MFR's First Annual Readers Poll: 2007

Thanks to all of you readers who participated by sending in your polls! You responded in exactly the way we hoped you would. In many cases, we were pleasantly
surprised by the results. Especially noteworthy is the hometown love for acts such as alterna-rapper Brother Ali and Replacements disciples The Evening Rig. Furthermore, LCD Soundsystem being voted both one of the most innovative and overpraised albums is definitely worth pointing out (Ditto Arcade Fire). Unexpected entries from Ted Leo, Pissed Jeans, and MPLS-based Skoal Kodiak were results that were met with chagrin and delight.

Here now are the records of the year in terms of innovation; in terms of songwriting/listenability; the 5 overlooked records of the year; and the 5 overpraised records of the year. Tomorrow, we'll have our staff picks for all of these categories. In the meantime, here's the list, along with MP3s from each selection. Enjoy!

The Ten Best Records Of 2007: Innovation:

1. Animal Collective – Strawberry Jam
Download: Animal Collective- "Chores"

2. Radiohead – In Rainbows
Download: Radiohead - "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi"

3. Panda Bear – Person Pitch
Download: Panda Bear - "Take Pills"

4. Aesop Rock – None Shall Pass
Download: Aesop Rock - "None Shall Pass"

5. Battles – Mirrored
Download: Battles - "Atlas"

6. Liars – Liars
Download: Liars - "Freak Out"

7. LCD Soundsystem – Sound Of Silver
Download: LCD Soundsystem - "North American Scum"

8. Pissed Jeans - Hope For Men
Download: Pissing Jeans - "People Person"

9. Skoal Kodiak - Three People Are Keep Having Grape Emergency's
Stream songs at Skoal Kodiak's MySpace Page

10. Brother Ali – The Undisputed Truth
Download Brother Ali - "Truth Is"

Runner-up: Dan Deacon - Spiderman Of The Rings
Download: Dan Deacon - "The Crystal Cat"

The Ten Best Records Of 2007: Songwriting/Listenability:

1. The National – Boxer
Download: The National - "Apartment Story"

2. The White Stripes – Icky Thump
Download: The White Stripes - "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do What You're Told)"

3. Ted Leo And The Pharmacists – Living With The Living
Download: Ted Leo And The Pharmacists - "The Sons of Cain"

4. Kanye West - Graduation
Download: Kanye West - "Can't Tell Me Nothing"

5. Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
Download: Arcade Fire - "Intervention"

6. Andrew Bird – Armchair Apocrypha
Download: Andrew Bird - "Heretics"

7. Jens Lekman – Night Falls Over Kortedala
Download: Jens Lekman - "A Postcard To Nina"

8. New Pornographers – Challengers
Download: The New Pornographers - "Unguided"

9. Tegan And Sara - The Con
Download: Tegan and Sara - "The Con"

10. The Evening Rig - Never Been'Er
Download: The Evening Rig - "Playing House"

Runner-up: Feist - The Reminder
Download: Feist - "I Feel It All"

The 5 Most Overlooked Records Of 2007:

1. Lamps - LampsLampsLamps
Listen to songs at the band's MySpace Page

2. Nicole Atkins - Neptune City
Download: Nicole Atkins - "The Way It Is"

3. Cinematic Orchestra – Ma Fleur
Download: Cinematic Orchestra - "Breathe" (feat. Fontella Bass)

4. Explosions In The Sky - All The Sudden I Miss Everyone
Download: Explosions In The Sky - "Welcome Ghosts"

5. Blockhead - Uncle Tony's Coloring Book
Download: Blockhead - "Cheer Up, You're Not Dead Yet"

Runner-up: Brother Ali - The Undisputed Truth
Download: Brother Ali - "Take Me Home"

The 5 Most Overpraised Records Of 2007:

1. Deerhunter - Cryptograms
Download - Deerhunter - "White Ink"

2. MIA – Kala
Download: MIA - "Bamboo Banga"

3. Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
Download: Arcade Fire - "No Cars Go"

4. Interpol – Our Love To Admire
Download: Interpol - "Pioneer to the Falls"

5. LCD Soundsystem – Sound Of Silver
Download: LCD Soundsystem - "New York I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down"

Runner-Up: Kanye West – Graduation
Download: Kanye West - "Stronger"

Buy all the albums mentioned here at your local brick-and-mortar record stores.

(MFR Staff)

Reminder: Reader's Polls Are Due On Monday

So far, exactly none of you have sent in your submissions to our first ever reader's poll. Ouch, baby. Very ouch. But that's alright, because you still have the weekend, which is plenty of time to participating by sending your top ten lists to info@minneapolisfuckingrocks.com (though it's the holidays, so not even the fact that you have Saturday and Sunday off is a guarantee for free time).

ANYWHO, here are the rules once again: Take your favorite 25 records of the year, and split them into three categories. Ten albums that you thought were the most innovative, creative, and challenging records of the year; ten albums that you thought displayed the best songwriting/craftmenship, or were the best in sheer listenability; and the 5 albums that you thought were underrated. Lastly, list 5 records that you thought were overrated.

Polls are due on this Monday. The day after we tally the votes, we'll put up or one poll. Sounds good?

Once again, the email is info@minneapolisfuckingrocks.com

(MFR Staff)

Hey You! Yes, You Reading This Through Either Elbo.Ws Or The RSS Feed! Participate In MFR's First Ever Reader's Poll!!!!

Hey there Readers -

Us folk here at the blog decided to conduct our first ever readers poll. Hopefully, this will become our annual feature, but that all depends on your level of participation. All you have to do is think of 25 records you thought were the best in 2007 and divide them up into three different categories.

The first category? The top ten records in terms of sonic creativity and artistic innovation.

What we mean in this category are the albums that you thought did the best job of pushing the soundscape envelope and were ambitious in their vision and scope. For example, you might think about listing EL-P’s I’ll Sleep When Your Dead (for being a dystopian futuristic sci-fi hip-hop album); Battles’ Mirrored; To Kill A Petty Bourgeiosie’s The Patron; or Kala by M.I.A.

Now think of the ten albums this year that you thought were the best in terms of sheer listenablity and songcraft. These would be records that didn’t necessarily re-invent the musical wheel, but did an awe-inspiring job of creating the music that we play over and over again. Perhaps one might list Feist’s The Reminder; Boxer by The National; Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible; or Cold & Kind by The 1900s.

As for records that may split the difference, such as Of Montreal's Hissing Fauna or LCD Soundsystem's Sound Of Silver? That’s entirely up to you. We’d hope that these distinctions will inspire debate amongst yourselves which will be a constructive way of discussing how one should value the merits of a record.

After that, think of the 5 most overlooked records of the year and 5 of the most over-praised albums of the year. Once you have done of all that, send in your lists to info@minneapolisfuckingrocks.com and we’ll tally them up and display the results on the blog. Then, the next day, we will reveal our own picks with a list and MP3s of the bands who we chose.

Deadline line for the poll is a week from today (Monday, Dec. 17). Hope you participate and we look forward to hearing what you have to say.

Once again, here is our email: info@minneapolisfuckingrocks.com

(MFR Staff)