Acclaimed Music Forums

Welcome to the next batch of Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2020!

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 = March 24th at 10am EST.

Here's a link to the bracket for the entire tournament:
http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=473090

Match-ups:
1. Marianne Faithfull - Broken English vs. Adele - 21
2. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly vs. Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
3. The Chills - Submarine Bells vs. Nadine Shah - Holiday Destination
4. The Upsetters - Super Ape vs. Azealia Banks - Broke with Expensive Taste

Where were you when the stars went out?

1. Marianne Faithfull - Broken English vs. 4. Adele - 21
3. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly vs. 8. Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
7. The Chills - Submarine Bells vs. 2. Nadine Shah - Holiday Destination
5. The Upsetters - Super Ape vs. 6. Azealia Banks - Broke with Expensive Taste

We have Adele with 21 and Azealia Banks with an album containing "212". Later we'll get Rush's 2112.
This can't be a coincidence.

1. Marianne Faithfull-Broken English (Aside from maybe 666667 Club, my favorite find so far!)
2. Buddy Holly-Buddy Holly (I do understand why someone else enjoy Dr. Octagon, it is not my thing.)
3. The Chills-Submarine Bells
4. Azealia Banks-Broke With Expensive Taste

1. Adele - 21
2. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly
4. Azealia Banks - Broke with Expensive Taste

Marianne Faithful - Broken English
Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
Nadine Shah - Holiday Destination
The Upsetters - Super Ape

1. Marianne Faithfull - Broken English vs. Adele - 21
2. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly vs. Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
3. The Chills - Submarine Bells vs. Nadine Shah - Holiday Destination
4. The Upsetters - Super Ape vs. Azealia Banks - Broke with Expensive Taste

Buddy Holly and Super Ape are on my AT list.

1. Adele - 21
2. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly
3. Nadine Shah - Holiday Destination
4. Azealia Banks - Broke with Expensive Taste

1. Marianne Faithfull - Broken English vs. Adele - 21
2. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly vs. Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
3. The Chills - Submarine Bells vs. Nadine Shah - Holiday Destination
4. The Upsetters - Super Ape vs. Azealia Banks - Broke with Expensive Taste

1 | Marianne Faithfull | Broken English
4 | Adele | 21

6 | Buddy Holly | Buddy Holly
2 | Dr. Octagon | Dr. Octagonecologyst

5 | The Chills | Submarine Bells
7 | Nadine Shah | Holiday Destination

3 | The Upsetters | Super Ape
8 | Azealia Banks | Broke with Expensive Taste

Favourite song of the week: Buddy Holly | Everyday

1. Marianne Faithfull | Broken English

2. Dr. Octagon | Dr. Octagonecologyst

3. The Chills | Submarine Bells

4. The Upsetters - Super Ape

Adele - 21
Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly
Nadine Shah - Holiday Destination
Azealia Banks - Broke with Expensive Taste

1. Marianne Faithfull - Broken English vs. Adele - 21
2. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly vs. Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
That one was difficult because i kind of wanted to count the historical relevance, but if i'm being honest with myself I like Dr. Octagon more.
3. The Chills - Submarine Bells vs. Nadine Shah - Holiday Destination
4. The Upsetters - Super Ape vs. Azealia Banks - Broke with Expensive Taste

1. Marianne Faithfull - Broken English v. 6. Adele - 21

8. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly v. 7. Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst

5. The Chills - Submarine Bells v. 4. Nadine Shah - Holiday Destination

3. The Upsetters - Super Ape v. 2. Azealia Banks - Broke with Expensive Taste

Broke with Expensive Taste only just missed out on my top 100 for the 2010s...

Standout tracks: The Ballad of Lucy Jordan | Rumour Has It | Rave On! | Halfsharkalligatorhalfman | Part Past Part Fiction | Holiday Destination | Zion's Blood | 212 (or Yung Rapunxel if that's too obvious)

1. Marianne Faithfull - Broken English
2. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly
3. Pass.
4. The Upsetters - Super Ape

ADELE - 21
Dr. OCTAGON - DR. OCTAGONOCOLIGYS
NADINE SHAH - HOLIDAY DESTINATION
AZEALIA BANKS - BROKE WITH EXPENSIVE TASTE

1. Marianne Faithfull - Broken English vs. Adele - 21
2. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly vs. Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
3. The Chills - Submarine Bells vs. Nadine Shah - Holiday Destination

My picks:
1. Marianne Faithfull - Broken English vs. Adele - 21
2. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly vs. Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
3. The Chills - Submarine Bells vs. Nadine Shah - Holiday Destination
4. The Upsetters - Super Ape vs. Azealia Banks - Broke with Expensive Taste

Thanks!

Broken English 79 - 21 77
Buddy Holly 76 - Dr Octagonecologyst 55
Holiday Destination 84 - Submarine Bells 78
Broke With Expensive Taste 88 - Super Ape 87

1. Marianne Faithfull - Broken English
2. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly
3. The Chills - Submarine Bells
4. The Upsetters - Super Ape

3. Nadine Shah - Holiday Destination

Adele - 21
Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly
The Chills - Submarine Bells
The Upsetters - Super Ape

1. Marianne Faithfull - Broken English
2. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly
3. Nadine Shah - Holiday Destination
4. Azealia Banks - Broke with Expensive Taste

1. Marianne Faithfull - Broken English
2. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly
3. The Chills - Submarine Bells
4. The Upsetters - Super Ape

2. Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst

Just over 23 hours left to vote!

1. Marianne Faithfull - Broken English vs. Adele - 21
2. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly vs. Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
3. The Chills - Submarine Bells vs. Nadine Shah - Holiday Destination
4. The Upsetters - Super Ape vs. Azealia Banks - Broke with Expensive Taste

8. Dr. Octagon – Dr. Octagonecologyst (or Dr. Octagon for purists)
Maybe this wasn’t the week for this. I’m not sure if it would have done much better at another moment for me, as it isn’t quite my sound, yet in a week that saw a little too many overhauls in my life I just wasn’t in the mood for something with a dampened droning like this one maintained for over an hour. I couldn’t get into it and even the absurd imagery in the lyrics just didn’t connect that much.

7. Buddy Holly – Buddy Holly
I generally like the better rock ‘n roll albums of this era quite a bit, but although some connoisseurs who should know claim that this album is top tier fifties rock ‘n roll and secretly better than The Chirpin’ Crickets, I have to disagree. There is a lot to love here, sure. This is after all the album that has Rave On, Peggy Sue and Everyday, three songs that are as much evergreens as any you’ll find from this decade. I’d even go as far as to say Everyday is a 2000’s indie song made fifty years in advance. Sadly, there are also quite a few middling songs here, especially the slower ones. Compare this to After School Session, Here’s Little Richard, Lewis at the Hamburg Starclub or indeed the Chirpin’ Crickets and it just doesn’t roll along as smoothly as I would like.

6. Adele – 21
When the decade ended there was a lot of talk about whether any album really captivated the people in a large scale. Attempts were made to name To Pimp a Butterfly, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Lemonade. Sure, but I feel that for the mainstream, 21 was the biggest event. It just happened to be an album that music nerds hated, but they were alone here. I haven’t seen an album since that quite seemed to be everywhere this much. It didn’t help that my younger sister and me were still living in the same house and she had her heart broken around the time 21 was released. Needless to say, I heard it a lot then, but I also have never felt the need to return to it since. I always thought that the focus on heartbreak became a bit too much, with too many overly sad, slow ballads. Listening to it again for the first time in years it is a lot more varied than I recalled. Maybe I was just annoyed that the amazing stomper of an opening, named Rolling in the Deep was never matched. Still, Rumour Has It, He Won’t Go and all-out belter Set Fire to the Rain keep things fresh. I guess I just don’t like songs like Don’t You Remember, Take It All and Someone Like You. They up the sadness just a tad too much. I have to admit that I never listened to 25, because first single Hello just sounded like another one of those songs. But 21 is mostly a fine album, by one of the planet’s best singers, but not one I necessarily need to listen to much.

5. Nadine Shah – Holiday Destination
Well, this album sounds a lot like PJ Harvey’s last two efforts. Same politics, same ramshackle approach to rock. Perhaps a better voice though. That’s not a bad thing, as we don’t get that many Harvey copycats and this one does have some terrific tunes. It has to gather steam, the first two tracks do little for me, but when it finally lifts off we get some great, acidic protest songs like Yes Man and Evil. Maybe it misses one of those real bangers that would have made this an instant classic, but there have been worse holiday destination, certainly with the world in a state of almost lockdown.

4. The Chills – Submarine Bells
A rare case were I liked the first listen a lot more than the second. What’s up with that? I don’t know. For some reason these melodies really gripped me the first time around and the second time I thought they were nice and pleasant, but also not that unique or great. Weird. It is mostly a comforting sounding album, that eases down like a warm river stream. I like Heavenly Pop Hit and I Soar a lot, but I guess after all the remaining tracks are just, you know, nice to have.

3. The Upsetters – Super Ape
Making laziness look cool since 1976. Why would I complain?

2. Azealia Banks – Broke With Expensive Taste
So the album I was expecting least from turns out to be one of the week’s best? Love it when that happens. I admit, I have to tune out the lyrics a little as these aren’t my taste, but otherwise I’m surprised what a delightful grab bag of musical ideas this is. Having an album go through many styles can work out badly, as it doesn’t give you the cohesiveness an album needs to work, but in this case the constant reinventions are what kept me on my toes. Banks goes into territory that I don’t care for from time to time, but even than I can appreciate the effort as there is just a lot of energy and passion in this. Banks may have ruined her own career after this, but at least she made surprisingly one of the best pop/ hip-hop records of the decade. Any album that can rhyme the Latinized Gimme a Chance with both 212 and an Ariel Pink cover is something special.

1. Marianne Faithfull – Broken English
She was still in her early thirties, but by the time she recorded Broken English Marianne Faithfull sounded like an old woman. I had to get used to it initially, especially after being introduced to her through her soft vocals on As Tears Go By. Eventually she won me over, because let’s face it, a dark album like this needs a voice from someone that sounds like she has seen it all. After reading a little about the years leading up to this album you can say that she went through some hard times. So, it is a tough album, with gloomy lyrics, but it is also a survivor’s work. Beautifully broken.


A simple overview of my votes:

1. Marianne Faithfull - Broken English vs. Adele - 21
2. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly vs. Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
3. The Chills - Submarine Bells vs. Nadine Shah - Holiday Destination
4. The Upsetters - Super Ape vs. Azealia Banks - Broke with Expensive Taste

Brutal choices.

1. Adele - 21
2. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly
3. Nadine Shah - Holiday Destination
4. The Upsetters - Super Ape

1. Marianne Faithfull - Broken English
2. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly
3. Nadine Shah - Holiday Destination
4. The Upsetters - Super Ape

Broken English < 21
Buddy Holly > Dr. Octagonecologyst
Submarine Bells < Holiday Destination
Super Ape < Broke with Expensive Taste

Winners in red:

1. Marianne Faithfull - Broken English vs. Adele - 21
2. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly vs. Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
3. The Chills - Submarine Bells vs. Nadine Shah - Holiday Destination
4. The Upsetters - Super Ape vs. Azealia Banks - Broke with Expensive Taste

Safetycat wrote: ↑Tue Mar 24, 2020 8:35 am Broken English < 21
Buddy Holly > Dr. Octagonecologyst
Submarine Bells < Holiday Destination
Super Ape < Broke with Expensive Taste

Thanks Safetycat - I don't mind the "><" rankings but would you possibly be able to bold the winners as well (in the future)? Just for my sanity in trying to quickly tabulate & recheck. Thanks!

28 voters this round... I believe this may be an all-time record!
acroamor
Akhenaten
Bang Jan
bonnielaurel
Brad
Cold Butterfly
CupOfDreams
DaveC
FrankLotion
hectorthebat
Holden
Jirin
Kingoftonga
Listyguy
madzong
mileswide
Myself
Nassim
PlasticRam
Rdwdbob
Rob
Romain
rumpdoll
Safetycat
Schüttelbirne
spiritualized
StevieFan13
Wisnu Tirta Aji

Winners:
1. Marianne Faithfull - Broken English over Adele - 21 16-11
2. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly over Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst 20-8
3. Nadine Shah - Holiday Destination over The Chills - Submarine Bells 16-10
4. The Upsetters - Super Ape vs. Azealia Banks - Broke with Expensive Taste 15-11

Round 1.3 up soon!

Brad wrote: ↑Tue Mar 24, 2020 2:21 pm Thanks Safetycat - I don't mind the "><" rankings but would you possibly be able to bold the winners as well (in the future)? Just for my sanity in trying to quickly tabulate & recheck. Thanks!

Whoops, sorry, will do!