Best Ever Albums

Re: Best Songwriters 2: Electric Boogaloo

BozoTyrannus — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 15:12:04 GMT

Author: BozoTyrannus

Posted: 09/15/2020 19:12

baystateoftheart wrote:

Looks like the deadline has passed? But I'm going to sneak in some votes if I can

I was an airhead and forgot, so I'll allow it

Re: Best Songwriters 2: Electric Boogaloo

baystateoftheart — Sat, 12 Sep 2020 19:29:46 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 09/12/2020 23:29

Looks like the deadline has passed? But I'm going to sneak in some votes if I can:

2a: Lou Reed vs. Daniel Dumile
2b: Tom Waits vs. Víctor Jara [ABSTAIN]
2c: Beck vs. Janelle Monáe
2d: Matt Berninger vs. Phil Elverum
2e: Neko Case vs. billy woods
2f: Van Morrison vs. Cole Porter [ABSTAIN]
2g: André 3000 vs. Nick Drake
2h: Josh Tillman vs. Bill Callahan

Re: Best Songwriters 2: Electric Boogaloo

Anonymous — Sat, 29 Aug 2020 18:57:59 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 08/29/2020 22:57

babyBlueSedan wrote:

You and me both; I adore Callahan and can't stand 98% of what I've heard from Papa John. I was going to write something about the two being almost polar opposites, with Callahan writing about the mundane and using understatements to highlight the beauty of things while Tillman always feels like he's trying to say something profound and often puts on airs or uses sarcasm to highlight his points. But thinking about it more, Bill is pretty sarcastic as well (it's impossible to listen to "I'm New Here" and not picture a shit-eating grin on the narrator's face), so maybe they're more similar than I think. I know Tillman has always been a favorite around here, but it's also possible he's benefiting from his recent albums being loved while Callahan's best work is behind him. Still though, just last year he wrote "Like hotel curtains, we never really met," which is better than any Tillman lyric I've heard. To each their own, but I'll take the simplicity of "The Well," "Rock Bottom Riser," "Drinking at the Dam," or "Teenage Spaceship" over anything Tillman has done.

Yeah I've seen Bill live a few times and he sings half his lyrics with a shit eating grin or the greatest facial contortions. He's such an irony king. But his ironies come from casual missed connections. Misunderstood life events and such. Tillman's got moments of that but his irony comes from this insufferable air of we live in a society and that sucks doesn't it? His persona bleeds into his writing in a way that leaves me feeling cold. I liked I Love You Honeybear when it came out but even lines on that have long since soured with stuff like Disappointing Diamonds feeling like they undid his greatest lines. He comes across as bitter and uninterested to me.

Re: Best Songwriters 2: Electric Boogaloo

RoundTheBend — Sat, 29 Aug 2020 12:54:02 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 08/29/2020 16:54

RE: Josh Tillman and Lou Reed

For me the songs I like of theirs cut deeper for me than their opponents. I'm voting on that aspect only - not on their whole body of work or their objective skills.

Perfect Day or Wild Side are tracks alone that cut deeper for me than anything I've heard Daniel Dumile do (I've actually never really fallen hard yet for Madvillainy or Mm..Food). Oddly enough my favorite track he cut most fans don't think too highly of. I realize I'm wrong here, but just voting honestly to my liking. I'd put on a Lou Reed record before I'd put on an MF Doom record, it's as easy as that.

Same goes for Josh.

Sometimes objective doesn't win for me is the easy way of explaining it.

From a "true" Lou Reed fan (I'm am an appreciator, not a worshiper like my sister), this is what she had to say if it helps when I asked what her favorite lyrics are (she probably mistook that for favorite music maybe too, both answered here):

Quote:

That's too hard. Albums I adore. Ecstacy and New York Stories, then Transformer.
If your friend is getting divorced, he's got a song for that.

Link

Then if you want to help somone fall in love... again, there's this classic:

Link

Quote:

She says, What do you call love
well I call it Harry
Oh, please I'm being serious
what do you call love

Well I don't call it family and I don't call it lust
and as we all know marriage isn't a must
And I suppose in the end, it's a matter of trust
if I had to I'd call love time

She says, What do you call love
can't you be more specific
What do you call love
is it more than the heart's hieroglyphic
Well for me time has no meaning, no future, no past
and when you're in love, you don't have to ask
There's never enough time to hold love in your grasp
turning time around

Turning time around
that is what love is
Turning time around
yes, that is what love is

My time is your time when you're in love
and time is what you never have enough of
You can't see or hold it, it's exactly like love

Turning time around
turning time around
Turning time around
turning time around
Turning time around
well I gotta have it
I gotta-gotta-gotta have it

Turning, turning time around
gotta have it, turning time around
Turning, turning time around
turning time around

Enjoy them both. I loved Lou so much. Like Bowie, huge influence in my life.

Re: Best Songwriters 2: Electric Boogaloo

RoundTheBend — Sat, 29 Aug 2020 12:48:45 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 08/29/2020 16:48

While Nick is amazing, I'm glad Andre is getting the votes he deserves... holy shit could dude spit, but then sing too... like few rappers know how to sing (Kanye, I'm looking at your auto-tuned ass).

Re: Best Songwriters 2: Electric Boogaloo

babyBlueSedan — Sat, 29 Aug 2020 12:07:27 GMT

Author: babyBlueSedan

Posted: 08/29/2020 16:07

NewsFromHome wrote:

Now what I can't understand is how people are voting for Josh Tillman over Bill Callahan.

Re: Best Songwriters 2: Electric Boogaloo

Anonymous — Sat, 29 Aug 2020 00:41:24 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 08/29/2020 04:41

baystateoftheart wrote:

but his body of songwriting as a solo artist is pretty hit and miss for me.

Kinda of feel the same way about Dumile. Danger Doom, Czarface, DOOMSTARKS and Born Like This all do very little for me.

That being said it's close. I really enjoy both of them. What separates it for me is the central conceit of this tournament, the lyrics. Lou's always on some wacky and apathetic dada shit. I like Dumile more for how he says what he says, then what he actually says (despite some brilliant one liners and verses). There's just a littttttle too much character LARPing throughout his work for a lot of it to not bleed together. Plus some standout eye rolls that I don't really experience with Lou ("treat her like a daughter, taught her how to bust a nut" or "get more cheese than doritos, cheetohs or fritos").

I go back to Dumile for the beats (Vaudeville Villain's alien idm shit, or the sheer amount of playfulness on Operation Doomsday), or how fucking much he gets out of the conceptual framework of an album (Madvillainy, Take Me To Your Leader, Mmm Food).

Plus I'm just a sucker for the specificity Lou summons on records like Songs for Drella

Now what I can't understand is how people are voting for Josh Tillman over Bill Callahan.

Re: Best Songwriters 2: Electric Boogaloo

baystateoftheart — Fri, 28 Aug 2020 20:39:21 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 08/29/2020 00:39

Question for the four people who have voted for Lou Reed so far - why do you prefer his solo career songwriting to DOOM's? What are some of your favorite lyrics?

I could totally understand if his great Velvet Underground songwriting weren't banned from consideration in this game, but his body of songwriting as a solo artist is pretty hit and miss for me.

Re: Best Songwriters 2: Electric Boogaloo

Spyglass — Fri, 28 Aug 2020 15:07:10 GMT

Author: Spyglass

Posted: 08/28/2020 19:07

2a: Lou Reed vs. Daniel Dumile - those sick fucking bars.
2b: Tom Waits vs. Victor Jaras
2c: Beck vs. Janelle Monae
2d: Matt Berninger vs. Phil Elverum
2e: Neko Case vs. billy woods
2f: Van Morrison vs. Cole Porter
2g: Andre 3000 vs. Nick Drake - Big fan of Andre.
2h: Josh Tillman vs. Bill Calahan

Re: Best Songwriters 2: Electric Boogaloo

AwaitingAndrew — Fri, 28 Aug 2020 15:04:45 GMT

Author: AwaitingAndrew

Posted: 08/28/2020 19:04

2a: Lou Reed vs. Daniel Dumile
2b: Tom Waits vs. Victor Jara
2c: Beck vs. Janelle Monae
2d: Matt Berninger vs. Phil Elverum
2e: Neko Case vs. Billy Woods
2f: Van Morrison vs. Cole Porter
2g: Andre 3000 vs. Nick Drake
2h: Josh Tillman vs. Bill Callahan

Re: Best Songwriters 2: Electric Boogaloo

Anonymous — Fri, 28 Aug 2020 13:16:34 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 08/28/2020 17:16

2a: Lou Reed vs. Daniel Dumile
2b: Tom Waits vs. Victor Jaras
2c: Beck vs. Janelle Monae
2d: Matt Berninger vs. Phil Elverum
2e: Neko Case vs. billy woods I'll come back to this. Billy Woods is very fresh in my mind and I haven't listened to classic Neko Case in years.
2f: Van Morrison vs. Cole Porter
2g: Andre 3000 vs. Nick Drake I gotta reflect on this one
2h: Josh Tillman vs. Bill Callahan Show me a lyric that Josh wrote that's better than "Alone in my room, I feel such a warmth for the community, but out on the street I'm like a robot by the river, searching for a drink" or like anything as simplistic yet impactful as the entirety of let me see the colts.

Re: Best Songwriters 2: Electric Boogaloo

babyBlueSedan — Fri, 28 Aug 2020 11:30:40 GMT

Author: babyBlueSedan

Posted: 08/28/2020 15:30

2a: Lou Reed vs. Daniel Dumile
2b: Tom Waits vs. Victor Jara
2c: Beck vs. Janelle Monae
2d: Matt Berninger vs. Phil Elverum
2e: Neko Case vs. billy woods
2f: Van Morrison vs. Cole Porter (I promise I'll actually get around to this one this time!)
2g: Andre 3000 vs. Nick Drake
2h: Josh Tillman vs. Bill Callahan

Re: Best Songwriters 2: Electric Boogaloo

LedZep — Fri, 28 Aug 2020 09:16:13 GMT

Author: LedZep

Posted: 08/28/2020 13:16

2a: Lou Reed vs. Daniel Dumile
2b: Tom Waits vs. Victor Jaras
2c: Beck vs. Janelle Monae
2d: Matt Berninger vs. Phil Elverum
2e: Neko Case vs. billy woods
2f: Van Morrison vs. Cole Porter
2g: Andre 3000 vs. Nick Drake (abstain)
2h: Josh Tillman vs. Bill Callahan (abstain, cannot vote against Bill even if FJM is my nominee)

Re: Best Songwriters 2: Electric Boogaloo

RoundTheBend — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 23:02:24 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 08/28/2020 03:02

🤣

Anyway, would've totally voted for both Marling and Marley. Very good choices. Was kinda bummed when I learned they wern't in the thing button click games.

2a: Lou Reed vs. Daniel Dumile
2b: Tom Waits vs. Victor Jaras
2c: Beck vs. Janelle Monae
2d: Matt Berninger vs. Phil Elverum
2e: Neko Case vs. billy woods (Abstain)
2f: Van Morrison vs. Cole Porter *
2g: Andre 3000 vs. Nick Drake
2h: Josh Tillman vs. Bill Calahan

Voted solely based on who used their lyrics and music in ways that intrigued me. I'm not certain I'm skilled enough in wordsmithing to really say who "objectively" is the better wordsmith-->melody human.

Re: Best Songwriters 2: Electric Boogaloo

BozoTyrannus — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 19:45:13 GMT

Author: BozoTyrannus

Posted: 08/27/2020 23:45

baystateoftheart wrote:

Next up, Víctor Jara, Janelle Monáe, André 3000, and Bill Callahan :wink:

Wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you

Re: Best Songwriters 2: Electric Boogaloo

Hayden — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 19:32:32 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 08/27/2020 23:32

2a: Lou Reed vs. Daniel Dumile
2b: Tom Waits vs. Victor Jara (going against my nom here...)
2c: Beck vs. Janelle Monae
2d: Matt Berninger vs. Phil Elverum
2e: Neko Case vs. billy woods (abstain, too bizarre of a comparison)
2f: Van Morrison vs. Cole Porter
2g: Andre 3000 vs. Nick Drake (I don't like this one)
2h: Josh Tillman vs. Bill Callahan

Sad about Buckley and Linton Kwesi Johnson not making the cut, but I suppose they had some brutal matchups. I know I'm voting for Janelle this round, but I think Bernie Taupin should've been up there too.

Re: Best Songwriters 2: Electric Boogaloo

Hayden — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 19:26:44 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 08/27/2020 23:26

BozoTyrannus wrote:

(alright, alright, I learned to spell it correctly)

Victor Jaras
Bill Calahan

🫠

(no s)(2 ls)

Re: Best Songwriters 2: Electric Boogaloo

baystateoftheart — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 19:26:21 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 08/27/2020 23:26

BozoTyrannus wrote:

Rosanne Cash (alright, alright, I learned to spell it correctly)

Next up, Víctor Jara, Janelle Monáe, André 3000, and Bill Callahan 😉

Best Songwriters 2: Electric Boogaloo

BozoTyrannus — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 19:15:21 GMT

Author: BozoTyrannus

Posted: 08/27/2020 23:15

After our extensive month long Round One, we have at least reached a consensus. I'm sure that every single individual will be happy with the result and there will be no people unhappy with how this round turned out 😨
(as Gowi didn't get around to posting new votes, I used the last posted votes)

First, let's take a gander at those who were fortunate enough to be nominated, and yet lacked the reputation to move on further. Those were:
Patrick Walker, Tim Buckley, Lawrence, Jeffrey Lewis, Dan Fogelberg, Bernie Taupin, Will Oldham, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Neil Peart, Rosanne Cash (alright, alright, I learned to spell it correctly), Nanci Griffith, Gordon Lightfoot, Billy Joel, Emmylou Harris (take comfort in the fact that she placed #84 in our survey of best ever artists), Ron Mael, and Townes van Zandt

Which leaves us with what as round 2?

2a: Lou Reed vs. Daniel Dumile
2b: Tom Waits vs. Victor Jaras
2c: Beck vs. Janelle Monae
2d: Matt Berninger vs. Phil Elverum
2e: Neko Case vs. billy woods
2f: Van Morrison vs. Cole Porter *
2g: Andre 3000 vs. Nick Drake
2h: Josh Tillman vs. Bill Calahan

* Cole Porter vs. Gordon Lightfoot was a tie, so rather than abstaining like I usually do, I cast a tie breaker vote)

Round 2 will remain open two weeks, and thus deadline is September 10th.