Demon of the Fall: Demon reshuffles / purges 5s

Demon of the Fall 04.05.23	Ongoing shenanigans similar to other lists. I'll be adding a bunch of stuff I'm considering promoting too... Stereolab, Oxbow, Isis & The Angelic Process will all feature
Mort. 04.05.23	27 used to be my fav of all time but wore of me hard as far as dillinger albums go its very one note
Trifolium 04.05.23	2 Portisheads is 1 happy Trif!!! 💞💕💚🌈🌈🌈
dedex 04.05.23	IMMUNITY ('of hilariously unexpected levels') yeah boi
Demon of the Fall 04.05.23	yes Trif and most importantly, they are immune from the grand purge agreed Mort.
ffs 04.05.23	been enjoying some fall of efrafa of late, rabbit lore goes hard
tectactoe 04.05.23	I can't believe you dropped YANK CRIME already this is the worst day of my life
dedex 04.05.23	was waiting for tec to come rage about Yank Crime being demoted
Trifolium 04.05.23	I certainly understand why they are immune 😍
MarsKid 04.05.23	Came to see 18, am not disappointed. Immune as fuck m/
tectactoe 04.05.23	Glad I did not disappoint
Demon of the Fall 04.05.23	Yank Crime is as much in the 'purge' section as it is in the 'potentials' one, which makes the placement here perfect in fact... unlike the messiness of forgetting I purged 40 and sticking it at the bottom, argh!
MarsKid 04.05.23	I might be the only Trophy Scars fan alive that enjoys "Burning Mirror" lmao
Pangea 04.05.23	no no burning mirror is a banger
DungeonBoy 04.05.23	Morningrise is a forever 5 for me, where my love of Orchid is always wavering. I received both of those CDs on a Christmas morning back in 2000 and it changed my life.
Pangea 04.05.23	don't you dare purge agaetis byrjun
tectactoe 04.05.23	Here are the albums from your 4.5s that you should consider bumping (trust me): • David Bowie - "Low" (don't listed to naysayers like Johnny - you do enjoy the ambient side as much as you pretend to, even if you haven't yet realized it) • Drive Like Jehu - "Yank Crime" (it was already there. it was already accounted for in your statistics and pie charts. just ctrl+z it back into stardom.) • Glenn Branca - "The Ascension" (it insists upon itself) • Talk Talk - "Laughing Stock" (should be mandatory for everyone tbh) • This Heat - "This Heat" (you gotta have at least one This Heat album 5'd, c'mon.)
Demon of the Fall 04.05.23	'don't you dare purge agaetis byrjun' genuinely think it might be done Pang, as sad as that is. Probably just holding on via nostalgia at this point.
Cimnele 04.05.23	i feel like it's perfectly possible to have two things by the same band 5'd intentionally! or three! certain bands just seem made for you, their stuff doesn't need to be played off agree with not 5'ing Kite String >:3 record bugs me tbh
Demon of the Fall 04.05.23	yeah, those are decent choices tect. Laughing Stock has been a steady riser for a while now. Low has been under consideration previously and I genuinely do really love the ambient side. I'm struggling to see a world where I promote Glenn Branca, but the others are all firmly on the 'middling to good side' of my 4.5s, rather than the lower end.
JohnnyoftheWell 04.05.23	awww RIP The Fall of Math solid 4 - 4.3 core keep ASTNS though! based pick for best Neurosis - get TEOES outta there though, no way does that one deserve any illusion of parity
Demon of the Fall 04.05.23	yes, that may be the case ASTNS is the historic choice and the current choice, but I am contemplating the possibility TEOES blows this to smithereens when I revisit. Maybe not. On this subject / re Cimnele's comment: I'm alright with having the occasional 'overlapping' 5s for one artist - yet having something similar as a point of comparison renders it unlikely. Of course, there are artists that blow you away and produce something unexpected (see: Portishead - the only thing on the list with 2 x 'immunities').
IsisScript80 04.05.23	'Red', 'Panopticon' and 'Relation of Command' are very five-y and should be considered immune.
Demon of the Fall 04.05.23	nothing under Xiu Xiu / 26 is currently a 5, although some certainly may be 5s in due course
Demon of the Fall 04.12.23	reminder... I'm probably dropping all of Agaetis Byrjun, The Eye of Every Storm and maybe even Somewhere Along the Highway to make room for others - not sold completely sold on dropping SATH yet, but Salvation is clearly better. The discrepancy between them is perhaps more noticeable than I'd previously thought.
Demon of the Fall 04.14.23	Relationship of Command might stick. Adding a couple of potentials.
Trifolium 04.14.23	Yes I can see some records under Xiu Xiu / 26 that can be 5.0d in due course 😏💞
Demon of the Fall 04.16.23	I know the ones you mean… (Isis, Oxbow & The Angelic Process!… 😉 but also, yes maybe)
AsleepInTheBack 04.16.23	Gotta love a good rating purge I’m currently in a mad 4 and 4.5 bump-ing mood and am worrying that this time next year they shalt all be purged
JohnnyoftheWell 04.16.23	undoubtedly for the best the Finland/Dim(/Dark City) monopoly on SATH's replayability so be real hm
Storm In A Teacup 04.16.23	Rip
Demon of the Fall 04.26.23	it would be a bold move but Tago Mago might make the 'potentials' list completely out of nowhere, what a (beautiful) shocker that would be However, Panopticon, the 2 x Oxbows, Weighing Souls and Dots & Loops are still currently leading the charge into 5dom I am also considering MHTRTC instead of Geo for Boards, a changing of the guard there
Trifolium 04.26.23	"Tago Mago" 😍 "and Dots & Loops are still currently leading the charge into 5dom" 😍😍😍
Demon of the Fall 04.26.23	Peking is an obstacle, but maybe it can be overcome (better than it was, for sure). I see no such obstacles on the horizon where Dots is concerned
Trifolium 04.26.23	Very relatable. So relatable, in fact, that for me, Dots is a 5.0 and Tago a 4.5!
Demon of the Fall 04.28.23	Stare Into Death is a 4.5, fine as it is Not in contention. It maybe has a niche as a post-metally take on disso-death, but it doesn’t fit that perfect specific mood as well as the competition. It’s also obnoxiously loud and fatiguing when not completely prepared for the onslaught, whereas I can throw actual post / atmo-sludge greats on whenever and have no such issue
Demon of the Fall 05.05.23	Alphaville might be fave metal album since 2007 (definitely since 2009). Shockingly now an actual contender! Also added Can because Can can
Trifolium 05.05.23	Can 💚🍅
Demon of the Fall 05.07.23	Inle has become the benchmark for whether something is worth of 5dom, it was on the brink between 4.5 and 5. Anything that is ‘better’ should be an auto-5 from here. In a world where I drop it, my 5s stay minimal. And who wants that? There’s a few that I think have already surpassed this, they know who they are and shall be receiving official notification shortly
Icebloom 05.07.23	Always fun to reevaluate ratings like this. Panopticon stated for me as a 3.8, but slowly grew into one of my favourite 5's - definitely worthy of a bump!
Pikazilla 05.07.23	🍅🍅🍅
Demon of the Fall 05.07.23	canned tomatoes / 5 🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅
Demon of the Fall 06.01.23	Yeah, I’ll update this I swear. I might extend this to 4.5s eventually Nothing has really changed at the top end, still having similar thoughts. At least 3(4?) guaranteed new 5s, will wait till sober tho
PotsyTater 06.01.23	If I may offer some help 37,33, 25,24, 21,20,19,13 can all stay the rest can all go
PotsyTater 06.01.23	Kid a could also go for the optics tho
MillionDead 06.01.23	Demoting Yank Crime and Calculating Infinity are two BIG Ls.
PotsyTater 06.01.23	Purging calculating infinity is the biggest W possible
Demon of the Fall 06.02.23	Yank Crime may get repromoted, taring it down to start the rebuild because maybe I was premature (maybe not tho) CI isn't even my fave tDEP anymore, so that's an easy drop
Mort. 06.02.23	yuh calculating infinity is very influential but i find it gets quite samey miss machine tho, that prime dillinger
Demon of the Fall 06.02.23	OP for me
MarsKid 06.02.23	Miss Machine [2] Need to revisit OP sometime, always found it great but not jaw-dropping
MoM 06.02.23	CI for me, but I’ve got an allergy to Greg 🤷
Demon of the Fall 06.02.23	a few updates, tidying it up a little Trying to remember why some of these are contenders and others no longer are, should probably not be doing this via my increasingly hazy memory bank
MarsKid 06.02.23	Persefone stays eternal, that's what matters m/
KnickFurey 06.03.23	Didn't you have Golgotha 5'd at some point Demon?
Demon of the Fall 06.03.23	Yeah I did.
Ryus 06.03.23	calc infinity>>>>>>>>>>
Demon of the Fall 06.03.23	Easily the pick with the least personality, I’d respect Ire Works more tbh. At least that’d make you more interesting
Ryus 06.03.23	greg is annoying af, dimitri is about 100x better calc infinity is the peak of weirdo metal
Demon of the Fall 06.03.23	I used to prefer Dmitri, Greg has grown on me shall we say… better diverse range for sure also, I was there for the taking but you chose no comeback (plenty of obvious picks here that deserve the ‘you’re not exactly original yourself’ type response 😄)
Demon of the Fall 07.13.23	This is so out-of-date that I think some of the immune albums are no longer immune, oh dear
BitterJalapenoJr 07.13.23	We have a mere 3 matching 5s. I really need to do a similar purge. When I started here, I fived a bunch of albums out of nostalgia and a lot probably don't qualify it anymore.
Tundra 07.13.23	Calc Inf is the best album ever, wtf?
Demon of the Fall 07.13.23	I've been a little lazy in updating the individual entries, but to summarise we are at this stage... Promotion hopefuls: Souvenirs, Dots & Loops, Panopticon, An Evil Heat (if forced to choose one Oxbow), Weighing Souls With Sand, Tago Mago AND a switch / reverse purge from Geogaddi to Music Has The Right to Children Purge potentials: Symbolic, Relationship of Command, Red (almost considered Jane Doe for a minute there, yikes) Fortunately I've already done some purging to make room, but I certainly didn't expect those three to be on the edge anything else on this list that is currently a 'contender' is a 4.7
Demon of the Fall 07.18.23	still haven't updated (the actual list part of) this, just using it as a note-taking dumping ground, so let's add some potential NEW 4.5s because I still haven't bumped any of the following - there will be major drops in this range too... Ling Tosite Sigure - Just A Moment Nick Cave - The Good Son (considering others, but this is the NC clubhouse leader) Blonde Redhead - 23 Scarcity - Aveilut Porter Ricks - Biokinetics (haven't even rated yet, so somewhat speculative) SPK - Leichenshrei Nina Simone - Pastel Blues
Trifolium 07.18.23	Souvenirs, Dots & Loops, Tago Mago 💖💖💕💞😍
Demon of the Fall 07.18.23	I'm somehow down to 19 x 5s and haven't promoted a thing yet, please send help Trif
Trifolium 07.18.23	Help is here: 🙅🏻‍♂️🥐☕🥽🧷
parksungjoon 07.19.23	5 36 chambers
Demon of the Fall 07.19.23	more likely to 5 Illmatic in about 3 years time, lol
dedex 07.19.23	would be one hell of a redemption arc if you 5 Illmatic
Demon of the Fall 07.19.23	hang on, are you suggesting I require a redemption arc?
dedex 07.19.23	hahaha i was thinking that you would ask that!!! no lol, just cool to see non-hip hop head convert :]
DoofDoof 07.19.23	you need one 5 for every year otherwise it just gets too sniffy who cant find one classic album from the thousands released every year? Currently approx 12,000 album ratings and 125 5.0 ratings - honestly that still feels stingy if anything We share three 5's, four if you promote BOC 'mhtrtc' - I sometimes think I should bump KC 'Red' to classic status as it was the first one of theirs I tried and it does contain their best tune. Thing is I'm still not 100% convinced it's better than 'Lark's Tongues'
Demon of the Fall 07.19.23	I don't listen to thousands of albums per year, 300 is pretty much my max (for any single year, all-time). I won't 'force' a 5 for any single year just to have one - as the whole concept of doing so just seems odd. Are you saying some years can't simply be preferable to others? Ideally 1% does seem about right to me, so I should have 28/29 currently (so let the promotions commence!)
JohnnyoftheWell 07.19.23	one 5 per year min is silly and artifical fr
DoofDoof 07.19.23	nope you're being too precious about your 5s - sure you enjoyed something enough to rate it a 5 each year I will agree you might not discover newly released 5s in the year of their release - but to not think there'd be one out there is too depressing to contemplate
JohnnyoftheWell 07.19.23	I can believe there's something 5able to be found within each year - I trawl enough that there might as well be a few white whales out there but as for whether anything i encountered in, prime yrs of discovery not counting last yr, 2019-2021 could actually wear it? hmm, sorry Arab Strap :[[
tectactoe 07.19.23	There probably is something worthy of a 5/5 release every year - actually finding it is the key. Last 5-er was 2019, Fire Orchestra's ARRIVAL. And before that, TO BE KIND in 2014. I suppose I am properly "stuffy" by Doofy's standards 😯
Demon of the Fall 07.19.23	my last was in 2013! Shaking the Habitual ...and that's after all the projected promotions I'm sitting on - unless I do end up promoting Alphaville or something, which seems unlikely at this stage
Mort. 07.19.23	5 shiner
MarsKid 07.19.23	check Zapruder
DoofDoof 07.19.23	I was taking the piss but also I like the idea there’s a 5 for everyone for each year
DoofDoof 07.20.23	I think once I got to over the 10,000 ratings sort of zone I started to realise a lot of stuff I had at 4.5 deserved a bump - you start to realise how rare the stuff you really like is and promote accordingly. I'd be very suspicious of someone who significantly reduces the proportion of 5s they have as they get more and more ratings - seems a marker has been set, bit close minded. Personally that's 100% not what it's all about for me anyway. You get people on RYM with 20,000 ratings and ten 5's - eight of which match Scaruffi's top 10. Even if genuine, that's the pits and depressing to look at.
Demon of the Fall 07.20.23	yeah, I'm thinking (hoping) I will increase the number of 5s at a similar ratio to my total ratings, maybe there's part of me that's 'saving myself' for those incredible new discoveries as there's entire genres I haven't touched yet (or barely). I haven't yet hit 3k, so my perspective may be a little different to someone with 12k (if I can hit 25 x 5s - which seems reasonable after this, then that's the equivalent of you having 100 Doof).
DoofDoof 07.20.23	Yeah, your ratio for 5s seemed about right to me
Demon of the Fall 07.20.23	tore it all down to build it back up anew - this is simply the transitional phase, trust the process
IsisScript80 07.20.23	“you start to realise how rare the stuff you really like is and promote accordingly.” Yes. I found I’ve been more generous in my ratings to newer stuff, and some of the older albums that I considered mid in their respective bands’ discographies are rated lower, yet still shits on the stuff I’ve recently 4’d. If there’s an inherent quality that’s still compelling decades down the line, it’s good to recognise it. Stuff that takes you down the years has the greater value.
tectactoe 07.20.23	My statistically inclined mind presumes that as one's number of total ratings grows, so too do their number of 5's such that the percentage remains more or less consistent. Beyond merely being a means to massage my anal-retentive tendencies, this makes sense to me - the broader your overall pool of listened albums, the broader your capacity for comparative judgment and ability to assess what albums truly speak to you. There have been more than a handful of times that I've bumped an album's rating after months/years of having listened to a bunch of dreg that make me realize: "You know what, I actually like x-album more than I originally thought I did." Its unique qualities become more apparent and desirable the longer you go without hearing anything similar.
Demon of the Fall 07.20.23	Yes the number of 5s will likely increase, are they in proportion? Depends I totally understand what you’re saying about perspectives later down the line although it can work both ways. An album you once saw as the pinnacle of a certain style or flavour can be weakened by extensive exposure to similar offerings. Maybe what you once valued develops into something quite different, even within a vaguely similar space.
JohnnyoftheWell 07.20.23	I could see the number of 5s remaining consistent tbh, kinda makes sense that your pool of Most Important Albums is finite and ever-changing or maybe not
Demon of the Fall 07.20.23	maybe people gravitate towards being grumpier and more dismissive as they age? Their perspective reveals everything they ever loved was a lie and nothing new can satisfy them just a totally theoretical musing of course
DoofDoof 07.20.23	I think I have something close to a 50/50 mix of bumping old favourites up to classic and finding new 5's - though I do have an occasional panic that I'll never rate anything a 5 again. Had one of those phases earlier this year, then suddenly found three albums I liked enough to 5. I did demote a couple down to 4.5s at the same time too though, couldn't help it.
Demon of the Fall 07.20.23	new 5s are impossible to me, literally wouldn’t even consider it now. I barely even 4.5 anything recent (assuming this is what you mean by new 5s - as your other example is bumping older ones up). Am I beyond repair?
DoofDoof 07.20.23	Not just 'recently released', but also old albums I've just happened to discover recently - some examples of that from the last 12 months are Alice Donut 'Mule' (1990) and The Church 'Priest = Aura' (1992), never heard them before now. I will 5 brand new albums though, sometimes after just three listens - a lot of those fall to a 4.5 pretty quick I have to admit. 'Am I beyond repair?' No, I would say I think it gets easier to 5 stuff the more you have - when you're saying "this is in my top 30 albums of all time!" that's a lot to live up to. A 5 for me is more in my top 150-200 in my mind as I don't really consider them 'set in stone'. Definitely was a lot more reluctant to 5 something when I joined Sput in 2016 with 1500 ratings.
Demon of the Fall 07.20.23	Oh yeah, just recent discoveries in general I guess. Yeah, I tended to regret early 5s eventually, that’s probably why I’m so conservative now.
Demon of the Fall 07.28.23	I checked 'Bath' again and it's almost definitely better than Red (for instance, not really comparable records except for 'I now likely enjoy it more') and Red has been falling off lately would like to sneak in another chance for Red at a juncture soon though, thinking Tuesday (for reasons) need to revisit Yank Crime's potential for 're-promotion' for no other reason than to placate tect and the possible disappointment he would otherwise feel ...still ruminating on Music Has The Right. I am optimistic.
Demon of the Fall 09.01.23	over a month of marinating, dissecting, pondering etc. The final stretch is nigh (being saying it for a while now to be fair). To cast aside the potential for further indecisiveness, I have set a deadline of September 14th (on holiday after that). No-one cares, so this is essentially my diary entry... rough power rankings are as follows: (the 'cut-off' point is pending) #1 The Gathering - Souvenirs #2 Isis - Panopticon #3 Oxbow - An Evil Heat #4 Stereolab - Dots & Loops #5 The Angelic Process - Weighing Souls With Sand #6 Boards of Canada - Music Has The Right to Children #7 Can - Tago Mago #8 Oxbow - Serenade In Red #9 Drive Like Jehu - Yank Crime #10 maudlin of the Well - Bath #11 Imperial Triumphant - Alphaville #12 Trophy Scars - Holy Vacants I don't think there's anything else in contention. Ordering is somewhat fluid but I'm very comfortable with the top four.
Demon of the Fall 09.08.23	Souvenirs promoted. More coming next week, perhaps
MarsKid 09.08.23	As long as Persefone holds strong somewhere in the eventual 5 group, it'll be enough to know you're still alive somewhere in there ;^)
Trifolium 09.08.23	Ooooh, didn't see this a week ago, good decisions Demon! Especially that #1 of course, but also #4 and #7 obviously.
JohnnyoftheWell 09.08.23	one giant leap !
tectactoe 09.08.23	Put YANK CRIME back at 5, you coward.
Demon of the Fall 09.08.23	to be clear, I don’t know if all these get promoted Souvenirs was the best placed. I’ve also dropped way more than I expected (Jane, lol) where I didn’t expect to, so there is significant ‘room’ now I guess
Demon of the Fall 11.08.23	revisiting this, have since added #2-4 (no further promotions at this stage). #5-7 all came close at one point. I can't remember why #9 was dropped. Curious There are a batch of prospective new 4.5s with 5 potential and my current lot is a complete mess, so may start a separate list (note to self - I realise if anyone cared before then they certainly won't by this point, lol)
Trifolium 11.08.23	I like this list still 🤩✨
Azazzel 11.08.23	[stoned rambling]
Demon of the Fall 11.29.23	another 4.5-fest coming soon? Includes some very 'fresh' entries... Ling Tosite Sigure - Just A Moment and / or Inspiration Is Dead Nara Leao - Dez anos depois Susumu Hirasawa - Kyuusai no gihou Pram - Helium John Coltrane - Olé Coltrane and / or Giant Steps + ugh, a few others? - option paralysis here Nick Cave - Henry's Dream and / or Let Love in + Skeleton Tree (could also promote The Good Son to a 5 if this happens) probably more upcoming
JohnnyoftheWell 11.29.23	all based choices tbqh. only one i haven't heard is Olé Coltrane
Demon of the Fall 11.29.23	hoping this eventually results in more 5s. Using this thread like a diary now I haven't spent much time with Helium or Kyuusai thus far, so those two would be bold moves. I just find both so refreshing and (tentatively) unique.. within my current repertoire at least Olé Coltrane is distinctive for its flamenco influence. Interesting departure from Coltrane's other modal jazz era material. The combination creates such a beautiful tone and energy. The safer option would perhaps be Giant Steps, but I'm feeling dangerous (although perhaps not as bold as my first Coltrane 4.5, Om - lol)
JohnnyoftheWell 11.29.23	Oh interesting - have Mingus' Tijuana Moods queued up from a multi-album CD I bought the other day, which iirc is a similar story. Will throw that on as a comparison piece when I get to it, also have Coltrane's Impressions in the drawer from the same trawl
Demon of the Fall 11.30.23	Mulling over Pram, Coltrane and Nick Cave (too many options for the latter two, Pram is a little 'soon' perhaps) promoted LTS - Inspiration, Susumu and Nara as above should add... Trophy Scars - Astral Pariah Dir En Grey - Arche
Demon of the Fall 01.10.24	Nice Cave feels inevitable. Joanna Newsom almost certainly has a 5 in her too but it's early days. on that note I will start my top 100 'new' discoveries of the last 3 years list soon (the cut-off point includes about 1.3k's worth of ratings). I'm targeting next week, although there is a drafted list (almost) ready to go. It's a belated 3k overall celebration of sorts and will be less of a frustrating exercise than doing an overall top 100. Comparing old vs new is always a difficult psychological process