Rank the Tracks is a series of threads hosted by CasanovaZelos where users rank the tracks from a specified album each week.
Daft Punk
Before settling on the Rank the Tracks format, the first week was simply a poll of Board 8's favorite Daft Punk songs. This only received six participants, which inspired changing the format.
Participants:
Blue-G
CasanovaZelos
jcgamer107
RoyCaliente
SeanChan
Snake5555555555
25. Derezzed (2010)
Album: TRON: Legacy
Score: 27 (3 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): Snake5555555555 (#8)
24. Fragments of Time (2013)
Album: Random Access Memories
Score: 28 (2 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): RyoCaliente (#8)
23. Revolution 909 (1997)
Album: Homework
Score: 30 (2 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#6)
22. Alive (1997)
Album: Homework
Score: 33 (2 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#7)
21. Lose Yourself to Dance (2013)
Album: Random Access Memories
Score: 33 (3 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): jcgamer107 (#9)
19 (tie). Indo Silver Club (1996)
Album: Homework
Score: 36 (1 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#3)
19 (tie). Burnin' (1997)
Album: Homework
Score: 36 (1 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): RyoCaliente (#3)
18. Superheroes (2001)
Album: Discovery
Score: 38 (2 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#4)
17. Something About Us (2001)
Album: Discovery
Score: 38 (3 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): Blue-G (#5)
16. The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk - I Feel It Coming (2016)
Album: Starboy (The Weeknd)
Score: 43 (2 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): jcgamer107 (#5)
15. Too Long (2001)
Album: Discovery
Score: 50 (1 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): Blue-G (#1)
14. Technologic (2005)
Album: Human After All
Score: 63 (3 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): jcgamer107 (#6)
13. Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You (1998)
Album: single by Stardust
Score: 64 (2 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): CasanovaZelos (#3)
12. Face to Face (2001)
Album: Discovery
Score: 64 (3 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): RyoCaliente (#4)
11. Instant Crush (2013)
Album: Random Access Memories
Score: 67 (3 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): Blue-G (#2)
10. Aerodynamic (2001)
Album: Discovery
Score: 68 (3 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): jcgamer107 (#2)
9. Human After All / Together / One More Time (reprise) / Music Sounds Better With You (2007)
Album: Alive 2007
Score: 78 (2 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#1)
8. Voyager (2001)
Album: Discovery
Score: 88 (3 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): RyoCaliente and Seanchan (#2)
7. Robot Rock (2005)
Album: Human After All
Score: 94 (3 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): jcgamer107 (#1)
6. Around the World (1997)
Album: Homework
Score: 101 (3 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): CasanovaZelos and Snake5555555555 (#2)
5. Get Lucky (2013)
Album: Random Access Memories
Score: 103 (5 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): Snake5555555555 (#1)
4. Da Funk (1997)
Album: Homework
Score: 106 (5 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): CasanovaZelos (#1)
3. Harder Better Faster Stronger (2001)
Album: Discovery
Score: 113 (4 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): jcgamer107 (#3)
2. Digital Love (2001)
Album: Discovery
Score: 118 (4 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): RyoCaliente (#1)
1. One More Time (2000)
Album: Discovery
Score: 143 (5 Votes)
Biggest Fan(s): Blue-G (#3)
Gorillaz - Demon Days
Before I dive into the individual track, let's look at some general data. First, here's a list of participants sorted by how much they deviated from the final results (a lower number means closer to the overall list):
CasanovaZelos: 24
XIII_rocks: 24
Jesse_Custer: 28
GenesisSaga: 28
Johnbobb: 34
TomNook: 34
Snake5555555555: 36
Seanchan: 36
SpikeSetsFire: 48
jcgamer107: 54
Luis_Sera89: 54
Mega Mana: 56
ZaziGuado: 58
Raetsel_Lapin: 60
Now, some general album comments:
CasanovaZelos: Demon Days is my #7 album of 2005 and #269 of all time. Gorillaz perfectly blend together a ton of genres, from dance to electronic to hip hop to alt. rock. I think it runs a little longer than it needs and the first half is notably stronger outside of DARE. But, it's hard to deny the catchiness of the best tracks, and the weaker tracks still add to the genre roulette that makes this album so special.
GameStonk: The most 2000s album for me probably.
jcgamer107: Just one of the greatest albums ever, hugely ambitious in how many collaborators there are, but it really comes together. The first half is much stronger than the 2nd in my opinion but that's pretty common anyway.
Johnbobb: I don't know where exactly it would rank but Demon Days is easily in my top 10 albums
Snake5555555555: I definitely agree with Zelos in that the second half is a lot weaker than the first...lastly, I like the idea of bringing in more symphonic and classical elements at the tail end of the album, but I think the tracks there get bogged down in its over-indulgence, they just feel sort of boring to me. Overall, the vibes this album brings, with its oppressive darkness and apocalyptic pessimism suits the era it was from perfectly, and still continues to be relevant in much the same way now. I admit I don't personally love it as a whole, but the stand-out tracks I rank at the top have a solid spot in my rotation.
GenesisSaga: My second favorite album!
ZaziGuado: I wouldn't say I hated anything on this album, but I think it requires active listening to appreciate. That's something I don't do too very often and I'm not going to listen to Demon Days enough for it to build up over time gradually. Those tracks that did get more spins than the others all finished higher on the list, which I think speaks to the growth potential. There are a few standouts and I think a lot of songs would reposition themselves on a second listen. It feels 5/10 on my random top of my head scale, but the top three songs prop it up to 6/10.
Seanchan: Overall...I don't think I liked this album a whole lot. The style just didn't click with me.
TomNook: Such a great album of course. The Top 6 are all fantastic, and would certainly make a Top 1,000 song list if I were to ever do that. The tail end of the list is pretty easy, as it's mostly the shorter songs, or the 'noise' songs.
XIII_rocks: Christ this is difficult. Every time I think of ranking one low I remember it gets better later on. Like I dislike the intro to some but then I remembered they tend to build up really well. Hmm.
Demon Days track ranking
I'm gonna post these all at once since I don't think this sort of poll necessitates a slow reveal (I'm guessing the top spots will be predictable for most albums and it's the overall positions of the 'minor' tracks that are more interesting here)
15. Intro (Track #1)
Score: 28 (Average Rank: 14.00/15)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#10)
Biggest Detractor(s): jcgamer107, Johnbobb, ZaziGuado, Luis_Sera 89, Mega Mana, Seanchan, TomNook, XIII_rocks (#15)
jcgamer107: it's a great intro, but is kind of auto-last place because of how short it is imo
ZaziGuado: Never been a big fan of intro tracks. This one doesn't really change that opinion.
14. White Light (Track #11)
Score: 56 (Average Rank: 12.00/15)
Biggest Fan(s): Luis_Sera89 (#6)
Biggest Detractor(s): CasanovaZelos, Jesse_Custer, Snake5555555555, GenesisSaga (#15)
jcgamer107: seems like Damon is venting about the party/touring lifestyle - maybe this has a little more of a Blur sound to it. another nice bridge.
ZaziGuado: I guess. It does some interesting things. Doesn't feel like it should be mid-table, but that's where I guess it's ending up.
13. Demon Days (Track #15)
Score: 82 (Average Rank: 10.14/15)
Biggest Fan(s): ZaziGuado (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb, Seanchan, XIII_Rocks (#14)
jcgamer107: Nice note to end the album, good message
Johnbobb: Demon Days and DGLIH are great when combined with FCOOTMH, but stand out less solo
ZaziGuado: I liked it. A chorus of people singing a chorus is usually a good thing for me. The laid back beat with the oohs works well too. A good closer I'd say.
12. November Has Come (Track #9)
Score: 91 (Average Rank: 9.50/15)
Biggest Fan(s): Mega Mana (#5)
Biggest Detractor(s): SpikeSetsFire (#15)
jcgamer107: respect to MF Doom
ZaziGuado: It's fine, but that's all I really have to say about it. From what I caught of the rap lyrics, they seemed to be good.
11. Don't Get Lost in Heaven (Track #14)
Score: 93 (Average Rank: 9.43/15)
Biggest Fan(s): ZaziGuado (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): jcgamer107, TomNook (#14)
jcgamer107: really nice backing vocals, and sort of an existentially spooky title
ZaziGuado: Probably the song I would listen to most on the "shuffle all" from this album that wasn't the top two singles. It's very enjoyable. I like the bouncing piano and the chorus. It's very whimsical and memorable. A bit earwormy.
10. Last Living Souls (Track #2)
Score: 105 (Average Rank: 8.57/15)
Biggest Fan(s): SpikeSetsFire (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): GenesisSaga, Mega Mana, TomNook (#13)
jcgamer107: I bought this album summer '06, and I don't really know how to describe how I felt the first time I got to 1:38. It was a great reminder that you don't have to conform to any one style.
ZaziGuado: I really enjoy acoustic breakdowns in songs, and LLS has a fairly decent one. That's the only really notable thing about this song to me, though.
9. All Alone (Track #10)
Score: 110 (Average Rank: 8.29/15)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin, Mega Mana (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Luis_Sera89, SpikeSetsFire (#13)
jcgamer107: sick drums and rapping, with a surprisingly beautiful bridge
ZaziGuado: Another song I remember popping up on "shuffle all" that I would occasionally let play through. The "all alone" chants were catchy and the main reason why. The beat behind it was good too. The breakdown with the guest artist was appreciated as well.
8. Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head (Track #13)
Score: 112 (Average Rank: 8.50/15)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): jcgamer107, Luis_Sera89, Seanchan (#12)
jcgamer107: A little too on-the-nose with it's message maybe, but it's cool they got Dennis Hopper
ZaziGuado: Okay. I dunno. Spoken word is really hit or miss with me and I suppose this hits, but nothing was too memorable for me. This feels like a song that would creep higher upon repeated listens.
7. O Green World (Track #4)
Score: 113 (Average Rank: 8.29/15)
Biggest Fan(s): Luis_Sera89 (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#15)
jcgamer107: I thought this sounded like badass showdown music as a teen lol, maybe because the "ahh"s are reminiscent of an Ennio Morricone score. the distorted guitar is filthy.
ZaziGuado: Eh, it's okay. Doesn't really stick with me.
6. Kids with Guns (Track #3)
Score: 115 (Average Rank: 7.86/15)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Jesse_Custer (#13)
jcgamer107: love how huge the drums are at the end
ZaziGuado: I actually remember this one popping up when I had an mp3 player and would just shuffle my entire my library. I would let it play rather than skip over it, so that's a good start! The bass beat is probably what got me to stick with it. The "push it" not quite sample but invocation is catchy.
5. Every Planet We Reach is Dead (Track #8)
Score: 146 (Average Rank: 5.86/15)
Biggest Fan(s): jcgamer107, Luis_Sera89 (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): ZaziGuado (#11)
jcgamer107: I love just the wall of piano sound towards the end, the first iteration capped off by an epic synth lick
Snake5555555555: I really dug Every Planet on this re-listen, it has such a nice blues-y classic rock feel and the piano is beautiful in its chaotic composition.
ZaziGuado: Sure. I like the beat, but it kinda loses me as stuff keeps getting poured on top of it, which now that I think about might be the main reason why I've never been able to get too heavily into Gorillaz. The piano torwards the end is enjoyable.
4. Dirty Harry (Track #5)
Score: 148 (Average Rank: 6.14/15)
Biggest Fan(s): Snake5555555555, XIII_Rocks (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): ZaziGuado (#13)
jcgamer107: nice use of children's choir
Snake5555555555: The funky beats of Dirty Harry are amazing and Bootie's verse is killer, plus the choir just adds to an ethereal atmosphere that permeates the whole track, giving an unnatural feeling pairing perfectly with the anti-war lyrics.
ZaziGuado: There's a lot going on here, but I suppose I'm okay with it. The chorus of children probably sticks out most to me.
3. El Mañana (Track #7)
Score: 164 (Average Rank: 4.93/15)
Biggest Fan(s): jcgamer107 (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Mega Mana, SpikeSetsFire (#9)
jcgamer107: so chill and so melancholy
Snake5555555555: I friggin' adore trip hop (mainly because of Silent Hill) so Feel Good and Manana always spoke to me instantly.
ZaziGuado: Hey this was pretty good. Not sure what to pull out of it to remark on, but I enjoyed it for the most part.
2. DARE (Track #12)
Score: 189 (Average Rank: 4.21/15)
Biggest Fan(s): CasanovaZelos, Mega Mana, SpikeSetsFire (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#13)
jcgamer107: very groovy & good ending fake-out
ZaziGuado: Another single, so another one that's more familiar. It's also another single that I enjoy! I find the chorus catchy as hell and really enjoy the funky beat. I love the opposed lyrical stylings. Hell yeah.
1. Feel Good Inc. (Track #6)
Score: 226 (Average Rank: 2.29/15)
Biggest Fan(s): Jesse_Custer, GenesisSaga, ZaziGuado, Raetsel_Lapin, Seanchan, TomNook (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): jcgamer107 (#8)
jcgamer107: good but I've heard it a million times
Snake5555555555: I friggin' adore trip hop (mainly because of Silent Hill) so Feel Good and Manana always spoke to me instantly.
ZaziGuado: One of the most instantly recognizable singles of the '00s. The bass line is slick. That windmill chorus with the backing acoustic guitar is smooth as hell. The rap verses are quite catchy. It being Gorillaz' most popular single means I've heard it more (probably--On Melancholy Hill is easily my favorite song in the discography and is on many playlists) than any other song in the discography, but for good reason. It slays.
Weezer - Weezer (The Blue Album)
First, the general data. Here are the participants listed by deviation from the final list:
RyoCaliente (8)
CasanovaZelos (10)
ZaziGuado (10)
Jesse_Custer (14)
Mega Mana (18)
Seanchan (18)
Johnbobb (20)
MoogleKupo141 (22)
Snake5555555555 (24)
MrSmartGuy (26)
colliding (34)
LiquidOshawott (34)
Raetsel_Lapin (36)
cyko (36)
General album comments:
CasanovaZelos: My #317 album of all time and #8 of 1994 (which is probably my favorite year for albums - 14 in my top 500 when few years even reach 10). With the Blue Album, Weezer carved a subtly distinct niche within the alternative rock scene. Less angsty than grunge, more guitar-driven than Britpop, and featuring a playful lyricism typically found in the less complex pop-punk scene. Weezer risked falling into the generic, but instead helped define 'alternative rock' as a unified (and radio-friendly) sound. Simply a collection of fun, positive songs in an era when rock really needed some cheering up.
Snake5555555555: I pretty much have no complaints about this album; every track is superb craftsmanship in 90s songwriting, an album consistently capturing the tone of the mid-90s while simultaneously capturing the teenage angst that exists in every generation, most exemplified in the track Buddy Holly which prominently references 50s through 70s culture. Weezer belies a gloomy, depressive edge with upbeat guitar riffs with that retro "uncool" wit, becoming timeless in the process. That is not an easy feat. Getting down to individual tracks, I mainly love Weezer's heavier moments here. Undone could nearly fit as a lighter cut on a metal album, but its spoken word interludes and introverted perspective firmly place it as ironically anti-boisterous, as the song's protagonist metaphorically comes undone through intense social anxiety. Say It Ain't So is a classic, more of a slow jam that lulls you in with relaxing instrumentals that make you focus on the story being told. Even though I've heard it a million times at this point, its explosive ending still gets me hyped every time. Surf Wax and In the Garage are two of the most punk moments on the album; Surf Wax feels like a Beach Boys track if they drank a 12-pack of Surge during recording. In the Garage is a quintessential nerd anthem. The next tracks aren't permanent fixtures for me or anything but nevertheless shine with their musicianship, I especially enjoy the solo in No One Else. Buddy Holly is a fun track but I think I've heard it too many times at this point and it's a little shallow even if I enjoy its references. Holiday comes the closest to being somewhat of a bore, but it's inoffensive at worst. A highly regarded album for good reason and I very much enjoy spinning it from time to time! It's the kind of album you can get absorbed in if you truly listen closely.
MoogleKupo141: at some point I had a revelation that this is my favorite album. I don’t listen to full albums often, so that’s not a totally huge honor, but still. Even when I do, it’s usually only a couple times and then I add my favorite songs to my main music library. With the Blue Album every song made the cut. It’s also sort of a weird case for me where I’m less biased towards the singles on this album because I wasn’t necessarily aware of which ones were singles when I first heard it. The first Weezer CD I owned was Maladroit because they used to play the Keep Fishin’ music video at the bowling alley a lot. That song and Island in the Sun were probably my intros to the band. I never got the physical CDs for the earlier albums, so I probably didn’t even know any Blue Album songs other than maybe Buddy Holly until at least a couple years later when I got my first iPod. Until very recently I would have said Only in Dreams was my #1, but Say it Ain’t So has stealthily climbed up my list over the past few years.
ZaziGuado: The Blue Album is and always will be the most complete Weezer album front-to-back. Sometimes I find myself enjoying individual songs on Pinkerton or even The White Album more than those on The Blue Album, but nothing can compare to how consistent The Blue Album is from the opening jangle of the acoustic guitar to the last pluck of the bass to close the album. It took me until the mid 2000s to dive into the Weezer catalog. Being swept up by Weezer-mania in the mid 90s must've been a ton of fun.
Johnbobb: Overall, Weezer is fine. It's an okay album, with a handful of decent singles and My Name Is Jonas. Nothing bad, but nothing that blew my mind.
cyko: What a great album. This album hit it big while I was in high school and everyone knows that the music you listen to in high school and shortly afterward forms the foundations of your lifelong musical tastes. This was one of the first CDs I ever purchased and it influenced my musical tastes. I listened to it extensively and I can still sing along with almost every track. 20+ years later almost every song on this album still holds up. This might be one of the most consistently great albums of all time.
Seanchan: I've listened to this album fully 2 more times in the last few days and I've got to say it's legitimately great and one that I will definitely come back to, even after this week is over. There's not a truly bad song on the album. In the Garage may be at the bottom of my list but it's still an okay song and one I wouldn't even bother skipping over on replay since the rest of the album is so strong.
LiquidOshawott: I feel like half the album is really overplayed and the other half is low key good
The Blue Album track ranking
10. Holiday (Track #9)
Score: 48 (Average Rank: 7.64/10)
Biggest Fan(s): MrSmartGuy (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): RyoCaliente, Snake5555555555, Mega Mana (#10)
ZaziGuado: It's a good song, but doesn't ascend much beyond that. On a bad day I might put it below No One Else. The ending "let's go away"s are fantastic, as is when everything but the bass drops and Patricks takes over vocals for a bit.
Johnbobb: Boring song except for the "Heartbreak" part
cyko: Standard Weezer song. Good but not great.
9. No One Else (Track #2)
Score: 54 (Average Rank: 7.71/10)
Biggest Fan(s): colliding, Raetsel_Lapin (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): CasanovaZelos, Jesse_Custer, MoogleKupo141, ZaziGuado, Johnbobb, MrSmartGuy (#10)
ZaziGuado: For me, this is easily the weakest track on the album. That's not to say it's bad. Not in the least. The vocal variances at the end are really good. For me though, easily the weakest lyrics on the album.
Johnbobb: I literally forgot this song existed seconds after I finished listening to it
cyko: Another catchy song that is still enjoyable but not as great as most of the album.
8. Surf Wax America (Track #6)
Score: 69 (Average Rank: 6.43/10)
Biggest Fan(s): cyko (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#10)
ZaziGuado: The chorus is far and away the star here. Love it when they scale it back and slowly layer themselves back into it. Never seen Weezer live, but I'm sure this song is a rip-roaring good time.
Johnbobb: better than the Beach Boys, for what it's worth. Fuck the Beach Boys
cyko: Everything about this song is great. It reminds me of heading out to the ocean and having a good time. It just feels good.
7. In the Garage (Track #8)
Score: 79 (Average Rank: 5.79/10)
Biggest Fan(s): MrSmartGuy (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seanchan (#10)
ZaziGuado: In The Garage seems to be a song I consistently rate lower than many when Blue Album gets discussed. Maybe it's because I don't have the nostalgia towards the things he's referencing. The verses and chorus are both solid but neither hold up compared to the most of the rest of the album for me. It's still a really good song on an album with no bad songs, though. Great solo, good use of harmonica, and I really enjoy the vocal variance at the end.
Johnbobb: only this high because it makes me laugh that he pronounces it as "graj"
cyko: A great song about having your safe space to be a nerd. Everyone on this board should appreciate this song.
6. The World Has Turned and Left Me Here (Track #3)
Score: 80 (Average Rank: 5.71/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin, LiquidOshawott (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb, cyko (#9)
ZaziGuado: A guitar intro reminiscent of My Name Is Jonas backed by driving crunchy guitars that persist throughout the entire track. The bridge a great lead-in to the title chorus. I enjoy Rivers' vocal work on the track and the solo is pretty great. The ending octave change is the cherry on top.
Johnbobb: This is the song before Buddy Holly and after whatever song is before it
cyko: The only song on this album I couldn't start singing from memory or remember the music/lyrics to. The most forgettable and generic song on the album.
5. My Name is Jonas (Track #1)
Score: 91 (Average Rank: 5.14/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin, Mega Mana (#9)
ZaziGuado: I think I read once that Rivers Cuomo considered the first track on their first album to be a handshake to the listener. Maybe that's not true, but what is true is that Weezer probably couldn't have selected a better track to open with. The jangly acoustic intro is unique and that harmonica at the end deserves special mention as well. Everything inbetween is pop rock gold.
Johnbobb: Is this in the top spot because of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock? Maybe! But also it's the best and it's not close.
cyko: It was already a great song and then it showed up in Guitar Hero III and it somehow became even better. (Side note - I played in a Guitar Hero tournament and got a perfect score on this song to push me to 5th place out of over 500 entrants...)
4. Only in Dreams (Track #10)
Score: 94 (Average Rank: 4.93/10)
Biggest Fan(s): LiquidOshawott (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Snake5555555555, Raetsel_Lapin, MrSmartGuy, Mega Mana (#8)
ZaziGuado: Love that bass line that forms the backbone of this entire track. The verses and chorus are strong, but it's the end the propels this song to "best in discography" category. The final three minutes are so perfectly and memorably executed.
Johnbobb: I was about to write it off as a bland Weezer-type Weezer song until that back half saved it
cyko: A very sweet song, but it was mine and my ex's "song". So, while the song is objectively great, the memories attached to it aren't so much.
3. Buddy Holly (Track #4)
Score: 106 (Average Rank: 4.43/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Jesse_Custer (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): colliding, LiquidOshawott (#10)
ZaziGuado: This might be the best solo in the entire Weezer discography. That ending lick makes me want to run through a wall.
Johnbobb: ooooooh allajada Buddy Hollly oh oh and a Mary Tyler Moore I don't care whaddasabuddaadda I DON'T CARE BOUT DAT
cyko: A Classic video for a great song.
2. Undone - The Sweater Song (Track #5)
Score: 107 (Average Rank: 4.29/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Snake5555555555, ZaziGuado (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): cyko (#10)
ZaziGuado: I think I read Rivers got inspiration for Undone from a college professor saying you can unravel an entire sweater by pulling on a single thread of string. This track has always been a bit nonsensical to me, but I absolutely love it. It's such a perfectly singable song in both the verses and chorus and that "whoa-oh-oh" as well as "LYING ON THE FLOOR" gives me life. I wish the ending piano pounding wasn't there, but I obviously don't knock it too much for it.
Johnbobb: yeah every Weezer song sounds the same but this sounds like a better version of those
cyko: I never really cared for the Sweater Song. It was too slow for me, but not sweet like Only In Dreams. It doesn't help that it got massively overplayed on the radio and is still overplayed on commercial alternative radio. Pass.
1. Say It Ain't So (Track #7)
Score: 140 (Average Rank: 2.93/10)
Biggest Fan(s): RyoCaliente, CasanovaZelos, MoogleKupo141, Mega Mana, Seanchan (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb, LiquidOshawott (#6)
ZaziGuado: Gosh I always go back and forth on my favorite song from this album. It could sometimes be up to any of these top four. Say It Ain't So is consistently top three, though. That bombastic chorus and the sick solo are aces.
Johnbobb: this song would be good if I didn't groan every time I heard it
cyko: I got kind of burned out on this song until it showed up in Rock Band. Then I loved it all over again. (Also The first song I got a perfect on in Rock Band on Expert Drums!)
Nirvana - Nevermind
First, the general data. Here are the participants listed by deviation from the final results:
ZaziGuado (16)
Jesse_Custer (22)
MarkS222222222222222 (24)
LiquidOshawott (26)
GameStonk (28)
SpikeSetsFire (28)
RyoCaliente (28)
ZeroSignal620 (28)
MoogleKupo141 (30)
Snake5555555555 (32)
CasanovaZelos (38)
Seanchan (50)
Johnbobb (52)
Raetsel_Lapin (54)
General Album Comments:
CasanovaZelos: Nevermind is my #18 album of all time and #2 of 1991 (Primal Scream's Screamadelica is #17). An end to end masterpiece, this completely changed the music industry for good reason. The singles are striking for sure, but the true strength of Nevermind is in the less discussed tracks. The big hits are a bit on the slow side, yet songs like Territorial Pissings and Stay Away pulse with an explosive energy. I can think of few albums this frenetic, and the slower tracks serve as perfect comedowns. Not a weak moment - I think any of these could have been hits in the right circles. Heck, I have Polly in the second to last spot, and I love that song! It's easy to look back at the grunge era as the broody equivalent of the late-70s punk movement, but Nevermind as a whole is among the most intensely emotional albums ever recorded.
ZaziGuado: I think I missed the window to truly appreciate this album. The top 3 songs are all pretty great, but nothing else sticks with me. There's a definite feel of teenage rebellion throughout this album and I'm just not able to tap into that being far removed from my teenage years. Sure maybe the songs would grow on me, but I don't have much interest in letting them.
GameStonk: The front half of this album is just preposterously good. Can you imagine discovering this as a moody 15 year old in the 90s?
LiquidOshawott: I think when I was in high school this was one of my favorite albums. Now? It’s still one of my favorites, and I have a newfound appreciation to some songs. I think even the lower songs are really good here
Seanchan: I don't think I've listened to Nevermind in at least a decade. I lost track of the number of times I thought "Oh yeah, THAT song!". Basically every track on the album (aside from, with good reason, Endless, Nameless) has gotten major radio play over the last nearly 30 years. A true classic.
Johnbobb: This album used to be among my favorites. I still love it a lot, even if it's dropped some spots over the years (as has Nirvana). Grunge is perhaps my favorite subgenre of music, with Pearl Jam and Soundgarden being in probably my top 10 bands, while Nirvana, STP, and Alice in Chains are all also excellent. I've listened through Nevermind at least 50 times by now, and while it's not as shocking in its style as it once was, it's still something unique. On a side note, in college, I did a presentation on the history and influence of grunge music, and one of the things I discussed was how you can hear grunge's various roots a lot in the different bands that made up the grunge movement. Nirvana drew largely from punk, Pearl Jam from classic rock, and Alice in Chains from metal.
Nevermind Track Ranking
13. Endless, Nameless (Hidden Track)
Score: 43 (Average Rank: 11.29/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): CasanovaZelos, ZaziGuado, GameStonk, SpikeSetsFire, RyoCaliente, Snake5555555555, LiquidOshawott, ZeroSignal620, Seanchan, MoogleKupo141 (#13)
ZaziGuado: Oh gosh I did not enjoy this.
Johnbobb: this is the shit I really got into Nirvana for
11 (tie). Stay Away (Track #10)
Score: 72 (Average Rank: 9/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb, MarkS222222222222222 (#13)
ZaziGuado: This seems like a song of rebellion, but I didn't pay attention to the lyrics close enough to know for sure. But it felt like something a teenage boy would blast in his room and yell at his mom when she told him to turn it down.
11 (tie). Territorial Pissings (Track #7)
Score: 72 (Average Rank: 9/13)
Biggest Fan(s): CasanovaZelos, Johnbobb (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): GameStonk, Raetsel_Lapin, RyoCaliente, LiquidOshawott, ZeroSignal620 (#12)
ZaziGuado: It's short and fast and he's just trying to get it all out and I can appreciate that at times.
Johnbobb: that opening makes me laugh every time, but this song stands out because it's arguably the most punk of the album
10. Something in the Way (Track #12)
Score: 76 (Average Rank: 8.57/13)
Biggest Fan(s): GameStonk, Raetsel_Lapin (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): ZaziGuado, MoogleKupo141 (#12)
ZaziGuado: This is boring. Unless it picks up towards the end. If that's the case, I'll delete this. It didn't, so I'm keeping it.
9. Breed (Track #4)
Score: 85 (Average Rank: 8.36/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Jesse_Custer, Raetsel_Lapin (#13)
ZaziGuado: The fast driving guitars are fairly appealing, but I don't know what else to say about it.
8. On a Plain (Track #11)
Score: 86 (Average Rank: 7.93/13)
Biggest Fan(s): MoogleKupo141 (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb (#12)
ZaziGuado: I don't hate it, but I don't find it all that inspiring.
7. Lounge Act (Track #9)
Score: 95 (Average Rank: 7.5/13)
Biggest Fan(s): LiquidOshawott, ZeroSignal620, Seanchan, MarkS222222222222222 (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): CasanovaZelos, GameStonk, RyoCaliente, Snake5555555555 (#11)
ZaziGuado: Yeah okay sure this is fine. I like the back half better than the front half.
6. Polly (Track #6)
Score: 100 (Average Rank: 7.29/13)
Biggest Fan(s): RyoCaliente (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): CasanovaZelos, SpikeSetsFire, Seanchan (#12)
ZaziGuado: It's fine. I like the more acoustically-inclined guitar riffs.
Johnbobb: It's weird, but I think about this song more than any other on the album
5. Drain You (Track #8)
Score: 131 (Average Rank: 5.21/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Snake5555555555 (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#11)
ZaziGuado: The build up in the middles was well-done I think.
4. In Bloom (Track #2)
Score: 145 (Average Rank: 4.64/13)
Biggest Fan(s): GameStonk, SpikeSetsFire (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): CasanovaZelos, Raetsel_Lapin (#10)
ZaziGuado: This didn't do much for me and I remember nothing about it now that it has finished. I gave it a second listen and it's better than I initially gave it credit for but still not too memorable. It's hard to follow Smells Like Teen Spirit
3. Come As You Are (Track #3)
Score: 150 (Average Rank: 4.43/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Jesse_Custer, Raetsel_Lapin, ZeroSignal620 (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb (#9)
ZaziGuado: I really enjoy the melody and carries the song well. The chorus is a little boring for me, however.
2. Smells Like Teen Spirit (Track #1)
Score: 156 (Average Rank: 3.93/13)
Biggest Fan(s): ZaziGuado, MarkS222222222222222 (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Snake5555555555 (#9)
ZaziGuado: The lyrics are unintelligle to the point where Weird Al made it the focal point of his spoof. In a way though, that only adds to the charm of Smells Like Teen Spirit. The guitar riff is timeless and the chorus is cathartic.
1. Lithium (Track #5)
Score: 161 (Average Rank: 3.86/13)
Biggest Fan(s): CasanovaZelos, LiquidOshawott, MoogleKupo141 (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb (#10)
ZaziGuado: The verses are good enough, but he just says yeah for the chorus and somehow it works very well. Weird, man. The instrumentation is strong throughout.
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
First, the general data. Here are the participants listed by deviation from the final results:
CasanovaZelos (6)
MoogleKupo141 (10)
LiquidOshawott (12)
SpikeSetsFire (16)
Jesse_Custer (20)
Snake5555555555 (20)
Seanchan (20)
ZaziGuado (28)
Raetsel_Lapin (28)
Johnbobb (30)
General album comments:
CasanovaZelos: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is my #662 favorite album of all time and #9 of 2009. While this is Phoenix's strongest album, they've always worked better for me as a singles artist; the two lead songs here are among the best of the 2000s. Phoenix are great at the pop rock sound, and 1901 feels like one of the few true rock hits after the early 2000s seemed to signal the death of rock as a mainstream entity (not that rock is dead as much as it became niche). Nonetheless, the album becomes a blur to me after listening; the sound is pleasant as a whole, but not enough distinguishes these songs from each other.
Jesse_Custer: This was a pretty good album, but I prefer It’s Never Been Like That.
ZaziGuado: I went in thinking 1901 would be number one, but Listzomania is more fun. I've just heard it less than 1901. Love Like a Sunset would maybe be my top song if the two parts were combined, but separated there's just enough weakness in both two drop them below the two headliner songs on the album. After that there is a noticeable (in my opinion) dip in quality from the album with Lasso holding it's own, Armistice being decent, and the rest being fairly skippable.
Raetsel_Lapin: A consistently above average album with nothing I dislike, but also not a lot of high points. It's just always "good".
Snake5555555555: Lisztomania and 1901 are two of the best written songs of the 21st century. Then, Phoenix spends the rest of the album trying to remake those same two songs to mostly diminishing success, except in Love Like a Sunset, Pt.1 which sees some nice use of experimentation and the one deployment of a new idea on the album. Girlfriend was alright too I suppose. I didn't hate any of these songs, just found most of them forgettable and kind of highlights that the two best songs from this album just feel like flukes.
ChainLTTP (responding to Snake): Yeah this is a weird album for so many to nominate actually. The two songs you mentioned are iconic late 2000s/early 2010s mainstays that really encapsulate the musical direction of that era, but the album I don't think is particularly important. Maybe I'm wrong though.
CasanovaZelos (responding to ChainLTTP): I think it's generally considered one of the best albums of 2009! 2009 just happens to be a notably weak year for music…
Seanchan: It's hard to argue that after the first 2 awesome songs that the rest of this album is just...pleasant...with no real great standouts.
Johnbobb: I'm submitting this at 3am five hours before it's due because after listening through this once, I've been kinda dreading trying to figure out how to rank this. The majority of the songs on the album sound the same, particularly in the back half, with the only real exceptions being the two big singles and the LLaSs (which I don't understand them splitting into 2 parts at all, kind of a bad call on Phoenix's part imo)
MoogleKupo141: I really like the songs on this album but also it all sounds kind of samey when listened to all at once.
Really hard to order the top three for me, it definitely could change day to day
then an easy choice for fourth, but it’s a strong fourth
then 5/6/7 are another sort of close tier
countdown is alright
the last two are ok too but they’re two half’s of one song and even as a full song it would rank low
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix Track Ranking
10. Love Like a Sunset, Pt. 1 (Track #4)
Score: 36 (Average Rank: 7.6/10)
Biggest Fan(s): ZaziGuado, Snake5555555555 (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Jesse_Custer, SpikeSetsFire, MoogleKupo141, LiquidOshawott (#10)
9. Love Like a Sunset, Pt. 2 (Track #5)
Score: 37 (Average Rank: 7.4/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): CasanovaZelos, Seanchan (#10)
8. Countdown (Track #8)
Score: 46 (Average Rank: 6.6/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): ZaziGuado, Snake55555555 (#10)
7. Armistice (Track #10)
Score: 47 (Average Rank: 6.4/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Snake555555555, Johnbobb (#9)
6. Fences (Track #3)
Score: 48 (Average Rank: 6.4/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Jesse_Custer, SpikeSetsFire (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#10)
5. Rome (Track #7)
Score: 53 (Average Rank: 5.9/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Jesse_Custer (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Snake555555555, Johnbobb (#8)
4. Girlfriend (Track #9)
Score: 56 (Average Rank: 5.8/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb (#10)
3. Lasso (Track #6)
Score: 69 (Average Rank: 4.8/10)
Biggest Fan(s): MoogleKupo141 (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Jesse_Custer, SpikeSetsFire (#8)
2. Lisztomania (Track #1)
Score: 108 (Average Rank: 2.4/10)
Biggest Fan(s): ZaziGuado, SpikeSetsFire, Snake5555555555, Seanchan (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#6)
1. 1901 (Track #2)
Score: 120 (Average Rank: 1.7/10)
Biggest Fan(s): CasanovaZelos, Jesse_Custer, Johnbobb, LiquidOshawott (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): MoogleKupo141 (#3)
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Participants sorted by their deviation from the final results:
TheArkOfTurus (12)
Giggsalot (12)
ZaziGuado (14)
mcflubbin (18)
CasanovaZelos (20)
Jesse_Custer (20)
Seanchan (20)
KommunistKoala (20)
MoogleKupo141 (22)
Menji (24)
Seginustemple (24)
kateee (24)
Blur (26)
Johnbobb (26)
VeryInsane (30)
ChainLTTP (34)
Raetsel_Lapin (38)
General album comments:
CasanovaZelos: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is my favorite album of 2010 and #24 of all time – though unlike a lot of my all-time favorites, I feel there are several questionable moments on this album. The best tracks just happen to be enough to make up for those weaker moments. Additionally, there’s a very strong theme that makes this album more than the sum of its parts – this is Kanye West’s ode to himself, and that narcissistic excess gives purpose to every inch of the album.
Seanchan: I'm not much of a rap fan but this is still a really great album. I remember downloading this super cheap on an Amazon sale some time after it won the Grammy but being very skeptical. Then you get to that Power/All of the Lights/Monster section and it's like "whoa". I feel like I've said this a few times already with our Rankings but this is another deserved classic.
ChainLTTP: Best rap album ever made so this is very difficult. The top 8-9 are all-timers.
ZaziGuado: This is the first, and probably only, rap album I've ever come to love. Rap/Hip hop is a genre I don't normally engage with but Board 8 was aflutter when the album came out 10 years ago, so I partook in listens of it and really found myself drawn to it. I probably wouldn't have given it too much play without Board 8, so it has this neat association with the board that I enjoy. The opening is balls to the wall amazing, and while it, for me personally, stumbles a bit in the middle, it recovers with grace.
Johnbobb: I've never actually listened the full way through a Kanye album before, and I'm actually surprised by just how much I enjoyed it. There's a lot you could say about Kanye, but you can't deny his production value. Purely instrumentally, the album is fantastic, with most songs sounding drastically different from each other beyond just having a different beat. Lyrically, it's hit-or-miss, but I enjoyed most of it
kateee: definitely not as high on this album as most people and my feelings on it have not changed much throughout 10 years. Jay-Z's Monster verse is still meh but even with that, Nicki's verse makes up for it to make it the best track. Dark Fantasy should have just ended like 40 seconds earlier. Chris Rock skit is still the worst part of the entire album. weak finish after an amazing start.
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Track Ranking
11. So Appalled (Track #7)
Score: 47 (Average Rank: 9.24/11)
Biggest Fan(s): kateee (#6)
Biggest Detractor(s): CasanovaZelos, mcflubbin, Menji, ZaziGuado (#11)
CasanovaZelos: This song has never clicked with me. There’s a unique, almost apocalyptic intensity to the production, but the repetition in the lyrics are almost headache inducing. Might be my least favorite track across my top 25 albums. At the same time, I can respect that it’s in a style that others like.
Giggsalot: i mean it's cool, but coming after monster it just kind of seems like a lesser version of the same idea. should've been ditched for christian dior denim flow. still, getting rza in just to bellow FUCKIN RIDIKILISS once is awesome
ZaziGuado: I appreciate this song for inspiring fun ways to say something is "fucking ridiculous" that I've carried for ten years now. The verses are whatever for me. It's fairly similar thematically to Monster while being longer and not as enjoyable minus the FUCKEN RIDIKILIS parts.
Blur: I had this ranked lower before a relisten, and I forgot just how much I enjoy the melancholia-tinged production. The beat is too good to not show this some appreciation. Other than that, here's a random and very dumb fact: I had a friend at work named Paul who, before he quit, I would always sing variants of the "I'm so appalled" line to, like "you're so a Paul." I don't know why I did this. He didn't even know the song.
Seginustemple: The beat is alright but damn for six-and-a-half minutes with standard braggadocio verses? Life can be sometimes ridiculous. It's not bad, it's below par for this album.
10. Hell of a Life (Track #10)
Score: 64 (Average Rank: 8.29/11)
Biggest Fan(s): ChainLTTP (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): VeryInsane, Seanchan, Giggsalot (#11)
CasanovaZelos: Like “Gorgeous,” this is a pretty great track that gets overshadowed by everything which surrounds it. This has the dubious task of following up “Runaway” while also being a complete thematic reversal. After a few minutes of self-reflection, Kanye is back on his bullshit – a perfect summation of his public life. The production here is absolutely top-notch.
Giggsalot: a bit stale compared to the rest here, could've been cut and i wouldn't miss it
ZaziGuado: It's fine, but it has the really difficult task of following Runaway. It seems disconnected from the album because of it. The distortion is a little distracting. I appreciate the sampling, however. Nothing else really stands out to me besides the "fuck with the lights on" moment. I don't hate it. It just falls a little flat for me.
Blur: Virtually tied with Devil near the bottom. Lyrically it's kinda eh but the chorus is perhaps getting too much hate. Yeah I don't care for the Iron Man sample, but the little section after the titular line is delivered is top notch.
Seginustemple: I think the album needs this after Runaway, the transition to a more aggressive sound after that moment of introspection gives the album of a lot of character. Like it doesn't want to reveal sensitivity for too long before putting up the wall of testosterone again. But it's kind of simple and after the four minute mark it's just spinning its wheels.
9. Blame Game (Track #11)
Score: 74 (Average Rank: 7.88/11)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin, Blur (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): TheArkOfTurus, Johnbobb, kateee (#11)
CasanovaZelos: I combined a few tracks for this week – if only I could break this one into two. The first half of “Blame Game” is among Kanye’s most emotionally devastating pieces. The Aphex Twin sample is beautiful. If “Runaway” is a narcissistic acknowledgment to outsiders, “Blame Game” explores how it harms his personal life. The transition to the back half is outstanding – and then we get to the back half. Two and a half minutes of Chris Rock having a comedy bit. The surreal part is it almost works. But I’ve never understood skits on hip hop albums, and this one is embedded into a track. Unlike so many others, this skit is actually funny, but I can’t help but feel that it detracts from the overall experience.
Giggsalot: slightly gratuitous sample, exceptionally gratuitous skit, still excellent
ZaziGuado: Blame Game is a really good follow-up to Hell Of A Life. I think the verses are very well done and the second verse where lyrics are coming from all sides of the headphones, especially after the first verse was so short and simple and ended in a cry for help, is fantastic. The skit at the end is legitimately hilarious and gave me new appeciation for upholstery. I'MMA SHOOT A BOOTLEGGA!
Blur: Emotionally hits me as much as anything else here. Perhaps drags on too much, but I enjoy when Kanye gets excessive and let's a track breathe for longer than it has any right to. That and my affinity for emotional Kanye are why my top 2 are what they are! The Chris Rock bit was a constant reference in my group of friends back in the day.
Seginustemple: I like the idea of the the heavy effects on the second verse (as if there were three voices) but for some reason it just doesn't work here. I find it more distracting than anything. I love the idea of sampling Aphex Twin but that ends up just sounding...okay? And then it tacks an extra three minutes with this Chris Rock re-upholstered pussy skit and again on paper I should be into this but it doesn't work for me.
8. Devil in a New Dress (Track #8)
Score: 87 (Average Rank: 7.24/11)
Biggest Fan(s): Seginustemple (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Jesse_Custer (#11)
CasanovaZelos: This track took the longest to grow on me; it stands in massive contrast to the other tracks on a production level, feeling like it belongs to one of his earlier albums. But this is not a bad thing; it’s a breather between massive ideas, and that’s sometimes necessary. Also, I just love the fact Kanye dares to let the music talk sometimes; that guitar solo is such a great moment. While it may not define MBDTF’s sound as a whole, it’s one of West’s better tracks on its own.
Giggsalot: yeah ross is great here and the solo is a cool touch but i never bought the furore over the beat overall, it's just okay really
ZaziGuado: This track really doesn't click with me. I don't really enjoy whatever it is sampling. Some of the lyrics are fun. I enjoy "hard to be humble when you strutin' on a jumbotron" for instance. The mid-song breakdown and guitar solo is also a fun touch, but it makes me lower my guard before Rick Ross comes in which is always a little jarring but he does a pretty good job. The quick cutoff leading into the first note of Runaway is really neat.
Blur: The beat sounds like something ripped from The College Dropout, so that's a plus. A chill lead in to Runaway, but this is the beginning of my lowest tier rankings here.
Seginustemple: Yeah it's the slick beat that does it for me, and yeah it's just this Alicia Keys song straight up (Speechless) with a little bit of Smokey Robinson's voice in there to punch it up. It still sounds fresh to me! The Rick Ross verse is fun but really I just love the texture of the instrumental a whole bunch.
7. Lost in the World/Who Will Survive in America (Track #12/13)
Score: 94 (Average Rank: 6.47/11)
Biggest Fan(s): VeryInsane, Blur (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): KommunistKoala (#11)
CasanovaZelos: The opening is so pretty, and then the drums come in and give the most propulsive beat on the album. This is a rare closing track that actually feels like an ending – this is a positive anthem of trying to do better after the nightmare of everything leading into it. And then we get to the Gil Scott-Heron outro – can Kanye survive? A perfect ending.
Giggsalot: absolutely perfect closer, anyone saying the GSH narrative at the end doesn't elevate this to a whole other level is tripping
ZaziGuado: Man this track slaps. Bon Iver lulls you into complacency and then the track explodes. A really catchy ending to the album and I love the RUN FROM THE LIGHT RUN FROM THE NIGHT portion. The Who Will Survive In America part doesn't really do anything for me since I'm wholly unfamiliar with the author, but it feels well done and resonant.
Blur: Simple but stellar closer that was likely my favorite track the first month or so the album was out. A friend made me a mixtape with Bon Iver's "Woods" in it that prior December and maybe that's why I liked this so much. Definitely remember how jarring it was hearing Bon Iver on the first listen, and when the lyrics transition to "I'm lost in the world" I get chills. Doesn't hold up as top tier all these years later, but it's close.
Seginustemple: This one took a while to grow on me but it's a solid, layered song. There's the element of party anthem but with the weird vocal layering and fantastic percussion/chant ending it's almost too artsy/progressive to be a proper party tune. And then the album closes on a political speech over organ and congas? I kinda love that
6. Dark Fantasy (Track #1)
Score: 104 (Average Rank: 6/11)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin, VeryInsane (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): MoogleKupo141 (#11)
CasanovaZelos: Kicking the album off with a weird spoken piece by Nicki Minaj feels perfect. I remember hearing this track for the first time and feeling like Kanye was pushing his sound to a new level – the fact this will rank in my lower half is a testament to the greatness of the album as a whole. The contrast between the heavier hip hop production with bursts of gospel choir feels like a mission statement for the rest of the album. The séance section carries so much energy.
Giggsalot: perfect and iconic opener but actually not that much of a "song" when you step back a bit
ZaziGuado: I love this as an opener. The choir is fantastic and really sets the stage for the bombastic nature of the album to come. Also might be my favorite overall on the album as it relates to the verses in the non-POWER division.
Blur: Agreed that it's strangely perfect to open this rap opera with some Nicki Minaj spoken word. Gotta shoutout "Too many Urkels on your team, that's why you're Winslow" - that line still makes me laugh on the umpteenth listen.
Seginustemple: An appropriate opener for sure but most of its charms have worn off. The layered vocals in the "can we get much higher?" section are still fire.
5. Monster (Track #6)
Score: 132 (Average Rank: 5.35/11)
Biggest Fan(s): CasanovaZelos, Seanchan, kateee (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin, Blur, Seginustemple (#11)
CasanovaZelos: Kanye strips the production back on my personal favorite from the album. Perhaps Kanye’s lyrics are a bit weaker than the previous tracks; Jay-Z might give one of the weakest verses of his career. None of this matters when Nicki Minaj steps up and delivers one of the all-time best moments in rap. On this track, Nicki Minaj promised to become one of the greatest rappers alive – the fact she immediately turned to pop is one of the biggest tragedies of the 2010s. Whatever the case, the raw energy of this track makes it a song I’m always happy to hear. An absolute banger.
Giggsalot: i mean jay z sucks here and the joys of this are all a tiny bit played out but come on, what a song
ZaziGuado: This track has never really stuck with me as much as it seems to others. Kanye does drop some pretty fun lines though, most notably the pharoah part. Nicki Minaj does a good job too. But I don't really find myself really vibing with any of it, and the end feels kind of limp. Still, it's an easily listenable track and I normally don't skip it if I'm listening to the album.
Blur: Still a bop but often found myself skipping this track on full listens. On a record of absurdly grandiose production, the simplistic drum beat maybe just makes me want a little more, I think. This was my last before a relisten and it stays that way. Always felt like it could be removed from MBDTF and the record would still feel complete. But despite that and the bad Jay verse, I can still appreciate it for the club banger it is.
Seginustemple: Another one that goes on too long and I still find both Jay-Z and Nicki Minaj obnoxious on it. She has the better verse by far but the silly voice stuff just grates on me, it reminds me of when Eminem tanks a song by leaning too far into his nasal mocking tone. I know most people love this verse though so it's just me being crazy
4. Gorgeous (Track #2)
Score: 133 (Average Rank: 5.18/11)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin, ChainLTTP, Johnbobb (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): CasanovaZelos, Jesse_Custer, Menji (#10)
CasanovaZelos: I love the production, but this is a strong track that gets lost among greats. It features some of West’s best one-liners, from attacking the South Park writers to pondering the meaning of a Black Beatle. Absolutely one of West’s angriest songs, and would have been a standout on any of his previous albums.
Giggsalot: probably the best pure rap song here, would be a highlight on almost any other album. the way the beat dips out for raekwon's verse is a great touch
ZaziGuado: Around the time MBDTF came out, I was getting big into Audiosurf Ninja Mono has a means to relax. This track got the most runs. It's so smooth and the Audiosurf track it produced just grooved with a perfect flow. Really dig the variations of the melody during Raekwon's verse. This is the shortest 6 minute song I've ever listened to. The entire track is feels tight and precise.
Blur: Damn it makes me happy to see this getting love - always felt like it was one of the least talked about tracks on the whole album. Cudi provides a smooth ass chorus and Ye kills it on the verses. This has always been a personal favorite and I originally had it at 3 before I came to my senses.
Seginustemple: More cool production ideas - the old radio/over-the-telephone effect on the verses works for me but what I really love is how the entire mix opens up after the last verse, at the end it sounds much bigger and if you scrub back to the start you can hear how thin and compressed it was when it began. The whole song has this gradual dynamic like you're slowly entering the room it's actually playing in, it's really cool
3. All of the Lights (Interlude)/All of the Lights (Track #4/5)
Score: 150 (Average Rank: 4.06/11)
Biggest Fan(s): mcflubbin, Menji (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): ChainLTTP (#11)
CasanovaZelos: The interlude serves as a nice transition from the energy of the previous tracks; would the main song hit as hard if we jumped straight into it from “Power”? “All of the Lights” is Kanye at his most excessive as a producer, the type of songs with too many features artists to list them all out. Kanye has always been a stronger producer than lyricist, and this is him absolutely flexing his abilities. This should be a mess (and parts of it might be), and the fact this is somehow one of the best tracks on the album proves his strength. In addition to the massive number of vocalists, the song goes through several minor movements that keep things moving. It takes a lot to take so many disparate parts and make it work.
Giggsalot: OUR ***** DEAD! perfect pop song, and the intro strings are gorgeous
ZaziGuado: This was my favorite track back when the album came out. It still ranks high, but I've grown a greater appreciation for others over time. I really enjoy the interlude. It's a good setup for the adrenaline to come. ALL OF THE LIGHTS. The chorus seems chaotic to me, but not in a bad way. It's a fun ride. I really dislike Fergie's part, though, which is a big of a drag. I love how he just inserts Alicia Keys and Elton John at the end. We're just doing that. Okay neat.
Blur: Undeniable classic that is only the second greatest Kanye song with "Lights" in the title. Not sorry. Some of the best production on the whole record and probably the catchiest song here.
Seginustemple: Super hooky and bombastic, crazy drums in the chorus. Just a hype high energy song and Elton John blows that shit up by the end.
2. Power (Track #3)
Score: 170 (Average Rank: 3.24/11)
Biggest Fan(s): Jesse_Custer, ZaziGuado (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): ChainLTTP, Blur (#6)
CasanovaZelos: Now this is where the album really becomes a masterpiece. The production here is legendary; that King Crimson sample grinding everything to a halt is so powerful. He refers to the screams of his haters as his theme music, but this track could very well qualify as his actual theme; the combative lyrics, the propulsive production, the self-destruction at the end. “Abomination of Obama’s nation” is such a mad line.
Giggsalot: straight up classic in every way, this beat is absolutely bananas
ZaziGuado: This song is fucking monolithic, which is impressive considering the album it is on. That beat will stand the test of time in stadiums and team introductions and any hype up music. The verses are incredibly fun to sing along to. I don't know anything about what it is sampling, so I don't know how much of it is an "original" beat, but it's become an iconic one now.
Blur: Always thought of this as perfect mid-tier for the record, which says a lot about how good this album is. What more is there to say except what a great, weird ass bridge to make this song the full package.
Seginustemple: Again the drums sound great, the dirty kick and the hit-hat really punch through. One of my favorite ridiculous Kanye lines is just "Colin Powell, Austin Powers" because he delivers it like it means something important. It's like he is able to totally buy into an operatic mode of expression no matter what he is saying and I think that's often what's so great about his music.
1. Runaway (Track #9)
Score: 186 (Average Rank: 3.06/11)
Biggest Fan(s): VeryInsane, TheArkOfTurus, KommunistKoala, Giggsalot, Blur, MoogleKupo141 (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin, mcflubbin, kateee (#8)
CasanovaZelos: According to critics, this just might be the greatest song of Kanye’s career. Excessive in a way completely distinct from “All of the Lights”; where the earlier track shoved as much as it could into a traditional track length, “Runaway” is a sprawling epic that largely keeps to the same idea through its nine minutes. This is Kanye at his most reflective; that chorus is excellent. This is another track where Kanye knows to let the music talk, this time almost literally. Taking a full minute to build into the vocals and starting with a single piano note is daring; ending it with three minutes of imperceptible auto-tuned mumbling is breaking all known rules of music – and he somehow makes it work!
Giggsalot: one of the definitive songs of the decade, time will view this as an absolute unimpeachable kanye peak
ZaziGuado: I enjoy the build in this song, and surprisingly don't hate the vocaloid ending. The violins backing it and the borderline unintelligible but oddly meaningful/powerful singing just works. I also really appreciate Kanye's continuation after Pusha T's verse. It's a fun subversion from what I would normally expect. The anthemic nature also lends itself to singing along. A very surprising but wonderful track that I kind of wish wasn't followed by anything other than Lost In The World.
Blur: Giggs had it right - a masterpiece and one of Kanye's all-time finest. Even the music video is a classic. The first time I indulged this record was in video form, in that little movie version of the album Kanye released for free. When it got to Runaway, that's when I knew MBDTF was special. Simultaneously anthemic and personal, an impressive achievement.
Seginustemple: The jewel of the record, the album would be missing its heart without this oddly sentimental moment of self-reflection. On its own it can get redundant, the progression is a bit Pachelbel's canon in that way. In the context of the album it's a welcome slice of vulnerability. Love the little production choices like the stereo effect on the "who got ya" sample or how the detuned piano sample is affected once the beat comes in.
Mastodon - Crack the Skye
Mastodon - Crack the Skye results
Participants sorted by their deviation from the final results:
Steiner (4)
kateee (4)
ZaziGuado (8)
Seginustemple (8)
Johnbobb (8)
illuminatusbubu (8)
Giggsalot (10)
SpikeSetsFire (12)
Seanchan (12)
CasanovaZelos (14)
Raetsel_Lapin (14)
Snake5555555555 (16)
TheArkOfTurus (18)
MarkS222222222222222 (20)
VeryInsane (22)
General Album Comments:
CasanovaZelos: I feel that this is an album that works better as a whole. Progressive metal combines two genres I'm rather oblivious to, and I'm going to have difficulty differentiating between these tracks in a day or two. Still, the overall sound is outstanding.
Snake5555555555: Every song on this album is a literal masterpiece and I come out with a new favorite each time. Demands to be listened to as a whole piece, as the intricacies of each riff and storytelling lyrics unfolds before you.
ZaziGuado: I legitimately enjoyed Oblivion. The first four tracks all had something for me to enjoy I felt. It was probably just fatigue, but it felt like the front half of this album was a lot more interesting than the back half. My experience with prog rock is very minimal, so maybe you have to be attuned to it to really be able to appreciate an entire album. Assuming this was a concept album, I could not follow it. All the lyrics were muffled by the massive guitars. Again, I'll chalk that up to lack of experience and familiarity with the genre. I didn't hate this album, but by the end I was ready for it to be over.
Seanchan (replying to ZaziGuado): Yeah, this is echoing a lot of my thoughts after a 2nd listen. Fatigued is EXACTLY what I felt after about 30 minutes. I'm just not getting enough memorable parts to differentiate the tracks and so my mind starts to wander by track 5 or 6. I want to do another listen with the lyrics up so I can try to track whatever story is being told. I totally agree that I had a very hard time picking up the vocals as I was listening on my evening walk.
Giggsalot: The rare sort of album that completely transcends its sound and becomes a must-listen even for people who don't care about the scene or style from which it emerged. It's not something I reach for often, but a worthy addition to the modern metal and prog canons.
Crack the Skye Track Ranking
7. Ghost of Karelia (Track #5)
Score: 43 (Average Rank: 5.27/7)
Biggest Fan(s): VeryInsane (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): ZaziGuado, kateee (#7)
Giggsalot: Maintains the cool mystical atmosphere of The Czar and begins to hint at the sludgy heaviness to come in the title track. Immaculately sequenced. Not the strongest song overall, but the crunchy heavy parts here rip more than I remembered.
Seginustemple: Unfortunately the variety works against me here. It has a good verse and chorus and then like three forgettable sections in the middle.
6. Crack the Skye (Track #6)
Score: 57 (Average Rank: 4.73/7)
Biggest Fan(s): VeryInsane (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Steiner, Seanchan, illuminatusbubu (#7)
Giggsalot: Oh hell yes. For a long time this was my favourite song on the album, and the added crunch here is really appreciated. Scott Kelly's volcanic bellowing gives all of the surrounding mystical silliness so much more gravitas, and the moment he first blasts through the wall is a top tier moment. The song itself might not be quite as good as I remember, but it's still essential shit
Seginustemple: I used to like this one more but I must have wore it out back when. I hit the Crack too much (bucket list note: must release a project called Passdabong - Crack the High)
5. Quintessence (Track #3)
Score: 58 (Average Rank: 4.93/7)
Biggest Fan(s): Snake5555555555, SpikeSetsFire (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): CasanovaZelos, TheArkOfTurus, VeryInsane, Raetsel_Lapin, Giggsalot, Seginustemple, Johnbobb (#7)
Giggsalot: Yeah, this doesn't do much for me. The transitions are super jarring and the major key chorus isn't good. Cool gnarly Mars Volta-esque guitar in the verses though.
Seginustemple: Sick bass tone. Not as into the songwriting here (it's just alright) but I do enjoy the end bit with the techno voice effect.
4. Divinations (Track #2)
Score: 79 (Average Rank: 3.67/7)
Biggest Fan(s): CasanovaZelos, MarkS222222222222222 (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): SpikeSetsFire (#7)
Giggsalot: Lots of energy and a decent tune, but lacks the atmospheric flair that allows the longer songs here to really breathe
Seginustemple: I don't remember this one being so good! The dual guitar line in the chorus has a lot of flavor. They get a lot of variety out of weird scales, modulations, and textural changes.
3. The Czar: Usurper/Escape/Martyr/Spiral (Track #4)
Score: 87 (Average Rank: 3.4/7)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): TheArkOfTurus, VeryInsane, Seanchan, MarkS222222222222222 (#6)
Giggsalot: This is where the album really breaks open for me, and the band's ambition (the best thing about the album) really becomes clear for the first time. The sneaky secret is that large parts of the song - cool atmosphere aside - actually aren't that stellar. Lovely textures though, and the "spiralling up through the crack in the sky(e)" climax section is an absolute epiphany
Seginustemple: You know you're in for some shit when it's ten minutes and starts on a low organ note. I don't think I appreciated the drummer enough in the past, all his flourishes really keep it moving and he is unusually groovy/funky for a metal drummer. The Spiral section is classic, the little spiral motif in the guitar riff takes it to the next level.
2. The Last Baron (Track #7)
Score: 98 (Average Rank: 3.13/7)
Biggest Fan(s): TheArkOfTurus, Steiner, Giggsalot, Seginustemple, illuminatusbubu (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): MarkS222222222222222 (#7)
Giggsalot: Yeah, this really has to be #1, doesn't it? As with most prog epics, it's a little bit of a mess, but it's a glorious mess, and no song on the album better brings together everything great about Crack the Skye. It almost sounds like an updated version of Sabbath's sound at their most coked out and proggy, and I am always here for that. Last five minutes in particular are spectacular.
Seginustemple: Damn, I kinda forgot about this entire track? The album ends on a huge prog power ballad that actually hits emotionally before bombastically shredding and whaling its way to the finish. It's well-balanced, it doesn't feel overstuffed with ideas and it doesn't become repetitive. How did I forget about this one?
1. Oblivion (Track #1)
Score: 103 (Average Rank: 2.87/7)
Biggest Fan(s): ZaziGuado, Raetsel_Lapin, Seanchan, kateee (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Snake5555555555 (#7)
Giggsalot: An iconic pop-metal opener in the enter sandman mould, totally encapsulates what's great about the album. Critical eye says that the only truly great thing here is the chorus, but who cares about that really
Seginustemple: Always enjoyed the southern twang in their sound. This one has the pop-level hook in the chorus and the prog move of introducing an entirely new section for a guitar solo.