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Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2018 2:08 pm
by Brad
Welcome to the round 1.3 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 10th 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. The Police - Zenyatta Mondata vs. Perfume Genius - Too Bright
2. Carly Rae Jepsen - E*MO*TION vs. Sleater Kinney - One Beat
3. Weekend - La Varieté vs. Djeli Moussa Diawara - Yasimika
4. Dr. Dog - We All Belong vs. Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - Rome


You'll be in some sputnik baby
But I'll be underground

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2018 3:00 pm
by Bang Jan


4 | The Police | Zenyatta Mondata
3 | Perfume Genius | Too Bright

5 | Carly Rae Jepsen | E*MO*TION
1 | Sleater-Kinney | One Beat

7 | Weekend | La Varieté
2 | Djeli Moussa Diawara | Yasimika

8 | Dr. Dog | We All Belong
6 | Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi | Rome

Favourite song of the week: Sleater-Kinney | Combat Rock

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2018 6:05 pm
by StevieFan13
Dangerously hard match-ups but here’s what I’ve got:
The Police - Zenyatta Mondata
Carly Rae Jensen - Emotion (could’ve gone either way)
Djeli Moussa Diawara - Yasimika
Dr. Dog - We All Belong

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2018 7:20 pm
by DaveC
1. Perfume Genius - Too Bright
2. Sleater Kinney - One Beat
3. Djeli Moussa Diawara - Yasimika
4. Dr. Dog - We All Belong

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2018 12:35 am
by EmilienDelRey
Carly Rae Jepsen - E*MO*TION
Djeli Moussa Diawara - Yasimika

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2018 3:41 am
by Jirin
Too Bright 90 - Zenyatta Mondata 72
One Beat 97 - Emotion 63
La Variete 84 - Yasimika 77
We All Belong 78 - Rome 74

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2018 11:55 am
by Rob
Spotify's Tindersticks cover art mix-up of last week is nothing compared to what they did to Weekend. There are more acts with that name and Spotify just decided to lump them together as one. So the British band we're listening to today seems to be combined with a Spanish techno group and what looks like a Scandivian schlager act. Wacky stuff.

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2018 4:23 pm
by Honorio


5. The Police - Zenyattà Mondatta (1980) vs. 6. Perfume Genius - Too Bright (2014)
7. Carly Rae Jepsen - E•MO•TION (2015) vs. 4. Sleater-Kinney - One Beat (2002)
1. Weekend - La Varieté (1982) vs. 2. Djeli Moussa Diawara - Djeli Moussa Diawara (1983)
8. Dr. Dog - We All Belong (2007) vs. 3. Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - Rome (2011)

Favourite song from every album:
Don't Stand So Close to Me | Queen | Run Away with Me | One Beat | A Life in the Day of... (Part 1) | Haidara | Keep a Friend | The Rose with the Broken Neck

Favourite song of the week: Haidara

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2018 4:57 pm
by Listyguy
1. The Police - Zenyatta Mondata vs. Perfume Genius - Too Bright
2. Carly Rae Jepsen - E*MO*TION vs. Sleater Kinney - One Beat

One Beat is rapidly moving up my list of favorite albums. It's really incredible.

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2018 7:28 am
by hectorthebat
1. The Police - Zenyatta Mondata vs. Perfume Genius - Too Bright
2. Carly Rae Jepsen - E*MO*TION vs. Sleater Kinney - One Beat
3. Weekend - La Varieté vs. Djeli Moussa Diawara - Yasimika
4. Dr. Dog - We All Belong vs. Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - Rome

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2018 7:11 pm
by Brad
My picks:
1. The Police - Zenyatta Mondata vs. Perfume Genius - Too Bright
2. Carly Rae Jepsen - E*MO*TION vs. Sleater Kinney - One Beat
3. Weekend - La Varieté vs. Djeli Moussa Diawara - Yasimika
4. Dr. Dog - We All Belong vs. Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - Rome

Thanks!

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2018 6:49 pm
by jamieW
Perfume Genius - Too Bright
Sleater Kinney - One Beat
Weekend - La Varieté
Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - Rome

Favorite album I couldn't vote for: Djeli Moussa Diawara - Yasimika

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2018 8:06 pm
by PlasticRam
1. The Police - Zenyatta Mondata vs. Perfume Genius - Too Bright
2. Carly Rae Jepsen - E*MO*TION vs. Sleater Kinney - One Beat
3. Weekend - La Varieté vs. Djeli Moussa Diawara - Yasimika
4. Dr. Dog - We All Belong vs. Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - Rome

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2018 7:05 am
by Romain
1. The Police - Zenyatta Mondata
2. Sleater Kinney - One Beat
3. Djeli Moussa Diawara - Yasimika
4. Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - Rome

Rome always been a favorite for me. Thanks for whom vote for this.

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2018 7:21 pm
by Brad
Less than 19 hours left to vote!

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2018 10:01 pm
by Rob
Not as great a week as the two preceding it, but there is still some good stuff.

8. The Police – Zenyatta Mondatta
The Police have always been just a band for me, one whose stature seemed a bit grotesque in comparison to their actual creativity. As such I never felt the need to go beyond the hit singles, making this the first time I actually listened to a complete Police album. I didn’t expect to dislike it this much. There are a couple of nice tracks here: Don’t Stand So Close to Me, Canary in a Coalmine and the instrumental Behind My Camel. These are not good enough to compensate De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da, Bombs Away and whatever Shadows in the Rain is supposed to be. I was surprised how childish many of these songs sound, with some annoying tunes. The lyrics are frequently embarrassing. Even Sting’s always inexplicable choice to sing in a Jamaican accent becomes an annoyance after a while. Can somebody explain the greatness of The Police to me?

7. Carly Rae Jepsen – E*MO*TION
Carly Rae Jepsen has become something of the poster the child of poptimism, the artist you turn to if you want to probe how wonderful pop music really is. Sure, there are artists in the genre that are a bit more famous, like Taylor Swift, Rihanna or Katy Perry, but Jepsen is the one everyone seems to like. Above all, where the other artists may have an album that is kinda acclaimed, Carly Rae Jepsen made the one poptimism album that is truly beloved: E*MO*TION. Maybe one day people will look back on the poptimism movement like they now look at say, the glam rock period of the seventies and they will point to E*MO*TION as it’s Ziggy Stardust.
This might all very well be, but I have found out for some time now that I’m not a poptimist and hardly ever care for pure pop music. I did like Call Me Maybe a bit though, but not enough to ask for more. And this is basically more of that. I find the album way to one-note for my liking and like much pop it just misses that little extra that makes me want to return to it. Like everything is revealed on the first listen, or even before that. The cliched lyrics and simple, hooky tunes are no problem for pop lovers – maybe they are the appeal – but they really don’t do it for me. I mean, the album is okay and there is nothing here I find embarrassing (I wish I could say the same for earlier mentioned artists). As such, Jepsen is perhaps the most consistent and “best” pop musician around. It’s just that this doesn’t mean much to me.

6. Dr. Dog – We All Belong
We All Belong is for all these people who have listened to the classics of the sixties too many times. They know everything by The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Crosby, Stills & Nash and The Band over and over and really need something new for a change. Dr. Dog is happy to deliver and deliver they do. This is a fine album, with good tunes, that just misses identity. I really feel like I’m listening to a collection of b-sides and rarities of aforementioned artists, with all the good and the bad things that implies.

5. Perfume Genius – Too Bright
This is a very difficult album to rank. Some of these songs are so amazing that it deserves a high rating. If everything was up to the standard of Queen, Fool or Grid this would have become a personal favourite. But many songs here are just kind of sitting there and don’t elicit any response from me. Perfume Genius is a master of a certain type of swagger that strikes me as very modern, but once he abandons that for more quite, introspective songs he becomes somewhat dull. I remember thinking No Shape was also a mixed bag (based on one listen though), but I feel that Hadreas has a masterpiece in him. Some songs here are that already, but Too Bright as a whole isn’t it.

4. Weekend – La Varieté
One of these albums which validates my decision to listen to albums twice for this poll. The first time I thought it was pleasant, but unremarkable easy listening. The second time it revealed it’s depths. Sure, it still feels like a slight breeze, but focus on the instrumentals and there is a lot going on. It’s expert playing made to look simple. I also love how Life in the Day Of (Part 1) just fades out after a while, only to fade in right where it was for Part 2. Of course, that would have another effect on LP where it is obvious the place you switched sides, but on Spotify it is unintentionally funny, but also gives a kick, as if the party is going on.

3. Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi – Rome
I head this once before, when it came out. According to reviews it was a tribute to Ennio Morricone and there are few things I love more than Morricone soundtracks. I was initially a bit disappointed. I thought it was half-baked Morricone. Many artists, especially movie musicians, have tried to channel Morricone over the years, but mostly they only get the texture, the superficial side of his atmosphere. What they lack is his playfulness, his extraordinary sense of tension and his ability to surprise you with melancholy.
Getting back to Rome so many years later that criticism still stands. The instrumental parts are certainly enjoyable. They are catchy and in a style that appeals to me. But there is no reason to listen to them if you have access to the enormous music library of Morricone (and you have, if you have Spotify). Nonetheless do I rate this album quite positively now. Not just because I have to admit it is enjoyable, but mostly because the songs sung by Jack White and Norah Jones are actually better than the instrumentals. These don’t feel like they’ve been done before and are really good. Jack White is a natural fit for this type of material of course, but I never heard this side of Jones before. She kills it.

2. Djeli Moussa Diawara – Yasimika
Like a lot of African music I have a hard time quite understanding what exactly it is what Diawara is expressing here. What I do know is that I do like how he expresses it. This might be deeply spiritual music or just entertainment. Whatever the case, it is extremely gripping and the playing is wonderful. Above all, every second feels like it is bursting with life.

1. Sleater-Kinney – One Beat
Yes, this was an obvious number 1. Sleater-Kinney is my favourite band, this is probably my second favourite album by theirs (the first, The Woods, is also in this game; I nominated neither though). The title track is in my top 50 songs. This is rock in the way that I love it most: wild, unruly, passionate, clever and bursting at the seams. Every song here hits too, no filler here. When this album finished earlier this week I had a hard time getting on with the rest of this poll (is this why La Varieté seemed too quiet at first), because really, I could play this over and over.


My votes in a quick glance:
1. The Police - Zenyatta Mondata vs. Perfume Genius - Too Bright
2. Carly Rae Jepsen - E*MO*TION vs. Sleater Kinney - One Beat
3. Weekend - La Varieté vs. Djeli Moussa Diawara - Yasimika
4. Dr. Dog - We All Belong vs. Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - Rome

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2018 11:42 pm
by DaveC
Rob wrote:Can somebody explain the greatness of The Police to me?
Well not really, but....

Firstly, I agree with your assessment of this album. Back in the day, I purchased "Reggatta de Blanc" without hearing it, but this album I did not buy.

This will be hard for anyone who saw them in latter years to believe, but they were a great live band. If you were there, then you became a Police fan and bought their albums. "Peanuts" was the touchstone - usually the encore - the song fans wanted to hear, but it was obvious from the start that the band were playing away from their personal musical interests. "Don't stand so close to me" was a disappointment, but not a surprise, confirming that The Police were proceeding in a very uninteresting direction. Never-the-less, for 18 months or so they were "the future of rock music". It just turned out not to be so.

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2018 1:31 am
by Sweepstakes Ron
1. The Police - Zenyatta Mondata vs. Perfume Genius - Too Bright
2. Carly Rae Jepsen - E*MO*TION vs. Sleater Kinney - One Beat
3. Weekend - La Varieté vs. Djeli Moussa Diawara - Yasimika
4. Dr. Dog - We All Belong vs. Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - Rome

I almost feel like I could go either way with #1. Unfortunately, I may be the tiebreaker here...

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2018 3:51 am
by BleuPanda
Perfume Genius - Too Bright
Carly Rae Jepsen - E*MO*TION

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2018 7:55 am
by spiritualized
After having missed 1.2, didn't want to let this one go, but I could only listen to the first matchups..

1. The Police - Zenyatta Mondata (7/10) vs. Perfume Genius - Too Bright (7/10)
Ahhh the 80s. Apart from some post-punk (The Fall) or goth-rock (The Cure) and some guilty pleasures (...) very few albums from the 80s rank high on my all-time list. Zenyatta has a couple of hits, some nice reggae-influenced tracks which pulls the album out from the "average" rank. It falters in some places but remains a classic Police album. Solid. But not as surprising as Perfume Genius' much better album than any other I listened to. It has a very powerful, subdued atmosphere AND tunes by the bucketload. Nice surprise, it gets my vote.

2. Carly Rae Jepsen - E*MO*TION (6/10) vs. Sleater Kinney - One Beat (9/10)
Whilst CRJ is good at what she does, she is surely not my cup of tea. I must admit though, she could turn into one of those "guilty pleasures" nominee. The songs are far too sweet to my taste, but the melodies are there. The guitars are just missing :).
Sleater Kinney's guitars are a-plenty though. Fabulous record. Not a huge fan of her voice, but it lends itself perfectly to the music which is simply perfect. Uptempo, never lets up, the hooks are there and one song after the other, you realise that there are no fillers in this album. Great album.


3. Weekend - La Varieté vs. Djeli Moussa Diawara - Yasimika
4. Dr. Dog - We All Belong vs. Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - Rome

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2018 12:19 pm
by Kingoftonga
Winners in red:

1. The Police - Zenyatta Mondata vs. Perfume Genius - Too Bright
2. Carly Rae Jepsen - E*MO*TION vs. Sleater Kinney - One Beat
3. Weekend - La Varieté vs. Djeli Moussa Diawara - Yasimika

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2018 2:00 pm
by Brad
18 voters this week!:
Bang Jan
BleuPanda
Brad
DaveC
EmilienDelRey
hectorthebat
Honorio
jamieW
Jirin
Kingoftonga
Listyguy
PlasticRam
Rob
Romain
spiritualized
StevieFan13
StevieFan13
Sweepstakes Ron

Winners:
1. Perfume Genius - Too Bright over The Police - Zenyatta Mondata 9-7
2. Sleater Kinney - One Beat over Carly Rae Jepsen - E*MO*TION 11-6
3. Weekend - La Varieté vs. Djeli Moussa Diawara - Yasimika ***TIE! 7-7 Next vote from someone who hasn't already voted in this matchup wins!***
4. Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - Rome over Dr. Dog - We All Belong 7-5

Our first TIE of the tournament:
Weekend - La Varieté vs. Djeli Moussa Diawara - Yasimika ***TIE! 7-7 Next vote from someone who hasn't already voted in this matchup wins!***

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2018 2:03 pm
by spiritualized
arf.
Can't vote, I haven't listened to them :(

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2018 11:07 pm
by Rdwdbob
1) The Police - Zenyatta Mondata
2) Carly Rae Jepsen - E*MO*TION
3) Weekend - La Variete
4) Dr. Dog - We All Belong

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2018 - Round 1.3

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2018 11:24 pm
by Brad
Thanks Redwood Bob!

Weekend takes it 8-7 in OT!