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Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 12:52 pm
by Stephan
John Murry's The Graceless Age is a 2012 album. It should also be much higher, but that's another matter.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 3:08 pm
by HRS
Jirin wrote:I am glad to see Haim way up on the list. It's working its way quickly up my EOY list but nobody seems to talk about it here, possibly because they're mainstream in the UK.
I don't think it's the reason, though. I listened to the record and found it a fairly regular indie pop affair. I feel compelled to point that its high placement is a testement to a change in the indie press landscape. In 2003, people set Liz Phair on fire after she turned to a pop makeover, and now I listen to a HAIM record, and even though it doesn't feature The Matrix, it is praised for the very things Phair was condemned for ten years ago. Her self-titled record was an enjoyable record that I wasn't supposed to enjoy because of the press. Praise a record for being enjoyable wasn't enough. Same goes for whitechocolatespaceegg, which was criticized for its glossed surface, something HAIM and others acts are praised for these days. HAIM had a past as a Avril Lavgine-wannabe group, a hype-mining observation that would hardly earn it a Best New Music tag at pitchfork. Jenny Lewis received criticism to a point that I even think Rilo Kiley would be more widely praised had them formed the band these days and not in the early 2000s. Or maybe those records were important to define the new scenario. It is surprising to see HAIM making such a high quantity of lists because they released a straightforward pop record. The same goes for acts like Charli XCX, IconaPop, Disclosure, Lorde, etc. Days Are Gone sits comfortable among 80s pop records, Sheryl Crow, Robyn, Miley Cyrus and Best Coast. 2013 current top 10 even shapes as the most accessible in years, including Push the Sky Away and Kanye's Yeezus, whose "experimentalism" doesn't hold a candle to the new Death Grips. I find it pretty amusing to compare early-Pitchfork and other tastemakers approach in the past and their current one. Hype and press still matters, consequently pushing great records to obscurity, but, in a sense, I find this current scenario healthier than past incarnations.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 4:03 pm
by PlasticRam
Jonathon wrote:It's kind of ironic. Last time The National lost to Arcade Fire when I thought High Violet was clearly a better album than The Suburbs. This year, the National put out what's (in my opinion) their weakest album since 2004, and The Arcade Fire put out their strongest since 2004...and The National is beating Arcade Fire.

*throws up hands.*
Completely agree. :text-goodpost:

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 6:19 pm
by guigs2910
HRS wrote:
Jirin wrote:I am glad to see Haim way up on the list. It's working its way quickly up my EOY list but nobody seems to talk about it here, possibly because they're mainstream in the UK.
I don't think it's the reason, though. I listened to the record and found it a fairly regular indie pop affair. I feel compelled to point that its high placement is a testement to a change in the indie press landscape. In 2003, people set Liz Phair on fire after she turned to a pop makeover, and now I listen to a HAIM record, and even though it doesn't feature The Matrix, it is praised for the very things Phair was condemned for ten years ago. Her self-titled record was an enjoyable record that I wasn't supposed to enjoy because of the press. Praise a record for being enjoyable wasn't enough. Same goes for whitechocolatespaceegg, which was criticized for its glossed surface, something HAIM and others acts are praised for these days. HAIM had a past as a Avril Lavgine-wannabe group, a hype-mining observation that would hardly earn it a Best New Music tag at pitchfork. Jenny Lewis received criticism to a point that I even think Rilo Kiley would be more widely praised had them formed the band these days and not in the early 2000s. Or maybe those records were important to define the new scenario. It is surprising to see HAIM making such a high quantity of lists because they released a straightforward pop record. The same goes for acts like Charli XCX, IconaPop, Disclosure, Lorde, etc. Days Are Gone sits comfortable among 80s pop records, Sheryl Crow, Robyn, Miley Cyrus and Best Coast. 2013 current top 10 even shapes as the most accessible in years, including Push the Sky Away and Kanye's Yeezus, whose "experimentalism" doesn't hold a candle to the new Death Grips. I find it pretty amusing to compare early-Pitchfork and other tastemakers approach in the past and their current one. Hype and press still matters, consequently pushing great records to obscurity, but, in a sense, I find this current scenario healthier than past incarnations.
I guess, like in any art form, such as fashion, painting, sculpture, etc. Music also has its trends,not just popularity-wise but also critique-wise. What is at the pinnacle of music nowadays, being considered forward-thinking and avant-guarde, or a renewal in old styles that sound fresh and cool (Haim included on this one) maybe wouldn't be as hailed 10 years ago as it is today, and that's how it is. There are lots of records from past decades here on the Acclaimed Music Charts that took years to be aknowledged as influential, game changing or just simply damn good. That's life.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 7:08 pm
by Illiniq
Mattceinicram wrote:I don't think I was ever expecting Kanye to be number 1 this year.
Agreed, I felt, in U2 parlance, this was Kanye's POP moment, the moment he noticeably started chasing trends (ie...Death Grips Industrial Rap), rather than establishing them...still has some great moments, and he's too gifted a producer not to create something dynamic, but it's one of his worst efforts lyrically, and there's still too much Michael Jackson in him to really consistently embody the darkest textures that Death Grips wallow in so easily.

But here's the thing, I guarantee you at least a third of the pollstars who voted Yeezus high in their polls haven't listened to Death Grips. To them, all his industrial noise is something new.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 7:11 pm
by Illiniq
PlasticRam wrote:
Jonathon wrote:It's kind of ironic. Last time The National lost to Arcade Fire when I thought High Violet was clearly a better album than The Suburbs. This year, the National put out what's (in my opinion) their weakest album since 2004, and The Arcade Fire put out their strongest since 2004...and The National is beating Arcade Fire.

*throws up hands.*
Completely agree. :text-goodpost:
Nah, National's albums was better both times out to my ears...and think the gap is even larger between Trouble and Reflecktor than it was between High Violet and The Suburbs, though will readily admit Reflecktor has awesome highlights.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 8:20 pm
by irreduciblekoan
Illiniq wrote:
Mattceinicram wrote:I don't think I was ever expecting Kanye to be number 1 this year.
Agreed, I felt, in U2 parlance, this was Kanye's POP moment, the moment he noticeably started chasing trends (ie...Death Grips Industrial Rap), rather than establishing them...still has some great moments, and he's too gifted a producer not to create something dynamic, but it's one of his worst efforts lyrically, and there's still too much Michael Jackson in him to really consistently embody the darkest textures that Death Grips wallow in so easily.

But here's the thing, I guarantee you at least a third of the pollstars who voted Yeezus high in their polls haven't listened to Death Grips. To them, all his industrial noise is something new.
But hey, there's always somebody who did it "first," right? Shouldn't a mainstream artist like Kanye be praised for bringing the underground to the surface? Whenever people say "Mainstream Musician X is getting praised for such-and-such style when Underground Musician Y have been doing it for years and in more extreme fashion" it makes me think of the Italian critic Piero Scaruffi, who considers The Beatles the most overrated rock band in history because they're "experimentation" was done first by other artists. I don't consider Scaruffi fair. While it's true that The Beatles weren't the first rock band to experiment in the studio, write sophisticated lyrics or bring in classical influences, they were by far the biggest band to do so and therefore brought sophistication to the masses.

In the same vein, Yeezus may not sound like much if compared to Death Grips, but it still sounds like no other mainstream record this year, certainly by far the most adventurous #1 seller and even major-label record of 2013. He wasn't "first" but neither was Beethoven the first composer to bring Romanticism to music nor were The Beatles the first to experiment in rock music nor were Metallica the first thrash metal band. But hey, if more people listen to Death Grips because they heard Kanye and the comparisons, that's a point for Kanye in my book.

Anyway, even if we ignore adventurousness, I think Yeezus is simply a damn good album. It's tightly structured and produced, very well-paced and rewards repeat listens. I've been into the Death Grips for a few years and have everything they've released. Still, Yeezus is in my top 5 of 2013.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 8:28 pm
by irreduciblekoan
To be fair, after listening to Yeezus a few times, I listened to early Public Enemy. Kanye's abrasiveness isn't even close to Public Enemy's. Death Grips come closer, but even they don't really outdo Public Enemy in sonic adventurousness. So it's sort of funny how the music of the 21st century can't seem to match the craziness of the best music from 30 years ago. Certainly nothing I've heard in the last few years has been as wild as PE's Fear of a Black Planet, Butthole Surfers' Locust Abortion Technician or Dead Kennedys' Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, even from the current underground. If any of those three albums came out in 2013 they would be considered revolutionary.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 8:29 pm
by chet_baker
the british music press suck

A close year, - I think any of the top 3 would be deserving

Surprised Disclosure didn't do better, and that we're still waiting for a real Jai Paul record...

I for one am still waiting for something as good as channel orange

I'm very glad Arcade Fire and mbv aren't top, - im still gutted that the never ending mess that is the suburbs is top of 2010

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 8:52 pm
by Jonathon
Illiniq wrote:
PlasticRam wrote:
Jonathon wrote:It's kind of ironic. Last time The National lost to Arcade Fire when I thought High Violet was clearly a better album than The Suburbs. This year, the National put out what's (in my opinion) their weakest album since 2004, and The Arcade Fire put out their strongest since 2004...and The National is beating Arcade Fire.

*throws up hands.*
Completely agree. :text-goodpost:
Nah, National's albums was better both times out to my ears...and think the gap is even larger between Trouble and Reflecktor than it was between High Violet and The Suburbs, though will readily admit Reflecktor has awesome highlights.
Most of my favorite acts, The Beatles, David Bowie, Radiohead, Wilco, are ones constantly changed their sound and challenged the listener. I feel like Arcade Fire has gotten way too much credit for spinning their wheels. Neon Bible was a shameless retread of Funeral, but with more bombast and less passion. The Suburbs took a few different turns, but ultimately wound up kind of bloated.

Reflektor is a huge leap for the Arcade Fire. Sure, there are precedents in other artists, like LCD Soundsystem (obviously owing to producer James Murphy), but it's the first time in a long time that I felt like Arcade Fire was a glorious head rush. I feel like Murphy gave them new artistic direction and guidance to go along with Win Butler's knack for melody.

Maybe I'm being hard on Trouble Will Find Me, but it feels like a drop off from High Violet to me, and a bit of a place holder. A beautiful album, but I personal think it lacks some of the magic of the previous albums, and I can't imagine calling anything from TWFM a top 10 National song.

I think ultimately, I'm more upset that both artists are getting greater praise for inferior works than The National being ranked above Arcade Fire.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 11:14 pm
by HRS
I could write a lot of things that compose my opinion about Kanye West. I could develop that Yeezus contains a great amount of the worst lines I have ever heard in a highly acclaimed hip hop record; I could further write that Death Grips have been refining the sound tried on Yeezus for almost three years; That I find the Grips more creative in terms of samples, creativity, atmosphere, delivery and anger; That it's laughable to listen attentively to each phrase West professes about Kim Kardashian during Blood on the Leaves over a creative idea involving Nina Simone. There are more subjective factors that I could have written, but I'll only add another one: whenever Kanye West releases something or appears in the media, which is often, I feel like watching the construction of a legend. It's set. Kanye West will be deemed the artist of this generation by the end of this decade. There's nothing Kanye can do to undo this, since he basically did everything possibly embarrassing to the public and the critics in the past. Until recently, I never wondered what happens to other artists that are less known when a legend is built over them. Death Grips won't ever be remembered as Kanye, they're doomed to cult status and Best Moderately Acclaimed Games. Yeezus, on the other hand, is another highly acclaimed record on Kanye's canon, pushing him ahead of all his contemporaries. It seems fitting. Kanye West and his Yeezus are part of an accidental snapshot of a main core of this generation and products that could only sprung out from it.

EDIT: I find the National's record a safe release, something that I didn't think would make the top 10, whilst Arcade Fire sound exciting and alive once again, something I thought would compel critics to place it ahead of the Suburbs in the long-run.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 11:26 pm
by chet_baker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E-U2C1bPAA

does anyone else just think of this clip when they hear 'yeezus'?

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 12:47 am
by Jonathon
HRS wrote:I could write a lot of things that compose my opinion about Kanye West. I could develop that Yeezus contains a great amount of the worst lines I have ever heard in a highly acclaimed hip hop record; I could further write that Death Grips have been refining the sound tried on Yeezus for almost three years; That I find the Grips more creative in terms of samples, creativity, atmosphere, delivery and anger; That it's laughable to listen attentively to each phrase West professes about Kim Kardashian during Blood on the Leaves over a creative idea involving Nina Simone. There are more subjective factors that I could have written, but I'll only add another one: whenever Kanye West releases something or appears in the media, which is often, I feel like watching the construction of a legend. It's set. Kanye West will be deemed the artist of this generation by the end of this decade. There's nothing Kanye can do to undo this, since he basically did everything possibly embarrassing to the public and the critics in the past. Until recently, I never wondered what happens to other artists that are less known when a legend is built over them. Death Grips won't ever be remembered as Kanye, they're doomed to cult status and Best Moderately Acclaimed Games. Yeezus, on the other hand, is another highly acclaimed record on Kanye's canon, pushing him ahead of all his contemporaries. It seems fitting. Kanye West and his Yeezus are part of an accidental snapshot of a main core of this generation and products that could only sprung out from it.

EDIT: I find the National's record a safe release, something that I didn't think would make the top 10, whilst Arcade Fire sound exciting and alive once again, something I thought would compel critics to place it ahead of the Suburbs in the long-run.

What do you think of Dark Fantasy?


High Five on the National and Arcade Fire opinions btw. :happy-partydance:

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 4:56 pm
by Harold
Updated with the following:

USA/Canada: Slant, Consequence of Sound, Pretty Much Amazing [revised list]
UK: The Guardian [#6-7], Clash [complete], The 405, Digital Fix, Dummy, Fact
Rest of World: MusikExpress [Germany], Les Inrockuptibles [#1-50] [France]

Jonathon, you should be very happy.

At Henrik's suggestion (and in conjunction with changes he's made to the EOY songs spreadsheet), the row 3 values for lists containing more than 40 albums have been changed - instead of "number of albums + 30," the value for lists with 40+ entries is now "number of albums X 2." Also, the value for unranked lists has been reduced from 8 to 7.

Man, working on a spreadsheet like this makes a person hungry. Hurry up with my damn croissants!

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 9:41 pm
by irreduciblekoan
So so glad to see Julia Holter rising. Hope she stays in the top 25!

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 9:54 pm
by Otisredding
I would like Prefab Sprout in the top 50. I think Paddy McAloon deserves that honor. I hope the websites in Europe will remember him (in USA it seems that they do not know him)

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Sat Dec 14, 2013 5:02 pm
by Harold
Updated with:

Rest of World: Les Inrockuptibles [complete top 100]

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 1:01 am
by HRS
Jonathon, I really like My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, even If I don't return as often to it as others here. 2010 was filled with plenty of terrific records, and it was fun back in the day here at AM to realise how many of us were continuously mind blown by them throughout the year. MBDTF came out of nowhere for me. Both Graduation and 808s and Heartbreak were minor affairs and Kanye no longer had the great music to back up his public image, receiving loads of hate because of a MTV event. I wasn't expecting him to perfect his production skills that seemed so fully-formed on his first two records and that was a great surprise. It had Dark Fantasy, Power, Who Will Survive in America, All of the Lights, Gorgeous and Runaway. All terrific songs on my book. It had plenty of others that were great, including the guest-filled Monster. That album had a masterful mix of hip hop and pop sensibilities and the expansiveness of the record was remarkable. Also important to notice: the lyrics, though it isn't Kanye's stronger field, generated sympathy towards his persona in a way previous records or Yeezus failed -- I basically admired Kanye more for his production skills rather than his rapping. Yeezus sacrifices a lot of it for less. Honestly, Yeezus sounds in paper more interesting than MBDTF. The problem is that it just doesn't sound out there enough to justify some of the raves I've read. The lyrics are incredibly average and his rapping seems off with the production at times, making Yeezus much more interesting as an instrumental record than as it is. As a response to show business, it sounds contrived, since Yeezus was one of the most hyped records of the year, missing the top spot to Daft Punk, who created little vignettes that were released throughout weeks. For every anti-commercial step as using a blank album cover, there were MTV performances, Instagram pictures, collaborators hypping it, controversial videos. Even Beyoncé has been less contrived releasing a record "without a promotion". In the end, all the props given to the anti-commercial nature of the record sound hollow image-wise. Compared to the Grips, Yeezus sounds tame. The Grips didn't show up in concerts, they leaked a new record after their major label wanted to intervene and mess with its release date, they mix the industrial with samples and nihilistic lyrics in a very creative way. In the end, a good amount of what's been written about Yeezus fits a lot of what the Grips do, even if they're not a widespread act nor as enjoyable to listen to for most -- Yeezus is a much more melodic affair. Death Grips are perfecting their sound in an incredible pace, after all it's been one or two records per year since Exmilitary. Kanye's team have said that they weren't aware of Death Grips while they were recording it, but pictures of Zach Hill and MC Ride wearing Daft Punk helmets prove otherwise. Birds, for example, is currently one of my five favorite songs of this year, and it is further evidence that the Yeezus sonic approach has been upped outside the mainstream radio, which is where Kanye wants to be these days, according to himself. Also, I must notice that M.I.A.'s mix electronic, third world countries' music and hip hop still sounds like a blueprint to much of this and she hasn't been receiving a lot of credit lately.
But my point here isn't that Kanye is stealing attention from Death Grips, or even their sound. I'll leave this to the more immature forums. An artist is not the one to blame for the lack of attention of another. If I want to bring Death Grip's music to light, I need to speak more often about it. Same goes for females and indie groups. Julia Holter isn't stealing the attention from Jenny Hval or Julianna Barwick or Laurel Halo; Laura Marling isn't stealing the attention from other british females; nor HAIM and Arctic Monkeys from minor indie rock bands. My point is that I feel that a lot of what was tried during the forty minutes of Yeezus has been done better by this group -- you sum this with the internal problems I found on the record and you have my reaction to it. Like I wrote before, when legends are built, people tend to ignore others that worked the same genre and never created bigger buzz for themselves. The Grips have blog buzz, but little else, especially compared to Kanye. For every Joni Mitchell, there's a Laura Nyro -- and that doesn't mean one of them is bad for seizing the status the other lacks. I'm not sure where Kanye is heading after Yeezus and that's interesting. As I wrote before, his destiny is pretty much set as an icon for this generation and a music legend, the main factor that sets him apart from other people that manufactured personas for the media and the masses. I do dislike his megalomaniacal tendencies, but maybe he does remain the best entertainer out there -- even when the music momentarily fails to my ears.
irreduciblekoan wrote:So so glad to see Julia Holter rising. Hope she stays in the top 25!
This <3
She's near the top 20 now -- by one position, knocking on Chvrche's door.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 1:28 am
by irreduciblekoan
As I alluded to earlier, however, we shouldn't go overboard with the "Kanye isn't as adventurous as Death Grips so Yeezuz isn't good" argument because there are plenty of artists that are more adventurous than Death Grips too. Like I said, Death Grips aren't doing anything that Public Enemy didn't do better in the '80s (and other avant-garde hip-hop groups in the '90s and early '00s) but I'm not saying that Death Grips are overrated just because other artists are even more extreme. Just as I'm not going to say Metallica is overrated because their brand of metal isn't as extreme as, say, Celtic Frost and Morbid Angel.

I don't think Kanye was ever trying to be Death Grips, just as The Beatles were never trying to be the Velvet Underground. He was and still is a pop artist first and foremost. Yeezuz is a pop album. His music is great and adventurous FOR THE MAINSTREAM that he's a part of and that's why I love it. Even as a Death Grips fan, I love Yeezuz (and Kanye in general) for his craft, his hybrid of artistry and accessibility, his sense of album-making as complete projects, and yes, his divisive public persona (which I think makes him a more interesting figure than someone who never says anything controversial and is liked by everybody). A lot of people bring up Death Grips to put down Kanye and I don't get it. I can bring up a lot of artists to put down Death Grips but I don't. We can play the "who is more avant-garde" game all day long and it will take us nowhere.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 1:41 am
by HRS
I think you missed my point. Especially the part after the Birds video. It's not about who's more avant-garde, it's about a novelty lost in the sense another artist worked the sound better before, in my opinion. The same way you may feel about contemporary hip hop in comparison to classics. And Kanye has been quoted as no longer wanting to belong to the radio nor the mainstream. This is exactly what I meant in the first part with the contradictions between the way Yeezus was marketed and how everything can be read. It was a mainstream risk, but Kanye no longer considers himself such an artist, even going to the press to affirm that MBDTF was the record people wanted him to make. And I'm not bringing Death Grips to put Kanye down, only to complement my opinion on why I disliked the record -- there are internal factors that I already pointed. Again, I think my reaction to MBDTF and my final lines testify that. But if that's how you are reading it, it's okay; Words are no longer fully mine after they're subjected to interpretation. About personas, you can be controversial and interesting in smarter ways. But again, his mainstream competition isn't -- especially when a main competitor is a girl who compared twerking on a stage with Syria's Civil war.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 1:51 am
by JimmyJazz
I personally find Kanye's "divisive personality" to be intentional (pardon my language) douchebagery to generate publicity, and nothing more. I think that musically he is quite talented, and not that many mainstream pop artists can have that said about them, so I can perfectly tolerate the love for him even if I'm not a big fan, but, like HRS is essentially stating (I think), both in terms of his personality and his lyrics, I really can't stand the man. For me, his strengths are as a producer, and not as a rapper or songwriter.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 1:52 am
by irreduciblekoan
Perhaps I did go on my own little rant and lost your point. For that I apologize. But as I said before, it's a dangerous road to travel when we always try to reward "first and superiors" because even by that standard, we can almost always find someone better. Again, what Death Grips have been doing hasn't exactly been terribly original. I can name dozens of hip-hop records from the late '80s-early '00s that are as good as if not better, and still as adventurous if not more, than any Death Grips album. So the same argument made about Kanye can also be made about Death Grips, is all I'm saying. So why make the argument about either? Instead, let's appreciate both artists for what they bring to the musical firmament. Of course, if you simply dislike Kanye's music, that's okay. I'm not telling you to like him. I'm just saying to be wary of the specific arguments you have been using against him.

Also, while it's always a little saddening that modern music isn't as good as older music, I try not to get me down and I try to appreciate modern music for what it is, not for what it isn't. Kanye isn't Public Enemy (and neither are Death Grips) but I still like all of them. Just as no contemporary classical composer is Beethoven and no contemporary jazz musician is Miles Davis but I still listen to modern classical and jazz fondly.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 1:58 am
by irreduciblekoan
I do concede that Kanye's production and conceptual skills are far more prominent than his songwriting skills. Even speaking as a fan, many of his lyrics make me cringe. But I think he is sufficiently brilliant in his production and overall sound to garner my love. I keep returning to his albums despite his lyrics, and can enjoy them repeatedly on purely musical terms. As an MC he isn't anything special but I would seriously name him in the top 5 producers of ALL TIME (I include his numerous, eclectic and consistently excellent production work for others to make this judgment). Yeezus without the lyrics is a wonderful listen so I try not to let his lyrics ruin it, haha

Edit: Note that I am a very big electronica fan. And in general I am very fond of instrumental music (hell, I don't listen to heavy metal for the lyrics either). So I am able to forgive weak lyrics if an album's music is great. That undoubtedly helps my love for Kanye. I know that many other people look at lyrics first and foremost when they listen to hip-hop, and I understand that. In short: I can forgive a great SOUNDING rap album even if the lyrics aren't up to par, but I actually can't enjoy a lyrically great rap album if the production is mediocre.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 2:18 am
by HRS
It's okay, irreduciblekoan. :mrgreen:

I'm not creating a theory haha I only spoke about Yeezus to contrast with my reaction to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. I don't dislike Kanye West, I don't think things are black-and-white. Like JimmyJazz, I enjoy his productions. I also enjoy previous records. I even commented that I don't know what he will do next, so, he's an artist whose material I will keep on following. I cited Death Grips because my affinity with their sound was important for the reasons why I ended up not enjoying Yeezus as much as a I could. It is not supposed to be a generalization. I'm not defending the indefensible point that people who listen to Death Grips will discard Yeezus or the "always prefer the avant-garde" argument.

I agree with your point on modernity, but there are times when you listen to a record and you don't fully enjoy it because it is similar to artists you are fond of. Some get away with it, others don't. I have seen plenty of comments here of people disliking some artists because they are too close of emulating Kate Bush for their own good, or maybe Foxygen for emulating a little too much their 60s idols or Tame Impala last year. These are all valid subjective criticisms. In my case, it was Yeezus, and it involved a contemporary like Death Grips that ended up adding to internal problems I found on the record. Maybe I spoke a little too much about Death Grips and I was aware of that enough to write that last part. This shouldn't stop other people to enjoy Kanye or even be deeply fond of the artist. The same way my opinion and JimmyJazz's on his persona won't stop you from enjoying the man. Far from it and it's not the point. These discussions are. There's no reason to hate Kanye because he doesn't annoy me musically! Drake does. A lot. But nothing against those who enjoy it. :D

About your point on lyrics and production, I'm too fond of the written word to put it aside. I wish I could put it more aside and enjoy music that doesn't seem to focus on lyrics so much. As I wrote, I would find Yeezus better instrumentally than as it is and maybe Kanye could explore the idea of an instrumental record in the future haha It worked for Laurel Halo this year! As a producer, he's kind of the leader of the pack -- although I'm currently more fond of Death Grips and Flatlander.

Edit: my usual typos.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 2:19 am
by Nick
To me, it takes really REALLY bad lyrics to for me to hate an artists lyrics. The overwhelming majority of the time, lyrics either strike me as "great", "good", or "acceptable". For me to dislike an album because of its lyrics pretty much means that the lyrics are just so atrocious that they render all enjoyment of the rest of the album difficult. "Yeezus" may not be a lyrical masterpiece, but I have a hard time understanding why so many people give it grief over its lyrics. Sure, there are some clunkers like "I just talked to Jesus, he said "What up, Yeezus?"", but these clunkers only happen a couple times throughout the album at most. Listening to "Yeezus" for its lyrics is like listening to the Ramones for technical proficiency or like listening to Joni Mitchell for killer guitar solos. "Yeezus" just isn't meant to be a lyrical album, and as long as the lyrics aren't absolutely atrocious (which they aren't), then I don't see why it's such a big deal that Kanye isn't writing genius Shakespearean level lyrics on it.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 2:29 am
by irreduciblekoan
Funny enough, I also am very fond of the written word. I'm a very avid reader and an aspiring writer. So my friends are always surprised that I listen to so much instrumental music or pay more attention to music than to words. It's strange. My favorite genres have always been metal and classical, even though I can't understand 90% of what they're singing. It was a nice chat!

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 2:40 am
by HRS
That's really cool! I'm also a highly amateur aspirant writer. And the way we relate to lyrics, further evidence of the subjectivity of all. I love instrumental music, but when there are words included, I'm a little too judge-y and I am the first to recognize it. It is not supposed to be classic poetry, just creative. I shouldn't do this, but it does happen and it is part of my judgment. haha Instrumental music has somehow inspired ideas of articulating sounds and rhythms that I'm finding ways to transplant to the written portuguese language. Also, music creates a great sense of atmosphere that can be inspiring to a writer. Julia Holter had a great musique concrete-ish point this year when she said that we are bombarded by noise and it's part of our habitat. Music is noise, noise is music and being aware of that helped to create imperfect writing closer to reality. Let's just say that musique concrete and 20th Century Classical Music helped me with words in a similar way William Gaddis' dialogue driven narratives did! Good luck with your writing :D

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 1:57 am
by Jonathon
Oh my God. I finally bought Haim's record. :o I've been missing out.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 7:02 pm
by Illiniq
irreduciblekoan wrote:Funny enough, I also am very fond of the written word. I'm a very avid reader and an aspiring writer. So my friends are always surprised that I listen to so much instrumental music or pay more attention to music than to words. It's strange. My favorite genres have always been metal and classical, even though I can't understand 90% of what they're singing. It was a nice chat!
That's because the importance of lyrics in music is so consistently overstated and overrated...just like in human conversation...what's said is probably only 10% of the message, but critic's need something to write about, and it's a hell of a lot easier to write about concrete words than abstract music, so criticism gravitates towards what's said rather than what's heard or felt...just as near all American sports writers favor baseball not because it's the best game but because it's the meatiest sport to analyze from a statistical standpoint and the easiest to write about.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 7:17 pm
by Illiniq
Jonathon wrote:
Most of my favorite acts, The Beatles, David Bowie, Radiohead, Wilco, are ones constantly changed their sound and challenged the listener. I feel like Arcade Fire has gotten way too much credit for spinning their wheels. Neon Bible was a shameless retread of Funeral, but with more bombast and less passion. The Suburbs took a few different turns, but ultimately wound up kind of bloated.

Reflektor is a huge leap for the Arcade Fire. Sure, there are precedents in other artists, like LCD Soundsystem (obviously owing to producer James Murphy), but it's the first time in a long time that I felt like Arcade Fire was a glorious head rush. I feel like Murphy gave them new artistic direction and guidance to go along with Win Butler's knack for melody.

Maybe I'm being hard on Trouble Will Find Me, but it feels like a drop off from High Violet to me, and a bit of a place holder. A beautiful album, but I personal think it lacks some of the magic of the previous albums, and I can't imagine calling anything from TWFM a top 10 National song.

I think ultimately, I'm more upset that both artists are getting greater praise for inferior works than The National being ranked above Arcade Fire.
Regarding your comment that most of your favorite bands are ones that evolve their sound, I would tend to agree, and definitely agree that this is a big step outside of the box for Arcade Fire.

But there have been other bands that I love simply by being themselves, because their initial core sound is so great, it really shouldn't be messed with much...here bands like classic era Rolling Stones, LCD Soundsystem, REM come to mind...as does The National. For bands such as this, worries about playing it safe are silly, as they're growth is all about refinement, not change. And I do feel TWFM continues the band's refinement...for one, I love how Berringer has exaggerated his persona for so much humor this time out, as a Los Angeles resident, I love how much of the album is rooted in his sense of dislocation since moving to Venice, and the song structures, are if anything, the most complicated and intricate of the band's career, despite feeling looser and more carefree. Front to back it is simply their most consistent record...and that consistency puts it far ahead of Rlecktor's four great tracks and a bunch of half-baked extra's for me.

I do not disagree with your contention that TWFM lacks a go to single ala the earlier records, nor does it contain the anthemic power of High Violet's strongest tracks, which I too consider their best overall effort...what TWFM is for me is the band's intentionally downscaled album, the seducer rather than the assaultor, placed in a similar vein in their discography the way Rubber Soul or Between The Buttons are for the Beatles or Stones...not the most noteworthy record in their collection, but one of such high quality and distinct identity that it can still be cherished and loved.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 7:37 pm
by JimmyJazz
Illiniq wrote:
irreduciblekoan wrote:Funny enough, I also am very fond of the written word. I'm a very avid reader and an aspiring writer. So my friends are always surprised that I listen to so much instrumental music or pay more attention to music than to words. It's strange. My favorite genres have always been metal and classical, even though I can't understand 90% of what they're singing. It was a nice chat!
That's because the importance of lyrics in music is so consistently overstated and overrated...just like in human conversation...what's said is probably only 10% of the message, but critic's need something to write about, and it's a hell of a lot easier to write about concrete words than abstract music, so criticism gravitates towards what's said rather than what's heard or felt...just as near all American sports writers favor baseball not because it's the best game but because it's the meatiest sport to analyze from a statistical standpoint and the easiest to write about.
I disagree with this statement heavily, as there are plenty of acts whose greatness lies in their lyrical prowess, although usually this involves a combination of the words and the way they fit together with the music, the melody.

...Now that I think of it, your statement sounds a lot like something that would be said by everyone's favorite doo wop and blues fan on this forum :mrgreen:

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 9:59 pm
by HRS
First of all I apologize for writing long posts. It sucks. It's okay if you don't read. In my defense, I aim to make my point clear and create a good debate, not pretentiousness. That's why I'm rarely mad over internet discussions -- first of all because it is silly to get angry on someone on the other side of the world that you barely know; second of all, it's just fun and enriching to discuss and change your mind about things, understand better other perceptions and opinions. These are things this forum do real well.

Back to what's being discussed now: I guess the main problem doesn't lie in the words, but rather many music critics who no longer write about the music nor lyrics, just about the persona behind the record. Plenty of reviews spend more time speaking about the background rather than the music. There are a great number of exception and these are the ones that lead me to disagree when it comes to subjectivity in criticism today. If anything, they speak in a more subjective way these days than before. Just not the ideal way. A Pitchfork review for example dedicates a lot of its length to the writer's quest of decoding a record; EOY comments also focus on how the record relates to the writer. To find critics that write technically about music is very rare, especially in a world where not every blog reader understands about music from a technical standpoint, just subjectively judging the final product. In this way, it is possible for Jonathon to criticize the very same National album you discovered a greater use of intricacies and refined song structures. I for one find Trouble Will Find Me safe, but this is because I judge the record subjectively and not from a technical standpoint, since you have pointed out an expansion of their techniques. Meanwhile, Arcade Fire is more exciting for me not because of its structures, but its final, sonic product.

I don't think lyrics are overrated. I feel they do help a lot of records to garner further acclaim. The new Vampire Weekend, for example, is full of great melodies and production, but it was also widely praised by listeners for its approaches of Religion and "Post-Milleniumnism" and how the lyrics were constructed. On the other hand, Yeezus lyrics were greatly criticized for its misogyny, but that didn't stop the record to top lists on the strength of the whole project . I for one loved some reviews I read of Laurel Halo's Chance of Rain -- especially by The Quietus' and Tiny Mix Tapes' -- because they spoke of technology in ways that few would comprehend in front of the absence of lyrics on the record. How did they took that from the album? Like you said, Illiniq, it's their subjective reaction to the abstract along with some background information and their own knowledge of the subject that influenced their reading.

Even words-filled works of art as Finnegans Wake leave a lot to the imagination and to make sense, since the words are used purely in abstract sense and not much in the literal, common way as in everyday conversation. The point of a conversation is to comprehend, so it's pointless to use words continuously in creative manners. I feel your point was rather that lot is said through expressions and I think this enters the judgement of a critic, since the lyrics are sang or spoken; the phrasing is plenty of times what sells a lyric. One of the great things Michael Gira from Swans has said is that his music is not poetry; it doesn't stand by itself, it's how they interact with the music surrounding it and vice-and-versa. Without the music, there's not a complete sense of what is being expressed. I feel the other way around is also true. There are many artists whose lyrics are not supposed to make sense, but they're valid, born from experimental approaches of the written word: be it a cut-up technique à la Burroughs or Broadcast honoring Gertrude Stein. They're part of the expression. Same goes to lyrics that are improvised, since an improvisation plenty of times comes from playing with sounds rather than what each word and phrase mean. Julia Holter herself also affirmed this year that both the lyrics and vocal lines of Loud City Song came from humming sounds that slowly morphed to words and then arranged to fit the concept. The lyrics were important to her, even if they weren't the central point of the construction of the album.

You haven't affirmed this, but I know some think that they have no important whatsoever. This debate is great for them. I'm just urging that lyrics are more than overall messages, even if in music they're never the sole priority of the artist. There are creative ways of writings that are central to an artist's work, as JimmyJazz wrote; others are just too good in conveying feelings and thoughts, equaling their musicianship or even enhancing the overall work; plenty create great sounds and vocal melodies that marry the songs beautifully even if they're unimaginative; in hip hop there's the delivery that makes the rapping worthy rather than what's being randomly said. There are many of ways of judging lyrics that are not limited to the concrete. It's up to the reviewer and the listener to calculate how much it influences the perception of a record.

I'll just conclude saying that the writing word is compact. Especially because words are not always concrete, sometimes even more abstract than the music itself when grouped. The concrete would rarely stand up by itself even in literature. When you unpack, there are rhythms, sounds, senses, meanings, vocalization -- both in the mind and spoken -- images formation, things as subjective and abstract as composition or painting. I'll give it to you, this rarely happens in music. We're bombarded with ready-made phrases and the very same combinations over and over, but that also can be said about the structures of plenty of pop songs. I also will give to irreduciblekoan, thinking about our conversation, I realised that most of the music I have created a strong bond are less about the lyrics and more about the instrumental, especially when its classical, jazz or electronica. My subjective experience is that artists whose lyrics managed to enhance their already great songs -- as Joni Mitchell or Joanna Newsom -- connected deeply with me, especially in genres of popular music in general as folk or pop or political conscious hip hop, so that's why I feel lyrics can take the music to a whole new level of experience and attachment or even avoid the latter. That's why they matter to me, even while they're not the primary drive of music itself.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 10:46 pm
by Harold
Updated with:

USA/Canada: Treble
UK: Guardian [#5]
Rest of World: Muzikalia [Intl & Natl] [Spain]

The early leader drops to #4.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 3:28 am
by irreduciblekoan
Great post, HRS. I will also defend great lyricists. Although I pay more attention to music than lyrics, I disagree with Illiniq about the unimportance of lyrics. Even metal and classical, whose lyrics I don't understand, usually have very good lyrics when you sit down to analyze them. Sometimes it's amazing how well-written lots of metal songs are, considering how the singers growl the words in such a way that it's so hard to decipher (note that I'm talking about the more underground and extreme metal bands that write about deeper subjects such as religion, mysticism, the government, etc. and not just metal bands like AC/DC and Guns n Roses that sang about sex, drugs and rock n roll). Many fans of the genre (and classical too) judge those styles by the words as well as the music. Also I too am huge fan of great songwriters such as Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan and Joanna Newsom. I admit that I prefer songwriters who don't skip on great instrumental arrangements, however. If there's an incredibly written album but the musical accompaniment does nothing for me, I won't really return to it. That's why the first few Bob Dylan albums aren't really my thing. I don't start loving Dylan's albums until Highway 61 Revisited when the arrangements really started becoming as well thought out and colorful as the lyrics. It truly is a transcendent experience for me when great lyricism and music are combined, and those are my very favorite albums.

Also, thank you HRS, and I wish you good luck as well on your writing endeavors!

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 4:32 am
by PlasticRam
What Freak Out! is to Sgt. Pepper is what Death Grips is to Yeezus. Just a thought I had. Also what 808s is to Take Care. Maybe, idk. I'm tired.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 4:56 am
by Bruce
Illiniq wrote:That's because the importance of lyrics in music is so consistently overstated and overrated...just like in human conversation...what's said is probably only 10% of the message, but critic's need something to write about, and it's a hell of a lot easier to write about concrete words than abstract music, so criticism gravitates towards what's said rather than what's heard or felt.
I agree 100%. Most critics are journalism majors who are not qualified to comment on "music," so they tend to stick with what they are qualified to comment about, words. Critcis rarely talk about bass riffs, chord changes, time signatures, or any other musical things because most of them do not know much about those things. They have columns to fill up so they analyze lyrics. The acts then respond by focusing a lot on lyrics and this process has created a vicious cycle where lyrics have become much more important to the songwriters and the critics than they ever have been to the public. Most people just want to be entertained by music, rather than to pay serious attention to lyrics.

This has only happened since the advent of the rock critic in the late 1960s. before that people never talked much about what songs were about or what an artist's "point of view" is. I have zero interest in what some singer thinks about anything outside of music. I fail to see why this person would have any special insight about issues in life. I may as well ask my plumber what he thinks.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 5:14 am
by JimmyJazz
Bruce wrote:
Illiniq wrote:That's because the importance of lyrics in music is so consistently overstated and overrated...just like in human conversation...what's said is probably only 10% of the message, but critic's need something to write about, and it's a hell of a lot easier to write about concrete words than abstract music, so criticism gravitates towards what's said rather than what's heard or felt.
I agree 100%. Most critics are journalism majors who are not qualified to comment on "music," so they tend to stick with what they are qualified to comment about, words. Critcis rarely talk about bass riffs, chord changes, time signatures, or any other musical things because most of them do not know much about those things. They have columns to fill up so they analyze lyrics. The acts then respond by focusing a lot on lyrics and this process has created a vicious cycle where lyrics have become much more important to the songwriters and the critics than they ever have been to the public. Most people just want to be entertained by music, rather than to pay serious attention to lyrics.

This has only happened since the advent of the rock critic in the late 1960s. before that people never talked much about what songs were about or what an artist's "point of view" is. I have zero interest in what some singer thinks about anything outside of music. I fail to see why this person would have any special insight about issues in life. I may as well ask my plumber what he thinks.
Funny that I just compared Illiniq to you :whistle: :mrgreen:

Actually, I'm a little confused. This is somewhat contradictory of you, Bruce. In the elimination jukebox game for December, you didn't bother really explain why you disliked Blanco's songs because you said writing about music can't really be done at all, comparing it to describing why you prefer FUCKING over a blow job. Yet, you continually denigrate the music of acts like the VU, Pixies, Nirvana, Radiohead, Captain Beefheart, Zappa, etc. usually by describing your dislike of them in musical terms. You have stated that what's important in pop music is indeed the music, not the lyrics at all. However, when you complain about critics not talking about the music of an album or song, I must say that I have never seen you produce a detailed analysis of why you like or dislike certain music in terms of their instrumentation, structure, melody, whatever. Considering that you are a musician, I would assume that you would be able to do just that. And, please, honest to god, don't give me that "no one can write about music" bullshit, because colleges and schools teach people how to analyze music everyday, there are books dissecting Beethoven's Fifth Symphony published every year, there are entire radio discussions on NPR appraising the music of Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, and John Coltrane along with every other jazz great seemingly every week, and, you may be shocked to find out, but there are actually classes in universities, sometimes devoted exclusively to music, that are solely based around the study of the music of Bjork. My dad, who once played in a band in Toronto, could give a pretty decent musical appraisal of the VU, Beefheart, Zappa, Bowie, the Stooges, Roxy Music, and so many of the acts that you hate.

Rant over... :mrgreen:

Edit 1: Actually, I just forgot to say something else. Of the VU members, Lou Reed was a passionate fan of the various rock n roll, doo wop, and jazz greats you slam into everyone's heads all of the time, although that can obviously be partly attributed to it being the music he grew up with but still worth keeping in mind whenever you rant. In fact, he was a member of the Jazz Foundation. I always got the impression he had a pretty good understanding of the music he was influenced by. Finally, and even more ridiculous that you ignore it, John Cale is a classically trained musician, and probably knows more about music and musical concepts than anyone on this forum, or most members of rock bands in general.

Edit 2: I would also prefer you refrain from making some rude, rather snarky sounding comment about my dad and his "smoking of a lot of pot", which you have no clue about. If you do again, I will PM Henrik about it to see you are banned from this forum, as you should have been so long ago.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 5:58 am
by Harold
Can we PLEASE not turn this thread into yet another outlet for "you're-the-dummy/no-YOU'RE-the-dummy"? This is just supposed to be the thread where I announce EOY albums spreadsheet updates and we talk about how the albums are doing. Please? Please? PLEEEEEAAAAASSSSSEEEEE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Thank you.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 6:00 am
by Bruce
JimmyJazz wrote:Actually, I'm a little confused. This is somewhat contradictory of you, Bruce. In the elimination jukebox game for December, you didn't bother really explain why you disliked Blanco's songs because you said writing about music can't really be done at all, comparing it to describing why you prefer FUCKING over a blow job.
You got that backwards. It's BLOW JOBS over fucking.
JimmyJazz wrote: Yet, you continually denigrate the music of acts like the VU, Pixies, Nirvana, Radiohead, Captain Beefheart, Zappa, etc. usually by describing your dislike of them in musical terms. You have stated that what's important in pop music is indeed the music, not the lyrics at all. However, when you complain about critics not talking about the music of an album or song,
Actually, I would prefer if critics did not write about music or lyrics at all. Just let us know if they like it or not. I prfeer lists.
JimmyJazz wrote: I must say that I have never seen you produce a detailed analysis of why you like or dislike certain music in terms of their instrumentation, structure, melody, whatever.
I don't believe that it can be done with words. Whether or not someone likes a particular piece of music is entirely based on emotions.
JimmyJazz wrote: Considering that you are a musician,
I have no idea where you got that idea, but I am certainly not a musician.
JimmyJazz wrote: And, please, honest to god, don't give me that "no one can write about music" bullshit, because colleges and schools teach people how to analyze music everyday, there are books dissecting Beethoven's Fifth Symphony published every year, there are entire radio discussions on NPR appraising the music of Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, and John Coltrane along with every other jazz great seemingly every week, and, you may be shocked to find out, but there are actually classes in universities, sometimes devoted exclusively to music, that are solely based around the study of the music of Bjork. My dad, who once played in a band in Toronto, could give a pretty decent musical appraisal of the VU, Beefheart, Zappa, Bowie, the Stooges, Roxy Music, and so many of the acts that you hate.
My contention is that you can't use words to describe why you like or dislike a particular piece of music anymore than you can use words to describe why you prefer chocolate to vanilla. You just do.
JimmyJazz wrote: Edit 1: Actually, I just forgot to say something else. Of the VU members, Lou Reed was a passionate fan of the various rock n roll, doo wop, and jazz greats you slam into everyone's heads all of the time, although that can obviously be partly attributed to it being the music he grew up with but still worth keeping in mind whenever you rant. In fact, he was a member of the Jazz Foundation. I always got the impression he had a pretty good understanding of the music he was influenced by. Finally, and even more ridiculous that you ignore it, John Cale is a classically trained musician, and probably knows more about music and musical concepts than anyone on this forum, or most members of rock bands in general.
I don't know where you got the idea that I am a jazz fan. I don't like much jazz at all. I do not like improvisation at all. And I REALLY don't like classical music.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 6:15 am
by JimmyJazz
Harold wrote:Can we PLEASE not turn this thread into yet another outlet for "you're-the-dummy/no-YOU'RE-the-dummy"? This is just supposed to be the thread where I announce EOY albums spreadsheet updates and we talk about how the albums are doing. Please? Please? PLEEEEEAAAAASSSSSEEEEE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Thank you.
I apologize, Harold.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 6:41 am
by Jonathon
Pitchfork put up their list. :happy-partydance:

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 7:50 am
by Bruce
JimmyJazz wrote:
Harold wrote:Can we PLEASE not turn this thread into yet another outlet for "you're-the-dummy/no-YOU'RE-the-dummy"? This is just supposed to be the thread where I announce EOY albums spreadsheet updates and we talk about how the albums are doing. Please? Please? PLEEEEEAAAAASSSSSEEEEE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Thank you.
I apologize, Harold.
Sorry about that comment about your father. It was meant to be a joke.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 5:32 pm
by Harold
Updated with:

USA/Canada: Tiny Mix Tapes, SputnikMusic, Pitchfork
UK: The Guardian [#3-4], The Line of Best Fit, The Fly, Bowlegs
Rest of World: Kalporz [Italy], Numerocero [#6-20] [Spain], Playground [Natl] [Spain], Recorder [Hungary], Ouest [France]

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 6:21 pm
by Kingoftonga
I'm always amused by the reception of different albums throughout the world. Yeezus ranks higher in the UK than it does in the USA, which I wouldn't have guessed. John Grant is 9th in the UK, but 403rd in the US! Meanwhile, Run the Jewels is in the top 20 in the US, but hasn't been named in a single list outside the US/UK.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 6:44 pm
by Mattceinicram
It would appear that Yeezus has almost clinched the number 1 spot.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 7:25 pm
by irreduciblekoan
If Yeezus stays at #1 or #2 of 2013, and with the all-time success that MBDTF has been getting, plus the EOY success of "Black Skinhead" and "New Slaves," what would be the chances of Kanye becoming the most acclaimed hip-hop act in the next update? He is 59th all-time, as of now, while Public Enemy and Beastie Boys are 31st and 36th, respectively.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 1:25 am
by Blanco
Harold wrote:Can we PLEASE not turn this thread into yet another outlet for "you're-the-dummy/no-YOU'RE-the-dummy"? This is just supposed to be the thread where I announce EOY albums spreadsheet updates and we talk about how the albums are doing. Please? Please? PLEEEEEAAAAASSSSSEEEEE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
You reminded me of this great song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMqAfg8pRRg
:music-listening:

Please don't go (to other topics). :)

Just kidding.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 5:16 am
by Jonathon
irreduciblekoan wrote:If Yeezus stays at #1 or #2 of 2013, and with the all-time success that MBDTF has been getting, plus the EOY success of "Black Skinhead" and "New Slaves," what would be the chances of Kanye becoming the most acclaimed hip-hop act in the next update? He is 59th all-time, as of now, while Public Enemy and Beastie Boys are 31st and 36th, respectively.

I'd say he has a good shot at beating the Beastie Boys. It really depends on how much all time lists help Dark Fantasy, and where Yeezus places. I don't think he'll quite match them for album ranking, but I do think his singles ranking could propel him to a mid-30 spot.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 5:20 am
by Jackson
Kingoftonga wrote:I'm always amused by the reception of different albums throughout the world. Yeezus ranks higher in the UK than it does in the USA, which I wouldn't have guessed. John Grant is 9th in the UK, but 403rd in the US! Meanwhile, Run the Jewels is in the top 20 in the US, but hasn't been named in a single list outside the US/UK.
These New Puritans and Jon Hopkins are also almost solely supported by the UK.

And what is it with the "rest of world" critics and Arcade Fire? If I remember correctly it's this category that pushed The Suburbs ahead of MBDTF in 2010, and here comes Reflektor at #1 with this group. Interesting.

Re: EOY Albums Spreadsheet: Update thread

Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 5:26 am
by Jonathon
Jackson wrote:
Kingoftonga wrote:I'm always amused by the reception of different albums throughout the world. Yeezus ranks higher in the UK than it does in the USA, which I wouldn't have guessed. John Grant is 9th in the UK, but 403rd in the US! Meanwhile, Run the Jewels is in the top 20 in the US, but hasn't been named in a single list outside the US/UK.
These New Puritans and Jon Hopkins are also almost solely supported by the UK.

And what is it with the "rest of world" critics and Arcade Fire? If I remember correctly it's this category that pushed The Suburbs ahead of MBDTF in 2010, and here comes Reflektor at #1 with this group. Interesting.
One of my big shames as an American is our mistreatment of Nick Cave. One of the greatest songwriters of the last 30 years, and we treat him like a nobody.

Both the rest of the world and the UK named The Suburbs #1. This time, the UK doesn't seem to be on the AF's side, which is a shame, since I believe Reflektor is a much stronger album than The Suburbs.