Greatest Short Releases
by 
ForegroundNoise 
A love letter to those musical journeys that are cut intentionally short.
Back in 2018 when we were flooded with 25-minute releases whose creators insisted were 'albums' and not EPs, I was struck by our strange obsession with musical megalomania.
I remember reading a comment online re. Kids See Ghosts that read: "it's amazing that the only difference between an album and an EP now is what the artist says it is". Certainly artistic intent matters. But personally I find separating formats along these lines completely non-sensical. Daytona is an 'album' that clocks in at 21:08; should we regard it as a different category to the Signals, Calls, and Marches EP, which is only 20 seconds shorter?
Meanwhile there have been plenty of EPs that far exceed the requisite length to be considered an 'album', (Autechre's EP7, 12 Rods' Gay?, Sufjan's All Delighted People EP), not to mention that the category seems also subject to the mood of the artist.
All this doesn't even begin to get into the tricky business of mixtapes, which like EPs had a strict basis for the format though now emerge as shorthand for album off-cuts (Quadeca's Scrapyard) or more light-hearted releases (e.g. FKA twigs' Caprisongs).
Why is it so important for these artists to make these distinctions? And if size doesn't matter, what even sets apart an "album" from an "EP" in the modern age?
Back in the physical era this kind of question wasn't even intelligible, but with the line between these two formats blurrier than ever (just look at how certain releases on this site flit between the two categories), I reasoned for my own cataloguing to draw a hard barrier between the two: everything 30:00 or over can be considered for my AotY lists, and anything under the half-hour mark classified as a "short release". I know 30 minutes is no less arbitrary, but I think this sits at a good ball park. Please feel free to recommend your favourite EPs/shorter albums!
Others that aren't eligible as per BEA's album guidelines would include SPK - Mekano / Contakt / Slogun (1979), Yōran - Montparnasse (1981), Interpol - Interpol (2002) and Lil Ugly Mane - Uneven Compromise (2012).
FN xx
- Chart updated: 08/01/2024 13:15
- (Created: 06/27/2019 22:03).
- Chart size: 20 albums.
There are 2 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Greatest Short Releases has an average rating of 87 out of 100 (from 1 vote). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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neo-psychedelia
(Domino, 27:23)
8/10
"Old glasses clinking, and a
New order's blinking, and I
I should be floating, but I'm
Weighted by thinking"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 05/27/2021]
neo-psychedelia
(Domino, 27:23)
8/10
"Old glasses clinking, and a
New order's blinking, and I
I should be floating, but I'm
Weighted by thinking"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 05/27/2021]
Total albums: 1. Page 1 of 1
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Greatest Short Releases composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1970s | 4 | 20% | |
| 1980s | 1 | 5% | |
| 1990s | 3 | 15% | |
| 2000s | 6 | 30% | |
| 2010s | 4 | 20% | |
| 2020s | 2 | 10% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Godspeed You! Black Emperor | 1 | 5% | |
| Joanna Newsom | 1 | 5% | |
| Nick Drake | 1 | 5% | |
| Modest Mouse | 1 | 5% | |
| Earl Sweatshirt | 1 | 5% | |
| Jim O'Rourke | 1 | 5% | |
| Jay Reatard | 1 | 5% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
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|||
| |
12 | 60% | |
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2 | 10% | |
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1 | 5% | |
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1 | 5% | |
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1 | 5% | |
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1 | 5% | |
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1 | 5% | |
| Show all | |||
Greatest Short Releases chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 6th to 7th Dialoghi Del Presente by Luciano Cilio |
| Down 1 from 7th to 8th Demo? by The Brave Little Abacus |
| Down 1 from 8th to 9th Ferris Wheel On Fire by Neutral Milk Hotel |
| New entries |
|---|
| Jeromes Dream / Orchid by Jeromes Dream / Orchid |
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Greatest Short Releases similarity to your chart(s)
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Showing all 1 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 11/18/2020 19:22 | DJENNY | 4,365 | 100/100 |
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Greatest Short Releases comments
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From ForegroundNoise 03/09/2021 13:03 | #267116
ForegroundNoise 03/09/2021 13:03 | #267116
@DommeDamian thank you will check it out!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
DommeDamian 03/09/2021 09:57 | #267115
DommeDamian 03/09/2021 09:57 | #267115
Downsided by No Comment.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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