TOP 10 NOW: \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\shawty got poll poll poll poll poll poll poll (part II: 2008 ALBUMS)/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

here's the last one for today, I'm taking tomorrow off and your regularly scheduled programming will resume on Thursday.

31 - El Guincho - Alegranza
105.5 points, 12 votes
148 in P&J

Full streaming link: http://www.last.fm/music/El+Guincho/Alegranza

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/9626/smalbumcoversj6.jpg

same beach-y feel but way better "songs." this feels way more authentic to me (in the sense that southall talked about person pitch as being thin and impenetrable). even the most panda bear sounding ones are cut through by killer melodies (either vocal or otherwise) (i.e. the spiraling keyboards on "fata morgana" or the verses on "palmitos park" or the guitar chords on "antillas").

the inherent distance of person pitch really kept me from loving it and this feels way more warm and enveloping mostly cuz its way more communal (the samples are from like fiestas and crowded beaches-- this may be me working out my own shit but it's a big reason why i like this).

― J0rdan S.

That macaw with all the eyeballs gives me the creeps.

Also, I liked this album for about two weeks, but can't remember the last time I listened to it.

good night musically and thank you!

Craig Finn is the most offensive thing about Hold Steady for a lot of people too. I can't listen to the records. It's only when I see them perform on tv (or live, I guess) that I kind of "get" the appeal.

― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, February 10, 2009 4:21 PM (5 hours ago)

this kinda bugged me. this is definitely a total strawman, but it bugs me that there are people who think the hold steady would be a better group without finn, or that he somehow is the worst part of them. (and i'm not directing this at you, johnny, as you were just commenting on what people were saying above you.)
for me, finn is easily the best part of the band; without his personality and character and voice, they're really just an average power-chord band imo. and what's getting to me seems to be this practice of rejecting what's different and unabashedly chrimatic and instead embracing what's mediocre and safe, which i'm seeing more and more. i completely *get* why people don't like finn, too--again, strawman etc, and i'm just venting here, really.

Finn is the only thing upfront on the records, though. As a band, The Hold Steady is pretty indistinguishable. But it all gels in a visual medium, Finn becomes far less the central focus and, in turn, becomes less obtrusive.

guys craig finn is the hold steady.

and this list is blowing me away so far.

i like the eclecticism of these lists. always plenty of stuff for me to catch up on.

charismatic* obvs

I genuinely liked that Hold Steady album, and the fact it got 12 points off me probably ensured it made the ballot. I may bray about "innovation" but there's an awful lot to be said about an album that makes solid rather than spectacular artistic choices, but pulls them off with genuine showmanship, elan and drama.

never did quite see the charm of the hold steady, having given 'boys and girls in america' an unusually persistent plug a couple o years back on the back of all the raves. haven't heard the latest one, but it's probably about time i thought of listening to it.

i like the eclecticism of these lists. always plenty of stuff for me to catch up on.

It'll get really good when the poll's over and the top 50 to 100 albums are published, too.

when the delirious enthusiasms of six people get you half man half biscuit in the #35 slot, "eclecticism" is pretty much a given

el guincho's nice. was toward the bottom of my ballot. i can't think of anything interesting to say about it.

This list has had a disappointing amount of that type of post-Avalanches sampledelic indie-pop that does nothing for me.

This list has had a disappointing amount of that type of post-Avalanches sampledelic basically consists of electronic indie-pop that does nothing for me.

except i do sometimes like it

This list has had a disappointing amount of that type of post-Avalanches sampledelic indie-pop that does nothing for me.

it has? what besides girl talk and guincho? (i don't know all these albums, maybe some of the ones i don't know are like that.)

and i agree with you on the genre for the most part, but i like el guincho's source material more than most of that kind of thing.

Actually Contenderizer is probably more otm than myself.

i wanted to edit it to "indie-friendly electrodribble" or somesuch, but figured i'd done enough damage already.

ennyway, glass candy is cool, though max tundra, horrid. ilm is all about the balance.

i'd never heard max tundra and i'm just pretending that's still true.

if this list consists of indie pop of *any* stripe clearly i'm not into indie pop anymore

I'm looking for the abundance of indie pop so far...Arthur Russell? nope. The Hold Steady? nope. Paavoharju? hardly. Earth? no way.

Again, it's a pretty balanced list. I won't vouch for a lot of it, but I appreciate its diversity.

Also, I liked this album for about two weeks, but can't remember the last time I listened to it.

― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, February 10, 2009 6:57 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

same is true for me; i thought it was so fun and summery at first, but then you realize that the dude just kinda repeats the same exact damn melodies for way too long

i kind of like the loose "wtf let's include reissues/archival, etc."-ness
to this poll; kinda fun getting to vote for the st etienne box

plz tell me someone else voted for scarlett

Also, I liked this album for about two weeks, but can't remember the last time I listened to it.

― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, February 10, 2009 8:57 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

esto^^

plz tell me someone else voted for scarlett

listened to it 3 times and couldn't decide whether I liked it or not. instead of investigating further, I decided to file it away as a mystery that just should never be solved.

i like 'Number Our Days' off the Tundra LP

but the best thing he's done imo is the remix of Tunng's 'Bullets' (not on YT annoyingly)

never heard Earth before (not a doom metal kinda guy), but that rundown above made me interested.
that track is great.
ta.

i think people should stop posting max tundra youtubes b/c i am trying to FORGET he exists

hey, luomo. rinsed that album non-stop for two weeks and then just stopped...i think it benefits from having probably such a gorgeous one-two opener, 'have you ever' and 'love you all' are so beautiful that they cast a spell over the rest of the album. but really there's only one other track which matches up to them and it's not a patch on the present lover. still, happy to see it place.

still never figured out whether i should check out el guincho.

you know i'm usually the first to complain about indie-friendly electrodribble but i think this list is too eclectic for that...it only really applies to max tundra and girl talk (and i assume el guincho). elsewhere you've got drone metal, dead-eyed disco revivalism, odd finnish folk, epic scifi techno, shoegaze, balearica etc etc.

and i still think at least 10 of my votes will place - even more sure now i see these niche interests placing. re: jeezy, i'm certain he'll be at least top 20 if not higher.

I really disagree with you about the Luomo album - Slow Dying Places, Gets Along Fine, the last track whose name escapes me, all gorgeous. Admittedly the one with Apparat is head and shoulders above all of them though.

A list for myself trying to crack through these albums on spotify and don't want to have to go into the undisplayed messages everytime aka the list so far:

50 - Boris - Smile
49 - Arthur Russell - Love Is Overtaking Me
48 - School Of Seven Bells - Alpinisms
47 - Sébastien Tellier - Sexuality
46 - Fall, The - Imperial Wax Solvent
45 - Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
44 - Jay Reatard - Matador Singles 08
43 - Alex Moulton - Exodus
42 - Stephen Malkmus and Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
41 - Solange - Sol Angel & The Hadley Street Dreams
40 - Paavoharju - Laulu Laakson Kukista
39 - Hold Steady, The - Stay Positive
38 - D. Lissvik - 7 Trx + Intermission
37 - Gas - Nah und Fern
36 - Glass Candy - B/E/A/T/B/O/X
35 - Half Man Half Biscuit - CSI: Ambleside
34 - Max Tundra - Parallax Error Beheads You
33 - Earth - The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull
32 - Luomo - Convivial
31 - El Guincho - Alegranza

jeezy will place. i'd even go as far as betting my bank account (the one that isn't the overdraft! the one with £3 in it!) on it being top 20, maybe even top 10.

i'd be interested in whether anyone checks out solange who wouldn't have otherwise, and what they think.

i'll def be checking that out, lex--also really liked the Beyonce album, tho i haven't heard it enough to rep for it just yet. interesting list so far overall; only two of my picks have shown up.

lex stop this line of thought and report to the funky house thread immediately.

I voted for the Solange album, it's one of the handful I actually know on the list.

and i assume el guincho

ha, no - here's 'Palmtios Park'

yeah, that's one of the two i voted for, and gr8!

two songs into the fall and i'm giving up. don't get it.

the thing about that fall album is that you can't help but get the feeling when you listen to it that it's a retread of something done much better about 20 times by the same band. doesn't help having an 11-minute track at number 3 either.

did the HMHB album do well on this same 'fan alleigance charity vote' basis or is it actually one of their better LPs?

Glad to read that people like the Earth album. It doesnt matter if you dont like metal or drone as it really is neither. So check it out, it's terrific!

I had no idea so many people hated Max Tundra! Although I suppose that's understandable. I think he's great, with an uncommon knack for catchy, unpredictable melodies.

I found the girl on eBay
She was bidding on Halfway To A Threeway
I wrote the words "a grain of sand" upon a grain of rice
She baked a pie of very shy laboratory mice

Like, wtf? I don't think I can hate on someone I suspect to be retarded. That's just mean.

but the best thing he's done imo is the remix of Tunng's 'Bullets' (not on YT annoyingly)

He also did a great remix of the Futureheads' "Decent Days and Nights."

yeh i like that too altho ended up preferring the original tbh