Pour this honey in your auditory system and see what happens:
Fleet Foxes - Shore (2020) Mauritz Duda - AFR AI D (2023) Lyle Workman - Built to Last (2023) Inui - Murmuration (2023) Joe Howe - Debossed (2024) Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Of the Last Human Being (2024)
After a week of end-of semester concerts and field trips, I finally have a moment to pause and retroactively post the results for the first week of Tier 2. In this case, the viewer’s choice results matched my results exactly, so I am excluding the usual coda for this post to minimize redundancies.
Madlib - Sound Ancestors VS. J Dilla - Donuts
J Dilla - Donuts
Sound Ancestors is fantastically imaginative and often infectiously groovy, but it veers towards intellectualism in the back third. In truth, I think this variety is appealing, but Donuts maintains a similarly cerebral thread without losing its playful nature. Respectable, especially since J Dilla essentially created the album from a hospital bed.
Death’s Dynamic Shroud - Transcendence Bot VS. L’Rain - I Killed Your Dog
Death’s Dynamic Shroud - Transcendence Bot
L'Rain's pervasive stylistic and conceptual juxtapositions both help and hinder this album. Conversely, Transcendence Bot is both tremendously varied and cohesive. The only thing that hinders Death's Dynamic Shroud is their overwhelming productivity. While I am still catching up with last year's three album drop they keep releasing compelling new music! Oversaturation is a possibility in the long run, but for now they can do no wrong.
The Strokes - The New Abnormal VS. The Guess Who - Plein D’Amour
Runner up for most contentious from this week. The New Abnormal beautifully captures the essence of millennial pop in a nostalgic and novel way. The Guess Who, however, despite receiving a side-eye for sketchy album art and identity issues, have crafted a compelling studio pop album that Jellyfish fans are justifiably raving about.
Toe - For Long Tomorrow VS. Mid-Air Thief - Crumbling
Toe - For Long Tomorrow
Most contentious award goes to this one. Although they diverge in style, In terms of creativity, these albums are pretty evenly matched. Although both have an exploratory aspect, the distinction here is that Crumbling meanders more broadly, requiring more intention to follow. The liveness of For Long Tomorrow provides a level of crisp momentum that I find appealing.
Naoki Sato - Godzilla Minus One OST VS. Hans Zimmer - Dune 2 OST
Hans Zimmer - Dune 2 OST
The traditionalist in me would very much like to see Godzilla Minus One take this one. Sato’s score is subtle and crafted as a thematic extension of Godzilla’s previous musical traditions. It's hard, however, to overlook the sheer creativity and vision of Zimmer’s work on Dune 2.
Adventures of Jet - Muscle VS. J Robbins - Basilisk
Adventures of Jet - Muscle
By far the most contentious showdown of the week. These albums really are on equal footing in many ways. Adventures of Jet (and by extension, Bobgoblin) has gotten a lot of love from me in recent years, and it is tempting to let Robbins through simply to give someone else a chance. Muscle, however, just nudges past in terms of detail (but not quality). Basilisk has been marked as a possible save.
Tigran Hamasyan - StandArt VS. Hermeto Pascoal - Planetário da Gávea
Hermeto Pascoal - Planetário da Gávea
Another difficult choice, especially since Hamasyan’s take on jazz standards is one of the first albums in its style that I have really connected with in a very long time. Hermeto’s spontaneity and playfulness is alluring, however, and even more so when appreciated in a hammock on a beautiful Spring afternoon.
Troper - Troper Sings Brion VS. Timmy Sean - Songs From and Inspired By Noisewater
Mo Troper - Troper Sings Brion
Runner up for most contentious showdown. Stylistically, this showdown almost feels like Lennon VS. McCartney. Noisewater is beautifully detailed and polished, and it certainly holds up under repeated listens. Brion’s twisting harmonic changes resonate with me strongly, though, and Troper’s rendering of these unreleased demos convincingly recalls Brion’s 2001 masterpiece Meaningless in a way that is both unique and moving. It moves me in my gut, and I can’t ignore when that happens.
Viewer’s Choice
Nick Hakim - Cometa OST VS. Hans Zimmer - Dune 2 OST
Nick Hakim - Cometa
Adventures of Jet - Muscle VS. J Robbins - Basilisk
J Robbins - Basilisk
Tigran Hamasyan - StandArt VS. Hermeto Pascoal - Planetário da Gávea
Tigran Hamasyan - StandArt
Mo Troper - Troper Sings Brion VS. Timmy Sean - Songs From and Inspired By Noisewater
Timmy Sean - Songs From and Inspired By Noisewater
