Lurker > Seanchan

#9 - Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
Average - 12.29
Average without outliers (removing best and worst score) - 11.80
Rank without outliers - 9 (no change)

4 - FoolFantastic
8 - Johnbobb
10 - HBJDubs
11 - Sheep007
13 - Seanchan
17 - MaxGalactica
23 - Fluttershy_Pony

Songs of the Cycle - 5 votes for 3 songs from 4 rankers:
3. Take Me Out - Seanchan, Sheep007, Johnbobb
4. The Dark of the Matinee - Sheep007
7. This Fire - MaxGalactica

Seanchan - I liked this a bit more on a relisten but I never loved it. Take Me Out though is a quintessential Song of the Cycle.

Fluttershy_Pony - No.

Nest

Snake5555555555 posted...

Most people are honestly going to think of movies when it comes to this stuff because the imagery is so iconic, and they are still Stephen King stories at the end of the day.

For me, it comes down to which in my mind is the definitive edition of the work. It's been a long time since I've read most of the books. And I've only seen some of the adaptations.

The Shining is easily the movie. IT is the book for me but that's a tough one more generally. The Stand...never seen any of the mini-series or whatever, so that's the book. 1408 the movie was awful so it's the story which was legit great and creepy. Misery is easily the movie. Carrie is the movie. Shawshank Redemption and Stand By Me (The Body), c'mon. I'm not even going to entertain discussion on The Dark Tower.

Snake5555555555 posted...

The book - this says "stories" not "movies".

I think a lot of people, when they hear "The Shining" are thinking about Jack Nicholson and "Heeeeere's Johnny", not the book. Granted, it's been a long time since I read the book.

IT
The Stand
Salem's Lot
The Dark Tower (if it counts since I'm thinking about it holistically, otherwise 11/22/63, the best of his more recent novels)

Quick, everyone saying The Shining, which are you thinking of first, the movie or the book?

If it's the movie, then I really don't think it should be picked here.

Leonhart4 posted...

Michigan State over UNC was my big opening weekend upset

Looking good early!

Me too!

Leonhart4 posted...

I think I jinxed it

FUCK!

#10 - Jessie Ware - That! Feels Good!
Average - 12.43
Average without outliers (removing best and worst score) - 11.80
Rank without outliers - 9 (1 higher)

3 - Seanchan
5 - MaxGalactica
8 - FoolFantastic
12 - HBJDubs
14 - Sheep007
20 - Johnbobb
25 - Fluttershy_Pony

Songs of the Cycle - 6 votes for 5 songs from 2 rankers:
3. Pearls - Seanchan
4. Hello Love - Seanchan
5. Begin Again - Seanchan, MaxGalactica
6. Beautiful People - Seanchan
7. Freak Me Now - MaxGalactica

Seanchan - It felt good, but only enough for tenth place. Still, a very respectable showing for Jessie, after I finally got an album of hers through to a ranking! Obviously I'm a big fan of this album; it's super upbeat and catchy, a great mixture of Jessie's vocals and fun beats, especially that middle section. I can understand Fluttershy's criticism to a certain extent, as this album isn't as balanced as her previous effort, What's Your Pleasure?. (Alas, that one failed at the nomination stage.) That I "only" ranked this 3rd is a testament to just how much I enjoyed the 2 albums above it, Crash Kings and <redacted until it drops>.

Fluttershy_Pony - Ehh... I want to say "That! Was Adequate!", but like... *was* it? This album is hyper aggressively not for me; I have a bit of a short fuse when it comes to repeated lyrics and, from what I can tell, her musical style is to just repeat things endlessly. Honestly, this isn't my least favorite album that we've ever covered and it's fine musically, but I just cannot stand this style of music and bounce off of it so completely it's at least a full tier--if not two tiers--below anything else from the cycle. I kinda want to declare this album to have come in 28th Place because there needs to be a larger gap between this album and my pick for next-to-last place. Still, it's.... fine, I suppose? It certainly wouldn't have been last at any previous cycle and it's not bad, it's just... . well, for being 40 straight minutes of my biggest musical pet peeve, it's not the worst thing ever. [Later: Looking back at the previous cycle, I don't think I'd have this in the bottom ten had it been nominated then, so let's say it's more the overwhelming quality of this cycle that is killing this album rather than it being something I very strongly dislike.]

First listen done.

As usual, yes, this was really a first listen, other than Closer and Hurt. I guess I didn't get it? I didn't necessarily expect to, based on my usual listening tastes and not being particularly high on Pretty Hate Machine. But I know this is an album held in high regard.

Maybe that partly comes down to a bad listening environment? I was in my car and I found the mix, especially the first few songs, to be not good, though maybe it was done on purpose? The lyrics were very low and completely overwhelmed by the instrumentation.

I didn't enter any of B8's Contests but I went 25/32 and only lost 1 S16 team in Auburn. One of the best opening rounds I've ever had and I spent about 5 minutes filling out a bracket Wednesday night.

Looking forward to it getting obliterated after the weekend games.

The Boss

That's pretty fucked (the linked video)...

And with that, we have in some order, a Top 10 of:

Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A.
Muse - Black Holes & Revelations
Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
The Cure - Disintegration
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
Jessie Ware - That! Feels Good!
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
R.E.M. - Automatic for the People
Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
Nekomata Master - Follow Slowly

Probably the biggest surprises of that group are...Jessie and Nekomata? I still feel like Adele is my biggest surprise at not making the top 10.

4 of my top 5 are still alive which is good. My lowest remaining is 20, and while I hope it doesn't win...I also wouldn't be too unhappy about it.

My guess at the ordering from 1 to 10:
Muse - Black Holes & Revelations
Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
The Cure - Disintegration
Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A.
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
R.E.M. - Automatic for the People
Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
Jessie Ware - That! Feels Good!
Nekomata Master - Follow Slowly

For some trivia, this top 10 would still be the top 10, even removing the top/bottom outliers for every album. BUT if that happened it would have moved the #2 album up to #1, a first for Rank the Albums! In the previous 5 cycles, the #1 was the #1 even accounting for outliers.

Gonna be a break until Saturday evening for the next reveal...

A double drop!

#11 - The Cars - The Cars
Average - 13.00
Average without outliers (removing best and worst score) - 13.60
Rank without outliers - 11 (no change)

4 - HBJDubs
10 - Fluttershy_Pony
13 - FoolFantastic
14 - Johnbobb
14 - Seanchan
17 - Sheep007
19 - MaxGalactica

Songs of the Cycle - 2 votes for 2 songs from 2 rankers:
7. Bye Bye Love - Johnbobb
8. Moving in Stereo - Sheep007

Fluttershy_Pony - Pretty much a Greatest Hits album featuring so many of the group's biggest hits. I enjoy it, but I'm afraid I've heard all the singles so many times that I'm not quite as high on any of them (or the album itself) as I should be. Still, definitely an album which is loaded with hits that is a good listen.

Seanchan - Man, this is such a weird ranking on the group level. Aside from HBJDubs, it's a pretty tight "middle of the road" ranking that screams "I like/respect this, but didn't love it". But maybe I'm just projecting... At the same time, despite being a de facto Greatest Hits...no one picked any of the big radio hits!

#12 - Crash Kings - Crash Kings
Average - 13.14
Average without outliers (removing best and worst score) - 13.60
Rank without outliers - 11 (1 higher)

2 - Seanchan
6 - Fluttershy_Pony
10 - MaxGalactica
12 - Johnbobb
19 - HBJDubs
21 - Sheep007
22 - FoolFantastic

Songs of the Cycle - 8 votes for 5 songs from 4 rankers:
2. 1985 - Seanchan, Fluttershy_Pony, MaxGalactica
3. It's Only Wednesday - Seanchan
6. 14 Arms - Johnbobb
7. Raincoat - Fluttershy_Pony, MaxGalactica
10. My Love - Seanchan

Seanchan - Easily my favorite new (to me) album of this ranking cycle. I immediately took a shine to this and it has not gone away since, despite listening to this at least a dozen times since we initially covered it. It's just catchy piano pop with fun instrumentation and great singing. There's tons of earworms here, so I'm glad it also got some love on the song level from the rest of the group.

Fluttershy_Pony - I... don't remember this, but I have vague memories of kinda bopping to it? Something about a raincoooaaaatttt, a yellow raincoooaaa~ttttt? *goes back to click a few songs* Ah, yes. Pretty fun album, even if it never leaves a lasting impact. There's still something to be said about something that's fun and fleeting. [Later: I've had 1985 and Raincoat stuck in my head for days now, so I'm redoing my submission to add them to the Songs of the Cycle list & move this album up a few rankings.]

FoolFantastic posted...

Who have we had so far? Nine Inch Nails, Taylor Swift, Gorillaz, The Beatles, and Jack White if we include The White Stripes? And somehow Yoko Kanno will be joining them within a few weeks of each other.

That seems right to me. And we had some noms for a third Swift album at one point.

Drake

Jerry Seinfeld
George Carlin
Chris Rock

Johnbobb posted...

Damn, was hoping that would hit the top 10

If it's any consolation, it tied for 2nd in total Songs of the Cycle votes. Granted, 6 of those votes were yours, but still!

#13 - Rusted Root - When I Woke
Average - 13.43
Average without outliers (removing best and worst score) - 13.80
Rank without outliers - 13 (no change)

1 - Johnbobb
8 - MaxGalactica
9 - Seanchan
16 - Sheep007
18 - HBJDubs
18 - Fluttershy_Pony
24 - FoolFantastic

Songs of the Cycle - 10 votes for 7 songs from 4 rankers:
1. Drum Trip - Seanchan
2. Ecstasy - Seanchan, Johnbobb
3. Send Me on My Way - Fluttershy_Pony, Johnbobb, MaxGalactica
4. Cruel Sun - Johnbobb
5. Cat Turned Blue - Johnbobb
8. Rain - Johnbobb
13. Back to the Earth - Johnbobb

Seanchan - This is an odd, weird, hard to package album, that I had a hard time knowing where to rank. I initially had it a few spots higher, before moving it down below a few more "traditional" albums. Either way, it's got a banger of an opening two songs that really endeared itself to me.

Fluttershy_Pony - "Send Me On My Way" is a bop and this was a generally enjoyable romp, though it's not really a preferred style of mine.

Foo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape
Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
Tegan and Sara - Heartthrob
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
Garbage - Version 2.0

1. Take My Breath
2. Less Than Zero
3. Sacrifice
4. Out of Time
5. How Do I Make You Love Me?
6. Is There Someone Else?
7. Gasoline
8. Here We Go...Again
9. Best Friends
10. Don't Break My Heart
11. I Heard You're Married
12. Starry Eyes
13. Every Angel is Terrifying
14. Phantom Regret by Jim
15. Dawn FM
16. A Tale by Quincy

Overall, an enjoyable album. Even the skits/interludes aren't too bad, though I did rank them at the bottom.

After 2 listens, I thought of Take My Breath as the Daft Punk song. Obviously that's not true but there was something about the beat that just reminded me a lot of the French duo.

Everything always starts out all hunky dory until later on, when decisions get made without input.

The developers wont want to build parking garages (under or above) because that eats into their profits.

Off

(specifically thinking about the movie)

#14 - FKA twigs - Magdalene
Average - 13.57
Average without outliers (removing best and worst score) - 14.20
Rank without outliers - 14 (no change)

2 - Sheep007
7 - FoolFantastic
15 - Johnbobb
15 - HBJDubs
15 - MaxGalactica
19 - Fluttershy_Pony
22 - Seanchan

Songs of the Cycle - 4 votes for 3 songs from 2 rankers:
3. Sad Day - Sheep007
6. Fallen Alien - Sheep007, Johnbobb
7. Mirrored Heart - Sheep007

Fluttershy_Pony - I wish I liked this more than I do. I can't explain why I connect fully with "Peace Beyond Passion" and not this album. I do enjoy it--even down here in 18th place, I still generally enjoy the music we covered--but this... just doesn't quite hit the mark and I feel bad that it doesn't.
(NOTE: Seanchan did check he didn't mess up the data again and confirmed Fluttershy had Magdalene ranked 19th.)

Seanchan - These more "artsy" albums just always tend to be a tough sell for me, so I'm not surprised at all to be the lowest ranker. I kind of mirror Fluttershy_Pony's thoughts a bit about wishing I liked this more than I do.

Kratos

Wind Waker

Best looking Zelda, the black and white section, the ending battle

Shadow of the Colossus
Journey

not sure on the other 2 yet

Im totally sure the SC will change their minds and follow the Constitution once the case lands in front of them for reals.

I'm not surprised Lovestory was a Top 10 or Bottom 5 album for most of us.

Perhaps the best part of the album is that it turned me on to the Future Funk style of music. I know I shared this at the time of the track ranking, but this (space after "playlist"), https://open.spotify.com/playlist/ 37i9dQZF1DXbjGYBfEmjR5?si=7b017af482384e17, Future Funk playlist popped up in my Spotify and has been something I've gone back to many, many times when I want some easy listening.

More specifically, I found Young Bae (space after "artist") (https://open.spotify.com/artist/ 30FDJPN3RtwJZ20g5YGCRX?si=uWPRON3BQe6-HMpy9NTkFw) to put out some really great music in that Future Funk style. So if you liked Lovestory, I heartily recommend giving him a listen. His first 5 albums (Bae 1 - 5) are all good (and short), with 4 and 5 being the best of the group. His more recent albums, Groove Continental A and B, are good as well but have more hip-hop and modern styling that doesn't quite hit the same.

#15 - Desired - Lovestory
Average - 14.29
Average without outliers (removing best and worst score) - 14.20
Rank without outliers - 14 (1 higher)

6 - Seanchan
7 - Fluttershy_Pony
8 - Sheep007
16 - HBJDubs
20 - MaxGalactica
20 - FoolFantastic
23 - Johnbobb

Songs of the Cycle - 6 votes for 4 songs from 3 rankers:
1. Sunshine Aerobics - Seanchan, Sheep007
4. In Love - Fluttershy_Pony
5. Excuses - Fluttershy_Pony
6. Broken Heart - Fluttershy_Pony, Sheep007

Seanchan - I had a hard time trying to find the right spot for this album. It's such an easy listen, with a sound that appeals to me. At the same time, that's almost a negative too, as there's not much substance here. At the end of the day, I enjoyed this album and I've come back to it, so it's deserving of a high ranking for me.

Fluttershy_Pony - I'm still surprised this album managed to get picked... in theory, we were supposed to cover "What Up, Dog?" with its two top ten hits & wide variety of styles and topics, but I greatly overestimated how popular my "popular compromise" pick would be & this little album inexplicably won. Either way, I do still kinda love this album, but it's a victim of my tendency to play music I love on repeat until I'm sick of it... there was a time when I was listening to this album, in its entirety, multiple times per day. Now, I'm a little over it... I still enjoy it and I'm giving it a good placement--higher than it deserves if I'm being honest--but its days of being "10/10, my current favorite album EVARRRRR" are way behind it.

Seanchan posted...

Well shit Ill check to see what I messed up tomorrow.

Okay, minor data problem fixed. That did have an appreciable affect on Crash Kings ranking though.

Just to be accurate, I've deleted the old post. Here's the correct #16, rather than a tie for 15.

#16 - Meshell Ndegeocello - Peace Beyond Passion
Average - 14.57
Average without outliers (removing best and worst score) - 15.40
Rank without outliers - 18 (2 lower)

1 - Fluttershy_Pony
10 - Sheep007
11 - Johnbobb
16 - MaxGalactica
18 - FoolFantastic
22 - HBJDubs
24 - Seanchan

Songs of the Cycle - 4 votes for 3 songs from 2 rankers:
2. The Way - Fluttershy_Pony
5. Leviticus: ****** - Fluttershy_Ponym Johnbobb
11. A Tear and a Smile - Fluttershy_Pony

Fluttershy_Pony - Honestly, the only album that I could possibly give first place to this topic. The raw power and emotion on display rather destroys everything it was up against this cycle; it does lose a bit of a steam towards the end as it feels a bit more "typical love song"-y at times, but even its most forgettable tracks are still good. I actually had five songs from this album in my Top Songs list before adding my self-imposed three song limit.

Seanchan - I just didn't care for this album.

Boss

Bud

Zeus
Hades
Poseidon
Hera

MaxGalactica posted...

@Seanchan Just so you know, I ranked Crash Kings at 10, not 20. So it should rank higher overall.

Well shit Ill check to see what I messed up tomorrow.

King

Stay positive. Breathe. Make sure to take care of yourself as best you can (eating well, sleeping, etc.). Most of it is out of your hands, other than offering the support that you can.

Okay, Im pretty sure I didnt do that. I know I did quite a bit of it but not with everyone.

Hades was just a super fun, addicting game to play. One of the few where I wanted to play more even after the credits. Eventually I reached that satisfaction point though.

Its too expensive to take a chance on dealing with motion sickness, especially when the games are not cheap too.

Bring the price down to even $400 and that rumored PC support and Id start thinking about it. But no one should jump on a sinking ship.

It takes ten clears to get the true final endingif I remember that right.

But you should definitely try to at least clear it with each weapon, just for the experience.

A tie for 15th!

#15 - Meshell Ndegeocello - Peace Beyond Passion
Average - 14.57
Average without outliers (removing best and worst score) - 15.40
Rank without outliers - 17 (2 lower)

1 - Fluttershy_Pony
10 - Sheep007
11 - Johnbobb
16 - MaxGalactica
18 - FoolFantastic
22 - HBJDubs
24 - Seanchan

Songs of the Cycle - 4 votes for 3 songs from 2 rankers:
2. The Way - Fluttershy_Pony
5. Leviticus: ****** - Fluttershy_Pony, Johnbobb
11. A Tear and a Smile - Fluttershy_Pony

Fluttershy_Pony - Honestly, the only album that I could possibly give first place to this topic. The raw power and emotion on display rather destroys everything it was up against this cycle; it does lose a bit of a steam towards the end as it feels a bit more "typical love song"-y at times, but even its most forgettable tracks are still good. I actually had five songs from this album in my Top Songs list before adding my self-imposed three song limit.

Seanchan - I just didn't care for this album.

#15 - Crash Kings - Crash Kings
Average - 14.57
Average without outliers (removing best and worst score) - 15.60
Rank without outliers - 18 (3 higher)

2 - Seanchan
6 - Fluttershy_Pony
12 - Johnbobb
19 - HBJDubs
20 - MaxGalactica
21 - Sheep007
22 - FoolFantastic

Songs of the Cycle - 8 votes for 5 songs from 4 rankers:
2. 1985 - Seanchan, Fluttershy_Pony, MaxGalactica
3. It's Only Wednesday - Seanchan
6. 14 Arms - Johnbobb
7. Raincoat - Fluttershy_Pony, MaxGalactica
10. My Love - Seanchan

Seanchan - Easily my favorite new (to me) album of this ranking cycle. I immediately took a shine to this and it has not gone away since, despite listening to this at least a dozen times since we initially covered it. It's just catchy piano pop with fun instrumentation and great singing. There's tons of earworms here, so I'm at least glad it got some love on the song level from the rest of the group.

Fluttershy_Pony - I... don't remember this, but I have vague memories of kinda bopping to it? Something about a raincoooaaaatttt, a yellow raincoooaaa~ttttt? *goes back to click a few songs* Ah, yes. Pretty fun album, even if it never leaves a lasting impact. There's still something to be said about something that's fun and fleeting. [Later: I've had 1985 and Raincoat stuck in my head for days now, so I'm redoing my submission to add them to the Songs of the Cycle list & move this album up a few rankings.]

Rushmore
Everest

#17 - Vince Guaraldi - A Charlie Brown Christmas
Average - 14.71
Average without outliers (removing best and worst score) - 14.60
Rank without outliers - 15 (2 higher)

6 - MaxGalactica
10 - Seanchan
12 - FoolFantastic
15 - Fluttershy_Pony
17 - Johnbobb
19 - Sheep007
24 - HBJDubs

Songs of the Cycle - 2 votes for 2 songs from 1 rankers:
1. O Tannenbaum - MaxGalactica
4. Linus and Lucy - MaxGalactica

Seanchan - A better, more interesting album than I ever expected it to be. Not something I'm going to listen to outside the winter holidays but I'll definitely be coming back to this one in the future. Nice to see O Tannenbaum get a song vote, as it really sets the table well for the rest of the album.

Fluttershy_Pony - I hate Christmas and jazz doesn't usually score well with me, but in the words of Mr. Burns "I know what I hate, and I don't hate this". It's not something I'm likely to ever go back to, but it's an easy listen and an oddly enjoyable look at some music styles that I don't encounter often. I'm glad we covered this one, even if I'm giving it a rather mid placement.

FoolFantastic posted...

I don't know why you would expect 21 to finish over Franz Ferdinand. The latter is one of the most acclaimed rock albums of this century and this forum very clearly likes rock.

I didnt get the impression from the track ranking week that it was particularly loved.

#18 - Adele - 21
Average - 14.86
Average without outliers (removing best and worst score) - 15.20
Rank without outliers - 16 (2 higher)

7 - Sheep007
8 - Seanchan
11 - MaxGalactica
16 - FoolFantastic
20 - HBJDubs
21 - Fluttershy_Pony
21 - Johnbobb

Songs of the Cycle - 5 votes for 3 songs from 3 rankers:
1. Rolling in the Deep - Seanchan, Sheep007
3. Turning Tables - MaxGalactica
11. Someone Like You - Seanchan, MaxGalactica

Seanchan - I am utterly shocked this album is ranked this low! Great singles, great singer, good instrumentation, a cohesive theme...I really thought I'd be one of the low rankers. Instead, I'm one of the highest! Personal feelings aside, I'm gobsmacked that this is lower in a group ranking than Desired, Nekomata Master, Franz Ferdinand, and A Charlie Brown Christmas. And inserting personal feelings, Meshell Ndegeocello, FKA twigs, and maybe The Cars too.

Fluttershy_Pony - Sorry, I'm just not in an Adele mood today. I had this album up around fifth place when we started, but I just... don't want to listen to this right now. I'm not going to go insane (well... anymore insane...) and drop it all the way down the list because this album is stacked with hits and I did enjoy it, it's just not what I want to hear right now. [Later: Oof. I'm moving this one further down after all, I'm afraid. I wasn't trying to be funny by having this in 21st place, that's just where it wound up in the end.]

#19 - Madonna - Like a Prayer
Average - 15.00
Average without outliers (removing best and worst score) - 15.60
Rank without outliers - 18 (1 higher)

2 - HBJDubs
11 - FoolFantastic
13 - Fluttershy_Pony
15 - Sheep007
17 - Seanchan
22 - MaxGalactica
25 - Johnbobb

Songs of the Cycle - 3 votes for 2 songs from 2 rankers:
1. Like a Prayer - Fluttershy_Pony, Sheep007
11. Act of Contrition - Fluttershy_Pony

Fluttershy_Pony - I know some people don't like doing multiple albums by the same artist, but I hope we get a chance to cover another Madonna album at some point This was a good choice, but I just couldn't really get into it... I have a bias towards the older, more refined style from "Bedtime Stories" (which has my two favorite Madonna songs), but even some of her earlier work feels catchier--like "Open Your Heart" would probably be my personal pick for peak 80s Madonna. This album is... good, but... I'm not sure I'd put anything from it in my top ten Madonna songs, which makes it feel a bit disappointing. Though I'm being too harsh; the title song is still great and I like how oddly experimental "Art of Contrition" feels.

Seanchan - Just an okay album for me, despite usually liking most of the female pop albums we've covered. It's got some bit hits like Like A Prayer, Express Yourself, and Cherish, but the rest of the album doesn't reach that level.