Board 8 > Rank the Tracks 224: Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American (+album voting)

(+) Yeah! (+)

Rank your top 5 among the choices below:
Beyonc - RENAISSANCE
Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison
The Clash - London Calling
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
Joni Mitchell - Blue
Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
Parliament - Mothership Connection
Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water
Simon & Garfunkel - The Graduate soundtrack
Frank Sinatra - Sinatra at the Sands
Sly and the Family Stone - Stand!

spreadsheets with previous results can be found here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12PpZ3uQ093tRPVu-KLewIxmrzfLJf1oo?usp=drive_link

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
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks_Set_4
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks_Set_5

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 Thursday, July 17th at 8:00 AM Central Time; If you do get in a vote after the deadline but before I post the results, I will probably include it.
7. Every few weeks, a nomination period will open; there may or may not be a theme. Each user can nominate one album. The following week, everyone will be able to rank their top ~5 among the choices - this will use a bottom-up scoring approach, i.e. voting for one album will give your #1 a single point, voting for five will give your #1 five points, so it is always better to vote for the maximum number of albums. The top ~5 will then be covered (if there is a tie leading to six entries, both get in - if more than that, I will do a tiebreaker)
8. Skits and tracks under 40 seconds will be excluded from the rankings unless argued otherwise

Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American track list:
1. Bleed American
2. A Praise Chorus
3. The Middle
4. Your House
5. Sweetness
6. Hear You Me
7. If You Don't, Don't
8. Get It Faster
9. Cautioners
10. The Authority Song
11. My Sundown

Future weeks:
7/17: Deftones - White Pony

Beyonc - RENAISSANCE:
My personal favorite Beyonc album. It's her most versatile album, showcasing an abundance of different subgenres of electronic and house music. The production is out of this world, which taken along with some of Beyonc's strongest vocal performances, and you get an incredible product as a result.

Sample track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCMEvXPmfP4

Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison:
Choosing an album for Cash was tricky, because while At Folsom Prison is by far his most acclaimed, it's also a live album, which I don't think we've done before on the ranking. Several of the songs were songs he had released earlier -- the album's biggest hit, Folsom Prison Blues, was released over a decade earlier. But if you've heard Folsom Prison Blues, chances are the version you know is the version from his live album, recorded at Folsom Prison itself (like the title suggests).

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

The Clash - London Calling:
https://youtu.be/LC2WpBcdM_A?si=aHVoEaZyT1-VlHcR

Fuck the Sex Pistols and get them off that list, here're some real punk rockers who actually say things they believe. This album doesn't have The Clash's biggest hit on it, but I think the "lesser" songs are a lot stronger overall.

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX3o1O8ZsTw

Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwOfCgkyEj0

The man, the myth, the legend. You know many music artists who won the Nobel Prize in Literature? No? No, that's because this man is the only one to have done it. There's so much to say it's hard to know where to begin, how this album continued his experimentation with electronic guitars into folk music, how he lyrically became more rock star than just protest singer, but it's still an album that is absolutely of its time, not in an aged sense but truly emblematic of the '60s.

Joni Mitchell - Blue:
The essential female singer-songwriter album. Joni Mitchell works in a space that feels simple yet elegant. Bare emotion from beginning to end.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YuaZcylk_o&list=RD0YuaZcylk_o&start_radio=1

Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory?:
Can't believe this never crossed my mind until just now after seeing their name on the list. Wonderwall would probably be the heavy favorite, but I'm not so sure it would be my #1, there's quite a few bangers here. Here's the obvious sample song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVdjZYfDuLE

Parliament - Mothership Connection:
https://youtu.be/3HU-KdHmYeA?si=l4SVZIUWdX-jMWmZ

Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back:
Sample Track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZF4G79OLkk

Classic record, some of the greatest uses of sampling ever and the kind of production that is rarely ever used nowadays.

Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G-YQA_bsOU

Simon & Garfunkel - The Graduate soundtrack:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fWyzwo1xg0

Frank Sinatra - Sinatra at the Sands:
A live album featuring Sinatra and Count Basies orchestra. This was a pick I considered for the atypical nominations themed week that I ultimately held back on. Its a great showcase of Sinatra, Basie, and the energy a live album can bring versus a studio album.

https://youtu.be/6IkOal9zJd4

Sly and the Family Stone - Stand!:
Sample Track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q49vjFN6Fsw&pp=ygUec3RhbmQgc2x5IGFuZCB0aGUgZmFtaWx5IHN0b25l

(Note: many lyrics contain slurs or similarly outdated means of referring to other people, usually to make a point.)

Stand! is chock full of the sort of deeply dynamic production paired with the potpourri of contributions one might expect from the groups conceit, in the process encapsulating views of a moment in American culture and history. Plus, its concentration of Sly and the Family Stone's most popular and acclaimed songs almost reaches the extent of a greatest-hits album, each (IMO) easily distinct enough to hopefully enable a compelling ranking process. Follow-up There's a Riot Goin' On has even greater critical acclaim and better fits the moment (at least in the US), but I feel it's rather less accessible and rankable.

...and yes, Sly Stone died two days before Brian Wilson, who we recently paid tribute to by covering Pet Sounds.

I didn't initially notice the dual S&G nominations since the latter wasn't bolded; The Graduate soundtrack also wouldn't have been eligible under earlier rules since it's not original and features a lot of songs featured on other perfectly eligible albums. However, since I didn't notice it, I'm leaving it in.

Joni Mitchell - Blue
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
The Clash - London Calling
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory
Beyonc - RENAISSANCE
---
Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water
Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison
Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Sly and the Family Stone - Stand!
Parliament - Mothership Connection
Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
Frank Sinatra - Sinatra at the Sands
Simon & Garfunkel - The Graduate soundtrack

The Clash - London Calling
Joni Mitchell - Blue
Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison
Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water
Beyonce - Renaissance

Cool mix here.

Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison
The Clash - London Calling
Joni Mitchell - Blue
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited

Would be fine with any of these though, except for maybe The Graduate soundtrack. (In particular because there's a better S&G option)

might've missed it, but are previous results still being updated anywhere?

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds results

The participants sorted by deviation from final results:
Johnbobb (20)
MaxGalactica (30)
Mega_Mana (30)
FoolFantastic (31)
MetalmindStats (31)
Seanchan (33)
HBJDubs (44)
MarkS2222222222 (46)
Bitto (50)
Sheep007 (52)

General Album Comments

Sheep007: This album is so dense. Its a wall of sound in some songs, especially in I Know Theres An Answer, possibly the first overproduced song of all time! Sometimes, though, it really works, and they definitely succeeded at making a coherent album, without any filler or phoned-in songs. We say this about most older albums we cover, but it's absurd this was made in '66. There's half a bloody orchestra in most of the tracks, and they're layered perfectly!

I think it's a little ham-handed at times, and some more of the individual songs could do with stripping back? The identity of the whole album is all about musical muchness, layering and melding sounds, and it makes it better and more coherent holistically, but I think it makes me want to listen to individual songs a bit less? The tracks I like the least feel amongst the most complex musically, but I have to admire it for just how much is going on here, and how clearly influential this record was on basically every genre. Not a personal favourite album but a damn good one.

Seanchan: Did a first listen. I knew this wasn't going to be the poppy Beach Boys in my head but I was still kind of disappointed? This didn't strike me as an easy listen album but rather one you kind of need to pay attention to.

I did a listen to Smiley Smile afterwards and that one was even ""worse"". A somewhat distracted listen but there was some weird and wacky things going on there.

BlueCrystalTear: My opinion was similar to Sheep's - it's not really my thing outside of a few songs, but I can't deny how influential it was on music. I mean, back in its day it was overshadowed by the Beatles, but this was still noticed enough by the people who matter: The artists.

Johnbobb: I've admittedly never really been into The Beach Boys, but it was a quick, breezy album that definitely doesn't hurt to listen to

MaxGalactica: A great and highly influential album. God Only Knows and Wouldn't It Be Nice are two of the best songs from the 60s, and the round vocals and harmonies at the end of God Only Knows are a transcendental moment in music. The album has some lulls, but it's overall a really memorable product. RIP Brian Wilson.

HBJDubs: It's okay overall, nothing bad but only the big two stand out to me

Seanchan: Glad to finally have gotten to listen to Acclaimed Music's #1! After the electric opening with Wouldn't It Be Nice and the other single I knew in God Only Knows, this wasn't really doing a whole lot for me.

I guess I never realized that this album was a reinvention ""later"" in the band's career, rather than the start of it. Being a little more familiar with The Beatles, I guess it kind of mirrors the Fab Four's growth of going from the simple, love song ""boy band"" to their more rock phase with Rubber Soul and Revolver and then going more experimental with Sgt. Peppers, Magical Mystery Tour, and the White Album. ...In a broad, generalized sense, of course.

It also makes me think of how crazy the music scene had to be in the 60s. The hindsight of 50+ years but the sheer amount of music that the iconic bands of the era put out in those days is kind of staggering in a modern context. Today, you're lucky if a band puts out an album every 3 years, and if it sucks, well, too bad for you!

MarkS2222222222: If you guys just want to do Beach Boys every week, I'm down. I could listen to this stuff forever

Bitto: Its a pretty good album! Most songs just sound great. While I cant get into the technical aspects, I listen to my share of 60s music and earlier and it just has a different feel. Solid lyrics too!

13. Pet Sounds (Track #12)
Score: 52 (Average Rank: 8.9/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Bitto (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): MarkS2222222222 (#13)

11 (tie). Let's Go Away for Awhile (Track #6)
Score: 53 (Average Rank: 8.7/13)
Biggest Fan(s): MarkS2222222222 (#5)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seanchan (#13)

MarkS2222222222: didn't expect to have an instrumental this high on a Beach Boys album but this was lovely

11 (tie). I'm Waiting for the Day (Track #5)
Score: 53 (Average Rank: 8.7/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): MetalmindStats (#13)

10. Caroline, No (Track #13)
Score: 55 (Average Rank: 8.5/13)
Biggest Fan(s): MarkS2222222222 (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb, Seanchan (#12)

9. You Still Believe in Me (Track #2)
Score: 57 (Average Rank: 8.4/13)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb, Bitto (#13)

Mega_Mana: "You Still Believe In Me" was originally rated worst upon initial listen. A lot of that is definitely due to coming immediately after "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and feeling like a giant nosedive in quality. But stacked up against everything but the top three, it grew on me well and was definitely better than a lot of tracks.

8. Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder) (Track #4)
Score: 60 (Average Rank: 8.2/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Sheep007, MarkS2222222222 (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Mega_Mana, MaxGalactica, HBJDubs (#13)

Sheep007: Parts of this could pass as a modern indie song.

7. I Just Wasn't Made for These Times (Track #11)
Score: 62 (Average Rank: 8/13)
Biggest Fan(s): MarkS2222222222 (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Mega_Mana, MaxGalactica, MetalmindStats (#13)

6. That's Not Me (Track #3)
Score: 63 (Average Rank: 7.9/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Bitto (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Sheep007 (#12)

5. Here Today (Track #10)
Score: 68 (Average Rank: 7.3/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): FoolFantastic (#13)

4. I Know There's an Answer (Track #9)
Score: 70 (Average Rank: 7.1/13)
Biggest Fan(s): MaxGalactica (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Sheep007 (#13)

3. Sloop John B (Track #7)
Score: 98 (Average Rank: 4.8/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#12)

2. God Only Knows (Track #8)
Score: 134 (Average Rank: 3/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Sheep007, FoolFantastic, MaxGalactica, HBJDubs, MetalmindStats (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Bitto (#10)

1. Wouldn't It Be Nice (Track #1)
Score: 155 (Average Rank: 1.5/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Mega_Mana, Johnbobb, Seanchan, MarkS2222222222, Bitto (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Sheep007, FoolFantastic, MaxGalactica, HBJDubs, MetalmindStats (#2)

SeabassDebeste posted...

might've missed it, but are previous results still being updated anywhere?

I just updated the drive folder

1. Get it Faster
2. Sweetness
3. If You Dont, Dont
4. Your House
5. A Praise Chorus
6. Hear You Me
7. Bleed American
8. The Middle
9. The Authority Song
10. Cautioners
11. My Sundown

One of my favorite albums ever. The first 8 songs are incredible and I had a hard time ranking them. The last three area mix. Authority is good, Cautioners is ok, and My Sundown is bad. Ive listened to this album dozens of times over the years and I always forget what My Sundown sounds like after each listen. It almost put me to sleep on todays listen.

Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory (this was actually the other album I was considering nominating!)
Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
The Clash - London Calling

Parliament - Mothership Connection
The Clash - London Calling
Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison
Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water

Chappell Roan - The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess results

The participants sorted by deviation from final results:
FoolFantastic (10)
Johnbobb (26)
MaxGalactica (28)
Sheep007 (28)
Seanchan (30)
PunishedJeezy (32)
Snake5555555555 (32)
Mega_Mana (40)
MetalmindStats (68)

General Album Comments

Sheep007: This is a real 9/10 pop album, though a little on the longer side. Even with the near 50 minute run, I don't think there's a single song I'd cut, which is always a good sign. All things considered, five near-perfect pop songs, another five that would definitely stick in my head if I heard them on the radio, and no duds is a huge rarity for a pop album.

The main takeaway I imagine most people (and myself) get from this album is the aggressively horny and gay lyrics. Honestly, credit for committing to the theme through the entire thing. There's nothing particularly special, clever, or poetic about most of them beyond what's gone on in Roan's personal journey, but it's easy for these sort of frustrated, self-reflective lyrics to get either sappy, pathetic, or just bland. I think this album could fall into any of these if the production and energy wasn't there, and her voice wasn't so powerful. Fortunately, the production is mostly somewhere between bouncy and danceable, and her voice is that of a very talented steamroller.

Snake5555555555: Red Wine Supernova & After Midnight are two 10/10 songs and the former in particular is already my 11th most listened to song of all time since I started tracking. This album is a banger front to back.

PunishedJeezy: This was mostly fine and unremarkable pop music. I did not particularly care for the slower songs, could have done without them.

MaxGalactica: Really solid pop album all-around. The ballads are kinda weak, but everything else is at least solid. Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl, Pink Pony Club, and HOT TO GO! are all iconic earworms. Chappell's voice is stunning as well, making this album stand out amongst her contemporaries.

Side note: If Good Luck, Babe! were on this album, it'd be my number 1. Incredible song.

Mega_Mana: Great album. I definitely regret leaving it alone for as long as I have. It's a lot more comfortable with sex than I normally would like, but it's also inviting and feels more lived-in and tangible and sweet than just, like, most songs about sex I've heard? It's not just bodies and being in the mood and doing it; there's connection and context and relationships. There's a world created that is sweet and sex-positive and dramatic but not heightened out of reality. There's longing, there's strength, there's multi-faceted pain, there's performance. And it all sounds really good.

My 1-9 are in playlists already, and Pink Pony Club is absolutely amazing. I thought I would hate it from snippets and title, but it's such a perfect song. And Kaleidoscope is definitely one of those "I won't ever casually listen to this, but I know exactly what mood and circumstances I will NEED to listen to this."

FoolFantastic: One of those great albums that would be even better if it simply cut a few tracks. I love the sex positivity and queerness of it all. Red Wine Supernova and Pink Pony Club are all-timers. Nothing wrong with the last few tracks, but I just know I'd revisit this a lot more if it came in under 40 minutes.

Johnbobb: I was kinda hesitant about this one going in, I only really knew Pink Pony Club, which I liked, and Hot to Go, which I didn't like (I also knew Red Wine Supernova as it turns out, but didn't know that was Chappell Roan). Overall it's a pretty decent album, though I feel like there's a big gap between the great song and the less great

Seanchan: This album starts out fire and then doused by Coffee (which isn't bad, but ""can you play a song with a fucking beat""). This is basically the way I feel about almost all these recent pop albums; love the upbeat stuff, not a big fan of the slower ones even if I recognize those are the ones that have more heart and something to say. Overall though, this is still a pretty damn good album.

This was one I was going to nominate but then didn't when the slow songs failed to land with me on a 2nd listen. Turned out to be a bit wrong on that after these recent listens. Anyway, at the time, this album reminded me a lot of Olivia Rodrigo, which it turns out there's a very good reason why! Apparently Chappell did some backup vocals on Rodrigo's 2nd album, GUTS, and both albums used the same producer too.

And not that anyone is asking, but I'd say SOUR > Midwest Princess > GUTS between the releases of those 2 ladies. SOUR is a more acoustic, breakup album than the explicitness of Midwest Princess' horny bops, but for whatever reason it just landed with me. GUTS I found to be disappointing overall.

MetalmindStats: My overall opinion on this album aligns with the more positive comments above. To me, its tracklist is maybe the most consistent I've ever tried to rank, in that I like all these songs more than a bit without outright loving any of them, which led to considerable procrastination. As such, I found its slower, more downbeat numbers mostly both emotionally effective and musically compelling.

14. Kaleidoscope (Track #10)
Score: 26 (Average Rank: 12.11/14)
Biggest Fan(s): MetalmindStats (#7)
Biggest Detractor(s): MaxGalactica, FoolFantastic, Johnbobb (#14)

13. Picture You (Track #9)
Score: 35 (Average Rank: 11.22/14)
Biggest Fan(s): MetalmindStats (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Snake5555555555 (#14)

12. California (Track #13)
Score: 38 (Average Rank: 10.78/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Mega_Mana (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): Sheep007 (#14)

11. Guilty Pleasure (Track #14)
Score: 42 (Average Rank: 10.33/14)
Biggest Fan(s): MetalmindStats (#6)
Biggest Detractor(s): Mega_Mana (#14)

10. Coffee (Track #4)
Score: 47 (Average Rank: 10.22/14)
Biggest Fan(s): MetalmindStats (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): PunishedJeezy, Seanchan (#14)

9. Naked in Manhattan (Track #12)
Score: 68 (Average Rank: 7.56/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Snake5555555555 (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb, MetalmindStats (#12)

8. My Kink is Karma (Track #8)
Score: 70 (Average Rank: 7.22/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Snake5555555555 (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): MetalmindStats (#10)

7. Casual (Track #5)
Score: 78 (Average Rank: 6.56/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Mega_Mana (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): MaxGalactica (#10)

6. Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl (Track #6)
Score: 87 (Average Rank: 5.78/14)
Biggest Fan(s): MaxGalactica (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): MetalmindStats (#11)

5. HOT TO GO! (Track #7)
Score: 88 (Average Rank: 6.22/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Sheep007, PunishedJeezy (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): MetalmindStats (#14)

4. After Midnight (Track #3)
Score: 92 (Average Rank: 5.44/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Sheep007, Mega_Mana, MetalmindStats (#8)

3. Femininomenon (Track #1)
Score: 97 (Average Rank: 5.11/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): PunishedJeezy (#10)

2. Pink Pony Club (Track #11)
Score: 114 (Average Rank: 3.78/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Mega_Mana (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): MetalmindStats (#9)

1. Red Wine Supernova (Track #2)
Score: 126 (Average Rank: 2.67/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Snake5555555555, FoolFantastic (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): MaxGalactica (#5)

Oh, I was just about to rate Chappell Roan, but I just got sick.

Great album. Her voice really pulls through for a lot of the songs, even for the slower parts. The lyrics and voice makes it clear that this would be a fave for a lot of people. Some of it is a bit cringe (I hate the Papa John line in Femininomenon) but some are real good. Pink Pony Club is a rare hit where I could clearly follow the lyrics and it's one of the better lyrics in this set,

Oh, I see we're coming on a multiple of 25. Are there plans for another Rank the Albums? I probably ought to start listening in advance if that's the case...

I would very much like to do another Rank the Albums even if Seanchan is stepping back. I'd be happy enough to run it, but if anyone else is willing then that'd probably be better as I'm not sure of my schedule for the next couple months.

11 Hear You Me
This track is so sentimental in a bad way. I honestly hate it. Made for WB teen dramas. Don't worry, I love this band and like this album but I wish this track didn't exist.

10 Get it Faster
Occasionally, the band tries to do a grittier alternative rock song like this and it rarely works. This is no exception. What is with this long ass intro that does nothing? Also the lyrics are kind of... I don't know if I'm allowed to say it so I'll just say "SA"

9 The Authority Song
I like this song a lot, but it's also just kind of there. Bouncy and the back up vocals work really well. Lyrics are kind of dumb.

8 My Sundown
Decent closing track with a slow build. But again, the lyrics let it down. Also I can't help but compare it to "Goodbye Sky Harbor" or "23," both of which are closers that take a lot of risks and are extremely cathartic. This song just feels extremely safe. Man "23" is so good.

7 The Middle
Funnily enough, barely misses out on "the middle" of the list. Probably ruined slightly by being overplayed. Good song, but when it hear it 3 out of every 5 times you go to Publix, you realize it's pretty basic.

6 Your House
Also sentimental, but not as saccharine or overdramatic as Hear You Me.

5 Cautioners
Super underrated. But also kind of feels like a Clarity b-side (which it very well might be). This slow building ballad is what Jimmy excels at and they kind of do it better on other albums.

4 A Praise Chorus
Now we're into top-tier pop rock goodness. Absolutely infectious chorus and bridge. Bonus points for the Promise Ring cameo.

3 Bleed American
Still Jimmy Eat World's best "heavy" song. A barnburner.

2 If You Don't, Don't
Effortlessly nostalgic. This song soars. A perfect blend of pop rock and emo. I listen to this song and I'm transported back to fall mornings walking across campus to class. Top 5 for the band across all of their albums for sure.

1 Sweetness
The essence of the band distilled into a perfect 3 minute song. Iconic for the genre.

Great album, but do yourself a favor and listen to Clarity and Futures if you haven't.

1. The Middle
2. Sweetness
3. Bleed American
4. A Praise Chorus
5. If You Dont, Dont
6. Cautioners
7. The Authority Song
8. My Sundown
9. Hear You Me
10. Your House
11. Get It Faster

I kinda like the top five songs, the top two in particular. Everything else, eh.

rwlh posted...

Oh, I see we're coming on a multiple of 25. Are there plans for another Rank the Albums? I probably ought to start listening in advance if that's the case...

Sheep007 posted...

I would very much like to do another Rank the Albums even if Seanchan is stepping back. I'd be happy enough to run it, but if anyone else is willing then that'd probably be better as I'm not sure of my schedule for the next couple months.

I was planning on running it the same way we've done the 5-6 RtA, with the albums ranking and the Songs of the Cycle. However, if you've got something a bit different that you wanted to do, I've no problem stepping aside.

Either way, I've already got a Spotify playlist for RtA 9, should anyone want to get a jump start:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3ZeqnCg3mXXre8VTmZE0TK?si=a2bacac91d694008

Ah, I for some reason thought you weren't gonna be doing RtA any longer, I think I misinterpreted something you'd mentioned around the time of the Champions tournament. I like the format you've run it in and I think you deal with this a lot better than I ever would!

Sheep007 posted...

Ah, I for some reason thought you weren't gonna be doing RtA any longer, I think I misinterpreted something you'd mentioned around the time of the Champions tournament. I like the format you've run it in and I think you deal with this a lot better than I ever would!

I did say that, as I was seriously considering not doing it anymore,...but it was said at a very stressful point in my life.

Also, after doing the Champions tournament, it makes doing Rank the Albums looks a whole lot easier in comparison!

Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
Joni Mitchell - Blue
Beyonc - RENAISSANCE
Frank Sinatra - Sinatra at the Stands
The Clash - London Calling

Seanchan posted...

I was planning on running it the same way we've done the 5-6 RtA

Yay! I'll look forward to that. I've had a really good time with the previous ones.

My votes for next cycle:
Joni Mitchell - Blue
Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
Frank Sinatra - Sinatra at the Sands

1. Beyonc - RENAISSANCE
2. Joni Mitchell - Blue
3. The Clash - London Calling
4. Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
5. Oasis - (Whats the Story) Morning Glory?

6. Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water
7. Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison
8. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmos Factory
9. Frank Sinatra - Sinatra at the Sands
10. Parliament - Mothership Connection
11. Sly & The Family Stone - Stand!
12. Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
13. Simon & Garfunkel - The Graduate (not that I dislike it, it's just not really original like Fool mentioned)

Incredibly strong set overall. Lots of huge classics.

I'm not the biggest JEW fan, but I prefer this to Clarity even if it is less consistent. It has the big poppy singles that I really like.

1. The Middle
2. Sweetness
3. Bleed American
4. A Praise Chorus
5. The Authority Song
6. If You Don't, Don't
7. Your House
8. Get It Faster
9. My Sundown
10. Hear You Me
11. Cautioners

The Middle
Sweetness
A Praise Chorus
Bleed American
Hear You Me
If You Don't, Don't
The Authority Song
Your House
Get It Faster
My Sundown
Cautioners

1. A Praise Chorus
2. Sweetness
3. The Middle
4. Bleed American
5. Your House
6. If You Don't, Don't
7. Hear You Me
8. The Authority Song
9. Get It Faster
10. Cautioners
11. My Sundown

A really solid album, though it is definitely front loaded big time. A Praise Chorus is one of my favorite songs of all time; there's just something about it that makes me feel happy every time I hear it.

I nominated this one because it's got the biggest, most well known of Jimmy Eat World's singles with The Middle, Sweetness, and A Praise Chorus. If I'm being honest, their follow up album, Futures, kind of might be the better album overall? JEW is a weird band for me, where I'm big on 2 of their albums and then haven't really listened to much else.

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory
Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
Frank Sinatra - Sinatra at the Sands
Beyonc - RENAISSANCE
Sly and the Family Stone - Stand!

Sly gets the 5th slot for appealing to my "pay tribute" side (otherwise it would have been Parliament there). As I expected, lot of stuff that didn't make my top 5 that "we should cover" even if I'm not sure it'll all be to my tastes. Kinda felt bad picking Beyonce over Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, etc. but gotta go with what appeals to me! Definitely a theme worth revisiting again down the line.

Parliament - Mothership Connection
Frank Sinatra - Sinatra at the Sands
Beyonc - RENAISSANCE
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

I can get my ranking in tomorrow

+5 Sly and the Family Stone - Stand!
+4 Parliament - Mothership Connection
+3 Joni Mitchell - Blue
+2 Beyonc - RENAISSANCE
+1 Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited

...have we really never nominated a Beyonc album before, or have I simply missed a previous instance where one fell short of selection? Regardless, am hoping that my opinion on its sample song is simply an aberration, temporary or not.

I cant recall Beyonc coming up before.

Seanchan posted...

I cant recall Beyonc coming up before.

Actually someone might have nominated Lemonade before, maybe. But thats the only one that might have come up.

1. A Praise Chorus
2. Sweetness
3. The Middle
4. Bleed American
5. Hear You Me
6. Your House
7. The Authority Song
8. If You Don't, Don't
9. Cautioners
10. My Sundown
11. Get It Faster

My favorite Jimmy Eat World album. Great, catchy alt rock. The first 6 tracks make such a great run. The rest of the album is good too, but not nearly as good as the first half.

Gonna try to get to this this afternoon..

I finally got things aligned so the cycles would line up for the 25 week period and then we get a tie.

Joni Mitchell - Blue: 27
The Clash - London Calling: 24
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited: 22
Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back: 18
Beyonc - RENAISSANCE: 17
Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison: 17
---
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory: 14
Parliament - Mothership Connection: 14
Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water: 12
Frank Sinatra - Sinatra at the Sands: 11
Sly and the Family Stone - Stand!: 11
Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory?: 8
Simon & Garfunkel - The Graduate soundtrack: 0

FoolFantastic posted...

I finally got things aligned so the cycles would line up for the 25 week period and then we get a tie.

Noooooooooooo

Bleed American - I remember being excited for this band when this came out thinking this would to be their general sound. They're fine, but I wish they had more like this
A Praise Chorus
Sweetness
The Middle
Get It Faster
Cautioners
My Sundown
If You Don't, Don't
Hear You Me
Your House
The Authority Song

I've always loved the title track, and it's hard not to sing A Praise Chorus and Sweetness.

Not been able to do these as much as I wanted to lately, will try to at least do some in the coming weeks

I'm actually a pretty big Jimmy Eat World fan, they're a cornerstone of the emo/pop punk scene and have been remarkably consistent in their album releases. Sure everyone knows this album to a degree and a bit from their album after, Futures, but they've really remained a high quality band throughout their run. Their album before this one, Clarity, is my overall favorite from them still but you really can't go wrong with any choice of album.

1. Sweetness - Yea this song is pure emo pop bliss. One of the catchiest hooks you'll hear in your lifetime, absolutely wild how much they hit on gold with it.
2. The Middle - Their initial breakout hit, also insanely catchy. And with a good message lyrically.
3. A Praise Chorus - Another one that has a great message to it, and another easy karaoke song choice.
4. Hear You Me - A really touching tribute to fans of theirs from their early days that died in a car accident, it's a gorgeous song and Jim's vocals are perfect on it.
5. My Sundown
6. Get It Faster
7. If You Don't, Don't
8. Your House
9. Bleed American - I have a feeling I'll be one of the lowest for this one, it's still a great song. Just goes to show how strong I think the album is as a whole.
10. Cautioners
11. The Authority Song

StifledSilence posted...

My Sundown is bad. Ive listened to this album dozens of times over the years and I always forget what My Sundown sounds like after each listen. It almost put me to sleep on todays listen.

Also this is an insane take, wow

colliding posted...

11 Hear You Me
This track is so sentimental in a bad way. I honestly hate it. Made for WB teen dramas. Don't worry, I love this band and like this album but I wish this track didn't exist.

Also an insane take

Sorry I can't help myself

1. The Middle
2. A Praise Chorus
3. Bleed American
4. My Sundown
5. Hear You Me
6. Sweetness
7. If You Don't, Don't
8. Cautioners
9. Your House
10. The Authority Song
11. Get It Faster

Definitely a pleasant surprise - I thought I would not like this album one bit, which turned out to be quite far from my favorable final (for now) opinions on most of it.

1. The Authority Song
2. The Middle
3. Sweetness
4. Cautioners
5. Hear You Me
6. Bleed American
7. Your House
8. If You Don't, Don't
9. A Praise Chorus
10. My Sundown
11. Get It Faster

Oh, it feels like middle school. Looks like I have some mighty different opinions on this one than most others here!