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March 12, 2026

#417 The Best Album of 2001: The Seeds! + Prediction Brackets!

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Hey folks!

First off, this email is huge, and the program is telling me that Gmail might truncate it. If that happens, my apologies. Please go here to the newsletter archive and find #417 to read it online if you’re having trouble in your email program.

Now! The votes have been counted, and below you will find the official seeding for the Best Album of 2001 tournament. The album with the most votes got the #1 seed, second most the #2 seed, and so on. I broke ties by my personal album ratings. There are some surprises in the seedings compared to the initial rankings from nomination votes!

Furthermore, the Prediction Brackets are now open! Go here and click on the green button to fill out a prediction bracket. The winner of the prediction bracket will be able to name any qualifying album to the next tournament (which is likely 1988). Note: after selecting all the winners in the bracket, scroll down to the bottom, give your bracket a funny name, and then be sure to pick the final winner from the drop-down menu. Your bracket won’t count until you do that, so don’t forget.

Finally, something new happened this tournament. On Monday, I was playing around with Your AI Slop Bores Me, a funny little web thing where you get to cosplay as an AI. People write prompts for text or images, and you have 60 seconds to make up or draw an answer. I thought it would be funny to have “ai” generated covers for each of the 128 albums, so I tried a test case. I… did not care for the result. Then, on Bluesky, I broached the idea of people volunteering to take a random album and doing their own “ai” version. The response was enthusiastic, with some people taking on several assignments, and within two days I had pictures for all 128. As a way of framing the assignments, I said that I thought people would look at the real cover for a few minutes, then spend a two minutes to draw it from memory. Not everybody did that! Some people took their time. I also assumed people would use digital tools for their pictures. Not everyone did that either; some drew on paper, some used… well, you’ll see. I was (and frankly, continue to be) floored by the outpouring of creativity, talent, and sheer weirdness of the Best Album voters. I hope you enjoy these alternate covers as much as do.

Without further ado, the seeds:

Seed #128 Slipknot, IOWA (Spotify, YouTube)

A color photograph of a close up of a goat, its head pointed downwards so its horns take up most of the image. The goat is black, but the lighting on it is harsh and turns a lot of the highlights whitre. Upon this other colors are projected onto its fur: pink, orange, dark blue. Despite the color, there is a definite sinister, Satanic feel to the image.
#128 Slipknot, IOWA
13 seed votes
15 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #113
Length: 2.34 Weezers

Seed #127 Ryan Adams, GOLD (Spotify, YouTube)

A color photograph of Ryan Adams, a white man wearing a blue long-sleeve shirt with 79 on it and blue jeans. He's looking downward with his thumbs in the sides of his jeans. His hair is black and shaggy. He has a number of bands on his left wrist. Behind him is an upside down American flag.
#127 Ryan Adams, GOLD
13 seed votes
16 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #103
Length: 2.48 Weezers

Seed #126 Squarepusher, GO PLASTIC (Spotify, YouTube)

A photo of a televised image of I believe is a human face, probably that of Squarepusher. There's so much contrast that it's mostly one big blob of black with a couple blobs of white for contrast.
#126 Squarepusher, GO PLASTIC
16 seed votes
15 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #114
Length: 1.71 Weezers

Seed #125 Tipsy, UH-OH! (Spotify, YouTube)

A color drawing of a white woman's head, in a kind of anime style. Her eyes are very big, and her lips are small. Her head appears to be coming out of the ground. Around her neck are cattails, a stream, a log, and what I think is a small cat rolling around on its back.
#125 Tipsy, UH-OH!
16 seed votes
15 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #96
Length: 1.85 Weezers

Seed #124 Nas, STILLMATIC (Spotify, YouTube)

A color photo of Nas, a Black man, dressed in fancy orange athletic wear, with white sneakers and an orange baseball cap to one side. He has many, many chains around his neck and several watches and bracelets. He is crouched on the top of a wall with New York visible behind him. On the wall below him is partiall-visible graffiti. A pigeon regards him on the wall from the left.
#124 Nas, STILLMATIC
18 seed votes
20 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #77
Length: 1.99 Weezers

Seed #123 Whiskeytown, PNEUMONIA (Spotify, YouTube)

A diagram of a hand in white against a starry background. The hand has been divided up into many many segments with various occult symbols and writing all over the hand.
#123 Whiskeytown, PNEUMONIA
18 seed votes
11 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #165
Length: 2.01 Weezers
Chosen by @mattoqp.bsky.social (2001 Guessing Game Winner)

Seed #122 Clearlake, LIDO (YouTube)

A color photograph of the outside of a building that has deck on the second floor in front of a line of windows. Underneath the deck, the open area extends back into shadow, below the rooms on the second floor with the windows.
#122 Clearlake, LIDO
19 seed votes
8 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #201
Length: 1.50 Weezers
Chosen by @megabrow12.bsky.social (Captain's Pick)

Seed #121 Ash, FREE ALL ANGELS (Spotify, YouTube)

This is a highly abstract picture that is hard to describe, partly because I'm not sure what I'm looking at it. The base picture appears to be a photo of a window, the light blowing out the image, with a green wall visible on the right. Overlaid on top of the window is the outline of a vague humanoid form, with a head, torso, arms and legs, although it's possible I'm seeing a form where none is intended. The humanoid form acts as a frame for another picture, but it's difficult to say what it is. It looks like there is a hand resting on the corner of a yellow box-shape, but again, I'm not sure if that's really there.
#121 Ash, FREE ALL ANGELS
19 seed votes
17 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #92
Length: 1.71 Weezers

Seed #120 Opeth, BLACKWATER PARK (Spotify, YouTube)

A creepy painting of a what looks like a bog in the middle of a leafless wood. There's a mist or fog in the trees, but also a strong light coming through from beyond it -- the sun? something else? What's worse are the shadowy ghost-like figures looming just behind the trees.
#120 Opeth, BLACKWATER PARK
19 seed votes
18 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #89
Length: 2.36 Weezers

Seed #119 Travis, THE INVISIBLE BAND (Spotify, YouTube)

A color photograph of three trees, each with a mulititude of branches and branches branching off branches that the image is just a series of twisting, jagged brown tubes. The spaces between all the branches are filled with leaves. There's a tiny bit of sky visible in the upper left, but otherwise it's all branches and leaves. At the bottom of the image, near the trunks of the trees, are the band members, very small and easy to miss.
#119 Travis, THE INVISIBLE BAND
20 seed votes
17 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #95
Length: 1.60 Weezers

Seed #118 Ruby, SHORT-STAFFED AT THE GENE POOL (Bandcamp, YouTube)

A painting that is mostly abstract blobs and splashes of color. Most of the image is taken up with a red circle that kind of looks like a Christmas ornament. It is on a blue background and surrounded by splashes of yellow and gold paint.
#118 Ruby, SHORT-STAFFED AT THE GENE POOL
20 seed votes
0 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #1519
Length: 1.55 Weezers
Chosen by @lanna.bsky.social (Captain's Pick)

Seed #117 Ludacris, WORD OF MOUF (Spotify, YouTube)

A digitally distorted photograph of Ludacris, a Black man, with a dog, a pit bull I think, tot he left, sitting on a trash can. The photograph has been distorted so that Ludacris' head is much to big for his body, a photorealistic chibi style. Ludacris appears to be yelling, and has a wad of cash in his fist. His afro hair style is so big that until I started wriiting this, I thought it was the leaves of a giant tree behind him. The dog's head is also disproportionately big, and its mouth has been replaced with a human's, so its smiling with big human teeth. It's about as grotesque as you'd imagine.
#117 Ludacris, WORD OF MOUF
21 seed votes
21 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #70
Length: 2.78 Weezers

Seed #116 Blink-182, TAKE OFF YOUR PANTS AND JACKET (Spotify, YouTube)

On a black background, on the right side, are three circles, arranged vertically. The first one is red, and has a plane icon. The middle one is yello, and has an icon for pants. The third on the bottom is green and has an icon for a jacket.
#116 Blink-182, TAKE OFF YOUR PANTS AND JACKET
21 seed votes
19 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #81
Length: 1.37 Weezers

Seed #115 Gotan Project, LA REVANCHA DEL TANGO (Spotify, YouTube)

An extreme close up of a white naked person, from the tip of the bottom of the chin to the top of their chest. Almost the entire image is white-pink skin. The image is cropped in such a way that it is indeterminate if the person is male or female. On their left bicep area is "Gotan Project" in black, like a tattoo.
#115 Gotan Project, LA REVANCHA DEL TANGO
21 seed votes
16 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #98
Length: 2.07 Weezers

Seed #114 Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions, BAVARIAN FRUIT BREAD (Spotify, YouTube)

On a black background is the black and white photo of a white woman (I believe Hope Sandoval) on her back -- but only her upside down head is visible. To the right are several white flowers. Above this, a series of white lines cuts across the black backround, forming a kind of side view of the contours of a landscape. On top of these lines are four trees, drawn in pen and ink.
#114 Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions, BAVARIAN FRUIT BREAD
23 seed votes
15 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #110
Length: 1.74 Weezers

Seed #113 Thursday, FULL COLLAPSE (Spotify, YouTube)

A photograph of white cushioned seats in a white room. It is very white; the only other color is the black of the metal parts of the chairs, and there's little of it. The seats remind me of seating in an airport.
#113 Thursday, FULL COLLAPSE
23 seed votes
11 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #164
Length: 1.50 Weezers
Chosen by @onetrueposter.bsky.social (Captain's Pick)

Seed #112 Margo Guryan, 25 DEMOS (Spotify, YouTube)

A black and white photo of Margo Guryan, a white woman. She has long brown hair and wears a dark vest over a white sweater. The picture was taken ~1967 and looks it. Her right arm is held up with a cigarette in hand while the left arm supports the right at the elbow. She's glancing off to the right with a kind fed-up look on her face.
#112 Margo Guryan, 25 DEMOS
23 seed votes
8 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #210
Length: 2.12 Weezers (27 DEMOS)
Chosen by @somejerkoff.bsky.social (1989 Prediction Bracket - Winner)

Seed #111 Kaija Saariaho & Esa-Pekka Salonen, SAARIAHO: GRAAL THÉÂTRE, CHÂTEAU DE L'ÂME & AMERS (Spotify, YouTube)

A black and white photograph, with some sepia tones, of a white man and a whiote woman sitting in chairs outside, I believe a theater, or some other very old building, likely in Europe. The man is Esa-Pekka Salone and wears a white suit. The woman is Kaija Saariaho and wears a white dress. She has her arms crossed. They look off to the right.
#111 Kaija Saariaho & Esa-Pekka Salonen, SAARIAHO: GRAAL THÉÂTRE, CHÂTEAU DE L'ÂME & AMERS
23 seed votes
0 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #1518
Length: 2.50 Weezers
Chosen by rzigler.bsky.social (1989 Prediction Bracket - 3rd Place)

Seed #110 Zero 7, SIMPLE THINGS (Spotify, YouTube)

On a white background, at the bottom of the image, are the silhouettes of three men. One is yellow and is running. In front of him is a dark red figure, also running. Between them, in orange, is a man who is walkiing.
#110 Zero 7, SIMPLE THINGS
24 seed votes
20 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #79
Length: 2.16 Weezers

Seed #109 Wu-Tang Clan, IRON FLAG (Spotify, YouTube)

A distressed, black and white photo of the Wu-Tang Clan, eight Black men in military-style outfits. They are in the midst of planting a flag that has the Wu-Tang Clan logo (which is in color, orange and black). I'm pretty sure the idea is to reference the famous photo of soldiers raising the flag at Iwo Jima.
#109 Wu-Tang Clan, IRON FLAG
24 seed votes
15 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #116
Length: 1.95 Weezers

Seed #108 k., NEW PROBLEMS (Spotify, YouTube)

A blurry black and white photo of two white women on the rocky edge of a lake. They both wear white outfits with skirts, and are holding hands. One is leaning forward towards the water and pointing at something.
#108 k., NEW PROBLEMS
24 seed votes
15 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #111
Length: 1.09 Weezers

Seed #107 The Detroit Cobras, LIFE, LOVE AND LEAVING (Spotify, YouTube)

A black and white photo, a close up of singer Rachel Nagy (I believe), a white woman. Her eyes are closed and she is singing triumphantly into an old-style microphone she holds in one hand, a cigarette pinched between two fingers. She has makeup on, including dark, probably red, lipstick. The vibe is that of a '50s style torch singer.
#107 The Detroit Cobras, LIFE, LOVE AND LEAVING
25 seed votes
16 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #105
Length: 1.11 Weezers

Seed #106 Tricky, BLOWBACK (Spotify, YouTube)

A black and white photo of a Black man and Black woman facing each other, their faces only inches away from each other. (The man is Tricky. I don't believe the woman is Martina Topley-Bird, as she is not on this album, but I'm not 100% sure.) The woman i blowing smoke into Tricky's face, whose lips are puckered like he is blowing the smoke back, or sucking it in perhaps.
#106 Tricky, BLOWBACK
25 seed votes
12 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #151
Length: 2.06 Weezers
Chosen by @gamecat235.bsky.social (Raffle Winner)

Seed #105 Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire, THE SWIMMING HOUR (Spotify, YouTube)

A color photograph of Andrew Bird, a white man with short, nicely-styled dark hair. The coloring of the photo makes his skin whiter and his lips pinker than I think is actually real. He is wearing a thick dark jacket. He's standing outside where the ground is covered with snow. Behind him are a line of trees that have had their branches and leaves trimmed and styled into a series of discs that run up the length of the trunks.
#105 Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire, THE SWIMMING HOUR
25 seed votes
19 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #80
Length: 1.77 Weezers

Seed #104 Converge, JANE DOE (Spotify, YouTube)

A heavily photoshopped or otherwise artistically treated black and white photograph of a model, her eyes almost closed and her mouth slightly open. Her cheeks have been taken out, making the shape of her head skull-like, her neck, covered in shadow seems unnaturally elongated, and her body appears to be beaking apart or otherwise decaying. "Decay" would probably be an accurate theme of the picture.
#104 Converge, JANE DOE
25 seed votes
18 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #85
Length: 1.60 Weezers

Seed #103 Janet Jackson, ALL FOR YOU (Spotify, YouTube)

A close-up of Janet Jackson, a ridiculously beautiful Black woman with a big smile on her face. She is lying on a white bed, her head propped up by her left hand. Her other arm is holding a blanket covering her chest.
#103 Janet Jackson, ALL FOR YOU
26 seed votes
16 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #99
Length: 2.57 Weezers

Seed #102 The Dirtbombs, ULTRAGIDE IN BLACK (Spotify, YouTube)

A color photo of a Black man in a suit with a red tie and dark sunglasses, singing expresively into a mic, one hand on the mic and one on the stand. Big James Brown vibes. Across this are THE DIRTBOMBS and ULTRAGLIDE IN BLACK in a typographical style intended to suggest soul albums of mid 60s.
#102 The Dirtbombs, ULTRAGIDE IN BLACK
26 seed votes
24 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #66
Length: 1.57 Weezers

Seed #101 Garbage, BEAUTIFUL GARBAGE (Spotify, YouTube)

On a pink gridded background is a picture of a rose. The outside petalls are breaking into tiny red and purple polygons, as if disintegrating into digital garbage.
#101 Garbage, BEAUTIFUL GARBAGE
26 seed votes
16 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #97
Length: 1.87 Weezers

Seed #100 Mercury Rev, ALL IS DREAM (Spotify, YouTube)

A collage of a bunch of different things. There's a peach colored bald man, possibly a statue. A white dove or bird of some kind in flight. A tree growing on a floating island, with a glowing light appearing under it like a lantern. A smiling woman with long red hair and blue eyes. A man with short curly red hair and a beard, who has a kind of Roman look to him. A rose bush. There are other elements as well.
#100 Mercury Rev, ALL IS DREAM
26 seed votes
21 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #71
Length: 1.75 Weezers

Seed #99 Lightning Bolt, RIDE THE SKIES (Spotify, YouTube)

A pen and ink drawing of a large group of people riding on a cloud. The ink is green and the people and cloud are colored yellow. Some of the people may be flower people? They look like they're having a good time. The sky around them is swirls of pink and light blue.
#99 Lightning Bolt, RIDE THE SKIES
26 seed votes
15 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #112
Length: 1.25 Weezers

Seed #98 De La Soul, AOI: BIONIX (Spotify, YouTube)

Three Black men, the members of De La Soul (Mase, Posdnous, Trugoy), are dressed in silvery, reflective astronaut costumes, complete with white helmets. They are sitting down and gesture like they are operating instruments, but any sort of physical objects have been removed, so they appear to be floating. Posdnous, in the middle, has a hand to his head like he's receiving a message.
#98 De La Soul, AOI: BIONIX
27 seed votes
15 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #108
Length: 1.95 Weezers

Seed #97 Stars of the Lid, THE TIRED SOUNDS OF STARS OF THE LID (Spotify, YouTube)

The album cover is completely bright yellow, except for the top part of a red circle poking up from the bottem edge. The circle has a smeary quality, like a coffee cup stain.
#97 Stars of the Lid, THE TIRED SOUNDS OF STARS OF THE LID
27 seed votes
25 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #62
Length: 4.37 Weezers

Seed #96 Tori Amos, STRANGE LITTLE GIRLS (Spotify, YouTube)

Tori Amos, a white woman with short curly red hair. She wears a black and white striped long sleeve shirt with a pink rose pinned to one shoulderblade.
#96 Tori Amos, STRANGE LITTLE GIRLS
27 seed votes
16 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #106
Length: 2.19 Weezers

Seed #95 Princess Superstar, PRINCESS SUPERSTAR IS (Spotify, YouTube)

A black and white photo of a white woman with long straight blonde hair, wearing sunglasses and wearing lipstick and a black bodysuit. She appears to be crawling across a couch, while looking at the camera. One hand is raised in a cat scratch gesture. A gold necklace dangles from her neck.
#95 Princess Superstar, PRINCESS SUPERSTAR IS
27 seed votes
5 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #333
Length: 2.08 Weezers
Chosen by @nanette.bsky.social (Captain's Pick)

Seed #94 Firewater, PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY (Spotify, YouTube)

A green-tinted medical-style drawing of a human head with out the skin. A number of arrows point out various parts of the head, each arrow connected to a number but there is no legend visible to identify the parts. On the left side, running from top to bottom, are three drawings of male heads with bandages on them -- the top one has a bandage over the eyes, the middle one over the mouth, and the last one over the ears.
#94 Firewater, PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
27 seed votes
14 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #123
Length: 1.42 Weezers
Chosen by @kentmbeeson.bsky.social (Editor's Choice)

Seed #93 Elbow, ASLEEP IN THE BACK (Spotify, YouTube)

A photograph of a door in the side of a brick building, shot from the outside. The bricks and the door look old, distressed, and there are piles of bricks on the ground below the door.
#93 Elbow, ASLEEP IN THE BACK
28 seed votes
15 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #109
Length: 2.17 Weezers

Seed #92 Weezer, WEEZER (GREEN ALBUM) (Spotify, YouTube)

A color photo of the band Weezer on a bright green background. The band is a quartet of four white men, dressed in nice polite sweaters and dress shirts. The camera is above them, and they look up at it. One of the men (bandleader Rivers Cuomo) is slightly forward of the other three and hold a guitar.
#92 Weezer, WEEZER (GREEN ALBUM)
28 seed votes
27 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #55
Length: 1.00 Weezers

Seed #91 Explosions in the Sky, THOSE WHO TELL THE TRUTH SHALL DIE, THOSE WHO TELL THE TRUTH SHALL LIVE FOREVER (Spotify, YouTube)

A color drawing intended to look like a woodcut. At the top, in blue clouds, is an airplane shining a yellow light to an angel in the middle of the image amongst indigo clouds. Below the angel are silhouettes of heads of soldiers, possibly WWI, with red clouds behind them.
#91 Explosions in the Sky, THOSE WHO TELL THE TRUTH SHALL DIE, THOSE WHO TELL THE TRUTH SHALL LIVE FOREVER
28 seed votes
18 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #86
Length: 1.76 Weezers

Seed #90 They Might Be Giants, MINK CAR (Spotify, YouTube)

A pen and ink diagram of a car in "blown up" format -- parts of the car, like headlights, have been removed with arrows pointing to where they go. In front of the car, there is also drawing of a "blown up" mannequin, with arms and legs removed and arrows pointing to the body. The humorous implication is that the car hit the mannequin and it is flying through the air. At the bottom of the picture is the legend "13. MINK CAR - IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD"
#90 They Might Be Giants, MINK CAR
28 seed votes
23 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #67
Length: 1.63 Weezers

Seed #89 Muse, ORIGIN OF SYMMETRY (Spotify, YouTube)

A pen and ink drawing of a plain white field with a whole bunch of giant tuning forks, standing like trees. The forks cast long thin black shadows towards the left. The sky is pure yellow-orange.
#89 Muse, ORIGIN OF SYMMETRY
29 seed votes
25 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #60
Length: 1.82 Weezers

Seed #88 Pernice Brothers, THE WORLD WON’T END (Spotify, YouTube)

A close picture of a hawk or some other kind of bird of prey. The color-correction of the photo has turned the head and wings of the bird a dark grey-blue-green, and the chest a faded orange. The bird looks off to the right, the image cuts off the bird's beak.
#88 Pernice Brothers, THE WORLD WON’T END
29 seed votes
21 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #73
Length: 1.41 Weezers

Seed #87 My Morning Jacket, AT DAWN (Spotify, YouTube)

A photo (I think) of the Hollywood Bowl, shot from the back, showing the audience and the very deep stage way in the back. The sun is setting just behind the giant curved proscenium, next to black clouds, coloring the whole picture in a deep orange-red.
#87 My Morning Jacket, AT DAWN
30 seed votes
16 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #100
Length: 2.60 Weezers

Seed #86 Broken Social Scene, FEEL GOOD LOST (Spotify, YouTube)

Two black and white photographs superimposed onto one another. The first one is of two dolls, each with wide white faces and black dots for eyes and tiny mouths. One is a male in a suit and the other is a female in kind of a flapper outfit. This is palced over a photograph of a an amusement park of fairground.
#86 Broken Social Scene, FEEL GOOD LOST
30 seed votes
16 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #96
Length: 2.10 Weezers

Seed #85 Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros, GLOBAL A GO-GO (Spotify, YouTube)

A photo of a (what I think is) a cigarette lighter, on a white background. The image has been digitall edited to color the cigarette lighter in bright, almost neon, green and red. "Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros" is scrawled in black on the lighter.
#85 Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros, GLOBAL A GO-GO
30 seed votes
18 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #87
Length: 2.58 Weezers

Seed #84 Sophie Ellis-Bextor, READ MY LIPS (Spotify, YouTube)

A black and white close up of Sophie Ellis-Bextor, a white woman with shortish black hair, possibly a kind of bob cut. She frames her face with one arm curved around, her wrist on her forehead and her hand touching her hair. Her face points to the camera, but she looks to the right. She wears a lot of makeup, giving her a kind of porcelain figure look. Across this image is "SOPHIE ELLIS BEXTOR" written in red, in what looks like lipstick.
#84 Sophie Ellis-Bextor, READ MY LIPS
30 seed votes
11 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #158
Length: 1.76 Weezers
Chosen by @putnam39.bsky.social (1989 Prediction Bracket 2nd Place - Longevity Points)

Seed #83 Prefuse 73, VOCAL STUDIES + UPROCK NARRATIVES (Spotify, YouTube)

A high-contrast photo of a man on a bicycle. It's so high contrast that the man is mostly white and all the negative spaces are black. This is on a blue background.
#83 Prefuse 73, VOCAL STUDIES + UPROCK NARRATIVES
30 seed votes
21 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #87
Length: 1.79 Weezers

Seed #82 Sloan, PRETTY TOGETHER (Spotify, YouTube)

The four members of Sloan, their four heads rendered in yellow-tinted black and white, with outlines for the rest of their bodies. Through their bodies we see a photograph of a sunrise/sunset on the ocean, a bit of land jutting in from the left.
#82 Sloan, PRETTY TOGETHER
31 seed votes
17 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #94
Length: 1.66 Weezers

Seed #81 The Langley Schools Music Project, INNOCENCE AND DESPAIR (Spotify, YouTube)

A collage of black and white photographs of children of various ages, probably around 8-12 years old. Some of them are playing instruments like guitar and bass and drums, some are clapping, some are grouped together singing.
#81 The Langley Schools Music Project, INNOCENCE AND DESPAIR
31 seed votes
14 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #132
Length: 2.25 Weezers
Chosen by @msmucker.bsky.social (Captain's Pick)

Seed #80 Roots Manuva, RUN COME SAVE ME (Spotify, YouTube)

A black and white photo of Roots Manuva, a Black man, seemingly hovering over a road in what looks like the desert, or at least a very desolate-looking place. HIs jacket and his button-down shirt blow in the wind. There is a telephone pole and wires to the right.
#80 Roots Manuva, RUN COME SAVE ME
31 seed votes
27 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #53
Length: 2.04 Weezers

Seed #79 Fennesz, ENDLESS SUMMER (Spotify, YouTube)

A color photograph of the sun over the horizon of the ocean, with a dark cloud on the right. The sun bathes everything in an orange haze.
#79 Fennesz, ENDLESS SUMMER
32 seed votes
24 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #64
Length: 1.78 Weezers

Seed #78 Alicia Keys, SONGS IN A MINOR (Spotify, YouTube)

A young Black woman in a leather jacket, wide green hat, and green and black striped dress shirt that his hiked up to reveal her stomach. Her hands are on her hips and her head is cocked to one side.
#78 Alicia Keys, SONGS IN A MINOR
32 seed votes
20 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #75
Length: 2.22 Weezers

Seed #77 The Knife, THE KNIFE (Spotify, YouTube)

A yellow circle, sun-like, with rays of yellow and red emanating from it just on the top 180 degrees. The other 180 degrees below it is blue. In the circle, written in black, is THE KNIFE. The "I" in knife has been replaced by a red silhouette of a knife.
#77 The Knife, THE KNIFE
33 seed votes
15 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #107
Length: 1.63 Weezers

Seed #76 Superchunk, HERE'S TO SHUTTING UP (Spotify, YouTube)

A color drawing of two office chairs, done in colored pencil I think? The cushions and arm rests are brown, and sit on silver crossbar with black wheels. They are functionally identical. Overlaid on top of that, in brown ink, is the outline of the same kind of chair.
#76 Superchunk, HERE'S TO SHUTTING UP
33 seed votes
18 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #90
Length: 1.54 Weezers

Seed #75 Lovage, MUSIC TO MAKE LOVE TO YOUR OLD LADY BY (Spotify, YouTube)

A color photograph of "Nathaniel Merriweather" (Dan the Automator), a Japanese man in a suit and tie, wearing tinted glasses, and holding a cigarette. He sits at small table, gripping it with his other hand. On the table are a bouquet of roses and an old fashioned revolver. He looks towards the left.
#75 Lovage, MUSIC TO MAKE LOVE TO YOUR OLD LADY BY
33 seed votes
19 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #82
Length: 2.10 Weezers

Seed #74 Super Furry Animals, RINGS AROUND THE WORLD (Spotify, YouTube)

A round cartoonish skull with two black eyes, two black nasal holes and six lozenge-shaped white teeth, one of them gold and sparkling. The skull is in the middle of a sunray burst pattern that's orange, red and blue. Lightning bolts from oval brown clouds strike the skull.
#74 Super Furry Animals, RINGS AROUND THE WORLD
33 seed votes
29 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #46
Length: 1.86 Weezers

Seed #73 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, B.R.M.C. (Spotify, YouTube)

A black and white photo of three young white men, the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, hanging out on a street corner. One leans against a white concrete corner, another is sitting back on steps on the left side of the image, the other is more foreground on the right side. They all wear leather jackets and look like the Jesus & Mary Chain tribute band they are.
#73 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, B.R.M.C.
34 seed votes
18 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #84
Length: 2.01 Weezers

Seed #72 Kristin Hersh, SUNNY BORDER BLUE (Spotify, YouTube)

A close-up of Kristin Hersh, a white woman with dark hair and short bangs. The photo is colored completely blue. She looks to the left with a thoughtful look on her face.
#72 Kristin Hersh, SUNNY BORDER BLUE
34 seed votes
17 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #93
Length: 1.76 Weezers

Seed #71 Alison Krauss and Union Station, NEW FAVORITE (Spotify, YouTube)

Alison Krauss, a white woman with short blonde hair, and her band Union Station, four white men, sit at a restaurant counter with dishes and coffee cups about like they just finished breakfast. Krauss wears a red dress and looks at the camera. The four band members wear black and some look at the camera and some don't.
#71 Alison Krauss + Union Station, NEW FAVORITE
34 seed votes
17 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #91
Length: 1.60 Weezers

Seed #70 Destiny's Child, SURVIVOR (Spotify, YouTube)

A color photograph of three young Black women, Destiny's Child. They are on a thick white fluffy carpet. Two of them sit on it, while the third is lying down between them. Their clothing is bright and reflective like the astronaut costumes on the De La Soul cover
#70 Destiny's Child, SURVIVOR
34 seed votes
21 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #68
Length: 2.10 Weezers

Seed #69 Air, 10 000 HZ LEGEND (Spotify, YouTube)

A painting of a red desert landscape with mesas visible in the background. In the foreground is a red cliff with a futuristic, sleek grey building building built on top of it. The building has a glass observation deck jutting out from the cliff and hanging above empy air. There are two figures in the glass observation deck. On top of the building is a satellite dish.
#69 Air, 10 000 HZ LEGEND
34 seed votes
34 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #29
Length: 2.14 Weezers

Seed #68 Les Savy Fav, GO FORTH (Spotify, YouTube)

A photograph of a white man from the nose to the neck, wearing a collared shirt. However, the image has been bisected by about thirty horizontal lines, turning the photograph into a series of strips. It's possible that each strip is actually a different photograph of a person, and it's just combining to make single picture of a person who doesn't really exist.
#68 Les Savy Fav, GO FORTH
34 seed votes
14 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #126
Length: 1.61 Weezers

Seed #67 Mogwai, ROCK ACTION (Spotify, YouTube)

Several photographs superimposed on one another, red tinted. It's difficult to make out what's here. I see a bald man with one arm up like he's scratching the back of his neck. I see what looks like a chair next to a wall that has a series of vinyl record-like circles on it. I don't know if any of this is really there.
#67 Mogwai, ROCK ACTION
35 seed votes
21 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #72
Length: 1.36 Weezers

Seed #66 Shakira, LAUNDRY SERVICE (Spotify, YouTube)

A color photograph of Shakira, a young white woman with curled blonde hair. She appears to be nude, but all we can see are her bare back, the top of her right arm, and her face, which looks at the camera. She has a tatto that reads LAUNDRY SERVICE on her arm.
#66 Shakira, LAUNDRY SERVICE
35 seed votes
16 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #104
Length: 1.73 Weezers

Seed #65 Kings of Convenience, QUIET IS THE NEW LOUD (Spotify, YouTube)

A color photograph of three people. The first one is a very young looking white man, with short reddish brown hair and glasses, in a blue dress shirt and dark blue corduroys. He has a very twee, geek look to him. He looks at the camera with a slightly smug look. Behind him is a white man and white woman. The man has an arm around the woman and his mouth in her hair as if kissing her head. She wears a white long sleeve blouse and a skirt -- her bare legs are in the center of the picture.
#65 Kings of Convenience, QUIET IS THE NEW LOUD
26 seed votes
24 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #65
Length: 1.58 Weezers

Seed #64 Rufus Wainwright, POSES (Spotify, YouTube)

A black and white photo of Rufus Wainwright in profile. He is a white male with longish dark hair and sideburns. He is wearing a leather jacket. Out of focus behind him are trees, like he's in a park.
#64 Rufus Wainwright, POSES
36 seed votes
29 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #45
Length: 1.88 Weezers

Seed #63 Pete Yorn, MUSICFORTHEMORNINGAFTER (Spotify, YouTube)

A black and white, overexposed photo of Pete Yorn, a young white man with shaggy dark hair in a t-shirt. His is almost in profile and looking off to the left -- the picture has a candid quality to it. His skin is blown out a bit, bright white, from the overexposure.
#63 Pete Yorn, MUSICFORTHEMORNINGAFTER
36 seed votes
16 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #102
Length: 2.03 Weezers

Seed #62 Destroyer, STREETHAWK: A SEDUCTION (Spotify, YouTube)

The cover is completely black, save for a large gold-yellow outline of a square, and the outline of two gold-yellow circles in the middle, with the smaller circle within the larger. In the space between the two circles are lines drawn from the edge of the larger circle to the edge of the smaller circle -- these lines form squares if you trace them.
#62 Destroyer, STREETHAWK: A SEDUCTION
36 seed votes
30 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #39
Length: 1.54 Weezers

Seed #61 Pulp, WE LOVE LIFE (Spotify, YouTube)

The letters P and U on top of the letters L and P. Each of the letters is illustrated with pen and ink drawings of flowers. Below that is WE LOVE LIFE written like on a label maker.
#61 Pulp, WE LOVE LIFE
37 seed votes
27 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #52
Length: 1.90 Weezers

Seed #60 Tenacious D, TENACIOUS D (Spotify, YouTube)

A black and white photo of Tenacious D (Kyle Gass and Jack Black) standing in the middle of a pentagram, complete with candles, while a statue of Baphoment looms above them. Gass and Black are naked but hold acoustic guitars. They have chains attached to their necks which are then connected to Baphoment. They appear to be laughing maniacally.
#60 Tenacious D, TENACIOUS D
37 seed votes
25 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #63
Length: 1.78 Weezers

Seed #59 Beulah, THE COAST IS NEVER CLEAR (Spotify, YouTube)

A drawing of mountains with water next to the, seen from the silhouetted vantage point of a incline of grass and bushes, flanked by trees. The sun is just behind the mountains. The water is red, the sky is orange, the mountains are off-white, the sun is yellow.
#59 Beulah, THE COAST IS NEVER CLEAR
37 seed votes
25 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #57
Length: 1.43 Weezers

Seed #58 Stereolab, SOUND-DUST (Spotify, YouTube)

On a pink background is a drawing of the black silhouette of a tall hill with some kind of fortress on top of it. In the middle of the hill is a skull like face, as if "cut out" of the picture -- the negative space is pink, like the background. White shapes like big waves crash on each side of the hill.
#58 Stereolab, SOUND-DUST
38 seed votes
27 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #54
Length: 2.22 Weezers

Seed #57 Jim O'Rourke, INSIGNIFICANCE (YouTube)

A painting of a person in a cartoonish style, sitting in a chair, a sad or forlorn look on their face. They are slightly rotund, short brown hair, and wear pink stockings on their legs, long pink gloves on their arms, and a pink, kind of lingerie-looking thing over their torso. They have large breasts, but also a very visible mustache over red lipsticked lips. There is a toy duckie on wheels tied to the chair.
#57 Jim O'Rourke, INSIGNIFICANCE
38 seed votes
28 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #47
Length: 1.35 Weezers

Seed #56 Spiritualized, LET IT COME DOWN (Spotify, YouTube)

A sculpture of the head of a young woman in some kind of white material. The woman has her eyes closed. Her hair has bangs cut straight across, with a pig tail on each side, jutting out in a curved comma.
#56 Spiritualized, LET IT COME DOWN
39 seed votes
33 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #32
Length: 2.22 Weezers

Seed #55 R.E.M., REVEAL (Spotify, YouTube)

A photograph of a green grassy field. Near the horizon a group of trees, and beyond that, the side of a sheer rocky surface that goes up and out of the image. To the left, the curve of a paved road can be made out. At the bottom left is the shadow of the photographer.
#55 R.E.M., REVEAL
39 seed votes
37 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #25
Length: 1.89 Weezers

Seed #54 Unwound, LEAVES TURN INSIDE YOU (Spotify, YouTube)

The image is completely dark grey. At the bottom, there appears to be the word "unwound" in a kind of Gothic, Old English kind of font/writing. Part of the word bleed out of the image on the left, right, and bottom.
#54 Unwound, LEAVES TURN INSIDE YOU
39 seed votes
31 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #36
Length: 2.63 Weezers

Seed #53 Lucinda Williams, ESSENCE (Spotify, YouTube)

A photo of a pink-petaled flower with yellow pistils. This takes up most of the image, but there is also an orange flower to the lower left, that is made up a hundred petals.
#53 Lucinda Williams, ESSENCE
40 seed votes
25 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #59
Length: 1.80 Weezers

Seed #52 Old 97s, SATELLITE RIDES (Spotify, YouTube)

The cover is broken into roughly four quadrants. The upper left reads OLD with an orange background, and the bottom right reads 97's with a yellow background. The lower left is a black and white photo of the band, four white guys, posing a bit goofily for the camera. In the upper right quadrant is a listing of all the songs on the album. The whole cover aesthetic has the feel of something released in the 60s.
#52 Old 97s, SATELLITE RIDES
40 seed votes
18 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #88
Length: 1.57 Weezers

Seed #51 New Order, GET READY (Spotify, YouTube)

A black and white photo of a thin woman in a t-shirt and jeans, which appear to be splattered with white paint. She has neck-length dark hair. She holds a small camcorder up to one eye, as if filming the person taking her photo. There is a horizontal red bar superimposed over her waist, running almost from one side of the image to the other.
#51 New Order, GET READY
40 seed votes
30 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #41
Length: 1.80 Weezers

Seed #50 Four Tet, PAUSE (Spotify, YouTube)

A blurry, smeary color photo of two young white people, a man and a woman, outside in a park-like environment, lit by a low sun. The man's face is too blurry to register, but he is wearing a white sweatshirt with FOUR TET written on it and some kind of photo collage. The woman has long blondish hair, and wears a jacket and striped scarf. She looks like she's laughing.
#50 Four Tet, PAUSE
40 seed votes
21 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #69
Length: 1.52 Weezers

Seed #49 Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, NO MORE SHALL WE PART (Spotify, YouTube)

A painting of a red flower, probably a rose, with a yellow flower underneath it and above it, a bluebell flower. The background is black. The  painting is a bit amateurish.
#49 Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, NO MORE SHALL WE PART
41 seed votes
27 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #51
Length: 2.39 Weezers

Seed #48 Ben Folds, ROCKIN' THE SUBURBS (Spotify, YouTube)

A moody black and white photo of Ben Folds, a skinny man with short black hair who has a kind of dapper look even though he's just wearing a t-shirt. He is at a piano, thoughtfully staring at the keys. In the extreme foreground, taking up most of the image, is a glass of liquid on top of the piano. Behind him is a window with horizontal blinds.
#48 Ben Folds, ROCKIN' THE SUBURBS
41 seed votes
30 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #37
Length: 1.72 Weezers

Seed #47 Death Cab for Cutie, THE PHOTO ALBUM (Spotify, YouTube)

Extreme close-up photo of what I believe is a yellow-brown floorboard, or possibly a wall? There are drops of liquid on it, just barely discernible.
#47 Death Cab for Cutie, THE PHOTO ALBUM
41 seed votes
30 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #38
Length: 1.37 Weezers

Seed #46 Tortoise, STANDARDS (Spotify, YouTube)

This appears to be a photo of two American flags, folded up into squares, one on top of the other, but with a a series of horizontal red lines (like on the American flag) cutting across the image and obscuring it to some degree.
#46 Tortoise, STANDARDS
41 seed votes
20 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #78
Length: 1.56 Weezers

Seed #45 Basement Jaxx, ROOTY (Spotify, YouTube)

Close up of a white-haired gorilla, holding a green stem with green leaves, the stem part against its lips horizontally. Its eyes are closed and has a kind of disappointed, unimpressed look on its face. The background is a starfield. On the upper left side, pink and yellow drip down the side of the image like paint.
#45 Basement Jaxx, ROOTY
42 seed votes
42 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #17
Length: 1.50 Weezers

Seed #44 The Beta Band, HOT SHOTS II (Spotify, YouTube)

On a starry field of black, there's a yellow and orange explosion in the middle. The explosion has a kind of cheesy, 80s look to it. The band name and title are on the image, rendered in a sparkly, diamond-esque "bedazzled" font that is also cheesy and a bit campy.
#44 The Beta Band, HOT SHOTS II
42 seed votes
28 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #49
Length: 1.83 Weezers

Seed #43 Josie and the Pussycats, JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS: MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE (Spotify, YouTube)

The cast of the film JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS, posing for the camera. On the far left is a white woman with long blond hair holding drumsticks. The middle woman has a guitar and makes a kind of "you wanna try me?" gesture with a confident smirk on her face. On the right is a Black woman holding a bass guitar in front of her body and making a cat claws gesture with a scowl. They all wear little cat ears on their heads.
#43 Josie and the Pussycats, JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS: MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE
42 seed votes
11 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #154
Length: 1.33 Weezers
Chosen by @otherdavemoore.com (Raffle Winner)

Seed #42 Ladytron, 604 (Spotify, YouTube)

A color drawing of a young white woman, from the waist up, suggesting she is sitting at a table. She wears a black tank top, has short black hair, and icy blue eyes. She has a slight smile on her face, but her eyes make her look a bit robotic. Her hands are clasped on the table. In front of her is an electronic device that I think is some kind of recording device.
#42 Ladytron, 604
43 seed votes
32 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #34
Length: 1.89 Weezers

Seed #41 Sparklehorse, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (Spotify, YouTube)

I think this is a green, old, worn picture frame with an oval window set into it for the photo. The photo within is the torso of a man, in an old fashioned, 20s-style suit, holding a bouquet of rose-like flowers. The flowers burst with bright orange and red colors. Around the oval shape are ribbon shapes, decorating it.
#41 Sparklehorse, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE
43 seed votes
28 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #48
Length: 2.15 Weezers

Seed #40 Aphex Twin, DRUKQS (Spotify, YouTube)

A close-up of some kind of machine like a typewriter or printing press or perhaps the inside of a piano? The image is divided into three horizontal strips, and each strip contains a row of blocks. The top row has wooden blocks with what looks like a brass screw in each block. The second row are smaller squarish wooden blocks, and they spell out, one block per letter, APHEX TWIN. The third row are smaller, tombstone-shaped nodules, and I think they spell out DRUKQS but it's difficult to see, that row is darker, has less light.
#40 Aphex Twin, DRUKQS
43 seed votes
29 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #43
Length: 3.55 Weezers

Seed #39 Guided By Voices, ISOLATION DRILLS (Spotify, YouTube)

A photograph of four different planes, the first pointed straight at the camera, then the others pointed at an angle away from the camera until the fourth plane is 90 degrees pointing to the right. The first plane appears to be a passenger jet, the second one looks like a military fighter, and I believe the last two are commuter planes.
#39 Guided By Voices, ISOLATION DRILLS
43 seed votes
30 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #40
Length: 1.66 Weezers

Seed #38 Tool, LATERALUS (Spotify, YouTube)

A medical-style drawing of man, from the chest up, only without skin, showing his mucles and blood vessels and other hidden parts of the body. He holds his right hand up. Around him is a psychedelic swirl that is reminiscent of a peacock's feathers.
#38 Tool, LATERALUS
44 seed votes
39 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #22
Length: 2.78 Weezers

Seed #37 Röyksopp, MELODY A.M. (Spotify, YouTube)

A shot of the sky, covered with swirling clouds. The sun is setting/rising at the bottom, and it paints the sky and clouds in various tones of orange, yellow, rust, and brown. The tops of a few trees poke up at the bottom of the image.
#37 Röyksopp, MELODY A.M.
44 seed votes
29 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #44
Length: 1.62 Weezers

Seed #36 The Microphones, THE GLOW PT. 2 (Spotify, YouTube)

A cartoonish drawing of an elephant in a forest using its trunk to put out a campfire. The drawing has a kind of 1920s style to it. You could easily imagine it as a piece of 1920s animation.
#36 The Microphones, THE GLOW PT. 2
46 seed votes
28 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #50
Length: 2.35 Weezers

Seed #35 Life Without Buildings, ANY OTHER CITY (Spotify, YouTube)

A black and white photograph of a white woman, in close up, in profile. She has short dark hair and wears a sweater. Notably, it isn't one picture, but a composite of four different takes of the same picture arranged in a 2 x 2 grid. On top of the photos is a single copper coin, placed on the woman's cheek, and four matches near the back of her neck. There is some kind of long black thing at the bottom -- a straw? A piece of metal?
#35 Life Without Buildings, ANY OTHER CITY
46 seed votes
35 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #28
Length: 1.57 Weezers

Seed #34 Silver Jews, BRIGHT FLIGHT (Spotify, YouTube)

A color photograph, that has a faded, aged look to it, of a faded-pink couch. On the couch, propped up against the back cushion, is what looks like a Trapper Keeper style paper folder. It is black with green, orange, and red rectangles on it, as well as the number 4. Behind the couch are red drapes, or perhaps a blanket, covering a window.
#34 Silver Jews, BRIGHT FLIGHT
48 seed votes
25 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #61
Length: 1.24 Weezers

Seed #33 Aesop Rock, LABOR DAYS (Spotify, YouTube)

A drawing, in blue and black colored pencils(?), of a bunch of people grouped together in a mass -- it's difficult to separate one body from another. Faces are visible, and they seem kind of sad and downtrodden. Poking up at the back of mass is a distinct body, a man in a suit and tie who vaguely resembles a young Richard Benjamin.
#33 Aesop Rock, LABOR DAYS
48 seed votes
27 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #24
Length: 2.15 Weezers

Seed #32 Mary J. Blige, NO MORE DRAMA (Spotify, YouTube)

Mary J. Blige, a Black woman, with short brown hair and tinted red sunglasses and red lipstick. Her eyes are closed, like she’s drifting off, imagining something. She wears a red leather jacket with only a brassiere underneath, and gold necklace/choker type thing around her neck.
#32 Mary J. Blige, NO MORE DRAMA
48 seed votes
20 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #76
Length: 2.56 Weezers

Seed #31 The Dismemberment Plan, CHANGE (Spotify, YouTube)

A color photograph of the blue sky. In the upper right, a white cloud is creeping in. In the lower left, we see a sign that reads CHANGE that is presumably on the top of an unseen building.
#31 The Dismemberment Plan, CHANGE
49 seed votes
30 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #42
Length: 1.66 Weezers

Seed #30 Yeah Yeah Yeahs, YEAH YEAH YEAHS ep (Spotify, YouTube)

A close-up color photo of a young white woman (who I believe is vocalist Karen O) from her mouth to the top of her chest. The only visible apparel is a gold necklace around her neck with a pendant that reads MASTER.
#30 Yeah Yeah Yeahs, YEAH YEAH YEAHS ep
49 seed votes
19 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #83
Length: 0.48 Weezers

Seed #29 Built to Spill, ANCIENT MELODIES OF THE FUTURE (Spotify, YouTube)

In the middle of a white background is a black and white photo of a man holding a guitar on his shoulder so that the body of it obscures his head and the neck of it shoots out from his back.
#29 Built to Spill, ANCIENT MELODIES OF THE FUTURE
50 seed votes
33 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #31
Length: 1.38 Weezers

Seed #28 Andrew W.K., I GET WET (Spotify, YouTube)

A close-up color photo of Andrew W.K., a white man with long, possibly sweat-soaked black hair that falls down and is sticking to his face. His nose, lips, chin and throat are stained with blood, both fresh and dried. His eyes are heavy-lidded; the expression could be read as defiant or possibly just drugged-out. According to Wikipedia, W.K. hit himself with a cinder block to get the blood, and supplemented it with animal blood from a butcher's shop.
#28 Andrew W.K., I GET WET
51 seed votes
39 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #21
Length: 1.25 Weezers

Seed #27 Cannibal Ox, THE COLD VEIN (Spotify, YouTube)

On a grey-blue background are grey, blue and purpple drawings of some SF/fantasy warrior types and a four-legged creature with tentacles coming out of its head. I would call the art style Warhammer 40k meets anime.
#27 Cannibal Ox, THE COLD VEIN
52 seed votes
41 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #19
Length: 2.60 Weezers

Seed #26 Jimmy Eat World, BLEED AMERICAN (Spotify, YouTube)

Seven bowling trophies, of varying size, on top of an old cigarette dispensing machine, like you might have found in the 50s or 60s. All that's visible of the machien are a row of buttons along the bottom of the image, with a picture of a cigarette brand on each button. Behind the trophies is a blue wall.
#26 Jimmy Eat World, BLEED AMERICAN
53 seed votes
27 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #23
Length: 1.64 Weezers

Seed #25 Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, THE TYRANNY OF DISTANCE (Spotify, YouTube)

A color photo of a whale jumping out of the blue ocean. The whale is framed so it is somewhat in the distance, kind of small -- the ocean takes up most of the image. Above the horizon of the water, the sky has been replaced with a block of dark purple.
#25 Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, THE TYRANNY OF DISTANCE
54 seed votes
33 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #33
Length: 1.72 Weezers

Seed #24 The Coup, PARTY MUSIC (Spotify, YouTube)

A low angle picture of the World Trade Center towers exploding from the middle of the buildings, big black clouds and red-orange fires. It looks *incredibly* similar to how it looked when the planes hit it. At the bottom are Pam the Funkstress and Boots Riley, as if on the ground in front of it. Riley, with a knowing look, is pressing a button on an electronic tuner, suggesting he set off the explosives. Behind him Pam the Funkstress is holding two sticks, one in each hand. I'm unsure what the sticks are.
#24 The Coup, PARTY MUSIC
54 seed votes
37 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #27
Length: 1.88 Weezers

Seed #23 Drive-By Truckers, SOUTHERN ROCK OPERA (Spotify, YouTube)

A drawing of a two lane blacktop going through a field of yellow grass. A black owl flies across the road. To the left, a sign reading HIGHWAY 72. Leafless trees and a fence on the horizon.
#23 Drive-By Truckers, SOUTHERN ROCK OPERA
55 seed votes
26 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #56
Length: 3.31 Weezers

Seed #22 System of A Down, TOXICITY (Spotify, YouTube)

A photo of the famous Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, but the letters have been replaced so it says SYSTEM OF A DOWN.
#22 System of a Down, TOXICITY
55 seed votes
34 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #30
Length: 1.55 Weezers

Seed #21 Le Tigre, FEMINIST SWEEPSTAKES (Spotify, YouTube)

A color photgraph of the members of Le Tigre: JD Samson, Johanna Fateman, and Kathleen Hanna. They are all dressed in pink and at a table covered with sheets of paper of various colors. At least one paper has a childlike drawing of people on it. There is a large gold Venus symbold on the table. Hanna is dipping her finger in a small bowl of something.
#21 Le Tigre, FEMINIST SWEEPSTAKES
57 seed votes
32 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #35
Length: 1.49 Weezers

Seed #20 Bob Dylan, “LOVE AND THEFT” (Spotify, YouTube)

A black and white close up photo of Bob Dylan, a middle-aged white man with messy, bushy brown hair, a long thin face, and a thin mustache. He looks a bit like Vincent Price. Behind him is a mic and other paraphenalia of a recording studio.
#20 Bob Dylan, "LOVE AND THEFT"
57 seed votes
42 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #18
Length: 2.02 Weezers

Seed #19 Kylie Minogue, FEVER (Spotify, YouTube)

Singer Kylie Minogue, a white woman with neck-length dark blonde hair. She is wearing a white top and something like a white bikini bottom, with a long white tassel falling from the hip. She wears white high heels. She is holding a microphone far above her head, with her head cocked back, and the other arm is thrown back behind her.
#19 Kylie Minogue, FEVER
57 seed votes
48 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #14
Length: 1.61 Weezers

Seed #18 Stephen Malkmus, STEPHEN MALKMUS (Spotify, YouTube)

A color photograph close up of Stephen Malkmus, a young white man with shaggy brown hair. He wears a white T shirt. Sunlight hits his face from the left, throwing the right side in shadow. Behind him is a body of water, blue sky, clouds. It feels like sunset.
#18 Stephen Malkmus, STEPHEN MALKMUS
58 seed votes
37 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #26
Length: 1.47 Weezers

Seed #17 Cake, COMFORT EAGLE (Spotify, YouTube)

A pen and ink drawing of a couple, a middle-aged woman and man. They hold drinks and smile at each other; it seems like they are at a party. The woman has black hair and dark lipstick, wearing a dress with a scarf around her neck. She wears a necklace with a pendant at the end, which vaguely looks like a rook in a chess. The man wears a dark jacket and a neckerchief. His temples are grey. The drawing is superimposed on a light blue star shape.
#17 Cake, COMFORT EAGLE
61 seed votes
25 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #58
Length: 1.30 Weezers

Seed #16 Low, THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE (Spotify, YouTube)

A drawn map of some kind of mountainous territory, with longitude and lattitude lines -- it could be the moon? There is a thin rectangular piece of rusted metal placed in the middle. Stamped on the metal are a series of numbers.
#16 Low, THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE
64 seed votes
49 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #13
Length: 1.88 Weezers

Seed #15 Aaliyah, AALIYAH (Spotify, YouTube)

A photograph of a thin Black woman, Aaliyah, on a red background. (RIP) She wears a sheer sleeveless top that is I believe beige. She looks very confident.
#15 Aaliyah, AALIYAH
65 seed votes
40 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #20
Length: 2.16 Weezers

Seed #14 Jay-Z, THE BLUEPRINT (Spotify, YouTube)

An overhead black and white photograph, tinted blue, of Jay-Z, a Black man, sitting on the edge of a table, facing away from the camera. He wears a suit and smokes a cigar. At the top left, we can see the feet of underlings he is presumably addressing. It has the vibes of Rober DeNiro as Al Capone in THE UNTOUCHABLES.
#14 Jay-Z, THE BLUEPRINT
67 seed votes
43 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #16
Length: 2.23 Weezers

Seed #13 Rilo Kiley, TAKE OFFS AND LANDINGS (Spotify, YouTube)

A pen and ink diagram of three airline seats on a beige background. Arrows point to one of the arm rests, a bar at the bottom that runs across the bottom of all the seats, and  to some unidentifiable piece underneath the first chair.
#13 Rilo Kiley, TAKE OFFS AND LANDINGS
67 seed votes
48 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #15
Length: 1.66 Weezers

Seed #12 Fugazi, THE ARGUMENT (Spotify, YouTube)

From the Wikipedia article: a photographic illustration composed of two tightly cropped images of the bronze relief plaque on the Heald Square Monument in Chicago, IL. Both arms of Lady Liberty extended in opposite directions, one with a torch in-hand and the other empty. Despite being a bronze relief, the whole thing is colored a bluish-grey.
#12 Fugazi, THE ARGUMENT
68 seed votes
57 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #10
Length: 1.58 Weezers

Seed #11 Missy Elliott, MISS E... SO ADDICTIVE (Spotify, YouTube)

A blue tinted photo of a close up of Missy Elliot, a Black woman with short black hair in what I'd call a Pat Benatar style. She wears large hoop earrings with diamonds, and a collared jacket that is vaguely like camouflage. Behind her are two spherical metal objects, covered with sharp spikes. That are reminiscent of both ocean mines and viruses.
#11 Missy Elliott, MISS E... SO ADDICTIVE
71 seed votes
56 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #11
Length: 2.01 Weezers

Seed #10 The Shins, OH, INVERTED WORLD (Spotify, YouTube)

On a slate blue background, from the bottom are a series of branches in white silhouette. There are bulbs, mostly white but some gold, hanging from the branches.
#10 The Shins, OH, INVERTED WORLD
78 seed votes
59 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #6
Length: 1.18 Weezers

Seed #9 Spoon, GIRLS CAN TELL (Spotify, YouTube)

Close up of a green tinted black and white photo of a vinyl record spinning on a record player. The arm of the record player is almost at the end.
#9 Spoon, GIRLS CAN TELL
78 seed votes
58 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #9
Length: 1.27 Weezers

Seed #8 Gillian Welch, TIME (THE REVELATOR) (Spotify, YouTube)

Gillian Welch, a thin white woman with long brown hair, sits on a table that have cushions on them. She is in a red dress covered with white flower shapes. The cushions have a multicolored, striped, kind of plaid pattern on them. The woman looks off to the right with a slight look of puzzlement.
#8 Gillian Welch, TIME (THE REVELATOR)
81 seed votes
58 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #7
Length: 1.82 Weezers

Seed #7 Gorillaz, GORILLAZ (Spotify, YouTube)

A cartoon drawing of the band Gorillaz, in a dune buggy, everything tinted green. The dune buggy has a camouflage pattern on it.
#7 Gorillaz, GORILLAZ
83 seed votes
58 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #8
Length: 2.01 Weezers

Seed #6 Radiohead, AMNESIAC (Spotify, YouTube)

An old and distressed red hardcover book, placed horizontally so its spine is at the top, on a black background. The spine is damaged and peeling. On the book is a sketch of a spindly, bald, almost alien figure that seems to be holding its hands to its eyes, as if crying.
#6 Radiohead, AMNESIAC
90 seed votes
61 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #5
Length: 1.55 Weezers

Seed #5 Björk, VESPERTINE (Spotify, YouTube)

A black and white photo, tinted in a bluish-grey, of Björk, a white woman, laying on concrete in the sun, one arm over her face and casting it in shadow. Her eyes are closed and mouth is slightly open, intending a kind of sensual feeling. I believe she's naked, but her chest is obscured by a drawing of a goose or swan overlaying the image. The word VESPERTINE can just be made out in the bird's feathers.
#5 Björk, VESPERTINE
96 seed votes
70 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #3
Length: 1.96 Weezers

Seed #4 Daft Punk, DISCOVERY (Spotify, YouTube)

The Daft Punk logo rendered in a silver, mercury-like liquid. Underneath the letters are glowing highlights, running the rainbow from red on the left to indigo on the right. This is on a black background.
#4 Daft Punk, DISCOVERY
98 seed votes
70 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #4
Length: 2.14 Weezers

Seed #3 The White Stripes, WHITE BLOOD CELLS (Spotify, YouTube)

A color photo of The White Stripes: Jack, white man with black hair wearing a white t-shirt and red pants and Meg, a white woman with long black hair wearing a red shirt and white pants. They are standing against a red wall and are being menaced by six figures wearing all black and black hoods, turning them into silhouettes, like what stage puppeteers wear. The ground looks like it has white paint spilled over it. Jack looks a little unnerved, but Meg is inscrutable, which is normal for her.
#3 The White Stripes, WHITE BLOOD CELLS
115 seed votes
72 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #2
Length: 1.42 Weezers

Seed #2 The Strokes, IS THIS IT (Spotify, YouTube)

So according to Wikipedia, this is a "psychedelic photograph of subatomic particle tracks in a bubble chamber." Let me do my best to describe it. On a bright orange background are many, many bright light blue lines most of them curving into a spiral and then terminating into a dot. Across this, also in bright blue, are crosses, like crosshairs. It looks more like some kind of occult drawing than something scientific.
#2 The Strokes, IS THIS IT
117 seed votes
77 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #1
Length: 1.28 Weezers

Seed #1 Wilco, YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT (Spotify, YouTube)

A low angle photograph, tinted beige-brown, of the two towers of the Marina Complex building in Chicago. It is unsual-lookingin that every level consists of disc or clam-shaped balconies, just hundreds of them stacked on top of each other.
#1 Wilco, YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT
121 seed votes
54 nomination votes, approximate nomination rank: #12
Length: 1.83 Weezers

The first match, #1 Wilco, YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT vs. #128 Slipknot, IOWA, begins 9am Central, March 23rd. Prediction Brackets are due before then.

Thanks,

Kent

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