Albums of 2014

Nick
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Nick »

Otisredding wrote:Why not make a MCCH of AM'ers?

To do this, we need eachother that users publish their lists here valued the albums from 0 to 100 points (or 0 to 10 points).

In this thread have posted the following comments am'ers (sorry if I forgot anyone)

a) rating albums: HRS; DocBrown, Romain;

b) lists of albums: Mattceinicram: Jirin, Gillingham, NIck, granit, Andre; dumbangel; Maschine_Man; Rocky Raccoon.

If people of paragraph b) make their lists on ratings, we could have a pretty interesting Mini Chart.
Alright, let's do this!

1. Sun Kil Moon- Benji- 90/100
2. St. Vincent- St. Vincent- 85/100
3. The War on Drugs- Lost in the Dream- 85/100
4. Perfect Pussy- Say Yes to Love- 85/100
5. Real Estate- Atlas- 80/100
6. Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra- Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything- 80/100
7. Elbow- The Take Off and Landing of Everything- 80/100
8. Schoolboy Q- Oxymoron- 75/100
9. Beck- Morning Phase- 75/100
10. Phantogram- Voices- 75/100
11. Against Me!- Transgender Dysphoria Blues- 70/100
12. Bruce Springsteen- High Hopes- 55/100
13. Metronomy- Love Letters- 55/100
14. Broken Bells- After the Disco- 50/100

I'm not too great when it comes to the whole 0-100 ranking thing, so I just gave an approximate ranking that goes every 5 points.
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Otisredding
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Otisredding »

guigs2910 wrote:Otisredding, whenever it starts, please, tell me. I would love to participate. :)
Of course, guigs2910, but I'm sitting here with my bottle waiting for more participants arrive

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Jirin
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Jirin »

Ok, I'll start with the ones at the top and random other ones I remember, I might fill in other ones that I wasn't as keen on later.

St Vincent - St Vincent 93/100
Sun Kil Moon - Benji 92/100
Neneh Cherry - Blank Project 92/100
Quilt - Held In Splendor 88/110
Beck - Morning Phase 84/100
Damien Jurado - Brothers And Sisters Of The Eternal Son 82/100
Bibio - The Green EP 82/100
Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witnesses 82/100
Thee Silver Mt Zion - Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light On Everything 81/100
Wild Beasts - Present Tense 80/100
Bohren & Der Club Of Gore - Piano Nights 79/100
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings 78/100
Drive By Truckers - English Oceans 74/100
Tinariwen - Emmaar 73/100
Alejandra Rivera - La Boca 69/100
Mondkopf - Hades 67/100
East India Youth - Total Strife Forever 65/100
Behemoth - The Satanist 58/100
Youth Fathers - Dead 50/100


It would also be fun to see correlations between users.
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Rocky Raccoon
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Rocky Raccoon »

I'll try my best, it seems like fun. Like Nick, I'm not into grading things in such definitive numbers, but I'll give some roundabout numbers. Based off my February update on page 2, with Drive-by Truckers added.

St. Vincent - 85

Thee Silver Mt. Zion Orchestra - 80
Beck - 80

Timothy Bloom - 75
Against Me! - 75
Angel Olsen - 75
Lydia Loveless - 75

Drive-by Truckers - 70
Rosanne Cash - 70
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - 70
Damien Jurado - 70
Lake Street Dive - 70
Tinariwen - 70
Broken Bells - 70
Sun Kil Moon - 70

Warpaint - 65

Cibo Matto - 60
Chris K.
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Chris K. »

I'll play! Here's my list:

St. Vincent - 92
The War on Drugs - 90
Beck - 87
Real Estate - 87
Angel Olsen - 85
Wild Beasts - 82
Sun Kil Moon - 82
Perfect Pussy - 80
Marissa Nadler - 79
Tinariwen - 79
DocBrown
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by DocBrown »

I'm going to consolidate and update my lists for you here, in more accurate precise scoring.

Alejandra Ribera - La boca 86
Carla Bozulich - Boy 85
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra – Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything 84
Phantogram – Voices 84
Quilt - Held in Splendor 83
Neneh Cherry - Blank Project 82
Blood Red Shoes - Blood Red Shoes 81
Damien Jurado – Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son 80
Hospitality – Trouble 80
Jeremy Messersmith - Heart Murmurs 79
Wild Beasts - Present Tense - 79
Beck - Morning Phase - 78
Drive – By Truckers – English Oceans 77
Elbow - The Take Off and Landing of Everything - 77
Temples - Sun Structures 76
Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness 76
Against Me! – Transgender Dysphoria Blues 75
Bombay Bicycle Club - So Long, See You Tomorrow 75
James Vincent McMorrow - Post Tropical 74
St. Vincent - St. Vincent 74
Nina Persson – Animal Heart 74
Nicole Atkins – Slow Phazer 73
Dum Dum Girls – Too True 72
Cibo Matto – Hotel Valentine 72
Rosanne Cash – The River & the Thread 71
Elizabeth & the Catapult – Like It Never Happened 70
Maxïmo Park - Too Much Information 70
Broken Bells - After the Disco 70
Patterns - Waking Lines 70
Cymbals – The Age of Fracture 70
Warpaint – Warpaint 70
Real Estate – Atlas 68
Blank Realm - Grassed Inn 67
East India Youth - Total Strife Forever 67
MisterWives – Reflections EP 64
Kate Tucker & The Sons of Sweden – The Shape The Color The Feel 64
Dappled Cities - Many Roads 60
The Notwist – Close to the Glass 57
Young the Giant – Mind Over Matter 56
Sun Kil Moon - Benji 56

Unfortunately, my old computer developed a fatal bug a few weeks ago, so I've been busy trying to reconstruct and haven't done much new listening.
Last edited by DocBrown on Sun Mar 23, 2014 2:57 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Stephan
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Stephan »

This is shaping up to be a phenomenal year. I'm particularly impressed with 'The War on Drugs', whom I saw at a festival 3 years ago and walked away from after a couple of songs.

1. The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream (8.5)
2. Wild Beasts - Present Tense (8.0/8.5)
3. Sun Kil Moon - Benji (8.0)
4. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - Give The People What They Want (8.0)
5. St. Vincent - St. Vincent (7.5/8.0)
6. Rosanne Cash - The River & The Thread (7.5)
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Mattceinicram
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Mattceinicram »

Alright here's my crack at it

St Vincent- St Vincent 91
Sun Kil Moon- Benji 88
The War on Drugs- Lost in the Dream 87
Wild Beasts- Present Tense- 85
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra- Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything 84
Damien Jurado- Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son 82
Neneh Cherry- Blank Project 81
Carla Bozulich- Boy 81
East India Youth- Total Strife Forever 80
Angel Olsen- Burn Your Fire for No Witness 80
Beck- Morning Phase 79
Young Fathers- Dead 78
Marissa Nadler- July 78
Real Estate- Atlas 78
Behemoth- The Satanist 77
Against Me!- Transgender Dysphoria Blues 75
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings- Give the People What They Want 75
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks- Wig Out at Jagbags 74
Bruce Springsteen- High Hopes 57
Last edited by Mattceinicram on Mon Mar 24, 2014 2:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Romain
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Romain »

Beck - Morning Phase 5/10 Beck? Beck? Where are you Beck?
Cascadeur - Ghost Surfer 7,5/10 Ladies and gentlemen, You are floating in your dreams.
Wooden Shjips - Back To Land 8/10 A marvelous album. Good mix between the 60's and the shoegazer.


Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings - Give the People What They Want 8,5/10
Wooden Shjips - Back To Land 8/10
Cascadeur - Ghost Surfer 7,5/10
Mogwai - Rave Tapes 6,5/10
Beck - Morning Phase 5/10
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by DocBrown »

Just listened to Drowners self-titled debut. Another great record, which has been dubbed Britpop, although they're from New York. I do hear the Smiths in both the guitar and (obviously) vocals but I also hear Vampire Weekend and Arctic Monkeys in there. If you don't mind your pop jangly and jejeune but with a touch of young wit, the grating of the ersatz British accent fades as the album rolls on. Pay some attention to the lyrics, there is some funny storytelling going on here. 79/100

On the other hand, listened to my first big disappointment of the year, Eternal Summers' The Drop Beneath. Occasionally interesting guitars don't mask continually awkward and off-key vocals. 49/100
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Gillingham »

Would have to take some time to do this properly with all of the 2014 albums I've listened to. I'll probably stick with scores rounded of to five.
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Andre
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Andre »

Nick wrote:
Mattceinicram wrote:The War on Drugs new album is pretty outstanding! :D
I agree! Very Springsteen. Although it's a full hour long, the songs seem to go by pretty quickly- an impressive feat as many of the songs are over 7 minutes long.
Yes, hearing the melodies you think Bruce is gonna start singing soon, but no ... very refreshing to hear some other voice. Fantastic album, my new #1 so far for 2014!
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Jirin »

Two fantastic instrumental albums I discovered:

David Krakauer - The Big Picture 86/100
Ambrose Akinmusire - The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier To Paint 88/100 (Also in the running for 'Best album title')
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Otisredding
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Otisredding »

My score:

Sun Kil Moon - Benji: 85
St. Vincent - St. Vincent: 83
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra - Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything: 80
Neneh Cherry - Blank Project: 79
Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings - Give the People What They Want: 75
Tinariwen - Emmaar: 75
Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witnesses: 74
Wild Beasts - Present Tense: 72
Marissa Nadler - July: 72
Carla Bozulich - Boy: 71
The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream: 70
East India Youth - Total Strife Forever: 68
Youth Fathers - Dead: 68
Temples - Sun Structures: 66
Ásgeir - In the Silence: 65
Damien Jurado - Brothers And Sisters Of The Eternal Son: 64
The Men: Tomorrow's Hits: 64
Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks - Wig Out at Jagbags: 62
Behemoth - The Satanist: 61
Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else: 60
Mogwai - Rave Tapes: 60
Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues: 59
The Notwist – Close to the Glass: 54
Actress: Ghettoville: 53
Beck - Morning Phase: 52
Warpaint – Warpaint: 48
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Otisredding
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Otisredding »

Tomorrow I will publish the first chart.
I'm expecting the participation of Gillingham - Maschine_Man - guigs2910

:music-rockon:
Last edited by Otisredding on Wed Mar 26, 2014 8:55 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by DocBrown »

Great work, OtisRedding! Perhaps as time goes on someone can track the correlations between the AMF and the "real" critics of the MCCh.
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Gillingham »

Sun Kil Moon - Benji: 82
Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire for no Witness: 78
Millie & Andrea - Drop the Vowels: 76
East India Youth - Total Strive Forever: 74
Tinariwen - Emmaar: 72
Damien Jurado - Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son: 70
The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream: 70
Tycho - Awake: 68
Warpaint - Warpaint: 68
Habib Koité - Soô: 68
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra - Fuck off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything: 66
St. Vincent - St. Vincent: 64
Neneh Cherry - Blank Project: 62
Beck - Morning Phase: 62
Actress - Ghettoville: 60
The Notwist - Close to the Glass: 52
Nick
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Nick »

Congratulations St. Vincent! I wonder how long her album will hold the lead. What albums that have been announced/albums that are rumored to be released this year do you all think have a good shot of dethroning her?
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Maschine_Man »

The way I rank my albums isn't really that easy to translate to a 'out of 100' score :/ . I did my best, maybe I'll figure out a fare way later on...

St. Vincent - St. Vincent: 93
Neneh Cherry - Blank Project: 85
Damian Jurado - Brothers And Sisters: 81
Dan Croll - Sweet Disarray: 74
Young Fathers - Dead: 72
Broken Bells - After The Disc:o 65
Metromony - Love Letters: 64
Beck - Morning Phase: 62
Wild Beasts - Present Tense: 60
Quilt - Held IN Splendor: 56
Pharrell - GIRL: 48
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Moonbeam »

I've only listened to one album from the year, Kiss Me Once by Kylie Minogue. I like it, but it would have been better had bonus tracks "Mr. President" and "Sleeping with the Enemy" replaced "Sexercise" and "Beautiful", respectively. Still, it makes for 8 albums in a row which I award at least 4 stars.
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guigs2910
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by guigs2910 »

Oh, lost the timing on sending my ratings so that it counted on this first ranking. Well, if we have a new ranking later in the month, like the normal MCCH, here are my scores:

Benji - Sun Kil Moon 9,8
Present Tense - Wild Beasts 9,1
July - Marissa Nadler 8,9
Burn Your Fire For No Witness - Angel Olsen 8,6
Atlas - Real Estate 8,5
Battlefields Forever - Big Business 8,4
Lord Steppington - Step Brothers 8,4
Dead - Young Fathers 8,3
St. Vincent - St. Vincent 8,3
Cilvia Demo - Isaiah Rashad 8,1
The River & The Thread - Rosanne Cash 8
Morning Phase - Beck 8
Transgender Dysphoria Blues - Against Me! 8
Blank Project - Neneh Cherry 7,9
Ghettoville - Actress 7,8
Oxymoron - Schoolboy Q 7,8
Digital Resistance - Slough Feg 7,8
No Mythologies To Follow - Mø 7,8
The Outsiders - Eric Church 7,7
Love Letters - Metronomy 7,7
Time Of Dust - Ed Harcourt 7,6
Grassed Inn - Blank Realm 7,3
Sun Structures - Temples 7,3
Close To The Glass - The Notwist 7,3
Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light On Everything - Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra 7,2
Trouble - Hospitality 7,1
Brothers and Sisters Of The Eternal Son - Damien Jurado 7,1
Cheatahs - Cheatahs 7,1
Shelter - Alcest 7,1
Eagulls - Eagulls 7,1
Tomorrow's Hits - The Men 7
G I R L - Pharrell Williams 7
Kiss Me Once - Kylie Minogue 6,9
English Oceans - Drive-By Truckers 6,9
The Age Of Fracture - Cymbals 6,8
Rave Tapes - Mogwai 6,8
Wig Out At Jigbags - Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks 6,7
Give The People What They Want - Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings 6,7
Emmaar - Tinariwen 6,7
Home, Like Noplace There Is - The Hotelier 6,5
Little Red - Katy B 6,3
Held In Splendour - Quilt 6,2
Total Strife Forever - East India Youth 6,1
Join The Dots - TOY 5,9
Somewhere Else - Lydia Loveless 5,9
After The Disco - Broken Bells 5,8
Choir Of Echoes - Peggy Lee 5,7
Waking Lines - Patterns 5,7
Warpaint - Warpaint 5,5
Terrestrials - Sunn O))) & Ulver 5,1
Mastermind - Rick Ross 4,9
The Satanist - Behemoth 4,8
From All Purity - Indian 4

In the middle of April I will post new scores.
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Nick
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Nick »

Todd Terje's new album just keeps looking better and better. "Johnny and Mary" is the newest song released from his album and it's already a contender for my song of the year. Also, it has Bryan Ferry of Roxy Music on vocals. Just saying.

https://soundcloud.com/toddterje/johnny-and-mary/

This album is going to be amazing.
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Otisredding
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Otisredding »

And this is the first list I've been able to do thanks to good sense of: Nick - Jirin - Rocky Raccoon - Chris K. - DocBrown - Stephan - Mattceinicram - Romain – Otisredding - Gillingham - Maschine_Man - guigs2910

Of course, anyone could post here your scores and can change them at any time

The albums that have received less than three ratings have been excluded from the list.

The weighted average is based on a formulation that includes a) the average of ratings and b) the number of sources have rated the album.

30 - The Notwist – Close to the Glass: 57,5 (4)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 686470.jpg[/imgsize]

29 - Behemoth - The Satanist: 59,5 (4)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 687441.jpg[/imgsize]

28 - Warpaint – Warpaint: 60,7 (5)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 676121.jpg[/imgsize]

27 - Actress - Ghettoville: 61,1 (3)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 693983.jpg[/imgsize]

26 - Mogwai - Rave Tapes: 61,8 (3)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 680346.jpg[/imgsize]

25 - Broken Bells - After the Disco: 62,1 (5)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 687446.jpg[/imgsize]

24 - Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else: 62,1 (3)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 689077.jpg[/imgsize]

23 - Metronomy - Love Letters: 62,8 (3)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 715414.jpg[/imgsize]

22 - Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks - Wig Out at Jagbags: 66,7 (4)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 675827.jpg[/imgsize]

21 - Temples - Sun Structures: 69,1 (3)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 689061.jpg[/imgsize]

20 - East India Youth - Total Strife Forever: 69,6 (6)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 691390.jpg[/imgsize]

19 - Youth Fathers - Dead: 69,7 (5)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 688073.jpg[/imgsize]

18 - Quilt - Held In Splendor: 70,7 (4)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 693938.jpg[/imgsize]

17 - Drive By Truckers - English Oceans: 71,0 (4)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 693410.jpg[/imgsize]

16 - Rosanne Cash – The River & the Thread: 72,5 (4)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 687059.jpg[/imgsize]

15 - Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues: 72,8 (6)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 680949.jpg[/imgsize]

14 - Tinariwen - Emmaar: 73,1 (6)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 686267.jpg[/imgsize]

13 - Carla Bozulich - Boy: 76,5 (3)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 686502.jpg[/imgsize]

12 - Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings - Give the People What They Want: 77,1 (6)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 683988.jpg[/imgsize]

11 - Beck - Morning Phase: 77,2 (11)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 694324.jpg[/imgsize]

10 - Damien Jurado - Brothers And Sisters Of The Eternal Son: 77,5 (8)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 684970.jpg[/imgsize]

09 - Marissa Nadler - July: 78,0 (4)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 683401.jpg[/imgsize]

08 - Real Estate - Atlas: 79,1 (5)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 712849.jpg[/imgsize]

07 - Wild Beasts - Present Tense: 80,3 (7)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 687945.jpg[/imgsize]

06 - Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra - Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything: 80,8 (8)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 683514.jpg[/imgsize]

05 - Neneh Cherry - Blank Project: 81,5 (7)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 680233.jpg[/imgsize]

04 - The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream: 81,6 (6)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 691014.jpg[/imgsize]

03 - Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witnesses: 82,0 (8)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 677187.jpg[/imgsize]

02 - Sun Kil Moon - Benji: 87,5 (10)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 689105.jpg[/imgsize]

01 - St. Vincent - St. Vincent: 89,1 (11)
[imgsize 200x200]http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_50 ... 698038.jpg[/imgsize]
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by irreduciblekoan »

Nick wrote:Mark my words. Once Todd Terje releases his debut in April, everybody is going to be going crazy over it. 9.3 from Pitchfork, 4.5/5 from AMG, etc.
At first I thought you were using hyperbole. I've enjoyed Terje's work in the past but I assumed you were simply a fan of him and electronic music, and therefore inflating the amount of mainstream praise it would receive.

However, I've just listened to Terje's "It's Album Time" and, oh my, I agree with you Nick. It's above and beyond what I would have ever expected from Terje based on his solid previous work. It's a wonderful album with, I believe, potential crossover appeal, and I hope it garners the amount of praise it deserves. It really should figure highly on the EOY spreadsheet if there's any hope in the world.

A 9/10 review from The 405, which is a good start. That's the only review I can find of the album so far.
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Nick »

irreduciblekoan wrote:
Nick wrote:Mark my words. Once Todd Terje releases his debut in April, everybody is going to be going crazy over it. 9.3 from Pitchfork, 4.5/5 from AMG, etc.
At first I thought you were using hyperbole. I've enjoyed Terje's work in the past but I assumed you were simply a fan of him and electronic music, and therefore inflating the amount of mainstream praise it would receive.

However, I've just listened to Terje's "It's Album Time" and, oh my, I agree with you Nick. It's above and beyond what I would have ever expected from Terje based on his solid previous work. It's a wonderful album with, I believe, potential crossover appeal, and I hope it garners the amount of praise it deserves. It really should figure highly on the EOY spreadsheet if there's any hope in the world.

A 9/10 review from The 405, which is a good start. That's the only review I can find of the album so far.
I just read the review myself. The review mentions that the version of "Strandbar" on the album is shorter than the album version. Can you confirm if this is true or not? I haven't found a leak yet myself, so I guess I'll have to patiently wait for some site to start streaming it (NPR maybe?).
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by irreduciblekoan »

My version of "Strandbar" is 4:28, and we can consider it legitimate, because it's a lossless leak (don't ask me how there is one this early, but it passes the audiochecker test, comes with a .cue and .log, and sounds great). How long is the version you have heard?
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Nick »

irreduciblekoan wrote:My version of "Strandbar" is 4:28, and we can consider it legitimate, because it's a lossless leak (don't ask me how there is one this early, but it passes the audiochecker test, comes with a .cue and .log, and sounds great). How long is the version you have heard?
The versions of "Strandbar" I've heard are a couple 8 minute versions and a short 3 minute version. My favorite of all the versions was "Strandbar (Disko)", off his "Strandbar" single last year. I'll have to see how the 4:28 version holds up when I hear it. If you haven't heard the 8 minute "Strandbar (Disko)" though, I highly recommend it.
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Nick »

Just finished listening to it. Someone posted the whole thing on Grooveshark. My God this album is glorious.
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Maschine_Man »

You can kinda stream/buy the new swans album here: http://young-god-records-2.myshopify.co ... o-be-kind#
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Nick »

Just posted my review of "It's Album Time" to RYM. Here it is-

Todd Terje’s debut album starts with a simple proclamation- “it’s album time”. This proclamation is a more than just the title of the album however; it’s also a statement with its tongue firmly planted on the inside of its cheek, a reference to the fact that despite performing live and creating music for roughly a decade now, this is Terje’s first full length LP.

And it would be entirely disingenuous to state that this album is anything less than the culmination of ten years of work- performing live across the Scandinavian dance scene and releasing several singles and EP’s, most notably the string of excellent singles he’s put out in 2012 and 2013- including the extraterrestrial “Inspector Norse” and the exotic “Strandbar”- two songs that are included on this LP, albeit in slightly different versions than what were originally released (“Inspector Norse”, which closes the album, is slightly longer than the 2012 version, and the version of “Strandbar” found here is a four and a half minute edit of “Strandbar (Disko)” off of his “Strandbar” single). In fact, ten years worth of work doesn’t even cover it, really. Take the past 35 years of disco and house, put them in a blender, add a dash of sophisti-pop, samba, and funk, and then slam down on the puree button a couple times. The end result is “It’s Album Time”, an album built on climax and the pure pleasure inducing brain candy that the very best pop music of the last half century has treated us to.

The album opens with its cheeky (not even two minute long) title track, before moving into two songs considerably more laid back than anything else on the album- “Leisure Suit Preben” and “Preben Goes to Acapulco”. The album then moves into a series of absolute dance floor fillers- “Svensk Sas”, “Strandbar”, “Delorean Dynamite”, and “Alfonso Muskedunder”- songs that borrow from sources as diverse as traditional Latin American music to any given week on the Billboard Hot 100 singles for any given year in the 1980’s. The beginning of the album’s end comes with a couple of previously released songs- “Swing Star (Part 1)” and “Swing Star (Part 2)”, two songs deeply in debt to space disco as a whole, that function together as foils- the energetic and propulsive Part 1 acting as the party that many of this album’s songs will surely soundtrack, and the comparatively calm Part 2 acting as the morning after. The end of Part 2 transitions right into the celebratory and epic “Oh Joy”, before closing with a version of “Inspector Norse” that finishes with (what else but?) a round of applause.

But it’s the album’s centerpiece, a Bryan Ferry lead cover of Robert Palmer’s “Johnny and Mary”, that is the pinnacle of the album as a whole. Whereas the original version was quirky and upbeat, Terje and Ferry reinvent the song into an art pop epic, turning the offbeat elements of the original on their head, and creating a jarring and powerful look at the songs titular couple. The song, which is not only the slowest song on the album but is also the only song on the album with singing, should by all means stick out like a slice of shoehorned art pop in the midst of upbeat dance party anthems, but Terje is able to blend the song right in, finding a space between “Delorean Dynamite” and “Alfonso Muskedunder” where a lesser DJ might not have seen the space to begin with. Moments like these, among many others, all serve to reinforce the sense of personality this album has, an album that looks into the future as much as it references the past. If his next album takes another ten years, it’ll be worth it, so long as it’s as good as this is.
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Mighty Blues »

Great review Nick. I just had my second play through and love it. More than anything else I was impressed with how diverse it was. Even after a 10 year career (admittedly I've only known about him since 2012) he still throws in curveballs like Alfonso Muskedunder and Johnny and Mary. He could easily have just stuck to what he knows with an albums worth of Inspector Norses and Strandbars but he took some genuine risks and really pulls it off. I don't know how he gets away with having Delorean Dynamite, Johnny and Mary and Alfonso Muskedunder in succession but somehow it works. It takes you on a journey from intense cosmic disco to an 80s pop ballad to some Latin inspired funk in the space of about 12 minutes. Not sure about you but I had heard 6 of the 12 tracks before so it definitely needs a few more listens to fully digest as a complete body of work. Other than that, I just hope as many people as possible listen to it as I would love to hear other opinions.
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by PlasticRam »

Yeah first I listened to some weird version of Strandbar and didn't like it, but still listened to the album and I think it's great. Even Strandbar I now like. Maybe it was the other songs that made me realise the greatness of that song. I don't usually like this genre so this must be a great album. I give it 9.5/10, and I think Pitchfork should too.
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Matski »

For the few of you yet to listen to the Todd Terje album everyone else here has been talking about, the Guardian now has a full album stream online:

Todd Terje - It's Album Time | Music | theguardian.com

...so too do NPR, along with a few other albums as usual:

NPR First Listen menu
Todd Terje - It's Album Time
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by DocBrown »

Recent listens:

The War On Drugs - Lost In the Dream 88. Record of the year territory.
Drowners - S/T 79
Tokyo Police Club - Forcefield 74
Timber Timber - Hot Dreams 72
The Belle Brigade - Just Because 71
Liars - Mess 64. Why, yes, it is.
Kaiser Chiefs - Education, Education, Education & War 62. Boring, boring, boring & dull.
Eternal Summers - The Drop Beneath 61. This one deserved a re-evaluation. Still not a great album, but I was a little harsh on it.

I'm going to join the chorus of praise for Todd Terje, but tomorrow's release of Band of Skulls - Himalayan is top of my agenda.

Edit 2 - and I move Himalayan up to a 91! Question - was this album released in the UK on December 13? and if so, is it in the same limbo as a 2013 album as so many others have been recently?
Last edited by DocBrown on Sat Apr 05, 2014 12:55 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by BleuPanda »

Here's my ratings for the year so far.

St. Vincent-St. Vincent (9.3)
Sun Kil Moon-Benji (9.0)
Wild Beasts-Present Tense (8.2)
The War on Drugs-Lost in the Dream (8.0)
Behemoth-The Satanist (7.9)
Neneh Cherry-Blank Project (7.7)
Beck-Morning Phase (7.7)
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra-Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything (7.4)
Angel Olsen-Burn Your Fire for No Witness (7.1)

Doing an active list like this might encourage me to listen to more this year.
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by DocBrown »

Jack White's Lazaretto out June 10. Of course, anything announced today is.... suspect.
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Maschine_Man »

^ I'm very excited, it's a great first single.

NPR has some brilliant albums streaming at the moment. Mac DeMarco- 'Salad Days', EMA- 'The Future's Void' and Todd Terje- 'It's Album Time'.
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Jirin »

Bump my rating of Ambrose Akinmusire up to 91.

I strongly encourage others to listen to this album too. It's a jazz album with some vocal songs and some instrumental songs, and absolutely entrancing.
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Henrik »

Otisredding wrote:MCCh recommends that you visit this thread to vote for your favorite songs

Week 10
Otis, I think your post fits very well in this thread too. It's great to see all the activity here, and if everyone who recommends an album also nominates a song for the AMF chart, it would be awesome!
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by DocBrown »

Heard another outstanding album today; "A Dotted Line" by Nickel Creek. Nickel Creek disbanded in 2007, shortly after winning a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk album, and reunited just recently very much on the down low, so this album came at me out of left field. If you are the AMFer who likes a little country in your folk, I highly recommend it. A highlight for me is their cover of Mother Mother's "Hayloft", a couple of strong instrumental tracks, and lots of fiddling which transcends the genre sufficiently to be called "violin".
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Matski »

Nick wrote:Mark my words. Once Todd Terje releases his debut in April, everybody is going to be going crazy over it. 9.3 from Pitchfork, 4.5/5 from AMG, etc.
Hate to break it to you Nick but Tim Sendra's review for AMG wasn't quite as enthusiastic as you may have hoped.

:|
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Nick »

Matski wrote:
Nick wrote:Mark my words. Once Todd Terje releases his debut in April, everybody is going to be going crazy over it. 9.3 from Pitchfork, 4.5/5 from AMG, etc.
Hate to break it to you Nick but Tim Sendra's review for AMG wasn't quite as enthusiastic as you may have hoped.

:|
Oh well, you can't predict them all right. All the other reviews I've read so far have been really positive though.
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Matski »

...Saying that, look at what the same reviewer did give 4.5 stars this week... :o

Hahaha, see this is what I like about AMG. Some may criticise their writing for being very generic but they also play fair to all types of listeners/genres. Leads to some very weird and unexpected outcomes...
Last edited by Matski on Sun Apr 06, 2014 6:44 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Mattceinicram »

Matski wrote:...Saying that, look at what the same reviewer did give 4.5 stars this week! :o

Hahaha, see this is what I like about AMG. Some may criticise their writing for being very generic but they also play fair to all types of listeners/genres. Leads to some very weird and unexpected outcomes...

This doesn't make much sense...but I love it :D
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by granit »

Neneh Cherry - Blank Project 9.0/10
The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream 7.5/10
Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witnesses 8.5/10
St. Vincent - St. Vincent 8.0/10
Cascadeur : Ghost surfer 8.5/10
I break horses : Chiaroscuro 6.5/10
Rosanna Cash : The River & the Thread 7.0/10
Asgeir : In the Silence 6.5/10
Warpaint : warpaint 6.0/10
Wild Beasts - Present Tense 5.0/10
Marissa Nadler - July 5.5/10
Beck - Morning Phase 8.0/10
Carla Bozulich - Boy 6.0/10
Temples - Sun Structures 6.5/10
Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else 6.5/10
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by PlasticRam »

Pitchfork gave 8.7 to Todd Terje. In retrospect I give it 9.1 to it cos I did place it in that range in my list of all-time best albums. Still, of course I don't take glory of my psychic abilities cos I guessed 9.5 and 9.1 and neither one hit.

But anyway, still my fav album of the year so far.
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Nassim »

I just listened to the Afghan Whigs' "Do to the Beast" (you can stream it on npr) and it is freaking awesome !
It's surprisingly diverse given how cohesive were albums like Gentlemen, and it's all for the good, the arrangements are brilliant, the songwriting pitch perfect and the riffs are killers... the opener would make Josh Homme jealous while the Edge would envy the guitars of The Lottery... a fantastic come back ! Even when they add some electronic beats for some reasons, it pays off !

Talking about OFF!, that's the next stream in my list ^^
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Nassim »

Nassim wrote: Talking about OFF!, that's the next stream in my list ^^
Well that was fast !

So, the 10 albums I have listened to this year (grades will very likely chance but here we go)

EMA - The Future's Void : 9
Cloud Nothings - Here and Nowhere Else : 9
The Afghan Whigs - Do to the Beast : 9
Todd Terje - It's Album Time ! : 8
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra- Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything : 8
The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dreams : 7
Perfect Pussy - Say Yes To Love : 7
OFF! - Wasted Years : 7
Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues : 6
Sun Kil Moon - Benji : 4
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Matski »

Enjoyed repeated listens of the new EMA record too. On par with her wonderful debut imo.
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Re: Albums of 2014

Post by Pierre »

Loved Todd Terje, for me it's the best debut album by an artist of 2014 so far. Azealia Banks is supposed to leak her debut album in a week now, I'm hoping for great competition for this title.
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