With no clear instructions, this month’s puzzle was definitely on the harder side!
Most of the records in the collection above are in alphabetical order, but not all. It turns out the records that are out of order are in positions 10, 11, 20, 21, 30, 31, …, 100, 101.
The records in every 10th spot have each received a “perfect 10” rating from Pitchfork1.
The records “past” these – i.e., the records in spots 11, 21, 31, …, 101, are:
What’s Going On (by Marvin Gaye)
The Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd)
Band on the Run (Paul McCartney & Wings)
For You (Tatsuro Yamashita)
The Slider (T. Rex)
#1 Record (Big Star)
1973 (Placebo)
Song Cycle (Van Dyke Parks)
My Favorite Things (John Coltrane)
Love is the Message (MFSB)
The first words of these “past tens” records form the question
“What’s the band for the #1 1973 song ‘My Love’?”, and the answer is Paul McCartney2 & Wings.
[1] …those records being
Low (David Bowie)
On Fire (Galaxie 500)
Unknown Pleasures (Joy Division)
Loveless (My Bloody Valentine)
Purple Rain (Prince)
The Stone Roses
Laughing Stock (Talk Talk)
Remain in Light (Talking Heads)
White Light/White Heat (The Velvet Underground)
Germfree Adolescents (X-Ray Spex)
[2] …who is alluded to with the knight on the lower-right corner and the die in the upper-left.
Congrats to this month’s solvers who successfully decoded the question!