Your Guide to Choosing an Album for Record Club

(Updated 08/27/2026)

Glad to hear that you'd like to choose an album for us to listen to in Record Club. Here's what you have to know.

ELIGIBILITY

There are not too many restrictions here, since we are an inclusive group and we want you to participate at your leisure. However, to make things fair and balanced, one of the following must be true for you to be eligible to choose an album:

• You have never chosen an album before
• You have not chosen an album in the last eighteen (18) months
• You have written four reviews since the last time you chose an album
• You are writing regularly on the blog in other ways (Song Challenge, a weekly feature)

In addition, you must be in "good standing" with RC, which basically means that, when you picked an album last time, you wrote a review for that album. It's only ever happened a handful of times, and if this affects you, and you choose a new album, I'll basically just ask you to write the review for that previous album first.

Any questions about any of this, hit me up! 99% chance you are eligible to pick an album right now! Do it!

THE BASICS

There's not really much to it. I'll ask you to choose an album every once in a while, and if you are interested, you can send your ideas. Or maybe, out of the blue, you think of a good album that you'd like to submit, it doesn't matter when, just go ahead and send me an email. Hit me up whenever you want. Operators are standing by.

GENERAL THOUGHTS

I've never though that an album choice has to be a "statement." I.e., I don't think the album you choose has to say anything about you. It can if you want, but there's no shame in just picking something random. I feel like a lot of people choose albums that mean a whole lot to them (some have even been "favorite album ever"!!). That's fine, but then that comes with the residual pressure of "I hope that my peers also like this album that I really like!" It might not be necessary to feel that way. It might even be actively harmful. Use caution when choosing a known entity.

In my mind, once you pick the album, then the playing field is leveled. You become a reviewer just like everyone else. Relax and have fun with it.

THE RULES

Updated pretty regularly as we move along and adjust.

1. The album must be classified as an LP. EPs are fine now too, but maybe let's limit them to four per calendar year.
2. The album must be a studio album, meaning that it was recorded in a studio, i.e. not a live album. (One exception: if at least two-thirds of the songs on a live album are original and have never appeared on any of the artist's previous studio albums.)
3. The album must be considered a complete work of art, i.e. not a compilation or Greatest Hits.
4. No soundtracks. (Unless the album is completely composed by and performed by a single artist, and clearly also functions as a standalone piece of art.)
5. The album must be shorter than 80 minutes.
6. The album cannot be from an artist that we already covered in Record Club.
7. The album cannot be the focus of a blog post on PoYB already (though just a mention or a blurb about the album is not necessarily disqualifying). This includes:
   A. Record Club (obviously)
   B. The Albums That Matter
   C. A Year of Blind Spots
   D. Any other regular column (like Epimemeology)
   E. Non-Record Club reviews for albums (e.g. this one)
   F. Any other miscellaneous blog post that focuses solely on any particular album
8. The album cannot have three or more of its songs already spotlighted throughout any combination of:
   A. Yearlong Song Challenge
   B. Summer Song Challenge
   C. Song of the ___
   D. Any Top Songs of the Year list from any Year in Review post
   E. OR: Any two songs from these options, plus a significant mention of the album in any blog post or blurb
   
9. The album can't be a "deluxe edition" or anything similar, i.e. we don't do bonus tracks in Record Club.
10. No "partial albums," e.g. only Disc 2 of a double LP or something like that. 
11. Albums comprised of a lot of cover songs are fine, as long as it's a legitimate studio album by a single artist, and not a compilation
12. "Mixtapes" are fine, as long as they adhere to the other rules.
13. Comedy albums are technically fine but the hope is that it would involve music over most or all of the album, and not just standup routines.
14. No Christmas albums except for the last full week before Christmas.
15. No Beatles albums until Week 500 (we should include Beatles solo albums in this rule as well).
16. We have to be able to listen to it somehow. It doesn't have to be on Spotify or whatever, but it does have to be available in some form. If it's not streaming anywhere, we can make mp3 copies available via Google Drive, but just make sure that's known at the time of your choosing the album.
17. It's not technically against the rules to choose an artist whom some people choose to no longer listen to based on history of sex abuse or racism or etc., but PoYB asks that you allow room for at least some grace in choosing these artists, knowing that there will be some reviewers (including EiC) who will refuse to review such artists.
    

No need to know these rules like the back of your hand. I have no qualms about telling you that your choice breaks a rule, and to pick another. And there have been plenty of albums that have broken one of these rules, so feel free to appeal the decision.

THE FRIDAY DISCUSSION

Every Friday morning, right after the reviews are published, I'll post a separate thread where you can write some comments about the album, the reviews, or life in general.

I used to send out an exit survey, but there was a low response rate for that. Still, if you chose the album, and you'd like to share you thoughts about your Record Club experience, feel free to answer any or all of these questions in the Friday morning comment section!

1. Were you happy with the reviews that were published? How do you feel about your week as Record Club captain?

2. How was the variety of opinions? A wide range, kinda samey, or somewhere in the middle?

3. Were there any differing opinions that made you view the album in a different light?

4. Was there anything about this album or this artist that you wished that people would've written about more?

5. How do you feel about your album choice now that the week is over? A success? Any regrets?

6. Any other takeaways from the reviews? Or from this experience in general?

7. What is an improvement that Record Club can make that would enhance everyone's experience, either as a captain or as a listener/writer?

IMPROVEMENTS

If there is anything about this process that you think could be improved, let me know! Thanks for being part of Record Club!