Greatest Album of the Decade Tournament, ROUND TWO

[Hat]

Does Jaydiohead count as a hip hop album? 'Cause that's what i would nominate for best hip hop album.

not only is that not really a hip hop album it is not even nearly as good as Skeet Spirit: A Crunk Tribute to Radiohead in the first place

[a pack of wolves]

(C'mon, people, we know that the track length thing was a way to state that people don't really look at that album. I made other comments about its content so, please, let's try not to Fox News the comment.)

It just really stuck out as odd, partly since you went and put it in bold.

For me, any time Donuts is in danger of getting to cerebral he goes and hits me with a track like the effortlessly swinging 'Time: The Donut Of The Heart' or the sheer unadulterated summertime joy of 'Two Can Win' and the good times are rolling again so it's definitely a record I can fling on any old time. But regardless, I think we can agree that it's pretty pathetic that we haven't got a single hip-hop record into the second round of this thing (and that J Dilla is awesome).

[Hat]

who would have thought that a music forum full of nerdy white socially awkward people would not be pushing a massive hip-hop contingent

I shoulda nominated The Loneliest Punk though because that album is fucking dope.

The main reason I avoided nominating too much hip-hop though is that I mostly like stuff like Brad Strut that everyone here would fucking hate anyway.

[Dimmukane]

As far as Dead Meadow vs Justin Timberlake goes, one act put together a phenomenal stoner-rock record for 200$ in a garage, whereas the other put together a pretty good (or so I've heard) pop/dance album (which admittedly I have not listened to in its entirety) with a whole lot of studio help and a previous career in a boy band.  One act pens lyrics involving Lovecraftian creatures, and the other act sings about bringing sexy back. 

When I listen to the opening strains of Sleepy Silver Door, I am visualizing the trees and mountains uprooting themselves to fight against the Old Ones; when I listen to Sexyback, I visualize some kids found those giant pianos you walk on and started stomping on a few keys at random and repeated that for a while because they thought it sounded cool.  For me to really like a record it has to paint a scene in my mind that captivates me and make me want to stare at it awhile.  It doesn't have to follow a theme, it just has to be pleasing to my inner eye or whatever you want to call it, and Futuresex/Lovesounds doesn't do that for me. 

That's the best justification I can offer as to why I would pick Dead Meadow over Futuresex/Lovesounds.  I don't think it's a bad album, it's just not one I like, whether it is superior to the other or not.

[Zombiedude]

Does Jaydiohead count as a hip hop album? 'Cause that's what i would nominate for best hip hop album.

not only is that not really a hip hop album it is not even nearly as good as Skeet Spirit: A Crunk Tribute to Radiohead in the first place

I'll look into that

[Tehz]

YELLOW

Sigur Ros
Flaming Lips
Franz Ferdinand
Fugazi

PINK

Low
Death From Above 1979
Mogwai
Death Cab

ORANGE

LCD Soundsystem
Daft Punk
Explosions in the Sky
Broken Social Scene

GREEM

McLusky
Bloc Party
Interpol
The Knife

LIGHT BLUE

Daft Punk
Okkervil River
Animal Collective
Girl Talk

PURPLE

Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Stars
Broken Social Scene
Modest Mouse

DARK BLUE

Animal Collective
Wilco
The Strokes
Sigur Ros

GOLD

Arcade Fire
Radiohead
Arcade Fire
Owls

[Hat]

Does Jaydiohead count as a hip hop album? 'Cause that's what i would nominate for best hip hop album.

not only is that not really a hip hop album it is not even nearly as good as Skeet Spirit: A Crunk Tribute to Radiohead in the first place

I'll look into that

if you have not found it by Friday I will post it in the mediaf!re thread for real

[I Am Not Amused]

As far as Dead Meadow vs Justin Timberlake goes, one act put together a phenomenal stoner-rock record for 200$ in a garage, whereas the other put together a pretty good (or so I've heard) pop/dance album (which admittedly I have not listened to in its entirety) with a whole lot of studio help and a previous career in a boy band.  One act pens lyrics involving Lovecraftian creatures, and the other act sings about bringing sexy back. 

When I listen to the opening strains of Sleepy Silver Door, I am visualizing the trees and mountains uprooting themselves to fight against the Old Ones; when I listen to Sexyback, I visualize some kids found those giant pianos you walk on and started stomping on a few keys at random and repeated that for a while because they thought it sounded cool.  For me to really like a record it has to paint a scene in my mind that captivates me and make me want to stare at it awhile.  It doesn't have to follow a theme, it just has to be pleasing to my inner eye or whatever you want to call it, and Futuresex/Lovesounds doesn't do that for me. 

That's the best justification I can offer as to why I would pick Dead Meadow over Futuresex/Lovesounds.  I don't think it's a bad album, it's just not one I like, whether it is superior to the other or not.

Your reasons for preferring the sound of one over the sound of the other are totally fair and that is one of those 'to each their own' deals.

But to hold against Futuresex/Lovesounds that it was recorded in a studio, that JT worked together with Timbaland to put it together and that he used to be in N Sync? I don't think that is fair.

Lo-fi, cheaply done 4-tracked albums and hi-fi, immaculate studio albums can both suck, or they can both be great, it just depends on the songcraft (Look at John Darnielle, he's done both styles and all of his albums kick ass). I've got no qualms with someone liking Dead Meadows over JT, people have their tastes, but I think to hold the manner of its production against it is unwise.

Either way, it was an arbitrary comparison that doesn't really work when trying to critically analyze the two, as it is pretty much apples to oranges.

[David_Dovey]

One act pens lyrics involving Lovecraftian creatures, and the other act sings about bringing sexy back.  

Man any prick can go and rip off cult authors and use their stuff but as to the concept of "bringing sexy back"... well... Suffice to say most folk did not even know it was gone in the first place.

[Hat]

I always thought that maybe that line was more of a self aware reference about the fact that he used to be a sex symbol but his career had been a bit in the shitter and then he's all listening to some of his new tracks and going "oh shit this is going to get me back on top" and then he wrote a single about it.

Justin Timberlake is in fact the eponymous Sexy and by the sheer fact of singing that song he was 'bringing sexy back'

[Hat]

DISCLAIMER: The above thought process was originally conceived on LSD

[sean]

It just really stuck out as odd, partly since you went and put it in bold.

this, basically. i mean, you made other points that were pretty okay! you basically took your absolute worst point, and not only stated it first, but capitalized it. obviously that is the point that will stand out the post. the base for your point, basically.

sorry for dwelling on this guys bhhhhhhhh

[I Am Not Amused]

I forgive you, because your avatar is cookies. 

[scarred]

I feel like there is a lot les fuckdh na reoefrjkf aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[David_Dovey]

Hey you get back in the holding pen

[tender]

I always thought that maybe that line was more of a self aware reference about the fact that he used to be a sex symbol but his career had been a bit in the shitter and then he's all listening to some of his new tracks and going "oh shit this is going to get me back on top" and then he wrote a single about it.

Justin Timberlake is in fact the eponymous Sexy and by the sheer fact of singing that song he was 'bringing sexy back'

A+ That's (kind of) my interpretation as well. If anything, Justin Timberlake is a sexy man.

And yeah, I would have added more commentary when I posted, but I'm hella busy right now. I'll probably add more later! because this is a fun contest, and I like talking about music, even if there are some mighty angry lovers of Fugazi out there with different opinions. It's more entertaining that way, because circle jerk music discussions are no fun.

[Lhefriel_Medies]

Takk...
Yoshimi
ABSTAIN
Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Hymn to the Immortal Wind
ABSTAIN
Happy Songs for Happy People
The Mantle

Sound of Silver
All Hail West Texas
The Earth Is Not A Cold, Dead Place
ABSTAIN
ABSTAIN
Akuma no Uta (Can't quite decide bleh)
ABSTAIN
Silent Shout

Discovery
The Sunset Tree
ABSTAIN
ABSTAIN
Talk Among the Trees (Another one)
ABSTAIN
ABSTAIN
ABSTAIN

ABSTAIN
Dandelion Gum
ABSTAIN
Nite Versions
Funeral
Third
Neon Bible
Owls

[Liz]

Sigur Ros- Takk
The Weakerthans- Reconstruction Site
The Books- Lemon of Pink
Fugazi- The Argument

Low- Things We Lost in the Fire
Death from Above 1979- You're a Woman, I'm a Machine
Battles- Mirrored
Death Cab for Cutie- Transatlanticism

-------------------

LCD Soundsystem- Sound of Silver
Mountain Goats- All Hail West Texas
Iron and Wine- Our Endless Numbered Days
Broken Social Scene- You Forgot it in People

TV on the Radio- Return to Cookie Mountain
Boris- Akuma No Uta
The Postal Service- Get Up
of Montreal- Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

-------------------

The Decemberists- Castaways and Cutouts
Okkervil River- Black Sheep Boy
Animal Collective- Strawberry Jam
Girl Talk- Feed the Animals

Eluvium- Talk Among the Trees
Stars- Set Yourself on Fire
Broken Social Scene- Broken Social Scene
M83- Saturdays = Youth

-------------------

Animal Collective- Merriwether Post Pavilion
Wilco- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Yo La Tengo- I Am Not Afraid of You...
Sigur Ros- Agaetis Byrjun

Sufjan Stevens- Come on Feel the Illinoise!
Portishead- Third
Arcade Fire- Neon Bible
Owls- Owls

[Reed]

Radiohead - Kid A
Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Low - Things We Lost in the Fire
Death From Above 1979 - You're a Woman, I'm a Machine
Battles - Mirrored
Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlantacism

LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
Mountain Goats - All Hail West Texas
Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
Boris - Akuma No Uta
Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

Decemberists - Castaways and Cutouts
Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree
Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
Girl Talk - Feed the Animals

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Yr Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
Stars - Set Yourself on Fire
Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
Modest Mouse - The Moon and Antarctica

Elliot Smith - From a Basement on the Hill
Black Moth Super Rainbow - Dandelion Gum
The Strokes - Is This It?
Soulwax - Nite Versions

Arcade Fire - Funeral
Portishead - Third
Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary
Owls - Owls

[Joseph]

It just hit me that there are no Silkworm or Ladyhawk albums on this list.

[Jeans]

It's almost as if everybody here hates music! (no really though i am mostly joking in this thread. Mostly.) (your fugazi vote has been duly noted, liz)

[Reed]

Jens, if we could have included some of Fugazi's 90's albums I definitely would have voted for them (and multiple times). I just don't feel that strongly about The Argument.

[Liz]

(your fugazi vote has been duly noted, liz)

I did it for you, baby.

[onewheelwizzard]

Dead Meadow make fucking great music.  (Also, I lol'd at The Dude.)

[David_Dovey]

The Argument is my favourite Fugazi albm. In fact it's definitely in my Top 10 albums of all time, and maybe Top 5.

[Zombiedude]

Does Jaydiohead count as a hip hop album? 'Cause that's what i would nominate for best hip hop album.

not only is that not really a hip hop album it is not even nearly as good as Skeet Spirit: A Crunk Tribute to Radiohead in the first place

I'll look into that

if you have not found it by Friday I will post it in the mediaf!re thread for real

Doooo iiiitttt

[theoryC]

I'm pretty surprised and puzzled that Elliot Smith might beat MPP.  I mean Elliot is good, but I wonder if this has as much to do with backlash.

[Joseph]

It is not backlash if you thought that the album was no good to begin with.  Sorry.

[Tom]

It's a weak album, that for sure. imo Strawberry Jam and Feels are much better.

[WriterofAllWrongs]

I don't know about that.  Merriweather Post Pavillion showed a lot of polish and spark that they just didn't possess on their previous two releases.  Then again, MPP is a lot more electronic, almost completely doing away with the guitar.  It's sort of a take it or leave it album because it's basically a album full of really dramatic electronic sounds in contrast with the softer and more gradual production on Strawberry Jam.  I, for one, like them both a good deal and consider them equal in quality, but different in style.

[Scandanavian War Machine]

MPP only has about three or four songs on it that i like...but i really fucking like them. the rest i could take or leave....meh

[onewheelwizzard]

I liked MPP better than Strawberry Jam but it's still not as good as Feels or Sung Tongs.

[scarred]

And then there are those of us who don't like Animal Collective

gasp

[Hat]

That opinion was basically a brick through some dudes window

It is a valuable life skill to know when a contrary opinion is productive and when it is just being contrary for the sake of some kind of self-satisfaction

[E. Spaceman]

To be fair, we are dealing with a competition here where cat calling and other joshing is expected.

I'll also add that Sung Tongs is overall enjoyable, Feels had a few great tracks but the rest was horribly boring. The rest is really just boring

[Bastardous Bassist]

It is a valuable life skill to know when a contrary opinion is productive and when it is just being contrary for the sake of some kind of self-satisfaction

So, we should only post our opinion if we agree that Animal Collective is awesome?  I don't see how stating that some of us not liking a band, and stating that fact is any less productive than only people who like that band state what album they like when figuring out why people aren't voting for that band's albums.

[Hat]

ok Fugazi are fucking shit

[Hat]

um you all basically have the worst taste in rap music ever

[Hat]

almost every album on this list that cannot be described as "dance music" or "heavy metal" is flaccid uninspired noodling by a bunch of dudes who need to stop being so fucking sad and sort their shit out privately away from public view

[Hat]

hey how am I doing because I can just start disagreeing with everything everyone says if I start running out of opinions to have AS LOUD AS POSSIBLE

[Hat]

basically what I am saying is "what are we gaining from talking shit about each others opinions except the smug sense of self-satisfaction that we all have inside our hearts anyway"

[Bastardous Bassist]

So, all contrary opinions are there to insult the opinions of other people?  Now I know.  And I was all thinking that we have different opinions because we were different people.

[onewheelwizzard]

Brett the best part about your posts in this thread is your avatar

[Hat]

basically I was only going to make the one post but once I realised the avatar/post synergy I just had to keep going

also just saying "I don't like X band" is a really boring opinion and just about as offensive to me as anything I said above, because if you don't like a band maybe you could come up with a decent reason, otherwise you have just wasted two seconds of my life that I could spend running my mouth off at schoolchildren.

[Bastardous Bassist]

Ah, but if someone says:

I'm pretty surprised and puzzled that Elliot Smith might beat MPP.  I mean Elliot is good, but I wonder if this has as much to do with backlash.

That some people don't like Animal Collective might explain why the album didn't do well.  After all, he was wondering.

And if you want to know why I don't like them, just take those two seconds and expand it to the length of an album.  Are you happier now that I've called Animal Collective "boring"?  Do you find it less offensive?

Finally, most of the posts about the albums were nothing more than "I don't like album x."

[WriterofAllWrongs]

basically I was only going to make the one post but once I realised the avatar/post synergy I just had to keep going

also just saying "I don't like X band" is a really boring opinion and just about as offensive to me as anything I said above, because if you don't like a band maybe you could come up with a decent reason, otherwise you have just wasted two seconds of my life that I could spend running my mouth off at schoolchildren.

Well it could be worse.  It could just degenerate to no one stating any opinion period and just yelling hate at each other about their taste in musiFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK YOOOOOOOOOOU SCARRED.

[WriterofAllWrongs]

I like that band that you don't like.  How about you be more consider it and conform to my opinion or just shut the hell up.

[Hat]

are you trying to be clever or are you actually just retarded

[Bastardous Bassist]

I'm curious now.  Why am I retarded?  Because I believe in providing somebody with information on a subject if they are wondering about that subject?  Is it because I find Animal Collective boring?  Or is it something else that I've completely missed?  Rather frequently I am quite retarded, so if you could inform me of my mistake, that would be great.

[WriterofAllWrongs]

are you trying to be clever or are you actually just retarded

It's probably somewhere in between.  All I'm saying is that it's not like comments such as scarred are hurting the thread, or even anyone's feelings unless they have the emotional fortitude of an infant.  I don't want to step on your toes or anything, it's just not as serious as all that.