in my little girl’s eyes.”
“Anxiety” wields a loud, raw anthem for anxiety-riddled citizenry, of which it appears Isbell is most assuredly a member, with passionate, literal lines pleading, “Anxiety/How do you always get the best of me?/I’m out here living in a fantasy/I can’t enjoy a ####### thing.” It’s a narrative that will hit close to home for anyone living with anxiety, where even with universally accepted comforts, apprehension can rear its ugly maw. The song could be described as something of an epic, and is perhaps the best example of a no-frills lyrical message from Isbell. There is a call for resolve toward the song’s end, when Isbell’s strong vocals insist “I’m wide awake and I’m in pain,” while a squall of feedback writhes and the song’s Rush-like prog intro is fleshed out to include sweeping strings. Here, Isbell nails the drawing of the aural curtains as a kind of commiseration on the nature of debilitating mental disorders to spellbinding effect.
The late-album folk ditty “Chaos and Clothes” casts dancing shadows like a campfire at dusk, exhibiting Isbell’s most poetic manifestos on lost love, paranoia, and moving on from bad times. With just acoustic guitar and vocals, Isbell crafts vivid insights to an unnamed protagonist, singing, “You’re in a fight to the death my friend/a black metal t-shirt your shield/you’ve got the past on your breath my friend/let’s name all the monsters you’ve killed.”
Through matter-of-fact lyrical acuity, Isbell peels back layers of cultural abstraction to reveal the grit of the human experience on The Nashville Sound, and renders it much more inclusive than the title’s regional attribution might make it seem. The Nashville Sound is the sound of America, pulling up its sleeves, confronting its bull####, raging at its flickering beacon. Isbell, maybe better than anyone else on the planet, can tap into the polarizing societal veins of the country’s manias, and transform them into anthems for—hopefully—much better days ahead. https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/06/jason-isbell-the-400-unit-the-nashville-sound-revi.html
Steve Tasker
Footballguy
Northern Voice
Footballguy
rockaction
Footballguy
I had a good chance over a week or two to just sit and listen to albums. I loved it, though I might be missing something or was at the whim of something like cramming for an exam. I dunno. I dug it.
Northern Voice
Footballguy
All in my mind and all of the time
#2
Spoon - Hot Thoughts
176 points, 14 votes
Ranked Highest By: E-Z Glider, The Dreaded Marco, kupcho1, Nick Vermeil, shuke, Northern Voice, Eephus, Ahrn landrys hat, rockaction, jvvdesigns, mphtrilogy, steelcitysledgehammer, Workhorse,
Previous Albums on our Countdown: They Want My Soul (#2 in 2014), Transference (5th in 2010), Ga Ga Ga Ga (1st in 2007)
Review: First LP for Matador since 1996 debut full-length Telephono, Spoon's ninth album Hot Thoughtsdraws a pronounced line in the sand. Its sleek, dance-oriented patina veers appreciably from the linear evolution of the Austinites' previous output. This might be Spoon's most radio-friendly release ever, and given its jarring position in the catalog, their most adventurous. The untucked anxiety of Britt Daniel's youthful persona gets upgraded to a tailored tension, his guitar playing assuming a specialized rather than dominant role in arrangements. Meanwhile, drummer Jim Eno's metronomic beats get fully mechanized. These nods to late-night urbanity could have easily come off as ham-fisted hat modeling, but few bands get at a sound's essence more meticulously than Spoon. That key constant keeps Hot Thoughts on point. Opening on a simmering pad of metallic strings, the title track kicks to life when Daniel lets out a Prince-like "Woo!" so unexpected you wonder if it surprised even him. Well-placed interpolations of Bob James hip-hop Mardi Gras bells and an INXS riff flesh out this party-starter. "WhisperI'lllistentohearit" begins with a Tangerine Dream synth pulse that abruptly shifts midstream to an intoxicating, bop-happy beat. Back-alley synth/sax creeper "Do I Have to Talk You Into It" slow rides through a jigsaw noir scene set against Eno's steady, cruise control beat. Kick drum/handclap strut "Can I Sit Next to You" leads off side two with a pitch-shifted Bollywood hook before "I Ain't the One" ushers in a more contemplative mood with a low-end Rhodes piano growl. "Shotgun" renovates the disco-rock structure of Kiss' "I Was Made for Lovin' You" with cleaner sight lines and a hometown name-check for Rock n Roll Rentals. Esoteric instrumental closer "Us" conjures the sleepy netherworld of walking home alone in a city of millions, an apt manner in which to end this 42-minute wild night.
I never realized these artists thought so much about dying
#1
LCD Soundsystem - American Dream
180 points, 11 votes
Ranked Highest By: The Dreaded Marco, Workhorse, Bogart, Northern Voice, Nick Vermeil, shuke, Steve Tasker, E-Z Glider, Ilov80s, jvvvdesigns, steelcitysledgehammer
Previous Albums on our Countdown: This is Happening (8th in 2010), Sound of Silver (5th in 2007)
Review:
Can they miss you even if you never really left? Six years after bidding their final farewell in a bittersweet, balloon-strewn blowout at Madison Square Garden, New York’s reigning dance-punk heroes have officially returned. Less officially, they’d already begun tiptoeing out again as early as 2015, releasing a one-off Christmas single before announcing a grander and more unequivocal comeback: There would be 2016 headlining gigs at Coachella and Lollapalooza, and a new studio album to follow.
Given show business’s long, starry history of unretirements, the LCD revival might hardly register as news to some; get in line behind JAY-Z, Cher, and Steven Soderbergh, kids. But as gratifyingly familiar as much of American Dream will be to longtime fans, it also feels like exactly the album 2017 needs — urgent, angry, achingly self-aware. And catchy as hell, too: Sparse opener “oh baby” blooms into a gorgeous skybox lullaby; “other voices” revels in skittering subwoofer funk; “how do you sleep?” builds a sonic thunderdome out of percussion and synths; “tonite” is a squiggly Daft Punk-style electro kick. (The titles are deliberately lowercase, even if the towering production is not.)
As easy as it would be to bury subtext on the dance floor, frontman James Murphy’s shrewdly lacerating lyrics still mark him as a man apart. LCD’s usual touchstones are everywhere: love, loneliness, the bottomless quagmire of what constitutes cool. There’s a new immediacy, though, to his meditations on mortality. The specters of aging and oblivion loom large on nearly every track, whether he’s glancing back at all the sex, drugs, and disco in the rearview mirror or gazing frankly from early middle age into the abyss. “You got numbers on your phone of the dead that you can’t delete / And you got life-affirming moments in your past that you can’t repeat,” Murphy laments on the clanging call-and-response “emotional haircut” (because what goes better with existential terror than more cowbell?). Still, he can make mere survival feel like a celebration: The dream wasn’t dead, it turns out, just delayed. So put American on, blow out the speakers, and dance yourself clean. http://ew.com/music/2017/08/31/lcd-soundsystem-american-dream-review/
#2
Spoon - Hot Thoughts
176 points, 14 votes
Ranked Highest By: E-Z Glider, The Dreaded Marco, kupcho1, Nick Vermeil, shuke, Northern Voice, Eephus, Ahrn landrys hat, rockaction, jvvdesigns, mphtrilogy, steelcitysledgehammer, Workhorse,
Previous Albums on our Countdown: They Want My Soul (#2 in 2014), Transference (5th in 2010), Ga Ga Ga Ga (1st in 2007)
Review: First LP for Matador since 1996 debut full-length Telephono, Spoon's ninth album Hot Thoughtsdraws a pronounced line in the sand. Its sleek, dance-oriented patina veers appreciably from the linear evolution of the Austinites' previous output. This might be Spoon's most radio-friendly release ever, and given its jarring position in the catalog, their most adventurous. The untucked anxiety of Britt Daniel's youthful persona gets upgraded to a tailored tension, his guitar playing assuming a specialized rather than dominant role in arrangements. Meanwhile, drummer Jim Eno's metronomic beats get fully mechanized. These nods to late-night urbanity could have easily come off as ham-fisted hat modeling, but few bands get at a sound's essence more meticulously than Spoon. That key constant keeps Hot Thoughts on point. Opening on a simmering pad of metallic strings, the title track kicks to life when Daniel lets out a Prince-like "Woo!" so unexpected you wonder if it surprised even him. Well-placed interpolations of Bob James hip-hop Mardi Gras bells and an INXS riff flesh out this party-starter. "WhisperI'lllistentohearit" begins with a Tangerine Dream synth pulse that abruptly shifts midstream to an intoxicating, bop-happy beat. Back-alley synth/sax creeper "Do I Have to Talk You Into It" slow rides through a jigsaw noir scene set against Eno's steady, cruise control beat. Kick drum/handclap strut "Can I Sit Next to You" leads off side two with a pitch-shifted Bollywood hook before "I Ain't the One" ushers in a more contemplative mood with a low-end Rhodes piano growl. "Shotgun" renovates the disco-rock structure of Kiss' "I Was Made for Lovin' You" with cleaner sight lines and a hometown name-check for Rock n Roll Rentals. Esoteric instrumental closer "Us" conjures the sleepy netherworld of walking home alone in a city of millions, an apt manner in which to end this 42-minute wild night.
I never realized these artists thought so much about dying
#1
LCD Soundsystem - American Dream
180 points, 11 votes
Ranked Highest By: The Dreaded Marco, Workhorse, Bogart, Northern Voice, Nick Vermeil, shuke, Steve Tasker, E-Z Glider, Ilov80s, jvvvdesigns, steelcitysledgehammer
Previous Albums on our Countdown: This is Happening (8th in 2010), Sound of Silver (5th in 2007)
Review:
Can they miss you even if you never really left? Six years after bidding their final farewell in a bittersweet, balloon-strewn blowout at Madison Square Garden, New York’s reigning dance-punk heroes have officially returned. Less officially, they’d already begun tiptoeing out again as early as 2015, releasing a one-off Christmas single before announcing a grander and more unequivocal comeback: There would be 2016 headlining gigs at Coachella and Lollapalooza, and a new studio album to follow.
Given show business’s long, starry history of unretirements, the LCD revival might hardly register as news to some; get in line behind JAY-Z, Cher, and Steven Soderbergh, kids. But as gratifyingly familiar as much of American Dream will be to longtime fans, it also feels like exactly the album 2017 needs — urgent, angry, achingly self-aware. And catchy as hell, too: Sparse opener “oh baby” blooms into a gorgeous skybox lullaby; “other voices” revels in skittering subwoofer funk; “how do you sleep?” builds a sonic thunderdome out of percussion and synths; “tonite” is a squiggly Daft Punk-style electro kick. (The titles are deliberately lowercase, even if the towering production is not.)
As easy as it would be to bury subtext on the dance floor, frontman James Murphy’s shrewdly lacerating lyrics still mark him as a man apart. LCD’s usual touchstones are everywhere: love, loneliness, the bottomless quagmire of what constitutes cool. There’s a new immediacy, though, to his meditations on mortality. The specters of aging and oblivion loom large on nearly every track, whether he’s glancing back at all the sex, drugs, and disco in the rearview mirror or gazing frankly from early middle age into the abyss. “You got numbers on your phone of the dead that you can’t delete / And you got life-affirming moments in your past that you can’t repeat,” Murphy laments on the clanging call-and-response “emotional haircut” (because what goes better with existential terror than more cowbell?). Still, he can make mere survival feel like a celebration: The dream wasn’t dead, it turns out, just delayed. So put American on, blow out the speakers, and dance yourself clean. http://ew.com/music/2017/08/31/lcd-soundsystem-american-dream-review/
El Floppo
Footballguy
Last edited by a moderator:
rockaction
Footballguy
ericttspikes
Footballguy
The FBG countdown list is always the best. I never see EOY lists this crazy (in a good way).
Northern Voice
Footballguy
Full list: Doesn't include all the album titles
1-LCD Soundsystem- American Dream-11-180
2-Spoon - Hot Thoughts-14-176
3-Jason Isbell & 400 Unit-The Nashville Sound-7-114
4-Lorde- Melodrama-7-106
5-The War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding -5-99
6-Idles - Brutalism -3-78
7-Beck-Colors-5-74
8-St. Vincent - MASSEDUCTION -5-71
9-Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. -6-67
10-Portugal The Man -Woodstock-5-65
11-White Reaper-The World's Best American Band-4-64
12-Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile - Lotta Sea Lice-5-63
13-Pissed Jeans-Why Love Now-3-60
14-Alvvays - Antisocialites-3-54
15-Benjamin Booker - Witness -2-47
16-GRMLN - Discovery -2-45
17-Margo Price-All American Made-3-43
18-The New Pornographers-Whiteout Conditions-3-43
19-The Xx- I See You-3-43
20-Arcade Fire-Everything Now-3-42
21-Menzingers - After the Party -3-42
22-Run The Jewels - RTJ3 -3-40
23-Bleachers - Gone Now -2-35
24-Ty Segall - Ty Segall-2-35
25-Feelies - In Between -3-33
26-Fleet Foxes-Crack-Up-3-33
27-Kelala- Take Me Apart-3-33
28-Queens of the Stone Age - Villains-3-33
29-Charly Bliss- Guppy-2-32
30-Big Thief - Capacity 10-3-31
31-The National - Sleep Well Beast 15-3-31
32-Ron Gallo - Heavy Meta 15-3-30
33-Foo Fighters - Concrete and Gold-2-30
34-Colter Wall - Colter Wall-1-30
35-King Gizzard - Polygondwanaland-1-30
36-Marcus D-Melancholy Prequel-1-30
37-Old 97's-Graveyard Whistling-1-30
38-Son Volt-Notes of Blue-1-30
39-Wild Pink - Wild Pink 30-1-30
40-Together PANGEA - Bulls and Roosters 2-3-28
41-Clowns - Lucid Again -2-28
42-Cloud Nothings - Life Without Sound -5-26
43-Jay Som-Everybody Works-2-26
44-Slowdive-Slowdive-2-26
45-Dave Hause-Bury Me in Philly-1-25
46-Devin the Dude-Acoustic Levitation-1-25
47-Harley Poe - Lost and Losing it 25-1-25
48-King Gizzard - Flying Microtonal Banana-1-25
49-Mr. Jukes - God First -1-25
50-Robert Randolph & the Family Band-Got Soul-1-25
51-Sandy (Alex G)-Rocket-1-25
52-Sylvan Esso - What Now -1-25
53-Toadies-The Lower Side of Uptown-1-25
54-WHY?-Moh Hlean-1-25
55-Waxahatchee - Out in the Storm -2-24
56-Father John Misty--2-23
57-Real Estate--2-22
58-The Districts - Popular Manipulations 18-2-21
59-Alex Lahey -I Love You Like a Brother-1-20
60-Chris Stapleton-From a Room Vol 1-1-20
61-Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - The Tourist 20-1-20
62-Destroyer - ken 20-1-20
63-Gorillaz - Humanz -1-20
64-Murlocs - Old Locomotive-1-20
65-Part Chimp--1-20
66-Susto - And I'm Fine Today-1-20
67Mastodon120
68-Protomartyr- Relatives in Descent-2-19
69-Royal Blood - How did we get so dark 6-2-19
70-Pickwick - LoveJoys -1-19
71-Japandroids - Near To The Wild Heart Of Life 3-3-18
72-Direct Hit!/Pears split LP - Human Movement -2-18
73-Priests--2-18
74-Anouar Brahem- Blue Maqams-1-18
75-Bedouine-Bedouine -1-18
76-HAIM--1-18
77-Elbow--2-17
78-McCafferty - Thanks. Sorry. Sure. 17-1-17
79-Phoenix--1-17
80-J Roddy Walston & the Business - Destroyers of the Soft Life -1-16
81-Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - French Press 5-2-15
82-’68 - Two Parts Viper -1-15
83-All Them Witches - Sleeping Through the War -1-15
84-Brand New - Science Fiction -1-15
85-Calhoun--1-15
86-Chris Thile/Brad Medlau--1-15
87-Eisley--1-15
88-Fred Thomas - Changer 15-1-15
89-Halsey--1-15
90-Jay-Z-4:44-1-15
91-Joywave--1-15
92-K.Flay--1-15
93-Logic--1-15
94-Melkbelly--1-15
95-Sarah Jaffe--1-15
96-Drake--1-14
97-Sleigh Bells - Kid Kruschev -1-14
98-Tomasz Stanko New York Quartet- December Avenue-1-14
99-Uranium Club--1-14
100-Casual Friday - Weekend Forever 13-1-13
101-JD McPherson - Undivided Heart & Soul -1-13
102-Perfume Genius- No Shape-2-12
103-Com Truise--1-12
104-Stars--1-12
105-Weezer - Pacific Daydream -1-12
106-Japanese Breakfast--2-11
107-Ryan Adams--2-11
108-Do Make Say Think - Stubborn Persistent Illusions -1-11
109-Eminem - Revival -1-11
110-Alex Cameron--1-10
111-Ben Gibbard--1-10
112-Big K.R.I.T.--1-10
113-BROCKHAMPTON - SITUATION III -1-10
114-Courtneys--1-10
115-Daniel Caesar--1-10
116-Danielle Luipi and Parquet Courts--1-10
117-Danish String Quartet- Last Leaf-1-10
118-Foxygen--1-10
119-Ghostpoet--1-10
120-Imagine Dragons--1-10
121-King Krule - The Ooz 10-1-10
122-Laura Marling--1-10
123-Liam Gallagher--1-10
124-Mr Elevator and the Brain Hotel - When the Morning Greets You-1-10
125-Mura Masa--1-10
126-The Horrors--1-10
127-The Killers--1-10
128-Thee Oh Sees--1-10
129-Tonu Korvits-Moorland Elegies-1-10
130-Tony Allen--1-10
131-Wavves--1-10
132-Wolf Alice--1-10
133-Oso Oso - The Yunahon Mixtape -2-9
134-Thundercat--2-9
135-Foster the People--1-9
136-The Flaming Lips - Oczy Mlody-1-9
137-Meatbodies - Alice-2-8
138-Cold War Kids--1-8
139-I.D.-The Never Story-1-8
140-Iron Chic - You Can't stay Here 8-1-8
141-The Dirty Nil - Minimum R&B -1-8
142-These New South Whales - You Work for Us -2-7
143-Blue Hawaii--1-7
144-Greta Van Fleet - From the Fires-1-7
145-SZA--1-7
146-Western Addiction - Tremulous 7-1-7
147-Goldlink- At What Cost -1-6
148-Phronesis- The Behemoth -1-6
149-Vince Staples - Big Fish Theory -1-6
150-B Boys--1-5
151-Barr Brothers - Queens of the Breakers 5-1-5
152-BNQT--1-5
153-Cigarettes After Sex - s/t 5-1-5
154-Dan Auerbach--1-5
155-Downtown Boys--1-5
156-Fast Romantics--1-5
157-Hippo Campus--1-5
158-Hurray for the Riff Raff--1-5
159-King Gizzard - Sketches of Brunswick East-1-5
160-King Gizzard - Gumboot Soup-1-5
161-METZ--1-5
162-Mountain Goats - Goths 5-1-5
163-Porcelain Raft - Microclimate 5-1-5
164-Save Ferris--1-5
165-Sleaford Mods--1-5
166-Tennis--1-5
167-The Dopamines - Tales of Interest -1-5
168-The Shins--1-5
169-deadmau5 - Stuff I Used To Do-1-4
170-Neil Young--1-4
171-Dopamines - Tales of Interest 3-1-3
172-Rapsody - Laila’s Wisdom -1-3
173-Steve Aoki - Steve Aoki Presents Kolony-1-3
174-Alt-J--1-2
175-Glowbug--1-2
176-Juiceboxxx - Freaked Out American Loser 2-1-2
177-Lemuria--1-2
178-Pist Idiots--1-2
179-Rag n Bone Man--1-2
180-Sweet Spirit - St. Mojo 2-1-2
181-The Bronx - V 2-1-2
182-The Orwells--1-2
183-Theory Of A Deadman - Wake Up Call-1-2
184-Ed Sheeran - ÷-1-1
185-FKJ--1-1
186-Froth--1-1
187-Future - HNDRXX -1-1
188-Grizzly Bear--1-1
189-Sundara Karma--1-1
190-The Gotobeds--1-1
2-Spoon - Hot Thoughts-14-176
3-Jason Isbell & 400 Unit-The Nashville Sound-7-114
4-Lorde- Melodrama-7-106
5-The War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding -5-99
6-Idles - Brutalism -3-78
7-Beck-Colors-5-74
8-St. Vincent - MASSEDUCTION -5-71
9-Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. -6-67
10-Portugal The Man -Woodstock-5-65
11-White Reaper-The World's Best American Band-4-64
12-Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile - Lotta Sea Lice-5-63
13-Pissed Jeans-Why Love Now-3-60
14-Alvvays - Antisocialites-3-54
15-Benjamin Booker - Witness -2-47
16-GRMLN - Discovery -2-45
17-Margo Price-All American Made-3-43
18-The New Pornographers-Whiteout Conditions-3-43
19-The Xx- I See You-3-43
20-Arcade Fire-Everything Now-3-42
21-Menzingers - After the Party -3-42
22-Run The Jewels - RTJ3 -3-40
23-Bleachers - Gone Now -2-35
24-Ty Segall - Ty Segall-2-35
25-Feelies - In Between -3-33
26-Fleet Foxes-Crack-Up-3-33
27-Kelala- Take Me Apart-3-33
28-Queens of the Stone Age - Villains-3-33
29-Charly Bliss- Guppy-2-32
30-Big Thief - Capacity 10-3-31
31-The National - Sleep Well Beast 15-3-31
32-Ron Gallo - Heavy Meta 15-3-30
33-Foo Fighters - Concrete and Gold-2-30
34-Colter Wall - Colter Wall-1-30
35-King Gizzard - Polygondwanaland-1-30
36-Marcus D-Melancholy Prequel-1-30
37-Old 97's-Graveyard Whistling-1-30
38-Son Volt-Notes of Blue-1-30
39-Wild Pink - Wild Pink 30-1-30
40-Together PANGEA - Bulls and Roosters 2-3-28
41-Clowns - Lucid Again -2-28
42-Cloud Nothings - Life Without Sound -5-26
43-Jay Som-Everybody Works-2-26
44-Slowdive-Slowdive-2-26
45-Dave Hause-Bury Me in Philly-1-25
46-Devin the Dude-Acoustic Levitation-1-25
47-Harley Poe - Lost and Losing it 25-1-25
48-King Gizzard - Flying Microtonal Banana-1-25
49-Mr. Jukes - God First -1-25
50-Robert Randolph & the Family Band-Got Soul-1-25
51-Sandy (Alex G)-Rocket-1-25
52-Sylvan Esso - What Now -1-25
53-Toadies-The Lower Side of Uptown-1-25
54-WHY?-Moh Hlean-1-25
55-Waxahatchee - Out in the Storm -2-24
56-Father John Misty--2-23
57-Real Estate--2-22
58-The Districts - Popular Manipulations 18-2-21
59-Alex Lahey -I Love You Like a Brother-1-20
60-Chris Stapleton-From a Room Vol 1-1-20
61-Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - The Tourist 20-1-20
62-Destroyer - ken 20-1-20
63-Gorillaz - Humanz -1-20
64-Murlocs - Old Locomotive-1-20
65-Part Chimp--1-20
66-Susto - And I'm Fine Today-1-20
67Mastodon120
68-Protomartyr- Relatives in Descent-2-19
69-Royal Blood - How did we get so dark 6-2-19
70-Pickwick - LoveJoys -1-19
71-Japandroids - Near To The Wild Heart Of Life 3-3-18
72-Direct Hit!/Pears split LP - Human Movement -2-18
73-Priests--2-18
74-Anouar Brahem- Blue Maqams-1-18
75-Bedouine-Bedouine -1-18
76-HAIM--1-18
77-Elbow--2-17
78-McCafferty - Thanks. Sorry. Sure. 17-1-17
79-Phoenix--1-17
80-J Roddy Walston & the Business - Destroyers of the Soft Life -1-16
81-Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - French Press 5-2-15
82-’68 - Two Parts Viper -1-15
83-All Them Witches - Sleeping Through the War -1-15
84-Brand New - Science Fiction -1-15
85-Calhoun--1-15
86-Chris Thile/Brad Medlau--1-15
87-Eisley--1-15
88-Fred Thomas - Changer 15-1-15
89-Halsey--1-15
90-Jay-Z-4:44-1-15
91-Joywave--1-15
92-K.Flay--1-15
93-Logic--1-15
94-Melkbelly--1-15
95-Sarah Jaffe--1-15
96-Drake--1-14
97-Sleigh Bells - Kid Kruschev -1-14
98-Tomasz Stanko New York Quartet- December Avenue-1-14
99-Uranium Club--1-14
100-Casual Friday - Weekend Forever 13-1-13
101-JD McPherson - Undivided Heart & Soul -1-13
102-Perfume Genius- No Shape-2-12
103-Com Truise--1-12
104-Stars--1-12
105-Weezer - Pacific Daydream -1-12
106-Japanese Breakfast--2-11
107-Ryan Adams--2-11
108-Do Make Say Think - Stubborn Persistent Illusions -1-11
109-Eminem - Revival -1-11
110-Alex Cameron--1-10
111-Ben Gibbard--1-10
112-Big K.R.I.T.--1-10
113-BROCKHAMPTON - SITUATION III -1-10
114-Courtneys--1-10
115-Daniel Caesar--1-10
116-Danielle Luipi and Parquet Courts--1-10
117-Danish String Quartet- Last Leaf-1-10
118-Foxygen--1-10
119-Ghostpoet--1-10
120-Imagine Dragons--1-10
121-King Krule - The Ooz 10-1-10
122-Laura Marling--1-10
123-Liam Gallagher--1-10
124-Mr Elevator and the Brain Hotel - When the Morning Greets You-1-10
125-Mura Masa--1-10
126-The Horrors--1-10
127-The Killers--1-10
128-Thee Oh Sees--1-10
129-Tonu Korvits-Moorland Elegies-1-10
130-Tony Allen--1-10
131-Wavves--1-10
132-Wolf Alice--1-10
133-Oso Oso - The Yunahon Mixtape -2-9
134-Thundercat--2-9
135-Foster the People--1-9
136-The Flaming Lips - Oczy Mlody-1-9
137-Meatbodies - Alice-2-8
138-Cold War Kids--1-8
139-I.D.-The Never Story-1-8
140-Iron Chic - You Can't stay Here 8-1-8
141-The Dirty Nil - Minimum R&B -1-8
142-These New South Whales - You Work for Us -2-7
143-Blue Hawaii--1-7
144-Greta Van Fleet - From the Fires-1-7
145-SZA--1-7
146-Western Addiction - Tremulous 7-1-7
147-Goldlink- At What Cost -1-6
148-Phronesis- The Behemoth -1-6
149-Vince Staples - Big Fish Theory -1-6
150-B Boys--1-5
151-Barr Brothers - Queens of the Breakers 5-1-5
152-BNQT--1-5
153-Cigarettes After Sex - s/t 5-1-5
154-Dan Auerbach--1-5
155-Downtown Boys--1-5
156-Fast Romantics--1-5
157-Hippo Campus--1-5
158-Hurray for the Riff Raff--1-5
159-King Gizzard - Sketches of Brunswick East-1-5
160-King Gizzard - Gumboot Soup-1-5
161-METZ--1-5
162-Mountain Goats - Goths 5-1-5
163-Porcelain Raft - Microclimate 5-1-5
164-Save Ferris--1-5
165-Sleaford Mods--1-5
166-Tennis--1-5
167-The Dopamines - Tales of Interest -1-5
168-The Shins--1-5
169-deadmau5 - Stuff I Used To Do-1-4
170-Neil Young--1-4
171-Dopamines - Tales of Interest 3-1-3
172-Rapsody - Laila’s Wisdom -1-3
173-Steve Aoki - Steve Aoki Presents Kolony-1-3
174-Alt-J--1-2
175-Glowbug--1-2
176-Juiceboxxx - Freaked Out American Loser 2-1-2
177-Lemuria--1-2
178-Pist Idiots--1-2
179-Rag n Bone Man--1-2
180-Sweet Spirit - St. Mojo 2-1-2
181-The Bronx - V 2-1-2
182-The Orwells--1-2
183-Theory Of A Deadman - Wake Up Call-1-2
184-Ed Sheeran - ÷-1-1
185-FKJ--1-1
186-Froth--1-1
187-Future - HNDRXX -1-1
188-Grizzly Bear--1-1
189-Sundara Karma--1-1
190-The Gotobeds--1-1
Last edited by a moderator:
Steve Tasker
Footballguy
As always, thanks for running this. 
This was my list, for posterity:
This was my list, for posterity:
- Marcus D - Melancholy Prequel (Rising Sun Redux) - 30 points
- New Pornographers - Whiteout Conditions - 24 points
- The War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding - 18 points
- HAIM - Something to Tell You - 18 points
- St. Vincent - Masseduction - 16 points
- LCD Soundsystem - american dream - 13 points
- Com Truise - Iteration - 12 points
- Kelela - Take Me Apart - 11 points
- Jay Som - Everybody Works - 11 points
- Waxahatchee - Out in the Storm - 9 points
- SZA - Ctrl - 7 points
- Blue Hawaii - Tenderness - 7 points
- Courtney Barnett + Kurt Vile - Lotta Sea Lice - 6 points
- The xx - I See You - 5 points
- Cloud Nothings - Life Without Sound - 4 points
- Priests - Nothing Feels Natural - 3 points
- Glowbug - Fantasma Del Tropico - 2 points
- Lemuria - Recreational Hate - 2 points
- FKJ - French Kiwi Juice - 1 point
- Japanese Breakfast - Soft Sounds from Another Planet - 1 point
Northern Voice
Footballguy
LCD was ahead 14 when Ahrn sent in his last minute list in with 10 points for Spoon - I was out at the time and couldn't remember if those 10 points were going to push them to #1.
Northern Voice
Footballguy
I was the only one who voted for Phoenix, The Killers, Stars, The Shins... all of those surprised me to some extent.
Steve Tasker
Footballguy
Kinda surprised to see Kelela get a handful of votes but only 1 vote (me) for SZA.
Northern Voice
Footballguy
Phoenix and Japandroids are both former poll #1's whose albums didn't crack the top 50. The year Japandroids was 1, Father John Misty was #2 and his new album also missed this year.
Northern Voice
Footballguy
I think Hot Thoughts is also the first album to show up on the most lists and not end up number one.
Northern Voice
Footballguy
Anyway, that was lots of fun and kind of crazy that this is the 12th one of these we've done. I have the voting results in a google doc for 07-13 and 16-17. I think 14 and 15 are on an old computer and '06 may be lost forever but the thread is still alive but archived
Last edited by a moderator:
AhrnCityPahnder
Yinz-o-riffic
Did I overlook Mastodon making the list? If I didn't, was I the only vote?
wazoo11
Footballguy
shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
Jaysus
Good times!
"Discover Weekly" & "Release Radar"
WXPN and r/IndieHeads are two other sources for me.
shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
mphtrilogy
Footballguy
Great work here, thanks!
shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
Thanks, but I don't want to go reading about them. I want to just put on Spotify or Iheartradio and listen.
wazoo11
Footballguy
Mkay. KEXP has a ton of great live performances on YouTube.
https://youtu.be/4uAXMl-Bfiw
https://youtu.be/G5Z4bma_tUM
Last edited by a moderator:
El Floppo
Footballguy
El Floppo
Footballguy
DW is Monday, RR Friday... Usually around Wednesday I browse their "since you listened to 'x' try 'y' " section and find lots of good stuff there.
Northern Voice
Footballguy
Pitchfork does a weekly "What's Good" playlist now as well. https://open.spotify.com/user/pitchfork/playlist/3ADXVziNy1l5fqL46npJGa?si=o5j8Xu-HQsupNGW4Q-gWwQ
Nick Vermeil
Footballguy
Always a great read. Thanks NV!
Similar threads
