Pazz & Jop 2004
Submitted by lbangs on Tue, 02/08/2005 - 07:52
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Village Voice posted its annual Pazz & Jop winners today. The top ten?
1) Kanye West – The College Dropout
2) Brian Wilson – SmiLE
3) Loretta Lynn – Van Lear Rose
4) Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand
5) Green Day – American Idiot
6) Arcade Fire – Funeral
7) Streets – A Grand Don’t Come For Free
8) U2 – How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
9) Modest Mouse – Good News for People Who Love Bad News
10) Danger Mouse – The Grey Album
The single of the year? Franz Ferdinand's Take Me Out.
Geez... I can't find Absolution anywhere on the 2003 list. But that I can understand - it's an album I enjoy a little more than I respect. But 'Young Liars', I swear, is one of the best albums of the decade, and it's low ranking is inexcusable.
But there again, maybe some critics weren't considering EPs. I just felt like complainin'.
Absolution suffered from the two-different-years curse. It was number 696 in 2003 and number 183 in 2004. The total votes add up to 89, which would have landed it around 152 this year, near Ray Charles' Genius Loves Company. Of course, more people voted this year than last, so the votes from 2003 have an unfair weight...
The list in the past had a separate EP list, but since that form faded a bit over the last decade, the list vanished. I personally think the format is having something of a comeback, so who knows?
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
That was my guess basically but it just struct me as a bit odd for some reason so I went looking for an explanation. *shrug*
Keep in mind that that is only a guess as well. I may have to see if I can sniff out an official explanation...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
The one thing I couldn't find is an explanation of the title of the list!
That's been the title since the list started. I think the idea was that the list represents jazz (well, at least it thought it did), pop, and all sorts of genres mixed-up and in between. To mix em, swap the bolded letters, and there ya go!
At least that's how I always took it.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Strange... I'm not seeing much jazz on there...
None, unless some of the bnads I haven't heard of are actually jazz.
Yeah, that's the contingency I was planning for with 'much'
Jazz has never been well-represented on that list, if it shows up at all...
Miles Davis' The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions does appear this year
at number 1001...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
If anything, From a basement on a hill and Real Gone should be higher.
Basement could have been bumped a bit higher, but I though Real Gone's placement was about right. It is a good TW album, but not one of my favorites of his.
Of course, it is this type of disagreement that kept our albums from placing higher! :)
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
The three albums I would have liked to see higher up are The Fiery Furances' Blueberry Boat, The Black Key's Rubber Factory, and Elvis Costello and the Imposters' The Delivery Man.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I think The Fiery Furnaces are the Emeror's new clothes, interesting band, a couple of good songs but most of it so boring.
Fair enough. I know several people who feel that way. Me, I find little boring about either of the Furnaces' albums. In fact, I find them absolutely addictive...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
L, have you considered making a top ten albums of the year list? I for one would love to see it.
Well, thanks!
My problem with albums of the year lists is that I seldom hear half the albums I wish to spin until a year or two later. Perhaps, however, I could keep a running list like I do for films.
Let me ponder...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I second AJ's motion.
That was AAA. Of course, I'd love to see that list too...
Oopsie! Sorry AAA! These quick glances always get me in trouble.
Well, I guess I have a little work cut out for me, eh?
Thanks guys. We'll see what I can hobble together.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Great Nelly Mckay tied at 11.
I didn't like the Brian Wilsom cd, only listened to the first 2 songs, Kanye West is pretty good, but number 1?
I like the Kanye West album (heck, I am the college dropout), but it was not my fave of the year either. I do, however, dig SMiLE...
Then again, Pet Sounds is one of my favorite albums.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Wow. Not a single freakin' surprise on the list. Good job, Village Voice! Uphold that faux-hip banner you've been flying for the last twenty years!
Well, this is not the Village Voice's opinion - see Christgau's Dean List for something closer to that - but a survey of hundreds of music critics across the nation.
Of course, it is the nature of polls to sand down surprises and accentuate the common.
Perhaps if VV cooked the books, we could blame the results on them more... ;)
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Yes, sorry - I asked that question before I read your (lbangs') explanation of the poll.
Nah, don't be sorry. I assumed as much (you actually posted that before I posted my explanation, I believe), so that's why I didn't respond.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
What major lists have included surprises? And, do you really think there should be many surprises, or are the best albums of each year simply the best albums?
Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts at #126?????
But the top 10 is a pretty common mix of indie and popular favorites. What did you find so notable about this list, lbangs?
I enjoy this list because it casts a rather large net over some of the country's best music critics. The tally stands as something of the definitive critical snapshot of the times.
Besides, some of the individual ballots are very interesting...
Since the list tends to skew towards the mainstream, I was a little surprised to find Arcade Fire hit the top ten (very worthy, but I guess the album has more of a following than I suspected), and the Grey Album on the 2004 list struck me as unexpected (it topped a few critics lists in 2003, I believe).
I though SMiLE would hit number one, but Mr. West's album taking the top spot is not really that big of a shock to me.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Ah, thank you for your explanation of the list. I was unaware.
Find an album you like and click on it. You should pull up a list of the critics that voted for that album. Click on the names, and you should find some individual ballots that may swerve closer to your own taste.
This is a terrific way to discover new music, IMNSHO.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I wish they arranged it so that when you click on an album, you are presented with the critics that voted for it in descending order of how highly they ranked it in their personal list. As far as I can tell, that's not the case.
I really like how they give the critics 100 points for their top ten so they can designate, for example, how much better #1 is over #2. There isn't something with a similar system for films, is there? There should be. That'd be cool.
Also, to add to what's come before, I think Mike D'Angelo uses the Village Voice system for his personal survey with his friends. I think.
This year marks the sixth anniversary of the much-younger Village Voice film poll. Oddly enough, I actually agree with the top two picks this year, and that usually is NOT the case.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Too bad they don't have one for books, as far as I can tell with a few minutes on Google. I suppose it's too much to hope for that you know of a critical consensus poll for 'best books of the year' or 'best books of the 90s' or anything like that. I found Powell's list, but it's only novels, and doesn't include 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower,' so it's crap.
Metacritc has started covering books, but no, I do not know of a list really comparable. Various papers have year-end lists, but that's about all I know of.
There is a very good magazine that covers this territory, Bookmarks.
Sorry!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Once again, thanks!
Yeah, that list actually looks pretty good, though I still haven't seen many of the films. A surprising abundance of 2003 titles, though. But most people wouldn't have seen Dogville in 2003, so at least this way it makes some list :-)
Ah, thanks. How'd I miss that one?
You were juggling running the world, being as smart and charming as you were yesterday and every day before, and trying to discover something controversial for sparking conversation here at Listology, and therefore you scanned the site too quickly and missed it about the same time you were calling AAA AJ.
Well, OK, that's just a guess...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Is it too late to open my eyes real big and cute and start sobbing that "Somebody else is using the name lukeprog!" again?
Yup.
:)
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Well, it does not seem they used quite the same point system this year as they do with the Pazz and Jop list. I thought they did in the past, but I am probably wrong as usual...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Geez, had to use acronym finder on that one. I use a billion sources to discover new music - one more won't hurt but I don't need it right now. My 'to hear' album list is as long as my 'to see' movie list. Anyway, thanks again for the tip!
I understand and relate, my friend.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I think M83 were screwed by the fact that some people counted the album as 2003.
I believe that is correct. The album placed at 347 in 2003 with 33 points.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Yeah... maybe that was it. If it is, it's strange that they wouldn't decide to consider the album for a certain year (for all their critics), though.