Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

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Brad
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Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by Brad »

Welcome to the round 1.2 of Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018!

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 = April 3rd at 10am EST.

Here's a link to the bracket for the entire tournament:
http://www.bracketmaker.com/tlist.cfm?t ... 9%20(2018)

Match-ups:
1. Johnny Cash - American III: Solitary Man vs. Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman
2. Tindersticks - Tindersticks (II) vs. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
3. Nina Simone - In Concert 1964 vs. Panda Bear - Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper
4. Pescado Rabioso - Artaud vs. The Blue Aeroplanes - Beatsongs


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Bang Jan
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by Bang Jan »



1 | Johnny Cash | American III: Solitary Man
7 | Underworld | Dubnobasswithmyheadman 

4 | Tindersticks | Tindersticks (II)
5 | Belle and Sebastian | The Life Pursuit

2 | Nina Simone | In Concert 1964 
8 | Panda Bear | Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper

3 | Pescado Rabioso | Artaud
6 | The Blue Aeroplanes | Beatsongs

Favourite song of the week: Johnny Cash | The Mercy Seat
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by DaveC »

1. Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman
2. Tindersticks - Tindersticks (II)
3. Nina Simone - In Concert 1964
4. Pescado Rabioso - Artaud
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by Gillingham »

2. Tindersticks - Tindersticks (II) vs. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by StevieFan13 »

1. Johnny Cash - American III: Solitary Man
2. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
3. Nina Simone - In Concert 1964
4. Pescado Rabioso - Artaud
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by Jirin »

American III: Solitary Man 83 - Dubnobasswithmyheadman 70
The Life Pursuit 94 - Tindersticks (II) 86
In Concert 1964 83 - Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper 65

And I realized now I listened to the wrong albums for the last matchup, I listened to My favorite faded fantasy and Cat House Piano. Which is actually week 16 matchup 3. Will have to add last votes later.
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Rob
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by Rob »

Does Spotify use the cover of Tindersticks (I) for Tindersticks (II) in every region (the first isn't available here)? Confusing stuff.
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by hectorthebat »

1. Johnny Cash - American III: Solitary Man vs. Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman
2. Tindersticks - Tindersticks (II) vs. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
3. Nina Simone - In Concert 1964 vs. Panda Bear - Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper
4. Pescado Rabioso - Artaud vs. The Blue Aeroplanes - Beatsongs
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by Rdwdbob »

1) Johnny Cash
2) Tindersticks
3) Panda Bear
4) Pescado Rabioso
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by spiritualized »

Ouch, my nomination is getting hammered. Nobody likes Blue Aeroplanes :(
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by DaveC »

Rob wrote:Does Spotify use the cover of Tindersticks (I) for Tindersticks (II) in every region (the first isn't available here)? Confusing stuff.
Same here. Very odd,
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by Michel »

1. Johnny Cash - American III: Solitary Man
2. Tindersticks - Tindersticks (II)
3. Nina Simone - In Concert 1964
4. The Blue Aeroplanes - Beatsongs
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by Jirin »

Artaud 75 - Beatsongs 64
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by Honorio »



2. Johnny Cash - American III: Solitary Man (2000) vs. 6. Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman (1994)
1. Tindersticks - Tindersticks (1995) vs. 5. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit (2006)
3. Nina Simone - Nina Simone in Concert (1964) vs. 8. Panda Bear - Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper (2015)
4. Pescado Rabioso - Artaud (1973) vs. 7. The Blue Aeroplanes - Beatsongs (1991)

Favourite song from every album:
I See a Darkness | Dirty Epic | Travelling Light | Another Sunny Day | Mississippi Goddam| Crosswords | Cantata de puentes amarillos | Fun

Favourite song of the week: Travelling Light

A second week even better than the first one…
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Honorio
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by Honorio »

Jirin wrote:And I realized now I listened to the wrong albums for the last matchup, I listened to My favorite faded fantasy and Cat House Piano. Which is actually week 16 matchup 3. Will have to add last votes later.
Jirin, Bang Jan made a fantastic Spotify playlist with all the albums ordered for the game. You can find it on the draw thread, http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/forums/vi ... f=2&t=6615
And here it is the link to the playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/bang_jan/ ... cpgr00uK4Z
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by Jirin »

Honorio wrote:
Jirin wrote:And I realized now I listened to the wrong albums for the last matchup, I listened to My favorite faded fantasy and Cat House Piano. Which is actually week 16 matchup 3. Will have to add last votes later.
Jirin, Bang Jan made a fantastic Spotify playlist with all the albums ordered for the game. You can find it on the draw thread, http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/forums/vi ... f=2&t=6615
And here it is the link to the playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/bang_jan/ ... cpgr00uK4Z
Thanks, I can figure out what matchup is which week just by applying N modulo 16 = (week number), just apparently in this one case I messed up the math. :)
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by Rob »

I’m not sure if this week is better than the last (both are great), but the highs are higher.

8. Panda Bear – Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper
Ah, Panda Bear, my old nemesis. We meet again! And this time you brought no less than the Grim Reaper to finish the job. Will it finally be a Animal Collective related album that kills me, as I always expected it would? Not quite yet. This album is still filled with most I dislike about Panda Bear related projects, including too many sound effects that add up to nothing, annoying melodies and meagre singing. Sadly, demon supreme Avey Tare is not here to completely ruin the mood. There is even a song I liked: Tropic of Cancer. That doesn’t make this a good album though, but it seems Panda Bear is also mellowing with age. He doesn’t rile me up as he used to.

7. Pescado Rabioso – Artaud
I don’t have much to say about this one, because after two listens it just kind of past me by mostly. Just one of those albums that seems to appeal to many people (it is huge in Argentinia if I’m correct) that I fail to connect with. The music seemed too stilted to me sometimes. Maybe I needed to be able to understand the lyrics to understand it’s odd flow? Or perhaps it is a subtle grower. This round though, it doesn’t get my vote.

6. The Blue Aeroplane – Beatsongs
This song contains a lot of things I like: good guitar playing, sharp lyrics, enough variety and a good cover of a song I love (The Boy in the Bubble). I enjoyed it, but I’m also not sure if it will stay in my mind for long.

The following three albums were damn hard to rank. There is a very big gap between #5 and #6.

5. Underworld – Dubnobasswithmyheadman / 4. Johnny Cash – American III: Solitary Man
Oh dear, this one or Johnny Cash? Two incomparable albums, both by artists on their best. Underworld were at the peak of their power, at their most innovative. Cash was nearing the end of his life and was no longer prone to change music history, but was pouring every inch of his soul into every lyric sheet that appealed to him. This gives new pathos to personal favorites like I See a Darkness, Would You Lay With Me and especially Mercy Seat. I don’t listen to artists like Underworld much, but every now and then I am reminded how great techno can sound. Songs like Cowgirl, Mmm… Skycraper I love You and River of Bass make me a fan. I feel a bit bad about going with what for me is the obvious choice, but both deserved another round. That’s nature of the game.

3. Tindersticks – Tindersticks (II)
One of those bands which I heard before, but never went deep with. And this is an act you need to go deep with, judging on this album. Gorgeous melodies, lush production and poetic lyrics reveal a romantic soul, but all is accompanied by a rugged voice that seems a-typical for the sound and adds the needed sadness to proceedings. Like Dubnobasswithmyheadman it just has bad luck in its matchup.

2. Belle and Sebastian – The Life Pursuit
Fun fact: in 2006 this was the Acclaimed Music Forum Album of the Year! Times seem to have changed, the album has faded from this forum’s conscious by at least some measure, probably more so than any other Album of the Year winner. I wasn’t around here back than and this was the first time I heard the album. And it is superb. From start to finish it is a joy to listen to, with great melodies, lyrics and above all an infectious feel that seem indeed to be in pursuit of life. Belle and Sebastian are always at risk of becoming a bit too cute, but they never are. There is something genuine about these guys. And this isn’t even the best album of the week (though it might grow over the next one, who knows)!

1. Nina Simone – In Concert 1964
I didn’t nominate this album, but I could have and know I have considered it, just not when I was handed over my list of nominations. This is one hell of an album, a real masterpiece. The best of Nina Simone I have heard. She switches style and genre with each, turning it into the Simone Style. What this concert has is also a certain tension. The horrific Pirate Jenny, already brilliant in the original Kurt Weill/ Bertolt Brecht/ Lotte Lenya versions, has become a masterclass in shock storytelling. Topical songs like Old Jim Crowe and Mississippi Goddam only get slight relief trough humor but have more bite than most of the best protest songs of the sixties (and most of the best protest songs are from that era). I Loves You, Porgy is basically just an intro to give false hope: here you enter a political thriller. It’s not a concept album with a story and theme, but manages to tell more of a complete tale than most such albums manage.

To be clear, my votes:
1. Johnny Cash - American III: Solitary Man vs. Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman
2. Tindersticks - Tindersticks (II) vs. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
3. Nina Simone - In Concert 1964 vs. Panda Bear - Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper
4. Pescado Rabioso - Artaud vs. The Blue Aeroplanes - Beatsongs
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by andyd1010 »

I agree with Rob's thoughts on The Life Pursuit. Too bad it has faded a bit here. I heard it for the first time in the Albums of the 2000s poll and fell in love with it.

1. Johnny Cash - American III: Solitary Man
2. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by PlasticRam »

2. Tindersticks - Tindersticks (II) vs. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit

And hey Brad, could you input the winner of MAA 2016? Here's the link:

http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=462048

Thanks in advance.
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by jamieW »

Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman
Tindersticks - Tindersticks (II)
Nina Simone - In Concert 1964
Pescado Rabioso - Artaud
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by Brad »

My picks:
1. Johnny Cash - American III: Solitary Man vs. Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman
2. Tindersticks - Tindersticks (II) vs. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
3. Nina Simone - In Concert 1964 vs. Panda Bear - Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper
4. Pescado Rabioso - Artaud vs. The Blue Aeroplanes - Beatsongs

About 13 hours left to vote!
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by Sweepstakes Ron »

1. Johnny Cash - American III: Solitary Man vs. Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman
2. Tindersticks - Tindersticks (II) vs. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
3. Nina Simone - In Concert 1964 vs. Panda Bear - Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper
4. Pescado Rabioso - Artaud vs. The Blue Aeroplanes - Beatsongs
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by Kingoftonga »

Winners in red:

1. Johnny Cash - American III: Solitary Man vs. Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman
2. Tindersticks - Tindersticks (II) vs. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
3. Nina Simone - In Concert 1964 vs. Panda Bear - Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by BleuPanda »

Dubnobasswithmyheadman
The Life Pursuit
Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper (just barely, and this is my own nomination...)
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by Brad »

17 voters this week - keep it up!
andy1010
Bang Jan
BleuPanda
Brad
DaveC
Gillingham
hectorthebat
Honorio
jamieW
Jirin
Kingoftonga
Michel
PlasticRam
Rdwdbob
Rob
StevieFan13
Sweepstakes Ron

Winners:
1. Johnny Cash - American III: Solitary Man over Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman 10-5
2. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit over Tindersticks - Tindersticks (II) 10-7
3. Nina Simone - In Concert 1964 over Panda Bear - Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper 11-3
4. Pescado Rabioso - Artaud over The Blue Aeroplanes - Beatsongs 8-4

Round 1.3 up soon!
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.2

Post by spiritualized »

OHOh man oh man....
With Easter Monday I thought I had an extra day... Sorry.

My votes wouldn't have changed anything though...
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