For The Record- 25. May. 2024

This, that, and (The The) other.

Welcome to another edition of For The Record, the weekly newsletter that brings the world of music news straight to your inbox. Part essay, part good old-fashioned link drop, For The Record is a benefit for paid supporters of On Repeat.

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KA~

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Is there anything more apt to piss people off than a “best of” albums list? If there is, I haven’t seen it. They were hot takes before we knew what those words meant. Some of that’s by design, of course. It’s weapons-grade engagement bait. The most reserved among us swear to not care about these, see a specific record either ranked too high, too low, or (gasp!) not on the list at all, and before you know it, a 500-word screed has been hammered out. We used to have these arguments in person with our friends. Today, we fight our corner via keyboard. 

Before I go too much further, it’s worth noting the obvious: I love lists. I make playlists all the time. My entire career could be reductively summed up as “working through a lot of f’ing lists.’ I have “playlist dealer” in my one-line bio here.

I’m literally listening to Spotify’s On Repeat playlist as I type— in other words, what I’ve told the algorithm gods are the “best songs.” 

It’s dissonant. I get it. 

I don't mind getting into the weeds on genre- or even artist-specific lists. Best New Wave records? Fun! You ranked New Order’s Movement ahead of Technique? We should talk. 

All of this to say that Apple’s recent 100 Best Albums of All Time feels like the most cynical of attempts to drive traffic to, well, Apple Music