This post documents the remaining Tier 6 showdowns, two from this week and a couple of stragglers from the previous cycle. The divergences here between the prime results and those of the Viewer’s Choice is pretty striking, but it's these differences that make running the parallel brackets so interesting (not unlike divergent endings in the old Choose Your Own Adventure books…).
Tier 7 will continue this week and into the next, with the prime results being posted in short-form videos published in the microblogging portal of your choice. Tier 7 results produce the preliminary Fall Top 12, a list that will be finalized after the group’s top contributor replaces one album on the list with one favorite eliminated album from Tier 6.
After finalizing the Fall Top 12, the group will need to select saves for the finals. A Google Doc of eligible Tier 6 albums will be made available on Wednesday, Nov. 20, and close on Friday at noon on Nov. 22. All participants will select six favorites from this list, and the most-voted for albums will advance directly to the finals.
Finals will begin on Friday, Nov. 22. Completing all showdowns by the end of the year will require EIGHT showdowns a week for five weeks. That’s a lot. The good news is that the majority of these albums will be ones that we are already familiar with. The bad news is that they will all be good. I don’t want folks to get overwhelmed, so I see a couple of options to help with the pacing.
Option 1: Four showdowns twice a week in the same Friday and Monday pattern that we have sustained all year long
Option 2: Two showdowns four times a week Friday through Monday.
I will release a poll in the group alongside these results to get a sense of what works best for everyone.
Kofi Flexxx - Flowers in the Dirt VS. The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble - Open Me: A HIgher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit
Kofi Flexxx - Flowers in the Dirt
Given its relatively subdued tone, it is easy to overlook the genius moments throughout Open Me. Flowers in the Dirt has many similar moments, but with a defiant tone that I find appealing.
Alcest - Les Chants de l'Aurore VS. Cloakroom - Dissolution Wave
Cloakroom - Dissolution Wave
Dissolution Wave has been a serious sleeper this season. There’s a part of me that fondly remembers participating in the 90s Dallas music scene, and this album activates a sense of nostalgia for live bands from that era. Musically, Alcest is arguably the superior group, but their languid vocal delivery makes for a confusing expressive rift in the album’s emotive capacity, allowing Dissolution Wave to take this one.
Kalandra - A Frame of Mind VS. The Decemberists - As It Always Was, So It Will Be Again
The Decemberists - As It Always Was, So It Will Be Again
I have a lot of personal affection for the heavy-folk-lite-prog of Kalandra, their more recent album lacks some of the psychedelic elements that made their debut so distinctive. Additionally, the Decemberists can simply write great, singable tunes with tear-jerking lyrics, which is hard to beat in this year’s showdown environment.
Debashish Bhattacharya - The Sound of the Soul VS. Dewa Alit & Gamelan Salukat - Chasing the Phantom
Dewa Alit & Gamelan Salukatt - Chasing the Phantom
So tricky, as these are both outstanding contemporary examples of traditional music from different culture-groups Debashish Bhattacharya is inarguably brilliant, and The Sound of the Soul is an excellent, low-commitment introduction to the sounds of Hindustani classical music. Situations like this, however, can boil down to personal preference, and I just love the wicked intensity and structure of Balinese gamelan. Dewa Alit’s unique tuning approach and the fiery virtuosity of Gamelan Salukat make my hairs stand on end, and I have to recognize that. Chasing the Phantom goes on.
Viewer’s Choice
Madlib - Sound Ancestors VS. The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble - Open Me: A HIgher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit
The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble - Open Me: A Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit
Alcest - Les Chants de l'Aurore VS. Mandy, Indiana - I’ve Seen a Way
Alcest - Les Chants de l’Aurore
Kalandra - Frame of Mind VS. The Decemberists - As It Always Was, So It Will Be Again
Kalandra - Frame of Mind
Debashish Bhattacharya - The Sound of the Soul VS. Dewa Alit & Gamelan Salukat - Chasing the Phantom
Deabashish Bhattacharya - The Sound of the Soul
