OFFICIAL THREAD FOR 2004 ALBUMS & SONGS POLL

ELIGIBILITY:

Albums:

Album elligibility will be treated very leniently--albums from late last year that didn't get their due until this year, or weren't released in your country until this year, or have leaked but won't be technically released until later this year, will all count. The only thing I ask is that you don't include any albums that already made their rounds on a good number of year-end polls last year--check Acclaimed Music if you have any questions and see if an album is featured prominently on the 2003 lists.

Songs:

If a song appeared for the first time this year on any format (a/b-side, album track, comp track), it is eligible. If it was released on an album last year but not as a single until this year (i.e. Jay-Z's "99 Problems), it is eligible. If it was released as a single last year but did not chart in your home country until this year (i.e. Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Maps" in the U.S. or Khia's "My Neck, My Back" in the U.K.), it is eligible. A song is not eligible, however, if it appeared on a compilation for the first time this year but was already available previously (i.e. LCD Soundsystem's "Beat Connection," which was already widely known before being on DFA Comp #2).

Compilations:

Any sort of band compilation, best-of or miscellaneous (i.e. This is Music or Beehives) is elligible, as are label comps (Kompakt 100), genre comps (Left of the Dial) and DJ mixes, of both old and new (Unclassics and Daddy G's DJ Kicks). Re-issues are eligible as well, but only if they substantially expand upon the original album, so the two-disc re-issue of Pavement's Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain would be elligible, but not the unchanged re-issue of Disco Inferno's D.I. Go Pop.

Votes/Scoring:

You'll be voting for a maximum of 20 albums, 20 songs, and 10 compilations. You can also submit lists for 10 albums, 10 songs or 5 compilations, but they will be scored on a lower scale. The compilations, for instance, will be as such for a list of 10:

#1--25 votes
#2--19 votes
#3--16 votes
#4--14 votes
#5--12 votes
...
#10--2 votes

but for a list of five, it'd be like:

#1--25 votes
#2--16 votes
#3--12 Votes
#4--8 Votes
#5--4 Votes

Lists must be of either 20 or 10 (or 5, in the case of the comps). Lists of 13 will have the bottom three chopped, etc. Too difficult to score.

This part is subject to change if people don't like it. I think it works well.

BLURBS:

I'd like to get a substantial number of blurbs for this, even if not every album is covered--I think it'd be a lot more enjoyable to read or whatever. So what I'd like you all to do is that when you vote, put a star or something next to albums you'd be willing to write a small blurb for (or a large one, if you feel like getting all deep). If you're cool with writing a blurb for anything, you godlike human being, just make a note of that somewhere. If you don't want to write blurbs, then that's fine, your list won't count for less or anything. Then, after the list is tabulated, I'll ask the people who volunteered to write blurbs about albums that made the list. They'll have a week to do so.

DEADLINES:

Deadline for lists: December 15
Deadline for blurbs: December 20

That's about three weeks to put your list together, I think that's enough time. If you all need more time, I can give you some, but not too much lest the list run into the new year.

IN THIS THREAD:

I'd appreciate it if people didn't post their lists in this, or any other thread. If people disagree with me than OK, but I think that the exit polling that took place with the 90s polls sorta killed some of the mystery about the poll, and I think it'd be better going in without knowing exactly what everyone voted for.

However, what I do encourage in this thread, is some serious pimping. Three weeks is a long time, and I know that I at least would love some suggestions of albums or songs that I might have missed that I can download before sending in my list. Don't post too many as to not overwhelm people with suggestions, but if there are a couple songs, comps or albums that people feel have gone underrecognized, then by all means, recommend away--bonus points for Yousendit links!

Also in this thread, if you have any questions regarding eligibility or any suggestions regarding eligibility or voting, I'd be happy to take them.

That's all (ha!). Hope you managed to get through all of this and hope you guys are going to enjoy this poll as much as I will.

http://s13.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=D4C15CA766225109E253774947D44A37

Also, DJ's post reminds me of another point: All votes for remixes on the songs poll will just go towards the original song. So if someone votes for "What You Waiting For?" and someone else votes for the Lu Cont remix, they'll be counted towards the same song. And if it makes the poll, I'll note how many of the votes were for the remix. So, you can't vote for two versions of the same song, just choose the one you like best and vote for that.

What's the scoring system for a list of 20?

#1=25
#2=20
#3=18
#4=17
#5=16
...
#20=1

But yes.

I will have to think of some things people actually know!

I wanted to make it clear to remind people that they can (and should) vote for it. Will be released only two weeks before the deadline, but it's leaked already. Check the Tracklist.

It's also available on their excellent, not limited at all CD.

This is 'obv.'?

this is a completely formulaic lu cont remix (ie. it's great), but the lyrics to the song are pretty bad.

I don't see why not. There were a real good number of two-disc re-issues of classic 10th anniversary albums this year.

This is 'obv.'?

I thought so. Neil Young's new one-disc hits album, for example, would obviously be great just taken as the songs alone, but when considering the breadth of his career, his previous history of comps, inclusions and exclusions, etc., then it might not be so classic.

I don't know whether I should vote for "What You Waiting For" original or remix. They're both great, but I don't want votes to be split.

This, Sanjay and others, is exactly why remixes and originals are going to be counted as the same song. So don't worry which one you vote for, it's all going to the same place. No vote-splitting.

Uh, hello, TAKE A CHANCE YOU STUPID HO. That is the lyrical pinnacle of "What You Waiting For?", obv.

My brain is teh drunk but I have reread this thread several times and am still not sure I understand. Can someone confirm that the MIA vs Diplo mix is an album not a compilation?

Another question I hope hasn't already been answered: can we vote for "compilations" in the general album category, too? (Like pitchers who get votes for MVP?)

If people vote strategically, doesn't that mean ten filler tracks will receive votes just to bump up the ones they actually care about? (This is all much more applicable to albums)

Then, after the list is tabulated, I'll ask the people who volunteered to write blurbs about albums that made the list. They'll have a week to do so.
....
Deadline for lists: December 15
Deadline for blurbs: December 20

Just to clarify one more thing ... I assume the list will need to be tabulated right away, so we'll likely get the blurb requests on the 16th, giving us four days to complete them, yes?

Or how about how the Andreas Churchill remix of "What You Waiting For" is stupid and boring, even though the original song and the LuCont remix are both great!

Turns the weighty melodrama of the original into one of the bounciest and most heartbreaking songs of the year. Fabulous stuff.

2Raumwohnung - 'Spiel Mit (Alter Ego Remix)'
Andreas Dorau & Justus Köhncke - 'Durch Die Nacht (Wasserman Remix)'
Annie - 'My Heartbeat'
The Arcade Fire - 'Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)'
Belle & Sebastian - 'Your Cover's Blown'
Black Strobe - 'The Abwehr Disco'
Britney Spears - 'Toxic'
Radio Dept - 'Why Won't You Talk About It?'
Rachel Stevens - 'Some Girls'
The Concretes - 'Chico (Avalanches' 'Wernham Hogg' Remix)'
Dani Siciliano - 'Walk The Line'
Destiny's Child - 'Lose My Breath'
Electrelane - 'The Valleys'
Freiland - 'Frei/Hot Love (Justus Köhncke Remix feat. Meloboy)'
Ghost Cauldron - 'Are You Conscious? (Superpitcher Remix)'
Jon Brion - 'Phone Call'
Justus Köhncke - 'Timecode'
Kelis - 'Trick Me (Basement Jaxx Remix)
Kelis - 'Get Along With You (FakeID mix)
The Knife - 'Heartbeats (Rex The Dog Remix)'
MIA - 'Galang'
The Magnetic Fields - 'I'm Tongue-Tied'
Multiplies - 'Everything Is Everyone's Fault'
Mylo - 'Drop The Pressure'
Nathan Fake - 'The Sky Was Pink' (Holden Remix)
Scissor Sisters - 'Comfortably Numb' (I know this is really old, but it wasn't a hit till January so I think it's eligible)
Shapeshifters - 'Lola's Theme'
Soulwax - 'NY Excuse (Club Version)'
The Strokes - 'Modern Girls And Old Fashioned Men (feat. Regina Spektor)'
The Streets - 'Could Well Be In'
Superpitcher - 'The Long Way'
Ulf Lohmann - 'Because Before (The Orb Remix)'
Vitalic - 'Fanfares'
The Wedding Present - 'Interstate 5'

Was the remix on the single? I haven't found it anywhere, and I've looked.

Yeah, go for it, but just don't put "Good Vibrations" as #1 just 'coz it's "Good Vibrations," y'know?

The board's back, people start voting.

Keep it up, people.

Keep 'em coming.

tell us who is currently winning and maybe then more people will vote

Switchfoot (albums) and J-Kwon (singles), but it's anybody's game, really.

Keep it up.

(As for the 20 albums, I mean. I am an albums guy and have trouble thinking of tracks)