Board 8 > Rank the Tracks Week 73: Jack White's Fear of the Dawn

(+) 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, July 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 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).

Jack White - Fear of the Dawn track list:
1. Taking Me Back
2. Fear of the Dawn
3. The White Raven
4. Hi-De-Ho
5. Eosophobia
6. Into the Twilight
7. Dusk
8. What's the Trick
9. That Was Then (This is Now)
10. Eosophobia (Reprise)
11. Morning, Noon and Night
12. Shedding My Velvet

User Cycle:
7/31: ChichiriMuyo (The Cranberries - No Need to Argue)
8/7: BlueCrystalTear (Sunspot - Singularity)
8/14: MetalmindStats
8/21: HBJDubs
8/28: Raetsel_Lapin
9/4: TheArkOfTurus
9/11: Steiner
9/18: Snake5555555555
9/25: Jesse_Custer
10/2: ZaziGuado
10/9: firefdr
10/16: Johnbobb
10/23: VeryInsane
10/30: FoolFantastic
11/6: Seanchan
11/13: Giggsalot
11/20: RyoCaliente
11/27: darkx
12/4: neonreaper
12/11: Great_Paul
12/18: jcgamer107

Avenged Sevenfold - Avenged Sevenfold results

The participants sorted by deviation from final results:
Johnbobb (10)
HBJDubs (16)
MetalmindStats (16)
Janus5k (18)
BlueCrystalTear (20)
Great_Paul (20)
Seanchan (22)
KommunistKoala (24)
MarkS2222222222 (24)
neonreaper (28)
FoolFantastic (28)
Raetsel_Lapin (30)

General Album Comments

Seanchan: YEAH! This is so much more my speed than last week. Much like Dream Theater and Opeth, this is another band that I'd heard of, and heard at least one song from, but never dove into despite being right in my musical wheelhouse.

Also, when the lead singer gets into that "vocal growl" quality, he sounds just like, well, so many singers of this type of music, but I think my brain was maybe going to Disturbed specifically.

Snake5555555555: I first heard of this band back in '07, one of my dad's friends at the bar gave me two songs to check out - Afterlife and Seize the Day. Still two of my top favorite songs to this day.

neonreaper: It's been a while since I listened to Avenged Sevenfold. City of Evil got them attention, they cashed in on it with this album (self-titled), and then Nightmare was a truly emotional album mourning their late drummer. After Nightmare, I don't think I've really kept up with them at all. I think they're a good band and I tend to enjoy what I hear from them.

BlueCrystalTear: First listen down. I somehow persevered through that horrendous first track. It felt like needles in my back! The second track was better, and the album got acceptable after that, and I actually enjoyed a few songs. However, I have no intention on listening to "Critical Acclaim" ever again, because FUCK. THE. SCREAMING. At least that means I have one less song to worry about since last place is so easy. That is probably my least favorite song I've heard during this project.
(...)
Yeah... not gonna bother listening a third time. Two and a half times was enough for me. This was the opposite of last week: I enjoyed only a few songs and didn't enjoy the rest at all. I'm not saying this is a bad album, just that it's not my thing. For that reason, a bunch of these blended together, with only four of them standing out in some way (really, 5 through 9 could be in any order).

Seanchan: Second listen done.

It's weird, I feel like completely different songs stuck with me that time. A Little Piece Of Heaven is a funny little song. And Dear God is better than I initially gave it credit for.

FoolFantastic: I feel like my preference within metal leans entirely toward the atmospheric - this album comes at it from the opposite angle and I really struggled to get through it. It's hard for me to read this type of metal as anything more than technical grandstanding - that it's trying to impress through technique without really aspiring toward anything on an emotional level. There's a certain Coolness Factor to metal that has never clicked with me. What I do like from metal comes from its harshness, but mainstream metal like this almost never pushes hard enough to leave a lasting impact on me.

Seanchan: I liked this album quite a lot, there's really not a bad song here. I can certainly see myself listening to this again and to more Avenged Sevenfold in the future.

The top of the ranking wasn't clear cut; there wasn't a single runaway favorite. I'll second the great outro to Dear God; that song continued to grow on me each time I heard it. Not too often that Track 1 is the "worst" on the album but this was more a case of "something's got to be last" than anything else.

MarkS2222222222: I liked Afterlife a lot so I gave this one a shot. The next 4 grew on me but overall I'd say a little disappointing. They're kinda silly

MetalmindStats: I have no choice but to admit I genuinely enjoyed this album almost (not a comment on any one song) all the way through. Indeed, I was eager to fit in a fourth spin of its own volition, not just because I didn't feel ready to rank its tracks after three.

Janus5k: Avenged Sevenfold occasionally come off as cheesy to me, like they really want to sound edgy and/or spooky with their lyrics and guitar lines... but at the same time they're solid musicians and have some genuinely fun tracks. I have a lot of nostalgia for playing some of their songs on Guitar Hero/Rock Band and their self-titled in particular has a couple tracks that are very ingrained in my mind. Not a fan of their softer stuff in general but even those songs have their moments.

Avenged Sevenfold track ranking

10. Brompton Cocktail (Track #7)
Score: 45 (Average Rank: 7.42/10)
Biggest Fan(s): MarkS2222222222 (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb (#10)

Janus5k: This song is fine. Takes a while to get started but otherwise isn't terribly memorable in any direction.

9. Scream (Track #3)
Score: 46 (Average Rank: 7.17/10)
Biggest Fan(s): neonreaper, FoolFantastic (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs, Great_Paul (#10)

neonreaper: Catchy.

Janus5k: A desperate struggle between some very fun guitar and some very unsettling lyrics.

8. Dear God (Track #10)
Score: 51 (Average Rank: 7.08/10)
Biggest Fan(s): BlueCrystalTear (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): MetalmindStats, Janus5k (#10)

BlueCrystalTear: Showing range by doing a country-rock song is pretty great. Perhaps they missed their calling, since it's so much more enjoyable to have something at a more laid-back pace than grunge metal noise.

neonreaper: I dig the outro.

Janus5k: Feels like it just goes on a bit too long for how little it does and the country vibes are not my thing.

7. Critical Acclaim (Track #1)
Score: 59 (Average Rank: 6.58/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): BlueCrystalTear, Seanchan (#10)

BlueCrystalTear: Easily one of the worst songs I've ever heard. I wish I could put a "20" into the average so it would score even lower, because putting it 10th doesn't do justice for how much I despise it.

Raetsel_Lapin: In direct contrast to BCT, I like angry songs and found this to be the best song here as a result.

neonreaper: I feel like this is an anthem song, it has some real fun parts, but other parts (the spoken stuff) just doesn't really land for me.

Janus5k: The random ranting really brings this down. Would be closer to the middle without it.

6. Lost (Track #8)
Score: 64 (Average Rank: 5.83/10)
Biggest Fan(s): FoolFantastic, MetalmindStats (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): neonreaper (#10)

MarkS2222222222: this might be higher without the auto-tune

Janus5k: One of the more straightforward songs on the album - just a fast little romp with some melodic guitar lines and random autotune (which I generally find off-putting but it's not awful here).

5. Gunslinger (Track #5)
Score: 69 (Average Rank: 5.58/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): FoolFantastic (#9)

Janus5k: As I said in the general album comments, I'm not a fan of their softer stuff, but this builds decently and doesn't overstay its welcome.

4. Unbound (The Wild Ride) (Track #6)
Score: 80 (Average Rank: 5.25/10)
Biggest Fan(s): neonreaper, MetalmindStats (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): KommunistKoala, Raetsel_Lapin, FoolFantastic (#10)

BlueCrystalTear: More my pace than everything below it, especially the latter half. Not much else to say.

Janus5k: The first half of this alone would have been considerably higher, but then it loses its excellent momentum and the childlike vocals really don't do it for me here.

3. Almost Easy (Track #2)
Score: 89 (Average Rank: 4.25/10)
Biggest Fan(s): KommunistKoala, Raetsel_Lapin, FoolFantastic, Janus5k (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): BlueCrystalTear, Great_Paul, Seanchan (#7)

Janus5k: I'M NOT INSANE I'M NOT INSAIIIIIIIINE yes very convincing. Not a whole lot to this song but it's a lot of fun.

2. A Little Piece of Heaven (Track #9)
Score: 112 (Average Rank: 3.5/10)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs, Great_Paul, FoolFantastic, Johnbobb (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): MarkS2222222222 (#10)

BlueCrystalTear: An epic song that segues the loudness to the closer, and it's great. Yes, we all have to die sometime, and so do with... a vampire and a ghost? Paranormal gore galore. This song is really messed up and dark, but that makes it all the more intriguing. It's one hell of a horror story.

MarkS2222222222: this sounds like panic at the disco

Janus5k: Hahahaha this is so stupidly over the top, feels like evil murder clown music. Has a few too many weaker spots to take a top spot but it's a good ride overall.

1. Afterlife (Track #4)
Score: 129 (Average Rank: 2.33/10)
Biggest Fan(s): KommunistKoala, Seanchan, MarkS2222222222, Janus5k (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): FoolFantastic (#5)

Janus5k: An old favorite that reminds me of playing Rock Band in college. Even setting nostalgia aside (mostly) it has a lot going for it - memorable riffs/guitar lines, an absolutely infectious chorus, and a blazing solo. I always go between this and Beast and the Harlot for my favorite overall A7X song.

MetalmindStats' comment on their album choices:
The core of this slate should be quite simple - three megastars of music whose critical acclaim has largely matched their commercial success, and yet theyve hardly sniffed our polls to date. Each album is arguably a product of its primary creative forces popular and artistic peak alike, with only Purple Rain falling (barely) short of being Princes highest-ranked album on Acclaimed Music, while only Like a Prayer isnt Madonnas top-rated album by Rate Your Music users.

Another similarity these albums share - even if you havent listened to them in full, youve likely at least heard a song or two from each before. Indeed, I personally am a fan of all three artists largely on the basis of their singles, though not just or even mainly singles from these albums. As I've previously said, this also reflects my album inexperience in general, alongside the related format naivete I think my comments have long since proven.

At the intersection of popular influence and personal idiosyncrasies, all three albums are significantly listenable and rankable mainstream efforts. Together, I feel they make for the logical conclusion of my slates' running themes to date, plus my second clear segue from BCT's trio.

...Well, now I feel foolish for never thinking about the possibility of mainstream 80s LFF, even though it doesn't seem to be mattering right now. I figured GYBR's 75-minute length would be a bigger barrier for us. Makes me wonder what Too Low for Zero would be doing in its place, even though that would have kind of defeated the point of my slate.

Edit: I'll just leave this post up to serve as another reminder of how rash my comments can be.

Could I be removed from the user cycle, please? Just haven't had the time/energy for this, even for the albums I already knew I liked.

MetalmindStats posted...

I figured GYBR's 75-minute length would be a bigger barrier for us. Makes me wonder what Too Low for Zero would be doing in its place, even though that would have kind of defeated the point of my slate.

That's why I voted for Purple Rain. The 75 minutes and 18 tracks (if you separate "Love Lies Bleeding") is a bit intimidating. Fantastic album, but if you wanted 70s Elton, Madman Across the Water, Honky Cat, and Capt. Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy are all great picks that have fewer tracks and less intimidating runtime.

Too Low for Zero is an underappreciated gem in Sir Elton John's discography. I would have probably voted for that.

First listen done.

That was not what I expected! Certainly a different sound than The White Stripes. Jack also sounds a little different but I guess thats what 20 years will do.

bump

Amazing how this poll has 21 votes; mine last week had only 8 because of its very nature. I must wonder how many people who voted in this poll will actually attempt to participate that week.

I'll do my first listen tomorrow probably. Kinda busy.

I will!

Probably

up

1: Shedding My Velvet
2: Taking Me Back
3: Into The Twilight
4: Fear Of The Dawn
5: That Was Then (This is Now)
6: The White Raven
7: Morning, Noon and Night
8: Dusk
9: Eosophobia (Reprise)
10: Eosophobia
11: Hi-De-Ho
12: What's The Trick?

This is a great album, one of the few where I can say I didn't dislike a single song. Very glad we covered this one and I got a chance to find several Jack White songs I like after my response to the last album featuring him.

Shedding My Velvet
Taking Me Back
The White Raven
Morning, Noon and Night
What's The Trick?
Eosophobia (Reprise)
Eosophobia
Hi-De-Ho
Fear Of The Dawn
That Was Then, This Is Now
Into The Twilight
Dusk

I dislike almost all of Jack White's content, but I actually kinda dig this album. I am pleasantly surprised! This is why I like participating in these; you never know when something you would normally never give a chance proves you wrong.

BlueCrystalTear posted...

That's why I voted for Purple Rain. The 75 minutes and 18 tracks (if you separate "Love Lies Bleeding") is a bit intimidating. Fantastic album, but if you wanted 70s Elton, Madman Across the Water, Honky Cat, and Capt. Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy are all great picks that have fewer tracks and less intimidating runtime.

I was definitely spoiled for choice as far as Elton John goes, that much is true. However, as I alluded to before (and as I should have summarized my slate), my idea was to go with the closest thing to each artist's definitive album. I'd certainly think that would have to be GYBR in Elton's case.

BlueCrystalTear posted...

Amazing how this poll has 21 votes; mine last week had only 8 because of its very nature. I must wonder how many people who voted in this poll will actually attempt to participate that week.

I can't remember any previous poll exceeding 20 votes this quickly, but we've had others ultimately reach the mark before without participation anywhere near that in the winning album's week. I think it's probably more relevant to measure the winner's votal as a gauge of potential participation, which for example would have nailed Appetite for Destruction as a high-participation week compared to the others around it.

Yeah no, regardless of length, I'd argue you absolutely can't skip to another Elton album without doing GYBR first

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road may be long, but it also switches through several distinct styles and has several all-timers which should make the top 5 unpredictable - and it's pretty much an excellent record from end to end, so no wading through boring filler...besides one obvious weak link.

It and Purple Rain are both albums we definitely need to cover someday - Like a Prayer probably also belongs on that pedestal, but I think it will struggle to get votes if not set against other pop albums...

Bump

fyi this hasn't happened for me yet, as I've been both insanely busy and busily insane. I hope to get a first listen in tomorrow and a second Saturday..

Into the Twilight
Hi-De-Ho
Shedding My Velvet
Fear of the Dawn
Morning, Noon and Night
That Was Then (This is Now)
Taking Me Back
The White Raven
Eosophobia
Eosophobia (Reprise)
What's the Trick
Dusk

Fairly easy to digest most of this album. I think my ordering was pretty clear after the first spin.

Did Morning, Noon, and Night sound like a Beatles song to anyone else?

I tried listening. I lasted two and a half songs before I realized that this album was nothing more than someone yelling over a lot of noise. I hated every second of it. Another week's version of myself might've loved this but this week's me didn't. This headache is exactly what I didn't need right now.

See you guys next week.

1. The White Raven

2. Fear of the Dawn

3. Eosophobia

4. Morning, Noon and Night

5. That Was Then, This Is Now

6. Shedding My Velvet

7. Taking Me Back

8. What's The Trick?

9. Eosophobia - Reprise

10. Hi-De-Ho

11. Into the Twilight

12. Dusk

My ranking:
Taking Me Back
The White Raven
What's the Trick
That Was Then (This is Now)
Fear of the Dawn
Shedding My Velvet
Morning, Noon and Night
Into the Twilight
Eosophobia
Dusk
Eosophobia (Reprise)
Hi-De-Ho

you know I was a little hesitant about doing a Jack White solo album. I listened to Blunderbuss, his original solo album, and though it was just okay? Like it was immediately forgettable; it really just kinda sounded like a White Stripes album, but with less personality. But that was also a decade ago, and it's nice to see he's reshaped his sound a lot into something that's much, much more distinct than years back. This album was surprisingly incredible. I kept listening kinda just hoping for a song that wasn't a standout so it'd be easier to rank, and I never really found one (except Dusk, which barely counts).

1. Fear of the Dawn
2. Eosophobia
3. Hi-De-Ho
4. Into the Twilight
5. The White Raven
6. Taking Me Back
7. Morning, Noon and Night
8. That Was Then (This is Now)
9. Shedding My Velvet
10. Eosophobia (Reprise)
11. What's the Trick?
12. Dusk

oh almost forgot to include this, always relevant to Jack White solo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUBtJT6Nx_M

Has anyone mentioned yet that Jack White released a second album this year just last weekend? Busy guy.

FoolFantastic posted...

Has anyone mentioned yet that Jack White released a second album this year just last weekend? Busy guy.

I saw that when looking up this album. Kinda makes me wonder if he just got carried away making a giant album and then decided to split it into 2

1. The White Raven
2. Fear of the Dawn
3. Shedding My Velvet
4. Taking Me Back
5. That Was Then (This is Now)
6. What's the Trick
7. Eosophobia
8. Eosophobia (Reprise)
9. Hi-De-Ho
10. Morning, Noon and Night
11. Into the Twilight
12. Dusk

This one was a pleasant surprise. I wasn't the biggest fan of Elephant, so I was kind of dreading doing another Jack White album. Thankfully this is a very different sound than The White Stripes. Other than the bottom 2, my ranking is pretty fluid; this is another one of those albums where there wasn't a super clear cut #1. I also think I liked this more as an album than I did any individual tracks. Still, the fact that I did an extra listen to this during the week is a pretty good indication that I enjoyed it.

My album of the year so far, 'Fear of the Dawn' is a major return to form for Jack's solo career, featuring more intricate composition and mixing, bolstered by his trademark garage rock energy.

1) Eosophobia
My #1 summer jam. Starts a bit inconspicuously but builds into a contagiously energetic chorus, contrasting with its brooding half-time verse.

2) What's the Trick
Maybe the track that sounds most like an old-school White Stripes song. Jack's guitar is raw and menacing here.

3) Taking Me Back
A very good choice for the album's main single. Cool 'strobe' effect on the guitar.

4) White Raven
Up until right now I thought he was saying A Wine Machine Gun, A Wine Machine Gun. Classic weird Jack White vocals.

5) Hi-De-Ho
I had no idea what to make of this for the first several listens, but now I love it. Q-Tip crushes it. A wild mish-mash of like 5 different genres.

6) That Was Then (This is Now)
Only weak part of this is when he finally gets to the song's title. I really dig the repeated triplet drum fill that ends at what sounds like a brake drum.

7) Into the Twilight
Manages to stay interesting for almost 5 minutes with hardly any lyrical structure

8) Fear of the Dawn
Pretty much just 2 minutes of Jack soloing which is a-ok

9) Morning, Noon and Night
A solid track that marks the winding down of the album. Has a charming old-timey blues sound to it but with a basic keyboard riff and an almost-intentionally dissonant solo.

10) Eosophobia (Reprise)
Love the 'chugging' opening to this. Would still be OK as just a standalone song separate from Eosophobia.

11) Shedding My Velvet
Even as a more somber, 'downer' track, it has some pretty sick guitar

12) Dusk
Not much to this of course but it's a fine little interlude

1. Taking Me Back
2. Hi-De-Ho
3. Shedding My Velvet
4. Into the Twilight
5. Whats the Trick
6. Morning, Noon and Night
7. The White Raven
8. Eosophobia
9. That Was Then (This is Now)
10. Eosophobia (Reprise)
11. Fear of the Dawn
12. Dusk

I could just as well have ranked places 3-8 in any order.