Sweet 16: Fleet Foxes v. Moor Mother & Billy Woods

[baystateoftheart]

Seed #3:

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Shore by Fleet Foxes

Nominated by: Hasselhoff
Genres [RYM]: Indie Folk, Chamber Pop

Seed #16:

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Brass by Moor Mother & Billy Woods

Nominated by: Antonio-Pedro
Genres [RYM]: Abstract Hip Hop, Experimental Hip Hop, East Coast Hip Hop

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 seven days. See Tournament Spreadsheet for the full bracket.
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[Hayden]

Need to see a straight genre flip where they cover each other's albums to truly know.

[EyeKanFly]

This looks like it'll be a close one. I really enjoyed Shore, more than I thought I would. I think I prefer their last album Crack-Up, but Shore is still a really beautifully constructed album. On the other hand, Moor Mother released 2 incredible albums last year (and possibly a third, I haven't listened to it yet).

I think it all comes down to if you like the vocal jazz or not, I get that it's not everyone's jam. Fleet Foxes seem to have a sound that's more palatable for a general audience, and they do that sound incredibly well. Moor Mother is fairly niche, but she's even more incredible at what she does.

I voted for Shore, but I anticipate this one being close.
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51 Washington, D.C. albums!

[Fischman]

Easy nod to FF.

[baystateoftheart]

Just gave Brass another listen to see if it would fully click for me, and unfortunately not. One of the densest, most impenetrable hip-hop albums I've heard in a while. I can appreciate the experimentation, but spoken word type flows and abstract lyrics are not my ideal combo, especially when paired with thick, sludgy production. The pace and structure draws so much attention to the lyrics, but the level of abstraction means they usually don't deliver a commensurate payoff in terms of emotion or insight, and the intricacy and poetic qualities are only sometimes sufficient to compensate. This could have been an incredible album with a faster tempo and more nimble flows. It also could have been great at its current tempo if the lyrics had more storytelling, commentary, and/or punchlines. As it stands, there are still a number of great tracks, especially in the second half. While I don't see it having much replay value, and think both Moor Mother and Billy Woods have made better records, I appreciate Brass as a work of art. A high 3.5/5, but I prefer Shore.
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[RoundTheBend]

Brass by a mile.

[kokkinos]

[LedZep]

Love both, voting Brass. Fleet Foxes are a band whose music fits whenever and wherever, plus Pecknold seems like a cool guy. Shore is their most lowkey album, but there's a lot to unpack. Brass is a different beast entirely. Probably my favourite work by either musician, which says a lot since Woods is a genius and Moor Mother has a lot of interesting projects as well. One of the finest albums of the year so it gets the nod.
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Finally updated the overall chart

2020s
90s

[baystateoftheart]

Shore defeats Brass 12-10 to advance to the elite eight.
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[Hayden]