2025 Disc Course Spin-Off Results: Tier 6, Week 4

Tier 6 is moving right along!  We will be completely done with it by November 14.  Tier 7 is a reduction set with half as many showdowns, so it will not be far behind.  At that point, we will have produced our Fall Top 12.  The Fall Top 12 will not have a dedicated post like the Mid-Year Top 12, but it will be plugged directly into the Finals bracket, which will begin on November 21.  

The Fall Top 12 will still have the same redundancy features that we saw in the Spring.  The group’s top contributor (comments and posts only) will sub out one album from the list for an eliminated album of their choosing from Tiers 6 or 7, and the group at large will select 6 eliminated albums as “saves” that will go directly to the Finals.  

The Murlocs - Rapscallion VS. Sobs - Air Guitar

Sobs - Air Guitar

The intellectual care that The Murlocs have hidden inside of Rapscallion’s rougher edges is incredibly respectable, and is certainly delivered with no small amount of musical craftsmanship.  Air Guitar is similarly well-crafted, however, and what it lacks in conceptual cohesion it more than makes up for in polished performances and production.  

Yes - Union Review ‘91 VS Soft Machine - Bundles

Yes - Union Review ‘91

Being that I am usually hesitant to really delve into live albums and am not a big advocate of bootlegs, I was emotionally ready to give this one to Bundles, which is amazing.  Union Review ‘91, however, captures a very unique configuration of Yes, and listening to them interpret the repertoire is not only interesting for this longtime fan, but it also allows me to quite vividly recall my own experience on the Union decades ago.  When it is at its best, Yes’ music is magical, and Union ‘91 has helped me remember that.

The Tea Club - If/When VS. Hjatalin - Enter 4

The Tea Club - If/When

The vibe and atmospheric clarity of Enter 4 has pushed it out in front of many of the Icelandic albums that I was introduced to last Summer, and I was really rooting for it going into this Spin-Off.  I can’t deny, however, that despite having a few production and consistency quibbles,  If/When contains some of the best tracks I have heard this season.  Several of them have been on repeat in my head for weeks and, as a result, indelibly imprinted on many Fall experiences.  These emergent memory episodes are very hard to ignore when considering albums that represent 2025.

Father of Peace - The Year of Madness VS. Tinted Windows - Tinted Windows

Father of Peace - The Year of Madness

This was the most difficult Spin-Off from this week.  Tinted Windows has come back around several times since the beginning of this year, and has only increased in my esteem with each return.  It's a pristine example of my favorite branch of power pop that is flawlessly executed by a compelling “supergroup” roster of musicians.  The Year of Madness is similarly well-crafted, but Father of Peace’s approach to songwriting is epitomized by quirky Pinkerton-esque shifts that provide the album with a broader stylistic palate that doesn't sacrifice musicality or memorability.  

Viewer’s Choice

The Murlocs - Rapscallion VS. Sobs - Air Guitar

The Murlocs - Rapscallion

Yes - Union Review ‘91 VS Eldberg - Þar Er Heimur Hugans

Yes - Union Review ‘91

The Tea Club - If/When VS. Sheena Ringo - Kalk Samen Kuri no Hana

The Tea Club - If/When

Father of Peace - The Year of Madness VS. Teitur Magnússon - Orna

Teitur Magnússon - Orna

2026 Disc Course Roundup - Tier 6: Chaos and Continuity

Another six entries for Tier 6, with albums from:

Father of Peace - The Year of Madness (2024) Men I Trust - Equus Caballus (2025) Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1963) The Murlocs - Rapscallion (2022) The Tea Club - If/When (2019) Yes - Union Review '91 (1991)

2025 Disc Course Spin-Off Results: Tier 6, Week 3

I would venture to say that there are really no wrong answers to this week’s Spin-Offs.  I would full-throatedly advocate for any of these eight albums.  In nearly all of these cases, the selection came down to some subjective preferences.  

Oak -  The Third Sleep VS Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn - Pigments

Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn - Pigments

Both of these albums are beautifully melancholic and emotionally evocative, and although they  may be coming at this description from different angles, I feel that there’s significant enough common ground between the two to warrant an equitable comparison.  There’s a unique compositional nuance to Pigments, however, that grants it a distinctive liminality.  

The Besnard Lakes - A Coliseum Complex Museum VS Parannoul - Sky Hundred

The Besnard Lakes - A Coliseum Complex Museum

Sky Hundred is great, and I have come to really appreciate Parannoul’s work, but it veers into unnecessarily noisy territory at times.  A Coliseum Complex Museum, in comparison,  is consistently pristine, and its songs capitalize on the power of this clarity.

George Michael - Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 VS. Queen - Queen

Queen - Queen

A controversial Spin-Off, for sure.  Many, many fans have spoken out in support of Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, and I agree that their advocacy is warranted.  It is doubtlessly George Michael’s finest and most direct album, and his artistic vision shines brightly throughout its runtime.  If we were talking about later Queen albums like Hot Space or The Works, he might have won our.   At this early stage in their career, however, where Queen seems to have an astounding clarity of vision and a vital drive to match it, they are very difficult to unseat, in my opinion

Discipline - Breadcrumbs VS. Sleep Token - Even in Arcadia

Sleep Token - Even in Arcadia

This one wins the contentious Spin-Off award for this week.  Given the divisive nature of Even in Arcadia, I am sure to ruffle some feathers by giving it the win, especially given my progressive rock credentials.  After much consideration, however, I flew in the face of my usual preferences.  Breadcrumbs is beautifully melodic and conceptually compelling, but it doesn’t have the impact of Discipline’s early work.  Paradoxically, my lack of investment in Sleep Token’s earlier work has, I think, allowed me to approach Even in Arcadia unburdened by preconceived notions of their work.  I am really fascinated by the way in which they layer contemporary R&B with atmospheric progressive metal and bind it together with their distinctive identity presentation.  This fascination grants them the win.

Viewer’s Choice

Oak -  The Third Sleep VS Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn - Pigments

Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn - Pigments

The Besnard Lakes - A Coliseum Complex Museum VS Parannoul - Sky Hundred

Parannoul - Sky Hundred

George Michael - Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 VS. Queen - Queen

Queen - Queen

Discipline - Breadcrumbs VS. Sleep Token - Even in Arcadia

Discipline - Breadcrumbs

2025 Disc Course Results - Tier 6, Week 2

Ozzy Osborne - Diary of a Madman VS. Clutch - Blast Tyrant

Ozzy Osborne - Diary of a Madman

Considering all the hype about Ozzy’s final concert and subsequent passing, this Spin-Off seems to be destined to fall to nostalgic reverence for him and his legacy.  Clutch is very good at what they do, however, and certainly have some skin in the game, but when Ozzy’s distinctive tone and melodic sense is coupled with Randy Rhoads trend-setting guitar playing, the results are incontrovertible.  Ozzy clearly deserves this one.

Palm - Rock Island VS. Cynic - Kindly Bent to Free Us

Cynic - Kindly Bent to Free Us

Rock Island is a unique recording.  It features some clearly mathy aspects, but disguises the “guitarishness” usually associated with math rock using MIDI-triggered steel pan sounds while simultaneously smoothing over the angularity of the style with pop inspired melodies.  There’s clearly a lot to be interested in there that arguably could give them the win, especially since Kindly Bent to Free Us is perhaps the least convincing album I have heard from Cynic.  Despite its relatively tame nature, however, Kindly Bent to Free Us  has its own significant melodic strengths, and its restless, intense approach to composition put it in a category of musicianship that Rock Island does not quite reach on the whole.

Stevie Wonder - Innervisions VS. Tyler, the Creator - Chromokopia

Stevie Wonder - Innervisions

Here is one that addresses the comparative strengths of “old” music and “new” music.  Tyler, the Creator is clearly a creative force in the current music scene, but he can’t hold a candle to Stevie Wonder during his classic period, who at the time of the release of Innervisions was nearly ten years younger than Tyler was when he released Chromokopia.  

Consider the Source - The Stare VS. Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson - Börn Náttúrunnar

Consider the Source - The Stare

Toughest Spin-Off of the bunch this time around.  Although radically different in tone, these albums are well-matched in terms of achieving what they set out to do.  I really love the starkly soothing Icelandic tone of Börn Náttúrunnar, and given the right setting, I find it incredibly moving at times.  The Stare, however, has an indefinably adventurous, boundary-crossing creativity that I think gives them the edge in this Spin-Off.

Viewer’s Choice

Ozzy Osborne - Diary of a Madman VS. Clutch - Blast Tyrant

Ozzy Osborne - Diary of a Madman

Palm - Rock Island VS. Lite - Strata

Palm - Rock Island

Stevie Wonder - Innervisions VS. Tyler, the Creator -
Chromokopia

Stevie Wonder - Innervisions

Consider the Source - The Stare VS. TU-Ner - TU-Ner for Lovers

Consider the Source - The Stare