Album Bracketology is written by an adult human male.

oh no part one | why part two | oh great part three | seriously four? | five is enough

WHILE MOST PEOPLE think of “air conditioning,” or “alternating current,” or a former Los Angeles Laker star when they see the initials “AC.” At the Propeller offices, however, AC means one thing only: the Albanian Contingent. There are many imports that are difficult to explain/find reasoning for: heavy metal’s popularity in Japan, David Hasselhoff’s stardom in Germany, and Album Bracketology’s rabid fan base in Albania. Some days I feel like I write solely for the Albanians. The joke around the office is that we should really call it Albania Bracketology. Alas, our popularity isn’t always as solid stateside. [Ed. note: Propeller style normally requires cutting any sentence that begins with the word Alas. Because all of Album Bracketology is in violation of Propeller style, however, we have allowed this alas to stand.]

Dear Bracket Butthead,
Thundercat over The National? I’m Done.
Thanks for nothing,
Curt W.
Oak Grove

While the Albanians love Thundercat, Oak Grovians do not, but as we always say here at Propeller: There’s no account for taste. [Ed. note: Seems likely the author means “There’s no accounting for taste” here. But the fact that we publish Album Bracketology suggests we do not compensate writers for their aesthetics, i.e. there’s no [company bank] account for taste. We’ll allow the sentence to stand.] When we last left Album Bracketology, we were down to the final four, with Lorde meeting Thundercat in the championship finals. Fans of The National know, however, that this is a double elimination tournament, and The National is still alive.

Breaking news: Elbow defeats The National, who finishes in fourth place, its worst finish ever in Album Bracketology. Two third-place finishes and a fourth-place finish, however, make The National the most consistently good band in the nine-year history of Album Bracketology. And had this tournament taken place in 2007, there’s a good chance The National’s The Boxer would have finished first. [Ed. note: The National's 2007 album was titled Boxer, not The Boxer. “The Boxer” is a Simon & Garfunkel song from their album Bridge Over Troubled Water, released in 1970, which means the author would undoubtedly have eliminated that album early in his 1971 tournament by having it lose to something like Burrito Deluxe by the Flying Burrito Brothers, causing some poor 1971 editor to consider tearing the article manuscript into little pieces and setting them on fire in a metal trash can before hopping into his Chevelle and driving into the sunset.]

More breaking news: Over in the winners bracket, Lorde defeats Thundercat, who now moves on to face Elbow.

Heather Kropfdate: Our dear friend Heather Kropf finished No. 22 in this year’s Album Bracketology, but she has continued playing along at home. She became a fan of Thundercat over the last two months, and now she’s taken a liking to Elbow and lead singer Guy Garvey. “The voice is just gorgeous. And the music is kinda my thing, so I’m biased. Elbow = winner.”

Breaking news: Heather is right. Elbow is a winner, defeating Thundercat to set up a rematch with Lorde in the grand finale. We pay homage to Thundercat, however, who funkily and creatively vaulted his way into the top three. If that’s not cool enough, he also made Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald culturally relevant again.

2018 has tipped off: Before we take an in-depth look at this year’s final match-up, lets check in with Alvin Bracketology, sideline reporter, for a look at next year’s tournament. There are currently 56 albums entered into 2018’s Album Bracketology, so there is still plenty of time and room for contenders to emerge. Here is the list, in alphabetical order, of the preseason top ten:

Bat Fangs, Bat Fangs
Decemberists, I’ll Be Your Girl
Dr. Dog, Critical Equation
Franz Ferdinad, Always Ascending
Mary Gauthier, Rifles and Rosary Beads
Janelle Monae, Dirty Computer
Orquesta Akokan, Orquesta Akokan
Jeff Rosenstock, Post –
Screaming Females, All at Once
Superchunk, What a Time to Be Alive

Alvin B’s instant analysis: Next year will mark the tenth year of Album Bracketology, and so far there has never been a repeat champion. The Decemberists and Dr. Dog will be favored again to place in the top ten, but will one of them be able to snag the elusive holy grail of being a two-time champion? Both bands are also well on their way to being among the top ten bands of the decade. Mark your calendars now: Propeller’s album of the decade series will run in the fall of 2020. [Ed. note: Most readers won’t have 2020 calendars, so we should probably strike that part of this sentence, and also maybe the rest of the sentence on account of there is no call for threatening readers with something like this.]

The list of the preseason elite leans heavy on the rock and roll side with strong, pointed albums by Bat Fangs, Jeff Rosenstock, Screaming Females and Superchunk. Half of the names on the list—Bat Fangs, Franz Ferdinand, Mary Gauthier, Orquesta Akokan and Jeff Rosenstock—have never been entrants in Album Bracketology. Superchunk and Janelle Monae have placed twice but are both trying to crack the top ten for the first time. Superchunk may just be the preseason favorite:

The finals have arrived: Let’s take a look at how our finalists arrived at the preferred destination of the Album Bracketology Championship:

Elbow defeated Washed Out, Japandroids, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Girlpool, The War on Drugs, Chuck Prophet; lost to Lorde; defeated The National and Thundercat.

Lorde defeated Japanese Breakfast, Ten Fe, Kendrick Lamar, Open Mike Eagle, Heather Kropf, Jamila Woods, Elbow, Thundercat.

Elbow impressively defeated two former champions in Japandroids and Jason Isbell and has had to play two more match-ups than Lorde. While Canadian duo Japandroids won in 2012, this year’s winner is guaranteed to be the first Album Bracketology champion to hail from outside of North America.

First up is Elbow, hailing from Ramsbottom, UK:

And from Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand, we present...Lorde:

Elbow has become one of my favorite bands, but 2017 belonged to Lorde. Just like Beyoncé last year, I never really cared to listen to Lorde. I wasn’t a huge fan of her first album, but I had Melodrama on heavy rotation for much of the year. I listened to that album more than Albanians listened to homegrown pop star Era Istrefi. Lorde becomes the youngest Album Bracketology champion of all time and is the third straight female to hoist the Album Bracketology Cup (ABC). [Ed. note: There is no hoisting, because there is no cup. Apologies to all readers.]

For full results, check out https://challonge.com/owdqezgo.

105. Kweku Collins, Grey
104. Polyrhythmics, Caldera
103. SZA, CTRL
102. Sera Cahoone, From Where I Started
101. Cody ChesnuTT, My Love Divine Degree
100. The Juju, The Exchange
99. Japandroids, Near to the Wild Heart of Life
98. War and Treaty, Down to the River
97. The Kickback, Weddings & Funerals
96. Giants in the Trees, Giants in the Trees
95. Feral Conservatives, Better Lives
94. Minus the Bear, VOIDS
93. The Lone Bellow, Walk Into a Storm
92. Algiers, The Underside of Power
91. Kevin Morby, City Music
90. Briana Marela, Call It Love
89. Moses Sumney, Aromanticism
88. Portugal. The Man, Woodstock
87. Gorillaz, Humanz
86. Guantanamo Baywatch, Desert Center
85. Lady Lamb, Tender Warriors Club
84. Theo Katzman, Heartbreak Hits
83. Palehound, A Place I’ll Always Go
82. This is the Kit, Moonshine Freeze
81. Kelley Stoltz, Que Aura
80. Tall Tall Trees, Freedays
79. Overcoats, Young
78. Sampha, Process
77. Spoon, Hot Thoughts
76. Passion Pit, Tremendous Sea of Love
75. Songhoy Blues, Resistance
74. The Sadies, Northern Passages
73. Julien Baker, Turn Out the Lights
72. Bash & Pop, Anything Could Happen
71. The Weather Station, The Weather Station
70. Rapsody, Laila’s Wisdom
69. Aldous Harding, Party
68. Laura Marling, Semper Femina
67. Alex Lahey, I Love You Like a Brother
66. Loyle Carner, Yesterday’s Gone
65. Rainer Maria, S/T
64. Grace VanderWaal, Just the Beginning
63. Los Colognes, The Wave
62. Bomba Estereo, Ayo
61. Diet Cig, Swear I’m Good at This
60. Wolf Alice, Visions of a Life
59. Phoebe Bridgers, Stranger in the Alps
58. Valley Queen, Destroyer
57. Blitzen Trapper, Wild and Reckless
56. Old 97’s, Graveyard Whistling
55. Priests, Nothing Feels Natural
54. Allison Crutchfield, Tourist in This Town
53. Benjamin Booker, Witness
52. Nicole Atkins, Goodnight Rhonda Lee
51. Hiss Golden Messenger, Hallelujah Anyhow
50. The Regrettes, Feel Your Feelings, Fool!
49. Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Soul of a Woman
48. Tyler Childers, Purgatory
47. The Parson Red Heads, Blurred Harmony
46. A Giant Dog, Toy
45. Khalid, American Teen
44. Protomartyr, Relatives in Descent
43. Curtis Harding, Face Your Fear
42. Japanese Breakfast, Soft Sounds from Another Planet
41. Girlpool, Powerplant
40. Broken Social Scene, Hug of Thunder
39. LCD Soundsystem, american dream
38. St. Vincent, MASSEDUCTION
37. Open Mike Eagle, Brick Body Kids Still Daydream
36. Muna, About U
35. Phoenix, Ti Amo
34. Ted Leo, The Hanged Man
33. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, The Nashville Sound
32. Son Little, New Magic
31. Gogol Bordello, Seekers and Finders
30. Wolf Parade, Cry, Cry, Cry
29. Mynabirds, BE HERE NOW
28. Charly Bliss, Guppy
27. Aimee Mann, Mental Illness
26. Talib Kweli, Radio Silence
25. White Reaper, The World’s Best American Band
24. Alvvays, Antisocialites
23. Rips, Rips
22. Heather Kropf, Lights
21. Waxahatchee, Out in the Storm
20. War on Drugs, A Deeper Understanding
19. Michael Head and the Red Elastic Band, Adios Senor Pussycat
18. The xx, I See You
17. Autonomics, Debt Sounds
16. Valerie June, The Order of Time
15. Kendrick Lamar, DAMN.
14. Sheer Mag, Need to Feel Your Love
13. Bedouine, Bedouine
12. Chuck Prophet, Bobby Fuller Died for Your Sins
11. Jamila Woods, HEAVN
10. Hurray for the Riff Raff, The Navigator
9. Oddisee, The Iceberg
8. Sir the Baptist, Saint or Sinner
7. Downtown Boys, Cost of Living
6. Vic Mensa, Autobiography
5. Jay Som, Everybody Works
4. The National, Sleep Well Beast
3. Thundercat, Drunk
2. Elbow, Little Fictions
1. Lorde, Melodrama

Matthew Kauffman Smith is a dancer and freelance amateur magician. He has been holding conceptual tournaments in his room to determine the best album of the year for many, many years. Nevertheless, his argument that Weird Al Yankovic should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is sound and persuasive.