Round of 64: (2) Kanye West - MBDTF vs. (63) Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher Bracket

Round one is here. 62 years of albums with 2 convenient ties. What album will come out on top?

NOTICE: PLEASE DO NOT VOTE UNLESS YOU'VE HEARD BOTH ALBUMS. STOP DOING THIS SHIT.

For this matchup, we start with:

(2) Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

vs.

(63) Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher

 

it's gonna be hilarious when this is close despite the seeding

 

This thread has high potential to be wild as hell

 

Hm

 

fuck kanye

 

MBDTF isn't my favorite Kanye album, and the Pitchfork 10 definitely had a lot to do with its reputation, but it is a very fucking good record. Punisher is too, but I don't think that's Phoebe's best, either. It's MBDTF for me based on the amount of time I've spent with it and the memories I've associated with it.

 

If I were voting for the one with my favorite song, it would be Punisher, because "Chinese Satellite" is honestly one of my favorite songs period at this point. But I think MBDTF is the better album.

 

MBDTF. What a time it was when that album dropped, good memories.

 

G.O.O.D. Friday's were so dope

 

Kanye for sure.

 

Both are great albums but this isn’t close at all.

 

Hate to be a part the inevitable minority of voters in the “never change, chorus” box, but I’m going Punisher on this one. That record tapped into whatever vein I needed it to during the utter, interminable hopelessness of 2020. If you remove that context I’m not immediately positive that it wins, but I can’t ignore the impact it had on me

I like MBDTF, and would prioritize it over many other records in this bracket probably, but it’s never connected with me more than just “this is a good album”. Also wasn’t super online at that time in my life, so the collective hype is a little lost on me

 

Not a fan of modern Kanye (musically or as a person), but MBDTF blew me away when it came out and there are years of great memories attached to those songs. As for Phoebe, the album is great and has some of her best songs but I vastly prefer her debut. Long story short, Kanye gets the vote.

 

Obligatory and deserved acknowledgement that Kanye sucks aside, Like 2/3 of MBDTF is classic songs and the rest is great. Punisher is really good, but I would only put a couple tracks on that level. Phoebe has yet to make an album that wows me beginning to end (obviously it is much earlier in her career than Kanye so that’s not a huge slight).

 

MBDTF is a huge achievement and a great record. Punisher has a much deeper emotional connection for me. I told a friend after it came out that if I’d heard Punisher when I was in my early 20s it would probably have changed my life and I stand by it. Voted Phoebe.

 

MBDTF easily

 

Phoebe Bridgers

 

Ive come around to MBDTF being a masterpiece

 

It really is, no one has made an album like that before or after him. So technically impressive, creative, unique, sprawling, just constantly shooting for the stars and not missing

 

probably haven't listened in five+ years but it's hard for me to imagine an argument against it that's solely focused on the music

 

Yeah that’s kinda why I typed a big dumb paragraph about my vote haha, strictly from a musical standpoint it can’t not be MBDTF

 

Yeah, who would possibly want to assess art on its ability to inspire feeling, the closest thing most of us have to magic in our workaday lives? Certainly not I.

 

…what?

 

do we have to do this in every thread? it's a bracket, some people are gonna like some albums and totally dismiss others, it's fine.

 

Punisher is special to me, but I have to go MBDTF. That was just such a massive sonic achievement at the time it was released, and is truly a hallmark in the evolution of music in the 21st century.