As they traditionally do to honor Thanksgiving, various shows feature what they call “Turkeys of the Year.” These undesirable birds are failures that occurred in whatever field the program covers, much to the chagrin of those responsible.
Perhaps the most well-received of these involves the world of sports, where ESPN’s sorry for the interruption shows fifteen minutes of bloopers of the year. The show’s hosts, reporters Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, add some humorous commentary along with the video clips.
In the world of music, the best segment of “Turkeys” can be found on National Public Radio’s solid opinion. The show’s hosts are Jim Rogatis and Greg Kot, who take turns identifying the albums they found most disappointing throughout the year.
Among his picks for the 2015 turkeys were albums by some legendary artists. A presenter lamented Rolling Stones co-founder Keith Richards’ solo album, titled cross-eyed heart. They didn’t like Prince’s last record, hit and runThey didn’t even care about Mark Robson’s uptown funk.
Those of Neil Young were also criticized The Monsanto Years, which the hosts felt was one of the weaker efforts in the folk rocker’s extensive discography. Young’s contemporary Bob Dylan is also on the list. Tea solid opinion the hosts concluded that Dylan singing Frank Sinatra classics made for a disappointing album, shadows in the night.
Here are five more records that could qualify for turkeys of the year, after disappointing efforts by great artists.
Mobile Orchestra by Owl City
After two stellar albums and a third that showed growth, Adam Young’s latest effort was too spiritual. It was a strange feeling when the first voice heard on the album was not Young’s, but hip hop artist Aloe Black’s.
playland by Johnny Marr
No one can question Marr’s musicianship, but his guitar wizardry only goes so far in disguising mostly hackneyed lyrics that make Smith fans really long for an unlikely reunion of Marr and Morrissey.
Therefore, there by Ben Folds
The yMusic ensemble backs the Folds on this album, and “Phone in the Pool” was one of the first promising singles. The rest of the songs lacked Folds’ usually reliable wit, and some even relied on off-putting humor about minorities and the obese.
What a terrible world, what a beautiful world by The Decemberists
The indie darlings took a step back in 2011 The king is dead so many fans hoped that the long break would allow them to recapture the magic of The Crane’s Wife and Picaresque.
poison season by destroyer
Dan Bejar’s contributions to the New Pornographers are always solid, but most of his stuff with the group he leads sounds inferior. The album features a couple of quality songs, so perhaps it should have been released as an EP instead of the baker’s dozen or so mostly forgettable tunes on this record.
