Moderately Acclaimed Albums 8 - Round 1.1

[Brad]

Moderately Acclaimed Albums 8 starts here!

Another outstanding group of 128 albums set to tangle in AM's own version of March Madness (which happens to extend through most of the year).

Vote for your favorite album in each match-up.
Remember, anyone can vote as long as the voter has heard both albums.

Good-spirited comments are encouraged, but not absolutely necessary.
Deadline = March 14th at 10am EST.

Here's a link to the bracket for the entire tournament:
http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?t ... Albums%208

Match-ups:
1. Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go vs. The Jam - Sound Affects
2. Garbage - Version 2.0 vs. Sonny Sharrock - Ask The Ages
3. The Fall - Bend Sinister vs. Nilsson - Aerial Ballet
4. Mitski - Retired from Sad, New Career in Business vs. Agnes Obel - Aventine

Let's go crazy
Let's get nuts!

[Bang Jan]

Ask the Ages

5 | Manic Street Preachers | Everything Must Go
3 | The Jam | Sound Affects

8 | Garbage | Version 2.0
1 | Sonny Sharrock | Ask The Ages (My nomination)

4 | The Fall | Bend Sinister
2 | Nilsson | Aerial Ballet

6 | Mitski | Retired from Sad, New Career in Business
7 | Agnes Obel | Aventine

Favourite song of the week: Sonny Sharrock | Many Mansions

[StevieFan13]

The Jam - Sound Affects
Garbage - Version 2.0
The Fall - Bend Sinister
Mitski- Retired from Sad, New Career in Business

[Jirin]

Woo! Here we go.

Lots of good discoveries this week.

Sound Affects 95 - Everything Must Go 79
Ask The Ages 93 - Version 2.0 64
Bend Sinister 83 - Aerial Ballet 82
Aventine 85 - Retired From Sad, New Career In Business 79

And Mitski gets the 'Awesome title' award.

[notbrianeno]

1. Manic Street Preachers | Everything Must Go vs. The Jam | Sound Affects
2. Garbage | Version 2.0 vs. Sonny Sharrock | Ask The Ages
3. The Fall | Bend Sinister vs. Nilsson | Aerial Ballet
4. Mitski | Retired from Sad, New Career in Business vs. Agnes Obel | Aventine

[DaveC]

1. Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go vs. The Jam - Sound Affects
2. Garbage - Version 2.0 vs. Sonny Sharrock - Ask The Ages
3. The Fall - Bend Sinister vs. Nilsson - Aerial Ballet
4. Mitski - Retired from Sad, New Career in Business vs.Agnes Obel - Aventine

Really good first week.

[acroamor]

1. Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go vs. The Jam - Sound Affects
2. Garbage - Version 2.0 vs. Sonny Sharrock - Ask The Ages
3. The Fall - Bend Sinister vs. Nilsson - Aerial Ballet
4. Mitski - Retired from Sad, New Career in Business vs. Agnes Obel - Aventine

[spiritualized]

Really pleased that the Fall gets a bit of the limelight for once. Surprised it seems to get favoured over Nilsson's best !

[jamieW]

Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go
Garbage - Version 2.0
Nilsson - Aerial Ballet
Agnes Obel - Aventine

Favorite album I couldn't vote for: Sonny Sharrock - Ask The Ages (My second favorite album of the week. It's been pretty common in the past that my two favorites face off each week, but I don't know if it's ever happened week 1!) I really liked Mitski, too.

[Jirin]

Really pleased that the Fall gets a bit of the limelight for once. Surprised it seems to get favoured over Nilsson's best !

After the first couple songs I thought I was going to be voting for Nilsson but I think the album trails off after that.

Ask The Ages is my favorite discovery so far this game. I haven't heard enough modern jazz but a lot of my year end favorites in recent years have been jazz (Ambrose Akinmusire, Jenny Scheinman, Colin Stetson). Need to explore more. I'm a little surprised how well Garbage 2.0 is doing, I see them as one of the last late 90s post-grunge hangers on. Their third album Beautifulgarbage pivoted away from post-grunge to what I might describe more as 'Bubblesad'.

[spiritualized]

I'm a little surprised how well Garbage 2.0 is doing, I see them as one of the last late 90s post-grunge hangers on.

I don't know... - upon a relisten (Garbage 2.0 is a keeper for me, as their first, excellent album), I find the production top notch (no wonder with Butch Vig at the helm), the songwriting is also very good with staple songs like "Push It", "Temptation Waits" or "I Think I'm Paranoid", but the rest ain't no filler really. And Shirley is one fascinating woman.

Their third album Beautifulgarbage pivoted away from post-grunge to what I might describe more as 'Bubblesad'.

Bubblesad ? Elaborate please !

[Jirin]

Sad Bubblegum.

Tried listening to 2.0 again. Still sounds to me just like all the other vestigial post-grunge MTV was playing in 1998-1999.

[StevieFan13]

Sad Bubblegum.

Tried listening to 2.0 again. Still sounds to me just like all the other vestigial post-grunge MTV was playing in 1998-1999.

Well, it's grunge + Britpop, a great combination (for a non-Garbage example for how well that could work, give "Song 2" a re-listen).

[spiritualized]

Sad Bubblegum.

Tried listening to 2.0 again. Still sounds to me just like all the other vestigial post-grunge MTV was playing in 1998-1999.

Well considering it was released in 1998, one can say they were in line with their era ! I think 2.0 is exactly what it says on the tin.
It's an extension of the first album.

[Honorio]

1. Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go (1996) vs. The Jam - Sound Affects (1980)


2. Garbage - Version 2.0 (1998) vs. Sonny Sharrock - Ask the Ages (1991)


3. The Fall - Bend Sinister (1986) vs. Nilsson - Aerial Ballet (1968)


4. Mitski - Retired from Sad, New Career in Business (2013) vs. Agnes Obel - Aventine (2013)

Favourite song from every album:
A Design for Life | That's Entertainment | Special | Many Mansions | Mr. Pharmacist | Everybody's Talkin' | Strawberry Blond | Dorian

Favourite song of the week: Everybody's Talkin'

[whuntva]

Everything Must Go
Aerial Ballet

I was too busy to enter this year, but I will vote

[jamieW]

It's funny how, when I'm a big fan of an artist, my personal favorites vary so wildly from the consensus. In the case of Version 2.0, I think the two standout tracks are easily "You Look So Fine" and "The Trick Is To Keep Breathing."

[Dan]

I nominated albums this year, so I thought I might as well participate properly this time round.

Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go vs. The Jam - Sound Affects
Garbage - Version 2.0 vs. Sonny Sharrock - Ask The Ages
The Fall - Bend Sinister vs. Nilsson - Aerial Ballet
Mitski - Retired from Sad, New Career in Business vs. Agnes Obel - Aventine

Favourite songs:
1. Nilsson - Everybody's Talkin'
2. The Jam - That's Entertainment
3. Manic Street Preachers - A Design for Life
4. Agnes Obel - Dorian

[bonnielaurel]

Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go
Garbage - Version 2.0
Nilsson - Aerial Ballet
Agnes Obel - Aventine

[BleuPanda]

Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go (8.5/10)
The Jam - Sound Affects (8.5)
Sonny Sharrock - Ask The Ages (8.25)
Mitski - Retired from Sad, New Career in Business (7.75)
The Fall - Bend Sinister (7.5)
Garbage - Version 2.0 (7.5)
Nilsson - Aerial Ballet (7.25)
Agnes Obel - Aventine (6.75)

[Brad]

My picks:
1. Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go vs. The Jam - Sound Affects
2. Garbage - Version 2.0 vs. Sonny Sharrock - Ask The Ages
3. The Fall - Bend Sinister vs. Nilsson - Aerial Ballet
4. Mitski - Retired from Sad, New Career in Business vs. Agnes Obel - Aventine

Thanks!

[PlasticRam]

1. Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go vs. The Jam - Sound Affects
2. Garbage - Version 2.0 vs. Sonny Sharrock - Ask The Ages
3. The Fall - Bend Sinister vs. Nilsson - Aerial Ballet
4. Mitski - Retired from Sad, New Career in Business vs. Agnes Obel - Aventine

[spiritualized]

Woohoo indeed, always looking forward to listening to some great albums...


1. Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go (4.0) vs. The Jam - Sound Affects (4.5)
Upon listening to Everything Must Go again (a firm favourite at the time), I find it weaker than I originally felt. Great songs throughout (Kevin Carter / A Design for Life / the title track / Australia) but filler too. This was their breakthrough album, huge success - but I always find myself going back to their earlier "punkier" era. The Jam's Sound Affects is a classic.

2. Garbage - Version 2.0 (4.5) vs. Sonny Sharrock - Ask The Ages (3.0)
Shared my views on Version 2.0 earlier and never been a fan of improvised jazz - although the end of the album steers slightly away from that and gets into a groove. Too little too late.

3. The Fall - Bend Sinister (4.5) vs. Nilsson - Aerial Ballet (4.5)
Battle of the giants. Both great albums, this was however the first time I listened to Bend Sinister. However, I knew most of the songs from Fall compilations. Mark E Smith is relentless and the music is simply great. Nilsson's Aerial Ballet misses the win by a heartbeat, but I'd be happy for either to go through.

4. Mitski - Retired from Sad, New Career in Business (2.0) vs. Agnes Obel - Aventine (4.0)
I don't like Mitski. At least not on this album - her voice is not melodic and the music is off-beat, it doesn't invite you in and keeps you at a distance. Agnes Obel's ethereal voice, plucked strings, however...

[Smithers-Jones]

Some really good albums this week, it's a shame that I had to vote against the Manic's album but Sound Affects is my all time favorite record.

My picks:
1. The Jam - Sound Affects
2. Sonny Sharrock - Ask The Ages
3. Nilsson - Aerial Ballet (although on another day I could have easily chosen The Fall)
4. Agnes Obel - Aventine

[Brad]

24 hours left to vote!

[hectorthebat]

1. Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go vs. The Jam - Sound Affects
2. Garbage - Version 2.0 vs. Sonny Sharrock - Ask The Ages
3. The Fall - Bend Sinister vs. Nilsson - Aerial Ballet
4. Mitski - Retired from Sad, New Career in Business vs. Agnes Obel - Aventine

[Rob]

4. Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go vs. 2. The Jam - Sound Affects
Sound Affects is one of those albums that almost feels like a greatest hits package: it just keeps on delivering songs that sound like they could be mayor hits. But in contrary to hits compilations this all feels as a whole. Still, the band knows how to keep things varied as to give each song it's own identity.
Everything Must Go fails a bit on that part. There are some amazing tracks on there that challenge each song on Sound Affects, but after a while I feel the album wears thin. The problem is that James Dean Bradfield sings pretty much every line in the same way; a diverse vocalist he is not. Too bad, because there is some great material there, but I'm not sure it's really a great album.

5. Garbage - Version 2.0 vs. 1. Sonny Sharrock - Ask The Ages
Ask the Ages is one of those album that makes me love games like this. I never heard of it before and didn't know what to expect. I got a jazz-rock album that thrilled me to know end. Truly exciting music, full of feeling and depth. I don't have to ask the ages to know it is an album for the ages. Already a solid candidate for discovery of the game and it is said that we will probably see it go after this one week.
I like Garbage and I like Version 2.0, but I have a hard time accepting that it is wrecking Ask the Ages. You can't fault an album with such a title to be essentially a sequel, but you can fault it for being a lesser sequel. There are still a lot of good songs on there, but only Hammering on the Head and I Think I'm Paranoid match the best of the debut and even they seem maybe a little too much in line of what we heard before. It's a good listen overall, but Version 2.0 misses the special spark of the first album and is way too conventional for me to even stand in the tall shade of Ask the Ages.

8. The Fall - Bend Sinister vs. Nilsson - 7. Aerial Ballet
I have to be honest: I don't like Bend Sinister at all. I haven't heard anything by The Fall before, but meant to, as they sound like a band I might like. In fact, I can hear traces of something I might love on Bend Sinister, yet it doesn't quite finds a great form. I like my rock messy, but this is just a tad too rough.
The problem is that I also don't particularly care for Nilsson for the most part. He always sounded like a poor man's Paul McCartney to me. I don't overstate either: without knowing beforehand I probably couldn't tell a McCartney track from a Nilsson. Nilsson is frequently a tough swallow for me, especially on too cute stuff like Good Old Desk or Little Cowboy (which even gets a reprise...). Yet sometimes, all of a sudden, Nilsson grabs me in a deep way. Together is a brilliant track and it his followed by his deservedly classic Everybody's Talkin'. One is great too. Nilsson is sometimes called an underrated artist, but I'm not sure he is. Still he can really write some good songs if he wants to. Good albums is another matter.

3. Mitski - Retired from Sad, New Career in Business vs. 6. Agnes Obel - Aventine
Aventine is the kind of album I find hard to dislike. It's beautiful music. It is also a tad predictable and missing perhaps some identity of its own. At least it contains The Curse, one of the best songs of this week.
But give me Mitski, an artist whose work I can't get enough off since discovering her on Puberty 2 last year. I saw her in concert two weeks ago and she is just great. She really has carved her own identity in indie rock, with her usually ultra-short, but very punchy songs that contain more mixed emotions than most tracks of double length. Though Puberty 2 was the album that finally perfected her sound and delivered her first truly great album, I find Retired irresistible despite it's imperfections.

[Kingoftonga]

Winners in red.

1. Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go vs. The Jam - Sound Affects

I've listened to enough Manic Street Preachers to admit that I just don't understand what's so big about them. Maybe there's something lost in translation for me on this side of the Atlantic. But if the Manic Street Preachers represents a cultural moment I don't understand, the Jam, especially on "That's Entertainment," make me feel nostalgic for a time I never lived in in a country I've never been to.

2. Garbage - Version 2.0 vs. Sonny Sharrock - Ask The Ages

I knew Garbage mainly from their mediocre James Bond song for a pretty terrible James Bond movie. This album is so much more fun and poppy than I expected, though! Sonny Sharrock was a blast and this was the closest match of the week, but I had to go with Garbage here.

3. The Fall - Bend Sinister vs. Nilsson - Aerial Ballet

I prefer Nilsson Schmilsson to this Harry Nilsson album, which I think is flawed in some ways (his forays into country are pretty embarrassing), but the Fall album goes on too long and sounds too same-y.

4. Mitski - Retired from Sad, New Career in Business vs. Agnes Obel - Aventine

Aventine is a beautiful album, through and through, and simply captivated me in a way that Mitski did not.

[babydoll]

2. Garbage - Version 2.0 vs. Sonny Sharrock - Ask The Ages

I knew Garbage mainly from their mediocre James Bond song for a pretty terrible James Bond movie. This album is so much more fun and poppy than I expected, though! Sonny Sharrock was a blast and this was the closest match of the week, but I had to go with Garbage here.

What does it have to take to convince people that this is a masterpiece?

[StevieFan13]

Garbage just toe the line between "perfectly rated" and "underrated," much in the same way that a lot of female-fronted '90s groups do (Sleater-Kinney, Le Tigre, not really the '90s but Rilo Kiley, and so forth).

[Rob]

2. Garbage - Version 2.0 vs. Sonny Sharrock - Ask The Ages

I knew Garbage mainly from their mediocre James Bond song for a pretty terrible James Bond movie. This album is so much more fun and poppy than I expected, though! Sonny Sharrock was a blast and this was the closest match of the week, but I had to go with Garbage here.

What does it have to take to convince people that this is a masterpiece?

Masterpiece might be an overstatement, but I too think it's a great Bond song.

[Romain]

1. The Jam - Sound Affects
2. Garbage - Version 2.0
3. Nilsson - Aerial Ballet
4. Agnes Obel - Aventine

Best albums of the week for me:
The Fall - Bend Sinister
and
Nilsson - Aerial Ballet...too bad for The Fall !

[Brad]

Results:
1. The Jam - Sound Affects over Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go 12-8
2. Garbage - Version 2.0 over Sonny Sharrock - Ask The Ages 11-8
3. Nilsson - Aerial Ballet over The Fall - Bend Sinister 12-8
4. Mitski - Retired from Sad, New Career in Business over Agnes Obel - Aventine 10-9

Round 1.2 out now! Playing in a theater near you!