Board 8 > Rank the Tracks Week 42: Coeur de pirate's Roses (+ Brand New results)

(+) 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, December 26 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 the user cycle - 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).

Coeur de pirate's Roses track list:
1. Carry On
2. Crier tout bas
3. I Don't Want to Break Your Heart
4. Drapeau blanc
5. Undone
6. Oceans Brawl
7. Our Love
8. Cast Away
9. Tu oublieras mon nom
10. The Way Back Home
11. Oublie-moi

User Cycle:
12/26: ZaziGuado (Lorde - Melodrama)
1/2: SpikeSetsFire (Supertramp - Breakfast in America)
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
4/3: BlueCrystalTear
4/10: MetalmindStats
4/17: HBJDubs
4/24: TheArkOfTurus
5/1: Snake5555555555
5/8: Jesse_Custer

Brand New's The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me results

The participants sorted by deviation from final results:
SpikeSetsFire (18)
Snake5555555555 (22)
HBJDubs (22)
BlueCrystalTear (24)
Blur (26)
Giggsalot (28)
Seanchan (34)
kateee (34)
Raetsel_Lapin (36)
MetalmindStats (36)
CasanovaZelos (38)
Johnbobb (50)

General Album Comments

Seanchan: Did a first listen today. Bizarrely, THIS is one of the few bands we've covered, not nominated by myself, that I've actually listened to a full album from. While I'd heard parts of Your Favorite Weapon, it was Deja Entendu that got quite a bit of play back when I was in college.

The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me was new to me though and I was enjoying it, or at least parts of it. At any rate, it did make me go back and listen to Deja Entendu again for the first time in forever and, yes, that's still pretty good. Though I wasn't enjoying the practically 20 year mental trip back in time it created... There's something about some of the "screamy" vocals in parts of Brand New's albums that feels firmly rooted in that early/mid 2000s culture that's a little offputting.

Giggsalot: this is a super difficult album to listen to for a multitude of reasons, but it really is pretty unimpeachable at what it does

Seanchan: Just did my 2nd "prelim" ranking listen. This is going to be one of those tough to rank albums, I can tell already.

As I've only done the 2 listens, it's hard to truly judge against Deja Entendu, but this one doesn't feel as "fun" to me. It's also an album that makes me feel "lyrically deaf". As in, the words on a lot of the songs are just not reaching my brain with any level of comprehension of overall meaning. But that's probably just a me thing.

Blur: One of the greatest albums of all time. Many days, I think it is the best record ever made. Literally impossible to rank the top 5. You could interchange them in the rankings and I wouldn't remotely care. Sowing Season was my #1 originally for example, and I have no reason to have now put it at 4 except this is a perfect record that is impossible to rank in a topic like this.

Johnbobb: Didn't really care for this album much at all past the first song.

CasanovaZelos: This was pleasant enough, but I found the strength of the album to be the juxtaposition between tracks. There isn't much distance between my placements here.

MetalmindStats (replying to Seanchan): This has also approximated my experience with it so far, for what it's worth.

Seanchan (responding to MetalmindStats): Glad to know I'm not the one one? I felt like I was just missing a layer with this album. When we listened to Taylor Swift it was obviously the focus on the lyrics and storytelling, but it was also easy to follow. Then we've had stuff like Iron Maiden, Spice Girls, or The Knife where it's more about the instrumentation and/or the "vibe", and I don't care (or don't have to care) about the lyrics.

With The Devil and God...I couldn't escape the idea that I was missing something by not understanding the story and the lyrics and the meaning of the songs. For example, I did a tiny bit of research behind Limousine and found out it's based on a true story of a seven year old girl getting killed by a drunk driver. Was the girl someone related to a band member? (Pretty sure that's not the case.) Did the story touch a nerve with a band member because of them having a history with drunk driving? There's also seemingly a lot of religious references in these songs. Why is that?

Unfortunately, I'm usually just looking to enjoy an album with these rankings and not deep dive into the circumstances behind a band's output. And so, for better or worse, I'm mostly left to judge based on surface impressions.

MetalmindStats: Sorry Snake, I feel bad even posting this.

I must admit, I'm relieved more than anything that this album did nothing for me even in isolation. It comes off as a sort of dense, disparate tone poem - too dense and disparate to grasp, as I touched on before. Yet it's somehow united by Brand New's musical sensibility and subject matter seemingly woven from Lacey's neuroses, ego, and, frankly, misdeeds. Obtuse yet emotionally vulnerable, a certain personal touch feels abundant here. It's an approach that clearly has worked for many others over the years, but here and now, I find it moreso impedes some surprisingly engaging compositions. That might be a mere artifact of my mental blinders and musical biases, though. Ultimately, I'm walking away from it feeling dreadfully conflicted, circling around to emptiness. I recognize that there's something here I'm not getting, but not why I should care about what I'm missing, much less enough to ignore its baggage.

Snake5555555555: Don't feel bad, I'm just glad you gave it a chance and to be honest, I think walking away from this album conflicted and even a little empty is a perfectly valid feeling to have from this album. I didn't come away from my first listen totally loving this album, it genuinely took me awhile and close listens to really appreciate it. I relate to many of the songs here, while some lyrics are still shrouded in mystery for me and I enjoy that aspect of the album. It's why it continues to grow on me and I still enjoy every repeated listen. There's a certain darkness & anxiety-inducing fear in this album I've ever rarely felt from any other musical work and that includes warts and all.

ChichiriMuyo: I couldn't get through this album because each time I tried I felt distressingly depressed.

BlueCrystalTear: This is a very hard album to rank because the tracks are - for the most part - pretty equal. There aren't many true standouts because, save for one, I'd give them all between a B+ and A. This was brutal to do with a single listen so I had to go through a few a second time.

Giggsalot: so, uh, yeah. this thing.

this isn't a style of music I typically enjoy, but this is a hell of a record. I agree with Chichiri that it's a profoundly difficult listen, but therein lies its power - it's rare to hear a record paint quite such a harrowing portrait of shame, insecurity and self-loathing as this one (the takes above calling this emotionally opaque are baffling and fascinating to me, i couldn't disagree more). the fact that we now know precisely why lacey was feeling so guilty only adds an extra layer of "challenge" to the listening experience. fortunately (or otherwise, you decide), it's worth the effort because the music is so damn good - the band really steals the best of the LCW-era modest mouse sound, and the added post-hardcore snarl of the guitars really sells the whole thing too. this is immaculately packaged despair, and there's a place in the world for that - just don't expect me to listen to it often

MetalmindStats (responding to Giggsalot); I should clarify - when I called it obtuse, I was not dinging its vulnerability, the way Lacey evidently bared his soul in its creation. I used the word mostly to indicate how personally inaccessible I found it in spite of those characteristics.

The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me track ranking

12. Welcome to Bangkok (Track #7)
Score: 39 (Average Rank: 9.92/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): SpikeSetsFire, Blur, MetalmindStats, BlueCrystalTear (#12)

11. Untitled (Track #10)
Score: 43 (Average Rank: 9.42/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Blur, Johnbobb (#5)
Biggest Detractor(s): Snake5555555555, CasanovaZelos, Seanchan, Giggsalot (#12)

10. Luca (Track #9)
Score: 52 (Average Rank: 8.67/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb, CasanovaZelos (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#12)

9. Not the Sun (Track #8)
Score: 63 (Average Rank: 7.83/12)
Biggest Fan(s): MetalmindStats (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Blur, Raetsel_Lapin, BlueCrystalTear (#11)

8. Handcuffs (Track #12)
Score: 81 (Average Rank: 6.42/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): kateee (#12)

7. Archers (Track #11)
Score: 91 (Average Rank: 6/12)
Biggest Fan(s): CasanovaZelos, MetalmindStats, BlueCrystalTear (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb (#12)

6. You Won't Know (Track #6)
Score: 92 (Average Rank: 6.17/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Snake5555555555, kateee (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb (#11)

5. Degausser (Track #4)
Score: 95 (Average Rank: 5.42/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Blur (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): SpikeSetsFire, Johnbobb (#9)

4. Millstone (Track #2)
Score: 97 (Average Rank: 5.67/12)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs, MetalmindStats (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Giggsalot (#9)

3. Sowing Season (Yeah) (Track #1)
Score: 112 (Average Rank: 4.58/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb, Giggsalot (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seanchan (#9)

2. Limousine (Track #5)
Score: 122 (Average Rank: 4.42/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Blur, Seanchan, BlueCrystalTear (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#12)

1. Jesus Christ (Track #3)
Score: 133 (Average Rank: 3.5/12)
Biggest Fan(s): SpikeSetsFire, Raetsel_Lapin, CasanovaZelos (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): MetalmindStats, Giggsalot (#7)

Johnbobb's comments on the album choices:

Slipknot - Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses

Aside from just being my personal favorite metal album (and an album I fell into completely by accident as a teenager), it's also likely the album that defined Slipknot, transitioning between thrash style in the 90s to the more groove metal in the later 2000s, and snagging them a Grammy. It's an album by a band so big, it features 3 backing vocalists, a turntable, and a guy who hits metal barrels with a baseball bat in a clown mask.

Soundgarden - Superunknown

While Nirvana's "Nevermind" always seems to get the attention as the go-to grunge album, I'd argue it's either Superunknown or Pearl Jam's "Ten" (which I also considered nominating) that should take the title. Chris Cornell's death hit me harder than probably any other celebrity's in the last decade, and it only makes me want to listen to him more.

Ween - The Mollusk

The Mollusk is a short, weird, concept album that feels distinct from pretty much anything else I've listened to, shifting wildly from song to song, and I'm just legitimately curious what a ranking of this one would potentially look like. I've listened through several times and I'm still not sure how to feel about it!

Oceans Brawl
Carry On
Oublie-moi
Crier tout bas
Our Love
The Way Back Home
Cast Away
Tu oublieras mon nom
Drapeau blanc
Undone
I Dont Want to Break Your Heart

Ooh. I think this is the first time I've ever been first on the deviation results. Cool!

Haha! You know its funny, there was something about The Devil and God that reminded me of The Subliminal Verses but I didnt bring it up.

bump

Coeur de Pirate, huh? The Child of Light composer?

I'm trying to figure out if I want to do three very recent pop albums for my week, or three late-2000s folk albums. Choices, choices...

azuarc posted...

Coeur de Pirate, huh? The Child of Light composer?

I wasnt aware of that soundtrack until you mentioned it, but yes.

Did a first listen to Roses. I have to say, it's a bit of a breath of fresh air over last week! The singer and the general sound reminds me very much of Of Monsters And Men. Looking forward to doing some more listens.

Oh, and it was nice to literally not stress lyrics when I literally can't understand the French words on around half the songs!

bump

I gave it a listen last night. I enjoyed it. I'll probably give it another play and try and rank them.

Le Bump

Just did a 2nd listen. Still enjoying this one very much.

It's funny, my first listen, I had to cut in half due to time. So, when I listened to the back half of the album, I was a little taken aback as it sounded different than the first half but I wasn't sure.

This second listen confirms though, that yes, there IS a bit of a tonal shift in the second half. (Minus the last song, of course, which is just the first song but with French lyrics.) And now I'm thinking there's maybe a bit of an overall story in the album about maybe falling in and out of love (or something along those lines).

Seanchan posted...

This second listen confirms though, that yes, there IS a bit of a tonal shift in the second half. (Minus the last song, of course, which is just the first song but with French lyrics.) And now I'm thinking there's maybe a bit of an overall story in the album about maybe falling in and out of love (or something along those lines).

This is interesting and I never noticed it before. Due to the French songs, I never paid much attention to the lyrics overall, but now Im curious to do so.

While it would be nice to see more participants, Im glad to see the reactions so far have been positive.

1: Undone
2: Crier tout bas
3: Drapeau blanc
4: Oublie-moi
5: Oceans Brawl
6: Carry On
7: I Don't Want to Break Your Heart
8: Tu oublieras mon nom
9: Our Love
10: The Way Back Home
11: Cast Away

Ill do a ranking some point in the next couple of days

Maybe Ill just do a variety of stuff Ive been liking lately, though was initially thinking of a theme

Oceans Brawl
Carry On
The Way Back Home
Cast Away
I Don't Want To Break Your Heart
Tu oublieras mon nom
Crier tout bas
Our Love
Undone
Drapeau Blanc
Oublie-moi

To borrow GameFAQs contest terminology, Oublie-moi gets hit with SFF, as given the choice I'm always going to pick the English version. The album overall is great!

1. Carry On
2. Oublie-moi
3. Drapeau blanc
4. Cast Away
5. Crier tout bas
6. I Don't Want to Break Your Heart
7. The Way Back Home
8. Undone
9. Oceans Brawl
10. Our Love
11. Tu oublieras mon nom

I think it stinks that the combination of an artist without huge name recognition and a holiday week means that this album isn't going to get the play it deserves. Hopefully I'm proven wrong and we get a bunch of lists later tonight and early tomorrow.

My praise for this album is effusive. The combination of vocals, instrumentation, and tone (sort of a melancholic hopefulness?) really comes together to create something wonderful. This one got a rare four listens from me this week! And it was one of those rankings where I felt like so many of my preliminary placements were too low because there's really not a weak track here.

Even if you don't get a chance to do a ranking, at least give this one a listen. I'm setting expectations too high but this is one of those hidden gems that wouldn't have ever crossed my path without these topics.

Happy holidays to all who participate in Rank the Tracks!
---

1. Crier tout bas
2. I Dont Want to Break Your Heart
3. Oceans Brawl
4. Our Love
5. Carry On
6. Drapeau blanc
7. Cast Away
8. Undone
9. Oublie-moi
10. Tu oublieras mon nom
11. The Way Back Home

Roses is proof positive that some albums can add up to too much of a good thing, at least for me. There's lots to like about it, all of which I found tempered by its own oversaturation. Coeur de pirate certainly has a pretty voice, but her range feels lacking; the unique flourishes liven up the instrumentation, but in their consistency can't cure the samey sound; songwriting about frayed romantic relationships immersed in oceanic prose effectively evokes a tone but blends together more than I'd like. All in all, I feel it's quite good but not quite great, and less than the sum of its parts - the inverse of the previous Francophone album we tackled.

Carry On
Cast Away
Oublie-moi
Tu oublieras mon nom
Crier tout bas
Drapeau blanc
Oceans Brawl
The Way Back Home
Undone
Our Love
I Don't Want to Break Your Heart

Here's a list that would probably shuffle upon another listen. I don't know if it's because I'm super tired or what, but things started to sound a little same-y by the end (and I'm aware the first and last song are the same song). The four French language tracks are all good and just ended up slotted next to each other, but I didn't really listen to lyrics that closely on either listen. This was a good, tight, polished album. It didn't inspire me, but it was enjoyable.

1. Crier tout bas
2. Our Love
3. Ocean's Brawl
4. Carry On
5. Oublie-moi
6. Undone
7. I Don't Want to Break Your Heart - This would EASILY be a top tier song for the album without that weird rap toward the end
8. Tu oublieras mon nom
9. Drapeau blanc
10. The Way Back Home
11. Cast Away

this was a fantastic fucking album that I didn't see coming at all

I'm going to listen in the morning and then figure out the results unless someone else is planning to participate and lets me know

My rank:
Oublie-moi
Carry On
Crier tout bas
Tu oublieras mon nom
Undone
Cast Away
Oceans Brawl
The Way Back Home
Our Love
Drapeau blanc
I Don't Want to Break Your Heart