Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

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Brad
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Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by Brad »

Welcome to the round 1.6 of Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019!

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 = May 7th at 10am EST.

Here's a link to the bracket for the entire tournament:
http://www.bracketmaker.com/tlist.cfm?t ... Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019

Match-ups:
1. Mogwai - Young Team vs. The Replacements - Tim
2. The xx - I See You vs. múm - Finally We Are No One
3. Ambrose Akinmusire - The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier To Paint vs. Micachu - Jewellery
4. Tim Minchin - Ready for This? vs. Youssou N'Dour - The Guide (Wommat)


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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by andyd1010 »

2. The xx - I See You
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by DaveC »

1. Mogwai - Young Team vs. The Replacements - Tim
2. The xx - I See You vs. múm - Finally We Are No One
3. Ambrose Akinmusire - The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier To Paint vs. Micachu - Jewellery
4. Tim Minchin - Ready for This? vs. Youssou N'Dour - The Guide (Wommat)
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by Jirin »

Tim 83 - Young Team 67
Family We Are No One 84 - I See You 63
The Imagined Savior is Easier To Paint 97 - Jewellery 76
The Guide 74 - Ready For This 53

Tim Minchin seemed to me like the kind of sophomoric humor Michael Scott would find funny.
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by bonnielaurel »

1. Mogwai - Young Team
2. The xx - I See You
3. Micachu - Jewellery
4. Youssou N'Dour - The Guide (Wommat)
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by Rdwdbob »

THE REPLACEMENTS - TIM
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by Nassim »

1. Mogwai - Young Team
2. múm - Finally We Are No One
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by StevieFan13 »

Tim
I See You
Jewellery
Ready for This
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by Madzong »

1. Tim
2. Family We Are No One
3. TBA
4. TBA
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by spiritualized »

1. Mogwai - Young Team (9/10) vs.The Replacements - Tim (7/10)
2. The xx - I See You (5/10) vs. múm - Finally We Are No One (9/10)
3. Ambrose Akinmusire - The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier To Pain(6/10) t vs. Micachu - Jewellery (8/10)
4. Tim Minchin - Ready for This? vs. Youssou N'Dour - The Guide (Wommat)
Last edited by spiritualized on Mon May 06, 2019 6:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by Rdwdbob »

THE XX - I SEE YOU
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by Honorio »



4. Mogwai - Mogwai Young Team (1997) vs. 7. The Replacements - Tim (1985)
5. The xx - I See You (2017) vs. 2. múm - Finally We Are No One (2002)
3. Ambrose Akinmusire - The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier To Paint (2014) vs. 8. Micachu - Jewellery (2009)
6. Tim Minchin - Ready for This? (2009) vs. 1. Youssou N'Dour - The Guide (Wommat) (1994)

Favourite song from every album:
Like Herod | Left of the Dial | I Dare You | Now There's That Fear Again | Asiam (Joan) | Golden Phone | Prejudice | 7 Seconds

Favourite song of the week: 7 Seconds
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by Rdwdbob »

MICACHU - JEWELLERY
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by Rdwdbob »

YOUSSOU N'DOUR - THE GUIDE (WOMMAT)
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by Gillingham »

2. The xx - I See You vs. múm - Finally We Are No One
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by Bang Jan »



2 | Mogwai | Young Team
1 | The Replacements | Tim

6 | The xx | I See You
5 | múm | Finally We Are No One

4 | Ambrose Akinmusire | The Imagined Savior is Far Easier to Paint
7 | Micachu | Jewellery

8 | Tim Minchin | Ready for This?
3 | Youssou N'Dour | The Guide (Wommat)

Favourite song of the week: The Replacements | Here Comes a Regular
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by FrankLotion »

1. The Replacements - Tim
2. The xx - I See You
3. Micachu - Jewellery
4. Youssou N'Dour - The Guide (Wommat)
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by jamieW »

Mogwai - Young Team
múm - Finally We Are No One
Ambrose Akinmusire - The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier To Paint
Youssou N'Dour - The Guide (Wommat)

Favorite album I couldn't vote for: Tim Minchin - Ready for This? (Worked out well for me this week. I could vote for all 4 of my favorites.)
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by acroamor »

1. Mogwai - Young Team
3. Micachu - Jewellery
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by Rob »

8. The xx – I See You
The first xx album made me a fan, but the second one was a disappointment (although I haven’t heard it since release). When I See You came out, already two years ago I listened to it more than I would normally do for an album that I only like a little. This is because I really wanted to like The xx again after that formidable debut and this was reportedly a return to form. In the end it was hardly a return, but more a change of pace. I See You still has some of that nocturnal, almost-trip-hop feel of the first record, but overall is more in line with the catchy art-pop of Jamie xx’s In Colours, an album I actually like a lot more. In the end, I have to admit that I don’t care much about I See You.

There is little wrong with it, outside of me finding Say Something Loving slightly annoying (Romy Madley Croft’s singing – usually one of my favorite element of an xx song – just rubs me somewhat the wrong way there). It’s just that without that special mood that the debut had there only remain some breezy pop songs that make for a pleasant listening, but also are easy to shrug off when they are done. I don’t really hear anything I feel a need to return to.

This is also a strange case were I like the less-talked about songs the most. Lips is a real stand-out with its original use of a David Lang sample and Replica and I Dare You have some great bass work. These three and maybe On Hold could easily fit on The xx and would be a highlight. Now they are that too, but a little too much, so as to make the rest seem unimportant.

7. Tim Minchin – Ready for This?
Well, when I’m putting on an album for Moderately Acclaimed Albums I am not really ready for this. Because this is a comedy music album and these are their own beast. Sure, there are albums in which the lyrics take center stage over the music, but even these work different than a comedy album. In comedy music the point is not to let the song work as a song, but to let the music performance be part of the joke. No more is this apparent on this album than on I Love Jesus, which depends completely on the response of the audience instead of the music, even if the melody is important for the sing-along element of the song.

Something like this only works with full attention and only if you have a good command of the English language. I can’t see anyone who doesn’t understand English enjoying this for the music alone. That is not to say that Minchin is a bad musician, but more that the music is very derivative on purpose. It’s a vehicle for the jokes and for that to work the music has to be in complete support of the joke and should never once take center stage. The only song on here that really feels like a song on itself is the Christmas tribute White Wine in the Sun.

Luckily Minchin is funny to me so I enjoyed this. I especially like his way with words and the moments he looks for uncomfortable confrontations. That said, I feel like his sharpest work is almost completely in the first half: Prejudice, I Love Jesus, The Good Book, If I Didn’t Have You and Confessions. Yes, that is simply track 2 to 6. After that, the song have less of an edge, except the very long Storm, which is more spoken word than a song (and only works if you agree with his rant, which I happen to do). Sure, most of it that remains is fine, but the sharpness of the first half sets expectations that the second half can’t live up to.

6. Youssou N’Dour – The Guide (Wommat)
7 Seconds, the duet with Neneh Cherry, was one of those songs that in retrospect seemed omnipresent in my childhood, so it has a huge nostalgic effect on me. It reminds me of boxcars at our local summer carnival for some reason. That’s neither here nor there; I’m just amused by how nostalgia works sometimes. It’s still a good song, though, probably the best on this album.

The Guide is one of those albums that lets itself be summarized by one word: solid. It doesn’t quite raise my spirits as much I think it sets out to do, but most of the time it is a very good listen. The reason why it’s spiritual side doesn’t resonate so much with me is perhaps that Youssou N’Dour is maybe to complacent a presence. I don’t want to say much bad about him, because he has a very appealing and beautiful voice and on this album he sounds like a very nice guy, but compared to many similar African artists working with similar themes (Fela Kuti of course the most important of them) he just sounds a little too easy for either a revolution, a friendly peace march or spiritual uplift. He is the easy listening of African music.

That’s a little too harsh though for an album that works so well. This album is certainly more than that one hit single (which sounds very a-typical for the general sound here, perhaps because it is a collaboration with an outside party). Leaving and Undecided are particularly strong. N’Dour is at his best when he follows the rhythm. There are a few tracks where the whole thing suffers under a very nineties type of polish and the album shines most when it breaks free of such things. So, yeah there are weaker songs here, like Love One Another and Oh Boy, and of all the long albums of this week it is the one I would like to have in a shorter version, but overall N’Dour is too nice a guide to let you down.

5. Ambrose Akinmusire – The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier to Paint
Lately jazz has made a small comeback and this album, only from 2014, might be a precursor to that. It finds jazz back on vital ground, with a clean and smooth sound and a willingness to explore different grounds, even if Akinmusire isn’t as anxious to fuse jazz with everything that comes in his path as Kasami Washington is.

So this is a good listen that never lags during it’s extended running time. There is a touch to most of these songs that is moving in a very light way, almost as if Akinmusire is trying hard not to change this album in too much of an elegy. That elegy we get in some political lyrics, performed by some welcome guest singers. This would probably pay off repeat listens in the future.

4. The Replacements – Tim
I wrote this in the Biggest Fan – March 2019 topic, where Hold My Life appeared:
Rob wrote:The Replacements – Hold My Life: 5

The Replacements are one of those bands I really want to try more of, but this song isn't the most inviting to really give it a go. Just nothing special to my ears.
Well, happily Tim came along in this game. It turns out that it is an album to my liking. This is rock with an attitude and I fell for it. With great lyrics, a continuous drive and an appealingly rough lead voice it just won me over. It is one of those albums I’m curious as to why it didn’t win over mass audiences. Something like Basterds of Young sounds like an obvious hit to me. On Spotify it is actually Swingin’ Party that does best (well, it is great) and fans seem to gravitate more towards Here’s a Regular (who can blame them?), but this is a great ride all over.

3. Mogwai – Young Team
I like post-rock (except the genre’s name; whose stupid idea was this unhelpful term “post-rock”?) and this is one of the most famous albums of the genre, by one of it’s most acclaimed acts. So I should like this, don’t I? No, I souldn’t, I’m a free man! Nonetheless, I do really like Young Team. Mogwai are great in setting a mood with their instrumentals and it’s the type of music of which the appreciation only deepens over time. It is pretty much a tie with it’s adversary Tim, but Mogwai Fears Satan is a behemoth and the best song of the week. It clinches the win.

2. Múm – Finally We Are No One
Do you know these CD’s or playlists containing so-called relaxing music for the soul; the type of which might be played at a masseur or at a spa (and frequently feature a picture of such places, or else dolphins or a forest stream)? The type of ambient that is so tacky in execution that it is more annoying than soothing? Well, be happy to know that there are people who know how to make music that is extremely calm, but also well executed. Like Finally We Are No One.

This album seems to get it’s palette not just from these spa CD’s, but also from baby music (with the bells and stuff), Sigur Ros style ambient and what I think is the musical equivalent of a spring breeze. When I give into it I feel my soul relaxing, while also just enjoying the sheer beauty of it. There is more music of this kind out there, but hardly ever done this well. A special mention must be made for the track We Have a Map of the Piano, which sounds like butterflies in your stomach.

1. Micachu & The Shapes – Jewellery
This might be the shortest album of the week, by quite some distance, but it still contains 14 songs. More than a few of them are under two minutes and for the most part these are my favorites. You see, this whole album feels to me like the band fell victim to a vicious giggling fit. There is a sense of endless joy, life energy, but also lack of focus and the need to take a breather almost every minute. Above all, it is a lot of fun. I find myself smiling throughout this thing and sometimes I myself let a giggle escape.

It is also curiously close to the sound of Animal Collective in a way. There aren’t any harmonies here (luckily, Mica Levi’s voice is incomparable to Panda Bear and especially Avey Tare), nor any stylistic references to the sixties, but The Shapes have a love for curious sounds, disruptions and distortions that break up any sense of melody after too long. But whereas this gets tiring for me with Animal Collective, here it just sounds like a good time. Perhaps it helps that Micachu’s voice is such a great instrument of wackiness in itself and therefore completely a part of the instrumentation. Or maybe it simply helps that these songs are very short and therefor never are able to work on my nerves. Whatever the case, almost every song, from the ultra-short rush of Sweetheart to most conventional song Calculator – is part of a jewelry box filled with crazy diamonds.

A simple overview of my votes:
1. Mogwai - Young Team vs. The Replacements - Tim
2. The xx - I See You vs. múm - Finally We Are No One
3. Ambrose Akinmusire - The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier To Paint vs. Micachu - Jewellery
4. Tim Minchin - Ready for This? vs. Youssou N'Dour - The Guide (Wommat)
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by Kingoftonga »

Winners in red:

1. Mogwai - Young Team vs. The Replacements - Tim
2. The xx - I See You vs. múm - Finally We Are No One
3. Ambrose Akinmusire - The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier To Paint vs. Micachu - Jewellery
4. Tim Minchin - Ready for This? vs. Youssou N'Dour - The Guide (Wommat)
Brad
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by Brad »

My picks:
1. Mogwai - Young Team vs. The Replacements - Tim
2. The xx - I See You vs. múm - Finally We Are No One
3. Ambrose Akinmusire - The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier To Paint vs. Micachu - Jewellery
4. Tim Minchin - Ready for This? vs. Youssou N'Dour - The Guide (Wommat)

Just over 10 hours left to vote!
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by PlasticRam »

2. The xx - I See You vs. múm - Finally We Are No One
I feel like that
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by rumpdoll »

Looking good for two of my favorites of the whole bracket

1. Mogwai - Young Team vs. The Replacements - Tim
Early Mogwai is best Mogwai. Kind of boring alternative rock by the Replacements is no match
2. The xx - I See You vs. múm - Finally We Are No One
I like the xx but they are no match for one of my favorite indie electronic acts of the early 2000s
3. Ambrose Akinmusire - The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier To Paint vs. Micachu - Jewellery
4. Tim Minchin - Ready for This? vs. Youssou N'Dour - The Guide (Wommat)
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by Safetycat »

4. Young Team < 3. Tim
1. I See You > 5. Finally We Are No One
7. The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier To Paint < 6. Jewellery
8. Ready for This? < 2. The Guide (Wommat)

All of the albums this week are great, but I really like the xx so they were the stand-out. The Guide and Tim were excellent discoveries.
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by CupOfDreams »

1. The Replacements - Tim
2. múm - Finally We Are No One
3. Micachu - Jewellery
4. Youssou N'Dour - The Guide (Wommat)
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2019 - Round 1.6

Post by Brad »

22 total voters this week:
acroamor
andy1010
Bang Jan
bonnielaurel
Brad
CupOfDreams
DaveC
FrankLotion
Gillingham
Honorio
jamieW
Jirin
Kingoftonga
madzong
Nassim
PlasticRam
Rdwdbob
Rob
rumpdoll
Safetycat
spiritualized
StevieFan13

Winners:
1. Mogwai - Young Team over The Replacements - Tim 10-9
2. múm - Finally We Are No One over The xx - I See You 13-8
3. Micachu - Jewellery over Ambrose Akinmusire - The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier To Paint 11-6
4. Youssou N'Dour - The Guide (Wommat) over Tim Minchin - Ready for This? 13-2

Round 1.7 up next!
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