Best Ever Albums

Re: Round 1: Weyes Blood v. 100 Gecs

baystateoftheart — Mon, 20 Jul 2020 00:02:29 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 07/20/2020 04:02

Titanic Rising defeats 1000 Gecs 19-4 to advance to the sweet sixteen.

Re: Round 1: Weyes Blood v. 100 Gecs

baystateoftheart — Wed, 8 Jul 2020 21:25:41 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 07/09/2020 01:25

Titanic Rising is one of my favorite albums of 2019. Lush, gorgeous pop. Sounds kind of like if Father John Misty were a woman and also better at everything (vocals, lyrics, instrumentation, personality).

Just heard the 100 Gecs album, and it is certainly something. I like the more romance-oriented second half a lot more than the more swag-oriented first half. An album that blends great music and terrible music together, often in the same song, with the holistic result being rather decent in spite of the cringe. Slides into the final slot in my 2019 honorable mentions chart. The best track is the Soulja Boy-influenced xXXi_wud_nvrstøp_ÜXXx.

So yeah, Weyes Blood easily wins my vote.

Re: Round 1: Weyes Blood v. 100 Gecs

baystateoftheart — Wed, 8 Jul 2020 21:18:56 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 07/09/2020 01:18

Skinny wrote:

I just meant easy to dismiss in the sense that those genres (or, in PC Music's case, record label) feel deliberately cheesy, and nostalgic for particularly derided brands of unapologetic commercialism (and often, particularly when it comes to vaporwave, music that actually sounds like it came from TV or radio commercials). There's this great, smug, winking insincerity about the whole endeavour, but there's also loads of infectious joy and inventiveness in the way that those artists are able to take previously uncool sounds or templates and turn them into something new and modern and full of life. I like PC Music. I like vaporwave. But they're easy to dismiss in the sense that the music feels hyper-self-aware in a way that sometimes implies, to me at least, as if it is laughing at its own influences. (Also, it often tends to remind me of the worst excesses of Tiny Mix Tapes writers.)

That makes sense. Although I'd say much or even most of the music in vaporwave and bubblegum bass is multiple levels deep in post-irony. Which is to say, it has transcended winking and self-awareness.

Re: Round 1: Weyes Blood v. 100 Gecs

cestuneblague — Thu, 2 Jul 2020 02:49:37 GMT

Author: cestuneblague

Posted: 07/02/2020 06:49

Skinny wrote:

... most likely because 30 is breathing down my neck.

I feel ya, bro

Yeah... 100 gecs is not holding up on repeat listens, seems like it's content with pushing the bright red buttons without really caring if it makes any geniune, substantive statement in the process. I think there is potential bc there's def a drive to be something special here, but they're def nowhere near their ceiling.. as of yet. While i'm still not feeling the Weyes Blood record all that much in it's entirity I think it's still going to get my vote here, sans any enthusasim.

Re: Round 1: Weyes Blood v. 100 Gecs

Skinny — Wed, 1 Jul 2020 01:43:48 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 07/01/2020 05:43

baystateoftheart wrote:

I haven't heard 1000 Gecs yet (looking forward to seeing what the fuss is about), but if you find PC Music and vaporwave easy to dismiss, that's truly your loss.

Re: Round 1: Weyes Blood v. 100 Gecs

RoundTheBend — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 22:52:26 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 07/01/2020 02:52

Unless he doesn't like it?

Re: Round 1: Weyes Blood v. 100 Gecs

baystateoftheart — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 19:52:22 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 06/30/2020 23:52

Skinny wrote:

it calls on various deliberately synthetic, sometimes insincere, easy to dismiss sounds or genres of the past decade or so (PC Music, vaporwave, brostep, mash-ups, Soundcloud rap)

I haven't heard 1000 Gecs yet (looking forward to seeing what the fuss is about), but if you find PC Music and vaporwave easy to dismiss, that's truly your loss.

Re: Round 1: Weyes Blood v. 100 Gecs

craola — Mon, 29 Jun 2020 18:09:04 GMT

Author: craola

Posted: 06/29/2020 22:09

Skinny wrote:

I don't dislike that Weyes Blood album, but it's kinda one-paced and dreary, with a sound that recalls MOR '70s songwriters only minus the (admittedly pretty cheesy) sparkle.

Also, I wanted to vote 100 gecs just to piss Gowi off. But I can't, because it's really fucking irritating, and not as fresh as it thinks it is, given it calls on various deliberately synthetic, sometimes insincere, easy to dismiss sounds or genres of the past decade or so (PC Music, vaporwave, brostep, mash-ups, Soundcloud rap) in a way that feels too knowingly meme-y, for want of a better term.

So a reluctant vote to Weyes Blood, most likely because 30 is breathing down my neck.

sums it all up pretty well.

Re: Round 1: Weyes Blood v. 100 Gecs

Purplepash — Mon, 29 Jun 2020 17:43:43 GMT

Author: Purplepash

Posted: 06/29/2020 21:43

You all make good points, (Weyes Blood is surely the superior album and deserves the win here) but to put it simply, I enjoy listening to the 100 Gecs album more.

Re: Round 1: Weyes Blood v. 100 Gecs

mickilennial — Sat, 27 Jun 2020 20:36:32 GMT

Author: mickilennial

Posted: 06/28/2020 00:36

Skinny wrote:

Also, I wanted to vote 100 gecs just to piss Gowi off. But I can't, because it's really fucking irritating, and not as fresh as it thinks it is, given it calls on various deliberately synthetic, sometimes insincere, easy to dismiss sounds or genres of the past decade or so (PC Music, vaporwave, brostep, mash-ups, Soundcloud rap) in a way that feels too knowingly meme-y, for want of a better term.

We truly are the best of enemies.

Re: Round 1: Weyes Blood v. 100 Gecs

RoundTheBend — Sat, 27 Jun 2020 12:19:55 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 06/27/2020 16:19

Skinny wrote:

🤣 �'�

I agree with all of this.

Also anyone else get a Beatles vibe from the Weyes Blood album? Mostly in the lead guitar, but overall arrangements sometimes too.

Re: Round 1: Weyes Blood v. 100 Gecs

Skinny — Sat, 27 Jun 2020 12:15:29 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 06/27/2020 16:15

I don't dislike that Weyes Blood album, but it's kinda one-paced and dreary, with a sound that recalls MOR '70s songwriters only minus the (admittedly pretty cheesy) sparkle.

Also, I wanted to vote 100 gecs just to piss Gowi off. But I can't, because it's really fucking irritating, and not as fresh as it thinks it is, given it calls on various deliberately synthetic, sometimes insincere, easy to dismiss sounds or genres of the past decade or so (PC Music, vaporwave, brostep, mash-ups, Soundcloud rap) in a way that feels too knowingly meme-y, for want of a better term.

So a reluctant vote to Weyes Blood, most likely because 30 is breathing down my neck.

Re: Round 1: Weyes Blood v. 100 Gecs

RoundTheBend — Sat, 27 Jun 2020 11:40:52 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 06/27/2020 15:40

Gowi wrote:

Titanic Rising is one of the finest art pop albums of 2019, so it would genuinely infuriate me if a meme album (bangers or not) beat it out.

This.

But BEA has done that before so...

Re: Round 1: Weyes Blood v. 100 Gecs

dihansse — Sat, 27 Jun 2020 09:39:48 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 06/27/2020 13:39

Everything sounds artificial about the 100GECS album.
The Weyes Blood album is still not in my 2019 chart although I like it more every time I listen to it again: the first three tracks are ok and Wild Time is even great but the rest is not yet it. But it's an easy choice anyway.

Re: Round 1: Weyes Blood v. 100 Gecs

mickilennial — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 05:54:36 GMT

Author: mickilennial

Posted: 06/22/2020 09:54

Titanic Rising is one of the finest art pop albums of 2019, so it would genuinely infuriate me if a meme album (bangers or not) beat it out.

Re: Round 1: Weyes Blood v. 100 Gecs

LedZep — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 05:51:34 GMT

Author: LedZep

Posted: 06/22/2020 09:51

Gowi wrote:

TIL: People unrionically like 100 Gecs.

It's a thin line between meme music and bangers. Going for Weyes Blood, but I have to say I love 1000 Gecs although it has its problems as an album.

Re: Round 1: Weyes Blood v. 100 Gecs

mickilennial — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 03:23:38 GMT

Author: mickilennial

Posted: 06/22/2020 07:23

TIL: People unrionically like 100 Gecs.

Re: Round 1: Weyes Blood v. 100 Gecs

cestuneblague — Sun, 21 Jun 2020 23:22:36 GMT

Author: cestuneblague

Posted: 06/22/2020 03:22

Yeah I'm just too old for 100 gecs. I still like the fact that I feel like I'm experiencing something new.

If Titanic Rising stopped on track 3, I probably would go weyes blood. The production and especially her vocal performances are indeed heaven-sent. But.... after that opening trifecta I completely lost interest. Everything else feels like lesser echoes. Again, maybe the sound overall is a style I have kind of grown off of recently, but then again the promise of the opening was enough to get me hooked so...

... eh. I donno, there's something to reccomend with each album but for completely different reasons I can't fully get into either release. Might go 100 gecs cuz it's a bit more Phat, yo, you get me Home Fry

Re: Round 1: Weyes Blood v. 100 Gecs

Hayden — Sun, 21 Jun 2020 22:17:37 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 06/22/2020 02:17

Oof... erm...

Aight, so I really want to vote 100 Gecs, I think they've whipped up a truly brilliant record in its own mind, but Weyes Blood brought the big guns. I'll edit in my vote later. This is another shame for a first round.

EDIT: Went with Weyes. It's still a better album.

Round 1: Weyes Blood v. 100 Gecs

baystateoftheart — Sun, 21 Jun 2020 20:42:04 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 06/22/2020 00:42

Seed #1:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Titanic Rising by Weyes Blood

Nominated by: Komorebi-D
Genres [RYM]: Baroque Pop, Art Pop

Seed #11:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

1000 Gecs by 100 Gecs

Nominated by: awesomness425
Genres [RYM]: Bubblegum Bass

Instructions:

If you have not already, please listen to both albums in full before voting. Share your thoughts and/or your vote in this thread. This poll will be tallied in no fewer than twenty-eight days. See Tournament Spreadsheet for the full bracket.