Best Ever Albums

Re: 2018 Mid-year Album List Cull

mickilennial — Sat, 30 Jun 2018 03:14:11 GMT

Author: mickilennial

Posted: 06/30/2018 07:14

rkm wrote:

I feel like I’m at a bit of a crossroads. I’ve generally wanted to limit my lists to what I own in physical format, and to limit my entire collection so that I can reasonably revisit everything. However, the streaming age means that I can find more music that I genuinely like.

I’m contemplating not buying any physical music beyond this year, letting my lists grow longer and changing my mindset a little.

By the way, I enjoyed Caitlyn Smith and Lonker See from visiting your list earlier in the year. Cheers.

That's awesome. I don't know if people even look at my lists anymore (no ratings, qq). My list has grown a lot since then, but I still like those records quite a bit even if they are on the lower end of my chart.

Re: 2018 Mid-year Album List Cull

rkm — Sat, 30 Jun 2018 02:46:43 GMT

Author: rkm

Posted: 06/30/2018 06:46

Gowi wrote:

I'm almost at 70 and these aren't just flavor of the week things for me. I genuinely enjoy these records. I'm a bit more meticulous for some and quantifying enjoyment in stars is hard but every yearly list I have has the criteria of requiring four stars minimum to chart.

Re: 2018 Mid-year Album List Cull

mickilennial — Sat, 30 Jun 2018 01:14:10 GMT

Author: mickilennial

Posted: 06/30/2018 05:14

I'm almost at 70 and these aren't just flavor of the week things for me. I genuinely enjoy these records. I'm a bit more meticulous for some and quantifying enjoyment in stars is hard but every yearly list I have has the criteria of requiring four stars minimum to chart.

Re: 2018 Mid-year Album List Cull

Bork — Sat, 30 Jun 2018 00:18:23 GMT

Author: Bork

Posted: 06/30/2018 04:18

All I see is quality creep. The more albums you listen to, the more it requires to score high. This leads to lists being unfairly rigid and favoring old shit over anything new. I don't have the cure, just the curse. All of you are going to get old too.

EDIT: Friday night. Too much beer. Valid point, wrong post to make it on. Move along.

Re: 2018 Mid-year Album List Cull

rkm — Sat, 30 Jun 2018 00:02:41 GMT

Author: rkm

Posted: 06/30/2018 04:02

It’s June 30, and I got it down to 30.

The Questions -Kurt Elling
God’s Favorite Customer -Father John Misty
Lump -LUMP
By The Way, I Forgive You - Brandi Carlile
Part Of The Light - Ray LaMontagne
Lost Friends - Middle Kids
Come Tomorrow -Dave Matthews Band
All The Things That I Did And All The Things That I Didn’t Do -The Milk Carton Kids
Songs From The Valley - Sandra McCracken
Shelter - Olivia Chaney
Motel Bouquet - Caitlin Canty
My Design, On Others’ Lives - Estère
Dirty Computer - Janelle Monáe
The Prodigal Son - Ry Cooder
Other Arrangements - Parker Millsap
Free Yourself Up - Lake Street Dive
Plays Well With Others - Lera Lynn
Djarimirri (Child Of The Rainbow) - Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
Black Times - Seun Kuti & Egypt 80
Listening To Pictures (Pentimento Volume One) - Jon Hassell
One Eye Sees Red - Lonker See
Encores 1 - Nils Frahm
Music IS - Bill Frisell
Vanished Gardens - Charles Lloyd & The Marvels + Lucinda Williams
Awase - Nik Bärtsch's Ronin
Invisible Threads - John Surman
Currents, Constellations - The Nels Cline 4
All In My Mind - Lonnie Smith
Seymour Reads The Constitution! - Brad Mehldau Trio
Both Directions At Once - John Coltrane

Re: 2018 Mid-year Album List Cull

rkm — Fri, 22 Jun 2018 00:52:39 GMT

Author: rkm

Posted: 06/22/2018 04:52

Country-ish things:

Kept

By The Way, I Forgive You by Brandi Carlile

Other Arrangements by Parker Millsap

Motel Bouquet by Caitlin Canty

Ditched

Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves

See You Around by I'm With Her

Starfire by Caitlyn Smith

Re: 2018 Mid-year Album List Cull

rkm — Fri, 22 Jun 2018 00:39:37 GMT

Author: rkm

Posted: 06/22/2018 04:39

In this age of streaming, my yearly list has become a place to store things I want to return to, otherwise I might not think to revisit them. Over the course of the year, things will drop off because I no longer feel the need to return to them, and things will climb to the top of the list that I’ve become quite attached to, and will no doubt buy a physical version of for posterity.

Ten is probably a pretty accurate number for the things I’m really attached to in any given year, but 35 is good for covering all the things I like to return to, as well as cover all the genres of things I like.

Re: 2018 Mid-year Album List Cull

Daydreamer — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 17:44:48 GMT

Author: Daydreamer

Posted: 06/21/2018 21:44

Puncture Repair wrote:

It's pretty rare that I'll hear more than 10 albums that I really love in a year. I'll only put an album on my yearly chart that I think is worth charting. So I keep it to 10, then when it becomes too hard to exclude #11, I'll expand it out to 20 and so on.

I've only done this the last couple years or so, but it gives me peace of mind knowing I don't have to meticulously rank everything, and down the line there's usually no culling necessary.

I like this method.

Re: 2018 Mid-year Album List Cull

Decurso — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 17:25:42 GMT

Author: Decurso

Posted: 06/21/2018 21:25

I keep all my years lists to ten albums, and I don't publish them until January of the following year, so I can't say I really have this issue.

Re: 2018 Mid-year Album List Cull

dihansse — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 03:41:01 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 06/21/2018 07:41

RockyRaccoon wrote:

My list actually just recently got to 100. There's been some pretty solid music out this year.

And only 7 albums in common so there is much to choose from.

Re: 2018 Mid-year Album List Cull

RockyRaccoon — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 13:58:55 GMT

Author: RockyRaccoon

Posted: 06/20/2018 17:58

My list actually just recently got to 100. There's been some pretty solid music out this year.

Re: 2018 Mid-year Album List Cull

Lachapelle — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 12:30:07 GMT

Author: Lachapelle

Posted: 06/20/2018 16:30

I like to limit my yearly charts to albums I've purchased physically in order to keep it to manageable level.

However I've only purchased a single album from 2018 so far.. I might have to start adding albums I've streamed.

Re: 2018 Mid-year Album List Cull

paladisiac — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 10:56:24 GMT

Author: paladisiac

Posted: 06/20/2018 14:56

i started a few years ago, i think 6 years ago, to limit the number of albums that wind up on my list as there became too many for me to listen to. I go by the "bea score" i give albums. I think i limited it to a 65 score 6 years ago. Currently the min score is a 64 (which shows up in bea as a 65).

Re: 2018 Mid-year Album List Cull

Space-Dementia — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 10:09:42 GMT

Author: Space-Dementia

Posted: 06/20/2018 14:09

So far it's been really hard for me to rank the albums that I've listened to, but basically I have various levels.
My favorites so far are 7, Kids See Ghosts, Daytona, Wide Awake, and Isolation. There's a few other albums I like from this year, but I definitely won't have a definitive ranking until the end of the year, and even then it'll probably still be changing.

Re: 2018 Mid-year Album List Cull

LedZep — Tue, 19 Jun 2018 13:27:16 GMT

Author: LedZep

Posted: 06/19/2018 17:27

craola wrote:

my goal is to get to 20 for each year . realistically, i just can't listen to everything i hear in a given year 3+ times, and my mind* doesn't like charting something if it isn't drawing me back like a porch light.

Me too. Maybe I'm lazy, maybe it's just the way I listen to albums. But I can't properly rate an album if I haven't heard it 3+ or even 5+ times.

Re: 2018 Mid-year Album List Cull

craola — Tue, 19 Jun 2018 12:40:01 GMT

Author: craola

Posted: 06/19/2018 16:40

my goal is to get to 20 for each year . realistically, i just can't listen to everything i hear in a given year 3+ times, and my mind* doesn't like charting something if it isn't drawing me back like a porch light.

Re: 2018 Mid-year Album List Cull

dihansse — Tue, 19 Jun 2018 07:37:28 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 06/19/2018 11:37

I now have 58 albums in my 2018 list
Top 58 Music Albums of 2018 by dihansse
and this might be the first year I get to 100 albums. I put my limit at a score for the albums on or above 75 but there are so many real good albums this year that I even look forward to get to 100 albums.
Of course I Try to listen to each full album at least twice and as part of song playlists included at least three times so there might be some albums to diss after a second or third listen.

But this ismy top 5 for the moment and certain to end high up in my year and even decade list:
1. Freedom's Goblin by Ty Segall:fairly obvious choice for me

2. The Alligator Bride by Howlin' Rain: a recent Discovery but I can’t recommend it enough

3. Birthmarks by Teen Creeps: for those adventorous enough to try out a Belgian album

4. This Is Glue by Salad Boys

5. Hope Downs by Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever: another one of these recent discoveries which might even grow over the years

Re: 2018 Mid-year Album List Cull

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Jun 2018 03:27:59 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 06/19/2018 07:27

It's pretty rare that I'll hear more than 10 albums that I really love in a year. I'll only put an album on my yearly chart that I think is worth charting. So I keep it to 10, then when it becomes too hard to exclude #11, I'll expand it out to 20 and so on.

I've only done this the last couple years or so, but it gives me peace of mind knowing I don't have to meticulously rank everything, and down the line there's usually no culling necessary.

2018 Mid-year Album List Cull

rkm — Tue, 19 Jun 2018 01:59:17 GMT

Author: rkm

Posted: 06/19/2018 05:59

Anyone else taking stock?

My list had grown to around 50, and I want to get it down to 25 by the end of the month. This is all in service of my goal of limiting my lists to 35-40 per year, which means many good albums get ditched in favour of one’s that are either better, or I have more personal attachment to.

Anyone else doing the same? What have you ditched? What have you kept?