Lurker > FoolFantastic

The poll is closed, but you can still rank the Parklife tracks for the next 6.5 hours

The three albums I have chosen are all experimental art pop albums from the last five years (with the first having just dropped on Valentine's Day). I'm going to include two intro tracks as each of these albums have a wide range that one song can't capture.

Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want to Turn Into You

Caroline Polachek has been around the longest of these acts if you include her work with Chairlift, but her most recent album feels like an artist finally finding her niche. Lead single "Bunny is a Rider" did the impossible feat of turning hyperpop mellow, and the album in total is loaded with imagination. The first two singles landed in my top 10 for their respective years (this album was a long time coming), and the album somehow lived up to that hype. Currently rocking a 95 on Metacritic, which is higher than anything from last year. My top pick both because it would be fun to do a new major release within its first month and also because it's probably the most accessible one.

Billions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zEQJrggKgk

Bunny is a Rider:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_V2ccs_Urk

Jockstrap - I Love You Jennifer B

My third favorite album of 2022, an electronic album that tackles as many styles as it can with some unexpected touches. A nice midpoint between the other two - not as harsh as SOPHIE but a bit more aggressive than Polachek.

Greatest Hits:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1-x1GWu96o

50/50:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd_MFQIh2zE

SOPHIE - Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides

SOPHIE helped popularize the hyperpop movement, and her only album before her tragic death mixed that with deconstructed club; this album jumps between some of the harshest electronic you will ever hear with pop music so sugary sweet it feels like an alien impersonation of Earth music (which somehow wraps back around with absolute sincerity).

Immaterial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv3yIv9nwf8

Faceshopping:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ6ppVyWgCI

poll for FoolFantastic's week:
Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want to Turn Into You
vs.
Jockstrap - I Love You Jennifer B
vs.
SOPHIE - Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides

Previous results can be seen here:
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks_Set_2

The rules:
1. Listen to the album in full
2. Rank every track on the album
3. For the results, there will be a curve at the top of each list; two additional points between #1 and #2, and one additional point for the next two ranks. This way, the songs that really stick out to someone get an edge that is not immediately negated by someone else putting it lower. In the case of Demon Days, someone's 15th track will get 1 point, 14th 2 points, 4th 12 points, 3rd 14 points, 2nd 16 points, and 1st 19 points. For albums with greater than 15 tracks, everything ranked below #15 will be given 0 points and the scale for the top 15 will be the same as a 15-track album. For albums with more than 20 tracks, you only have to list your top 15 (with 16-20, I still like having the average rank listed)
4. If you want to include comments for individual songs, I will compile them in the results
5. The results will be posted at the beginning of the next topic
6. The deadline to vote is Sunday, February 26th at 4:00 PM Central Time
7. You can sign up to be added to the user cycle (a new user will be added to the end of the current cycle as long as there are four weeks remaining) - the next person on the list will choose 3 albums which the other users will vote on for the next topic.
7a. To ensure people are being given an actual choice, the three nominated albums must be by different artists. You can otherwise stick to a similar sound or era.
7b. The tiebreaker for these polls will be whichever is listed first in the poll options - make sure to deliver the results in order of your own preference (which will hopefully have the added benefit of influencing people toward your first choice if they can't decide).
7c. I have added a tiered vote structure - the least popular album will be removed and its backup votes distributed to the other two entrants.
8. Starting with the next cycle, every four weeks will be a competitive week where those listed choose a single album to face off against others.
9. Skits and tracks under 40 seconds will be excluded from the rankings unless argued otherwise

clipping. - Splendor & Misery track list:
1. Long Way Away (Intro)
2. The Breach
3. All Black
4. Interlude 01 (Freestyle)
5. Wake Up
6. Long Way Away
7. Interlude 02 (Numbers)
8. True Believer
9. Long Way Away (Instrumental)
10. Air 'Em Out
11. Interlude 03 (Freestyle)
12. Break the Glass
13. Story 5
14. Baby Don't Sleep
15. A Better Place

Current cycle:
2/26: Great_Paul bonus (My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade)
3/5: VeryInsane (Gorillaz - Plastic Beach)
3/12: FoolFantastic
3/19: Seanchan
3/26: Johnbobb/ZaziGuado/jcgamer107
4/2: Giggsalot
4/9: RyoCaliente
4/16: darkx
4/23: Snake5555555555/Raetsel_Lapin/Seanchan
4/30: neonreaper
5/7: Great_Paul
5/14: jcgamer107
5/21: Giggsalot/MetalmindStats/rwlh
5/28: ChichiriMuyo
6/4: BlueCrystalTear
6/11: rwlh
6/18: NFUN
6/25: HBJDubs/firefdr/NFUN

Future cycle:
6/25: MetalmindStats
7/2: HBJDubs
7/9: Raetsel_Lapin
7/16: competitive week
7/23: Steiner
7/30: Snake5555555555
8/6: Jesse_Custer
8/13: competitive week
8/20: ZaziGuado
8/27: firefdr
9/3: Johnbobb

I find it funny we have Gorillaz in the poll during a blur week

Created a page for set 3 that I need to remember to add to the opening post:
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks_Set_3

GNFPWLBN track ranking

14. Interlude (Milo) (Track #12)
Score: 33 (Average Rank: 12/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#6)
Biggest Detractor(s): Giggsalot, Johnbobb, Seanchan, VeryInsane (#14)

ZaziGuado: I mean, it's pleasant enough but it feels more like an intro to Blame It On the Tetons than its own track, which isn't a bad thing to be.

13. Dance Hall (Track #7)
Score: 35 (Average Rank: 11.91/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin, FoolFantastic, neonreaper, HBJDubs, Great_Paul (#14)

ZaziGuado: catchy and chaotic, though I kinda wish it was a little shorter to just concentrate it more.

12. This Devil's Workday (Track #9)
Score: 55 (Average Rank: 10.55/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): ZaziGuado (#14)

ZaziGuado: gosh I've always read this as The Devil's Workday and didn't realize it was this until today. doesn't make much of a difference but still an interesting revelation almost 20 years later. anyways this doesn't do it for me, but it doesn't overstay its welcome so it's okay.

11. Satin in a Coffin (Track #11)
Score: 70 (Average Rank: 8.64/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb, neonreaper, ChichiriMuyo (#5)
Biggest Detractor(s): ZaziGuado (#12)

ZaziGuado: this feels like the most modest mouse song on the album. I don't know what I mean by that, but it feels right. I definitely tend to favor their more pop-friendly stuff, but I can flirt with this weirdness.

9 (tie). Black Cadillacs (Track #14)
Score: 73 (Average Rank: 8.36/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin, Giggsalot (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): VeryInsane (#13)

ZaziGuado: "it's true we named our children after towns that we've never been to" is a lyric that I always remember vividly because I have a slightly irrational disgust for bullshit names. I also greatly enjoy that sitcom opening-sounding piano chime that randomly pops in.

9 (tie). The Good Times Are Killing Me (Track #16)
Score: 73 (Average Rank: 8.36/14)
Biggest Fan(s): neonreaper, ChichiriMuyo (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb (#13)

ZaziGuado: I find this a fun, goofy ending to fun, goofy album. really enjoy the very smooth, prominent bassline.

8. One Chance (Track #15)
Score: 79 (Average Rank: 7.91/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb (#12)

ZaziGuado: this song is so weird after being inundated with cynicism, hopelessness, and just a general malaise up to this point. to be met with a song about coping with the loss of everything is an odd, but not unwelcome, turn this late into the album. I appreciate it.

7. Bury Me With It (Track #6)
Score: 89 (Average Rank: 7.27/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): neonreaper (#11)

ZaziGuado: always been a little off-putting, but I've learned to appreciate the exasperated pleas. plus they say the name of the album!

6. Bukowski (Track #8)
Score: 96 (Average Rank: 6.45/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Giggsalot, VeryInsane (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin, Seanchan (#10)

ZaziGuado: such great banjo action here. I enjoy every time they slow the beat down and then pick it back up.

5. Blame It on the Tetons (Track #13)
Score: 107 (Average Rank: 5.73/14)
Biggest Fan(s): ZaziGuado, ChichiriMuyo (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seanchan (#13)

ZaziGuado: this song is so damn chill. I love that fiddle and piano. the continuation after the false ending is interesting but not unwelcome. I've never actually taken the time to digest the lyrics, but I think I'd enjoy this song even more if I did.

4. Ocean Breathes Salty (Track #4)
Score: 110 (Average Rank: 5.64/14)
Biggest Fan(s): VeryInsane (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): ChichiriMuyo (#10)

ZaziGuado: some fun lyrics in this one like "you missed when time and life shook hands and said goodbye" and the abrubt ending with "for your sake I hope heaven and hell are really there but I wouldn't hold my breath."

3. The View (Track #10)
Score: 115 (Average Rank: 5.36/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Great_Paul (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): neonreaper (#10)

ZaziGuado: this song is top tier on the album to me, but I always waver on whether it's near the top or bottom of that tier. I love that warble in the chorus and some of the background vocal eccentrics.

2. The World at Large (Track #2)
Score: 143 (Average Rank: 3.82/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Giggsalot, neonreaper, ZaziGuado (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): ChichiriMuyo (#14)

ZaziGuado: beautifully bittersweet track which serves as a very interesting tone setter for the album. also really appreciate the way it leads into Float On.

1. Float On (Track #3)
Score: 154 (Average Rank: 3/14)
Biggest Fan(s): FoolFantastic, HBJDubs, ChichiriMuyo, Seanchan (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#11)

ZaziGuado: iconic riff. I remember being so excited when I saw this reach the top of a weekly ranking show on a music channel.

Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News results

The participants sorted by deviation from final results:
HBJDubs (17)
Giggsalot (21)
FoolFantastic (22)
Great_Paul (22)
ZaziGuado (22)
VeryInsane (26)
neonreaper (38)
ChichiriMuyo (42)
Seanchan (47)
Johnbobb (49)
Raetsel_Lapin (59)

General Album Comments

FoolFantastic: My general feeling remains that, despite being their big breakthrough thanks to Float On, this feels like a step down from their earlier albums. The poppier sound doesn't work for me as much.

Giggsalot: I actually like this album a lot. it's clearly not as ambitious as their previous work, and the quality is pretty up and down, but I think the 4 or 5 best songs here are as good as anything they ever did. they were never able to nail it down consistently, but when it works I actually really like the pop sound on these guys - stuff like float on and black cadillacs are a joy. plus, the world at large is up there with bankrupt on selling as "modest mouse song most likely to make me cry", so yeah. really fun album despite its flaws, maybe the MM I throw on most often even if it's not their best.

neonreaper: Some super-skippable stuff but the top 10 songs on this album are solid. I liked this more than I thought I would.

HBJDubs: Most of the album is good overall, but every song has like one specific bit that I don't like about it, except the top two which are great start to finish.

ZaziGuado: Top 6 songs make up the top tier of the album. One Chance and Black Cadillacs make up their own middle tier. Everything else is the weirder, but still appreciated lower tier. Songs don't normally switch tiers for me at this point in my listening history. One Chance flirts the most with moving into the top tier.

This album was my first introduction to music that had that "indie" sound, whatever that means these days. It helped shape my tastes in music during pretty formative years when I started willfully choosing what I listened to. It's been nice to revist it. I know albums like Lonesome Crowded West and Moon and Antarctica are more beloved among the general fanbase, but this is my favorite in a way that I have trouble putting into words. Not for any deep reason, it's just difficult for me to express without sounding dumb. Like it's simultaneously up its own ass but also tongue in cheek. Anyways, great stuff.

ChichiriMuyo: I only knew this band from Float On before, and man does that song seem like a lie. This is an album where if you hear the hit single and then buy it you are at a high risk of disappointment. I actually wonder if this is one of those things where the band hates "that one song" because it's what the "fans" always want to hear. I do like a few songs here, but if I'm going to spend my precious time in life listening to Modest Mouse again it'll be when Float On pops up on a mix.

Seanchan (responding to Chichiri): I totally understand where you're coming from. And yet I had the exact opposite reaction to the full album, as I really enjoyed this a lot.

I didn't post my first listen impressions earlier, but I was very much caught by pleasant surprise. This wasn't what I expected, but maybe in a way I should have seen it coming. Float On was always a bit of an oddball song that managed to find success, so why should the album be any different.

I think what I enjoy about it IS that variety. This isn't a boring album. There are songs that are fast and hard (relatively speaking) but then you've got slower, more introspective songs. And it all just come together for me, even if the first half is stronger than the second.

I will have to find some time to listen to more Modest Mouse. If anyone has a good suggestion for a second album?

Sorry for the delay in this. I finally managed to rediscover my writing spark after a year or two of writer's block, but this means I have been using up every spare hour recently to write.

up

bump

I believe I just received my last pool 3 card!

Johnbobb posted...

Paramore?

Caroline Polachek - and now it's jumped up to a 96, which is a few points higher than anything from last year. I'm sure it will fall a bit with a few more reviews, but it's looking like a serious album of the year contender.

Yay, the brand new album I was hoping to nominate next week is starting off with a 92 on Metacritic. Gonna force through a women in electronic pop week.

Run the Jewels 2 > Plastic Beach > ...Like Clockwork

A member of my top 100 albums, kicking off with a song that has always sat within my all-time top 10. This is the definitive Britpop album to me. All the tracks are catchy, but the album never falls into the usual pitfall of most pop records where only the big singles really work. There are big hits here, but the tracks between take on their own distinct style. Despite blur's occasionally bratty attitude, the variety here reveals genuine musical brilliance.

My ranking:
Girls & Boys
To the End
Parklife
This is a Low
End of a Century
Tracy Jacks
Clover Over Dover
London Loves
Trouble in the Message Centre
Jubilee
Magic America
Bank Holiday
Far Out
Badhead
The Debt Collector
Lot 105

The rules:

1. I will be using a win/loss/tie formula to determine the final ranking, where every possible combination of these albums will face off directly. This means only the albums you vote for will be affected by your vote. As such, please feel free to vote even if you have not heard every album (as long as you follow rule #2).
2. Naturally, only rank the albums you have heard. Preferably, if there is an album here that you haven't heard in the last several years, give it another listen first.
3. Simply rank the albums from your favorite to least favorite. If you include comments, I will use them in the result rollout.
4. The initial deadline will be the end of Friday, March 17 - however, this will be extended if anyone needs it. If you express interest in participating within this topic, I will shoot a private message to remind you as the deadline approaches. (If the deadline is pushed back, it will be to another Friday - I want to calculate this on a Saturday morning)
5. If you prefer, you can send your ranking through a private message - however, please note that you have done so within this topic. That way, I have a reminder to check my inbox for your vote.

Volume 4 Albums, sorted by artist:
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not
The Ataris - So Long, Astoria
Backstreet Boys - Millennium
Bad Religion - No Control
The Birthday Massacre - Walking With Strangers
black midi - Hellfire
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
La Dispute - Rooms of the House
Duke Ellington - Far East Suite
Green Day - American Idiot
Michael Jackson - Thriller
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual
Kylie Minogue - Fever
Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill
Nas - Illmatic
Protest the Hero - Palimpsest
Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine
Sigrid - Sucker Punch
Slipknot - Vol. 3 The Subliminal Verses
Sonata Arctica - Ecliptica
Lindsey Stirling - Warmer in the Winter
Tool - 10,000 Days
Ween - Quebec

poll for VeryInsane's week:
Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork
vs.
Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2
vs.
Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

Previous results can be seen here:
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks_Set_2

The rules:
1. Listen to the album in full
2. Rank every track on the album
3. For the results, there will be a curve at the top of each list; two additional points between #1 and #2, and one additional point for the next two ranks. This way, the songs that really stick out to someone get an edge that is not immediately negated by someone else putting it lower. In the case of Demon Days, someone's 15th track will get 1 point, 14th 2 points, 4th 12 points, 3rd 14 points, 2nd 16 points, and 1st 19 points. For albums with greater than 15 tracks, everything ranked below #15 will be given 0 points and the scale for the top 15 will be the same as a 15-track album. For albums with more than 20 tracks, you only have to list your top 15 (with 16-20, I still like having the average rank listed)
4. If you want to include comments for individual songs, I will compile them in the results
5. The results will be posted at the beginning of the next topic
6. The deadline to vote is Sunday, February 19th at 4:00 PM Central Time
7. You can sign up to be added to the user cycle (a new user will be added to the end of the current cycle as long as there are four weeks remaining) - the next person on the list will choose 3 albums which the other users will vote on for the next topic.
7a. To ensure people are being given an actual choice, the three nominated albums must be by different artists. You can otherwise stick to a similar sound or era.
7b. The tiebreaker for these polls will be whichever is listed first in the poll options - make sure to deliver the results in order of your own preference (which will hopefully have the added benefit of influencing people toward your first choice if they can't decide).
7c. I have added a tiered vote structure - the least popular album will be removed and its backup votes distributed to the other two entrants.
8. Starting with the next cycle, every four weeks will be a competitive week where those listed choose a single album to face off against others.
9. Skits and tracks under 40 seconds will be excluded from the rankings unless argued otherwise

blur - Parklife track list:
1. Girls & Boys
2. Tracy Jacks
3. End of a Century
4. Parklife
5. Bank Holiday
6. Badhead
7. The Debt Collector
8. Far Out
9. To the End
10. London Loves
11. Trouble in the Message Centre
12. Clover Over Dover
13. Magic America
14. Jubilee
15. This is a Low
16. Lot 105

Current cycle:
2/19: Johnbobb (clipping. - Splendor & Misery)
2/26: Great_Paul bonus (My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade)
3/5: VeryInsane
3/12: FoolFantastic
3/19: Seanchan
3/26: Johnbobb/ZaziGuado/jcgamer107
4/2: Giggsalot
4/9: RyoCaliente
4/16: darkx
4/23: Snake5555555555/Raetsel_Lapin/Seanchan
4/30: neonreaper
5/7: Great_Paul
5/14: jcgamer107
5/21: Giggsalot/MetalmindStats/rwlh
5/28: ChichiriMuyo
6/4: BlueCrystalTear
6/11: rwlh
6/18: NFUN
6/25: HBJDubs/firefdr/NFUN

Future cycle:
6/25: MetalmindStats
7/2: HBJDubs
7/9: Raetsel_Lapin
7/16: competitive week
7/23: Steiner
7/30: Snake5555555555
8/6: Jesse_Custer
8/13: competitive week
8/20: ZaziGuado
8/27: firefdr

Bump

I feel like the problem with Rowling is she uses the success of her series to justify her transphobia. Rowling is openly using her fanbase as a shield, so buying her products means you are agreeing to be part of that shield (even if you don't necessarily agree with her views)

I don't really get the sense Tom Cruise views every ticket sale as another person giving the thumbs up to Scientology. It's Rowling who has decided to make her fanbase culpable through her statements.

Seanchan posted...

Are you going to do a rank the albums for the last 25?

I think, but I'll probably put it up this weekend.

My general feeling remains that, despite being their big breakthrough thanks to Float On, this feels like a step down from their earlier albums. The poppier sound doesn't work for me as much.

Modest Mouse were actually the headliners at my first show/festival back in 2010. Having only just gotten into popular music the previous year, I was highly disappointed they did not play Float On - but it's very much the odd one out. Robyn was also there that day, but I had no idea who she was so ended up wandering elsewhere - a major regret in the years since.

I hate when these conversations turn toward people attacking the series itself, which I feel is missing the point. Yes, the books are flawed, but they also mean a lot to a lot of people. And the point of the boycott should be to support transgender people; the people most effected by Rowling's words are the transgender fans who grew up with her stories. Having the one-two punch of one of your favorite childhood authors spouting hate speech directed toward you and then supposed allies attacking you for caring about the series in the first place really doesn't help.

Why would you need a single species to control the world's finances?

Float On
Ocean Breathes Salty
The World At Large
Blame It on the Tetons
Bukowski
The Good Times Are Killing Me
The View
Black Cadillacs
Bury Me With It
Satin in a Coffin
One Chance
This Devil's Workday
Interlude (Milo)
Dance Hall

Ziggy Stardust track ranking

11. Hang On to Yourself (Track #8)
Score: 27 (Average Rank: 9/11)
Biggest Fan(s): FoolFantastic, firefdr, Raetsel_Lapin (#7)
Biggest Detractor(s): neonreaper, Johnbobb, MetalmindStats (#11)

10. Star (Track #7)
Score: 29 (Average Rank: 8.78/11)
Biggest Fan(s): MetalmindStats, HBJDubs (#6)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seanchan (#11)

9. Soul Love (Track #2)
Score: 48 (Average Rank: 6.89/11)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#11)

8. Rock 'n' Roll Suicide (Track #11)
Score: 52 (Average Rank: 6.22/11)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb, VeryInsane (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seanchan (#10)

7. It Ain't Easy (Track #5)
Score: 53 (Average Rank: 6.67/11)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): FoolFantastic, VeryInsane (#11)

6. Lady Stardust (Track #6)
Score: 54 (Average Rank: 6.56/11)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): firefdr (#11)

5. Suffragette City (Track #10)
Score: 58 (Average Rank: 5.78/11)
Biggest Fan(s): firefdr, HBJDubs (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb (#9)

4. Five Years (Track #1)
Score: 79 (Average Rank: 4.33/11)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb, MetalmindStats (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin, HBJDubs (#9)

3. Starman (Track #4)
Score: 81 (Average Rank: 4.33/11)
Biggest Fan(s): firefdr, Seanchan (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#10)

2. Moonage Daydream (Track #3)
Score: 82 (Average Rank: 4/11)
Biggest Fan(s): VeryInsane (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#11)

1. Ziggy Stardust (Track #9)
Score: 94 (Average Rank: 3.44/11)
Biggest Fan(s): FoolFantastic, neonreaper (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): MetalmindStats, Seanchan (#9)

David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars results

The participants sorted by deviation from final results:
neonreaper (10)
FoolFantastic (12)
Johnbobb (22)
VeryInsane (22)
firefdr (24)
MetalmindStats (24)
HBJDubs (32)
Seanchan (34)
Raetsel_Lapin (46)

General Album Comments

FoolFantastic: Ziggy Stardust manages the unusual feat of being the best album by one of my all-time favorite artists despite not having a single track that would crack his overall top 10 - his career was just that good. Where this album must obviously excel is its consistency; there is only one track here I would not consider great, and it happens to be a cover (and I still think it's a good song simply lost among greats). He never repeats himself here, instead showcasing the infinite potential of art rock.

Seanchan: Did a first listen to Ziggy Stardust.

A shorter album than I expected at 40 minutes. Need to focus a little more on a second listen but I was enjoying what I was hearing. It has a distinctive sound of an older era of music. ...I suppose there's no need to say it, but I've never heard this album before, aside from Starman and maybe the title track.

Johnbobb: easily one of the greatest albums ever written and composed, front to back

Raetsel_Lapin: This is a rather special album to me because it's the first album that I actively sought out and chose on my own. I know that sounds ridiculous and your reaction is probably a sarcastic "you managed to discover one of the most popular albums by one of the most popular musicians? Good for you," but it was a big deal to me! I've mentioned before that we didn't exactly have many albums or listen to much music growing up, so seeking out an actual album by a real musician was a pretty big step for me. Until then my interest amounted to novelty albums & greatest hits collections, but I had a passing familiarity with David Bowie due to how omnipresent his music was & got really intrigued by everything I heard about this album.

It didn't exactly click the first time I listened to it. I was immediately drawn to "Lady Stardust" as I'd always had an interest in... let's say playing with gender concepts, but I didn't really "get" the other songs. Still, I kept at it; I listened to it a few more times, tried looking up reviews and discussions about it. It wasn't just the first real album I chose for myself, but my first attempt at trying to actively engage with music on... well, any type of level at all, to be blunt. I know it's ridiculous, but Ziggy Stardust feels like it was a tremendously important milestone in my personal growth. And I eventually grew to love it! It was my favorite album for a few years--not that it had much competition as "Wrestlemania the Album" was likely my favorite up to that point, but still, it was definitely my favorite for a while.

I did eventually lose interest in Ziggy for a while. I'm the type to listen to music that I love on an endless loop until I tire of it and after years of regular play, it did get a bit stale. I also looked down on it for a while because, for a concept album, I wasn't convinced it managed to tell a coherent story--the songs on the first half feel barely related at best & like they came from a completely different story at worst. Likely because it wasn't actually written as a concept album from the start, but I digress. I never disliked the album, but I did kinda sour on it for a few years. Now enough time has passed that I can say I still really like it. There's a lot of nostalgia associated with it, appreciation for the role it played in my life, and every song here is pretty great so I honestly don't care if it's not the most coherent narrative. Ziggy Stardust is not my absolute favorite anymore, but it's something I always enjoy and go back to occasionally.

Seanchan: I like this album; there's not really a bad song here. At the same time, I didn't quite love it. I've a feeling 3 listens isn't really enough, just based on how much my ranking moved around from prelim to "final". At any rate, I'm glad to have finally gotten to listen to a Bowie album!

HBJDubs: Not super into Bowie but he's pretty consistent with his albums: one or two really good songs and the rest are decent. Can't complain.

Sorry for the delay in Bowie results, I ended up being out of town later than expected Sunday night.

Those both sound good; Zabu now allows a turn 3 4-cost play but goes from letting you play 7 to 5 total 4-costs, and I think a lot of the damage is from being able to double up in round 4 and 5 (nightmares like the double Spider-Man combo on turn 5). Still seems powerful but not excessively so.

Sorry, Where Are U Now, and What Do You Mean? are all pretty good if not personal favorites. Also all from the same year.

Everyone still has around 7 hours left - though I am visiting family today so you can probably add an extra hour or two.

My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade > Between the Buried and Me - Colors >Joshua Bell - Vivaldi: The Four Seasons

The other topic remains open until sometime this evening

Competitive week, sorted by artist (Steiner/ChichiriMuyo/Great_Paul):
Joshua Bell - Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
vs.
Between the Buried and Me - Colors
vs.
My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade

Previous results can be seen here:
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks_Set_2

The rules:
1. Listen to the album in full
2. Rank every track on the album
3. For the results, there will be a curve at the top of each list; two additional points between #1 and #2, and one additional point for the next two ranks. This way, the songs that really stick out to someone get an edge that is not immediately negated by someone else putting it lower. In the case of Demon Days, someone's 15th track will get 1 point, 14th 2 points, 4th 12 points, 3rd 14 points, 2nd 16 points, and 1st 19 points. For albums with greater than 15 tracks, everything ranked below #15 will be given 0 points and the scale for the top 15 will be the same as a 15-track album. For albums with more than 20 tracks, you only have to list your top 15 (with 16-20, I still like having the average rank listed)
4. If you want to include comments for individual songs, I will compile them in the results
5. The results will be posted at the beginning of the next topic
6. The deadline to vote is Sunday, February 12th at 4:00 PM Central Time
7. You can sign up to be added to the user cycle (a new user will be added to the end of the current cycle as long as there are four weeks remaining) - the next person on the list will choose 3 albums which the other users will vote on for the next topic.
7a. To ensure people are being given an actual choice, the three nominated albums must be by different artists. You can otherwise stick to a similar sound or era.
7b. The tiebreaker for these polls will be whichever is listed first in the poll options - make sure to deliver the results in order of your own preference (which will hopefully have the added benefit of influencing people toward your first choice if they can't decide).
7c. I have added a tiered vote structure - the least popular album will be removed and its backup votes distributed to the other two entrants.
8. Starting with the next cycle, every four weeks will be a competitive week where those listed choose a single album to face off against others.
9. Skits and tracks under 40 seconds will be excluded from the rankings unless argued otherwise

Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News track list:
(1. Horn Intro)*
2. The World At Large
3. Float On
4. Ocean Breathes Salty
(5. Dig Your Grave)*
6. Bury Me With It
7. Dance Hall
8. Bukowski
9. This Devil's Workday
10. The View
11. Satin in a Coffin
12. Interlude (Milo)
13. Blame It on the Tetons
14. Black Cadillacs
15. One Chance
16. The Good Times Are Killing Me
*tracks #1 and #5 are both about ten seconds and will not be included in the rankings

Current cycle:
2/12: firefdr (blur - Parklife)
2/19: Johnbobb (clipping. - Splendor & Misery)
2/26: Steiner/ChichiriMuyo/Great_Paul
3/5: VeryInsane
3/12: FoolFantastic
3/19: Seanchan
3/26: Johnbobb/ZaziGuado/jcgamer107
4/2: Giggsalot
4/9: RyoCaliente
4/16: darkx
4/23: Snake5555555555/Raetsel_Lapin/Seanchan
4/30: neonreaper
5/7: Great_Paul
5/14: jcgamer107
5/21: Giggsalot/MetalmindStats/rwlh
5/28: ChichiriMuyo
6/4: BlueCrystalTear
6/11: rwlh
6/18: NFUN
6/25: HBJDubs/firefdr/NFUN

Future cycle:
6/25: MetalmindStats
7/2: HBJDubs
7/9: Raetsel_Lapin
7/16: competitive week
7/23: Steiner
7/30: Snake5555555555
8/6: Jesse_Custer
8/13: competitive week
8/20: ZaziGuado

bump

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/2/8/AAO__0AAEJoc.jpg

Absolutely absurd win here

up

bump

"Red Stars" would have been my easy #1, so it would have done better if neonreaper and I voted (I just don't feel comfortable voting when everything beyond the top spots feel the same general quality)

Walking With Strangers track ranking

12. To Die For (Track #9)
Score: 11 (Average Rank: 10.8/12)
Biggest Fan(s): MetalmindStats (#7)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin, Snake5555555555, Seanchan (#12)

11. Movie (Track #12)
Score: 20 (Average Rank: 9/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#6)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seanchan (#11)

10. Unfamiliar (Track #4)
Score: 24 (Average Rank: 8.2/12)
Biggest Fan(s): ChichiriMuyo (#5)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin, Snake5555555555, Seanchan (#10)

9. Remember Me (Track #8)
Score: 29 (Average Rank: 8/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): MetalmindStats (#12)

8. Weekend (Track #11)
Score: 32 (Average Rank: 6.6/12)
Biggest Fan(s): MetalmindStats (#5)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#8)

7. Falling Down (Track #3)
Score: 33 (Average Rank: 7.2/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#11)

6. Walking With Strangers (Track #10)
Score: 33 (Average Rank: 6.8/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Snake5555555555, Seanchan (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): MetalmindStats (#11)

5. Red Stars (Track #5)
Score: 37 (Average Rank: 6/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): ChichiriMuyo (#12)

4. Goodnight (Track #2)
Score: 43 (Average Rank: 5/12)
Biggest Fan(s): MetalmindStats (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Snake5555555555 (#8)

2 (tie). Kill the Lights (Track #1)
Score: 52 (Average Rank: 3.8/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Snake5555555555 (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): MetalmindStats (#8)

2 (tie). Looking Glass (Track #6)
Score: 52 (Average Rank: 3.8/12)
Biggest Fan(s): ChichiriMuyo (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seanchan (#8)

1. Science (Track #7)
Score: 59 (Average Rank: 2.8/12)
Biggest Fan(s): MetalmindStats (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#5)

The Birthday Massacre - Walking With Strangers results

The participants sorted by deviation from final results:
Snake5555555555 (19)
Seanchan (21)
ChichiriMuyo (29)
MetalmindStats (32)
Raetsel_Lapin (32)

General Album Comments

ChichiriMuyo: Yeah... whoever nominated Birthday Massacre - thank you. I doubt I would have ever found this without you.

Seanchan: This is one of those "going in completely blind" albums for me. I'd say it was a generally enjoyable listen. My maybe slightly odd thought is that a lot of these songs sound like what you'd hear during the end credits of some movie.
(...)
I enjoy the general sound of this album, but two listens in it's hard to separate out the individual songs. ...which unfortunately is something I feel like has been an issue with the last few albums we've covered... (I'm hoping I'm not the only one...)

neonreaper: If you folks like this album but it feels a little samey from track to track, I advise you to check out their album Violet. Imo has some obvious standouts

ChichiriMuyo: It is a bit samey from track to track even though I really do like it.
(...)
I like this album, I really do. However it was very difficult to actually rank the tracks. Let's just say the band was very consistent throughout. There's nothing wrong with a band or an album having a sound, but it does leave me feeling like the ranking is less defined than usual. If I had discovered this years ago and listened to it a lot more I might feel better about this ranking.

MetalmindStats: I was looking forward to this album after voting for it before, and it definitely did not disappoint me, from front to back. Thank you for nominating it, Snake!

Great_Paul: I hadn't heard Walking With Strangers before, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the album. Unfortunately I wasn't able to listen to it enough to properly rank the tracks.

Seanchan: A fairly arbitrary ranking but there was nothing here that stuck out much either positively or negatively. As I've said previously, I generally enjoyed listening to this, but at the same time, I've a strong feeling this album won't stick out in my mind at all in 6 months.

Raetsel_Lapin (agreeing with neonreaper's earlier comment): Because while WWS is a fine album and possibly more accessible, I didn't think any of the songs really showcased the full ability of the singer. Besides the clean pop vocals heard on WWS, she can also deliver raspy & almost inhuman growled vocals--easily switching back and forth between them. That duality is my favorite part (see their song "Blue" for an example), but WWS was just so... normal.

Which is fine! It's not that I disliked Walking With Strangers. But I do suggest anyone that wanted to hear more variety from the band check out Violet and give them another shot. You might be surprised.

Johnbobb: For what it's worth I did listen to Walking With Strangers and really dug it, great recommendation

Madvillain (M.F. Doom and Madlib) - Madvillainy > clipping. - Splendor & Misery > Tyler, the Creator - Goblin

Madvillainy sits in my all-time top 100, I love the one other clipping. album I have heard, and I would probably be more supportive of Tyler's last couple albums over Goblin

Ziggy Stardust manages the unusual feat of being the best album by one of my all-time favorite artists despite not having a single track that would crack his overall top 10 - his career was just that good. Where this album must obviously excel is its consistency; there is only one track here I would not consider great, and it happens to be a cover (and I still think it's a good song simply lost among greats). He never repeats himself here, instead showcasing the infinite potential of art rock.

My ranking:
1. Ziggy Stardust
2. Moonage Daydream
3. Starman
4. Five Years
5. Suffragette City
6. Rock 'n' Roll Suicide
7. Hang on to Yourself
8. Lady Stardust
9. Soul Love
10. Star
11. It Ain't Easy

Also, here's my overall Bowie top 10 since I mentioned it (Ziggy Stardust sits right at #11):
1. Life on Mars
2. Lazarus
3. Heroes
4. Young Americans
5. Blackstar
6. The Man Who Sold the World
7. Warszawa
8. Sound and Vision
9. Space Oddity
10. Ashes to Ashes

Here's Johnbobb's comments on his choices this week:

"Brief writeups for the week of experimental alt. hip-hop:

clipping. - Splendor & Misery
Possibly my favorite rap album. Clipping is a group fronted by rapper Daveed Diggs (aka that guy from Hamilton) with incredible experimental beats by two nerdy white dudes. I've been very tempted to nominate one of clipping's later horrorcore albums, but ultimately always come back to S&M, their weird interstellar sci-fi concept album.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUR_ChqUJbc

Madvillain - Madvillainy
A collaboration between rapper MF DOOM and producer Madlib. Again, tough choice to nominate between this, which is often considered Doom's best album and one of the most influential rap albums of the last 2 decades, and Mm..Food, which is probably Doom's best solo album and possibly a little more easily digestable than Madvillainy. A little weird, a little jazzy, and some of the best work Doom ever did. RIP.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSJeHDlhYls

Tyler, The Creator - Goblin
A rapper directly inspired by MF DOOM! Goblin is not an EASY album to listen to by any means. It's long and violent and abrasive and disturbing in a way that is by all means horrorcore, despite Tyler's own insistence at every breath that it's NOT horrorcore (seriously, the album directly features the lyrics "We don't ****ing make horrorcore, you ****ing idiots" despite still being labeled as horrorcore on wikipedia). It's an album I'm personally really conflicted on because Tyler himself is pretty hateful and his lyrics are controversial for good reason, but the album is still filled with excellent flow and production to the point it's absolutely worth hearing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSbZidsgMfw

Instead of indefinitely extending the deadline, I am now changing it to 4:00 PM central time - I really need to process the results on Sunday or else they will be seriously delayed as they have been the last couple months. 4:00 gives me enough time to go to my usual Sunday board games and then come back home and calculate the results (and, hopefully, gives people a bit more on Sunday morning instead of rushing to listen).

Only four people voted last week - if you were still planning to participate, go ahead and post your ranking in this topic by 4ish.

poll for Johnbobb's week:
clipping. - Splendor & Misery
vs.
Madvillain (M.F. Doom and Madlib) - Madvillainy
vs.
Tyler, the Creator - Goblin

Previous results can be seen here:
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks_Set_2

The rules:
1. Listen to the album in full
2. Rank every track on the album
3. For the results, there will be a curve at the top of each list; two additional points between #1 and #2, and one additional point for the next two ranks. This way, the songs that really stick out to someone get an edge that is not immediately negated by someone else putting it lower. In the case of Demon Days, someone's 15th track will get 1 point, 14th 2 points, 4th 12 points, 3rd 14 points, 2nd 16 points, and 1st 19 points. For albums with greater than 15 tracks, everything ranked below #15 will be given 0 points and the scale for the top 15 will be the same as a 15-track album. For albums with more than 20 tracks, you only have to list your top 15 (with 16-20, I still like having the average rank listed)
4. If you want to include comments for individual songs, I will compile them in the results
5. The results will be posted at the beginning of the next topic
6. The deadline to vote is Sunday, February 5th at 4:00 PM Central Time
7. You can sign up to be added to the user cycle (a new user will be added to the end of the current cycle as long as there are four weeks remaining) - the next person on the list will choose 3 albums which the other users will vote on for the next topic.
7a. To ensure people are being given an actual choice, the three nominated albums must be by different artists. You can otherwise stick to a similar sound or era.
7b. The tiebreaker for these polls will be whichever is listed first in the poll options - make sure to deliver the results in order of your own preference (which will hopefully have the added benefit of influencing people toward your first choice if they can't decide).
7c. I have added a tiered vote structure - the least popular album will be removed and its backup votes distributed to the other two entrants.
8. Starting with the next cycle, every four weeks will be a competitive week where those listed choose a single album to face off against others.

David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars track list:
1. Five Years
2. Soul Love
3. Moonage Daydream
4. Starman
5. It Ain't Easy
6. Lady Stardust
7. Star
8. Hang On to Yourself
9. Ziggy Stardust
10. Suffragette City
11. Rock 'n' Roll Suicide

Current cycle:
2/5: ZaziGuado (Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News)
2/12: firefdr (blur - Parklife)
2/19: Johnbobb
2/26: Steiner/ChichiriMuyo/Great_Paul
3/5: VeryInsane
3/12: FoolFantastic
3/19: Seanchan
3/26: Johnbobb/ZaziGuado/jcgamer107
4/2: Giggsalot
4/9: RyoCaliente
4/16: darkx
4/23: Snake5555555555/Raetsel_Lapin/Seanchan
4/30: neonreaper
5/7: Great_Paul
5/14: jcgamer107
5/21: Giggsalot/MetalmindStats/rwlh
5/28: ChichiriMuyo
6/4: BlueCrystalTear
6/11: rwlh
6/18: NFUN
6/25: HBJDubs/firefdr/NFUN

Future cycle:
6/25: MetalmindStats
7/2: HBJDubs
7/9: Raetsel_Lapin
7/16: competitive week
7/23: Steiner
7/30: Snake5555555555
8/6: Jesse_Custer
8/13: competitive week

As the host of this series, I'm not required to participate. I listened to this album and didn't find myself caring enough to be able to differentiate between most of the tracks, so I was skipping ranking this week.

But if you feel the need to personally attack me over extending a deadline, which apparently gave you trouble in the past and thus should make you happy that you have a bit of extra time (and I literally give you a full week every week that you could have used instead of waiting until the last second), I'll go ahead and end the trouble by removing you from the cycle and asking you to stop participating.

I decide not having a tight deadline is better for everyone, and you fucking blow up at me about it? What purpose does that serve, exactly?

ChichiriMuyo posted...

Imma be honest... the number of times I was panicking to get it done at 5-6 am because I was afraid to miss the deadline... no one gave me special treatment. Now the topic creator doesn't even get it in on time? Someone owes me a few hours of sleep, as if you could make it up to me.

Then don't bother? Jesus Christ.

No Control track ranking

15. Henchman (Track #8)
Score: 39 (Average Rank: 10.43/15)
Biggest Fan(s): ChichiriMuyo (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#15)

14. Change of Ideas (Track #1)
Score: 40 (Average Rank: 10.29/15)
Biggest Fan(s): FoolFantastic (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): StifledSilence, ChichiriMuyo (#15)

13. It Must Look Pretty Appealing (Track #9)
Score: 41 (Average Rank: 10.14/15)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs, Raetsel_Lapin (#6)
Biggest Detractor(s): FoolFantastic, Johnbobb (#15)

12. I Want Something More (Track #12)
Score: 42 (Average Rank: 10/15)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#5)
Biggest Detractor(s): FoolFantastic, Seanchan (#14)

11. Sometimes I Feel Like (Track #4)
Score: 44 (Average Rank: 9.71/15)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): StifledSilence, Johnbobb (#14)

10. Billy (Track #14)
Score: 47 (Average Rank: 9.43/15)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#14)

9. The World Won't Stop (Track #15)
Score: 49 (Average Rank: 9/15)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#15)

8. Anxiety (Track #13)
Score: 50 (Average Rank: 9.43/15)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#13)

7. Big Bang (Track #2)
Score: 52 (Average Rank: 8.71/15)
Biggest Fan(s): FoolFantastic (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs, ChichiriMuyo (#14)

6. Automatic Man (Track #5)
Score: 62 (Average Rank: 7.29/15)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#12)

5. Progress (Track #11)
Score: 76 (Average Rank: 5.86/15)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb, ChichiriMuyo (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#13)

4. Sanity (Track #7)
Score: 78 (Average Rank: 5.71/15)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seanchan (#15)

3. You (Track #10)
Score: 80 (Average Rank: 6/15)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs, StifledSilence (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): ChichiriMuyo (#13)

2. No Control (Track #3)
Score: 90 (Average Rank: 4.14/15)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs, Raetsel_Lapin, FoolFantastic (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb, ChichiriMuyo (#7)

1. I Want to Conquer the World (Track #6)
Score: 99 (Average Rank: 3.86/15)
Biggest Fan(s): FoolFantastic, ChichiriMuyo, Seanchan (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#10)

Bad Religion - No Control results

The participants sorted by deviation from final results:
Seanchan (34)
FoolFantastic (38)
StifledSilence (38)
ChichiriMuyo (54)
Johnbobb (54)
HBJDubs (62)
Raetsel_Lapin (80)

General Album Comments

HBJDubs: Just a real good punk album. You is the very obvious #1 here, one of the most iconic songs from the Tony Hawk games

ChichiriMuyo: I've hit wall after wall with this one. I have a good friend, and we sort of came up in this music at the same time. I didn't know Bad Religion. He didn't know Social Distortion. You can gather how that peanut butter and chocolate worked out for a friendship that still lasts 25 years later. This album. It's good, I like it. I am struggling beyond belief to rank the individual tracks.

FoolFantastic: Really liked this album. Always a fan of being introduced to a good new (to me) punk band. My ranking here feels entirely meaningless, but this is one of those albums that benefits from everything flowing together so well.

ChichiriMuyo: Blistering fast. Relentless. Even when they give you a moment to catch your breath, they still go hard. This is ten hours of sonic assault in a 26 minute tracklist. If the CIA wanted to use Western music to torture Guantanamo Bay prisoners they should have chosen "No Control." I absolutely love it.

Seanchan: I'm not sure if I'd say this is a truly enjoyable album because it's a bit relentless. But I'd venture to say it's a good one. Doing a song ranking is always going to be a bit arbitrary here because, much like last week, these songs all glom together after a while.

bump

Yes, people should vote in their own rounds; you get the benefit of both voting and deciding the tiebreaker order

blur - Parklife > Oasis - Definitely Maybe > Coldplay - Parachutes

I've been dying to nom Parklife myself

(as usual, other topic will be open at least until tomorrow)