Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

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Brad
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Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Brad »

Welcome to the Semifinal round of Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2020... The Final Four!

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 = November 10th at 10am EST.

Here's a link to the bracket for the entire tournament:
http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=473090

Match-ups:
1. Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid vs. Depeche Mode - Songs Of Faith And Devotion

Everybody had a wet dream
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Schüttelbirne »

Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by spiritualized »

Depeche Mode - Songs Of Faith And Devotion

Simply because I like the underdog
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Bang Jan »

1 | Janelle Monáe | The ArchAndroid
2 | Depeche Mode | Songs Of Faith And Devotion
"The first word in this song is discorporate. It means to leave your body."
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Listyguy »

The ArchAndroid
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Brad »

My pick:
1. Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid vs. Depeche Mode - Songs Of Faith And Devotion
Simply because I like it better!

Thanks!
Last edited by Brad on Tue Nov 03, 2020 4:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by andyd1010 »

Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Madzong »

Depeche Mode - Songs Of Faith And Devotion
"On a mountain range, I'm Dr. Strange"
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by acroamor »

Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by DaveC »

Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Rdwdbob »

DEPECHE MODE - SONGS OF FAITH AND DEVOTION
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

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Depeche Mode - Songs Of Faith And Devotion
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by FrankLotion »

1. Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by bonnielaurel »

Janelle!
De gustibus et coloribus non est disputandum.
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Jirin »

Depeche Mode - Songs Of Faith And Devotion (#188 all time) beats
Janelle Monae - The Archandroid (#273 all time)
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by sonofsamiam »

Janelle!
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by carlos74 »

Depeche Mode - Songs Of Faith And Devotion
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Akhenaten »

Depeche Mode - Songs Of Faith And Devotion
But I was caught, like a fleeting thought,
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by mileswide »

Sorry Dave Gahan & Co but it's The ArchAndroid I'll miss hearing nearly every round, so Janelle takes it!

EDIT: Everything from here on in was added afterwards...

Cheers to Brad and all the nominators for so many albums I wouldn't have approached without your suggestions, not least EMANON, Levelling the Land, Horse Rotorvator, The Marble Index and We Insist!
All I got inside is vacancy!
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Rob »

Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid vs. Depeche Mode - Songs Of Faith And Devotion

For me this is one of the 5 best albums of the whole game versus one of the 5 worst. Oh well, not all choices in life have to be difficult.

On another note, my yearly top 10 discoveries from 2020's crop of MAA albums (so only albums I hadn't heard before):

1. Vince Guaraldi - A Charlie Brown Christmas
2. Max Roach - We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite
3. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
4. Everything but the Girl - Amplified Heart
5. Nina Hagen Band - Nina Hagen Band
6. Marianne Faithfull - Broken English
7. Nina Hagen Band - Unbehagen
8. Konono Nº1 - Congotronics
9. Fred Neil - Fred Neil/Everybody's Talkin
10. Wayne Shorter - EMANON
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Honorio »

The final! As I did on the previous 5 editions, these are the songs where Brad's quotes come from. Again we have a fantastic collection of quotes and a fantastic collection of songs. If you click on the following links you will find live versions or official clips of the songs to showcase the look of the artists. If you prefer to listen to the original studio versions you have the Spotify playlist.
There is a quote I haven't found, the one from week 2.4. "Sit Down! Get Up! Get Out!" is the name of an album by Barnstar! released in 2015 but I'm not sure if there is a song there where the quote comes from...

1.1 And we suddenly know, what heaven we're in, / When they begin the beguine (Xavier Cugat Waldorf Astoria Orchestra | Begin the Beguine | 1935)
1.2 Where were you when the stars went out? (Psychic TV | Godstar | 1988)
1.3 There'll be time enough for countin' / When the dealin's done (Kenny Rogers | The Gambler | 1978)
1.4 It's half an inch of water and you think you're gonna drown / That's the way that the world goes 'round (John Prine | That's the Way That the World Goes 'Round | 1978)
1.5 But if we are wise / We know that there's always tomorrow (Bill Withers | Lean on Me | 1972)
1.6 Here we go again / Turn it up! Bring the noise! (Public Enemy | Bring the Noise | 1987)
1.7 Old glasses clinking, and a new order's blinking (Animal Collective | What Would I Want? Sky | 2009)
1.8 I'm like a one-eyed cat peepin' in a seafood store (Big Joe Turner | Shake, Rattle and Roll | 1954)
1.9 Play it now / Play it now / Play it now, my baby (Neil Diamond | Cracklin' Rosie | 1970)
1.10 A-bop-bop-a-loom-op a-lop-bop-boom! / Rip it up! (Little Richard | Tutti Frutti/Rip It Up | 1955/1956)
1.11 Dance with the boogie, get down (Heatwave | Boogie Nights | 1977)
1.12 Just call us taxi mama and we'll take you for a ride (T. Rex | Left Hand Luke and the Beggar Boys | 1973)
1.13 Smile on your brother (The Youngbloods | Get Together | 1967)
1.14 Do you wanna be, do you really wanna be a cop? (The Clash | Career Opportunities | 1977)
1.15 They're foxy to me / Are they foxy to you? / I will agree (Pavement | Range Life | 1994)
1.16 Come on and take a free ride! (The Edgar Winter Group | Free Ride | 1972)
2.1 Smile's in the makin' / You gotta fight the powers that be (The Isley Brothers | Fight the Power (Part 1 & 2) | 1975)
2.2 Nothing ever burns down by itself / Every fire needs a little bit of help (Chumbawamba | Give the Anarchist a Cigarette | 1994)
2.3 Walk in, you get injected, inspected, detected, infected, neglected and selected! (Arlo Guthrie | Alice's Restaurant Massacree | 1967)
2.4 Sit down, get up, get out! (Faces | Stay with Me | 1971)
2.5 Dinosaur Victrola list'nin' to Buck Owens... (Creedence Clearwater Revival | Lookin' Out My Back Door | 1970)
2.6 Whose wine, what wine, where the hell did I dine? (Peter Frampton | Do You Feel Like We Do | 1973)
2.7 It ain't cool being no fool (The Roots feat. Phonte & Dice Raw | Now or Never | 2010)
2.8 You better stop, look around / Here it comes (The Rolling Stones | 19th Nervous Breakdown | 1966)
3.1 Say It Loud! (James Brown | Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud | 1968)
3.2 Now when it drops / Oh you gonna feel it (The Maytals | Pressure Drop | 1970)
3.3 She said it's good to see you back in a bar band, baby / I said it's great to see you're still in the bars (The Hold Steady | Barfruit Blues | 2004)
3.4 We are ugly but we have the music (Leonard Cohen | Chelsea Hotel #2 | 1974)
4.1 When human respect is disintegratin', / This whole crazy world is just too frustratin' (Barry McGuire | Eve of Destruction | 1965)
4.2 Yeah I - hit him - back / With my - pet rat! (X-Ray Spex | I Can't Do Anything | 1978)
Quarter-Finals Cause like the gambler says / Read 'em and weep (The Band | It Makes No Difference | 1975)
Semi-Finals The time to rise has been engaged (R.E.M. | Finest Worksong | 1987)
Finals Everybody had a wet dream (The Beatles | I've Got a Feeling | 1970)




And now my vote (sadly this year I only have time for fairly short reviews):



1. Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid (2010) vs. 2. Depeche Mode - Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993)

So this is the final (of another great edition of Moderately Acclaimed) with two albums that came to the finals with a margin shorter than Biden's. One of them (Janelle's) was expected to be on the final from the very beginning but not the other. Let's begin with this second album, Depeche Mode's eighth album.
"Songs of Faith and Devotion" came in a difficult moment for Depeche Mode's career. The departure of Vince Clarke after a successful first album left them in an uncertain point but album after album gained a devoted following and even critic acclaim, culminating with the 1988 tour (later documented on the live album "101") and the 1990 multi-platinum album "Violator." The pressure of making a worthy follow-up to "Violator" and the decision of recording the album in a studio set up on the basement in a Spanish villa created a complicated situation for the recording sessions. Living and working all together without breaks from each other, creative differences between Wilder and Gore, together with Gore's writer block and Gahan's heroin addiction created an atmosphere that the band members described as "claustrophobic" and "like pulling teeth." But under these difficult conditions the band was able to create one of their best works. An album that was also successful, topping the charts on several countries including UK and USA. The darker edge of the songs (probably related with the difficult recording) suited the band sound very well.
Four songs stand above the others (and not only in my opinion, there were the four singles extracted from the album and also the songs more played in Spotify). "Walking in My Shoes" is my favourite, with a tone both moody and magnificent (I like the sound of the piano with distortion). "In Your Room" would be a close second, with its atmospheric intro that elevates to another level when the drums enter, only building from that point. "I Feel You" has a welcomed alternative-rock sound that feels like a departure for the band (even if they have used guitars before). And "Condemnation" includes gospel influences and brilliant vocal arrangements.
Other songs on the album are on par with the singles, like "Mercy on You" or "Rush" but there are also some lows. I like the album a lot but these lows, along with the fact that it's sandwiched between my two favourite albums from Depeche Mode ("Violator" and "Ultra," the latter going further into the darkness) made me vote instead for…

"The ArchAndroid," one of my favourite albums of the 2010s decade. It's also a favourite for the forum, something that created some controversy during the game because the album is not perceived as "moderately acclaimed." I seize the opportunity to express my opinion against changing the rules of the game, with the actual rules we made a shift between the older albums that dominated the first five editions (mean year of release 1976) and the newer albums of the next five (mean year 2000). Henrik formula makes more difficult for newer albums get to high positions on the main list but with the update maybe some of these forum favourites could enter the Top 500.
Going back to Janelle, the atmosphere of her album is quite different (almost opposite) to the Depeche Mode one. While the British band struggled hard to come with new music ideas and a relevant and coherent sound, the album from the American singer-songwriter seem like overflowing with music ideas, like exploding simultaneously in many different (and fascinating) directions. And that's the aspect I like the most. I'm a sucker for eclectic albums (I have both "White Album" and "London Calling" in my all-time Top 5), those albums when you don't know what's gonna happen on the next song. And that's something "The ArchAndroid" delivers, a fascinantly diverse and rich sonic landscape. Especially the section from songs 2 to 7 is astonishing, with songs 2 to 4 chained like parts of the same composition ("Abbey Road" style).
Obviously the dominant styles on the album come from the rich African American tradition, with stabs to neo-soul, hip hop, funk or R&B. My 3 favourite songs on the album carry strong influences of different styles of black music. "Cold War" is the best, a vibrant number with new wave, afro-funk and retro-futuristic sounds. "Tightrope" has hip hop, funk and even neo-jump blues influences. And the excellent "Locked Inside" channel sophisti-soul chords and harmonies that would make Stevie Wonder proud.
But Janelle Monáe does not stop here. She also ventures unashamedly on styles far away from modern R&B like Bond soundtracks ("Sir Greendown"), rock 'n' roll ("Come Alive (The War of the Roses)"), psychedelia ("Mushrooms & Roses"), synth-pop ("Wondaland") or pastoral folk ("57821"). Hell, she even dares to touch modern jazz ("BabopbyeYa") and modern classical (the overtures). Is there a style that this girl fears? And miraculously the album is not as disperse as it could seem, a futuristic concept ties the whole thing together.
No drawbacks here? Well, in my opinion the Suite II is so good that the Suite III pales in comparison. Anyway this is an excellent album that easily gets my vote.

Thank you very much Brad for another wonderfully hosted edition of the MAA game!!
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Brad »

Excellent Honorio! Always fun to look back at the rubbish I throw out there - can't wait to go through all the clips!

Two points:
1. Smile's in the makin' / You gotta fight the powers that be - Actually, this is the other Fight The Power:
2. Sit down, get up, get out! - I confess this may actually be a misheard lyric on my part, and not really a lyric as much as a between-line throw-in by the singer. I've seen it written out as "Sit down, get up, get down" but not sure that's it - I'll always hear it my way, I guess. It's a top 1000 Acclaimed song by a rockin' early-'70's British band, of which most of the members achieved greater heights later on. If it's still unguessed by next AM Classics edition (and I can grab the top 1000 spot), I'll make it my choice!

Thanks so much!
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Bang Jan »

Brad wrote: Mon Nov 09, 2020 5:26 pm 2. Sit down, get up, get out! - I confess this may actually be a misheard lyric on my part, and not really a lyric as much as a between-line throw-in by the singer. I've seen it written out as "Sit down, get up, get down" but not sure that's it - I'll always hear it my way, I guess. It's a top 1000 Acclaimed song by a rockin' early-'70's British band, of which most of the members achieved greater heights later on. If it's still unguessed by next AM Classics edition (and I can grab the top 1000 spot), I'll make it my choice!
Is it this?

"The first word in this song is discorporate. It means to leave your body."
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Brad »

Bang Jan wrote: Mon Nov 09, 2020 5:46 pm
Brad wrote: Mon Nov 09, 2020 5:26 pm 2. Sit down, get up, get out! - I confess this may actually be a misheard lyric on my part, and not really a lyric as much as a between-line throw-in by the singer. I've seen it written out as "Sit down, get up, get down" but not sure that's it - I'll always hear it my way, I guess. It's a top 1000 Acclaimed song by a rockin' early-'70's British band, of which most of the members achieved greater heights later on. If it's still unguessed by next AM Classics edition (and I can grab the top 1000 spot), I'll make it my choice!
Is it this?

Bingo, Bang Jan!
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Honorio »

Thank you! Edited including Isley Brothers and Faces!
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Brad »

Moderately Acclaimed Album XI CHAMPION 2020:

Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid
Image
defeats Depeche Mode - Songs Of Faith And Devotion 12-8

Past Winners:
2010: Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
2011: The Cure - Seventeen Seconds
2012: Fela Kuti and Afrika 70 - Zombie
2013: Jacques Brel - Jacques Brel - Olympia 1964
2014: Jacques Brel - [Ces gens-là]
2015: Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence
2016: King Crimson - Red
2017: Saint Etienne - So Tough
2018: Sleater-Kinney - The Woods
2019: Grimes - Art Angels

bonnielaurel submits the winner for the second straight year!
Andy won the Predict-It bracket, with 311 points, followed by Rob (287) then mileswide (281)!

We can certainly discuss changing the eligibility criteria for future tournaments in a post-mortem real soon, but for now let us celebrate this fantastic album!

I will post the full list of album nominations soon (because I know you guys are all into that sort of thing).

Thank you all for participating... always a ton of fun!
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Listyguy »

Another great year in the books for this game! Thanks for putting this together Brad!
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Honorio »

Yes! Thank you, Brad! That was great again!
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Rob »

Indeed, thanks a lot!

And it is most definitely a great album that won, in my opinion!
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by DaveC »

Definitely a worthy winner.

Thank you Brad for another excellent chapter.

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Biggest grower: Coil - Horse Rotorvator
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by bonnielaurel »

Thanks, Brad, for organizing the tournament. The album was only No. 4 in my nomination list, I thought maybe someone else might have picked it too. I'm definitely glad with the winner. There were also a lot of interesting tips and comments from the forum.
De gustibus et coloribus non est disputandum.
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by andyd1010 »

Thanks Brad! I was an inconsistent participant, so I didn't realize I was in the running to win the predict-it bracket. An expected winner, but a deserving one. Janelle put on an amazing performance when I saw her last summer, and I highly recommend you all go see her whenever concerts are a thing again!
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Jirin »

My nomination came in 2nd, a great album won.
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Brad »

Here's the full list of nominations!:

acroamor 1: Julien Baker - Sprained Ankle
acroamor 2: Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Greivances
acroamor 3: Frank Sinatra - Watertown
acroamor 4: Sharon Van Etten - Because I Was in Love
acroamor 5: Michael Andrews - Me and You and Everyone We Know OST
acroamor 6: Lady Lamb - Ripely Pine
acroamor 7: Arvo Part - Tabula Rasa
acroamor 8: Jaco Pastorius - Jaco Pastorius
acroamor 9: Prefuse 73 - One Word Extinguisher
acroamor 10: Colin Blunstone - One Year

Akhenaten 1: Last Shadow Puppets - The Age Of The Understatement
Akhenaten 2: Take That - Progress
Akhenaten 3: Thea Gilmore - The Counterweight
Akhenaten 4: Levellers - Levelling The Land
Akhenaten 5: Hooverphonic - The Magnificent Tree
Akhenaten 6: Mercury Rev - All Is Dream
Akhenaten 7: Spiritualized - Let It Come Down
Akhenaten 8: Little Boots - Hands
Akhenaten 9: Marilyn Manson - Mechanical Animals
Akhenaten 10: Depeche Mode - Songs Of Faith And Devotion

andyd1010 1: Fiona Apple - When the Pawn…
andyd1010 2: Lucy Dacus - Historian
andyd1010 3: Brand New - Deja Entendu
andyd1010 4: Sturgill Simpson - A Sailor's Guide to Earth
andyd1010 5: Tool - Undertow
andyd1010 6: Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
andyd1010 7: Jackson Browne - Late for the Sky
andyd1010 8: Temples - Sun Structures
andyd1010 9: Michael Kiwanuka - Love & Hate
andyd1010 10: Otis Redding - The Dock of the Bay

ArcadeFire 1: Solange - A Seat at the Table
ArcadeFire 2: Sigur Rós - ( )
ArcadeFire 3: Adele - 21
ArcadeFire 4: Lynyrd Skynyrd - (Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd
ArcadeFire 5: The War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding
ArcadeFire 6: Meat Loaf - Bat out of Hell

Bang Jan 1: Sergei Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 2 [The Philadelphia Orchestra / Leopold Stokowski / Sergei Rachmaninoff]
Bang Jan 2: Nico - The Marble Index
Bang Jan 3: King Crimson - Larks' Tongues in Aspic
Bang Jan 4: The Divine Comedy - A Short Album About Love
Bang Jan 5: Oliver Nelson - The Blues and the Abstract Truth

bonnielaurel 1: Laura Marling - Semper Femina
bonnielaurel 2: Max Roach - We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite
bonnielaurel 3: Nina Hagen Band - Nina Hagen Band
bonnielaurel 4: Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid
bonnielaurel 5: George Michael - Faith
bonnielaurel 6: Joan Baez - Joan Baez
bonnielaurel 7: Whitney Houston - Whitney Houston
bonnielaurel 8: Muse - Origin of Symmetry
bonnielaurel 9: Aretha Franklin - Aretha Now
bonnielaurel 10: Charles Aznavour - La Bohème

Brad 1: Julia Holter - Have You In My Wilderness
Brad 2: The Go-Betweens - Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express
Brad 3: Nina Hagen Band - Nina Hagen Band
Brad 4: Joni Mitchell - For The Roses
Brad 5: Randy Newman - Good Old Boys
Brad 6: Four Tops - Reach Out
Brad 7: Paul Kelly - Gossip
Brad 8: Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers - Jonathan Sings!
Brad 9: Nico - Chelsea Girl

Cold Butterfly 1: Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein
Cold Butterfly 2: Drake - Take Care
Cold Butterfly 3: Edan - Beauty And The Beat
Cold Butterfly 4: Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
Cold Butterfly 5: Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Pinata
Cold Butterfly 6: Kendrick Lamar - untitled unmastered
Cold Butterfly 7: DJ Rashad - Double Cup
Cold Butterfly 8: The Roots - Things Fall Apart
Cold Butterfly 9: Mitski - Be The Cowboy
Cold Butterfly 10: SOPHIE - OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UNINSIDES

CupOfDreams 1: Cocteau Twins - Treasure
CupOfDreams 2: Coil - Horse Rotorvator
CupOfDreams 3: Parquet Courts - Light Up Gold
CupOfDreams 4: Legendary Pink Dots - Any Day Now
CupOfDreams 5: Tarantella - Esqueletos
CupOfDreams 6: Cranes - Wings of Joy

DaveC 1: Roy Harper - Bullinamingvase
DaveC 2: Premiata Forneria Marconi - Storia Di Un Minuto
DaveC 3: Focus - In And Out Of Focus
DaveC 4: The Upsetters - Super Ape
DaveC 5: Bob Theil - So Far
DaveC 6: The Fall - Bend Sinister
DaveC 7: Horslips - The Tain
DaveC 8: Yezda Urfa - Sacred Baboon
DaveC 9: Tangerine Dream - Rubycon
DaveC 10: Tuxedomoon - The Ghost Sonata

Edre Peraza 1: Depeche Mode - Music For The Masses
Edre Peraza 2: The Offspring - Smash
Edre Peraza 3: Kanye West - 808s And Heartbreak
Edre Peraza 4: Rancid - And Out Come The Wolves
Edre Peraza 5: Young Thug - JEFFERY
Edre Peraza 6: Bright Eyes - Digital Ash In A Digital Urn
Edre Peraza 7: Bad Religion - Against The Grain
Edre Peraza 8: NOFX - Punk In Drublic
Edre Peraza 9: Radiohead - The King of Limbs
Edre Peraza 10: Yellow Magic Orchestra - Solid State Survivor

FrankLotion 1: Vince Guaraldi - A Charlie Brown Christmas
FrankLotion 2: Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss
FrankLotion 3: Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour
FrankLotion 4: Robyn - Robyn
FrankLotion 5: Marvin Gaye - Here, My Dear
FrankLotion 6: Aesop Rock - Labor Days
FrankLotion 7: R.E.M. - Life’s Rich Pageant
FrankLotion 8: Public Image Ltd. - Public Image First Issue
FrankLotion 9: The Band - The Last Waltz
FrankLotion 10: OutKast - ATLiens

hectorthbat 1: Ritchie Valens - Ritchie Valens
hectorthbat 2: Azealia Banks - Broke with Expensive Taste
hectorthbat 3: Everything but the Girl - Amplified Heart
hectorthbat 4: Blondie - Eat to the Beat
hectorthbat 5: R.E.M. - Green
hectorthbat 6: James - Seven
hectorthbat 7: Dion - Runaround Sue
hectorthbat 8: King Sunny Ade - The Return of the Juju King
hectorthbat 9: Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
hectorthbat 10: Cher - Belive

Honorio 1: Suede - Coming Up
Honorio 2: Damien Rice - O
Honorio 3: Electric Light Orchestra - A New World Record
Honorio 4: Madness - One Step Beyond
Honorio 5: Milton Nascimento / Lô Borges - Clube da esquina
Honorio 6: The Colourfield - Virgins and Philistines
Honorio 7: Lemonheads - Come on Feel the Lemonheads
Honorio 8: Robert Fripp - Exposure
Honorio 9: Rufus Wainwright - Want Two
Honorio 10: The Style Counsil - Cafe Bleu

Jirin 1: Depeche Mode - Songs Of Faith And Devotion
Jirin 2: Milton Nascimento & Lo Borges - Cluba da Esquina
Jirin 3: Fred Neil - Fred Neil/Everybody's Talkin
Jirin 4: Bert Jansch - Bert Jansch
Jirin 5: Fennesz - Black Sea
Jirin 6: Jenny Scheinman - Mischief & Mayhem
Jirin 7: Khruangbin - Con Todo El Mundo
Jirin 8: Pere Ubu - Dub Housing
Jirin 9: St Vincent - Masseduction
Jirin 10: Kate Bush - The Kick Inside

Kingoftonga 1: Dire Straits - Making Movies
Kingoftonga 2: Kate Bush - The Sensual World
Kingoftonga 3: Emeralds - Does It Look Like I’m Here?
Kingoftonga 4: Washed Out - Within and Without
Kingoftonga 5: Roosevelt - Roosevelt
Kingoftonga 6: Godspeed You Black Emperor - Alleluia! Don’t Bend! Ascend!
Kingoftonga 7: Simple Minds - New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)
Kingoftonga 8: James - Wah Wah
Kingoftonga 9: Everything But The Girl - Walking Wounded
Kingoftonga 10: John Carpenter - Lost Themes

Listyguy 1: The National - Alligator
Listyguy 2: The Soft Boys - Underwater Moonlight
Listyguy 3: Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly
Listyguy 4: Rodriguez - Cold Fact
Listyguy 5: Daughters - You Won’t Get What You Want
Listyguy 6: R.E.M. - Lifes Rich Pageant
Listyguy 7: Elvis Costello - Blood and Chocolate
Listyguy 8: The Durutti Column - Vini Reilly
Listyguy 9: Nico - Chelsea Girl
Listyguy 10: Marquis de Sade - Rue de Siam

luney6 1: Model 500 - Deep Space
luney6 2: Alanis Morissette - Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie
luney6 3: Chet Baker - No Problem
luney6 4: Fugazi - Repeater
luney6 5: The Soft Boys - Underwater Moonlight
luney6 6: Joan Baez - Joan Baez
luney6 7: Pink Floyd - A Saucerful of Secrets
luney6 8: Dirty Three - Horse Stories
luney6 9: Arvo Part - Tabula Rasa
luney6 10: Love - Da Capo

madzong 1: Lou Reed - Lou Reed
madzong 2: David Bowie - Heathen
madzong 3: Iggy Pop - Brick By Brick
madzong 4: The Chills - Submarine Bells
madzong 5: Crowded House - Temple Of Low Men
madzong 6: Handsome Boy Modelling Club - So How's Your Girl?
madzong 7: The Mink Chicks - Dumb? No! Crazy? Yes!
madzong 8: Headless Chickens - Body Blow

mileswide 1: Noir Désir - 666,667 Club
mileswide 2: Bill Withers - Still Bill
mileswide 3: Konono Nº1 - Congotronics
mileswide 4: Marianne Faithfull - Broken English
mileswide 5: Blondie - Blondie
mileswide 6: Peter Tosh - Legalize It
mileswide 7: The Coral - The Coral
mileswide 8: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus
mileswide 9: Primal Scream - Vanishing Point
mileswide 10: (The Jon Spencer) Blues Explosion - Orange

PlasticRam 1: John Denver - Back Home Again
PlasticRam 2: Burkhard Dallwitz - The Truman Show
PlasticRam 3: Yoko Ono - Fly
PlasticRam 4: Ricky Nelson - Ricky Sings Again
PlasticRam 5: Malcolm McLaren - Duck Rock
PlasticRam 6: Genesis - Invisible Touch
PlasticRam 7: Diana & Marvin - Diana & Marvin
PlasticRam 8: Sun Ra - Disco 3000
PlasticRam 9: Exuma - Life
PlasticRam 10: Kid Cudi - A Kid Named Cudi

Rdwdbob 1: Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American
Rdwdbob 2: The Shins - Port Of Morrow
Rdwdbob 3: Don Henley - End Of The Innocence
Rdwdbob 4: Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson
Rdwdbob 5: John Mellencamp - Scarecrow
Rdwdbob 6: Duran Duran - Duran Duran
Rdwdbob 7: Lindsey Buckingham - Out Of The Cradle
Rdwdbob 8: Weezer - Make Believe
Rdwdbob 9: Doobie Brothers - What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits
Rdwdbob 10: Electric Light Orchestra - Discovery

Rob 1: Shiro Sagisu - The End of Evangelion
Rob 2: Taraf de Haidouks - Band of Gypsies
Rob 3: Ekseption - Ekseption
Rob 4: The Beths - Future Me Hates Me
Rob 5: Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra - Kirby 25th Anniversary Orchestra Concert
Rob 6: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - The Firstborn Is Dead
Rob 7: Hurray for the Riff Raff - The Navigator
Rob 8: Holly Herndon - Platform
Rob 9: Coil - Horse Rotorvator
Rob 10: Colin Stetson - SORROW: A Reimagining of Gorecki’s 3rd Symphony

Romain 1: Santana - Santana
Romain 2: Rick James - Street Songs
Romain 3: Alt-J - This Is All Yours
Romain 4: Charlotte Gainsbourg - Rest
Romain 5: Damien Rice - My favorite faded fantasy
Romain 6: Cosmo Sheldrake - The Much Much How How And I
Romain 7: Yann Tiersen - Rue des Cascades
Romain 8: Astor Piazzola - Maria De Buenos Aires
Romain 9: Glass Animals - Zaba
Romain 10: Chilly Gonzales - Solo Piano

rumpdoll 1: Nadine Shah - Holiday Destination
rumpdoll 2: Blonde Redhead - 23
rumpdoll 3: The Breeders - Pod
rumpdoll 4: Ja, Panik - Libertatia
rumpdoll 5: Kelly Lee Owens - Kelly Lee Owens
rumpdoll 6: Bilderbuch - Schick, Schock
rumpdoll 7: Seefeel - Quique

Safetycat 1: David Byrne & St. Vincent - Love This Giant
Safetycat 2: Rush - 2112
Safetycat 3: Lemon Demon - Spirit Phone
Safetycat 4: The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
Safetycat 5: Les Rita Mitsouko - The No Comprendo
Safetycat 6: Hot Chip - In Our Heads
Safetycat 7: Talk Talk - The Colour of Spring
Safetycat 8: Tally Hall - Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum
Safetycat 9: The Fratellis - Costello Music
Safetycat 10: The Cure - Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me

Schüttelbirne 1: Nina Hagen Band - Unbehagen
Schüttelbirne 2: Keith Jarrett - The Köln Concert
Schüttelbirne 3: Wayne Shorter - EMANON
Schüttelbirne 4: Electra - Adaptionen
Schüttelbirne 5: Billy Joel - The Nylon Curtain
Schüttelbirne 6: Gojira - Magma
Schüttelbirne 7: Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah - The Emancipation Procrastination
Schüttelbirne 8: Jean Michel Jarre - Electronica 1: The Time Machine
Schüttelbirne 9: Bon Iver - Blood Bank
Schüttelbirne 10: Punch Brothers - All Ashore

spiritualized 1: The Psychedelic Furs - Talk Talk Talk
spiritualized 2: The Wedding Present - Seamonsters
spiritualized 3: Dinosaur Jr - Farm
spiritualized 4: Built To Spill - There is No Enemy
spiritualized 5: The Auteurs - New Wave
spiritualized 6: Idlewild - 100 Broken Windows
spiritualized 7: Massive Attack - Protection
spiritualized 8: The Bronx - The Bronx (I)
spiritualized 9: St Germain - Tourist
spiritualized 10: Ween - Chocolate & Cheese

StevieFan13 1: Adele - 21
StevieFan13 2: The Smiths - Hatful of Hollow
StevieFan13 3: Various Artists - Eurovision Song Contest: Lisbon 2018
StevieFan13 4: Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five
StevieFan13 5: A Tribe Called Quest - We Got It from Here...Thank You 4 Your Service
StevieFan13 6: Jay-Z - The Black Album
StevieFan13 7: "Weird Al" Yankovic - Mandatory Fun
StevieFan13 8: Sleater-Kinney - No Cities to Love
StevieFan13 9: McAlmont and Butler - The Sound of McAlmont and Butler
StevieFan13 10: Robyn - Body Talk

Sweepstakes Ron 1: AlunaGeorge - Body Music
Sweepstakes Ron 2: Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
Sweepstakes Ron 3: Lykke Li - Youth Novels
Sweepstakes Ron 4: Passion Pit - Gossamer
Sweepstakes Ron 5: Common - Be
Sweepstakes Ron 6: Goldfrapp - Supernature
Sweepstakes Ron 7: Annie - Don't Stop
Sweepstakes Ron 8: The Roots - Game Theory
Sweepstakes Ron 9: Moloko - Statues
Sweepstakes Ron 10: Massive Attack - Protection

Wisnu Tirta Aji 1: Marion Jola - Marion
Wisnu Tirta Aji 2: Giant - Time To Burn
Wisnu Tirta Aji 3: Axel Rudi Pell - The Masquerade Ball
Wisnu Tirta Aji 4: Air Supply - The Earth Is...
Wisnu Tirta Aji 5: Echosmith - Inside a Dream
Wisnu Tirta Aji 6: Stevie B - Love & Emotion
Wisnu Tirta Aji 7: Steelheart - Wait
Wisnu Tirta Aji 8: White Lion - Pride
Wisnu Tirta Aji 9: Winger - In the Heart of the Young
Wisnu Tirta Aji 10: Alan Walker - Different World

Thanks everyone!
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mileswide
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Location: Nottingham, England

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by mileswide »

Congrats to bonnielaurel for 2 in a row! Bonnie's and hectorthebat's nomination lists stand out for me but plenty of quality across the board as to be expected!
All I got inside is vacancy!
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Holden
Never Going Back Again
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Holden »

Out of curiosity, what does the timeline for this game look like? I’d love to participate more next year!
"The better a singer's voice, the harder it is to believe what they're saying."
Brad
Higher Ground
Posts: 4719
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:38 pm

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Brad »

Holden wrote: Fri Nov 13, 2020 12:11 am Out of curiosity, what does the timeline for this game look like? I’d love to participate more next year!
Mid-December I'll solicit nominations. Tournament will begin in early/mid-March. Glad to have you join in!
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Holden
Never Going Back Again
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Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2019 11:06 pm

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Holden »

Brad wrote: Fri Nov 13, 2020 7:20 pm
Holden wrote: Fri Nov 13, 2020 12:11 am Out of curiosity, what does the timeline for this game look like? I’d love to participate more next year!
Mid-December I'll solicit nominations. Tournament will begin in early/mid-March. Glad to have you join in!
Thanks! I listened to maybe the first two sets of the first round and then fell behind, but next time I'm definitely going to try harder to keep up!
"The better a singer's voice, the harder it is to believe what they're saying."
DaveC
Running Up That Hill
Posts: 3484
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by DaveC »

Holden wrote: Fri Nov 13, 2020 7:21 pm
Brad wrote: Fri Nov 13, 2020 7:20 pm
Holden wrote: Fri Nov 13, 2020 12:11 am Out of curiosity, what does the timeline for this game look like? I’d love to participate more next year!
Mid-December I'll solicit nominations. Tournament will begin in early/mid-March. Glad to have you join in!
Thanks! I listened to maybe the first two sets of the first round and then fell behind, but next time I'm definitely going to try harder to keep up!
Brad usually posts the Draw sometime in February, giving us a 3 weeks head start. I try to listen and stay 3 weeks ahead of the voting cycle so that if/when I fall behind I don't miss the window for voting.
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Edre Depeche Head
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Edre Depeche Head »

Depeche Mode - Songs of Faith and Devotion

I know I talk about them a lot on this forum because they are my personal favorite artist but honestly SOFAD (as well as all their other albums IMO) deserves more attention. I am just happy to see it move this far in the tournament.
Edre the Depeche Head
Jirin
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Jirin »

And of course I'll be running Best Moderately Acclaimed Album of the Year again, the winner of which automatically enters the draw.
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Honorio
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Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - The FINALS!

Post by Honorio »

Glad to see that participation is continuously increasing after more than a decade. Last year we had 27 people nominating albums instead the 18 of the ninth edition. This time we had an all-time high, 31, with 7 new ones comparing with MAA10 (ArcadeFire, Cold Butterfly, Edre Peraza, mileswide, rumpdoll, Schüttelbirne and Wisnu Tirta Aji), while 3 AMers that nominated albums for MAA10 didn't send albums this time.
Hope you don't mind but, like I did in previous years, I ranked the nominators according to the "success" of our nominations, one point for every album on Round 2, one point for every album on Round 3, etc. And this year the winner was… bonnielaurel! She nominated the winner of the game but also two of her other nominations passed to second and third round. The Top 5 was:
1. bonnielaurel (10 points).
2. Listyguy (9 points)
3 (tie). CupOfDreams and hectorthebat (8 points)
5 (tie). DaveC and Jirin (7 points).
Last year the winner was Brad, this time with 4 points. DaveC and Jirin were also on the Top 5 last year. The ones falling out of the Top 5 were Romain and me.
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