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

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

I must have missed all the ILM Jeezy love, probably because I don't get it. Dude has some great singles, but he's a horrible albums guy. This was probably the least mediocre of the bunch, but I can't believe it even come close to the top 20.

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

― O Supermanchiros (blueski), Wednesday, 11 February 2009 13:28 (32 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I didn't vote, and it prob wouldn't have been on my list anyway, but it is really excellent; no charity needed, unlike that Fall LP.

Paavoharju - Laulu Laakson Kukista

This is on Spotify - I streamed it last night and enjoyed it.

Well, I was very excited about the Gas based on sample-browsing, and spent a lot of time downloading the whole thing, but what you don't realize from listening to very short segments is that the short segments are repeated over and over again. Fine if you like that sort of thing, but for me it's almost instantly headache-inducing. For me part of the appeal of ambient music is expanse, and this to me is methodically claustrophobic. And I have a lot of old Aube records I could be listening to again instead.

what you don't realize from listening to very short segments is that the short segments are repeated over and over again

You don't have to like Gas, but I don't think it should come as a surprise that there's a lot of repetition and little progression on an ambient record... That's almost like the definition of ambient: sound and atmosphere over progression. However, I wouldn't say Gas isn't expansive, to me it sounds quite large and widescreen compared to many other, sonically more minimal ambient records. Sure, the repetition gives some of the tunes a creepy quality, but that's probably intentional.

But like I said, I can understand some people wouldn't be impressed by Gas. To me it's like an ultimate, highly refined example of a certain type of ambient music, and if that kind of ambient isn't your thing, Gas is hardly gonna turn your head.

I must have missed all the ILM Jeezy love, probably because I don't get it. Dude has some great singles, but he's a horrible albums guy. This was probably the least mediocre of the bunch, but I can't believe it even come close to the top 20.

I get the love, I enjoy the singles, I haven't yet heard the album (need to)... but I'm gonna go out on a limb, and guess that the album didn't make the top 50. It would be a big surprise for some, but is entirely plausible to me.

Own, LOVE LOVE LOVE (and voted for):

50 - Boris - Smile
48 - School Of Seven Bells - Alpinisms
37 - Gas - Nah und Fern
33 - Earth - The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull

Own, enjoy, don't love:

47 - Sébastien Tellier - Sexuality
42 - Stephen Malkmus and Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
39 - Hold Steady, The - Stay Positive

HATE HATE HATE:

45 - Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
35 - Half Man Half Biscuit - CSI: Ambleside
34 - Max Tundra - Parallax Error Beheads You

Not really intrigued by:

49 - Arthur Russell - Love Is Overtaking Me
44 - Jay Reatard - Matador Singles 08
43 - Alex Moulton - Exodus
41 - Solange - Sol Angel & The Hadley Street Dreams
32 - Luomo - Convivial

Would like to hear more of:

46 - Fall, The - Imperial Wax Solvent
40 - Paavoharju - Laulu Laakson Kukista
38 - D. Lissvik - 7 Trx + Intermission
36 - Glass Candy - B/E/A/T/B/O/X
31 - El Guincho - Alegranza

One other thing I'll say about Max Tundra is that whether you like him may have something to do with how much you genuinely enjoy action-news themes and/or the pre-installed demo song on Casio keyboards.

plus he does it all on an Amiga so love for that at least

2 of mine have showed up so far (Boris, Earth) which is cool, but if i had payed any attention to that el guincho album, it would have been on my list (also really enjoying School Of Seven Bells in some bizarro 4ad nostalgia moment, but prob wouldn't have voted for it).

Nothing on the remainder of the list can be as annoying as Max Tundra

i don't think anyone posted any glass candy tunes before, so

More Earth. Hung From The Moon Live

Engine Of Ruin

ilxor's ranking is similar to mine, tho i quickly grew tired of smile, and am on the fence about alpinisms. plus LOVE the glass candy & arthur russell, and like the jay reatard (JR's good stuff is great, but the record's uneven). curious about paavoharju & d lissivik...

i will also join the crowd lamenting the fact that they failed to vote for paavoharju (although looking at my ballot i did vote for them on the track poll, so i think i just got confused somewhere along the way).

I've decided to work my way through all the top 50 here in an effort to pull myself away from listening to same old same old all the time. So far I've found something to like in every album I've played (Boris, Arthur Russell, School of Seven Bells, Jay Reatard, The Fall).

Good work all you people who paid attention to 2008 so I didn't have to :)

For some reason I can't find the tracks poll--can someone link to it? Thanks.

//////////////shawty got poll poll poll poll poll poll poll (part I: 2008 TRAX)\\\\\\\

Nothing on the remainder of the list can be as annoying as Max Tundra

― Boring Sign In Name (Herman G. Neuname), Wednesday, February 11, 2009 8:52 PM (27 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

^this x 1000.