1998 Readers Poll Re-Count - The Results

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Albums and Singles

Two decades ago the Annual Readers Poll began. The old version of the first annual readers poll can still be viewed online here, but we wanted to re-examine 1998 in the new system and get a broader picture of the music of that year. Perhaps these are truly the releases that have withstood 20 years of listening or the readership demographics have changed in 20 years. Either way, thanks to all who participated. Look for a 1997 recount nomination round coming soon and the 2018 Annual Readers Poll to follow.

Album of the Year

  1. Coil, ""Time Machines"" (Eskaton)
  2. Tortoise, ""TNT"" (Thrill Jockey)
  3. Current 93, ""Soft Black Stars"" (Durtro)
  4. Boards Of Canada, ""Music Has The Right To Children"" (Warp)
  5. Autechre, ""LP5"" (Warp)
  6. The Legendary Pink Dots, ""Nemesis Online"" (Soleilmoon)
  7. Edward Ka-Spel, ""The Blue Room"" (Soleilmoon)
  8. Meat Beat Manifesto, ""Actual Sounds + Voices"" (Play It Again Sam)
  9. Pan•American, ""Pan•American"" (Kranky)
  10. Windy & Carl, ""Depths"" (Kranky)
  11. Dirty Three, ""Ocean Songs"" (Touch and Go)
  12. Gastr Del Sol, ""Camoufleur"" (Drag City)
  13. Mouse On Mars, ""Glam"" (Thrill Jockey)
  14. Chris Watson, ""Outside The Circle Of Fire"" (Touch)
  15. Jim O'Rourke, ""Bad Timing"" (Drag City)
  16. Pole, ""1"" (Kiff SM)
  17. Gas, ""Königsforst"" (Mille Plateaux)
  18. Matmos, ""Quasi-Objects"" (Vague Terrain)
  19. Irr. App. (Ext.), ""An Uncertain Animal, Ruptured; Tissue Expanding In Conversation"" (Errata In Excelsis)
  20. Bedhead, ""Transaction De Novo"" (Trance Syndicate)
  21. Vainio Väisänen Vega, ""Endless"" (Blast First)
  22. Al Jabr (Richard H. Kirk), ""One Million And Three"" (Alphaphone)
  23. The Body Lovers, ""Number One of Three"" (Young God)
  24. Belle and Sebastian, ""The Boy With The Arab Strap"" (Jeepster)
  25. Trans Am, ""The Surveillance"" (Thrill Jockey)
  26. Richard H. Kirk, ""Knowledge Through Science"" (Blast First)
  27. Jessica Bailiff, ""Even In Silence"" (kranky)
  28. Co–Ω, ""Enter Tinnitus"" (Rastermusic)
  29. Cyclobe, ""Luminous Darkness"" (Phantom Code)
  30. Lisa Germano, ""Slide"" (4AD)
  31. Dead Voices On Air, ""Piss Frond"" (Invisible)
  32. Stars of the Lid w/Craig McCafferty, ""Per Aspera Ad Astra"" (Kranky)
  33. Amp, ""Stenorette"" (Kranky)
  34. Cat Power, ""Moon Pix"" (Matador)
  35. Twilight Circus Dub Sound System, ""Horsie"" (M Records)
  36. Mojave 3, ""Out of Tune"" (4AD)
  37. Jessamine, ""Don't Stay Too Long"" (Kranky)
  38. Plastikman, ""Consumed"" (NovaMute)
  39. Sigur Rós, ""Von Brigði"" (Smekkleysa)
  40. Barry Adamson, ""As Above So Below"" (Mute)
  41. Scala, ""Compass Heart"" (Touch)
  42. Scala, ""To You in Alpha"" (Too Pure)
  43. Nature & Organisation, ""Death In A Snow Leopard Winter"" (Snow Leopard)
  44. Ryoji Ikeda, ""0°C"" (Touch)
  45. Main, ""Firmament IV"" (Beggars Banquet)
  46. Hood, ""Rustic Houses Forlorn Valleys"" (Domino)
  47. Sandoz In Dub (Richard H. Kirk), ""Chant To Jah"" (Touch)
  48. Flying Saucer Attack, ""New Lands"" (Drag City)
  49. Main, ""Firmament III"" (Beggars Banquet)
  50. Spiritualized, ""Royal Albert Hall"" (Dedicated)
  51. The Notwist, ""Shrink"" (Duophonic)
  52. Kristin Hersh, ""Murder, Misery And Then Goodnight"" (4AD)
  53. Tarwater, ""Silur"" (Kitty-Yo)
  54. The Body Haters, ""34:13:00"" (Young God)
  55. Aranos, ""Every Bright Body Gleams Green"" (Noise Museum)
  56. Rhythm & Sound, ""Showcase (with Tikiman)"" (Burial Mix)
  57. Diamanda Gal√°s, ""Malediction and Prayer"" (Mute)
  58. Squarepusher, ""Music is Rotted One Note"" (Warp)
  59. Boris, ""Amplifier Worship"" (Mangrove)
  60. Mark Eitzel, ""Caught In A Trap And I Can't Back Out 'Cause I Love You Too Much, Baby"" (Matador)
  61. IBM, ""The Oval Recording"" (Mego)
  62. Kristin Hersh, ""Strange Angels"" (4AD)
  63. Twilight Circus Dub Sound System, ""Dub Plate Selection"" (M Records)
  64. Amon Tobin, ""Permutation"" (Ninja Tune)
  65. Arab Strap, ""Philophobia"" (Chemikal Underground)
  66. Kid606, ""Don't Sweat The Technics"" (Vinyl Communications)
  67. David Grubbs, ""The Thicket"" (Drag City)
  68. Pullman, ""Turnstyles & Junkpiles"" (Thrill Jockey)
  69. Merzbow, ""Aqua Necromancer"" (Alien8 Recordings)
  70. Pram, ""North Pole Radio Station"" (Domino)
  71. I Am Spoonbender, ""Sender-Receiver"" (Gold Standard Laboratories)
  72. Trafficante (Richard H. Kirk), ""Is This Now?"" (Alphaphone)
  73. Pizzicato Five, ""The International Playboy & Playgirl Record"" (Matador)
  74. The Residents, ""Wormwood (Curious Stories of the Bible)"" (Ralph)
  75. Andrew Chalk, Ralph Wehowsky, Eric Lanzillotta, ""Yang-Tul"" (Anomalous)
  76. Neotropic, ""Mr. Brubaker's Strawberry Alarm Clock"" (Ninja Tune)
  77. Shellac, ""Terraform"" (Touch and Go)
  78. Signs of Chaos, ""Departure"" (Roadrunner)
  79. Six Organs of Admittance, ""Six Organs of Admittance"" (Pavillion)
  80. Allinson/Brown, ""AV1"" (Resurgence)
  81. Boxhead Ensemble, ""The Last Place to Go"" (Atavistic)
  82. Add N to (X), ""On the Wires of Our Nerves"" (Mute)
  83. Lull, ""Moments"" (Release)
  84. ISAN, ""Beautronics"" (Tugboat)
  85. A Minor Forest, ""Inindependence"" (Thrill Jockey)
  86. Supersilent, ""4"" (Rune Grammofon)
  87. Esplendor Geométrico, ""EN-CO-D-eSPLENDOR"" (Gift)
  88. L'Orchestre Noir, ""11"" (Tursa)
  89. Saint Etienne, ""Good Humor"" (Creation)
  90. Ryoji Ikeda, ""Mort Aux Vaches"" (Mort Aux Vaches)
  91. Blonde Redhead, ""In An Expression of the Inexpressible"" (Touch and Go)
  92. Piano Magic, ""Bliss Out V. 13 - A Trick of the Sea"" (Darla)
  93. Macha, ""Macha"" (Jetset)
  94. Neutral Milk Hotel, ""In the Aeroplane Over the Sea"" (Merge)
  95. Mogwai, ""Kicking a Dead Pig"" (Jetset)
  96. Fridge, ""Semaphore"" (Output)
  97. Mark Van Hoen, ""Playing With Time"" (Apollo)
  98. The Silverman, ""Silvermandalas"" (Soleilmoon)
  99. Stock, Hausen & Walkman, ""Oh My BAG!"" (Hot Air)
  100. Richard Youngs, ""Sapphie"" (Oblique)



Single of the Year

  1. Coil, ""Autumn Equinox"" (Eskaton)
  2. Coil, ""Summer Solstice"" (Eskaton)
  3. Coil, ""Spring Equinox"" (Eskaton)
  4. The Legendary Pink Dots, ""The Pre-Millennial Single"" (Soleilmoon)
  5. Current 93, ""A Gothic Love Song"" (Durtro)
  6. Low, ""Joan of Arc"" (Tugboat)
  7. Mogwai, ""Mogwai Fear Satan"" (Jetset)
  8. Meat Beat Manifesto, ""Acid Again"" (Play It Again Sam)
  9. Nurse With Wound / Current 93, ""Scrambled Egg Rebellion In The Smegma Dept / Time Stands Still"" (Augenblick)
  10. Fennesz, ""Plays"" (Mego)
  11. Low/Transient Waves/Piano Magic, ""Sleep at the Bottom / Green Acres"" (Rocket Girl)
  12. Add N to (X), ""Little Black Rocks in the Sun"" (Mute)
  13. Ryoji Ikeda, ""Time and Space"" (Staalplaat)
  14. Mogwai, ""No Education = No Future (Fuck the Curfew)"" (Chemikal Underground)
  15. Meat Beat Manifesto, ""Prime Audio Soup"" (Play It Again Sam)
  16. Belle and Sebastian, ""This is Just a Modern Rock Song"" (Jeepster)
  17. Tortoise, ""Autechre"" (Thrill Jockey)
  18. Dälek, ""Negro Necro Nekros"" (Gern Balndsten)
  19. Stereolab, ""Refractions in the Plastic Pulse"" (Duophonic)
  20. Stars of the Lid, ""Maneuvering The Nocturnal Hum (E.P.)+"" (Earworm)
  21. Spiritualized, ""The Abbey Road EP"" (Dedicated)
  22. Stereolab, ""ABC / Freestyle Dumping"" (Duophonic)
  23. Bedhead, ""Lepidoptera"" (Trance Syndicate)
  24. Tortoise, ""Madison Ave/Madison Area"" (Thrill Jockey)
  25. Stars of the Lid / Windsor for the Derby, ""Julie Delpy / WNYU Radio"" (33 Degrees)
  26. Windy & Carl / Amp, ""Near And Far / Reminiscence"" (Blue Flea)
  27. Aerial M, ""October"" (Domino)
  28. Stereolab / Monade, ""Caliméro / Cache Cache"" (Duophonic)
  29. The Clientele, ""What Goes Up/Five Day Morning"" (Pointy)
  30. Ida, ""Losing True"" (Bingo)
  31. Uilab, ""Fires"" (Duophonic)
  32. Aerial M, ""Vivea"" (Domino)
  33. Piano Magic, ""There's No Need for Us to Be Alone / The Canadian Brought Us Snow"" (Rocket Girl)
  34. Piano Magic / Matmos, ""Music For Rolex/The Soldering Social"" (Lissy's Records)
  35. Songs: Ohia, ""Our Golden Ratio"" (Acuarela)
  36. ISAN, ""Betty's Lament/Uim"" (Bad Jazz)
  37. Hood, ""(The) Weight"" (555 Recordings)
  38. Sonic Youth w/Jim O'Rourke, ""Musical Perspectives 3: Invito Al Cielo"" (Sonic Youth Records)
  39. Godspeed You Black Emperor! / Fly Pan Am, ""Sunshine + Gasoline / L'espace Au Sol Est Redessiné Par D'immenses Panneaux Bleus"" (aMAZEzine!)
  40. Tren Brothers, ""EP"" (Drag City)
  41. Tortoise, ""Derrick Carter"" (City Slang)
  42. The Beta Band, ""Los Amigos Del Beta Bandidos"" (Regal)
  43. Stereolab / Soi-Disant, ""Symbolic Logic Of Now! / Glitterati (Cruise(r))"" (Luke Warm Music)
  44. Saint Etienne, ""Sylvie"" (Creation)
  45. Ad Vanz vs Gescom / Foehn, ""Split Series #2"" (FatCat)
  46. Hood, ""Filmed Initiative"" (Happy Go Lucky)
  47. Pram, ""Sleepy Sweet"" (Domino)
  48. Locust, ""All Your Own Way"" (Apollo)
  49. The Magnetic Fields, ""I Don't Believe You"" (Merge)
  50. ISAN, ""Titled, Not Tithed/Island Magic"" (Bad Jazz)

 

Vault/Reissue of the Year

  1. Godspeed You Black Emperor!, ""F# A# ‚àû"" (Kranky)
  2. Nurse With Wound, ""Second Pirate Session"" (United Dairies)
  3. Swans, ""Swans Are Dead"" (Young God)
  4. The Legendary Pink Dots, ""Chemical Playschool Volumes 3 & 4"" (Terminal Kaleidescope)
  5. David Tibet & Steven Stapleton, ""Octopus"" (Durtro)
  6. Cabaret Voltaire, ""Radiation: The BBC Recordings"" (New Millennium)
  7. Stereolab, ""Aluminum Tunes"" (Duophonic)
  8. Low, ""One More Reason to Forget"" (BlueSanct Muzak)
  9. Marc Almond and Foetus, ""Slut"" (Thirsty Ear)
  10. This Heat, ""Repeat"" (These)
  11. Edward Ka-Spel, ""Down in the City of Heartbreak and Needles 2"" (Soleilmoon)
  12. Tortoise, ""Remixed"" (Thrill Jockey)
  13. Chris & Cosey, ""Exotica & Take Five Remastered"" (Conspiracy International)
  14. Chapterhouse, ""Pentamerous Metamorphosis (Blood Music reinterpreted by Global Communication)"" (Dedicated)
  15. Techno Animal, ""Radio Hades"" (Position Chrome)
  16. Fridge, ""Sevens and Twelves"" (Output)
  17. Bruce Gilbert / Ron West, ""Frequency Variation"" (Sähkö Recordings)
  18. Sugar Plant, ""Happy/Trance Mellow"" (World Domination)
  19. Burger / Ink, ""Las Vegas"" (Matador)
  20. Current 93 presents The Ven. Chimed Rigzin Lama, Rinpoche, ""Tantric Nyingma Chant Of Tibet"" (Durtro)
  21. Dntel, ""Early Works For Me If It Works For You"" (Phthalo)
  22. The Residents, ""Residue Deux"" (East Side Digital)
  23. Gary Numan, ""Living Ornaments '81"" (Beggars Banquet)
  24. Hermann Nitsch, ""Musik Der 66 Aktion"" (Alga Marghen)
  25. P'o, ""Whilst Climbing Thieves Vie for Attention"" (WMO)



Various Artist Compilation of the Year

  1. ""Coil and Friends: Foxtrot"" (Chalice)
  2. ""A Homage To Neu!"" (Cleopatra)
  3. ""Interiors"" (Invisible)
  4. ""Sounds of the Geographically Challenged"" (Temporary Residence)
  5. ""A Tribute To Spacemen 3"" (Rocket Girl)
  6. ""Sonics Everywhere"" (Invisible)
  7. ""The Wire Tapper 1"" (The Wire)
  8. ""We Are Reasonable People"" (Warp)
  9. ""The Wire Tapper 2"" (The Wire)
  10. ""The K&D Sessions‚Ñ¢"" (Studio !K7)
  11. ""Adrian Sherwood Presents The Master Recordings"" (On-U Sound)
  12. ""Anakin"" (4AD)
  13. ""Suck It And See"" (Pussyfoot)
  14. ""Chinese Whispers"" (Sprawl)
  15. ""Modulation & Transformation 3"" (Mille Plateaux)
  16. ""Chill Out"" (Sabotage)
  17. ""Stuffing"" (V/Vm Test Records)
  18. ""Turkey"" (V/Vm Test Records)
  19. ""Wild Planet - A Subconscious Compilation"" (Subconscious)
  20. ""Attention: Cats"" (Reckankreuzungsklankewerkzeuge)
  21. ""RGB [An Audio Spectrum]"" (Source Research)
  22. ""Badaboom Gramophone #3"" (BaDaBing!)
  23. ""The Ida Retsin Family Volume One"" (Muss My Hair)
  24. ""Invisible Soundtracks (Macro 2)"" (Leaf)



Boxed Set of the Year

  1. Painkiller, ""Collected Works"" (Tzadik)
  2. The Legendary Pink Dots, ""Lullabies for the New Dark Ages"" (Soleilmoon)
  3. [V/A], ""Trojan Dub Box Set"" (Trojan)
  4. [V/A], ""Trojan DJ Box Set"" (Trojan)
  5. William S. Burroughs, ""The Best of"" (Giorno Poetry Systems)
  6. Muslimgauze, ""Tandoor Dog"" (Staalplaat)
  7. [V/A], ""Trojan Rocksteady Box Set"" (Trojan)
  8. Les Joyaux De La Princesse, ""Exposition Internationale - Arts Et Techniques - Paris 1937"" (Les Joyaux De La Princesse)
  9. [V/A], ""Trojan Ska Box Set"" (Trojan)
  10. Hermann Nitsch, ""Island: Eine Sinfonie In 10 Sätzen"" (Cortical Foundation)
  11. Derrick May, ""Innovator"" (R&S)
  12. Faust, ""Faust Wakes Nosferatu"" (Klangbad)
  13. Gary Numan, ""The Numa Years"" (Eagle)
  14. Origami Galaktika, ""Eesti Lilled Silmad Süda"" (Speeding Across My Hemisphere)
  15. Yahowa, ""God and Hair"" (Captain Trip)

 

Artist of the Year


Coil

Label of the Year

  1. Kranky
  2. Eskaton
  3. Thrill Jockey
  4. Soleilmoon
  5. Warp
  6. 4AD
  7. Durtro
  8. Drag City
  9. Duophonic
  10. Domino

 

Worst Album of the Year

  1. Pigface, ""Below the Belt"" (Invisible)
  2. Praxis, ""Mold"" (Yikes)
  3. Rx, ""Bedside Toxicology"" (Invisible)
  4. Damon & Naomi, ""Playback Singers"" (Sub Pop)
  5. Thurston Moore, ""Root"" (Lo)
  6. Ui, ""Lifelike"" (Southern)
  7. Love and Rockets, ""Lift"" (Red Ant)
  8. Backworld, ""Isles of the Blest"" (Harbinger House)
  9. Exhaust, ""Exhaust"" (Constellation)
  10. Curse Of The Golden Vampire, ""The Curse Of The Golden Vampire"" (Digital Hardcore)

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