The Mitski Discography Rate | winner revealed

What is your favorite Mitski release?

  • Lush

    Votes: 2 6.9%

  • Retired from Sad, New Career in Business

    Votes: 2 6.9%

  • Bury Me at Makeout Creek

    Votes: 5 17.2%

  • Puberty 2

    Votes: 9 31.0%

  • Be the Cowboy

    Votes: 11 37.9%
  • Total voters
    29
fatyoshi

fatyoshi

How about another album cut?


















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#59 - Eric
6.875

High scores: 9 (@Crisp X, @ohnostalgia), 8.5 (@pop3blow2, @Phonetics Girl)
Low scores: 4 (@Coochi), 5 (@Remorque)
fatyoshi's score: 6

Leaderboard trajectory:
5 voters - #56
10 voters - #59 (-3)
Final placement - #59 (=)


(please bear with some of these elimination images. i'm trying to serve era cohesion and the visuals i have to work with are a shit show in terms of image quality)

Lush is getting raked over the coals a bitsy... At number 59 we lose our first name based song title and second album track, Eric. Making its debut as the fifth track on the album, it was eventually shifted to be the second when re-released elsewhere. Most are probably familiar with the latter version of the album tracklist as it also includes "Real Men". It's not time to get into that one yet though.

Shifting gears slightly from the past few eliminations, Eric sees some less obtuse songwriting. At a glance the lyrics are about a "friends with benefits" but could be more type situation and all the complicated or even unsavory feelings that can come with it. This leaves room for it to get into things like power dynamics, attachment, and even self worth among other things. This isn't the only time any of this will be explored in her discography but working through it sequentially in order this seems to be the earliest example.

I ended up giving this one a 6 and am okay with that score still. Musically this isn't a favorite of mine by any means but I do enjoy some of the lyrics and imagery. I'm particularly fond of the line "Blue light, dark room, the white of your teeth" which is 100% something I can place/visualize within my own similar lived experiences at one point or another. That's the thing about Mitski (and music in general truly), she really just Gets You sometimes. For me, this is one of those times. If I was more taken with the song on an overall level otherwise it could've really been something but it wasn't meant to be, I guess.

Not a lot to get into in regards to any leaderboard movement or scoring drama with this track. It lingered around the upper 50s throughout the voting period and never really saw any major supporters or detractors. The lack of 10s seems to have done more damage than anything else.

@Remorque who gave this a 5 offered this commentary "I don't know why I can't get into this one, but... I just can't. I've listened to it about a gazillion fucking times and it just won't resonate with any fibre of my being. Melodically it's not really structured, but I'm a fucking Björk fan, so that shouldn't really stop it, really…"

---

That's our second album track gone already. Are you happy with the results so far? Do you want to see a different section get some chopping soon/asap? Is the right album getting lashings but with the wrong track order?

I'll be back tomorrow with another elimination. See you then xx

​
 
Remorque

Remorque

He/Him
Two of my lowest scores gone? Y'all did good. Door grew on me after repeated listens while Eric didn't, so I would have actually liked them to have swapped places, but alas...

Though I do have to say that Lush really should be given a breather while we take out those awful covers next, n'est-ce pas?


fatyoshi said:
Remorque - 6.813
Click to expand...
This is... apt, though I do have to say the EP grew on me eventually.
 
fatyoshi

fatyoshi

Hi











Lush gets to take a bit of a breather for now.




















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#58 - Let's Get Married
6.944

High scores: 10 (@Trinu 3.0), 9 (@pop3blow2, @Euphoria, @Serg.)
Low scores: 4 (@ohnostalgia), 5 (@Phonetics Girl, me)
fatyoshi's score: 5

Leaderboard trajectory:
5 voters - #62
10 voters - #63 (-1)
Final placement - #58 (+5)


It's time to say goodbye to our second (of three) cover. Let's Get Married is a cover of the 2017 Bleachers' track with the same name. Originally on the band's second album Gone Now, the Mitski cover came two years later in 2019. The cover featured on the band's Terrible Thrills Vol. 3 compilation release which features new renditions of Bleachers tracks from female musicians. Volume 3 seems to have been exclusive to vinyl with no official streaming or digital release but as usual, things find a way to get around.



I figured this would be a polarizing one. Jack Antonoff and by extension Bleachers have a mixed reception on PopJustice (and in pop centric circles in general) plus Mitski can only do so much with a cover when the core remains. Personally, as someone who isn't a big Antonoff fan (in terms of his music or his production work) that extended to this cover. I find the sentiment behind the song cute, don't get me wrong but it can only go so far. The stripped down composition and vocal production on this one comes through in a not so great way for me.

This was yet another song without a ton of movement/drama in its results. There was a bit of a bump with our final set of voters but there was nothing as drastic as the tumble An Atrium took (though I'm not sure there will be any results that messy with another track in the whole rate ddddd). It did see our highest count for 9+ scores to date in the rate so I guess that can count for something.



Tomorrow we'll be breaking into the 7 point averages.​
 
fatyoshi

fatyoshi

Happy friday xx


























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#57 - Real Men
7.161

High scores: 9.5 (@Phonetics Girl), 9 (@ohnostalgia)
Low scores: 4 (@LE0Night), 5 (@Cutlery)
fatyoshi's score: 7

Leaderboard trajectory:
5 voters - #51
10 voters - #56 (-5)
Final placement - #57 (-1)

Looks like our break from Lush eliminations was short lived and we say goodbye to Real Men at number 57. Not part of the album's original tracklisting, this eventually surfaced when the album was uploaded to streaming services beyond Bandcamp. What context this track was created in and whether it was ever in the consideration for the main tracklist but left off or otherwise isn't clear to me and I couldn't find anything when searching around. I personally treat it as a bonus track that got plopped into the middle of the album but that's just me.

Real Men is a bit more of a multifaceted song than it first appears in my opinion. On one hand you've got the song serving as a takedown of toxic masculinity (and we Love that) while elsewhere the song gets into the clownery that can be involved when one ignores the red flags and wants someone anyways. Wanting someone or something that you probably shouldn't is a bit of a running theme in Mitski's discography but it isn't typically as blatant as it is here. Among some of her more lyrically obtuse earlier material it can stand out a bit as one of the more immediately relatable tracks.

Beyond this, the song also features some more unique elements within her discography. I found this to be the jazziest of any of her songs building off of the syncopated piano line at its core. This helps the song stand out and was a big part of keeping the song from the lower tiers of her album tracks if nothing else. It isn't a personal favorite and I'd reach for multiple other tracks on this this album over it first but it definitely fills a certain mood/sound and that counts for something.

As with a lot of these earlier tracks in the eliminations, this kinda just lingered around in the general ballpark of where it landed without any major movement. The early voters seemed to on average prefer it to the later ones as demonstrated by the trajectory but it wasn't like anybody TANKED it or something. Both of our low scores above were among a few 6s as well. There wasn't a disparity in scores. Maybe the subject matter hit too close to home for some of us?

We did get some commentary for this track so let's get into that also.

@Remorque who gave this a 7.5 said "At first I had some difficulty getting into the disjointed production between the sections, but it's since opened itself up to me as a solid listen."

@Euphoria with a 6 said "Love how she plays with time signatures here. Pretty fun, even if I’m not enamored with the song as a whole."




I'll probably take another break from eliminations either tomorrow or Sunday if not both. I'm trying to settle into a groove of doing 5 eliminations a week with two days free, I hope y'all don't mind.

Until then I'll give a hint. Our next elimination sees a previously untouched section lose something.​
 
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Trinu 3.0

Trinu 3.0

ñññññ I like this.

Though honestly sir, all I wanna do
Is get naked in front of you
So you can look me up and down
And give me your love for being so good

I mean, that's what I used to do for fun in the pre-pandemic world and I ain't getting shamed!
 
fatyoshi

fatyoshi

Let's kick off another week of eliminations, shall we?

A new section is losing a track today.









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(this isn't shade if you like Drive, i enjoy the film myself a bit. i just saw this awhile back and it made me scream/i knew i had to save it for this elimination.)


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#56 - Nightcall (M. Roosevelt & Mitski)
7.203

High scores: 10 (@Phonetics Girl), 9 (@constantino, @Crisp X, @Trinu 3.0)
Low scores: 4 (@Coochi), 4.5 (@LE0Night)
fatyoshi's score: 8

Leaderboard trajectory:
5 voters - #32
10 voters - #45 (-13)
Final placement - #56 (-11)

Another track that took a bit of a tumble. At number 56 we lose our first M. Roosevelt & Mitski track with Nightcall. Nightcall is a cover of the Kavinsky (French electro house artist) track with the same name. Originally released in 2010 as a single, it later saw use in media such as films (perhaps most famously in Drive) before being used for his debut album Outrun in 2013. Our cover saw release in June of 2013 as part of the M. Roosevelt & Mitski collaborative EP or single (it's only two tracks so it's whatever).

This was the most recent discovery for me as a Mitski fan. I had no clue the M. Roosevelt & Mitski material, let alone a cover of this song existed until I stumbled upon an audio post of it on my Tumblr (exposing myself a bitsy) dash. What I originally expected to be a stripped down acoustic cover or a general rough take/on the side type thing turned out to be this noisy rendition. At the time, I was immediately blown away. For a period of time in 2012-2013 I was obsessed with Drive as a film (in hindsight it was mainly the soundtrack and score) so for this to had been existing under my nose all that time was a bit riveting. I don't find myself as enthused with it now (which is why I gave it an 8) but I love the idea of the grittier take on the track.

More than anything I've been thinking about noise pop renditions of my favorite synthy songs in films and now I want one for the Berlin Breakdown version of Annie's Anthonio as seen in iconic 2014 film The Guest.

As with every other track so far, Nightcall had its fans and detractors. We got a decent chunk of commentary so let's get into that xx

@Crisp X gives the track a 9 and said "Puts the overrated original to shame."

@constantino who also gave this a 9 said "Just when I thought the London Grammar version couldn’t be beaten..."

@Remorque wasn't feeling the production and gave it a 6 said "I absolutely love the Kavinsky original and even the London Grammar version of it, but there's just something about the song that doesn't really lend itself to this production. If the EP was a bit more slick, it'd be more enjoyable to listen to."





See y'all tomorrow for the next one.​
 
Phonetics Girl

Phonetics Girl

she/her
Omfg I got the tag and legit thought when I saw the thread title that was gonna be my 11 going! Not that what actually left is much better but I'm more attached to the London Grammys version. That other song that is a cover should really get going, teebs.
 
fatyoshi

fatyoshi

hello













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#55 - Wife
7.225

High scores: 9 (@Serg., @Doenjang), 8.8 (@pop3blow2)
Low scores: 4.5 (@LE0Night), 6 (insolentire, @Euphoria, @Remorque)
fatyoshi's score: 8

Leaderboard trajectory:
5 voters - #43
10 voters - #53 (-10)
Final placement - #55 (-2)

At number 55 it's time to say goodbye to Wife which is yet again another Lush song. Perhaps we can try something else soon?

This one is a bit similar to Door in terms of it being one of the more simplistic songs on Lush in terms of composition. The album is already pretty stripped down as it is but this doesn't have any of the strings, percussion, or even vocal theatrics and layering of some of the more intricate tracks. This trades out some of the more spooky/off-kilter atmosphere that can be found throughout the rest of the album for a more flat out somber mood which helps it stand out. Or at least it did for me.

Wife at a glance seems to be one of the more accessible tracks on Lush in terms of lyricism/songwriting. Taken at face value it can be a love song wishing for a significant other to take you as you are and stick with you through any difficulties that may arise. Or there's plenty of other interpretations and it pretty much depends on the listener. I'll get into this more elsewhere (much later in the rate, probably) but to just dip our toes a bitsy, Mitski has at times mentioned that what might appear as her straightforward love songs may reference music or her career as a musician instead. This is the first track that we've eliminated so far that I think can fall under this umbrella. Mainly with the idea of bearing a child as a metaphor for creating art or something along those lines. At least in terms of my subjective personal reading.

I'm not completely torn up about this elimination (at least not in comparison to something like Door which I would've kept in place of any of the other Lush tracks to leave so far) but I am a bit disappointed to see the complete massacre of this album at large. I'd be fine to see some Retired from Sad, New Career in Business tracks or even my least favorites from Bury Me at Makeout Creek, Puberty 2, and Be the Cowboy leave before most of the remaining Lush tracks but we'll have to see how it goes, won't we?

General participant reception seems about where it has been for the rest of the album. The track never really peaked at a particularly high spot but this found itself dropping from the 40s to its final resting spot. Nobody gave this a 10 but other than @LE0Night nobody really went in either. Our placement here seems to be a result of middling/average scores versus a set of
bad ones.

We have some more commentary so I'll share that too.

Remorque (6): "A bare piano ballad, which is gripping for some, I'm sure, but I find myself not really invested all that much."

Cutlery (6.75): "Some strong Hyperballad vibes, lyrically. But in contrast, there is no hopeful counterpart here, I think, the character contemplates on that cliff and realizes just how completely alone she is. I hate the piano though ddd."

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Constantino (8): "This is a very subdued song but there’s something haunting about it that always resonates upon listening."

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I'll see y'all tomorrow for another elimination. You know the drill by now.​
 
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