Best Ever Albums

Re: Round 1: Adrianne Lenker v. Myrkur

baystateoftheart — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 19:53:47 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 07/26/2021 23:53

Songs defeats Folkesange 16-5 to advance to the sweet sixteen.

Re: Round 1: Adrianne Lenker v. Myrkur

cestuneblague — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 19:19:31 GMT

Author: cestuneblague

Posted: 07/22/2021 23:19

Yeah really liked how Myrkur blew up the sound here, going from the bedroom ambient and black metal fusions to this massive bit of folk-y electronica (though perhaps more so the other way around). Enough for a vote as my enjoyment of Songs is pretty passive, still good though.

Re: Round 1: Adrianne Lenker v. Myrkur

travelful — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 08:20:30 GMT

Author: travelful

Posted: 07/22/2021 12:20

It's not looking good for my Zach Bryan nomination so now it's Adrianne Lenker to the end. Such a beautiful album that has been in my rotation since it's release.

Re: Round 1: Adrianne Lenker v. Myrkur

Repo — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 15:09:26 GMT

Author: Repo

Posted: 07/21/2021 19:09

EyeKanFly wrote:

Purplepash wrote:

Nice pairing here...they go well together.
I am going with Songs but only just (possibly due to more familiarity) as I quite liked both of these about the same.

Ditto this, I think I prefer Lenker, but the Myrkur album was quality.

Yeah. Great match-up. But, Lenker is going to tough to beat.

Re: Round 1: Adrianne Lenker v. Myrkur

LedZep — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 07:09:07 GMT

Author: LedZep

Posted: 07/12/2021 11:09

Lenker for me. Didn't really care that much about songs at first, but it kinda gets under your skin. Lovely album, still near the end of my year chart but slowly climbing up. Didn't really care that much about Myrkur at first, still don't care much about her whether it's the metal stuff or this new folk style. Folkensage has its moments but feels very one dimensional and stale to me. It should work, but for some reason doesn't. Songwriting is not exactly top notch either. An improvement on the earlier stuff I've heard from her and I'm definitely looking forward to what she does next, but it's not winning against songs.

Re: Round 1: Adrianne Lenker v. Myrkur

craola — Mon, 5 Jul 2021 12:47:35 GMT

Author: craola

Posted: 07/05/2021 16:47

I listened to Myrkur first, and from the get-go, I was pretty sure it was getting my vote. Such beautiful melodies and performances. But as soon as I heard the open seconds of Lenker's, I realized this was going to be a tough call. Lenker's is the catchier album, and being more singer-songwriter, I found it a bit more relatable. I could almost flip a coin, but I'm pretty sure Lenker is going to draw more future listens than Myrkur, so I gave it the nod.

Re: Round 1: Adrianne Lenker v. Myrkur

pa — Mon, 5 Jul 2021 10:39:35 GMT

Author: pa

Posted: 07/05/2021 14:39

I knew it was difficult for Myrkur to get through the first round but I'm glad that I picked this album; after all the purpose of the tournament is to share something that we love and that, sometimes, accompanied us through special cycles of our lives.
One of my favorite song is probably "Tor i Helheim" but I would say that I could't find one weak track in all the album, love the voice, love the atmosphere.
I'm happy that some of you liked the album and if you like Nordic Folk write to me, I have plenty of recs 😉
Anyway, Mercury's pick is beautiful, thanks for sharing it mate!

Re: Round 1: Adrianne Lenker v. Myrkur

baystateoftheart — Sun, 4 Jul 2021 15:44:50 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 07/04/2021 19:44

This is indeed a fortuitous matchup. Folkesange is the first Nordic folk album I've heard, and it's beautiful and consistently good. It sounds more similar to Celtic and English folk than I expected, but I suppose that makes sense given all the, um, cultural exchange with the vikings. Again, a language barrier in place, but Myrkur's vocals are strong, and I get the sense that the sound and mood are more important than the words here. They mostly match the cover landscape, which is what makes this so appealing. 3.5/5. It's no match for Adrianne Lenker's Songs though, which was actually recorded in a cabin in the woods not far from where I live. Instrumentally and vocally, it's just as gorgeous, but the emotional depth gives it an edge. There are some outstanding songs, and while not every track is notable, the songwriting is solid throughout, earning a high 3.5/5.

Re: Round 1: Adrianne Lenker v. Myrkur

kokkinos — Sat, 3 Jul 2021 10:07:11 GMT

Author: kokkinos

Posted: 07/03/2021 14:07

Oh, what a cute couple, both albums feature a gorgeous aesthetic, which admittedly flies over my head for the most part.
It's close, but Folkesange was more of an oddball and as a result managed to keep me more interested
Folkesange gets my vote.

Re: Round 1: Adrianne Lenker v. Myrkur

Fischman — Thu, 1 Jul 2021 18:23:37 GMT

Author: Fischman

Posted: 07/01/2021 22:23

Looks like I'm the lone ranger here.

I can see the appeal of Songs for sure, but Folksange.... well, that's just stunning. Stunning I tell you. Best folk album I've heard in a long time. Myrkur seems to be something of a Norwegian Loreena McKennitt.

It's obvious Myrkur will not advance here, but the real joy here is that I've been exposed to a new-to-me artist who has captivated me like very few in recent years. So this game has already proven to be of great value to me. Huge thanks to @pa

Re: Round 1: Adrianne Lenker v. Myrkur

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 14:04:22 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 06/30/2021 18:04

Folkesange is a good Myrkur album (although I preferred Mareridt) but Songs is superior in my opinion. I vote for Adrianne Lenker.

Re: Round 1: Adrianne Lenker v. Myrkur

Hayden — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 10:49:02 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 06/30/2021 14:49

Lenker for me.

Myrkur's a solid choice though.

Re: Round 1: Adrianne Lenker v. Myrkur

Patman360 — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 09:55:34 GMT

Author: Patman360

Posted: 06/30/2021 13:55

Lenker edges this but I think both are great and both languish in the mid-section of my year chart, maybe should've voted Myrkur as Lenker is clearly a strong favourite here, but couldn't bring myself to go. One of the tougher matchups of this round for sure.

Re: Round 1: Adrianne Lenker v. Myrkur

EyeKanFly — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 08:56:31 GMT

Author: EyeKanFly

Posted: 06/30/2021 12:56

Purplepash wrote:

Nice pairing here...they go well together.
I am going with Songs but only just (possibly due to more familiarity) as I quite liked both of these about the same.

Ditto this, I think I prefer Lenker, but the Myrkur album was quality.

Re: Round 1: Adrianne Lenker v. Myrkur

Purplepash — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 06:06:46 GMT

Author: Purplepash

Posted: 06/30/2021 10:06

Nice pairing here...they go well together.
I am going with Songs but only just (possibly due to more familiarity) as I quite liked both of these about the same.

Round 1: Adrianne Lenker v. Myrkur

baystateoftheart — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 17:55:09 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 06/28/2021 21:55

Seed #9:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Songs by Adrianne Lenker

Nominated by: Mercury
Genres [RYM]: Contemporary Folk, Singer/Songwriter

Seed #12:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Folkesange by Myrkur

Nominated by: pa
Genres [RYM]: Nordic Folk Music

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.