2024 Album Showdown Results: Tier 2, Week 2

Oop - looks like I missed last week's results post! I'll catch it in the next day or two. Apologies - in the meantime:

Zombi - Surface to Air VS. Ministry - A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste

Zombi - Surface to Air

Inevitably, when I push “play” on this Ministry album, it feels like a decisive washout.  The energy and scope of Thieves is electrifying and infectious, but, although the tracks to follow capture a similar intensity, they eventually flatten into monotony.  Zombi, however, maintains interest with virtuosic Neal Peart-inspired drums and analog synth goodness right out of the height of 70s instrumental prog.  That’s a combination that hits me where I live.

Black Pumas - Chronicles of a Diamond VS. Brittany Howard -  What Now?

Black Pumas - Chronicles of a Diamond

I appreciate the coherency of Howard’s second album, but this newfound consistency comes at the price of fewer memorable moments.  Chronicles of a Diamond has many, many high points that buoy the overall album into greatness.

Slift - Ilion VS. Wednesday - Rat Saw God

Slift - Ilion

This one was kind of a gimmie, because although I appreciate Wednesday’s songwriting, for me personally, the vocal approach grates.  Ilion’s cosmic scope and crushing intensity caught my interest early on and has done nothing but reveal more nuance as it becomes more familiar.

The Smile - Wall of Eyes VS. Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden

The Smile - Wall of Eyes

To call this one contentious is an understatement.  I’ve flipped back and forth all week. Clearly, 2024’s Wall of Eyes would not exist in the same form without the tonal experimentation laid down by Spirit of Eden in 1988.  The stylistic overlap between the two is compelling, and I am quite sure that both Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood sunk into Spirit of Eden’s atmospheric melancholy in the early stages of their musical development.  Talk Talk’s innovative recording techniques and avant-garde undercurrents also warrant recognition, but Wall of Eyes occupies a similar space in both tone and ethic with a decisive intentionality.  Several years ago, when I heard that Johnny Greenwood was doing movie soundtrack work, I wondered how it would impact his work with Radiohead.  That influence is realized more fully with The Smile.  Even this, though, only evens up the odds when comparing Wall of Eyes to Spirit of Eden.  In this case, I think the deciding factor was how Wall of Eyes feels subjectively connected with life events over the past few months.  It feels representative of my little corner of 2024, and in the big picture, that means something.  

I will most likely, however, exercise a SAVE on Spirit of Eden, however.  It brings an emotive listening experience like few other albums I have heard this semester.  

Viewer’s Choice

Zombi - Surface to Air VS. Ministry - A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste

Zombi - Surface to Air

Black Pumas - Chronicles of a Diamond VS. Brittany Howard -  What Now?

Black Pumas - Chronicles of a Diamond

Subsignal - Poetry of Rain VS. Wednesday - Rat Saw God

Subsignal - Poetry of Rain

The Smile - Wall of Eyes VS. Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden

The Smile - Wall of Eyes

2024 Album Roundup Series: April Tier 2 Contenders

Need some new music? Here's some suggestions:

The Guess Who - Pleine D'Amour (2023) J. Robbins - Basilisk (2024) Brittany Howard - What Now? (2024) Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden (1988) Hans Zimmer - Dune Part 2 OST (2024) Hermeto Pascoal y Grupo - Planeterio de Gavea (1981)

AND....the ever expanding playlist is still...well....expanding.....

2024 Album Showdown Results: Tier 1, Week 6

This week represents the end of Tier 1 for 2024.  Lots of really GREAT stuff came through this year - and keep in mind that no albums were actually “eliminated” in this go-round.  The albums that advance will go on to compete for the Mid-Year Top 12, and THOSE albums will get preferential treatment for the year-end list.  The others will form the basis for Tier 5 this summer.  Very often, those albums have the advantage of familiarity upon their return, so they are still very much in the running.

After another “bye week,” we’ll start in with Tier 2.  The rules will be a little different, and the stakes will be a little higher, but no music is actually harmed in the process.  In fact, the end goal is ultimately exposure.  If by participating, you find your new favorite album, it fulfills the whole point of the project.

Polyphia - Remember That You Will Die VS. Van Halen - A Different Kind of Truth

Van Halen - A Different Kind of Truth

Both of these albums are fantastically great, and they both have significant flaws.  In the end, however, I connected more readily with Van Halen’s swan song, despite the clear vocal limitations of Roth at this stage of his career.  Undoubtedly, the Van Halen family, as they are represented on A Different Kind of Truth, still had “it” here.  It might not stack up against the band’s best work, but I would confidently rate it above Diver Down (which is not without its own moments).

Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo VS. Marnie Stern - The Comeback Kid

Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo

Marnie Stern is clever and a uniquely proficient guitarist.  Despite some sketchy vocal moments, fans of noisy, Japanese-tinged math rock will find a lot to connect with here.  But dang……I’ve never listened to a full Devo album and this one surpassed my expectations.  Delving deeper into their concept only enriches the effectiveness of their musical output.

Slift - Ilion VS. Subsignal - A Poetry of Rain

Slift - Ilion

Subsignal represents everything I like about neo-progressive style music. It's beautifully melodic, immaculately structured, and performed with no small amount of musicianship.  Slift, however, fires on a different side of my progressive rock interests, sidling crushing power-trio intensity alongside ambient passages with cosmic horizons.  It's like the soundtrack for House Harkonnen.

The Smile - Wall of Eyes VS. The Yoshida Brothers - Hishou

The Smile - Wall of Eyes

This wins the contentious showdown of the week award.  As much as I like and respect The Smile, The Yoshida Brothers had favor going into this one.  Every time I listen to Wall of Eyes, however, it seems to sound richer and more nuanced than before.  On one listen in particular, I really noticed its cinematic scope, especially in context of Jonny Greenwood’s lengthening resume as a movie score composer.  I find it fascinating, and I just want to keep listening to it to see what else emerges.

Viewer’s Choice Results

Polyphia - Remember That You Will Die VS. Van Halen - A Different Kind of Truth

Polyphia - Remember That You Will Die

Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo VS. Marnie Stern - The Comeback Kid

Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo

Slift - Ilion VS. Subsignal - A Poetry of Rain

Subsignal - A Poetry of Rain

The Smile - Wall of Eyes VS. The Yoshida Brothers - Hishou

The Smile - Wall of Eyes

The Morse Code Part 1: Spock's Beard and The Light

 An introduction to the band Spock's Beard through the lens of their 1995 debut, The Light

2024 Album Showdown Results: Tier 1, Week 5

Foxygen - Hang VS. The Strokes - The New Abnormal

The Strokes - The New Abnormal

In many ways, I see these albums as evenly matched.  They both capture the essence of a particular era of pop music.  For Hang, the reference is the grandiose era of theatrical late 70s glam rock (minus a bit of the glam), and for The New Abnormal, it is the slick college pop of the late 90s.  Although both are meticulously crafted and varied within those parameters, I was drawn to the latter.  After a relatively long run of 70s inspired power pop last year, The Strokes felt refreshing, while Foxygen’s broadwayseque leanings tilted towards melodrama

Adventures of Jet - Muscle VS. Bill Rieflin - Birth of a Giant

Adventures of Jet - Muscle

Very tough, because I am currently fascinated by Rieflin’s musicianship, and this debut solo album from him is very revealing.  Despite the presence of Robert Fripp and Trey Gunn, however, there were some mixing and production issues that were hard to overlook in comparison to the slick clarity offered up by Muscle.

Toehider - I Have Little to No Memory of These Memories VS. 88Kasyo Junrei - ◯△☐

88 Kasyo Junrei - ◯△☐

Contentious showdown of the week award goes here.  I Have Little to No Memory of These Memories is a conceptual and technical tour-de-force, made all the more astonishing by the fact that Toehider is a one-man project.  It's also an album that warrants deep investigation and contemplation, so choosing ◯△☐  in the context of Tier 1 allows me some time to let it simmer a bit in the background.  Aside from that, since Cynic's last album, i am having increasing resistance to progressive metal, and although I wouldn’t consider I Have Little to No Memory of These Memories a progressive metal album per se, it has enough content in that style to hold me at bay.  All that being said, I am truly fascinated by 88Kasyo Junrei.  Their frenetic Green Day-meets-King Crimson vibe is truly distinctive and engaging, transcending the language barriers presented by their defiantly Japanese identity.

Zombi - Surface to Air VS. Mandy, Indiana - I’ve Seen a Way

Zombi - Surface to Air

I wish that I could say that this one was tougher, because I am interested in Mandy, Indiana’s dystopian post-industrialism.  Zombi’s analog synth noodling backed by highly organic Peart-inspired drumming hits just a bit too close to home for me to pass it up, though.  Winner.

Viewer’s Choice

Foxygen - Hang VS. The Strokes - The New Abnormal

The Strokes - The New Abnormal

Adventures of Jet - Muscle VS. Bill Rieflin - Birth of a Giant

Adventures of Jet - Muscle

Toehider - I Have Little to No Memory of These Memories VS. 88Kasyo Junrei - ◯△☐

Toehider - I Have Little to No Memory of These Memories

Zombi - Surface to Air VS. Mandy, Indiana - I’ve Seen a Way

Zombi - Surface to Air

2024 Album Showdown Results: Tier 1, Week 4

As we get further down the list, you may notice that decisions are getting trickier.  This second half of Tier 1 features showdowns with more evenly matched listening ratings.  Theoretically, they should be closer in overall appeal than earlier showdowns.

Or not - its all completely subjective.

In any case, its still good preparation for Tier 2, where things get more complicated and the stakes get higher.

Bully - Lucky for You VS. Nickel Creek - Celebrants

Nickel Creek - Celebrants

In learning about Celebrants, I read that Nickel Creek was essentially trying to make a “bluegrass SMiLE,” and I can hear it.  Bully didn’t stand a chance.

Colin Stetson - When We Were What Wept For the Sea VS. Autechre - LP5

Colin Stetson - When We Were What Wept For the Sea

This one wins the “most contentious showdown of the week”” award.  Both albums are reflections of musical genius.  Both albums are respectably adventurous within their own stylistic intentions.  Both albums also have flaws.  Colin Stetson, however, is doing things with the saxophone that simply have not been done before, and I think that he deserves credit for that.

Kebu - Urban Dreams VS. Ison - Inner-Space

Kebu - Urban Dreams

Ison’s production is haunting, dreamlike, and probably the biggest single contributor to Inner-Space’s success.  I am, however, a closet Jean-Michel Jarre fan with a recently reinvigorated interest in thematic synth music due to S U R V I V E and the Stranger Things soundtrack.  Kebu satisfies this interest in a way that most other projects do not.  

Madlib - Sound Ancestors VS. Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, and Roger Eno - Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks

Madlib - Sound Ancestors

Another contentious one.  Certainly, Apollo is an inspired ambient-adjacent work, and I have a significant place in my listening for ambient music. In specific settings, nothing else will do.  I think, however, that  it’s difficult (but not impossible) for ambient music to win out in direct showdowns with denser styles. Especially in this case, where Madlib’s imaginative and clever beats have steered my interest towards a further investigation of instrumental hip-hop.

Viewer’s Choice Results

Bully - Lucky for You VS. Nickel Creek - Celebrants

Nickel Creek - Celebrants

Colin Stetson - When We Were What Wept For the Sea VS. Autechre - LP5

Colin Stetson - When We Were What Wept For the Sea

Kebu - Urban Dreams VS. Ison - Inner-Space

Ison - Inner-Space

Madlib - Sound Ancestors VS. Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, and Roger Eno - Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks

Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, and Roger Eno - Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks