Next Wednesday, Nov. 19, we will finalize the Fall Top 12. As with last Spring, the group’s top contributor will have the privilege of subbing out one album from the preliminary list for an eliminated album from tiers 6-7.
On Thursday, Nov. 20, voting will open for Fall Saves. Each member will be asked to individually select six albums from that did NOT make the Fall Top 12. A Google Form with all the eligible selections and Spotify playlist will be available. Voting will remain open until Sunday, Nov. 23 at noon.
Finally, looking WAY ahead, we will have our bi-annual Roundtable review of the final Viewer’s Choice Top 20 selections, although with a slight change. For the past couple of years, getting through all 20 albums in a reasonable amount of time has sometimes stilted good conversation, especially as we get towards the higher ranked albums at the end. For this year, the Roundtable review will be split into two parts: a discussion on albums #20-11 on Jan. 10 and a second meeting on albums #10-1 on Jan. 17. Participants can log in to one or both of these depending on interest and availability. In some ways, the whole year leads up to these discussions, and I would love for everyone who wants to contribute to have an opportunity to do so.
Djo - The Crux VS. Colin Stetson - The Love it Took to Leave You
Djo - The Crux
Colin Stetson’s albums consistently challenge my preferences. He is an absolute genius and visionary in terms of finding new limits at the crossroads of saxophone technique and audio processing. I have an incredible amount of respect for his work and will continue to support his output. His music, however, has a challengingly abrasive aspect that is highlighted by the long runtimes of his albums. This is particularly noticeable when stacked against the familiar, concise, and ultimately replayable pop songwriting found on The Crux.
Buckingham/Nicks - Buckingham/Nicks VS. Noah Kahan - Stick Season
Buckingham/Nicks - Buckingham/Nicks
In contrast, the overall styles of Buckingham/Nicks and Stick Season are much more closely aligned than what is found in the schism between The Crux and The Love it Took to Leave You. In fact, the biggest difference between the songwriting styles in this comparison is mostly due to place. Kahan’s work reflects his Vermont upbringing, while Buckingham/Nicks nearly define Southern California folk-rock. Beyond that difference, the quality of the songwriting is comparable. What sets Buckingham/Nicks above is Lindsey Buckingham’s distinctive guitar concept, appearing here in its most foundational form.
Pom Poko - Champion VS. Taugadeildin - Þegar dauðir rísa upp
Taugadeildin - Þegar dauðir rísa upp
Pom Poko’s angular songwriting and playful energy are appealing, but I keep coming back to the raw, dark energy of Þegar dauðir rísa upp. It is a first-generation example of the emergent connection between punk and synth-pop that was part of the 80s musical landscape, but the added twist of its Icelandic underground origins creates an added layer of interest.
Nine Inch Nails - TRON: Ares OST VS. Kiasmos - II
Nine Inch Nails - TRON: Ares OST
Although I am a longtime fan and advocate of Nine Inch Nails and the Reznor/Ross composition team, this is not the shutout that one might expect. My more recent love of Floating Points informs a compelling frame for Kiasmos, and I would inarguably suggest II to anyone who has an interest in intellectual and artistic electronica. The TRON: Ares OST, however, satisfies on multiple levels - as a Nine Inch Nails album, as a soundtrack, and as a creative crossroads between current and traditional electronica, to name a few.
Cardiacs - LSD VS. Nick Millevoi - Digital Reaction
Cardiacs - LSD
Digital Reaction has been around since Tier 1, and I have developed a soft spot for its creative, exuberant, guitar-based experimentalism. LSD, however, is stacked with songs that bear the weight of their own complexity. This, coupled with the album’s interesting background and context as a posthumous release honoring Tim Smith, pulled my attention away from Nick Millevoi’s respectably successful efforts.
De La Soul - De La Soul is Dead VS. Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded
De La Soul - De La Soul is Dead
This was, by far, the most contentious Spin-Off from this week. This particular showdown suggests just how quickly and by how much Hip Hop was evolving at the turn of the 90s. Despite being a standout rap album from 1987, one could fairly say that the rap style of Criminal Minded feels its age. The rhyming and rhythmic structures seem clunky, and its production style clearly sits at the foundations of turntablism, rather than the more adventurous sampling forms that would soon become the standard. In short, Criminal Minded shows Boogie Down Productions setting the parameters of hip hop, which could arguably make a direct comparison with the more innovative De La Soul is Dead problematic. Released a mere 5 years later, De La Soul is Dead is vastly more colorful and rich in its production, and the rap styles play with a broader variety of rhythms and expressive prosody. It also is held together with a concept, which was a characteristic that evolved as hip hop releases evolved from collections of singles to cohesive albums. The concept, in which De La Soul critiques themselves from the perspective of their critics through skits found throughout the album, is both a boon and a bane. It unquestioningly holds the album together, but also threatens to distract from its more musical aspects. In the end, however, De La Soul is Dead’s broadened palette, brought on by a mere 5 years of evolution, is a more engaging listen, even with the occasional distraction.
Viewer’s Choice
Djo - The Crux VS. Julia Holter - Something in the Room She Moves
Djo - The Crux
Buckingham/Nicks - Buckingham/Nicks VS. Brendan Byrnes - Transfigured Earth I & II
Buckingham/Nicks - Buckingham/Nicks
Pom Poko - Champion VS. Clarence Clarity - Vanishing Act 2
Pom Poko - Champion
Nine Inch Nails - TRON: Ares OST VS. Kiasmos - II
Nine Inch Nails - TRON: Ares OST
Cardiacs - LSD VS. Saga - Worlds Apart
Saga - Worlds Apart
De La Soul - De La Soul is Dead VS. Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded
De La Soul - De La Soul is Dead
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