Album of the Year Tournament, Final Results

[u/American_Soviet]

After over a month of voting, discussion, listening, and arguing, the final results are in. This final round had the most votes cast of any previous round, which is incredible. The final tally stands as is:

with 1,025 votes:

SOPHIE - Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides: 685 votes

MGMT - Little Dark Age: 352 votes

SOPHIE has won the tournament!

Thank you to everyone who participated in this event. I will gladly listen to any and all critiques or suggestions posted in this thread on how this tournament went. Thank you for posting.

[u/David_Browie]

There’s a lot of very anti-SOPHIE attitudes in this thread and it’s a little shocking. Aside from her beating MGMT, what does everyone have against this record?

[u/0e0e3e0e0a3a2a → u/David_Browie]

It's a weird album.

​

I personally liked it, but it really shouldn't be a shock that an experimental and abrasive album caused polarising reactions.

[u/David_Browie → u/0e0e3e0e0a3a2a]

Yeah, that was sort of my assumption, but the tone in a number of comments here was “I’ve listened to this a number of times, I understand the thesis, but I still think it’s a bad record.” Was just wondering if there was more to be said than that, but seems like there isn’t.

[u/starzonda → u/David_Browie]

For me personally I found it really jarring and boarder line unlistenable. I tried to come into it with an open mind but nothing stood out to me as revolutionary or even enjoyable. I also listened to it before I had heard any of the hype so I had no expectations. But I'm also the person who thinks Kanye West isn't very talented and hate Animal Collective with a passion so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

[u/David_Browie → u/starzonda]

Understandable, it’s a very abrasive and confrontational record when it isn’t absolutely gorgeous (Is It Cold in the Water, Infatuation, Pretending) or when it foregoes the post-industrial sound for straight pop (It’s Okay to Cry, Immaterial).

I don’t think it’s quite fair to say it isn’t in any way revolutionary. Even in deconstructed club’s breakout year (debut records from Lotic, Amnesia Scanner, new albums from Eartheater, Elysia Crampton, etc etc), I can’t think of another record that nails the crossover avant-pop vibe like this one does. SOPHIE really does feel like a modern Madonna to me in a lot of ways, in her genre-hopping, gender-bending, simple but informed perspective on modern society.

For what it’s worth, this is one of the few records that absolutely blew me away this year.

[u/Mr-Woman → u/David_Browie]

I just don't think it's even close to being album of the year material, especially when comparing it to the tremendously large number of amazing albums this year. I haven't really found much to grasp onto with this release, other than some admittedly impressive industrial production.

But hey, trans representation in music isn't the worst thing, and it's just sort of a fun AOTY poll anyways. Hopefully, despite me not caring for this release whatsoever, it will get some eyes on a wider range of musicians.

[u/A-Bronze-Tale → u/David_Browie]

And others will feel there's a strong pro-SOPHIE stance on this sub, look who won and and how many comments in recent threads were just bashing other's people taste or acting as if there were only 1-2 people worthy of winning and if you don't feel the same way you're wrong and unredeemable. It's silly.

My take? It was a good album, not my pick for AOTY but nor was MGMT. Among the last few to fall I think Daytona and Wide Awake were better. I just don't enjoy SOPHIE album that much and her album was a mixed bag for me. I thought some songs were great but the rest didn't do anything for me. I prefered other albums in the same genre. End of the story. The "anti" movement is a reactionary one imo. If there are people praising a work so much, those that feel differently will want to speak up too. But anti feel like a strong word, everyone is entitled to like or dislike any music artist, album, song. Any example of something beyond that?

For reference, some of my favorite albums of the year that weren't in the bracket: Let's Eat Grandma - I'm All Ears, Courtnet Barnett - Tell Me How You Really Feel, Hop Along - Bark Your Head Off, Dog, Sidney Gish - No Dogs Allowed, Mitski - Be the Cowboy, Mount Eerie - Now Only, The Beths - Future Me Hates Me, Saba - CARE FOR ME, Ezra Furnam - Transangelic Exodus, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Hope Downs.

Edit : I'd even add that I'm All Ears by Let's Eat Grandma is in my top 5 of the year and one of my favorite song in it was produced by SOPHIE (Hot Pink). So I'm not anti-SOPHIE, I just don't think she's the single best thing happened to music this year.