#237

Scagden is doing his own sort of tournament for his favourite releases of 2017. The rest of us have just been listing our favourite LPs of 2017. Think this thread has been going for months now.

#238

One of the compilations of the year for me - beautiful 50’s Chilean folk.

1 Like
#239

Round 2: results!

Torres
v
Alvvays

Torres’ last album, ‘Sprinter’ would have blown Alvvays away, but I just couldn’t get on with this new one nearly as much.

Kelly Lee Owens
v
This is the Kit

A victory for the Dis favourite but this was a close one: despite being very different genres, these were two of my favourite records in terms of production this year.

Phoebe Bridgers
v
The Bug vs Earth

No contest. What an LP.

Dalek
v
Blanck Mass

REALLY close one this. Dalek just edged it.

Forest Swords
v
Exquirla

absolutley love ‘Compassion’ but the Exquirla record is even better. So good I started a thread on it in the Spring. My nomination for ‘criminally neglected LP of 2017’.

Colin Stetson
v
Grandaddy

Two solid LPs from bands/people who I’ve enjoyed lots of other records from. Could have gone either way.

Marika Hackman
v
Chelsea Wolfe

Chelsea Wolfe has really snuck up on me and is just starting to get under my skin.

Father John Misty
v
The National

This surprised me as I was very down on ‘Pure Comedy’ when I oriignally heard it. ‘Honeybear’ was my LP of the year in 2015 and I couldn’t initially get over how inferior this new one is. Still, despite not being as good as ‘Honeybear’, it’s still got some really good songs on.

Protomartyr
v
Myrkur

That Myrkur album is better than a lot of people give her credit for. Not as good as Protomartyr mind.

Brockhampton(1)
v
Converge

bloody love Converge.

Four tet
v
Richard Dawson

Richard Dawson is entry 2 in the ‘underappreciated LP of the year’ category.

Run The Jewels
v
Wolves in the Throne Room

Sorry Wolves.

Bell Witch
v
Mount Eerie

A very tough one, but forcing myself to re-listen to ‘A Crow Looked at Me’ forced me to appreciate how much better it is musically than I first realised. Bell Witch is also really harrowing as it deals with death albeit in a more abstract way.

Julien Baker
v
Iron and Wine

No contest

Slowdive
v
Thurston Moore

Thurston Moore without Kim Gordon is Sonic Youthy but without any unpredicability or bite.

Do Make Say Think
v
Julie Byrne

Julie Byrne has really grown on me: initially dismissed it.

1 Like
#240

Round 3 (getting serious now!)

Alvvays
v
Kelly Lee Owens

Phoebe Bridgers
v
Dalek

Exquirla
v
Colin Stetson

Chelsea Wolfe
v
Father John Misty

Protomartyr
v
Converge

Richard Dawson
v
Run The Jewels

Mt Eerie
v
Julien Baker

Slowdive
v
Julie Byrne

1 Like
#241

I really liked The Best Day but the new one never really grabbed me. Cease Fire was a decent tune but not sure why it’s not on the album

2 Likes
#242

Arca - Arca
Björk - Utopia
Converge - The Dusk In Us
Dawn Ray’d - The Unlawful Assembly
Dean Hurley - Anthology Resource Vol. 1
Dirty Projectors - Dirty Projectors
Fever Ray - Plunge
Glassjaw - Material Control
Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
Liars - TFCF
OXBOW - The Thin Black Duke
Prurient - Rainbow Mirror
Row of Ashes - Let the Long Night Fade
Toby Driver - Madonnawhore
Wolves In The Throne Room - Thrice Woven

AOTY is either Kendrick or Dirty Projectors tbh

#243

Finally someone has mentioned Toby Driver

#244

would like to hear this mashup

1 Like
#245

Yeah, The Best Day was much better. I liked two of the songs on the new one (tracks 2 and 3 if I’m remembering correctly), but other than that it’s just kind of there musically and sunk by the lyrics.

#246

yeah even Cease Fire i like only in spite of the lyrics

#247

I think many, like myself, thought it was a huge disappointment. Some good songs but a lot of fluff and filler I thought and deffo his weakest album to date,

#248

I listed to a couple of KLO tracks when she first started, but it all just seemed a bit ‘coffee table’ electronic if that makes sense? I need to give it another go as it’s getting a lot of press.

#249

BBC 6 album of the year mate!

#250

So yeah, that’s how the third round went - now for the quarter finals!

#251

Quarter final time! Control your excitement as best you can everyone!

Protomartyr
v
Richard Dawsom

Julien Baker
v
Slowdive

Kelly Lee Owens
v
Phoebe Bridger

Exquirla
v
Father John Misty

#252

I have had fun doing this. Quarter final results:

Protomartyr
v
Richard Dawsom

Genuinely did not think I would hear a guitar/bass/drum/vocal record as good as this this year. Even the great Richard Dawson has been mown down by the Protomartyr juggernaut

Julien Baker
v
Slowdive

‘Turn out the Lights’ still getting better with every listen

Kelly Lee Owens
v
Phoebe Bridger

Again a very tough one with Bridgers just edging it (better vocals ultimately)

Exquirla
v
Father John Misty

I wonder if Exquirla were British or American then would have picked up a bit more love? Can’t think of another post-rock record that I’ve loved so much in the last few years.

#253

So the semis!

Protomartyr
v
Julien Baker

Phoebe Bridgers
v
Exquirla

#254

are you making your top 5 for the dis poll vote out of this and therefore do you need to do a playoff between the quarter-final losers?

#255

Would that it were so simple…

The problem is that my eventual winner may well have eliminated the second best LP of the year in the first round and therefore this entire system only works in establishing the uncontested best album: I’m still going to have to work everything else out by hand.

There would be some who would claim that this made the entire enterprise pointless, and they would be right.

10 Likes
#256

And so the results!

Two stonking records with real staying power winning through in the end. Phoebe Bridgers’ LP started to pall a bit with repeated listens whereas I was still discovering new beautiful details in the Julien Baker even after several listens in close proximity. More people need to listen to Exquirla.

And therefore the final (last night was a pretty exciting night in the Scagden household, I can tell you):

Julien Baker
v
Exquirla

And therefore… Julien Baker is categoriacally and unquestionalby the person who released the best LP of 2017. Phew. Need to go and get a life now.

4 Likes