Hey folks!

The Best Album of 2001 tournament is starting this Monday, March 23rd, at 9am Central, starting with Wilco, YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT vs. Slipknot, IOWA. If you’re subscribed to this newsletter, you’ll get an email with the link to the voting form, or you can check the Best Album Bluesky account. If you haven’t heard both albums, I highly suggest you do that before voting.

Now, one thing I like to publish along with the matches are Designated Cheerleaders for the albums. What’s that? A Designated Cheerleader is an essay or write-up or some kind of text written in support of one of the competing albums. They can be as long or short as you want, and as personal (or not) as you want. I publish them here, as well as on the Best Album Bluesky account. If you write one and want me to publish it, please send it to kentmbeeson@hey.com. Thanks!

(When I say they can be as long as you want, I mean it. I once wrote 3000+ words about White Zombie’s LA SEXORCISTO: DEVIL MUSIC VOL. 1. It went on to lose in Round 1.)

Now, if you want to have a DC ready in time for an album’s match, it helps to know when that actually is. So below is the schedule for Round 1 for you to figure out how much time you have. This is for me as well: I plan to write one for Andrew W.K., I GET WET and Life Without Buildings, ANY OTHER CITY, as well as maybe some supporting words for IS THIS IT and WHITE BLOOD CELLS, and I couldn’t tell you off the top of my head when any of that is. Please note though, stuff happens, and there will be some days, due to sudden emergencies or whatever, when there’ll be a bye day and no match. This will just push the match dates up one or two days — as a general guideline, these dates should hold.

Now, usually, when scheduling the matches, I just go down the bracket. It’s easy, I don’t have to think about it. However, a voter noticed that I had Thursday the band’s match on a Friday, so I went and “fixed” that, as you can see below in Week 1. I, uh, also made another schedule change like that, for an even dumber joke. See if you can find it! (And if you have ideas for similar dumb jokes, let me know.)

Finally, before we get to the schedule: just a few more days to fill out a Prediction Bracket! Go here for an explanation, and go here (and hit the green button) to make a bracket or edit an existing one.

ROUND 1 SCHEDULE

WEEK 1
Monday March 23: Wilco vs Slipknot
Tuesday March 24: Rufus Wainwright vs Kings of Convenience
Wednesday March 25: Mary J. Blige vs Stars of the Lid
Thursday March 26: Low vs Thursday
Friday March 27: Aesop Rock vs Tori Amos

WEEK 2
Monday March 30: Nick Cave vs Roots Manuva
Tuesday March 31: Cake vs Margo Guryan
Wednesday April 1: Ben Folds vs Langley Schools
Thursday April 2: Gillian Welch vs Ash
Friday April 3: Jim O'Rourke vs Kristin Hersh

WEEK 3
Monday April 6: Ted Leo vs Converge
Tuesday April 7: Daft Punk vs Tipsy
Wednesday April 8: Spoon vs Opeth
Thursday April 9: Spiritualized vs Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Friday April 10: The Coup vs Andrew Bird

WEEK 4

Monday April 13: Sparklehorse vs Pernice Brothers
Tuedsay April 14: Aphex Twin vs Muse
Wednesday April 15: Pulp vs Les Savy Fav
Thursday April 16: Built to Spill vs Mercury Rev
Friday April 17: The Microphones vs Elbow

WEEK 5

Monday April 20: Rilo Kiley vs Blink-182
Tuesday April 21: Old 97s vs The Knife
Wednesday April 22: Bob Dylan vs Wu-Tang Clan
Thursday April 23: Basement Jaxx vs Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Friday April 24: Bjork vs Nas

WEEK 6

Monday April 27: Tenacious D vs Air
Tuesday April 28: Andrew WK vs Garbage
Wednesday April 29: Röyksopp vs Weezer
Thursday April 30: Fugazi vs Ludacris
Friday May 1: Lucinda Williams vs Superchunk

WEEK 7
Monday May 4: Le Tigre vs k
Tuesday May 5: The Beta Band vs Joe Strummer
Wednesday May 6: The Strokes vs Ryan Adams
Thursday May 7: Pete Yorn vs Shakira
Friday May 8: The Dismemberment Plan vs De La Soul

WEEK 8

Monday May 11: Silver Jews vs Princess Superstar
Tuesday May 12: Aaliyah vs Hope Sandoval
Wednesday May 13: Four Tet vs Fennesz
Thursday May 14: Stephen Malkmus vs Kaija Saariaho
Friday May 15: Death Cab for Cutie vs Sloan

WEEK 9

Monday May 18: Gorillaz vs Clearlake
Tuesday May 19: Stereolab vs Alison Krauss
Wednesday May 20: Jimmy Eat World vs Janet Jackson
Thursday May 21: Guided by Voices vs They Might Be Giants
Friday May 22: The Shins vs Travis

WEEK 10

Monday May 25: R.E.M. vs Super Furry Animals
Tuesday May 26: Drive-By Truckers vs Tricky
Wednesday May 27: Ladytron vs My Morning Jacket
Thursday May 28: The White Stripes vs Squarepusher
Friday May 29: Destroyer vs Mogwai

WEEK 11
Monday June 1: Yeah Yeah Yeahs vs Lightning Bolt
Tuesday June 2: Life Without Buildings vs Firewater
Wednesday June 3: Jay-Z vs Gotan Project
Thursday June 4: New Order vs Alicia Keys
Friday June 5: Kylie Minogue vs Zero 7

WEEK 12

Monday June 8: Tortoise vs Prefuse 73
Tuesday June 9: Radiohead vs Whiskeytown
Wednesday June 10: Beulah vs Destiny's Child
Thursday June 11: Cannibal Ox vs The Dirtbombs
Friday June 12: Tool vs Explosions in the Sky

WEEK 13

Monday June 15: Missy Elliot vs Ruby
Tuesday June 16: Unwound vs Lovage
Wednesday June 17: System of a Down vs Detroit Cobras
Thursday June 18: Josie and the Pussycats vs Broken Social Scene
END OF ROUND 1