My Pazz & Jop Ballot, 2009

[koganbot]

Here's my Pazz & Jop ballot. My opinion is that the year doesn't actually end until December 31st, so that's when I'll start posting expanded lists, possibly with the order changed at the top. The two near misses on my albums list, by the way, were Demi Lovato and Keri Hilson; having four ace songs and lots of personality wasn't quite enough to get Demi in, and having eight ace songs and no personality wasn't enough to get Keri in (though if I'd decided to count "I Like" as part of the album - Wiki claims that it's getting added to In A Perfect World... - that might have pushed it over).

Unless Demi Lovato undergoes an artistic collapse she's going to end up mattering to me far more than Brad Paisley and Martina McBride put together. What got Brad in just ahead of her this year was that he's got a better band. Demi's rock is louder than Brad's and signifies "rock" more, but her rhythm section bashes the beats while Brad's actually rocks 'em, with more of a roll, more bounce, more dance.

Singles 2009

1. Shystie ft. DJ Deekline "New Style" (Rat)
2. The Black Eyed Peas "Boom Boom Pow" (Interscope)
3. Love And Theft "Runaway" (Lyric Street)
4. MC Lars ft. Brett Anderson & Gabe Saporta "Hey There Ophelia" (Horris Records/Oglio)
5. Timberlee ft. Tosh "Heels"
6. The Lonely Island "I'm On A Boat" (Republic/Universal)
7. Das Racist "Combination Pizza Hut And Taco Bell (Wallpaper Remix)" (no label)
8. Rich Boy "Drop" (Interscope)
9. Girls Aloud "Untouchable" (Fascination)
10. Röyksopp ft. Robyn "The Girl And The Robot" (Wall Of Sound)

Albums 2009

1. Taylor Swift Fearless (Platinum Edition) (Big Machine) 18 points
2. The-Dream Love Vs. Money (Radio Killa/Def Jam) 17 points
3. Ashley Monroe Satisfied (Columbia Nashville) 15 points
4. Rihanna Rated R (Def Jam) 10 points
5. Scooter Under the Radar Over the Top (The Dark Side Edition) (Sheffield Tunes) - 10 points
6. Lily Allen It's Not Me, It's You (Capitol) 7 points
7. Martina McBride Shine (RCA) 6 points
8. Electrik Red How To Be A Lady: Volume 1 (Radio Killa/Def Jam) 6 points
9. K'naan Troubadour (A&M/Octone) 6 points
10. Brad Paisley American Saturday Night (Arista Nashville) 5 points

Rob - Seven of my top ten singles and twenty of my top forty are hip-hop or dancehall or offshoots like grime and whatever you call Das Racist (everything including late for dinner). The thing is, if you asked me at any time this year, including now, "What's happening in hip-hop?" or "What's happening in dancehall?" I'd shrug and say, "I don't know. I kinda lost touch." Hip-hop isn't dominating the Billboard singles chart the way various dance-r&b amalgams are, and I didn't know it was so strong on my list until this week. Probably a lot of fans of hip-hop would be dismayed by my top choices. (The Lonely Island? Those comedians?) But looking further down you get Jim Jones, Nicki Minaj, Busy Signal, Bounty Killer, The Bangz, Eve, Tempa T, K'naan, and so on. And this is without me even looking for the stuff.

I've got no real insight on this except if you want to start a new dance or play with new sounds or reconfigure old ones, getting someone to rap and rhyme will likely make you more creative.

My singles:

1. Shystie ft. DJ Deekline "New Style": Shystie is clawing at the walls, sand and stucco coming off in her hand, and the whole world of music is rushing in, plains, fields, hard rocks, everything.

2. The Black Eyed Peas "Boom Boom Pow": Music is a loud crowded party, but whenever Fergie speaks, all the people twist their heads to listen and to wonder. "I'm so three thousand and eight, you so two thousand and late." Huh? What?

3. Love And Theft "Runaway": A nice roll down the not-quite-happy road.

4. MC Lars ft. Brett Anderson & Gabe Saporta "Hey There Ophelia": OK, this isn't on here for the rap but for the full angry rocking lost passion that Brett Anderson (she of the Donnas) brings to the "Screamager" chorus.

5. Timberlee ft. Tosh "Heels": So, when Jamaican sex-bombs start speaking in tongues, they sound like the San Fernando Valley.

6. The Lonely Island "I'm On A Boat": I'M ON A BOAT, MOTHERFUCKER, LOOK AT ME!

7. Das Racist "Combination Pizza Hut And Taco Bell (Wallpaper Remix)": Right, I'm at the Pizza Hut. That is, I'm at the Taco Bell. I'll work this out, just give me time. I'm at the combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Hah. You understand, I'm at the combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. I got a lot of smells, I rolled a lot of l's. I rode a lot of Els. I rode the L and then I rode the El. To the Pizza Hut. The Taco Bell. The combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. On Jamaica Avenue.

8. Rich Boy "Drop": Voices like shifting sands.

9. Girls Aloud "Untouchable": OK, comparing someone to a "robot" to indicate disconnection and estrangement is such a, like, 1950s cliché. But it's only one song in my top ten, so give me a break.

10. Röyksopp "The Girl And The Robot" ft. Robyn as the girl: Housewife, feeling disconnected and estranged from hard-working hubby, reaches for a metaphor.

Comments

[koganbot]

Yes, it is the same Timothy Gould, though I'd never heard of him until I read your post. The MSCD philosophy department has 12 faculty members and 34 adjuncts, which tells you how the world and the economy are going, I guess. But, yeah, "voice" is something I should explore, and a quick look through Google makes him definitely seem interesting. Does he have a blog? (I tend not to have the chutzpah to introduce myself to strangers, unless they're sitting next to me at St. Mark's Coffeehouse holding philosophy books.)

I haven't read your Wittgenstein paper yet, but it's nearing the top of my pile, now that all my lists are done.

When I audited David's course a year ago - it was Intro - he did Plato, Augustine, Descartes, Kant, and Nietzsche. I'm glad you're letting the 20th century into your course.

I've always wanted to read Montaigne. What do you consider a good translation?

[(Anonymous)]

lots of people teach intros that are predominantly 20th c. by assigning anthologies of papers, but then, you know, they're assigning anthologies of papers.

kant is pretty ambitious in an intro though!

the complete essays translated by donald frame is the standard (and good). there's a selection published by penguin, translated by cohen, which i've used in a course and found readable (not knowing any french to check the translation on).