Album Bracketology 2020
In the midst of a pandemic, one man is writing an “album tournament.”
BY MATTHEW KAUFFMAN SMITH
[Note: Propeller’s editorial staff is working remotely, and no one has responded to messages attempting to assign an editor to Album Bracketology. As is traditional, the site will nevertheless allow Matthew Kauffman Smith to publish his double-elimination “music tournament.” His system for determining his favorite album of the previous year is confusing and his taste in music is mediocre at best. We have asked our editorial intern to post the installments. Anyone reading beyond this point does so at their own risk.]
Part 1: Early Eliminations
Part 2: Lazy Use of Letters
Part 3: Canadians
Part 4: The Hot Dog Cart
Dear Bracket Bumpkin:
Why does Album Bracketology always take place during spring break when the editors are on vacation? And why does spring break last two months in Oregon?
Sincerely,
Concerned in Canada
Hi, Concerned! Thanks for reading. This is actually the most common complaint about Album Bracketology (outside of the Propeller offices, at least): timing. We listened to you, the reader. Because we do not want to alienate our fan, this year we’re kicking off the double elimination tournament early. This gives the editorial staff the opportunity to dive into the quest for the 2019 album of the year before leaving for vacation. [PROP INTERN: Actually sorry no one on editorial read this and I didn’t get to post it for a bit because I was finishing up classes, sorry man] It also gives us a jump on finishing early this year, so that we can move on to the album of the decade (2010-19) later on this fall. You’re welcome, America (and Albania, where we continue to have a cult following).
Even though I have no symptoms of the Coronavirus, I have been asked to stay away from the Propeller offices. Thanks to technology, however, I’m able to fax in my installments. [PROP INTERN: Wow dunno if that is true, I got a link to a word doc which is kind of retro cool I guess. Working from that, sorry if I’m doing this wrong] As a reminder, Album Bracketology is an annual double-elimination tournament to crown the album of the year from the previous year. This allows us to discover the year’s best albums without having to rush. Best-of lists published in November and December of 2019 missed out on good albums from the Free Nationals and Kaytranada, among others. This is the eleventh installment of Album Bracketology, and the seventh for Propeller. From 2010-2013, the installments were released on Propeller’s unpublished sister zine, Pontoon.
As always, we plagiarize the rules from years before. Here they are:
Rules (From Years Before)
For the third year in a row, there are 256 albums in this year’s tournament, making a perfect number for a double-elimination tournament with no byes or filler.
If a match-up is too close to call, there is a “listen-off” in the Propeller offices (and a discussion via fax). If there is still a question after this listening event, the Propeller editorial board holds a caucus to decide the winner. This move is used sparingly, though last year we held a record five caucuses. [PROP INTERN: Wow sorry don’t think we’ll be doing that, I’m posting this from my parents’ house]
Like last year, this year’s draw was completely random. Theoretically, the best two albums of the year could meet in the first round (and potentially again in the final). While this method is considered controversial in much of the country, controversy sells content on literary websites.
In keeping with tradition, forty-one percent of the total number of entrants will make the prestigious list of the year’s top albums. Forty-one percent of 256, rounded up, is 105.
One drawback—and beauty—of Album Bracketology is that bad draws happen to good albums, and Album Bracketology takes that into account. The best two albums that lost their first two match-ups will finish Nos. 104 and 105. Three albums that are eliminated after losers bracket round two will finish 101-103. And four albums that meet their demise after losers bracket round three will crack the top hundred with places 97-100. Any album that advances to at least the winners bracket round three and/or the losers bracket round four will round out the final 96 albums. [PROP INTERN: Can’t follow this but kind of don’t care, prob no one does?]
Kishi Bashi. (Photo by Max Ritter)
Gone are the gimmicks of last year: extra tournaments from Scandinavia, alternate universe brackets, rogue design interns. This year there is one bracket of truth. Next installment we’ll reveal the actual bracket, but in this issue, we’ll get down to numbers 97-105. These artists are what Betty from Propeller accounting calls “The Hard-Luck Bunch,” which is a tribute to her love of The Joy Luck Club, The Brady Bunch and the Die Hard movie series. These artists had difficult draws, thus stunting their original destiny. [PROP INTERN: In Intro to Lit last year we learned destiny is what will happen no matter what, but this guy uses opposite meaning. Maybe he had different prof, was taught destiny means something that is not destined?] First, we go down to sideline reporter Alvin Bracketology for this year’s storylines:
The ongoing quest for a repeat champion: 10 previous years, 10 unique champions. This year, that trend will continue as for the first time since 2014, there are no repeat winners in this year’s bracket. The closest thing we have to a repeat champion is Brittany Howard, the lead singer of 2015 winner Alabama Shakes, who released her solo debut in 2019.
While there are no past winners, there are five former runners-up: The Head and the Heart, Vampire Weekend (also No. 9 in 2010), Elbow, Chance the Rapper, and Kishi Bashi, who actually finished No. 2 in both 2012 and 2014. Is this the year that Kishi Bashi makes like Kobayashi and puts the kibosh on the competition?
There are 46 artists who have placed in the top 41 percent previously. Notables include:
The National: No. 3 in 2010, No. 3 in 2014, No. 4 in 2017.
Avett Brothers: No. 3 in 2009, No. 3 in 2012, No. 12 in 2013, No. 42 in 2016.
Michael Kiwanuka: No. 3 in 2016
Raphael Saadiq: No. 3 in 2011
Lucy Dacus: Last year No. 4, No. 85 in 2016 and also part of boygenius
Titus Andronicus: No. 32 in 2010, No. 4 in 2012, No. 33 in 2015, but missed the cut in 2018.
Disappointments of the year: Chance the Rapper finished runner-up to Beyoncé in 2016 and No. 5 as part of Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment in 2015. The Avett Brothers, as mentioned before, are tournament blue bloods, finishing No. 3 twice and place four albums total in the top 41 percent. Both artists took a step backward in 2019, failing to make it to the final countdown. I, like you the reader, just got Europe stuck in my head.
Comeback of the year: It would be an amazing segue right here if I said that Europe was the comeback band of the year. The Swedish band, while still active, has not released new material since 2017, and haven’t released a culturally relevant album since 1988. Instead, this year’s comeback of the year is last year’s disappointment of the year: Anderson.Paak. After placing No. 13 in 2016, Anderson missed the cut last year with Oxnard, returned triumphantly in 2019 with Ventura.
Who knew I liked: Ariana Grande and Lana Del Rey. This is a shocking development.
Foals, Weezer, Big Thief, and the Wildhearts all have two entries in this year’s countdown, while the ever-prolific Guided by Voices has three. GBV is one of my favorite bands of all time, but keeping up with them is a full-time job. They already released an album in 2020. That’s four albums in a 12-month span. That’s great and all but it would be nice to just choose the best 25 songs and make one album, and release a box set of thousands of outtakes and rarities. [PROP INTERN: Not sure what a “box set” is, but will leave it] As for Weezer? There is no reason to make a covers album. Their original album, however, wasn’t better.
Bands battling themselves would be a nice little storyline, but, at least in the early rounds, this failed to materialize. Also, Billie Eilish facing older brother and producer Finneas would have made for a good match-up. That didn’t happen either. [PROP INTERN: Just finished my final essay for Intro to Poetry and if I knew it was okay to fill up pages talking about stuff that didn’t happen, writing that paper would have been way easier. Are you for real allowed to do this, just burn words talking about stuff that didn’t happen?] Here are the top three first round matchups, including the greatest first-round matchup in the history of Album Bracketology:
3. Sturgill Simpson vs. Solange: Sturgill has finished No. 51, No. 50, and finally No, 5 in 2016. Solange also placed high in 2016, finishing No. 25 in the year older sister Beyoncé won it all. Sadly, one had to lose. And that was Solange.
2. Koffee vs. Diane Coffee: Really, the main significance here is that Propeller Tournament Generator randomly selected two artists with the same phonetic name in the first round. Uncanny. Advantage Diane.
1. Drum roll please for the greatest first-round matchup in the history of Album Bracketology: Elbow vs. Kishi Bashi. Two-time runner-up Kishi Bashi, who also finished No. 14, faced another runner-up (2017) in Elbow, who also finished No. 6 in 2013 and received a wild card in the album of the decade tournament for its 2011 album Build a Rocket Boys. Both of these albums can win the whole thing, but the first—and maybe not last—matchup goes to Elbow. Kishi Bashi will have to move up through the losers’ bracket.
Speaking of the losers bracket, the first round of the winners and losers brackets are done. There were many artists deserving of the final countdown but only two lucky losers could make the final list. First off, J.J. Cale’s posthumous album was very good. And, to quote my Uncle Lewis: when in doubt, play the video of the Irish dudes.
105. J. J. Cale: Stay Around
104. The Murder Capital: When I Have Fears
The Propeller staff scoured hundreds—if not thousands—of top 100 lists from the decade, and many poo-pooed 2019. Propeller, with its penchant for not acting in a knee-jerk manner, disagrees. [PROP INTERN: Yeah I’m kind of not getting this. I mean is he lying on purpose about the site and purposely putting bad videos in this article and should I just let this go? Any guidance is welcome here this is a bad vibe] 2019 turned out to be a great year, an underrated year, one that will do quite well in the decade countdown coming up this year. Case in point? Numbers 101-103. The Highwomen had top 10 potential but met up with Kaytranada and Aldous Harding in early rounds.
103. Solange: When I Get Home
102. Ximena Sariñana: Dónde Bailarán las Niñas?
101. Highwomen: The Highwomen
The Propeller staff would highly recommend Nos Miran, Lost Lander, W.H, Lung, White Reaper, Louise Burns, the Boys with Perpetual Nervousness, Jai Wolf, The Raconteurs, Yugen Blackrok, and many, many more artists who did not make the cut. [PROP INTERN: I just watched that Highwomen video for a sec. Is this some kind of ironic Gen X thing where they’re kind of making it bad on purpose? Seriously don’t know if I’m the right person to edit this, I can’t figure it out]
Dear Bracket Bumbling Idiot,
If Weyes Blood doesn’t win, I riot,
Not so sincerely,
Stacy V., Austin, TX
Stacy, look. I know you like Weyes Blood, but bad draws happen to great artists. But Julia Jacklin—the winner of the Propeller pre-season album of the year—also released a great album. Julia > Weyes Blood. But because we love our readers, Betty from accounting has advanced Weyes Blood into the 512-album best of the decade tournament. Theoretically, Weyes Blood could finish higher in the decade countdown than in the 2019 countdown. Reality > logic.
100. Cherry Glazerr: Stuffed and Ready
99. Foals: Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost, Part 2
98. The Far Meadow: Foreign Land
97. Weyes Blood: Titanic Rising
And so, we reach the end of our first installment. Albums 97-105, perhaps, represent the greatest bunch of loser albums in the history of the world. In our next installment, we’ll take a look at even more great match-ups while we whittle down to the top 64. [PROP INTERN: Wait there are more installments? I can maybe do one more but this is kind of not what I signed up for guys]
2019 Bracketology:
105. J. J. Cale: Stay Around
104. The Murder Capital: When I Have Fears
103. Solange: When I Get Home
102. Ximena Sariñana: Dónde Bailarán las Niñas?
101. Highwomen: The Highwomen
100. Cherry Glazerr: Stuffed and Ready
99. Foals: Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost, Part 2
98. The Far Meadow: Foreign Land
97. Weyes Blood: Titanic Rising
Matthew Kauffman Smith continues to do this.
