Board 8 > Rank the Tracks Week 43: Lorde's Melodrama (+ Coeur de pirate's Roses 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, January 2 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).

Lorde's Melodrama track list:
1. Green Light
2. Sober
3. Homemade Dynamite
4. The Louvre
5. Liability
6. Hard Feelings/Loveless
7. Sober II (Melodrama)
8. Writer in the Dark
9. Supercut
10. Liability (Reprise)
11. Perfect Places

User Cycle:
1/2: SpikeSetsFire (Supertramp - Breakfast in America)
1/9: Johnbobb (Soundgarden - Superunknown)
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
5/15: ZaziGuado

Coeur de pirate's Roses results

The participants sorted by deviation from final results:
Johnbobb (24)
Jesse_Custer (26)
MetalmindStats (26)
CasanovaZelos (26)
Raetsel_Lapin (28)
Seanchan (28)
ZaziGuado (28)
HBJDubs (38)

General Album Comments

Seanchan: 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!

Seanchan: 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).

Jesse_Custer (responding to Seanchan): 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.

Seanchan: 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.

MetalmindStats: 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.

ZaziGuado: 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.

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

Roses track ranking

11. The Way Back Home (Track #10)
Score: 34 (Average Rank: 7.88/11)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): MetalmindStats (#11)

10. Tu oublieras mon nom (Track #9)
Score: 37 (Average Rank: 7.38/11)
Biggest Fan(s): ZaziGuado, CasanovaZelos (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seanchan (#11)

9. I Don't Want to Break Your Heart (Track #3)
Score: 38 (Average Rank: 7.5/11)
Biggest Fan(s): MetalmindStats (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): ZaziGuado, Jesse_Custer, CasanovaZelos (#11)

8. Our Love (Track #7)
Score: 41 (Average Rank: 7.13/11)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seanchan, ZaziGuado (#10)

7. Drapeau blanc (Track #4)
Score: 42 (Average Rank: 7/11)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin, Seanchan (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs, CasanovaZelos (#10)

6. Undone (Track #5)
Score: 44 (Average Rank: 7/11)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Jesse_Custer (#10)

5. Cast Away (Track #8)
Score: 46 (Average Rank: 6.5/11)
Biggest Fan(s): ZaziGuado (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin, Johnbobb (#11)

4. Oublie-moi (Track #11)
Score: 66 (Average Rank: 4.75/11)
Biggest Fan(s): CasanovaZelos (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#11)

3. Oceans Brawl (Track #6)
Score: 70 (Average Rank: 4.5/11)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs, Jesse_Custer (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seanchan (#9)

2. Crier tout bas (Track #2)
Score: 79 (Average Rank: 3.5/11)
Biggest Fan(s): MetalmindStats, Johnbobb (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#7)

1. Carry On (Track #1)
Score: 87 (Average Rank: 2.88/11)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan, ZaziGuado (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#6)

VeryInsane has not yet provided comments for this week's poll, but I don't think any of these need much of an introduction - they're largely considered the best album in their respective genres (Contemporary R&B for Lauryn Hill, Experimental Rock for The Velvet Underground, and Shoegaze for My Bloody Valentine). All three are frequently listed among the greatest albums ever recorded.

Of course, The Velvet Underground & Nico is my second favorite album ever, so it gets my vote.

bump

Up

The album which proved Lorde was here to stay while also kicking off a string of instant classic pop albums produced by Jack Antonoff. I started paying more attention to pop music during the 2010s, but I truly believe this has less to do with a change in personal taste as much as this new batch of pop stars being genuinely talented. Lorde herself has a lot to do with this perception - Pure Heroine helped solidify a brand of mellow pop (a path very much established by Lana Del Rey, but Lorde helped make it mainstream). Even as Melodrama goes a bit wider, it avoids my common issue of pop songs so catchy they become annoying. Lorde shows just the right amount of restraint here, a set of moody, catchy pieces that never overstay their welcome. This is one of the all-time great pop albums, end to end classics.

Green Light (#276 all-time)
Perfect Places (#2381 all-time)
The Louvre
Homemade Dynamite
Supercut
Sober
Writer in the Dark
Liability
Hard Feelings/Loveless
Sober II (Melodrama)
Liability (Reprise)

one of my favorite albums ever

1. The Louvre
2. Liability
3. Supercut
4. Hard Feelings / Loveless
5. Sober II
6. Sober
7. Liability (Reprise)
8. Writer in the Dark
9. Green Light
10. Perfect Places
11. Homemade Dynamite

Up

I've done two isolated listens where I actively ranked the songs to try and finalize a ranking. The top track will always be the same, and the bottom five tracks didn't shift at all between the two listens. But those non-top upper half songs shuffled around a bit. I'll do one more later on in the week and we'll see what I end up with.

1. Green Light
2. Hard Feelings/Loveless
3. The Louvre
4 Supercut
5. Sober
6. Sober II (Melodrama)
7. Homemade Dynamite
8. Writer in the Dark
9. Liability
10. Liability (Reprise)
11. Perfect Places

I've got my 3 pack for my next turn in the user cycle in 6 months time and shit am I excited! You all should be too!

amazing album, probably my favorite pop album

1. Homemade Dynamite
2. Green Light
3. Perfect Places
4. The Louvre
5. Sober
6. Supercut
7. Hard Feelings/Loveless
8. Liability
9. Writer in the Dark
10. Sober II (Melodrama)
11. Liability (Reprise)

also sign me up for the user cycle please

Did a first listen today. Went in with low expectations, as I'm not really a fan of Royals (which I think is the only song of Lorde I've heard?) and was pleasantly surprised!

Bump

1: The Louvre
2: Liability
3: Supercut
4: Homemade Dynamite
5: Sober
6: Green Light
7: Hard Feelings/Loveless
8: Perfect Places
9: Liability (Reprise)
10: Sober II (Melodrama)
11: Writer In The Dark

Hope this week doesn't go under-voted due to holidays (It's a really great album guys!)

I hope to get to this. I've been very busy all week.

Bump

Green Light - Something about this song has just never clicked with me and I think it has to do with the lyrics and their delivery. I'm not really able to break it down. It's still an enjoyable listen, though.

Sober - Sober is another song that never truly gets off the ground for me. It's amazing how much I enjoy this album and how often I'm willing to listen to it despite it taking a couple of songs to really get going. The horns here are fun, though. I don't dislike the song at all, it's just not a good handshake for the beginning of the album.

Homemade Dynamite - Ah here is where we start going places. Great chorus and great flow on the verses. I've always been a fan of verses that weave in and out of rapid fire lyrics. And as an aside, I also don't hate the remix of this song that you can find out there with Khalid and other popular mainstream acts.

The Louvre - Fuck this song is great. I could do without the boom boom boom parts, but everything else is fantastic. These are probably Lorde's best verses on the album, especially that second one. I could also do without the fade out, but it's good enough. I just want more of the meat of the song.

Liability - I have very few grips with this song. The verses and chorus are both great. I think Lorde does pop better than somber piano ballad, but she's definitely not bad at it and this is an upper tier song on the album.

Hard Feelings/Loveless - This song should've been split up. The two parts are so distinct and being connected ends up dragging both down. There's even a pause between the two sections! Hard Feelings is the weakest part. It's not bad, but the issue is I enjoy Loveless more so the entire time during Hard Feelings I'm just waiting to reach Loveless and don't really want to talk about Hard Feelings which is just pretty okay. The sing-songy bratty playground style of Loveless is a fun ride.

Sober II (Melodrama) - This song is sneaky super good. I wish it was just plainly the title track rather than being linked to one of the weaker tracks on the album, though. It feels like Lorde at her most bitter here. The verses are super biting here.

Writer in the Dark - I really don't like the lyric "bet you rue the day you kissed a writer in the dark" because the in the dark portion seems so superfluous, but everything else about this song is on point, especially that damn chrous. That upper register she hits is simultaneously beautiful and grating in its shrillness which is fully intended as a compliment. I also like how the strings conclude rather than fade out to end the song. I've never been a fan of fading out to end a song.

Supercut - The pre-chorus parts are the star here, as well as the bridge. Probably the best bridge on the album. I think it can be considered a bridge. Song construction often eludes me. If I was a decision-maker, I'd have pushed for this to be the lead single from the album. The premise of the song is a neat one as well. Takes too long to end, though.

Liability (Reprise) - I can appreciate what they were going for here, it just falls a little short for me.

Perfect Places - Without a doubt the best song on the album. I've wanted to say other songs had the best chorus or pre-chorus or was most catchiest or anything, but I couldn't with Perfect Places lingering. The chorus is so damn explosive and cathartic. How this song didn't take over the airwaves is beyond me. It feels like an anthem for a generation. Minor gripe is I wish the second verse had as much meat as the first one did. It just seems to limp into the chorus again.

Perfect Places
The Louvre
Homemade Dynamite
Sober II (Melodrama)
Supercut
Writer in the Dark
Liability
Hard Feelings/Loveless
Green Light
Sober
Liability (Reprise)

While I appear to have many critiques of this album, I still love it very much. Lorde, to me, is a very imperfect artist and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Up

1. Supercut
2. Green Light
3. Sober
4. Sober II (Melodrama)
5. Perfect Places
6. Homemade Dynamite
7. Writer in the Dark
8. Hard Feelings/Loveless
9. The Louvre
10. Liability
11. Liability (Reprise)

There's so much I want to say about Melodrama, most of it glowing. It's largely a bunch of disorganized thoughts, though, and I don't want to act like I'm burgeoning with unique insights about music I'm out of the loop for missing up until now. What I will say is that combining Hard Feelings and Loveless (plus placing the song in the exact middle of Melodrama) feels purposeful in a way characteristic of this uncommonly clever and perceptive - and no less fun for it - album as a whole.

1. Supercut
2. Homemade Dynamite
3. The Louvre
4. Green Light
5. Liability
6. Hard Feelings/Loveless
7. Perfect Places
8. Sober
9. Sober II (Melodrama)
10. Writer in the Dark
11. Liability (Reprise)

This is a solidly good album. It just didn't resonate with me like it clearly did with some of the other rankers. I'm still glad to have listened to it though, as I now have a better understanding of Lorde's style and place in pop music.

1. Supercut
2. The Louvre
3. Hard Feelings/Loveless
4. Green Light
5. Homemade Dynamite
6. Perfect Places
7. Sober
8. Liability (Reprise)
9. Sober II (Melodrama)
10. Liability
11. Writer in the Dark

There's a significant gap for me between my top 6 and bottom five. The better half of this album is excellent; it's a pleasant mix of chill and upbeat, with an artsy electronic feel. I was way more into it than I thought I would be. The lesser half though... it goes a lot sappier, with lyrics sounding less darkly dramatic and more aligned with a teenager's diary. These songs also seem to go a lot heavier on repetition, and they're significantly less quality compared to the better songs on the album.

This didn't really resonate with me at all...nothing is bad, but nothing really stuck out other than the opener and the closer

Green Light
Perfect Places
Supercut
Sober
Sober II (Melodrama)
Homemade Dynamite
Hard Feelings/Loveless
Writer In The Dark
The Louvre
Liability (Reprise)
Liability

The Louvre
Green Light
Writer in the Dark
Supercut
Perfect Places
Liability
Sober
Hard Feelings/Loveless
Homemade Dynamite
Liability (Reprise)
Sober II

The funny thing is I remember the first few tracks very well, but the back half took a while to get acclimated to, even though Ive definitely heard the songs before in the past