Let's travel back to the halcyon days of 2007, when the stock markets were booming and nobody had heard of swine flu. Time for the penultimate (for now) HOA election.

Submit a ranked list of your ten most deserving artists. You may want to check out the top 100 eligible candidates. For a reminder of who's already been inducted, see the results thread.

For your top FIVE artists (at least), you must explain why they deserve to be in the HOA. You may recycle your comments from past elections if you wish, but I want us to have a context for WHY we're selecting these artists. Ballots without comments for the top five will NOT be counted!

In addition, you have the option to nominate up to three people for the Backstage Wing. This isn't required, but perhaps we can get a few more luminaries to joing Henrik in that wing.

Deadline for ballots is Sunday, August 30, at 6:00 pm US Central time (midnight GMT).

Voting is now open. Have at it!

1. The Streets: First two albums are future classics.

2. Dinosaur Jr.: Made songs that combined all the different rock genres swirling around the American underground.

3. Fugazi: Just had their song Cashout rank somewhere in the 100’s on Pitchforks top 500 tracks of the 00’s.

4. The Libertines: Easily accessible reckless rock & roll.

5. Erik B. & Rakim: Rakim has one of the smoothest flows I’ve ever heard.

6. Iggy Pop
7. Built To Spill
8. Spoon
9. Yeah Yeah Yeahs
10. Soundgarden: Completely forgot about these guys, their body of work deserves some recognition.

My sixth (and last) special edition of HOA: weird folkies and new singer-songwriters

01. SUFJAN STEVENS: not the more representative of the New Weird America artists, but for sure the most talented, adding to the usual minimalistic instrumental palette some complex and imaginative arrangements and widely ambitious lyrical themes.
My favourite album: Illinois (2005).
My Top 3 Songs: John Wayne Gacy, Jr. (2005), The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us! (2005), Chicago (2005).

02. DEVENDRA BANHART: on the other hand Devendra is really the pope and ideologist behind that weird folk scene, a frequent collaborator on other artist’s albums, compiler of the era-defining collection “The Golden Apples of the Sun” and creator of an own and eccentric music universe.
My favourite album: Cripple Crow (2005).
My favourite song: Santa Maria da Feira (2005).

03. JOANNA NEWSOM: New? Yes, but with strong foundations on vintage folk and classic music. Weird? Maybe, her voice is not everyone’s cup of tea but it’s capable to create a strange fascination. America(na)? Of course, go and ask Van Dyke Parks.
My favourite album: Ys (2006).
My favourite song: Sprout and the Bean (2004).

04. BRIGHT EYES: a young and talented singer-songwriter whispering sensitive pieces of indie-country-rock with a shivering voice.
My favourite album: I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning (2005).
My favourite song: First Day of My Life (2005).

05. IRON & WINE: more whispers from the bearded master of lo-fi folk.
My favourite album: Our Endless Numbered Days (2004).
My favourite song: Naked as We Came (2004).

06. DAMIEN RICE: and more languid and delicate sounds coming this time from Ireland, vindicating the noble tradition of the 70s singers-songwriters.
My favourite album: O (2002).
My favourite song: Volcano (2002).

07. M. WARD: without being completely an Americana traditionalist his music breathes effortlessly classicism on every note.
My favourite album: Post-War (2006).
My favourite song: Chinese Translation (2006).

08. ESPERS: yes, believe it, now these medieval-psychedelic-electronic-folk sounds are cool again. And I feel fine.
My favourite album: II (2006).
My favourite song: Heartbeats (2003).

09. COCOROSIE: two sisters playing a fundamental part of the freak-folk scene (with strong emphasis on the “freak”).
My favourite album: La maison de mon rêve (2004).
My favourite song: Good Friday (2004).

10. VASHTI BUNYAN: and, last but not least, the unsuspected inspiration of weird-folkies. Vashti released an only album in 1970 and then she retired from music activities. The reissue of this album attracted this new generation, giving place to collaborations with Animal Collective, Devendra Banhart or Joanna Newsom and a second albums 25 years after the first.
My favourite album: Just Another Diamond Day (1970).
My favourite song: Diamond Day (1970).

Backstage wing (computer world part two):
01. CHAD HURLEY, STEVE CHEN & JAWED KARIM: founders of You Tube, a video sharing website that has changed completely the access to music videos (and a more than valuable tool for yours truly in this wonderful HOA game).
02. MICHAEL ERLEWINE & STEPHEN THOMAS ERLEWINE: respectively uncle and nephew and respectively founder and senior editor of Internet music bible All Music Guide.
03. DANIEL EK & MARTIN LORENZON: founders of Spotify, a Stockholm-based music streaming service that allows listening a lot of music without buffering delay. The future is here.

After a few painful months I've removed The Verve from my ballot. I guess they aren't as good as Lynyrd Skynyrd and RHCP :/.

1. Sufjan Stevens - The fact that Sufjan didn't get in last week is absolutely ridiculous. He's a true genius of song-writing, a man who can perfectly capture the human experience in music.

2. The Knife - Excellent band, they make dance music that's catchy as well as dark and chilling. Silent Shout is a great album, and Heartbeats is an awesome single.

3. TV on the Radio - I'm far from their biggest proponent, but the band is quite solid.

4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show your Bones gives them a bump, although it's basically Fever-lite. I have a feeling they're going to improve on it with their next album.

5. Belle and Sebastien - While I think this board overrates this band heavily, now they have all of their good albums out, and imo warrant inclusion.

6. The Shins
7. Franz Ferdinand
8. Interpol
9. Animal Collective
10. Gnarls Barkley

1. New York Dolls – Sticking with ‘em to the end.

2. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – They’ve lasted this long for a reason.

3. Belle and Sebastian – They didn’t improve on their early work – how could they? – but Stuart Murdoch and company have certainly proven they have staying power.

4. Lucinda Williams – She’s built a body of work as impressive as any singer-songwriter.

5. Sonny Rollins – Now that Ornette’s in, let’s remember his only living peer among saxophonists.

6. Sufjan Stevens
7. Dusty Springfield
8. LCD Soundsystem
9. Bill Evans
10. Jefferson Airplane

BACKSTAGE WING
1. Michael and Stephen Thomas Erlewine (AMG)
2. Martin Scorsese
3. Greil Marcus

1. King Crimson
Absolute masters of progressive rock remain severely underrated to this day, perhaps due to their uneven discography. When they were at their peak, no one could top them.

2. LCD Soundsystem
Huge release in '07; I expect they will be a big player in end-of-decade lists.

3. Deep Purple
Hard rock group unfortunately ended up in Led Zeppelin's shadow; Ritchie Blackmore's guitar solo on "Child in Time" remains my all-time favorite.
4. Iggy Pop
"Lust for Life." "The Passenger." Enough said.

5. Yes
Surprised they aren't in already. "Close to the Edge" (both song and album) are incredible works of art-rock.

6. TV on the Radio
Definitely one of the premier artists of the 2000s. Could probably wait for the release of "Dear Science" in 08 though.

7. Soundgarden
Not nearly as into them now as I used to be. Still, there's no denying the sheer force of "Jesus Christ Pose" or the consistency of their two big albums.

8. Belle and Sebastian
I've only heard "If You're Feeling Sinister." Will definitely check them out more in the future.

9. MC5
"The American Ruse" has to be one of the most underrated songs of all time.

10. Dinosaur Jr.
Great 80s alt-rock group that's still at it today.

01. IAM : best band in French hip-hop history (and probably best French band ever)
02. Rage Against the Machine : come oooooooon, here is the only real guitar hero of the 90s with very solid song and awesome bass lines
03. Built to Spill : Perfect from now on is the most incredible discover I have made this year, the five first tracks are, well, perfect, which an intensity I have very rarely heard, goes right to my guts.
04. The Knife : Silent Shout is one of the strangest musical trip I have ever done, constantly dark and danceable. A masterpiece !
05. TV on the Radio : their 3 best songs are in their first LP but Welcome To Cookie Mountain, as a whole, is fantastic
06. Sufjan Stevens
07. Puppetmastaz
08. Architecture in Helsinki
09. Gorillaz
10. Dizzee Rascal

1. Siouxsie and the Banshees- It's a real shame that one of the most colorful catalogs in the history of music is being neglected here! Siouxsie really could do anything, and her band was always up to the task of making her visions into reality.

2. Franz Ferdinand- I'm giving them the bump because they belong and actually have a chance of getting in.

3. Missy Elliott- Same with Missy. She's the most innovative hip hop artist to come out of the past 15 years.

4. Kylie Minogue- It looks like her chances are slim to none, but I'll elevate her if need be for her to get in!

5. Janet Jackson- My favorite artist on this list, Janet is sadly overlooked as Michael's little sister. She forged a career of her own and managed to release a better album Rhythm Nation 1814 than Michael ever did.

6. Annie- Only "The Crush" came along in 2006, but it was pure candy for fans.

7. Grace Jones

8. Aaliyah

9. Donna Summer

10. Annie Lennox

Begging everyone's indulgence, I'm going to again extend voting in the 2007 election for another week. This is partly due to the low number of votes cast so far (I'm one to talk--even I haven't done it yet), but mostly due to the fact that I just haven't had time to tabulate results and prepare for the 2008 election. So, now you've got until Sunday, September 6 (the day before Labor Day in the States) to cast your vote.

1. JEFFERSON AIRPLANE. Fun fact—their two best known songs came from Grace Slick, and she had them before she joined the band.
2. RICHARD AND LINDA THOMPSON. A classic geek pick. Almost every music nerd on the planet appreciates RT as one of the most singular guitarists. Nobody else has heard of him.
3. LCD SOUNDSYSTEM. Will almost certainly get in, although I think it would be cool if he could be inducted pre-Sound of Silver.
4. WARREN ZEVON. I only saw him once—I believe at an Austin City Limits festival. The best word for his onstage demeanor is probably “bemused.”
5. YEAH YEAH YEAHS. Inching up a bit now. Some bands—Elastica and the Hives come to mind—seem to be trying to xerox the music of 1977-79. Karen O & co. manage a more difficult trick…they evoke the spirit of, say, Television but have created a sound which isn’t entirely like anything heard before. Which, after all, is the point.
6. THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
7. THE SHINS
8. BELLE AND SEBASTIAN
9. ARCTIC MONKEYS
10. FRANZ FERDINAND

So far, there hasn’t been a rush to get ballots in for week two of the 2007 election, so let me make a naked plea for more votes. We’ve only got one more round after this one, y’all…I hope we don’t run out of gas just short of the finish.

1. Nat King Cole - Wonderful singer with a number of memorable hits.

2. Townes Van Zandt - Brilliant songwriter, or so I have read.

3. Loretta Lynn - When you're looking at her, you're looking at country.

4. Lucinda Williams - When you're looking at her, you're looking at some kind of blend of country, blues, folk, and NPR-friendly adult alternative.

5. Herbie Hancock - Look it up. Dude was a legend in the fifties and sixties.

6. MC5
7. Sonny Rollins
8. Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys
9. Bill Evans
10. Count Basie

Sorry I voted.

Only one of my votes would be considered "rock," so your comment makes little sense. Not everyone is clever enough to vote The Knife into the Acclaimed Music HOF. Anyway, 100 years from now my list will look better than yours.

I'm sick of this forum.

Sorry man, I didn't mean any offense in that. I know that those are mostly country and blues artists, I just thought it was a funny thing to say. I guess it wasn't.

Once again, I'm wish I didn't offend you.

Schleuse, why won't there be a 2009 edition, covering all music recorded up through December 31, 2008?

1. Warren Zevon - smart & mean - i like that
2. Richard & Linda Thompson - traditional & innovative - i like that
3. Drive-By Truckers - not too many great rock bands left
4. The Magnetic Fields - not too many great songwriters left
5. The Blue Nile - see Terrence Malick
6. Jackson Browne
7. Dwight Yoakam
8. John Cale
9. Prefab Sprout
10. Kool Keith

backstage

1. Jay Dee (J Dilla)
2. Marley Marl
3. Hoagy Carmichael

SR - there's not a single blues artist on paul's list. you're making yourself look dumber and dumber. and we could do without your assholey comments.

SR: No hard feelings. I over-reacted. Just feeling touchy about my old age.

I lowered this site's (usually very high) level of discourse with that comment. I meant for it to be snarky, not to make you want to leave the site.

First, I'm very happy that Lynyrd Skynyrd and ABBA made it when I was away. The first I love, the second because they deserve it


1. Townes Van Zandt : I love old music
2. Antony & the Johnsons : I'm far from being a new music expert, but this guy is one of the best things I've heard in the past 10 years.
3. Robert Wyatt : a favorite
4. The Streets : I love their first 2 albums, especially for their fine lyrics. This guy is a real songwriter.
5. John Lee Hooker : speaking of blues...
6. Doc Watson : speaking of folk. He was folk.
7. Drive-by Truckers : modern classics
8. Fabulous Trobadors : a great underrated french band from the Southwest with very fine and funny lyrics on a blend of rap and world music
9. Dick Annegarn : the greatest French folksinger after Brassens
10.The Divine Comedy : my favorite britpop artist. A wonderful melodist.

Hay, Paul, don't get that dramatic, that's just a game !
Rating is a fun thing to do as long as you take it as it is -a game.
And, about words on music ; are you not the same guy who runs a couple of great music blogs ?
if we don't try to put words on our feelings about music, then music 's just an individual experience. we need to communicate about it. That's what this site is for.
But there'll always be a big space between our words and the music.

quote]

over time, my writing has been reduced to empty sayings like: "this song is really great."
quote]

Actually, I think that's why I've come to prefer Rate Your Music and why I loathe Pitchfork so much. All that really matters IS the music and whether it's really great, and a 3.88 rating of an album by 935 people is probably a better indicator that I'll like it than some pretentious review by some Pitchfork prick. But, I would never complain about the forum; I'd just not direct my browser here if I didn't enjoy it. (I guess I screwed up when I tried to quote Paul)

Let's get back to the HOA.

1. Nina Simone - Maybe it's because I usually prefer male singing voices over female, that I absolutely love it when a woman can sing with such a low vocal range that it almost sounds masculine.
2. Missy Elliott - So addictive.
3. Jefferson Airplane - Key band in the Summer of Love.
4. The Prodigy - Important part of my childhood.
5. Dusty Springfield - The queen of white soul.
6. Herbie Hancock
7. Franz Ferdinand
8. Warren Zevon
9. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
10. Duran Duran - Should be mentioned at least once.

Backstage:
1. Anton Corbijn
2. Gerry Goffin & Carole King
3. Allen Toussaint

1. Crosby, Stills & Nash

2. Soundgarden - Gonna try again for them this week, there seems to be a slight glimmer of hope...

3. Franz Ferdinand

4. Eric Clapton

5. Arctic Monkeys - I quite enjoy their debut, and if they don't get in (likely) they'll be moving up, 'cause I like the second one too.

6. The Knife - Silent Shout is an AM favorite and a deserving one at that.

7. Rage Against the Machine - Nassim and I can revel in the greatness of Tom Morello...how about the rest of the forum?

8. Sufjan Stevens

9. Bloc Party

10. Dizzee Rascal