Pacific Northwest

Username: welcome2thejam

Album: XO: First full listen of an Elliott Smith album, was hoping it could at least keep pace among three of my absolute favorites. And while it'll still be the last of the four, it def allayed my fears by being a lot more lively than expected and some fantastic sounding instruments

Sweet Adeline: 8 Wait where's the part where we go "bah bah bah"

Tomorrow Tomorrow: 7 The guitar work is I don't have the pinched fingers emoji so 👨‍🍳💋

Waltz #2 (XO): 8 IDK its just really cool to do a full on waltz song

Baby Britain: 8 Hell yeah I didnt really pay attention to what this song is about but you're right fuck Britain baybeeee 🇺🇸🇺🇸🧨🧨🦅🦅

Pitseleh: 8 Bro when that piano comes in. Bro

Independence Day: 6 The sound of the drums coming into the track, that's how drums used to sound back then. We used to live in a society

Bled White: 9 Oh shit he can rock too? Okay Elliott

Waltz #1: 6 Waltz: The Presequel

Amity: 8 Is this as close as we get to Elliott Smith butt rock

Oh Well, Okay: 8 Taps into something really good in the back half

Bottle Up and Explode!: 10 Unsurprisingly his most lively song so far is the one that'll be getting the first double digits of the album

A Question Mark: 8 Alright maybe a bit too lively

Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands: 8 Was ready to give this a normal 7 but those keys kicked it into high gear

I Didn’t Understand: 8 Damn, a great acapella closer

Album: Transatlanticism: Big Dog Ben Gibbard is down to clown and then some in Death Cab's Finest Hour

The New Year: 10 Deserves its position in the pantheon of "obvious but still oh so worth it songs to make your first play of the year" (it wasn't mine but I still did play this this Jan 1)

Lightness: 7 Good but in this rate LAND HO > ooh wha ho

Title and Registration: 11 Have loved this song for years now, that riff & melody have truly nestled itself into my brain and that bridge wrapped a firm grasp around my heart, Ben Gibbard has cost me hours of sleep and I will take him to court

Expo ‘86: 10 Man that really goes from very good to hell yeah

The Sound of Settling: 10 Main pop boys Death Cab for Cutie coming in with the top tier bop! Ben Gibbard clapping gif

Tiny Vessels: 8 Overly tortured protagonist of a romantic dramedy during the third act breakup energy

Transatlanticism: 8 The "I need you so much closer" bit is obviously great but also popheads ruined the word "closer" for me musically so

Passenger Seat: 7 God I wish I could feel peaceful in the passenger seat, if my ass is not in the back I am constantly aware of how little control I have. Also, love the piano!

Death of an Interior Decorator: 6 What a good bridge

We Looked Like Giants: 10 Tbh the Car Seat Headrest cover might outdo it still by going harder

A Lack of Color: 7 So far three for three on rate album closers being solid tracks that fade the energy to a close (rater's note: I haven't done Japandroids yet and I already know that one goes well beyond solid)

Album: The Woods: Happy to have bestowed upon this album the highest honor I can deliver (a 5/5 on RYM)

The Fox: 9 First track and we're kicking down the door with a massive LAND HO

Wilderness: 9 Tbh back third just keeps it from being a tenner, though the first part is so perfectly paced & well done

What’s Mine Is Yours: 10 Oh, someone's cooking alright

Jumpers: 10 This is my actual 11 in this rate (and probably a personal top twenty-five song) but as the person who sent it to Charity I and 11d it there I'll have to pass this time & hope y'all do it justice.

Modern Girl: 10 When I hit skip after chorus number two to not let the bright facade shatter right in front of mine eyes

Entertain: 10 We're only at the opening drumming and my ass is PUMPED. Insane bridge, a monument upon we should heap our worship & praise. This last four song stretch is like watching Sleater-Kinney hit a midrange fadeaway, an offensive rebound passed to a tough drive to the hoop & a layup (contact but not called) (rolls around the rim and falls in), a heat check three, and then a steal followed by an alley oop windmill and the the foul

Rollercoaster: 8 My favorite roller coaster: Magnum XL 200

Steep Air: 8 The curse of being just great on an album with an all-timer first half

Let’s Call It Love: 8 Before it plays I always think this song is like 4-5 minutes shorter than it actually is and then I go "oh"

Night Light: 8 Unfortunate slot to follow up with, but holds its own (the seamless transition helps)

Album: Celebration Rock: The reverse of Transatlanticism & The Woods in that this is insanely backloaded. Dudes rock! Dudes worried about the passing of time but still dedicated to living their lives to the fullest anyway rock!

The Nights of Wine and Roses: 7 "Or as I call it, 'Date Nights with the Missus'" is the comment I would make if I wasn't completely alone

Fire’s Highway: 8 From the About page on Genius: "The story of a spontaneous relationship started simply from a woman’s personality. How beautiful." Whoever wrote this does not fuck

Evil’s Sway: 9 A top tier "Oh yeah alright" and a low tier "sexual red"

For The Love of Ivy: 6 I'm not sure they quite made it work, a bit too clean cut dudes for this, though the bridge does rock enough

Adrenaline Nightshift: 10 Now we're talkin. Side B is the Ultimate Dudes Rock Night Out soundtrack and what a way to start. Let's feel alive! Aahhhhghghggh!!!!!

Younger Us: 10 All My Friends for friend groups who chest bump

The House That Heaven Built: 10 As a man who loves choruses worth screaming along to, this is a goddamned masterpiece. All forward momentum, a true head rush of a rock track

Continuous Thunder: 10 Putting my lighter up to cap off an insane four song stretch. Another song on my "this makes me tear up when it hits just right" list. The fireworks bookend maaaaaaaan

BONUS TRACKS

Aminé - Caroline: 7 Where was this for Ultimate?

Beat Happening - Indian Summer: 7 I don't know what to do about his voice

The Dandy Warhols - Not If You Were the Last Junkie On Earth: 6 I ain't touchin this

Destroyer - Kaputt: 10 Much like the Dan Bejar pizza this is immediately a 10

Harvey Danger - Flagpole Sitta: 9 They still play this on alt radio and I never change it

Heart - Magic Man: 6 From the sound of it I agree with the mom I don't think I like this magic man

Carly Rae Jepsen - Cut To The Feeling: 10 How crazy would it be if Carly wins two Bonus rates in a row. Popheads could never

Quincy Jones - Soul Bossa Nova: 8 God I need to rewatch Austin Powers eventually

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Foxey Lady: 9 God I need to rewatch Wayne's World eventually

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Downtown: 9 It's camp!

Modest Mouse - Gravity Rides Everything: 10 Lomo I respect not having albums you don't like in your own rate but if Moon & Antarctica replaced Elliott this rate would 1000% contend for my personal most stacked rate of all time and I will never forgive you

The New Pornographers - The Laws Have Changed: 9 They're are one of those bands where you hear them every once in a while and go "oh yeah, they have some really good stuff" also I tried to type their band name in this comment without the -graphers part and pastebin said No

The Presidents of the United States of America - Peaches: 8 \*whispers* I think he's talking about butts

Sir-Mix-A-Lot - Baby Got Back: 8 \*whispers* I think he's talking about butts

The Sonics - Psycho: 8 Be honest with me did you pick them for the Bonus just so you could talk about the Seattle Supersonics

Wipers - Youth of America: 8 That's some good rock and/or roll. Sorry wait it's how long

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