You could have it so much better.....with the ILM albums of 2005

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c23/unterwasser/outhud.gif

Comment:

other ilxors said

I really hoped Donut would be wrong, but wow, what a letdown! They stopped doing brilliant post-punk style stuff for THIS plastic artificial sounding crap? Please no more mentions of this alongside the new LCD Soundsystem or New Order, please.
Bimble February 3rd, 2005 7:53 AM.

I think this album is great, especially the first half. The sequencing is really nice. I've always admired the broader sonic palette that Out Hud brings to the neo-dance-punk party, but tracks like "It's For You" and "One Life to Leave" and "How Long" are also really catchy from a pop angle. (Especially since I don't hear the vocals as "indie" trying to be pop or dance, like !!!: no, they're cool and rhythmic and kinda breathy and totally pop unto themselves.) (Oh, and Donut, I only have Interstate, but I don't hear Pell Mell at all in Out Hud: Pell Mell always seemed to me like a post-rock band that no scene wanted to accept, but way more organic and warm and, I dunno, heartland-sounding than Out Hud.)
jaymc March 28th, 2005 9:27 PM.

I've always admired the broader sonic palette that Out Hud brings to the neo-dance-punk party, but tracks like "It's For You" and "One Life to Leave" and "How Long" are also really catchy from a pop angle.
Jaymc is correct. Additionally, this record doesn't sound like it's saying "this is a band" or "this can be reproduced live" or "we care that this is reproduceable live". The fact that the vocals are so faceless adds to the house-ness, and they don't really seem indie at all. They're very detached yet rhythmic (as has already been said). The Severed Heads comparison is interesting and superficially correct, but they're coming from very different places, and again the overall vibe I get from the Out Hud record is Tom Tom Club as opposed to something on Nettwerk. There's something almost Balearic (vague term I know) about this record too.
Spencer Chow March 28th, 2005 10:14 PM.

That St Et was the first release by them that did absolutly nothing for me after rapidly diminishing returns since Good Humour(Finisterre had like 2 great tracks). Not a shock to see them place high on an ILM poll tho.

Don't make me link to the 1985CDR Go! thread AGAIN...

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c23/unterwasser/sleaterkinney.jpg

Comment:
With their seventh album in ten years, and the first in three, Sleater-Kinney may be slowing down, but they're not mellowing out. In fact, The Woods is the most poundingly vicious album they've ever done. The key to their refreshing new approach is using Dave Fridmann, no fan of their earlier work, to light a fire under their butts. Indeed, Janet Weiss sounds like she's using John Bonham's femur bones for sticks, while Corin Tucker's vocal work reaches a primally powerful peak. Near the end of the album, song structure is abandoned for hypnotic jams. It's not a perfect album, but if Sleater-Kinney can manage to write songs to match their best from Call the Doctor and Dig Me Out with this new sound, they'll be the best rock band on the planet, male or female.
AS Van Dorston

other ilxors said

I original liked this record, but as I listen to it I can't help but notice the lack of hooks. For an album that's supposed to hearken back to the Deep Purples and Zeppelins....where are the fucking TUNES? I guess it's a symptom of of the majority of indie rock albums these days, but damn. It may sound nice, but it's samey samey samey. Gimme something I can sink my teeth into....they've done it before ("Dig Me Out," "Little Babies," "You're No Rock n Roll Fun"), but not here. The album might have teeth, but if you're looking for hooks, go somewhere else.
PB June 2nd, 2005 3:37 PM.

I finally got around to buying this today. Hey, it's good! I like the rawking. I made the mistake of reading the lyric sheet on the subway home (I had nothing else to read), which gave me a little bit of a sinking feeling. But once I put it on, the lyrics didn't bother me at all. They're one of these (many) bands who would be better off not printing lyric sheets. The words sound fine with the music. And the music sounds fine too. On first impression, solider than either of the previous two. They sound like they kind of found their feet again. And speaking of feet, Janet has one of the heaviest kick-drum stomps around, gah-lee. This record really makes me want to see them play again. I hope they do the 10-minute freak-out in concert.
gypsy mothra June 22nd, 2005 8:17 AM.

i'm just listening to this now. i know fuck-all about sleater-kinney, but i like this album a lot. it is intense and seems to be ripping my crappy speakers to shreds, which is no bad thing. i need to listen to it on my proper stereo. preferably, i feel, on vinyl.
grimly fiendish July 10th, 2005 8:52 PM.

Tell more more about what you mean.

If anyone has any outstanding* blurbs can they send them asap. I thank you.

*or even mediocre

Going by St Etienne's placements in the 90's polls, I thought it was clear that they have a large fan base here.

-- Rockist_Scientist (Al__suca...), January 13th, 2006 11:25 AM. (RSLaRue) (later)

haha--how could that possibly be positive?

wow. otm.

also i don't get this list anymore. i don't understand the cross section of people who voted

and the clientelle is SO BORING

i don't understand the cross section of people who voted

i don't understand why some of ILM's most vocal personalities didn't vote, and i think that's what might give the list a rather skewed feel. still, i am thoroughly enjoying it, odd though it might be. top work, billy.

50. Smog - A river ain't too much to love
49. Franz Ferdinand - You could have it so much better...
48. Maximo Park - A certain trigger
47. Depeche Mode - Playing the Angel
46. Annie - Anniemal
45. Juan Maclean - Less than Human
44. Dangerdoom - The Mouse and the Mask
43. Daft Punk - Human after all
42. Bright Eyes - I'm wide awake it's morning
41. My Morning Jacket - Z
40. Tom Vek – We have sound
39. Alan Braxe & Friends – The Upper cut
38. Konono no.1 – Congotronics
37. Stephen Malkmus – Face the truth
36. Ellen Allien – Thrills
35. The White Stripes - Get behind me Satan
34. Missy Elliot – The Cookbook
33. Fiona Apple =- Extraordinary machine
32. Patrick Wolf – Wind in the wires
31. Madonna – Confessions on a dancefloor
30. Low - The Great Destroyer
29. Sigur Ros - Takk
28. Deerhoof - The Runners Four
27. Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary
26. Kelley Polar - Love songs of the Hanging Gardens
25. The Clientele - Strange Geometry
24. Ladytron - The Witching Hour
23. Saint Etienne - Tales from Turnpike House
22. Out Hud - Let us never speak of it again
21. Sleater Kinney - The Woods

Top 20 TBA

- predictions?

(only two that I voted for made the list so far)

Others yet to make an appearance that'll probrably be in the top 20: Robyn, Gorillaz, New Pornographers, Rachel Stevens, Girls Aloud, Spoon.

i'm assuming "funeral" will be in there too.

i'd love to think that the meshuggah album will roar into the top ten, but i fear that's wishful thinking. bastards. still, it was terrorizer's #1, so at least someone somewhere is hailing the awesome power of riffular prog-metal magic \m/

I listened to Francis the Mute today for the first time since it came out. It's a very funny album.

Shortwave Set an outside bet? Everyone who heard it seemed to like it.

ILM TOP ALBUMS OF 2004

I didn't want to jinx it by saying so, and I didn't want to be wrong, but yes, I think so. There is a strong Kate Bush cult around here, though it might not be visible to people who don't click on the relevant threads.

first up the 10 most likely to show up in the top 20:

Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
M.I.A. - Arular
Kate Bush - Aerial
Antony and the Johnsons - I Am a Bird Now
Vitalic - Ok Cowboy
Broadcast - Tender Buttons
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
Animal Collective - Feels
Boards of Canada - The Campfire Headphase
LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem

the next 10 IS difficult to judge, so here are some candidates with comments:

Common - Be [Is rap still popular asks Geir?]
Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene [Is this too generic indie rawk to show up in the top 20?]
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah [Have enough ILM types voted for Pitchfork approved Talking Heads karaoke?]
Gorillaz - Demon Days [Does ILM like fun? OR NOT ]
Isolée - Wearemonster [Have the dance types voted in enough numbers?]
Lightning Bolt - Hypermagic Mountain [Where are the Noise dudes?]
The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema [Canadian Indie on a zillion blog / webzine lists]
Nine Horses - Snow Borne Sorrow [Will enough people vote this into the top 20?]
Robyn - Robyn [A long thread on ILM suggests this is popular]
Kanye West - Late Registration [Is rap still popular asks Geir?]

Some other candidates/ Outsiders: [remember there were over 500 albums voted for] will any of these be in the top 20:

The Shortwave Set - The Debt Collection [have a cult following on ILM]
The Mars Volta - Frances The Mute [is this too prog to be popular for ILM ?]
The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree [has a cult following on ILM]
The Decemberists - Picaresque [tuneless tripe that is popular with indie types]
Mew - And the Glass Handed Kites [Can these Danish art-rockers gatecrash the top 20? unlikely ]
Dälek - Absence [Did enough people remember this?]
Andrew Bird - Andrew Bird & The Mysterious Production of Eggs [Seems to be on a zillion indie rock lists]
Jesu - Jesu [too obscure for the ILM Top 20?]
Eels - Blinking Lights and Other Revelations [Never understood the appeal of this lot]
Spoon - Gimme Fiction [North American Indie rockers seem to rate them]
Architecture In Helsinki - In Case We Die [Twee bollox]
The Books - Lost and Safe [Popular on some other polls]
Elbow - Leaders of the Free World [Do Elbow have enough followers on ILM?]
M83 - Before the Dawn Heals Us [Lacked substance, and too early in 2005 - faded away]
Super Furry Animals - Love Kraft [Another band with a cult following on ILM]
Colleen - The Golden Morning Breaks [Has a following on ILM, but not enough for the top 20?]
New Order - Waiting for the Sirens' Call [I don't think this will be the top 20 as it got a mixed response on ILM]
Goldfrapp - Supernature [this album had a mixed response on ILM]
Roisin Murphy - Ruby Blue [Wine bar Muzak]
Black Mountain - Black Mountain [Have some following on ILM, but NOT enough for top 20]
Röyksopp - The Understanding [Unlikely to be in the top 20]
CocoRosie - Noah's Ark [Unlikely]
Rogue Wave - Descended Like Vultures [I don't think this will make it]
Clor - Clor [Not enough support to make it]
Mu - Out Of Breach (Manchester's Revenge) [Did the dance types vote for this?]
Jan Jelinek - Kosmischer Pitch [A slow burner, gradually picking up kudos towards the end of the year]
Field Music - Field Music [Not enough support to make it in the top 20]
Opeth - Ghost Reveries [On other polls this is the most popular metal release of 2005. Metal has never done well on ILM polls, the same dozen or so people stick to the Rolling metal thread throughout the year in their own special world, so unlikely to dent the top 20]
Ulver - Blood Inside [No chance - too obscure for ILM]
The National - Alligator [Has done well on other polls]
Jaga Jazzist - What We Must [Superb album but highly unlikely]
Rachel Stevens - Come And Get It [Will the pop-ists vote gatecrash this into the the top 20?]
Girls Aloud - Chemistry [Will the pop-ists vote gatecrash this into the the top 20?]

Billy, are there any albums in the top 20 ? NOT listed on this post.

sovietpanda OTM re:Clientele. I feel like one could not approximate a closer feel to the most absolute boring side of indie pop. A friend told me listening to Death Cab for Cutie is like watching paint dry to him. That's what the Clientele is like to me. I only saw them open for Spoon, which is an unfair comparison to make, but I didn't want to hear their shit again.

Also, Simon... I too think Okkervil is a stretch, but if it doesn't make it here, I propose starting a thread devoted to its greatness and revelling in the imagery/world as if we were Trekkies or Star Wars geeks. I propose calling ourselves Okkies.

I expect certain people on ILM to be still listening to rap by the time anyone outside Bronx or Compton has long since abandonded the genre. :)

My prediction: 389

yup. and it didn't come out in the UK until 2005, which means it's eminently eligible. indeed, billy singled it out in his original blurb as one such example. i'd be very surprised if it doesn't make the cut. i mean: LCD soundsystem was in last year's poll too, remember?

spoon will chart highly, i'm betting. and i think that bloody new order record will get in there too, although it really doesn't deserve to at all.

i did put "waiting for the sirens' call" itself in my "tracks" list, but it's got no chance. like, er ... [counts on fingers] ... at least 85% of my track choices ;)

I find them unlistenable.