I'm not yet loving the Tune-Yards album. While I somewhat enjoy Powa and Doorstep, and find Killa and You Yes You to be pretty good, the rest of the tracks don't impress yet. I would like to hear from others regarding which of the songs on the album are the best growers and if one of the other songs is especially good in their opinion.
I was skeptical heading into my first listen of this album, but My Country made me instantly realize it was something I should pay close attention to (it's not in my top 5 for the year). Also, Bizness has been making a lot of top-ten singles lists for a reason.
New additions:
USA: XLR8R, The L, Epitonic
UK: The Line of Best Fit
France: Indiepoprock, Mowno, Chronicart
Spain: Scanner FM
Finland: Soundi (intl)
Italy: Kalporz, Sentire Ascoltare
Chile: Super 45
Germany: Rolling Stone Germany
I think this list supports my theory about my female artists don't get critical praise.
Which female artists get critical praise? PJ Harvey and St Vincent, the noisy experimental ones.
Which don't? Laura Marling, Kate Bush.
And Ry Cooder at 193? Why he's not noisy and experimental at all, just rootsy and parody-political.
Let England Shake and Strange Mercy are great albums well worthy of their acclaim.
I agree. Also, the idea that Laura Marling (currently at #49 among ALL THE ALBUMS RELEASED THIS YEAR) and Kate Bush (currently at #51 among ALL THE ALBUMS RELEASED THIS YEAR - in addition to which, she's freaking Kate Bush! KATE BUSH, for Christ's sake! One of the most acclaimed female artists - one of the most acclaimed artists, period - of all time! In addition to in addition to which, I was always under the expression that she was considered pretty darn experimental in her own right) aren't getting critical praise is just plain nutty. Are they ranked as high as Harvey or Clark? No. Do they deserve to be? Perhaps - personally I would say yes, wholeheartedly, in both cases. But, come on.
Laura Marling (currently at #49)
Kate Bush (currently at #51)
Just clarifying - those are their ranks on the spreadsheet right now as I'm working on it, not necessarily as it was posted earlier. Sorry for any confusion. The point holds, though.
The Ry Cooder ranking is a shame and a sin and a reason why I'm very suspicious about those very indie rock oriented lists. Most of the hipsters critics didn't even hear this major album
Altar of Plagues - Mammal
Anthrax - Worship Music
Aurelio - Laru Beya
Benvegnu, Paolo - Hermann
Brutal Truth - End Time
In Solitude - The World, the Flesh, the Devil
Parlato, Gretchen - The Lost and Found
Prince Rama - Trust Now
Prurient - Bermuda Drain
Pure X - Pleasure
Skeletons - People
YOB - Atma
Zun Zun Egui - Katang
Altar of Plagues - Mammal
Anthrax - Worship Music
Aurelio - Laru Beya
Benvegnu, Paolo - Hermann
Brutal Truth - End Time
In Solitude - The World, the Flesh, the Devil
Parlato, Gretchen - The Lost and Found
Prince Rama - Trust Now
Prurient - Bermuda Drain
Pure X - Pleasure
Skeletons - People
YOB - Atma
Zun Zun Egui - Katang
Thanks for catching these, Otis! I'll fix them before the next update.
Another update. Harold, I can't tell you how pleased I am that you are doing all this work! Thanks!!!
USA: AllMusic
Ireland: Hot Press
Spain: Intl lists from Tentaciones and Go Mag; national lists from Playground, MondoSonoro, Rock De Lux, Tentaciones and Go Mag
Besides Cooder, the most criminally underrated album of the year is Machinedrum's Room(s). It is, imho, the best electronic album of 2012, and by extension one of the very best overall (it's in my personal top 5 of the year). It was also highly rated by the experts of the genre: #2 for Resident Advisor and #1 for Little White Earbuds. And it's further proof that serious electronica isn't yet getting the attention it deserves. The only electronic artists that make the main lists are the overly hyped (James Blake and Nicolas Jaar) or the established (Four Tet and Caribou).
I like to analyse these lists and what strikes me is the difference in perception of albums between different countries (considering countries providing enough lists). Of course sometimes its genre related and new and upcoming artists do usually better in local lists first (Metronomy?), but I would expect big institutional names in global genres to fare similarly cross the continents. Biggest separator (no pun) must be Radiohead this year. american and english critics lists combined put them at 8, whereas french and spanish at 248 and all 10 french international lists leave them out while mentioning 253 albums.
I wonder whether the writers from the same countries influence (copy :-) ) each other, or maybe there is different atmosphere surrounding some artists, or is it really matter of different tastes?
I see Village Voice positions below the top 50 are in the spreadsheet- but only the top 50 get added to AM, correct? I'm pretty sure, just clarifying. Thanks- and thanks Harold for the continued updates. :)
USA: Passion of the Weiss, The Silent Ballet
Canada: La Presse
UK: Mixmag, The Milk Factory
France: PopNews, Chroniques Electroniques, AlbumRock
Poland: Screenagers
Sweden: Dagensskiva
I have added one new list to the spreadsheet since the last upload, a top ten from Belgium's Knack. I'm fully prepared to send Henrik this last update and call it a day, unless anyone has any last-minute additions. Thanks again to everyone who's contributed lists, links, and transcriptions. This has been exhausting (at times) but great fun.
I have added one new list to the spreadsheet since the last upload, a top ten from Belgium's Knack. I'm fully prepared to send Henrik this last update and call it a day, unless anyone has any last-minute additions. Thanks again to everyone who's contributed lists, links, and transcriptions. This has been exhausting (at times) but great fun.
If you can wait some days, I know the "Top des Blogueurs" will come soon (some days).
If you can wait some days, I know the "Top des Blogueurs" will come soon (some days).
I went to the TdB website and did a FreeTranslation of the most recent post, from November. FT isn't exactly 100% reliable, but it looks like the folks behind the site decided to shut things down and not compile a list for 2011. If someone could confirm this, that would be great. Thanks!
If you can wait some days, I know the "Top des Blogueurs" will come soon (some days).
I went to the TdB website and did a FreeTranslation of the most recent post, from November. FT isn't exactly 100% reliable, but it looks like the folks behind the site decided to shut things down and not compile a list for 2011. If someone could confirm this, that would be great. Thanks!
If you can wait some days, I know the "Top des Blogueurs" will come soon (some days).
I went to the TdB website and did a FreeTranslation of the most recent post, from November. FT isn't exactly 100% reliable, but it looks like the folks behind the site decided to shut things down and not compile a list for 2011. If someone could confirm this, that would be great. Thanks!
Yes but if you go here : http://classementdesblogueurs.fr/WordPress3/2012/01/25/cdb-2011-episode-42/
you can see the "classement des blogueurs". They continue there list and the final result will be made next week I think.
They just stop the blog in the currently form.
Harold decided not to wait. There is one new list in this update:
Belgium: Knack
Here's the new (final?) top 100 from the spreadsheet:
1 / Harvey, PJ / Let England Shake
2 / Bon Iver / Bon Iver
3 / Blake, James / James Blake
4 / Fleet Foxes / Helplessness Blues
5 / Destroyer / Kaputt
6 / Waits, Tom / Bad as Me
7 / Weeknd, The / House of Balloons
8 / M83 / Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
9 / tUnE-yArDs / WhoKill
10 / St. Vincent / Strange Mercy
11 / Vile, Kurt / Smoke Ring for My Halo
12 / Girls / Father, Son, Holy Ghost
13 / Radiohead / The King of Limbs
14 / Metronomy / The English Riviera
15 / Wilco / The Whole Love
16 / Horrors, The / Skying
17 / Shabazz Palaces / Black Up
18 / Jay-Z & Kanye West / Watch the Throne
19 / Adele / 21
20 / Fucked Up / David Comes to Life
21 / Wild Beasts / Smother
22 / Li, Lykke / Wounded Rhymes
23 / Drake / Take Care
24 / Jaar, Nicolas / Space is Only Noise
25 / Oneohtrix Point Never / Replica
26 / Real Estate / Days
27 / SBTRKT / SBTRKT
28 / EMA / Past Life Martyred Saints
29 / Yuck / Yuck
30 / Antlers, The / Burst Apart
31 / Mastodon / The Hunter
32 / Hecker, Tim / Ravedeath, 1972
33 / Feist / Metals
34 / Welch, Gillian / The Harrow and the Harvest
35 / Gang Gang Dance / Eye Contact
36 / Maus, John / We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves
37 / Ocean, Frank / Nostalgia, Ultra
38 / Black Keys, The / El Camino
39 / War on Drugs, The / Slave Ambient
40 / Washed Out / Within and Without
41 / Calvi, Anna / Anna Calvi
42 / Foo Fighters / Wasting Light
43 / Beirut / The Rip Tide
44 / Bush, Kate / 50 Words for Snow
45 / Callahan, Bill / Apocalypse
46 / Decemberists, The / The King is Dead
47 / Wild Flag / Wild Flag
48 / Florence + The Machine / Ceremonials
49 / Arctic Monkeys / Suck It and See
50 / Atlas Sound / Parallax
51 / Marling, Laura / A Creature I Don't Know
52 / Zomby / Dedication
53 / Battles / Gloss Drop
54 / Pearson, Josh T. / Last of the Country Gentlemen
55 / Elbow / Build a Rocket Boys!
56 / Peaking Lights / 936
57 / Bjork / Biophilia
58 / Beyonce / 4
59 / Low / C'mon
60 / Iceage / New Brigade
61 / TV on the Radio / Nine Types of Light
62 / Panda Bear / Tomboy
63 / Stetson, Colin / New History Warfare, Vol. 2: Judges
64 / Katy B / On a Mission
65 / Rustie / Glass Swords
66 / My Morning Jacket / Circuital
67 / Field, The / Looping State of Mind
68 / Scott-Heron, Gil & Jamie xx / We're New Here
69 / Cults / Cults
70 / Kills, The / Blood Pressures
71 / WU LYF / Go Tell Fire to the Mountain
72 / Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Noel / Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
73 / Roots, The / Undun
74 / Cut Copy / Zonoscope
75 / Toro Y Moi / Underneath the Pine
76 / Simon, Paul / So Beautiful or So What
77 / Austra / Feel It Break
78 / Tyler, the Creator / Goblin
79 / Dum Dum Girls / Only in Dreams
80 / Lamar, Kendrick / Section.80
81 / Other Lives / Tamer Animals
82 / Zola Jesus / Conatus
83 / Wye Oak / Civilian
84 / Brown, Danny / XXX
85 / Adams, Ryan / Ashes & Fire
86 / A$AP Rocky / LIVELOVEA$AP
87 / Smith Westerns / Dye It Blonde
88 / Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The / Belong
89 / Barwick, Julianna / The Magic Place
90 / Mogwai / Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
91 / King Creosote & Jon Hopkins / Diamond Mine
92 / Beastie Boys / Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
93 / Black Lips / Arabia Mountain
94 / Clams Casino / Instrumentals
95 / Iron & Wine / Kiss Each Other Clean
96 / Little Dragon / Ritual Union
97 / Balam Acab / Wander/Wonder
98 / Wilson, Jonathan / Gentle Spirit
99 / Ghostpoet / Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam
100 / Friendly Fires / Pala
Many thanks again, Harold!!!
I guess the big question after we've had our own poll is: Why wasn't PJ's album the most acclaimed in the US? (And why didn't she do better in the songs lists?)