Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Semi-Finals!

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Brad
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Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Semi-Finals!

Post by Brad »

Welcome to the Semi-Final Round of Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018!

Vote for your favorite album in each match-up.
Remember, anyone can vote as long as the voter has heard both albums.

Good-spirited comments are encouraged, but not absolutely necessary.
Deadline = October 30th at 10am EST.

Here's a link to the bracket for the entire tournament:
http://www.bracketmaker.com/tlist.cfm?t ... 9%20(2018)

Match-ups:
1. Sleater-Kinney - The Woods vs. Ennio Morricone - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
2. Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans vs. Jóhann Jóhannsson - Fôrdlandia


You make your choice, I'm here for you
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Semi-Finals!

Post by Bang Jan »



2 | Sleater-Kinney | The Woods
1 | Ennio Morricone | The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

4 | Sufjan Stevens | Seven Swans
3 | Jóhann Jóhannsson | Fôrdlandia
"The first word in this song is discorporate. It means to leave your body."
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Semi-Finals!

Post by StevieFan13 »

The Woods
Fordlandia
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Semi-Finals!

Post by PlasticRam »

1. Sleater-Kinney - The Woods vs. Ennio Morricone - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
2. Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans vs. Jóhann Jóhannsson - Fôrdlandia
I feel like that
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Semi-Finals!

Post by Jirin »

The Woods and Fordlandia.

Awesome an album in my AT top 25 made it this far. Forget if I’m the one who nominated it or not, but would have.
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Semi-Finals!

Post by spiritualized »

Ennio and sufjan
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Semi-Finals!

Post by DaveC »

1. Sleater-Kinney - The Woods
2. Jóhann Jóhannsson - Fôrdlandia
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Semi-Finals!

Post by FrankLotion »

1. Sleater-Kinney - The Woods
2. Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans

Well, I did say earlier this year I’d be voting for The Woods the whole way if I could, glad it’s made it this far even if it ends up getting knocked out!
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Semi-Finals!

Post by Honorio »



Sleater-Kinney - The Woods (2005) vs. Ennio Morricone - Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (1966)

Women and Fridmann first. Sleater-Kinney is a band I know thanks to Acclaimed Music. "Dig Me Out" was my first exposure to them due to the high position of the album on the Spin and Village Voice lists. My first impression was not too favorable since I'm not too fond of the Riot-Grrl bands in general and of the sound of Rock bands without bass, no matter the energy it tends to sound flat and tiny. My next exposure to them was their "maturity" album thanks to this Moderately Acclaimed game, "The Woods" showed up on MAA6 losing then in Round 1 to Waterboys' "Fisherman's Blues" ("Dig Me Out" was also eliminated on Round 1 on MAA8 but it seems that the band had gained a lot of following base on the forum during the last year). My impression this second time was much different. Then I was amazed by the way a group of middle-aged women managed to be so relevant in a mostly young and male style retaining a ferocious and uncompromising attitude. Now "The Woods" is my favourite album by them, opinion probably shared by many listeners (both RateYourMusic and BestEverAlbums got it at the top) but not by the critics, on the main Acclaimed Music list is third after "Dig Me Out" and "No Cities to Love," it's second on Megacritic after "No Cities to Love" and it's also second on Pitchfork after "One Beat" ("Dig Me Out" is not ranked on both Megacritic and Pitchfork).
I wanted to point at two positive aspects of the album. First the raw production of Dave Fridmann, respecting the live sound of the band (the album was mostly recorded live on the studio with few overdubs) and recording every instrument with tremendous audio saturation. This technique of saturation has been employed by Fridmann on many of his productions (just listen to the Steven Drodz drums for The Flaming Lips) but here it has an effect of dirtiness that suits the band's style like a glove. Even the usually sweet melodica receives this saturation treatment in "Modern Girl." And a special mention for the equalization and effects applied to the guitars. The second positive aspect is the clever sequenciation of the tracks. In my opinion the best tracks are right in the middle, "Jumpers" (my favourite), "Modern Girl" and "Entertain," forming the nucleus of the album. But they opened and closed the album also brilliantly, beginning high with "The Fox" and ending with the one-two punch of "Let's Call It Love" and "Night Light," the former a tour-de-force with more than 11 minutes of wild guitars.

Anyway I can't help but choose Ennio Morricone. I've checked the fate of Morricone on previous editions of MAA, on MAA6 the wonderful soundtrack of "The Mission" was eliminated on first round by CunninLynguists but on MAA8 one of his 1960s masterpieces ("One Upon a Time in the West") lasted until Round 4, being eliminated by Saint Etienne's "So Tough," the final winner of the edition. This MAA9 we have Ennio already on semifinals and, who knows, maybe on the final. Maybe unfair because in my opinion his true masterpiece was the one eliminated last year, "C'era una volta il West/One Upon a Time in the West." Anyway I would be glad to see Ennio winning the whole game, this year's album is almost as good as last year's one. The soundtrack for "Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo" (that literally means "The Good, the Ugly, the Bad" but probably the order was changed for euphonic reasons) is also a masterpiece, the film score with a higher rating on RYM (by the way Morricone has 7 albums on this Top 40, 3 of them on the Top 10). If I've found amazing the relevance of Sleater-Kinney after a decade on their career, the recognition of Morricone's work through the decades and generations (moreover working almost exclusively on a "side" style like movie soundtracks) is truly impressive.
Comparing the soundtracks I can see that both use profusely leitmotifs for the different characters. In "Once Upon a Time in the West" Morricone used harpsichord for Jill, banjo for Cheyenne, fuzz electric guitar for Frank and, ahem, harmonica for Harmonica. In "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" every main character is also represented by an instrument: Blondie (il buono/the good) by the flute, Angel Eyes (il cattivo/the bad) by the ocarina and Tuco (il brutto/the ugly) by human voices. You can perfectly listen the three instruments playing the two-note melody on the title track, first the ocarina/bad (0:04), then the flute/good (0:25) and finally the voices/ugly (1:20). Masterful, isn't it? Anyway one of the reasons of my preference for the "Once Upon..." soundtrack is that not only every character was represented by a different instrument but by a different musical motif, sometimes sublimely intertwined like in "Man With the Harmonica" (my favourite Morricone theme), with the harmonica duelling with the fuzz guitar ending with an epic blast.
I was tempted to say that other reason for my preference is the more variety on the atmospheres of the "Once Upon..." soundtrack but after listening to the whole soundtrack of "The Good..." probably that's not true. The 21-tracks reissue of 2001 showed many atmospheric tracks portraying the different characters while the 11-tracks original 1966 release used mainly the most solemn/orchestral tracks. Anyway we have enough variety on the original release, from the mournful "The Story of a Soldier" to the mysterious "The Desert," from the calm "The Sundown" to the military "The Strong," from the playful "Marcia" to the epic "The Trio."
Epic is the word. Especially applied to the two most impressive tracks here: the main title and "The Ecstasy of Gold." The main title included the three different instruments portraying the three main characters playing "a two-note melody sounding like the howl of a coyote" (Wikipedia). Other fascinating sounds like whistling, electric guitars, sound effects simulating gunfire and a whole orchestra (with special mention to the trumpets) create an iconic track that defines a whole music style, the Spaghetti Western. And "The Ecstasy of Gold," used by Metallica to open their shows and by Ramones to close their shows, is the definition of epic. I can't help but quote a comment from larrybird, a Rateyourmusic user: "ennio morricone is a genius. take the ecstacy of gold, for instance. no matter what you're doing while listening to that song, it's epic. taking a dump? epic. brushing your teeth? epic. finding your dad's dildo? epic." Hilarious, isn't it?


Expect votes and comments about the second bracket on a few days...
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Semi-Finals!

Post by Brad »

My picks:
1. Sleater-Kinney - The Woods vs. Ennio Morricone - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
2. Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans vs. Jóhann Jóhannsson - Fôrdlandia

Thanks!
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Semi-Finals!

Post by Brad »

btw, awesome write-up on Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Honorio!

do you happen to know where I can find that excellent breakdown of Hendrix's guitar solo in All Along The Watchtower you once wrote? I think about it every time I hear that song but not sure where on here you posted it! Been meaning to ask this for a while...
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Semi-Finals!

Post by Romain »

1. Ennio Morricone - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
2. Jóhann Jóhannsson - Fôrdlandia
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Semi-Finals!

Post by Rob »

So the semi-finals see two rocking albums and two quiet albums go against each other. One thing is for sure, the finale will be power versus peace, in terms of sound.

1. Sleater-Kinney - The Woods vs. 2. Ennio Morricone - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Two huge personal favorites, so no wrong one can win. The write-up for both albums by Honorio above captures it well and yes, there is more variety to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly than initially seems, especially in the extended edition (a rare case in which I think the deluxe versions improves on the original).

4. Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans vs. 3. Jóhann Jóhannsson - Fôrdlandia
Well, Fôrdlandia is my nomination, so it shouldn't come as a surprise I vote for it hear, especially since I never voted for Seven Swans before. That one is a bit unlucky in match-ups, as I do appreciate it. In fact, I have come to appreciate it a lot more throughout this game. For a long time I had thought as Seven Swans as a good but minor Sufjan Stevens album and now I don't think of it like that anymore. Other Stevens albums grabbed me more immediately, but now that these song have wormed their ways into my mind I have to say that Seven Swans is very good Sufjan Stevens. None of these four semi-finalists did I discover through this game, but Seven Swans is the only one I had only superficial familiarity with, so it is nice to have at least one album here that really benefited from it's long appearance here. Although it is probably time to say goodbye now.
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Semi-Finals!

Post by Listyguy »

Here's my vote:

1. Sleater-Kinney - The Woods vs. Ennio Morricone - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Not my favorite S-K album, but still pretty great. Morricone's soundtrack has some great moments (such as The Ecstasy of Gold, which is without question the best track on any of the four remaining album), but overall The Woods has an edge for me.

2. Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans vs. Jóhann Jóhannsson - Fôrdlandia
I give Johannsson the slightest of edges here. I almost passed, but ultimately the title track is so incredible that it alone probably deserves this vote.
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Semi-Finals!

Post by fasbjd »

Ennio Morricone - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Jóhann Jóhannsson - Fôrdlandia
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Semi-Finals!

Post by Honorio »

Brad wrote:btw, awesome write-up on Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Honorio!

do you happen to know where I can find that excellent breakdown of Hendrix's guitar solo in All Along The Watchtower you once wrote? I think about it every time I hear that song but not sure where on here you posted it! Been meaning to ask this for a while...
Hey, Brad, thank you very very much! You can find my comment about Hendrix's solo on the threads of our 2016 Songs Poll of the 1960s or 2014 All-Time Albums Poll. The comment was: "The song with the legendary four-part guitar solo: 1º bluesy with string bending 2º dreamy with slide, reverb and echo 3º acid with his trademark wah wah 4º funky with a syncopated clean guitar sound. Absolutely masterful, Jimi." Brad, I'm absolutely delighted with the fact that you remembered one of my comments, thank you very much!

And now my comments for the second bracket:



Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans (2004) vs. Jóhann Jóhannsson - Fôrdlandia (2008)

If I go back to my order of preferences on the previous rounds of the game I should have voted for "Fôrdlandia" but after listening closely again to both albums and after reading two excellent reviews about "Seven Swans" (published on Pitchfork and Stereogum) I changed my mind.

Let's travel to "Fôrdlandia" first, let's enter the hypnotic music world of the late Jóhann Jóhannsson. Building from silence (that last for the first half minute on the first track) a majestic music slowly appears, mixing fluidly and unashamedly Modern Classical (thanks to an evocatively sublime string section) and Post-Rock (thanks to minimalistic but solemn electric guitars). On posterior tracks of the album other Electronica elements are also naturally fused with the sounds of the orchestra. Jóhannsson in general (with this album in particular) can be considered a pioneer of the so-called Indie Classical, a new generation of self-taught composers coming from Pop music that, influenced by Minimalism, Ambient and Post-Rock, dare to write and perform Classical music. Musicians like Nils Frahm, Nico Muhly, Kashiwa Daisuke, Ólafur Arnalds, Max Richter, Jonny Greenwood, Bryce Dessner or Richard Reed Parry (the last three members of well-known bands like Radiohead, The National and The Arcade Fire) are part of this selected group. Most of them, and Jóhann Jóhannsson in particular, began writing soundtracks for imaginary films (developing the concept pioneered by Brian Eno on the late 1970s) and ended writing soundtracks for actual movies. Jóhannsson wrote a lot of brilliant scores from 2011, including "The Theory of Everything" (awarded with a Golden Globe), "Sicario" or "Arrival."
On of the things I like the most of this Indie Classical (well, Contemporary Modern Classical if you prefer) is the freedom they have to use instruments and formats, blurring the lines between chamber and symphonic and between music pieces and tracks. They make albums, not musical pieces following the rigid formats of Classical music (symphonies, sonatas, operas, etc). And they give to each track (or song if you want to) the instrumentation they consider. Look at "Fôrdlandia." We have a full 50-piece string orchestra only on 4 tracks (the first and the last three) but on the rest the instrumentation is reduced to chamber ensembles, sometimes with the musicians recording with studio overdubs Pop-style. On three parts of "melodia" (i, ii and iv) we have a single clarinet player (Guðni Franzson) creating a woodwind quartet via overdubs, on "Chimaerica" there's a sacred-music-style pipe organ, on "The Rocket Builder" and "Aerial View" we have a string quartet and electronic percussion and on "melodia (iii)" there's almost only the piano played by Jóhannsson. All of these "chamber" pieces are superb but the real deal comes with the orchestral pieces, the four of them featuring breathtaking crescendos and decrescendos. "The Great God Pan Is Dead" uses a women's choir to great effect and the last "Melodia" is the piece with quicker tempo. But my favourite tracks are the ones that bookend the album, both long and epic tracks and the two sides of one coin, probably alluding to the creation and final decay of the historic Fôrdlandia project. The opening, the title track is "an accomplished exercise in layering and progression, each set of instruments climbing onto the stair that the previous ones have laid out for it, and though we know exactly where it's heading, the journey is breathtaking" (MR Newmark for PopMatters) and, according to Jóhann Jóhannsson himself, "the ending is a five minute long continous ritardando, quite possibly the longest one ever on record, should anyone care…" And the 15-minutes closer track, "How We Left Fôrdlandia," carries the sound of the decay, the bitterness of the disappointment.
And this takes me to the concept behind the album. Only a quote I translated from Rockdelux: "On the music that Jóhann Jóhannsson wrote for himself and not for the film industry (...) almost ever underlies a sense of defeat: his themes are the oblivion, the no-action, the inevitable death and the feeling of beautiful failure. "Fôrdlandia" had something of a project that could have filmed Werner Herzog, a reminisce of Henry Ford's attempt to create a rubber plantation in the Amazon in the 1920s, a plan of social engineering that ended being unfeasible so the installations were forgotten and invaded by the brushwood" (Javier Blánquez for Rockdelux). The sound of the failed utopias.

It's easy to guess that I LOVE "Fôrdlandia" but anyway my vote goes to "Seven Swans." Just like what happened to Rob, my appreciation to the album has been rising during the game. Even if it doesn't come close to my two favourite albums by Sufjan Stevens (obviously "Illinois" and "Carrie & Lowell") now it's fighting a fierce battle against "Michigan" for the third position. Be careful, "Michigan," "He will take you/ If you run / He will chase you/ ‘Cause He is the Lord!"
Maybe that was the problem I had with "Seven Swans," the overtly religious content. I had a catholic upbringing but many years ago I became agnostic (even atheist). My opinion can be summarized by the brilliant sentence of detective Rust Cohle on "True Detective" TV series: "Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey, "He said for you to give me your fucking share." Organized religion is to my eyes basically a fraud. Anyway I got the highest respect for the ones that consider themselves believers in an honest and sincere way. And I was convinced, after listening to "Seven Swans" while reading the lyrics, about the honesty of Sufjan. No one can see this album as a commercial trick trying to get to the wide Christian Rock market (in fact this album rarely –and unfairly– appears on lists of Best-of Christian music), in fact it's maybe the opposite. The album came in 2004 just during the explosion of the new Freak Folk scene commanded by Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, Josephine Foster, CocoRosie and some others, and maybe the religious content left Sufjan somehow aside of that scene (he was not included on the seminal compilation "The Golden Apples of the Sun" for instance) despite being probably the most important name coming from that scene.
Because "Seven Swans" is a Christian album if there's one. Even if Sufjan added a lot of references to his faith throughout his whole discography this album feels like a concept album on the subject, just like "Michigan" or "Illinois" were concept albums about the states and "Carrie & Lowell" and "The Age of Adz" were deeply autobiographical albums, the former centered on the conflictive relationship with his mother. "Seven Swans" is highly charged with Bible quotes and references, a quick look at songmeanings.com or genius.com reveal dozens of them (Isaiah 55:12, Romans 19:23-24, Genesis 22:2-14, Corinthians 10:13-14, Revelation 5:6, Luke 9:28-36 or Matthew 17:5 to name a few) and some songs are also based on stories by Flannery O'Connor, a writer on the Christian Realism movement. Even songs that can seem at first glance love songs like "To Be Alone With You" (my favourite and undoubtedly the chore of the album) have a whole new meaning when you realize that is addressed to Jesus. But this is Sufjan Stevens after all and he can't help to offer us some autobiographical hints: we have a song referencing his sister Megan ("Sister" obviously) and two songs about Sufjan's first girlfriend Robin, on songmeanings.com you can find the stories behind "The Dress Looks Nice on You" and "Size Too Small" explained by Sufjan himself. And the last two songs on the album are powerful statements about Chistianity. Quoting Chris DeVille for Stereogum: "Spiritually and artistically, the album peaks in its last two tracks, a pair of songs designed to portray God’s glory in all its mortifying power and dumbfounding beauty. The title track is a tale of apocalyptic terror, one in which the Christ returns to render judgment. (...) While "Seven Swans" captures the eerie and unsettling side of the supernatural, closing track "The Transfiguration" reframes the appearance of the glorified Christ as an occasion for pure joyous reverie."
Musically the album was the more spare album recorded by Sufjan until "Carrie & Lowell" (the latter doesn't even feature drums). The sound relies heavily on banjo (and occasionally acoustic guitar) and the tone of the album is quiet and gentle, with generally short songs (five of them under the 3-minute mark). But this sparneness doesn't mean there are not imaginative arrangements now and then, one of the greatest weapons of Sufjan. You can hear a glorious Theremin on "In the Devil's Territory," lo-fi keyboard sounds on "The Dress Looks Nice on You" and "He Woke Me Up Again" or woodwinds and xylophones on "The Transfiguration" (all these instruments played by Sufjan himself). And I want to point to the few but outstanding contributions of the members of the Danielson Family on drums and backing vocals. And the general quiet tone of the album doesn't mean that it lacks in emotion (as showcased on the climaxes of the last two songs) or quirkiness (the electric intro of "Sister" achieves the indie cred).
Let me end this (maybe too) long write-up with a long quote, the last paragraph of the brilliant Stereogum review written by Chris DeVille: "In the years since "Seven Swans," Sufjan has moved farther and farther away from overt reflections on Christianity, and most of his music these days is a far cry from barebones folk-rock. His banjo is no longer his weapon of choice, and the clear-eyed spiritual contentment he projected throughout this record seems to have become a lot darker and cloudier. As such, "Seven Swans" is a one-of-a-kind statement from a one-of-a-kind artist. For someone like me, who actually believes in the Jesus portrayed here but who finds most of the media dedicated to him these days to be as bloated and inauthentic as the church culture it springs from, this album is a precious devotional and a reassurance that it's still possible for Christian belief to inspire powerful creative activity. But even for many who have no connection to Christianity whatsoever, it remains a stirring collection of songs and an emblem for a very strange period in indie-rock. I'm not sure it ever would have caught so much attention had it not arrived in such a folk-friendly climate, but I am sure Sufjan seized that moment to deliver one of the era's most enduring, evocative works. Its timing couldn't have been better, but "Seven Swans" is timeless."


These are my votes ordered by preference:
4. Sleater-Kinney - The Woods (2005) vs. 1. Ennio Morricone - Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (1966)
2. Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans (2004) vs. 3. Jóhann Jóhannsson - Fôrdlandia (2008)
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Semi-Finals!

Post by Rob »

Damn, these are some great write-ups, Honorio!
The quote of Chris DeVille, who writes as a christian, is of interest to me as I have never believed in any kind of God or religion, but I can be moved by expressions of faith from time to time. I think DeVille puts his finger on the sore spot of much contemporary, religious expression and why Stevens is an exception. I would add that Sufjan Stevens never feels like he portrays faith as a black-and-white done deal, something that annoyed me about the few times I listened to christian rock. Sufjan Stevens might write as if his mind is with heaven, but his body is planted on the earthly ground and he notices his surroundings. Besides, he can find great beauty in ugliness and pain, something which is hard to do.
Last edited by Rob on Tue Oct 30, 2018 8:36 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Semi-Finals!

Post by Honorio »

Thank you very much, Rob! That means a lot to me since I'm a big fan of you, I love your reviews.
About Sufjan I agree with you wholeheartedly. Religions (and populist political leaders) offer easy solutions to complex problems. One good thing about Sufjan is that he doesn't hide contradictions, confusion and ambivalence. There are too many examples to mention here but "Casimir Pulasky Day," "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." or "Romulus" are the first that come to my mind.
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Semi-Finals!

Post by Sweepstakes Ron »

1. Sleater-Kinney - The Woods vs. Ennio Morricone - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
2. Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans vs. Jóhann Jóhannsson - Fôrdlandia
Splish splash, I was raking in the cash
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Semi-Finals!

Post by Brad »

Honorio wrote:Brad, I'm absolutely delighted with the fact that you remembered one of my comments, thank you very much!
Honorio - you are far too humble! I (and many others no doubt) am always thrilled to read your stuff. I wish I could write like you, Rob, several others here... but must content myself on kicking back, reading and enjoying!

btw, 15 hours left to vote! Final Round begins tomorrow!
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Semi-Finals!

Post by Kingoftonga »

Winners in red:

1. Sleater-Kinney - The Woods vs. Ennio Morricone - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
2. Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans vs. Jóhann Jóhannsson - Fôrdlandia
Brad
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Semi-Finals!

Post by Brad »

15 voters this week:
Bang Jan
Brad
DaveC
fasbjd
FrankLotion
Honorio
Jirin
Kingoftonga
Listyguy
PlasticRam
Rob
Romain
spiritualized
StevieFan13
Sweepstakes Ron

Winners (and Finalists!):
1. Sleater-Kinney - The Woods over Ennio Morricone - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 8-7
2. Jóhann Jóhannsson - Fôrdlandia over Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans 9-6

Stay tuned for the Final Round!
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