Our eleventh poll resulted in revolver94 winning by tiebreaker. Here are the ten albums up for discussion during the month of November:
1. Blood Bitch - Jenny Hval
2. 22, A Million - Bon Iver
3. Tragedy - Julia Holter
4. Leave Me Alone - Hinds
5. Apocalypse, Girl - Jenny Hval
6. Antisocialites - Alvvays
7. Right From Real - Lydia Ainsworth
8. I Never Learn - Lykke Li
9. Born To Die - Lana Del Rey
10. Feel It Break - Austra
As always, you can listen to as many of these as you have time and energy for - no pressure to get to know all ten well. This discussion also doesn't have to take place in order, because different people will be listening to them at different times.
Drop your musings, analysis, etc. here as the inspiration hits you. And where possible, interact with what other people have been saying for a more interesting discussion.
If you do get a chance to listen to all ten, you can then vote for your favorite in the attached poll.
Last but not least, here are the past threads if you want to go back and listen to / talk about stuff you missed.
I love Jenny Hval and think she's still incredibly underrated. No one can write and perform an off-kilter pop song quite like her. Meanwhile, she also has an outstanding conceptual vision for her music. This record contains both songs most notable for their gorgeousness and songs most notable for their unique artistic choices and ideas. Blood Bitch is one of Hval's master works, and this is a great pick for #1. 4.5/5. _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
I love Jenny Hval and think she's still incredibly underrated. No one can write and perform an off-kilter pop song quite like her. Meanwhile, she also has an outstanding conceptual vision for her music. This record contains both songs most notable for their gorgeousness and songs most notable for their unique artistic choices and ideas. Blood Bitch is one of Hval's master works, and this is a great pick for #1. 4.5/5.
This is the first time I've listened to a whole album of hers, and I found the music to be highly enjoyable. Creative enough to keep me interested, and accessible enough to have relisten value. However, I do think the concept of this album is really heavy-handed. 😨
I love Jenny Hval and think she's still incredibly underrated. No one can write and perform an off-kilter pop song quite like her. Meanwhile, she also has an outstanding conceptual vision for her music. This record contains both songs most notable for their gorgeousness and songs most notable for their unique artistic choices and ideas. Blood Bitch is one of Hval's master works, and this is a great pick for #1. 4.5/5.
This is the first time I've listened to a whole album of hers, and I found the music to be highly enjoyable. Creative enough to keep me interested, and accessible enough to have relisten value. However, I do think the concept of this album is really heavy-handed. 8-[
Apocalypse, Girl gets my vote for the poll. Just a head's up. _________________ Doubles & Conch
baystateoftheartNeil Young as a butternut squashProfile Massachusetts
Another excellent choice. I just listened to this for the first time since 2017 and it was as great as I remembered. Going in a more glitchy, electronic direction was a natural progression after self-titled, and he pulls it off really well. Quality folky songs with great vocals underneath + interesting production choices layered on top = a winning combination. I can definitely see why this would be someone's favorite Bon Iver album, even though I think I prefer its predecessor. 4/5. _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
cestuneblagueOtana, but No HitoProfile Straight Outta Ballard
Love it, both the more direct and experimental sides of modern pop. Apocalypse Girl is probably my favorite atm, in my view Hval's best work and her most underrated, but will listen to a few I haven't heard, or heard enough.
baystateoftheartNeil Young as a butternut squashProfile Massachusetts
I love Loud City Song, Have You In My Wilderness, and Aviary, so I was excited to check this out. It's very good as expected, but not quite as engaging as any of those three. There are more ambient/drone elements and less avant-pop. It's a lot less musically dense than her later work, although there are still plenty of ideas. Well worth a listen, but it will not be a contender for my favorite of this batch. 3.5/5. _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
FischmanRockMonster, JazzMeister, Bluesboy,ClassicalMasterProfile Land of Enchantment
This is a rather monothematic list, musically speaking. Being a theme I don't generally cotton to made it more challenging for me to listen through all the albums and try to determine which, if any hit me any more profoundly than the others. Without much difference there, I fell back on which ones I think exploit the basic elements of music more craftfully. With that in mind, I have to say "I Like Lykke."
(although I can certainly understand the accolades that go Holter's way as well, and at times, I was surprisingly drawn in by Bon Iver)
The acclaim Blood Bitch received was writers trying to atone for not initially realising quite how great Apocalypse, girl was. _________________ 2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.
cestuneblagueOtana, but No HitoProfile Straight Outta Ballard
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