Board 8 > Rank the Tracks 134: Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (+ Rusted Root/The Cure results)

(+) Yeah! (+)

Giggsalot's week:
Frank Ocean - Blonde
vs.
The Weeknd - House of Balloons
vs.
FKA twigs - Magdalene

Previous results can be seen here:
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks_Set_2
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks_Set_3

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 1st at 4:00 PM Central Time; the future week poll will close earlier, when I am putting up the next topic
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

Sufjan Stevens - Illinois track listing (with simplified titles, songs in parentheses will not be ranked):
1. Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois
2. The Black Hawk War
3. Come On! Feel the Illinoise!
4. John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
5. Jacksonville
(6. A Short Reprise for Mary Todd)
7. Decatur
(8. One Last Whoo-hoo! For the Pullman)
9. Chicago
10. Casimir Pulaski Day
11. To the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region
12. The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts
13. Prairie Fire That Wanders About
(14. A Conjunction of Drones)
15. The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades
16. They Are Night Zombies!!
(17. Let's Hear That String Part Again)
(18. In This Temple as in the Hearts of Man)
19. The Seer's Tower
20. The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders
(21. Riff and Variations on a Single Note)
22. Out of Egypt

Current cycle:
10/1: Seanchan (Jessie Ware - That! Feels Good!)
10/8: rwlh's bonus (Sade - Love Deluxe)
10/15: Giggsalot
10/22: RyoCaliente
10/29: darkx
11/5: Steiner/Giggsalot/jcgamer107
11/12: neonreaper
11/19: Great_Paul
11/26: jcgamer107
12/3: Snake5555555555/RyoCaliente/BlueCrystalTear
12/10: ChichiriMuyo
12/17: BlueCrystalTear
12/24: rwlh
12/31: NFUN/Fluttershy_Pony/ChichiriMuyo
1/7: NFUN
1/14: StifledSilence
1/21: MaxGalactica
1/28: ZaziGuado/HBJDubs
2/4: Sheep007

Future Cycle:
2/11: HBJDubs
2/18: Fluttershy_Pony
2/25: Steiner
3/3: competitive week
3/10: Snake5555555555
3/17: ZaziGuado
3/24: firefdr
3/31: competitive week
4/7: Johnbobb
4/14: FoolFantastic

Rusted Root - When I Woke results

The participants sorted by deviation from final results:
Sheep007 (20)
MaxGalactica (24)
Mega_Mana (24)
FoolFantastic (28)
Johnbobb (30)
Fluttershy_Pony (34)
Seanchan (36)
HBJDubs (48)

General Album Comments

Sheep007: I found it difficult to rank the four below Drum Trip; there's no bad songs here. A second listen didn't help so I'm gonna throw this in as is. Very few comments on the album as a whole, except that I enjoyed it and it's a pleasant listen.

Seanchan: There is a literal percussive force to this album that I've enjoyed quite a bit. Send Me On My Way is totally not the song that sells me on this album.

There's this whole...fantasy jam band energy here? That's not really right but I'm lacking the words. Like a bunch of disparate musicians got together and just started playing and you're like "I don't know" and then suddenly it all clicks and something beautiful and weird and manic and wonderful happens and you're like "this is the best thing I've ever heard" and you know you're not being literal but at the same time it's an energy that shouldn't be captured and instead only exist in that moment.

Johnbobb: One of my all time favorite albums, and one I went out of my way to listen to because Send Me On My Way had been one of my favorite songs for a long time. I don't really know any other music that quite compares, and I definitely don't think I could call any other mainstream album I've listened to quite so energetically upbeat and happy as this one. It's just overflowing with positivity. It's one of the very few albums where I have almost every individual song (not including Infinite Tamboura) in my regular playlist. The ranking of most of these aside from the very top and very bottom could easily all be shuffled depending on my mood.

MaxGalactica: I kinda figured Rusted Root was one of those one-hit wonder bands with Send Me On My Way, but this album was surprisingly impressive all the way through. I only found the bottom 3 to be a bit underwhelming. Back to the Earth and Ecstasy were especially good discoveries for me. Big fan of this style of folk rock, and I'll definitely be going back to it in the future.

Seanchan: This is a really cool album and one that I would have never crossed paths with if not for this project. Send Me on My Way is one of those songs you've heard all over the place in commercials or TV shows but only from that. Like I alluded to in my earlier thoughts, that's not a song that would make me seek out this album.

And so I came in no knowing much of what to expect but also with low expectations. Then Drum Trip starts and within 15 seconds it had grabbed my attention. It immediately flows right into Ecstasy and suddenly my expectations are through the roof because that's a hell of a way to open an album. Send Me... comes next, and while it's the "big hit", for me it's merely good and a come down from the high. The rest of the album is up and down after that but when it hits it's really something.

Perhaps I've just got the Rank the Albums results from Bob Marley on my mind, but I expect that this album might prove equally "divisive". I think people who like this will really like it but for some this might be a complete turn off.

HBJDubs: Similar to Bob Marley, I wouldn't go out of the way to find this kind of music, but I'll definitely vibe to it. Drum Trip especially was really cool to listen to.

FoolFantastic: This album gave me various shades of Paul Simon, Talking Heads, and U2. Especially on the Paul Simon front, this struck me as a lesser Graceland. It never really rose above being just fine.

When I Woke track ranking

13. Infinite Tamboura (Track #12)
Score: 12 (Average Rank: 12.5/13)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs (#9)
Biggest Detractor(s): Everyone Else (#13)

12. Rain (Track #8)
Score: 33 (Average Rank: 9.88/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#6)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#13)

11. Lost in a Crowd (Track #10)
Score: 41 (Average Rank: 8.88/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan, HBJDubs (#7)
Biggest Detractor(s): Fluttershy_Pony, Sheep007, Johnbobb (#10)

10. Beautiful People (Track #6)
Score: 44 (Average Rank: 8.63/13)
Biggest Fan(s): FoolFantastic (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb, MaxGalactica, Seanchan (#12)

9. Cat Turned Blue (Track #5)
Score: 49 (Average Rank: 8/13)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Mega_Mana, MaxGalactica, FoolFantastic (#10)

8. Laugh at the Sun (Track #11)
Score: 56 (Average Rank: 7/13)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): Sheep007, FoolFantastic (#11)

7. Back to the Earth (Track #13)
Score: 61 (Average Rank: 6.63/13)
Biggest Fan(s): MaxGalactica (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Mega_Mana (#12)

6. Drum Trip (Track #1)
Score: 65 (Average Rank: 6.63/13)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Fluttershy_Pony (#12)

Mega_Mana: I like how every time this starts, no matter where in my playlist or how many times in a row I've listened to these, I always think Cowboy Bebop music is about to pop out.

5. Martyr (Track #7)
Score: 72 (Average Rank: 5.88/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Mega_Mana, Sheep007, FoolFantastic (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#12)

4. Food & Creative Love (Track #9)
Score: 73 (Average Rank: 5.25/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Fluttershy_Pony (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): MaxGalactica, FoolFantastic (#8)

3. Cruel Sun (Track #4)
Score: 76 (Average Rank: 5/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb, HBJDubs (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seanchan (#11)

2. Ecstasy (Track #2)
Score: 89 (Average Rank: 4.25/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Mega_Mana, Seanchan (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#11)

1. Send Me On My Way (Track #3)
Score: 113 (Average Rank: 2.5/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Fluttershy_Pony, Sheep007, Johnbobb, MaxGalactica, FoolFantastic (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seanchan, HBJDubs (#6)

As noted above, I needed to shorten the titles for the tracks, though I think it is an important part of the album experience to read the full things. (quotation marks because I copied from Wikipedia)

1."Concerning the UFO Sighting near Highland, Illinois"

2."The Black Hawk War, or, How to Demolish an Entire Civilization and Still Feel Good About Yourself in the Morning, or, We Apologize for the Inconvenience but You're Going to Have to Leave Now, or, 'I Have Fought the Big Knives and Will Continue to Fight Them Until They Are Off Our Lands!'"

3."Come On! Feel the Illinoise!" (Part I: The World's Columbian Exposition Part II: Carl Sandburg Visits Me in a Dream)

4."John Wayne Gacy, Jr."

5."Jacksonville"

6."A Short Reprise for Mary Todd, Who Went Insane, but for Very Good Reasons"

7."Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother!"

8."One Last 'Whoo-Hoo!' for the Pullman!!"

9."Go! Chicago! Go! Yeah!"
(though I've never actually seen it referred to as such)

10."Casimir Pulaski Day"

11."To the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region, I Have an Idea Concerning Your Predicament, and It Involves Tube Socks, a Paper Airplane, and Twenty-Two Able-Bodied Men"

12."The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts"

13."Prairie Fire That Wanders About"

14."A Conjunction of Drones Simulating the Way in Which Sufjan Stevens Has an Existential Crisis in the Great Godfrey Maze"

15."The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!"

16."They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back from the Dead!! Ahhhh!"

17."Let's Hear That String Part Again, Because I Don't Think They Heard It All the Way Out in Bushnell"

18."In This Temple as in the Hearts of Man for Whom He Saved the Earth"

19."The Seer's Tower"

20."The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders" (Part I: The Great Frontier Part II: Come to Me Only with Playthings Now)

21."Riffs and Variations on a Single Note for Jelly Roll, Earl Hines, Louis Armstrong, Baby Dodds, and the King of Swing, to Name a Few"

22."Out of Egypt, into the Great Laugh of Mankind, and I Shake the Dirt from My Sandals as I Run"

Sufjan Stevens Illinois is the most authentically Christian work of popular music I have encountered. Which is not to say this is worship music; far from it. Illinois is a journey from the discovery of god through the realization of ones sins to the pursuit of salvation, only for one to then question their faith after a series of tragic losses and revelations as it heads steadily toward rapture. Of course, Sufjan is much more subtle than that; Illinois wraps all his religious ponderings into a detailed survey of the Land of Lincoln. In doing so, he crafted an album that works solidly on two layers, one tracking his personal experiences as a Christian and another going above and beyond in tackling its surface level concept; there is a track about my hometown making references even I did not know. Sonically and thematically, its among the most ambitious albums ever recorded. To actually explore what it means to be Christian, doubts and all, puts this far beyond the level of typical religious music. He is not trying to convert anyone but simply exploring how his beliefs have shaped his life, somehow making an album that likely appeals more to outsiders than those who would never dare question their faith (there is a reason Sufjan has a large LGBTQ fanbase).

Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois: A perfect opener in the sense of how little it prepares you for what follows. A quiet piano piece pondering the sky with little touches of flute. Sufjan is great at these short, intimate pieces, and also a great example where he is most likely but not directly talking about God. Also, the time signature here is absolutely wild.

The Black Hawk War: One of the longer intermediary tracks and a great one-two punch with the opener; this is where the albums builds into its grandiose style. Doubtful to be among anyone's favorite tracks, but absolutely vital in the flow of the album.

Come On! Feel the Illinoise!: One of Sufjan's epics, weaving from ecstatic wonder through a Cure-inspired middle section to the questioning of his own purpose as an artist. It's rare to get popular music this intricately designed.

John Wayne Gacy, Jr.: A perfect example of folk music as storytelling. Just an absolutely devastating song about the serial killer; that middle section has brought me to tears numerous times. In my experience, most works about serial killers tend to accidentally mythologize them, but this reaches its peak by instead focusing on the tragedy of the boys who were lost. Seems the least personal track on the album until the last few lines, where it evolves into a key piece of the religious journey. How does someone cope with the belief that all sins are equal? That a single impure thought puts you on this level? Sufjan captures such an unbearable sense of despair.

Jacksonville: But fear not, worshipper, for you can be forgiven for your sins! On a purely literal level, the juxtaposition between a serial killer song and one about the Underground Railroad seems thin, but it comes with a sense of relief on the symbolic level; there is goodness in this world, too. This is also great in how Sufjan captures the good side of a small town; not just an Underground Railroad stop but also a town with schools for the deaf and blind.

Decatur: A song about my hometown. Its a little difficult to suspend my belief enough to think anyone would have a big revelation while visiting that shithole, but you do you, Sufjan. Even if I think this is one of the lesser tracks, the rhyme scheme blows me away. And, as I said, the amount of detail he manages to squeeze in while committing to that pattern is jaw-dropping. Cant believe he goes out of his way to diss Krekels, the local ice cream shop (Chickenmobile with your rooster tail/I had my fill and I know how bad it feels).

Chicago: The purest moment of hope on this album. The big hit for obvious reasons, and also the one where a more traditionally Christian album would likely stop. The album as a whole creates this sense of enormity and this is the peak. The instrumentation creates this constant sense of forward motion while also seemingly floating above it all. So much is happening, yet it all perfectly congeals.

Casimir Pulaski Day: One of the most devastating songs ever written. All the joy of the last few tracks is immediately shattered as a childhood friend develops cancer. This mix of sadness and quiet anger always hits me, to the point that I am once again crying despite hearing this song a hundred times before. The growing sense of love and hopelessness, the prayers that do nothing, the questioning of a god who lets all this senseless misery happen. This is where Sufjan goes beyond a mere Christian artist. And that trumpet that comes in halfway through

To the Worker of the Rock River Valley Region: A pretty interlude, but not much else.

The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts: Is this song about Superman, Jesus, a gay lover, or all three? This is the magic of Sufjan, baby. To me, the weakest full track on the album; with the electric guitar, its the most rock-styled track, and I think that is one of his rare weak points.

Prairie Fire That Wanders About: Essentially an interlude track, but the construction is interesting. Instead of being instrumental, it pairs two choruses against one another. Like a haunted Christmas carol.

The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades: There are a shocking four songs on this album that have made me cry at some point; I think there may be a couple dozen total, so that says a lot about the power this album has over me. This at least falls more on the Chicago side than the Gacy/Casimir Pulaski Day side. Perhaps Sufjans most explicitly queer song, and one that hits the perfect mix of love and shame that defines most queer peoples first crushes. This is as bittersweet as they come, as Sufjan lovingly reflects on a friend who is no longer part of his life.

They Are Night Zombies: Dont have much to say on the thematic level, but this song is straight up cool. The perfect lead into the apocalyptic section of the album. Cheerleader chants over exclusively minor chords. Sufjan Stevens has recorded like a dozen Christmas albums at this point, but I bet he could make an excellent Halloween album too.

The Seers Tower: The quietest song on the album, and the apparent despair side to the hope of Chicago. Haunting, though not as powerful as other tracks (perhaps because it is the most explicitly religious).

The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders: In several ways feels like a mirror of Come On! Feel the Illinoise! The big epic to close out the album (and, in reverse from the beginning, followed by two comparatively simple pieces).

Out of Egypt: The final two tracks feel like a coda to the album as a whole. Not much on their own, but they instill a final sense of hope despite everything that happens in the back half.

My ranking:
Chicago
Casimir Pulaski Day
The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades
John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
They Are Night Zombies!!
Come On! Feel the Illinoise!
Jacksonville
Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois
The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders
Decatur
The Seer's Tower
Prairie Fire That Wanders About
The Black Hawk War
The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts
Out of Egypt
To the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region

First listen done.

Wasn't anything that was super grabbing me but seemed like one that's going to take more listens for me to get a better sense of. Definitely want to pull up the lyrics on my next listen, as, based on Fool's info, it seems like the type of album that requires more "close" listening. A track early on (not sure which) and then Chicago kind of stuck out in my mind a bit. Also got a capital M Musical sense to the whole thing at points.

I've never been a huge Sufjan fan, but he's undoubtedly a talented guy and there are lots of things on this album that I really like (alongside a fair few that I don't). Will do my best to remember to re-listen this week, will be nostalgic for me to revisit this!

Some thoughts on my nominations:

I always try to bring new types of music to these topics, and I don't recall seeing much soul/R&B yet. I've nominated three modern classics to choose from - each of them are beloved and iconic in their own ways, and I think any could stimulate some great discussion. The Weeknd's House of Balloons kickstarted an entire sonic movement and is stacked to the ceiling with anthems, FKA Twigs' Magdalene is one of the most creative, impassioned and impeccably produced albums ever, and Frank Ocean's entrancing and heartbreaking Blonde is probably the single most adored soul record of the century. Frankly, you should listen to all of them!

Some sample tracks:

Frank Ocean - Nights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4l9bFqgMaQ

The Weeknd - High for This
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX9DgavXiN4

FKA twigs - Mary Magdalene
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUvJOZfdGQg

FKA twigs - Magdalene > Frank Ocean - Blonde > The Weeknd - House of Balloons

All three of these are great but I absolutely adore Magdalene

The Weeknd - House of Balloons > FKA twigs - Magdalene > Frank Ocean - Blonde

I listened to House of Balloons a few years ago as part of Trilogy for one of my music projects and basically hated it... but I've wanted to revisit some of this music for quite a while now and see how I feel now that I've mellowed a bit & am *probably" more receptive to what the album is doing.

1: Decatur
2: Casimir Pulaski Day
3: John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
4: Chicago
5: The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades
6: Concerning the UFO
7: The Seer's Tower
8: The Tallest Man
9: The Man of Metropolis
10: Jacksonville
11: Come On! Feel the Illinoise!
12: Prairie Fire That Wanders About
13: They Are Night Zombies!!
14: To The Workers of
15: The Black Hawk War
16: Out of Egypt

This might be the album I most dreaded covering. I tried listening to it once years ago during one of my music projects and honestly couldn't make it all the way through the album. It's not that I don't like Sufjan Stevens, but his work is a bit... exhausting. There's so much to analyze in his music, lyrically and emotionally, that they tend to demand a high amount of focus & a long period of quiet reflection afterwards. I feel that after I've experienced one of his songs in full that it'll be a few months before I'm ready to tackle another one. Last time I tried this album, I got completely burned out after a couple songs and gave up.

I've done my best to listen to it this time. I've listened to each song five times and made at least a cursory glance at Genius to see what people were saying about the music. And yet, I still feel rather hollow. There's just so much here that, mentally and emotionally, I can't fully process everything. I feel like properly ranking and processing this album would be a year long endeavor & rushing through it in a week is doing a disservice. I've *listened* to the music repeatedly, but I can't say that I've properly experienced it.

Though I'm being far too negative, I should clarify that these are personal problems and not a critique of the album (or the nomination itself). The music itself is fantastic, powerful, unlike anything else we've covered, and I get why it's so popular. It's just... more than I can deal with in any reasonable timeframe, leaving me to rank rather surface level impressions of the music.

Decatur: Perhaps the song that best illustrates my point, as I have a very strong reaction to it which I need more time to reflect on. On a surface level, I find this to be probably the catchiest song on the album. Lyrically, I can barely even start to get all of the references to Decatur, but it seems impressively detailed. Emotionally, this song is stirring up some very strong flashbacks and feelings about my own mother--while the song is about a stepmother and our circumstances are not remotely similar, I feel a very strong resonance here and I need a lot more time to come to terms with how I feel. Which is great, but it limits my ability to focus on any of the other tracks. It's a 10/10 song that I needed to hear, but it takes basically all of my mental energy and I have nothing left for the rest of the album.

-

There Are Night Zombies!!: I typically dislike songs with lyrics that spell out words and this track is no exception. While I do like the verses, the choir gets the song off on the wrong foot and it never fully recovers for me.

MAGDALENE > Blonde > House of Balloons

I do think The Weeknd's mixtapes are significantly weaker than his albums. Definitely would be interested in seeing Dawn FM, After Hours, or Starboy appear in one of these. MAGDALENE was pretty cool production-wise, and Blonde is smooth. I'd be fine with either of these winning.

MaxGalactica posted...

Definitely would be interested in seeing Dawn FM

Ooh, I definitely like hearing some praise for Dawn FM. I've definitely toyed with nominating it myself, but I've only done a few passive listens; I really like his voice, so I occasionally throw the album on when I want to listen to something different but I've never really paid attention to the lyrics or tried learning what the songs are about. I just kinda tune out and enjoy the musical vibes.

Bump

The Cure - Disintegration results

The participants sorted by deviation from final results:
MaxGalactica (14)
FoolFantastic (18)
ChichiriMuyo (24)
Seanchan (26)
Sheep007 (30)
Fluttershy_Pony (34)
Johnbobb (34)
Giggsalot (42)
HBJDubs (54)
neonreaper (54)

General Album Comments

Seanchan: I've heard of The Cure...and I've heard some of their songs...but damned if I could have put the two together or told you anything about the band other than "probably 80s?"

I recognized Lovesong, though I think from a cover of it (assuming that this is the original - Okay I had to know and 98% sure I know this from 311). Other than that, I was kind of bored? At over 70 minutes I just found my attention wandering by the last few songs.

Fluttershy_Pony: I'm pretty sure I enjoyed this more than you did, but I still kinda agree with this. I really like Robert Smith's voice & the moody instruments that accompany him, but the album feels quite long... like, I like every song on this album (even its worst is better than my favorite track on several albums), but marathoning them all in a row like this feels a bit exhausting. Still, I do enjoy it.

ChichiriMuyo: I'm not shocked at all by the takes that have been posted so far about Disintegration. It's kind of why I never nominated it. It's a fantastic album, but rating the tracks.... that's very difficult. If you listen to it to analyze it, you probably did it wrong. I'm not going to say your opinion is wrong, nor will I say you can magically have another opinion of it. But this album is for the feels more than anything. It is beautiful, ethereal. It's something that you probably shouldn't try to dissect or put in a bottle. It's a mood, really. I love it, and you don't have to at all, but I think if I got to choose every album we discussed from the beginning until now I wouldn't have picked this one at any time. I sort of feel like this is an album where you have to be there with it to get it, if that makes any sense.

Sheep007: Yeah, I wasn't wholly sure about nominating this but I just kinda love it too much to not have. Knew I wanted to nom a Cure album and I was considering Three Imaginary Boys since I think it's a bit more palatable and it's easier to rate individual songs, but I'm still glad to have an excuse to listen to this album again.

ChichiriMuyo: I've actually already given my opinion on this album in past comments, but I will say that it is absolutely perfect for what it was intended to be. It's perfect if this is the kind of music you just want to listen to. It's an endless repeat album if you are in the mood for what The Cure has to offer. Deserted island? Yeah, this album is on my short list. I wouldn't want to live in a world where this album doesn't exist.

Sheep007: Okay, after two listens, I am again glad that I nominated this. It's a collection of beautiful and melancholy songs, and I love almost every one of them. I do understand some people not enjoying it: a couple of the middle songs are a little weaker and sometimes pretty long, so if it's not your type of music I get feeling like the album drags. That said, there's maybe two or three songs that I think aren't excellent, and are merely good. I won't gush too much more because it feels a bit masturbatory considering I chose to listen to this, but yeah. Good album. Gonna go relisten to the rest of their discography over the next couple weeks.

FoolFantastic: Despite their gothic image, a lot of The Cure's best known songs are actually quite cheery. Disintegration feels like a momentary rejection of this, a work of raw emotion where every melancholic thought is drawn out to a breaking point. This is one of the best examples of music as an atmospheric force, though I would also argue that each song feels like a full journey in themselves. This is the perfect case of a band returning to their origins and applying everything they learned in the time since, the desperate atmosphere of "A Forest" paired with more accessible instrumentation.

MaxGalactica: I was really impressed with this album. The melancholy, ethereal instrumentation combined with Robert Smith's vocals is a perfect pairing. I enjoyed pretty much every song in the album a lot, and the only time it felt it was dragging was during The Same Deep Water as You. Pictures of You in particular hit me hard the first time I heard it with those chords and vocals. Beautiful album and I'm glad you nominated it, Sheep.

HBJDubs: The Cure...terrible artist for ranking tracks but perfect for ranking albums. I can shuffle these rankings all day but I'm glad this was chosen. Terrific album.

Giggsalot: Disintegration isn't my favourite album from the 1980s, but it's almost certainly my favourite album that specifically <i>sounds</i> like the 1980s. I'm not even a huge fan of the Cure otherwise, but this is a top 20 record of all time for me. It's just absolutely gargantuan in scope (has any album ever made heartbreak feel quite so apocalyptic?), and the atmosphere is incredible. I will always gravitate towards the epics on the second half, but I love how much ground it covers overall - relistening to this today gave me a lovely reminder of just how perfect Lovesong is. I'm a bit disheartened to see so many others slightly disregarding the second half (even if it is understandable for a first-time listener), but reading the other opinions in this topic also emphasizes just how much there is to enjoy here - Sheep007 nominated this, and his ranking is almost the exact opposite of mine!

My personal hot take is that Pictures of You and Lullaby are the overrated songs here, so apologies to all of their fans for tanking their average ranking.

Seanchan: An album I can respect but didn't really like. Certainly a "vibes" album over anything else but not the soundscape that I am interested in or drawn to. With that said, Lovesong definitely a future "Song of the Cycle" candidate.

Disintegration track ranking

12. The Same Deep Water as You (Track #9)
Score: 42 (Average Rank: 9/12)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs, neonreaper (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Fluttershy_Pony, ChichiriMuyo, MaxGalactica, Seanchan (#12)

11. Last Dance (Track #5)
Score: 45 (Average Rank: 8.5/12)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs (#5)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb (#11)

10. Closedown (Track #3)
Score: 50 (Average Rank: 8/12)
Biggest Fan(s): neonreaper (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): FoolFantastic, ChichiriMuyo, HBJDubs (#11)

9. Untitled (Track #12)
Score: 51 (Average Rank: 7.9/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Fluttershy_Pony (#5)
Biggest Detractor(s): MaxGalactica (#11)

8. Homesick (Track #11)
Score: 60 (Average Rank: 7.4/12)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): FoolFantastic (#12)

7. Prayers for Rain (Track #8)
Score: 69 (Average Rank: 6.3/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Fluttershy_Pony, Sheep007 (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): neonreaper (#10)

6. Fascination Street (Track #7)
Score: 74 (Average Rank: 6.1/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Sheep007, neonreaper (#12)

Sheep007: You can tell this one was intended as a marketable single, but it's just not as good as the rest of the album nor another couple dozen or so singles that they put out. Not bad, but the rest of the album is better.

5. Disintegration (Track #10)
Score: 75 (Average Rank: 6/12)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs, Giggsalot (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Fluttershy_Pony, neonreaper (#11)

4. Plainsong (Track #1)
Score: 88 (Average Rank: 5.4/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Fluttershy_Pony, Giggsalot, neonreaper (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb (#12)

3. Pictures of You (Track #2)
Score: 92 (Average Rank: 4.7/12)
Biggest Fan(s): MaxGalactica (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs, Giggsalot (#10)

2. Lullaby (Track #6)
Score: 97 (Average Rank: 4.9/12)
Biggest Fan(s): ChichiriMuyo, Sheep007, Johnbobb (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Giggsalot (#12)

Sheep007: In my opinion, probably their best song. Hauntingly beautiful in both instrumentation and vocals, and one hell of an earworm. I love how vague yet hyperspecific the lyrics are - you know exactly the feeling they're trying to convey, but they can refer to almost anything the listener's imagination warps it into.

1. Lovesong (Track #4)
Score: 107 (Average Rank: 3.8/12)
Biggest Fan(s): FoolFantastic, Seanchan (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#12)

bump

Up

Ill do a last listen tomorrow. Too mentally tired tonight

Ocean > Weeknd > FKA

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/9/1/AAS3NhAAE4vf.png

1. The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades
2. John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
3. Chicago
4. They Are Night Zombies!!
5. Come On! Feel the Illinoise!
6. Jacksonville
7. Out of Egypt
8. The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts
9. The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders
10. Decatur
11. Casimir Pulaski Day
12. The Black Hawk War
13. Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois
14. Prairie Fire That Wanders About
15. The Seer's Tower
16. To the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region

FKA twigs > The Weeknd > Frank Ocean

1. Chicago
2. The Seers Tower
3. Concerning The UFO Sighting Near Highland, IL
4. John Wayne Gacy Jr.
5. They Are Night Zombies!!
6. Prairie Fire That Wanders About
7. Jacksonville
8. The Black Hawk War
9. To The Workers
10. The Predatory Wasp
11. Casimir Pulaski Day
12. The Man Of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts
13. Come On! Feel The Illinoise!
14. The Tallest Man, The Broadest Shoulders
15. Out Of Egypt
16. Decatur

Home state represent (Decatur not welcome)

1) Casimir Pulaski Day
2) Chicago
3) The Predatory Wasp
4) Come on! Feel the Illinoise!
5) Concerning the UFO Sighting near Highland, Illinois
6) John Wayne Gacy, Jr
7) Decatur
8) The Tallest Man, The Broadest Shoulders
9) Jacksonville
10) They Are Night Zombies!
11) The Black Hawk War
12) Out of Egypt
13) Prairie Fire That Wanders About
14) To The Workers of the Rock River Valley Region
15) The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts
16) The Seers Tower

I'm very far from the intended audience, I think. Casimir Pulaski Day, Chicago and The Predatory Wasp all impressed me individually, although I can't say I entirely "got" them. I respect the music and it's not a bad album in the slightest, just not really for me.

1. Chicago: Honestly one of the most beautiful songs I've heard. The entire song is essentially a ton of variations of two short musical phrases for 6 minutes, which may sound like it would get repetitive after a while, but Sufjan does so much with it to keep it feeling fresh. Instrumentally, there's so much going on it's hard to explain it and keep it brief. The vibraphones, the strings, the backing choir-like vocals, the horns, the tambourine, the underlying bass, everything is crafted together perfectly. Hard to pinpoint an individual favorite moment of this, but I'd probably point to 3:58 when everything comes together leading to the trumpet section afterwards. This song is the purest form of euphoria, and I'm glad Sufjan crafted it.
2. Casimir Pulaski Day: Tragic composition both lyrically and instrumentally. I normally don't like banjo all that much, but Sufjan uses it in such a subtle, yet prominent way that it just works for this song. And the trumpet solo is gorgeous.
3. The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!: Strong Steve Reich minimalist influences in this one, particularly in the woodwinds. The interplay between the lead and backing vocals in polyphonic form in the outro is one of my favorite moments of the album.
4. Come On! Feel the Illinoise! (Part I: The World's Columbian Exposition - Part II: Carl Sandburg Visits Me in a Dream): Love the Cure reference in this one. The first epic of the album, and it does a great job establishing what kind of album this will be.
5. The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders (Part I: The Great Frontier - Part II: Come to Me Only With Playthings): The response to Come On! Feel the Illinoise!, but it's far more dissonant. Gorgeous piece.
6. Out of Egypt, Into the Great Laugh of Mankind, and I Shake the Dirt From My Sandals as I Run: The most clearly Reichian piece. One of those pieces you can close your eyes to and feel while reflecting on the album you've just experienced. Perfect closer.
7. The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts: Very tonally different from the rest of the album with the e-guitar focus, but I quite like it. The strong main motif and the backing vocals contribute a lot to that for me.
8. The Seer's Tower: Somber and poignant.
9. To the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region, I Have an Idea Concerning Your Predicament
10. John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
11. They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From the Dead!! Ahhhh!
12. Jacksonville
13. Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois
14. Prairie Fire That Wanders About
15. Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother!
16. The Black Hawk War, or, How to Demolish an Entire Civilization and Still Feel Good About Yourself in the Morning, or, We Apologize for the Inconvenience, but You're Going to Have to Leave Now, or, "I Have Fought the Big Knives and Will Continue to Fight Them Until They Are Off Our Lands!"

The pinnacle of the singer-songwriter genre. This is likely because Sufjan doesn't stop at just storytelling in this album, he also puts a huge focus on the instrumentals. Every song is so carefully crafted, it's impossible to take it all in in a single listen. The folk and minimalist influences are strongly felt throughout, yet there's a simultaneous sense of grandeur. Every song is essential to this album, including the short interludes, and there's not a single song on here that I dislike, which is pretty rare. Fantastic album, I'm glad we were able to cover it here.

1. Come On! Feel the Illinoise!
2. Chicago
3. The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades
4. Decatur
5. The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts
6. Casimir Pulaski Day
7. Jacksonville
8. John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
9. The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders
10. Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois
11. They Are Night Zombies!!
12. The Seer's Tower
13. Out of Egypt
14. To the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region
15. Prairie Fire That Wanders About
16. The Black Hawk War

Sheep007 posted...

I'm very far from the intended audience, I think. Casimir Pulaski Day, Chicago and The Predatory Wasp all impressed me individually, although I can't say I entirely "got" them. I respect the music and it's not a bad album in the slightest, just not really for me.

This kind of sums it up for me as well, except for replacing Casimir Pulaski Day with Come On! Feel the Illinoise!

This is unfortunately going to be one of those late results weeks. Got a wedding tomorrow and a birthday on Sunday and I'm going to be spending this evening buying a nice outfit (because I don't think I own anything that qualifies as 'semi-formal') and going to the wedding welcome party.

In other news, check out Sufjan's new album Javelin that just came out today and is really excellent (and about half the length of this one)