Thanks to everyone for making this a solid first week of showdowns! The response has been respectable, and the
broader range of perspectives and opinions are definitely welcome. Still, this week didn’t harbor any serious
upsets, and the Viewer’s Choice results match my own. I have a couple of ideas as to why that might
be.
Although I have always included older “classic” albums in my
listening habits, this year had an intentionally larger percentage of these
albums – no less than 25%! Its
interesting to consider these albums alongside more recent releases, if for
nothing else as a “control group” for more current listening. For me, all these albums are “new” listening,
but for many, some of these albums may be personal favorites that have not only
the strength of their musical worth, but also the undeniable pull of nostalgia. If anyone asked me to put anything up against
Moving Pictures or Discipline, the contender wouldn’t stand a chance no matter
how great the album might objectively be.
This is particularly pronounced in these early rounds due to
the way that the tournament brackets are set up. I have, in the past, assembled the brackets by
tracking the number of listens each album gets, but this system is problematic
for reasons I will address at a later date.
This year, I constructed the brackets entirely by each album’s aggregate
score on RateYourMusic.com, with the highest rated album against the lowest, the
second highest against the second lowest, etc.
These first showdowns have the biggest disparity between ratings, so
theoretically, the early decisions should be relatively straightforward. As we get further down the bracket, however, the
difference between the scoring should be less, so the albums should be closer
in quality.
Of course, any kind of objective numeric rating for an album is hogwash when it comes to subjective experience. Nonetheless, it is still an interesting starting point.
Jethro Tull – Thick as a Brick VS. Alan Sparhawk – White
Roses, My God
Jethro Tull – Thick as a Brick
There’s a reason why this Jethro Tull album is considered a classic. Not only does it chocked full of amazing musical performances, it is also elegantly crafted. The way the themes are introduced, reinvented, and recombined are worthy of close study and attention. As interesting and adventurous as Alan Sparhawk’s first post-Low solo album is, it has a big hill to climb to overcome Thick as a Brick.
System of a Down – Toxicity VS. Amythyst Kiah – Still +
Bright
System of a Down – Toxicity
This showdown was actually far more contentious than it
might seem. I somehow got through the
early aughts without ever really considering System of a Down, but Toxicity
immediately impressed me as a particularly distinctive take on so-called “nu-metal.” It impressed me from the outset. Amythyst
Kiah’s killer songwriting and bluntly authentic approach to blues, country, and
indie rock, however, really grew on me over the course of the last month or so
and very nearly caused an upset here.
Tinted Windows – Tinted Windows VS. The Cure – Songs of a
Lost World
The Cure – Songs of a Lost World
Tinted Windows should be considered amongst the finest of power
pop albums. Its muscular and solid, but
still has melodies sweet enough to win over fans of more polished forms of the
style. Like Toxicity, however, the vibe
of this new Cure album won me over immediately and has continued to keep my interest. Never mind the fact that former Tin Machine
and Bowie guitarist Reeves Gabriels is now the official guitarist for The Cure –
and that Robert Smith sounds utterly fantastic.
XTC – Black Sea VS. London Grammar – The Greatest Love
XTC – Black Sea
This is one that I know hits home with lots of
listeners. XTC has a fervent fanbase,
and anyone who likes them sees this as one of their best. I can see why. The band’s energy is on fire, and the
songwriting on The Black Sea is both detailed and accessible. This one may rank alongside Skylarking and
English Settlement as one of my favorites.
London Grammar’s lush, liminal atmospheres also perhaps had an unfair
hill to climb in this showdown. Not to
worry, however, as they will return in Tier 5 this Summer for a second shot.
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