Board 8 > Rank the Tracks Week 34: Of Monsters and Men's My Head is an Animal (+ Aquemini)

(+) Yeah! (+)

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

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, October 31 at 8:00 AM EST - though if you are for whatever reason listening to the album around that time, just say so in the topic and I can delay a bit
7. You can sign up to be added to a user cycle for after we finish the queue; once we get through the last planned album, 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).

Of Monsters and Men's My Head is an Animal track list:
1. Dirty Paws
2. King and Lionheart
3. Mountain Sound
4. Slow and Steady
5. From Finner
6. Little Talks
7. Six Weeks
8. Love Love Love
9. Your Bones
10. Sloom
11. Lakehouse
12. Yellow Light

Schedule:
10/31: Taylor Swift - Speak Now (Snake5555555555)
11/7: The Avalanches - Since I Left You (SpikeSetsFire)
11/14: Moby - Play (SpikeSetsFire)
11/21: Steely Dan - Can't Buy a Thrill (Seginustemple)

User Cycle sign-ups:
11/28: MetalmindStats
12/5: TheArkOfTurus
12/12: Snake5555555555
12/19: Jesse_Custer
12/26: ZaziGuado
1/2: SpikeSetsFire
1/9: Johnbobb
1/16: VeryInsane
1/23: CasanovaZelos
1/30: Seanchan
2/6: Giggsalot
2/13: RyoCaliente
2/20: darkx
2/27: neonreaper
3/6: Great_Paul
3/13: jcgamer107
3/20: ChichiriMuyo
3/27: ChainLTTP

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Outkast's Aquemini results

The participants sorted by deviation from final results:
ChainLTTP (25)
CasanovaZelos (35)
TheArkOfTurus (35)
Seanchan (41)
SpikeSetsFire (41)
Giggsalot (41)
Johnbobb (46)
Snake5555555555 (49)
HBJDubs (55)
Seginustemple (56)
Raetsel_Lapin (67)

General Album Comments

Seanchan: Did a first listen to this yesterday. Didn't do much for me. Also, man do I hate the non-lyrical/skit endings of so many of these songs...

I've some familiarity with Outkast. I've listened to (at least part of) Stankonia and, of course, I've heard the singles from Speakerboxx/Love Below. I might just be more of a fan of their more accessible/pop songs.

I liked this a good bit more on repeat listens but it definitely falls short of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and good kid, m.A.A.d city. The (roughly) top half of this was enjoyable. But everything from Return of the G down I wasn't very fond of.

Giggsalot: aquemini isn't quite my favourite album of all time (definitely top 20), but I genuinely don't think i've ever heard a record with more incredible songs on it than this one. the top 11 or so songs on my ranking are all pretty much 10/10, and they're all amazing in such varied ways.

an utterly staggering display of talent and creativity, and one of music's absolute high water marks.

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Aquemini track ranking

16. Nathaniel (Track #14)
Score: 10 (Average Rank: 15.09/16)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#8)
Biggest Detractor(s): CasanovaZelos, Seanchan, SpikeSetsFire, ChainLTTP, HBJDubs, Snake5555555555, Johnbobb, Seginustemple (#16)

14 (tie). Hold On, Be Strong (Track #1)
Score: 28 (Average Rank: 13.45/16)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#7)
Biggest Detractor(s): CasanovaZelos, Seanchan, HBJDubs, Snake5555555555 (#15)

14 (tie). Mamacita (Track #11)
Score: 28 (Average Rank: 13.45/16)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#6)
Biggest Detractor(s): Giggsalot, Raetsel_Lapin, TheArkOfTurus (#16)

Johnbobb: man y'all are hating on it but this is the catchiest refrain on the album (next to Rosa Parks)

13. West Savannah (Track #8)
Score: 42 (Average Rank: 12.18/16)
Biggest Fan(s): ChainLTTP (#7)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin, Johnbobb, Seginustemple (#15)

ChainLTTP: Big Boi wrote this when he was like 18 or 19... Let that sink in

12. Y'all Scared (Track #13)
Score: 65 (Average Rank: 10.27/16)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin, TheArkOfTurus (#13)

11. Chonkyfire (Track #16)
Score: 90 (Average Rank: 8/16)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan, HBJDubs (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#12)

10. Liberation (Track #15)
Score: 94 (Average Rank: 7.91/16)
Biggest Fan(s): Giggsalot (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Snake5555555555, Johnbobb (#14)

9. Synthesizer (Track #6)
Score: 102 (Average Rank: 7.09/16)
Biggest Fan(s): Snake5555555555 (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb (#12)

8. Slump (Track #7)
Score: 104 (Average Rank: 6.91/16)
Biggest Fan(s): Seginustemple (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): TheArkOfTurus (#12)

7. Return of the 'G' (Track #2)
Score: 107 (Average Rank: 6.73/16)
Biggest Fan(s): SpikeSetsFire (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): CasanovaZelos, Raetsel_Lapin (#11)

ChainLTTP: As I mentioned, might have the best verse in any OutKast song outside of Big Boi's in BOB and Andre on A Life in the Day.

6. Da Art of Storytellin' (Pt. 2) (Track #10)
Score: 108 (Average Rank: 7.09/16)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): SpikeSetsFire, ChainLTTP (#14)

5. Da Art of Storytellin' (Pt. 1) (Track #9)
Score: 108 (Average Rank: 6.64/16)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Snake5555555555 (#12)

ChainLTTP: OutKast's bread and butter. No one does this kind of storytelling hip-hop better besides maybe early Nas.

4. Skew It on the Bar-B (Track #4)
Score: 115 (Average Rank: 5.91/16)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seginustemple (#11)

ChainLTTP: Brilliant decision to include a guest verse from Raekwon. Probably the only guy who can pull off an appearance on both and OutKast album and MBDTF and make it feel natural.

3. SpottieOttieDopaliscious (Track #12)
Score: 120 (Average Rank: 5.55/16)
Biggest Fan(s): CasanovaZelos (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#12)

ChainLTTP: The balls on these guys to include an 8 minute (I can't remember exactly) spoken word funk song. But good lord it is legendary.

2. Aquemini (Track #5)
Score: 126 (Average Rank: 5.55/16)
Biggest Fan(s): TheArkOfTurus, Snake5555555555 (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#11)

ChainLTTP: This is the OutKast that I wish more people knew. Funky, mellow, vibey music with some of the best lyricism of its time. Andre's last verse is absolutely bananas.

1. Rosa Parks (Track #3)
Score: 150 (Average Rank: 4.18/16)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan, ChainLTTP, HBJDubs (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#14)

ChainLTTP: Might be the best hook in hip-hop history. I mean what is even close? Gold Digger? CREAM? Come on now

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I think I've only ever heard the singles from this album so this should be interesting.

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Yellow Light
Six Weeks
Mountain Sound
Sloom
Lakehouse
Dirty Paws
Little Talks
King and Lionheart
Your Bones
From Finner
Slow and Steady
Love Love Love

bump

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up

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bump

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I know one (1) song by this band and it sits right at the dividing line between good and average on my obnoxiously big spreadsheet.

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My first listen impressions was "this is...pleasant but unspectacular". Which isn't necessarily a bad thing as it's somewhat the lane of this indy/folk-ish music. The Lumineers self titled album falls into this orbit and, for whatever reason, that's an album I like quite a bit despite not being in my normal listening space.

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The Lumineers is a pretty good comparison for the style I think. Spotify has suggested them to me as a similar artist.

I actually like Of Monsters and Mens second album more than this one, but its less folk-ish and more produced. And although all of the bands music has taken time to grow on me, I think thats even more so true for the second album than this one.

tag

Little Talks, Ho Hey, Take a Walk, and Somebody That I Used to Know make an unholy cluster of indie pop songs I will always associate with my first two years of college. There are other songs from the same period I greatly prefer, but that also means I brought them through the years with me. Those four hit an odd nostalgia spot.

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bump

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up

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1: Little Talks
2: Love Love Love
3: Slow And Steady
4: Dirty Paws
5: From Finner
6: Your Bones
7: Mountain Sound
8: Yellow Light
9: Sloom
10: King and Lionheart
11: Lakehouse
12: Six Weeks

I enjoyed this.
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bump

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01. Dirty Paws
02. Little Talks
03. From Finner
04. Mountain Sound
05. King and Lionheart
06. Six Weeks
xx. Numb Bears
07. Lakehouse
08. Yellow Light
09. Love Love Love
10. Slow and Steady
xx. Sinking Man
11. Your Bones
12. Sloom

What's with the 2 extra songs?

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Seanchan posted...

What's with the 2 extra songs?

There was apparently an Icelandic release of the album that then got edited when released worldwide. I used what was on Spotify. Numb Bears was dropped and replaced by Mountain Sound/Slow and Steady while Sinking Man was a hidden song that was removed.

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CasanovaZelos posted...

There was apparently an Icelandic release of the album that then got edited when released worldwide. I used what was on Spotify. Numb Bears was dropped and replaced by Mountain Sound/Slow and Steady while Sinking Man was a hidden song that was removed.

Sinking Man actually appears on a soundtrack for The Walking Dead season 1. Numb Bears, on the other hand, I cant even find on Spotify.

Strange, just earlier today I had been unable to find Numb Bears on Spotify, and now its on there on a 10th anniversary edition of this album.

Jesse_Custer posted...

Strange, just earlier today I had been unable to find Numb Bears on Spotify, and now its on there on a 10th anniversary edition of this album.

oh cool, and another 2 songs as well!

Up

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I should get to this a little later tonight!

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1. Little Talks
2. Dirty Paws
3. Mountain Sound
4. Lakehouse
5. King and Lionheart
6. Yellow Light
7. Sloom
8. Your Bones
9. Slow and Steady
10. From Finner
11. Six Weeks
12. Love Love Love


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1. Little Talks
2. Mountain Sound
3. Sloom
4. Love Love Love4
5. Slow and Steady
6. Dirty Paws
7. Six Weeks
8. From Finner
9. King and Lionheart
10. Your Bones
11. Yellow Light
12. Lakehouse

I ended up liking this quite a bit. There's just a certain...warmth...to it that just appeals to me and makes me feel good. Not to mention I just really enjoyed the singing of the two vocalists, both separately and when they harmonized. I will certainly make it a point to listen to more Of Monsters and Men in the future.

I know we don't have a lot of submitted lists for this and I think that's a shame. I know it's more low key but coming from a group that was high on Rumours and Moon Patrol I guess I was hoping for a bigger turnout? I guess there's still a little more time though...

One last thing, and this might be a little weird, but did anyone else get a certain Coldplay-ish vibe from some of this album? There was some points with the chanting and repeated vocals that I couldn't help but imagine this as arena rock.

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need to remember to do this tonight, will be pretty late though

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I was hoping to get to this earlier today but my booster has been draining all my energy. So this listen was unfortunately done in a state of fatigue. Hopefully I'm better tomorrow morning so I can calculate the results.

My rank:
Little Talks
Mountain Sound
Dirty Paws
Love Love Love
Your Bones
King and Lionheart
Lakehouse
Sloom
Slow and Steady
Yellow Light
Six Weeks
From Finner

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Your Bones
Yellow Light
From Finner
Dirty Paws
Slow And Steady
Love Love Love
Lakehouse
Mountain Sound
Sloom
King And Lionheart
Six Weeks
Little Talks

Finally able to put a name to Little Talks! It definitely suffers from overplay for me, at one of my old jobs they always had the same radio station on that played the same 10 or so songs, Little Talks being one of them. I grew to really dislike it just from hearing it nonstop for almost two years. If the two tracks from the original release were added here then Numb Bears would be #13 and Sinking Man would be #9

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1. Love Love Love - wasn't expecting such a relatively simple song to end up being my favorite but Nanna's vocals and lyrics and just so good here
2. King and Lionheart
3. Mountain Sound
4. From Finner
5. Dirty Paws
6. Little Talks
7. Your Bones
8. Yellow Light
9. Slow and Steady
10. Lakehouse
11. Six Weeks
12. Sloom - most of this album ranged from ok to good, but I couldn't stand this song. So bland and repetitive

overall, this album objectively sounded good the whole way through, but at the same time, more than half of the album sounds like basically the same song

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I listened to this album a fair few times when it came out, but after digesting it a bit, I came to the decision that there was something about Of Monsters and Men that made me not want to pursue their discography further when they started releasing new music. Let's see if any of that opinion holds up.

Little Talks
Mountain Sound
Dirty Paws
Lakehouse
Yellow Light
King And Lionheart
From Finner
Love Love Love
Sloom
Slow and Steady
Six Weeks
Your Bones

So yeah after my first listen in quite a long time, I'm left with the same gripe. Of Monsters and Men, at least on this album, rely on melodic vocal fills far too much. Don't get me wrong, I love a good "la la la" or "oh oh oh" or "hey" or what have you, but I think I counted like nine songs on this album utilize them and at a certain point it just feels disingenuous and becomes highly distracting for me. I don't know if they stepped away from this going forward or not because I don't think I've heard a single song by them not on this album.

That being said, I do not dislike this album, though it does suffer from a bit of inconsistency. The first portion is very strong, but it suffers a drop in quality reminiscent of, though not as great as, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. There's an oasis in the middle with the best song on the album and OMAM's most recognizable tune, but the stuff surrounding it lost my attention a bit and is where the album started feeling long. Luckily it rebounds a bit in the back portion.

So yeah. I think this is a good album, but not one I go back to (nor do I hardly ever select any songs for playlists) because my brain gets annoyed by it. I recognize this as unfair, but I can't help it.

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