I thought I'd try something a little different in the second round. Instead of emailing your votes to me, post them in the thread. The only reason I had votes mailed to me for the first round was that I thought keeping votes already cast blind would be more psychologically neutral. Posting them in the thread might stimulate more interaction and enthusiasm.

We'll keep it at four matchups per week for this round, but next round it might go down to two per week, to make sure everybody has more than enough time to participate.

So, here's the first matchups:

Division 1:
16 Bridgitte Fontaine - Comme A La Radio
#2901, 1971, def 1 The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour
vs
9 The Monks - Black Monk Time
#2073, 1966, def 8 The Byrds - Turn, Turn Turn

Division 3:
4 Depeche Mode - Violator
#516, 1990, def 13 XTC - Oranges and Lemons
vs
12 Ry Cooder - Paris, Texas
#2499, 1985, def 5 Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend

Division 5:
3 Beck - Mutations
#719, 1998, def 14 System of a Down - System of a Down
vs
11 Smashing Pumpkins - Adore
#2074, 1998, def 6 Super Furry Animals - Radiator

Division 7:
2 Joanna Newsom - The Milk Eyed Mender
#2045, 2004, def 15 The Killers - Hot Fuss
vs
7 TV On The Radio - Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes
#972, 2004, def 10 Interpol - Antics

Vote is open until Tuesday, midnight board time. You can either post votes in the thread or mail them to AMModeratePoll@gmail.com.

Full bracket is at: http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=329857&tclass=

OK then!

Division 1:
16 Brigitte Fontaine - Comme A La Radio
*9 The Monks - Black Monk Time

What a tough call! Brigitte Fontaine moving into this round was an all-time great upset, but at the end of the day I've got to go with the total gonzo insanity of the Monks.

Division 3:
4 Depeche Mode - Violator
*12 Ry Cooder - Paris, Texas

On the other hand, what a blah division. I'm SO sick of Depeche Mode, so Mr. Cooder gets my vote, even though I'm not that big a fan.

Division 5:
*3 Beck - Mutations
11 Smashing Pumpkins - Adore

Easy winner for me. Mutations is standing the test of time pretty well, while Adore is just dire.


Division 7:
2 Joanna Newsom - The Milk Eyed Mender
*7 TV On The Radio - Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes

TVOTR's full-length debut is sorta patchy, but its highs are good enough to move it past Newsom, who has her moments but is tough to take for a full album.

Sorry sonofsamiam, I just have to even out those votes...

Division 1:
*16 Brigitte Fontaine - Comme A La Radio
9 The Monks - Black Monk Time

Listening to "Black Monk Time" makes me think about people who think they are cool. Listening to "Comme A La Radio" makes me feel like a cool person.

Division 3:
*4 Depeche Mode - Violator
12 Ry Cooder - Paris, Texas

The best match-up of the week. After many years of music research I have gone back to my roots and found out that Depeche Mode means more to me than almost every other band.

Division 5:
*3 Beck - Mutations
11 Smashing Pumpkins - Adore

Not an obvious choice for me. I think both albums are good but not great. None of them lived up to the standard of their predecessors.

Division 7:
*2 Joanna Newsom - The Milk Eyed Mender
7 TV On The Radio - Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes

I love "The Milk Eyed Mender". I just don't get why "Ys" has become her more acclaimed album.

My votes:

Comme a la Radio

Black Monk Time is a fun and clearly influential album, but since I heard Comme a la Radio it's pushing my top 100 of all time.

Violator

I have trouble with soundtrack albums because they're designed around specific scenes in a movie, which makes for pacing issues when you try to listen to them as an album without the visual or contextual backdrop.

Mutations

Easiest vote of the week for me.

Milk Eyed Mender

#4 of 2004 vs #7 of 2004.

I saw your comment about the update Bill but I'm assuming you're just going to keep things as is right?

Division 1:
16 Bridgitte Fontaine - Comme A La Radio
vs
*9 The Monks - Black Monk Time


Division 3:
*4 Depeche Mode - Violator

12 Ry Cooder - Paris, Texas


Division 5:
*3 Beck - Mutations

11 Smashing Pumpkins - Adore


Division 7:
2 Joanna Newsom - The Milk Eyed Mender

*7 TV On The Radio - Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes

16 Brigitte Fontaine - Comme a la Radio

12 Ry Cooder - Paris, Texas

11 Smashing Pumpkins - Adore

2 Joanna Newsom - The Milk-Eyed Mender

My votes:

Black Monk Time

Violator

Mutations

Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes

John: Don't worry, I'm not going to mix up the game right now just because seven of the albums in the draw wouldn't be eligable if the game started fresh today.

With the two email votes, every single matchup is within two. It's still anybody's game this week, with just over a day left to vote.

Here are the changes in the ranking of the current albums:

16 Bridgitte Fontaine - Comme A La Radio
#2901 - #1549 (!!!)
9 The Monks - Black Monk Time
#2073 - #1273 (!!!)
4 Depeche Mode - Violator
#516 - #458
12 Ry Cooder - Paris, Texas
#2499 - #2630
3 Beck - Mutations
#719 - #722
11 Smashing Pumpkins - Adore
#2074 - #1767
2 Joanna Newsom - The Milk Eyed Mender
#2045 - #2000
7 TV On The Radio - Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes
#972 - #894

From those figures, it looks like you're happy with the update.

Division 1:
16 Brigitte Fontaine - Comme A La Radio

Division 3:
4 Depeche Mode - Violator

Division 5:
3 Beck - Mutations

Division 7:
7 TV On The Radio - Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes

BRIGITTE FONTAINE “Comme à la radio”

Wow, a quite bizarre pair. I’m going for fearless Brigitte.


DEPECHE MODE “Violator”

Unlike Sonofsamiam said, I think this is a killer pair, in fact I commented some weeks ago that between those two I would prefer to choose suicide. Two albums I worship but at the same time absolutely different. Finally DM instead suicide because of sentimental reasons (maybe).


BECK “Mutations”

Not my favourite Beck album but it’s refreshing in its trademark eclecticism.


JOANNA NEWSOM “The Milk-Eyed Mender”

It may be not everyone’s cup of tea, but I think I have another one, thanks. And with a splash of milk, please.

I'm listening to Bridgitte Fontaine for the first time and it sounds magnificent.
Still I can't vote the first matchup because I haven't heard the Monks.

So my points go to

Depeche Mode: Violator
I saw Paris Texas in 2001. Atmosphere of the movie was quite unique. The Soundtrack is good but I've listened to Violator so many times that there's no really a competion in this battle.

Beck: Mutations
As I wrote in the AM poll thread Smashing Pumpkins was my favourite band from late 95 to summer of 97. And after that it was my second favourite band until Adore came out. It has its moments but there are too many fillers and the best track Perfect is musically only a negligible version of 1979.

Joanna Newsom: Milk Eyed Mender
Staring at the Sun is one of the best songs of the decade (and that's not the only very good song in the album). Nevertheless the last songs in the Desperate Youth... aren't that good so the point go to album I voted in AMpoll (somewhere between 150-200).

Hmm, maybe next week I comment albums I voted.

Let's see..

I still haven't listened to that Monks album, so I won't vote, but I really liked Bridgette Fontaine.

I could find the Ry Cooder album, so I won't vote in this matchup either. Depeche Mode is quite good, though.

Middle of the road Beck easily beats far below par Smashing Pumpkins.

No doubt about the last match. Joanna Newsom wins by a mile.

And, the results:

16 Bridgitte Fontaine - Comme a la Radio 6 def
9 The Monks - Black Monk Time 4

Email votes:

Bridgitte Fontaine:
Greg

The Monks:
VanillaFire1000

In the same week it goes up over 1300 places on AM, the only 16 seed to make it through the first round scrapes through to the final 32, picking up a few new fans along the way.

4 Depeche Mode - Violator 8 def
12 Ry Cooder - Paris, Texas 3

Email votes:
Depeche Mode:
VanillaFire1000

Ry Cooder:
Greg

Violator jumps into the top 500 and into the third round.

3 Beck - Mutations 9 def
11 The Smashing Pumpkins - Adore 3

Email votes:

Smashing Pumpkins:
Greg
VanillaFire1000

Beck improves to 4-0, and Mutations makes it to the semifinals of the toughest division.

2 Joanna Newsom - The Milk Eyed Mender 8 def
7 TV On The Radio - Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes 4

Email votes:
Joanna Newsom:
Greg
VanillaFire1000

The highest seeded album that was originally ranked below 2000 carries through another week.

Update on the stats from the first round:

I wrote the program that compiles all the correlations for me, and all that's left is the tedious data entry, which I'll try to do gradually.