Beyoncé’s Renaissance or Outkast’s Aquemini? Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion or Interpol’s Turn on the Bright Lights? Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. or Lana Del Rey’s Norman Fucking Rockwell!? Yes, we know, music isn’t a competition, but in honor of Pitchfork’s 30th anniversary, we’re throwing a small one just for fun. Over the next few weeks, 32 of our favorite albums will go head to head—and you’ll help us decide the winner.
Here’s how it works: Each week, our Instagram stories will show the latest set of album matchups, where you can cast your votes. At the end of each round, we'll post the updated winners bracket. As for how we chose the competitors, we included every one of our Album of the Year picks since our founding in 1996—plus four additional albums that made the top three in our best-of-the-decade lists from the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s.
Head over to our Instagram page now to get started. As bracket challenge nominee Ezra Koenig once said, “The gloves are off…”
You can also find a printable version of the Best Albums Bracket here.
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