most regrettable choice for album of the year, as chosen by THE WIRE

http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lsz4f4rlU41qj2iteo1_500.gif

2006: Burial - Burial

dunno if regrettable is the word i'd choose, least essential maybe. quite a few "of their moment" choices here but there's nothing intrinsically wrong with being of yr moment. don't think either of the SY records are anything to shout about, Debut is Bjork's least good album for me, Comicopera is good but i dunno that it's in Wyatt's front rank, the Mouse on Mars joint isn't all that. only one i don't know at all is James Ferraro.

wd it be mischievous to point out how some of these choices are like reiterations of the same album a few years down the line? Maxinquaye into London Zoo, Dummy becomes Burial etc

wd probly vote for Thousand Leaves but i suppose i shd check this Ferraro dude

Huh, I think most of these actually stand up over the years. Was expecting more lolsome results. I guess I'll go with Burial.

wtf is actress

Also, voting for Ferraro is a sure sign that you're not actually engaging with the question (even if you set the question yourself, ahem). It's a knee-jerk zing reaction that shows no intellectual engagement with the issues behind what would make any of these regrettable, or why.

what are the "intellectual issues" on a joke poll on second-string ilx?

Voted Vespertine. Really, really loathe that record. Turned me off Björk for good.

Also, voting for Ferraro is a sure sign that you're not actually engaging with the question (even if you set the question yourself, ahem). It's a knee-jerk zing reaction that shows no intellectual engagement with the issues behind what would make any of these regrettable, or why.

― Illia Rump (emil.y), Sunday, December 11, 2011 11:04 AM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Permalink

Well, I would like a discussion about what makes these regrettable. Like I think common wisdom is "LOLZ ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT" but I honestly think 3 Years is easily one of the three or four best albums on that list!

I mean, i think what defines regrettable is 1. "This critical acclaim for this album, this artist and and this music has no legs" and 2. "This album is actually bad"

And while trip-hop, backpacker rap and IDM have all bowed out of the race earlier than anticipated, I'm def not gonna shit on those albums by Tricky, APC and Mouse On Mars. Ferrero-brand lolzwave is not only gonna be a national punchline in like 7 months but the dude is completely worthless (see pic)

can you give us a preview now of what kind of james ferraro jokes will be in jay leno monologues in july?

Well, Arrested Development and two of the Robert Wyatt records I don't really know all the way through, so I can't judge. I thought AD had a bit of a critical reappraisal, though?

i had a half second where i was like "yeah, isn't the arrested development guy in that shabazz palace thing now? no wait that's another lol early 90s crit rap group"

Oh, and what am I supposed to be seeing in the picture that illustrates a human being's complete lack of worth?

"regrettable" i guess refers to those vagary of fashion decisions yeah, like Arrested Development stopped being cool very quickly amongst a certain constituency but that is still a solid album, i feel similar about the Antipop record which was burdened with all that horrible "future of rap" shit at the time from people who knew fuck all about rap, but in its own niche that's a good album that's probably easier to hear outside of any idiot ideas of cool. Burial will be in the same proper neutral zone in another 4 or 5 years i guess.

Three Robert Wyatt records! I like all their most recent #1s.
I don't understand what is James Ferraro and why this is a thing. The picture is not illuminating.

his keyboard and his hand drum are both pitifully small, it's a disgrace

james ferraro/the skaters have been around for years now. never been a fan but dont get the 'lol' now.

Oh, and what am I supposed to be seeing in the picture that illustrates a human being's complete lack of worth?

― Illia Rump (emil.y), Sunday, December 11, 2011 11:21 AM (20 minutes ago) Bookmark Permalink

his entire set up is a child's toy that he doesn't know how to play and a Line 6 pedal

I mean, i saw him play a show in brooklyn and it was literally one of the most insulting things I've ever seen. Just embarrassing for everyone. It's a huge con.

skaters rule

Why is the keyboard a "child's toy"?

As a keyboard player, I'm feeling pretty insulted here, by the way.

you should be! james ferraro is not a keyboard player!

(Also, how am I supposed to gather from the picture that he doesn't know how to play it? The fact that it's got writing on it? I've seen fucking loads of very talented players with keyboards w/ writing on, for various reasons.)

xpost - that still doesn't answer why you describe it as a "child's toy" (nor in fact why if it were a child's toy that would be an inherently bad thing)

emily, i've seen him, he can't play it

his show was literally like watching a 10 year old play his Casio for the first time in front of a crowd of paying adults. Atrocious.

Emily, if your keyboard friends are playing with more than two fingers, they're def far out of my crosshairs on this

No, I mean, it's fair enough if his live show is shitty shit shit. I like the album from this year, kind of boggled that it was #1, but I don't think it's a big problem if that was the consensus pick for Wire writers - the list as a whole was a bit strange to me.

My main problem with what you're saying is that the picture doesn't show that he's shit and worthless! At all. And you're not really backing up your claim by saying that you've seen him and thus know - what you were saying was that all we needed to do was look at the picture. Lies! Vicious lies.

(Also, you can be a good keyboard player and play with only one finger, you know. That's the difference between playing piano and playing synth.)

Saying that about the picture was a trolly joke, emily, sheesh!

I might still be drunk. Not saying this has anything to do with anything, but... just saying.

i saw the skaters live three times, and each time they were p amazing - totally made manifest a spooked, zoned out 'otherness' that was incredibly persuasive and exciting and p unique - technique, or o/wise, didn't come into it, didn't matter. ferraro's music since then hasn't been quite so interesting, to me, but this alb chosen by the wire is clever, quite skillfully made, and yes, some of the ideas behind it are interesting and worth exploring - there's certainly much more to it than retro nostalgia, ironic appropriation or whatevs. and the songtitles are great - i esp like 'condo pets'.

It's almost as if I don't really believe that about the photo, but it would be a funnier way of trying to prove my point! :P

wd probly vote for Thousand Leaves but i suppose i shd check this Ferraro dude

― Ban (Julie Lagger), Sunday, 11 December 2011 15:53 (1 hour ago) Bookmark

srsly ATL is the best thing on here by a lot

Voted Arrested Development.

I like the ferraro.

Voting A Thousand Leaves as well.

1992: Arrested Development - 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life of... idk
1993: Bjork - Debut fair enough idk who cares
1994: Portishead - Dummy "
1995: Tricky - Maxinquaye "
1996: Tortoise - Millions Now Living Will Never Die a bad precedent
1997: Robert Wyatt - Shleep they do things differently there
1998: Sonic Youth - A Thousand Leaves ...
1999: Mouse On Mars - Niun Niggung fair enough
2000: Antipop Consortium - Tragic Epilogue probably one of the more defensible modish choices
2001: Björk - Vespertine idk couldnt they vote for confield or sthing just this once
2002: Sonic Youth - Murray Street controversial uptown outfit the youth will have been delighted
2003: Robert Wyatt - Cuckooland w/e
2004: Albert Ayler - Holy Ghost Box Set filial piety from the wireites
2005: The Books – Lost & Safe no, not this
2006: Burial - Burial u can see why but no
2007: Robert Wyatt - Comicopera oh christ
2008: The Bug - London Zoo tschhhh
2009: Broadcast & The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age lol
2010: Actress - Splazsh resposible for one of my most bile ridden aspiebait threads so good work
2011: James Ferraro - Far Side Virtual guessing this is pleasantly waste

that james ferraro album is hilarious

Oh I wish I could read that Actress thread now.

xp the Casio SK-1 has tiny keys and a low sample rate but I wouldn't call it a "child's toy". Monomes, Gameboys, Tenori-Ons, Ableton Live; those are toys.

maybe whiney doesnt realize it's a joke?

Damn I hope im not soundin like some headbanger mad at Tenacious D

If it's some joke then kudos, but actually liking it is lower than ca. 2010 "DIE ANTWOORD GOT CHOONS" revisionism

I entirely understand someone hating the Ferraro album but for better or worse it doesn't really sound like anything else so I don't see how it's going to embody any sort of collective attitude

btw best albums on this list are Bug, Ayler and Arrested Development real talk

lolling @ the wire is so fun

whiney please nominate your top five albums of "wire music" for 2011

The Ferraro record stands out as the least, uh, crafty of all these records, for sure.

i like those bjork records, portishead, the ayler i've never heard but i'm sure it's good

i'm listening to ferraro now oh wait i had to turn it off because i get the "joke" which just leaves unlistenable casio music

Mm, ok, put that way I see what you mean. Maybe Burial's first album is the best example of "you had to have heard it then" or something.

I reckon Untrue should have beaten Comicopera, but The Drift should have beaten the first Burial one.

wire top trumps

yeah, Untrue got beaten on beard length

swans were robbed at the death

For what is worth Niun Niggung is fucking class and anyone who disagrees is a cloth eared cave dwelling cunt in a Hillman Hunter.

http://pablochiste.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/forrest_gump_303722x.jpg

How does one justify dismissing ATL as MOR and then in the same post call Murray Street great?

Like Murray Street is basically ATL with all the awesome unsettling skronk excised...

The Burial album is still grebt tbh, fuiud

― lebateauivre, Monday, December 12, 2011 7:03 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Permalink

kinda redundant after his second album though, imo

― los krampusinos! (pomplamau5), Monday, December 12, 2011 7:08 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Permalink

lol

How does one justify dismissing ATL as MOR and then in the same post call Murray Street great?

― massachusetts_capricorns_cru (henrietta lacks), Monday, December 12, 2011 7:39 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Permalink

Like Murray Street is basically ATL with all the awesome unsettling skronk excised...

― massachusetts_capricorns_cru (henrietta lacks), Monday, December 12, 2011 7:42 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Permalink

my favorite songs on each are "Rain On Tin" and "Wildflower Soul" so all i care about is the hippie epix

otm. I kinda forgot about wildflower soul. that's a good one.

i loved A Thousand Leaves at the time but it hasn't aged well, partly because the performances are a little lacking and partly because it's the only SY album longer than Daydream Nation and doesn't really justify it. some great songs here and there, though.

when Thousand Leaves wins this just wanna point out i wasn't saying it was a terrible record just pointless and unexceptional like every SY joint post Sister

thanks for the challops bro

it's only challops if everybody in SY doesn't agree with me

If I'm in the wrong mood ATY sounds boring (and Kim screechy), but "Hoarfrost" (my favorite Ranaldo song ever) and "Hits of Sunshine" never fail to grab me.

Al has a better memory about this than I do: didn't ATY score well in the late nineties Sonic Youth poll?

iirc in the poll of 90s albums it got left in the dust by dirty and washing machine and goo

man washing machine was a great album

^^^^^^

Am I missing something with this "ATY" acronym?

believe it was a play on the length & tediousness of the record, fans called it "A Thousand Years". I like it just fine though.

sonic youth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y21VecIIdBI

after a lot of thought i think i'm voting for vespertine because ugh, but then that books record never announced itself as anything noteworthy to me either, and then i've never heard a robert wyatt record but i guess i trust his pedigree

feel like one day that burial record is going to shrug off the gross stigma that you all attach to it

also wtf @ anyone who denounced the last few years of picks, the broadcast and actress records are pretty great and i much prefer kind of modest list toppers that just happened to be liked by a lot of people than, um, attempts at pinning the musical accomplishments of a year on one album

which may not be an accurate reflection of how lists are made but that's kind of how they come off every year forever

yeah that Broadcast record rules school

this thread is a p effective advertisement for the qualities of that ferraro record atp

Robert Wyatt steady has the shittiest album titles of any legacy artist

this thread is a p effective advertisement for the qualities of that ferraro record atp

? ?(?_ ?)?, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 05:54 (8 hours ago) Permalink

net etiquette says you should not provide unsolicited negative feedback but

'far side virtual' is by far the most worthless thing on here.

? nuhnuhnuh, Monday, 12 December 2011 21:57 (Yesterday) Permalink

it's ugly, stupid, pretentious, and you can't even dance to it.

? nuhnuhnuh, Monday, 12 December 2011 21:58 (Yesterday) Permalink

maybe Ferraro is so bad that it will fade into obscurity and then get rediscovered by people who never grew up hearing the Microsoft Windows midi sound.

? skip, Monday, 12 December 2011 23:05 (Yesterday) Permalink

just FYI. I want to vote bjork twice but I can't.

counterpoint

this thread is a p effective advertisement for the qualities of that ferraro record atp

― є(٥_ ٥)э, Tuesday, December 13, 2011 5:54 AM (8 hours ago) Bookmark Permalink

otm. if JF makes our year end list it will be because of this thread. I'm still convinced that the reason four out of five GAPDY artists made the 09 albums top 10 was because of that damned acronym

OK, now I've actually heard the James Ferraro record, it is both hilarious and oddly compelling.

It is like a Steve Reich piece recorded by LOLcats.

And that Wire blog explaining how it came to be number one all written in maths, like "this album being number one is due to a glitch in statistical analysis" is one of the most brilliant pieces of writing I've read all year.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

tschh

Broadcast & The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age 2

I curse whoever these two posters are

Yeah that record is so good.

i listened to the first books record cuz of this thread & i think it still holds up p well

What's this hate for Arrested Development all about

they are lazy and terrible

There are a staggering number of lurkers btw. We've done 35gb of traffic in 10 days. They could crush you, if they weren't all hiding. listening to jeff buckley

The first two Books records are great, Lost & Safe is not. Odd choice really.

Best venue excuse I ever heard: "Sorry, we thought we'd get a good crowd tonight, but Arrested Development is playing down the street." Charlotte, NC circa 2005.

hey Lamp & mookie you seem to like Laika, you guys listen much to Moonshake? I was just playing Eva Luna and, man, I've had that album for about 15 years and it still just keeps getting better and better...

wow wrong thread

late robert wyatt is generally p bad but their affection for him is kind of touching. probably i would have voted mouse on mars because i mean come on

Come on what?

re: Ayler boxset. Knew of its existence but had no idea that he played w/Cecil and Graves...I've been asleep.

The early-to-mid 90s #1s are really gd. I guess people forget that Wire were staffed w/writers from both the Jazz AND the indie/pop end of the music press.

Not that I'll check but somehow doubt the latest crop of writers from the NME will get near so I wd guess (and I've only bought a cpl of issues in the last year) most of the writers come from the Merzbow end of the music paperless press.

That and K-Punk.

re: Ayler boxset. Knew of its existence but had no idea that he played w/Cecil and Graves...I've been asleep.

Graves was his go-to drummer for about a year and a half (he's on Love Cry). He didn't play much with Cecil: the snippet on the box may be the only time they played together. Supposedly, Jimmy Lyons (Cecil's alto saxophonist) wasn't a fan of Ayler's playing. But the Cecil-Ayler collaboration was long thought to be just a rumor before the box surfaced.