Hey folks!

Well, I’m glad I did the poll, because it did confirm that the question of YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT’s release date is in fact a contentious one. I thought perhaps the number of vocal partisans on each side was obscuring that one choice or another was the overwhelming favorite, but no. It was a close vote, with one side eking out a slim majority.

Here are the results:

Out of 288 votes, 155 were for 2001 as a release year, 131 were for a 2002 release year, and there were 2 abstentions. Therefore, we have an answer:

For the purposes of The Best Album of 2001 Tournament, YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT will be considered a 2001 release, and thus eligible. Of course, should it somehow fail to garner the needed amount of nomination votes to qualify, it will be eligible for a future Best Album of 2002 Tournament as well. However, if it is entered into the 2001 tournament, it will be disqualified from a future 2002 tournament.

Thank you to everyone who voted. I hope those that voted for 2002 aren’t disappointed too much. This makes the future 2002 tournament a little more interesting in that (in my opinion) 2002 has a number of terrific albums but no real stand-out. I don’t think YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT would’ve had much competition in 2002; it has a bit more in 2001. (I voted for 2002 because I wanted to protect my favorite albums from these Chicagoans. Ah well.)

If you haven’t listened to YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT, I guess now’s the time. Nominations for the upcoming Best Album of 2001 will be open January 17th, 2026, and will run through January 31st. Keep listening to 2001 albums, and I’ll be back soon with some recent 2001 albums I’ve heard.

Kent