Users’ Poll: The End
Ezra Koenig at age seven
And then it was all over except the shouting.
The Top Ten:
10. Ra Ra Riot – The Rhumb Line
09. Santogold – Santogold
08. The Walkmen – You & Me
07. My Morning Jacket – Evil Urges
06. Deerhunter – Microcastle
05. Frightened Rabbit – The Midnight Organ Fight
04. The Hold Steady – Stay Positive
03. Okkervil River – The Stand Ins
02. Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
01. Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago
I think very few of us were surprised that Bon Iver was No. 1 — there seemed to be a sense of inevitability surrounding that record, a gathering force behind it, from the very first moment it appeared. Yancey swears that if I had seen Bon Iver singing “Skinny Love” (by far the most indelible song on the record) live at the Pitchfork Festival last summer, I would be more in love with this record than I am, but lots and lots of people who will never attend a Pitchfork Festival in their lives seem to love this record with equal fervor, so that can’t be it.
Me? You didn’t ask, I know, but I failed to fall in love with this record. I tried! The first three songs are lovely and memorable, and whichever user dubbed it “wintry cocoon folk” here seems to have hit perfectly on the chilly, man-alone vibe that has spoken so powerfully to so many. After that, though, the record seems to melt — into textureless prettiness, into sameness. Justin Vernon is a pretty incredible singer, to be sure, and there’s a spaciousness to the mix that is welcoming — it reminds me of the gorgeous production on The Boxer. Personally, though, I found Amishi’s curt dismissal: “It’s cold, you’re sad, get over it” — to pretty much sum everything up. This is why we Ask Amishi.
I also tried my hand at hating Vampire Weekend for a month or so — for certain types, I’m sorry to say, it’s easier to hate likeable music than it is to cave to its enormous tractor pull, and I am, lamentably, of that type — before admitting there was precious little to actually hate. Now I go around whistling “Oxford Comma” just like everybody else. Perennial summer, that record.
Lots of other great, great records here — The Walkmen is maybe my favorite record of the year; the Deerhunter is really solid; and Ra Ra Riot is immaculate chamber pop — and of course, a wealth of zingers from you all. The Frightened Rabbit quote: “This is like Coldplay for people who like alcohol and (rough) sex,” made me guffaw, while this uncommonly insightful line about Deerhunter brought me up short: “Tragic. It’s like listening to a hurt kid trying to make his voice heard amongst adults.”
The UK, EU, and CA lists are all up as well, and they are intriguing variations on the US Top 20. As usual, let us know where you were quoted, and we’ll put your name in lights!
Overall, from start to finish, this was a fascinating, eclectic list, and I think our list and yours complemented each other nicely…taken together, they give a pretty amazing, comprehensive snapshot of the embarrassment of riches that was independent music this year. Major, major thanks to everyone who took the time to submit/leave comments……GROUP HUG!
I KNOW I said the below.
#10 – Ra Ra Riot -The Rhumb Line – “Neo-pop from New York that one-ups the Weekend.”
I can’t decide if entries for Shearwater and Okkervil are mine. But I know I said the above. The Rhumb Line is a great, great album. Really just kept on growing on me to the point where its charms just overwhelmed me. The “Ortolan” of 2008 for me.
It did seem that Bon Iver was bound for it; I just didn’t realize until recently how BIG the record had become. happy to see most of those, though Stay Positive surprises me by being that high. There are certainly a few good tracks, and I like the album, but it seems a lot of folks made it their #1 or #2 to get it that high.
I was really hoping Murder by Death would make it. I just know my “haunted hell-ride through the Wild West” comment would have made it.
I bought my stepmother some CDs for Christmas (Thao, Bon Iver, Band of Horses), and I had to go to FOUR STORES to find someone (Best Buy, ironically) that wasn’t sold out of Bon Iver. Dude is on his way.
Woo hoo! 3 of my top 10 made the overall list, and two of those got quoted. The Bon Iver quote “Gorgeous and truly original ruminations on lost love. He’s earned the well-deserved hype” belongs to me.
I believe the “headphones in the dark” Walkmen quote is mine as is the Frightened Rabbit seeting venom quote.
Whee!!
And good for Bon Iver.
I must be the opposite of Jayson, I love the Bon Iver album (loved it before seeing them live, even more after!) but can’t get into Vampire Weekend.
Bit depressed at how few UK bands made it on to the UK list (or any of the other lists come to that!). I know our music scene is stuck in the doldrums, but didn’t think it was that bad. I guess Mogwai may have made it in, but it only arrived on emusic (in the UK) last week…
Well, only one album I voted for made the list, and it was in the bottom of the top 100.
I was very surprise and happy to see in the European list, Hello Saferide, it’s surely the least hyped artist in the list with nearly no buzz on the boards.
What it comes to Bon Iver I think Elliot Smith did it better and more powerfully for me. I just find him hard to listen to. Sigh, none of my picks made the top ten list. I’ll console myself with all the music on the list that I’ve discovered or missed.
i think other than walkmen and grouper none of my submissions made the cut.
you know what was missing from both lists that surprises me? Kasai Allstars. how is that?
well, i get how it isn’t on the user’s list. Nigeria Special is there, but apart from that i’d say that emusic users taste is by and large very… how should it put this?… white.
but the editor’s list? come on! you guys aren’t afraid of shamelessly exhuberant, joyous non-western tunage! Kasai! plus, best album title of the year!
http://www.emusic.com/album/In-The-7th-Moon-The-Chief-Turned-Into-A-Swimming-In-The-7th-Moon-The-Chief-Turned-Into-A-Swimming-MP3-Download/11246579.html
lastly: i have my differences with choices on these list, but here are three things i really don’t get, try as i might:
Shearwater (love ornithology, love okkervil, but this just sounds like indie-Meat Loaf to me.)
Frightened Rabbit (their music actually forces me to feel better about myself and overcome my insecurities lest i come off as whiny and annoying as these guys.)
Deerhunter (i got ‘cryptograms.’ in a big way. when i first heard this i thought: okay, but a little dull. upon repeated listens i’ve decided this is among the weakest, most boring excuses for rock and roll i’ve ever heard. ‘noise rock?’ certainly not. “tough?” are you kidding me? ‘psychedelic?’ not unless you consider valium a hallucinogen, which nobody does. pretentious, overhyped, pandering half-baked stab at sounding like the Breeders and failing more than the Breeders trying to sound like the Breeders? certainly.)
thus concludes my verbal jagging for the day.
Here are the 10 I voted for:
1. Fucked Up, The Chemistry of Common Life
2. Franco, Francophonic Vol. 1: 1953-1980
3. v/a, Nigeria Special: Modern Highlife, Afro-Sounds & Nigerian Blues 1970-6
4. DJ /rupture, Uproot
5. Dave Aju, Open Wide
6. Tape, Luminarium
7. Etran Finatawa, Desert Crossroads
8. v/a, Awesome Records Classics Vol. 1
9. Benga, Diary of an Afro-Warrior
10. The Hold Steady, Stay Positive
Agreeing with the comment above about the lists being very white, and rock dominated, but that sort of music does tend to get pushed more here and on emusic’s main pages. Maybe it’s the fans of certain music that are attracted to voting for these best of’s. I’ve nothing against any of these types of music, but all this will it be Bon Iver, or Gas somethings, gets mighty boring. Its good to see others saying the same sort of things here. If the contributors opened up the range of music mentioned here, it could get a lot more interesting for a lot of people. i know there have been recent articles on things like the African hub, which is good, but some things are factually incorrect, good for trying, but please get the facts right.
Here’s what I voted for:
1. Deastro – Keepers
2. Women – Women
3. Abe Vigoda – Skeleton
4. F*** Buttons – Street Horrsing
5. El Guincho – Alegranza
6. Boris – Smile
7. Yellow Swans – Deterioration (I recomend this to fans of the latest Fennesz, which I also like, but it came out too late)
8. Lucky Dragons – Dream Island Laughing Language
9. Breathe Owl Breathe – Ghost Island EP
10. High Places – 03/07-09/07
Album that I loved and totally forgot to vote for: Brightblack Morning Light – Motion to Rejoin. This probably would have been in my top 3 if I had remembered it. This is one that I’m surprised hasn’t received more attention.
Honorable Mentions: Atlas Sound, Bon Iver, Earth, Nico Muhly, Subtle, Times New Viking.
My two favorite non-emusic albums were Erykah Badu and No Age.
And as to the lists being “white”, part of what causes that from my point of view is that there are so many amazing African, jazz and hip-hop albums that I have still to discover from years past, that I always tend to gravitate there; If I was making a list of my favorite things I listened to this year, it would be a lot different from my favorite things that were released this year. (And with that I give a greatful shout-out to Awesome Tapes From Africa, (which I discovered thanks to 17 dots) as I did last year).
And last and least my shameful self plug for my absolute favorite album that I released myself this year Aposemat – Who murdered the Mountain? Tunecore is easy, cheap and fun.
I do think that eMusic has been opening up the range of what they feature of late, and I think it does a good job of letting customers and prospective customers know what eMusic has to offer. That being said, tastes will still vary. I listened to the “7th Moon” samples and it really wasn’t for me, but I’m still open to checking out new kinds of music when eMusic puts it out there, such as the album at the top of 17 dots right now. I don’t generally listen to music that isn’t in English, but I’m certainly willing to try, and I don’t expect to go from listening to AC Newman and Kevin barnes to immediately dive into African music. It’s really just a matter of checking otu certain things until it “clicks”, and I think the eMusic top 88 did a good job of pointing users of the site towards some stronger works.
@Dub
maybe you should read this thread
http://17dots.com/2008/12/10/what-we-like/
Ok, just noticed the artists of the year page – Bon Iver has made quite the sweep – Best Album, one of the Best Artists, among the Most Underrated AND Most Overrated!!! It’s really his/their year.
@ Nergal, thanks for the link, I’d missed that thread on here.
I’m not sure what it is that sometimes gets to me about the music that I was mentioning above and how it’s much more heavily promoted here and on emusic, but I rarely hear it. I live fairly centrally in one of, if not the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, London. I get out and about a lot, I know lots of people from all sorts of backgrounds. I do hear that sort of music as background sometimes, coming from shops, cars and so on, but the vast majority of music that I hear through other peoples’ choice is not that sort, be it in their homes , be it their choice at home, or what their kids, uncle, sister, grandparents…… play, or out and about.
Maybe I need to hang out with mall rats, tune into XFM or BBC Radio 1, or something. But in all honesty, most of it sounds like something else that’s been done before, I really can’t think of any revolutionary direction that the basic drums, bass and guitar rock music has gone in over recent years, nothing that’s within a country mile of what Hendrix did, say. Yet in other fields of music I hear new sounds being opened up on a far more regular basis, i.e. dubstep, new jazz sounds ……I really don’t hear that from Bon Gas Copy Foxes Weekend or whatever they’re called.
I agree with the other thread’s sentiments about bulking out emusic’s catalogue with ‘tribute’ music. Sometimes indie music seems to be taken as virtually equating to indie rock music, eMusic has numerous independent labels, which encompass a massive range of musical types, which is what it’s strength is to me. But maybe concentrating on original than so many covers acts wouldn’t go amiss.
” I really can’t think of any revolutionary direction that the basic drums, bass and guitar rock music has gone in over recent years,”
Ha you should talk to my friend “The Dubtful Guest”(http://www.emusic.com/artist/The-Doubtful-Guest-MP3-Download/11919423.html) she just came back to the states from 8 years in london and is saying the same thing
that said I respectfully disagree, here’s a short incomplete list: Cases in point (though I agree they are rare):
Portishead Third
Tool Anything
Sigur Ros (available on eMusic)
Twighlight Sad (available on eMusic)
Beck
DeVotchKa
Followed by Ghosts (available on eMusic)
God Speed You Black Emperor! (available on eMusic)
Mum (available on eMusic)
Lambchop (available on eMusic)
Cracker (available on eMusic)
Mars Volta
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (of Mars Volta) (available on eMusic)
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings (not really a new thing but an old thing done well) (available on eMusic)
Silver Mt Zion (available on eMusic)
Zero 7 (available on eMusic)
Okay, time for a tangentially related rant: stop using the word “users” to describe us, RIGHT THIS MINUTE. We’re not users. We’re MEMBERS.
We dipped our toes into the emu waters with a trial MEMBERship. After that we bought our way into MEMBERship.
I’ll accept “subscriber,” if only because it’s a teensy bit less dehumanizing than “user.”
I take that back. I refuse to accept the word subscriber either. I don’t sit back passively and wait for music to show up on a regular basis. I aggressively and obsessively check recommended disks, pore over freshly ripped tracks, click every new promo banner, read every feature and review of the day. I DO this regularly, but I DOWNLOAD in feverish bursts. Does this sound like a subscription to you?
More important, I pore over every post and comment here, and on the message boards. There are people in both places who I look forward to hearing from on a regular basis — I can’t wait to see what Yancey’s not listening to! — and whose judgement I’ve come to especially value because of how it how well it fits with mine, or how engagingly it challenges me. I know you editor folks feel the same, because you’re kind enough to tell us.
In this way, our mutual obsession, including our obsessions with each other, becomes a relationship.
What’s nastier than being a “user” in a relationship? What’s more disrespectful than calling someone a “user” who’s not one? It’s among a handful of words that should only be used in the direst of conditions, maybe not even until all hope of salvaging the relationship has been lost.
We’re not users. We’re not subscribers. We’re members of a community that we’re fostering together. Communities grow when its members see the truth about themselves reflected, and embrace it.
We’re not users. We’re not subscribers. We’re members.
I can’t believe the Dub Trio album is nowhere on the list.
The eMusic members really missed out on this one…
” I really can’t think of any revolutionary direction that the basic drums, bass and guitar rock music has gone in over recent years,”
Battles – Mirrored
Just because I like to hype that album any chance I get…
‘@ Nergal An interesting list, some of it’s not bad at all. It’s good to have Portishead releasing new stuff after so long. I really like Sharon Jones, though not a new sound it’s updated, other Daptone acts are well worth checking out too, Like Budos Band, Menahan Street Band, as are Orgone and other Ubiquity acts.
Twilight Sad do sound a bit different to how many others that I was knocking do, quite like them in fact.
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Mars Volta are not bad either.
Personally I’ve never really been able to get into the Godspeed/A Silver Mt Zion sound, some of it reminds me of some early-70′s ‘art/prog’ rock, Followed by Ghosts are more accessible to me, chill-out instrumental rock?
Lambchop to my ears sound like some other 70′s music, soft rock I think it was called then. Mum, I guess you mean the Icelandic band, not the Viennese one, along with Sigur Ros are capable of making interesting sounds, but I’m not sure that it’s outstandingly different to anything else. The latter, along with Zero 7 are not available on emusic here, other than a few tracks on compilations (nor is Mirrored by Battles, Giaddon).
I’ll agree that there are some interesting sounds made by acts on your list, but I’m not convinced that there’s anything there by the basic drums bass guitar acts, that stands out in a way that Hendrix did, or punk when it stirred things up in the mid-70′s, nor how other genres of music have had recent major new directions taken. Always interesting to see what other people rate though and I’m open to new directions in sounds, in most genres, though have never been into opera or c & w in any way.
@ porieux Is that Dub Trio album worth persevering with? I didn’t think it sounded that hot after a few listens, should I persevere with it?
“The UK, EU, and CA lists are all up as well….”
No 1 on the UK list gets no artist credit/hyperlink, like all of the rest do.
@ porieux Is that Dub Trio album worth persevering with? I didn’t think it sounded that hot after a few listens, should I persevere with it?
One of the best albums of 2008. I can’t guarantee that you will like it however…I could tell it was great on first listen so maybe it’s not for you.
I’m thrilled that Bon Iver hit the #1 spot – I love that he challenges the status quo of he Wisconsin hunter (yay WI!). Anywho… just wanted to stop by and claim the Alice’s mirror quote for Deerhunter as mine.
Look, ma! Not a rant! Just a suggestion re: links between lists. There aren’t enough of ‘em.
You can’t get to any year-end member lists from the editor’s list….even though you CAN get to the editor list from any of the member lists (“We’ve had our turn…”)
You can’t get to either the editors lists or any member lists from the Underrated/Overrated page.
You can’t get to any of other regional lists from any one of them. Or is only mentioning them here intended as a way to filter out “How come I can’t download The White Stripes in the US? They’re American!” comments?
And not to put too fine a point on it, am I missing a link to the full US list from this post?
I can’t even find the area of the site where these things are featured anymore. Where is the magazine? Where are the features? Why are these things that you put so much work into hidden away?
Here:
http://www.emusic.com/magazine/cover.html
“I can’t even find the area of the site where these things are featured anymore. . . . Why are these things that you put so much work into hidden away?”
BUMPity BuMpity BuMP
I agree – I wish editorial content (magazine) was easier to find. The only way I’m able to find things nowadays is a) remembering the name of the dozen or whatever or b) recalling what appeared on the list and hope it’s listed under “discover.” Please bring back the magazine link!
yeah, editorial stuff is very hard to find. it’s lame. but one day in the not too distant future, it will be very easy to find. we’re getting there! thx guys.
That’s good the magazine features will be coming back!
to be clear, qwyn, the magazine is still alive — you see it in the notes from the digital underground section on the homepage. what i am talking about will be a nice, clean index/archive.
hey yancey – I got what you meant. I’m all about a nice index/archive for the editorial features.
My Top Ten was…At least I think I had to vote in a hurry and from my work computer and didn’t have all my lists, but it should have been:
10. The Raveonettes Lust Lust Lust
9. The Raconteurs Counsouler’s of the Lonely (thanks to Emusic Europe I had to buy this in a music store, bastards. But I heard about it on 17 I believe.)
8. Apparat Walls
7. The Walkmen You and Me
6. Black Mountain In the Future
5. Cass McCombs Dropping the Writ
4. She Keeps Bees Nests
3. The RAA Hometowns
2. Liam Finn I’ll be Lightening
1. Rafter Sex Death Cassette
My top ten was, to my best knowledge:
10 – Tapes ‘n Tapes – Walk it Off
9 – Bodies of Water – A Certain Feeling
8 – Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago
7 – Of Montreal – Skeletal Lamping
6 – Shearwater – Rooks
5 – The Rosebuds – Life Like
4 – Breathe Owl Breathe – Ghost Glacier EP
3 – Ra Ra Riot – The Rhumb Line (since has become my #2)
2 – Okkervil River – The Stand-Ins
1 – Murder by Death – Red of Tooth and Claw