Best Ever Albums

Re: CLOSED - 2018 BTT RD2 - Black Balloons vs Distortion

Jimmy Dread — Wed, 20 Mar 2019 15:56:17 GMT

Author: Jimmy Dread

Posted: 03/20/2019 19:56

Curry’s tikka-n Distortion outta the running.

Denzel 11-3

Re: CLOSED - 2018 BTT RD2 - Black Balloons vs Distortion

Jimmy Dread — Tue, 19 Mar 2019 14:34:12 GMT

Author: Jimmy Dread

Posted: 03/19/2019 18:34

24 hours' notice - poll closes tomorrow.

Re: CLOSED - 2018 BTT RD2 - Black Balloons vs Distortion

cestuneblague — Tue, 19 Mar 2019 04:54:48 GMT

Author: cestuneblague

Posted: 03/19/2019 08:54

I use RYM constantly, but yeah I was just a bit surprised it's ratings algorithm is being taken like Gospel, a bit like when Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes are also taken as so.

Re: CLOSED - 2018 BTT RD2 - Black Balloons vs Distortion

mickilennial — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 14:09:01 GMT

Author: mickilennial

Posted: 03/18/2019 18:09

travelful wrote:

I've discovered countless albums on RYM using the custom charts so I love the website. however, I do think their algorithm for the rankings could use some improvements. still, I think RYM currently offers the best consensus among album hobbyists online.

Yep.

Re: CLOSED - 2018 BTT RD2 - Black Balloons vs Distortion

travelful — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 13:18:36 GMT

Author: travelful

Posted: 03/18/2019 17:18

Skinny, I'll PM you eventually to discuss trap albums. I'm currently going year by year trying to dig as deep into this decade as I can before creating my 2010's decade chart. I'm wrapping up 2015 at the moment. Maybe after I finish all my yearly charts and create my decade chart I'll pm you for some additional recommendations I may have missed. I'll eventually create a 2000's decade chart and do a deeper year by year assessment for that decade as well, but I think I want to go to the 60's next.

Re: CLOSED - 2018 BTT RD2 - Black Balloons vs Distortion

travelful — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 13:09:11 GMT

Author: travelful

Posted: 03/18/2019 17:09

I've discovered countless albums on RYM using the custom charts so I love the website. however, I do think their algorithm for the rankings could use some improvements. still, I think RYM currently offers the best consensus among album hobbyists online.

Re: CLOSED - 2018 BTT RD2 - Black Balloons vs Distortion

Skinny — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 11:52:53 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 03/18/2019 15:52

CryingGameDahlin wrote:

Why are RYM calculations considered so important?

I've found RYM extremely handy for finding records from certain genres and/or time periods and/or parts of the world, and I guess it offers some sort of consensus from music nerds (meant lovingly) that can be good for recommendations. But yeah, I certainly don't think they're gospel, because of examples like the one in this thread. I must've heard hundreds of trap full-lengths that I prefer to Taboo or anything Travis Scott has done, and so obviously if someone wants to know what trap records to hear, hit me up.

Re: CLOSED - 2018 BTT RD2 - Black Balloons vs Distortion

cestuneblague — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 11:47:08 GMT

Author: cestuneblague

Posted: 03/18/2019 15:47

Why are RYM calculations considered so important?

Re: CLOSED - 2018 BTT RD2 - Black Balloons vs Distortion

RoundTheBend — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 01:39:22 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 03/18/2019 05:39

I'm torn.

Black Balloons was ok. And then Distortion felt like a B-side to A Crow Looked at Me. I guess I abstain as I'm not really convinced either has my vote.

Re: CLOSED - 2018 BTT RD2 - Black Balloons vs Distortion

travelful — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 17:54:47 GMT

Author: travelful

Posted: 03/17/2019 21:54

Interesting take Skinny, thanks for sharing. I guess you and I have slightly different tastes in trap, and I do enjoy more maximalist sounds in hip-hop, typically. However I think the biggest issue with most trap albums is simple... quality control. Most trap albums that I run across especially nowadays, but historically as well, are packed with filler usually for no other obvious reason expect complete disregard of quality control to earn more money from streams. I think two of the most consistent trap albums from start to finish, are ta13oo and Rodeo, with banger after banger all the way through. On top of that the songwriting is unquestionably better than most contemporaries on these albums as well. Although I enjoyed both Cardi B's and Maxo Kream's 2018 albums quite a bit, I can't say every song keeps me engaged and I usually skip most of the songs on both of those albums to hear the highlights. Same with Die Lit in 2018, and literally most of trap projects that exist. Consistency and quality control are important for me when grading albums. I have to say 21 Savage was a pleasant surprise at the end of last year, I actually found his album to be one of the years best as well.

Re: CLOSED - 2018 BTT RD2 - Black Balloons vs Distortion

Skinny — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 15:32:01 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 03/17/2019 19:32

baystateoftheart wrote:

If you include everything but singles, the top trap project on RYM that's not by Curry or Scott is Monster at #5. Chicken Talk is #6.

Thanks. Good statting.

Guess my taste in trap really doesn't align with RYM users. Monster and Chicken Talk both fire, though.

Anyway, vote to Denzel.

Re: CLOSED - 2018 BTT RD2 - Black Balloons vs Distortion

baystateoftheart — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 15:25:49 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 03/17/2019 19:25

Skinny wrote:

(also, it'd be interesting to see if the results are skewed by albums and mixtapes having different classifications; a lot of the most essential trap full-lengths are mixtapes).

If you include everything but singles, the top trap project on RYM that's not by Curry or Scott is Monster at #5. Chicken Talk is #6.

Re: CLOSED - 2018 BTT RD2 - Black Balloons vs Distortion

Skinny — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 15:15:55 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 03/17/2019 19:15

I can honestly say that there were at least 25 trap or trap-adjacent full-lengths released in 2018 - let alone all-time - that I thought were better than Taboo. Its fussy maximalism really didn't do anything for me, and lyrically Denzel's sentiments felt vague and fuzzy. It sounded like a ScHoolboy Q album with its sense of suffocating gloom, but where I think Denzel is a highly competent rapper, his rhymes don't have the elastic unpredictability of Q's. It also felt like a very conscious attempt to make a big, important, capital-A 'Album', something that would prove that he was capable of stepping outside of his comfort zone to an extent and put him in the conversation regarding big, important, capital-R 'Rappers', but I thought it fell flat in that regard, too: his experiments with new sounds were too tame, derivative and staid, and didn't feel lived-in. It's an admirable idea to make something that you hope, at the time, will be regarded as a potentially career-defining statement, but I think there were better examples of that in trap last year (21 Savage's i am > i was; Kodak Black's Dying to Live; Maxo Kream's Punken; Cardi B's Invasion of Privacy), as well as dozens of lower stakes releases that were, plainly, just more fun to listen to. It's interesting you mention Rodeo because my main issues with Taboo are the ones I have with Travis Scott: that muggy, heady, kitchen sink psychedelic trap sound feels like the genre's equivalent to the showy, bloated prog that swept through rock music in the 1970s, and despite its grand ambitions the results just ring kinda hollow to me. I honestly was unaware that it's the highest rated trap album on RYM, and probably slightly surprised by that, but in another way it makes sense because it is, essentially, BAWP-trap (also, it'd be interesting to see if the results are skewed by albums and mixtapes having different classifications; a lot of the most essential trap full-lengths are mixtapes).

tl;dr: It's not my cuppa.

Re: CLOSED - 2018 BTT RD2 - Black Balloons vs Distortion

mickilennial — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 15:14:37 GMT

Author: mickilennial

Posted: 03/17/2019 19:14

babyBlueSedan wrote:

Yeah if you're not a fan of this rambling style you still might like some of his earlier stuff. I haven't listened to as much as his catalog as I'd like but this is one of my favorites that I've heard

And of course The Glow Pt. 2 is probably Phil's most well-known album and has a bunch of gems

there is also these gems:

Link

Link

Link

i tend to like the sparse, droning, ambient style of his folk songs -- but i tend to find it works better in album context than as individual songs

Re: CLOSED - 2018 BTT RD2 - Black Balloons vs Distortion

dihansse — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 13:56:42 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 03/17/2019 17:56

Mount Eerie for me

Re: CLOSED - 2018 BTT RD2 - Black Balloons vs Distortion

Jimmy Dread — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 11:48:22 GMT

Author: Jimmy Dread

Posted: 03/17/2019 15:48

Never realised it was the same guy behind The Microphones.

And yeah, The Glow Pt.2 is OK - never been a big fan though. Maybe for another time - the kind of music that’s miles off my radar atm in all honesty.

Re: CLOSED - 2018 BTT RD2 - Black Balloons vs Distortion

babyBlueSedan — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 11:16:48 GMT

Author: babyBlueSedan

Posted: 03/17/2019 15:16

Gowi wrote:

Jimmy Dread wrote:

Already listened to Black Balloons after looking at Travelful’s 2018 chart - the album as a whole did zilch for me, but the opening couple of tracks from Ta13boo (of which this is one) were ace.

This tourney is the first time I’d listened to Mount Eerie and chances are I never will again.

one of his weakest contributions tbh, he has albums worth listening to Jim, i swear

Yeah if you're not a fan of this rambling style you still might like some of his earlier stuff. I haven't listened to as much as his catalog as I'd like but this is one of my favorites that I've heard:

Link

And of course The Glow Pt. 2 is probably Phil's most well-known album and has a bunch of gems:

Link

Re: CLOSED - 2018 BTT RD2 - Black Balloons vs Distortion

travelful — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 07:52:21 GMT

Author: travelful

Posted: 03/17/2019 11:52

I have a feeling people will start mentioning TI and Jeezy, and those names should obviously be mentioned, but keep in mind I'm not someone who thinks original legends can never be topped in quality. And trap music has only gotten better since the early - mid 2000s

Re: CLOSED - 2018 BTT RD2 - Black Balloons vs Distortion

travelful — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 07:38:18 GMT

Author: travelful

Posted: 03/17/2019 11:38

100%...why would I not be? I believe it's also the #1 ranked trap album on RYM so it's not like that's a far-fetched belief.

Re: CLOSED - 2018 BTT RD2 - Black Balloons vs Distortion

Skinny — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 06:48:25 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 03/17/2019 10:48

travelful wrote:

SKINNY (and others),,

is ta13oo the greatest trap record to date? if not, explain. I think it's my favorite, even if Rodeo was more important for the culture. (EDIT): and Flockaveli probably was too

#notsureifserious