ILM Ballot Polls for 2014 and beyond -- order, timing, "I would have voted if I'd known about it," etc

bump, bum-pity, bump. anyone willing to open a new poll? the Shoegazer poll is real tempting after the Pitchfork list but i can't do that right now. if anyone wants to take the ball and run with that one i would be fine with that. otherwise i have not done a big artist poll like that and will do it next summer if no-one steps up now.

will still do Talking Heads in Feb of 2017...

shoegaze has been done

ILM's Best Shoegaze / Dream Pop / Post-rock TRACKS poll - RESULTS THREAD

i'm doing Albums and EP's.

I'm still up for doing the drum 'n bass/jungle poll

no-one else seems to be stepping up, so go for it. should be a blast!

All right! I will arrange this and open a nomination thread early next week!!

For the soul albums poll I wrote an AutoHotkey script (so Windows only) that imports a folder of ballots and automatically generates the final list. No more manual spreadsheet labor.

If there's any interest, I can post the script somewhere.

That worked well. What's involved implementing it? As someone who knows dick all about scripts and stuff, what environment do you even run it in?

(watching a Youtube tutorial rn)

That'd be great ArchCarrier! I'll try and figure out how to use that asap

The only thing you need is AutoHotkey itself. After you install it, you can just double click the script file and let it do its thing.

Here's the installer (exe file).

<offtopic>

And once you've installed the program and start using it, your life will never be the same. I use it to start programs or do web searches from anywhere with just one keyboard shortcut, it automatically expands abbreviations to longer pieces of text (phone numbers, email addresses, long words that are hard to type...).

</offtopic>

Okay, installed. Please share the script. :)

this is awesome stuff ArchCarrier, can't wait to use it for my next poll if you share.

poll number 62 = drum 'n bass/jungle.

nice

OK, here is the script: http://pastebin.com/hT45S5Rf

How to use it:
0. Install AutoHotkey if you haven't done so.
1. Save the script to a folder, for example 'ILM poll'. It doesn't matter what you call the script file, but make sure it has the extension .ahk
2. Create a subdirectory in that folder called 'ballots'. In this folder you put the ballots in .txt format, one file per user, one album (or song) per line.
3. Run the script by double clicking on it. If you get a Windows error that there's no program associated with .ahk files then something went wrong with the installation of AutoHotkey.

After the script has run, there should be a new text file called votes.txt. This is a list of the final results sorted by points. But see the Issues below for final sorting.

Nominations
If you use nominations in your poll, you can save that list in a file called master.txt in the main 'ILM Poll' folder. If there's such a file, the script will search through the list and give a warning if an album on a ballot is not present in the noms list. It even opens the naughty ballot in Notepad for you.

Issues
Unfortunately, the script can only sort by one column, so you have to paste votes.txt in Excel or LibreOffice and do a final sort on 1) points, 2) number of votes, 3) number ones. Because of this issue, tied votes are not detected.
Once I find a way to sort by multiple columns, I'll update the script.

Points
The script is based on 50 albums; the first gets 50 points, the second 49, down to 1 point for the last album on a ballot. If you use a different point system you need to change line 33. Let me know if you need help with this.

You can test the script with the ballots from the soul poll: http://pastebin.com/raw/0CsqNduJ
Just create a couple of text files; the different ballots are separated by a line of dashes.

Thanks so much!

Sure, no problem! And let me know if you need any help.

I'm not the person to run it, but we really should have a Leonard Cohen memorial tracks/albums poll.

Oh hell yes.

As I mentioned on the RIP thread, I can run it.

Can I just go ahead with it? Was anyone waiting to launch one?

There was supposed to be a jungle/drum & bass poll next, but it doesn't look like Le Bateau Ivre has started any nomination thread? I was looking forward to that.

Me too, Tuomas, but I won't be able to organize it any time soon (you arent on 77 right? Explained it there, its because of family issues, sadly will not have time to start it any time soon)

In memoriam polls usually go ahead regardless of schedule so Cohen should be ok.

OK, assuming there are no issues I'll start the voting thread sometime this week.

Thanks, Simon I am looking forward to the poll:
POLL on, my brother: The Leonard Cohen Memorial POLL Voting Thread - Ballots due Midnight ET, Dec. 1st

do we have a Power Ballads poll on the list?would anyone else want one?

do we have a Power Ballads poll on the list?would anyone else want one?

I'd probably chuck in a (power) ballot.

updated to close 2016 (added a few links from our recent polls):

A. Pavement - Johnny Fever (finished)
B. Manic Street Preachers - Jamie_ATP (finished)
C. Blur - Nasty, Brutish & Short (finished)
1. Pet Shop Boys - Billy Dods (finished)
2. Beatles - Mark G (finished)
3. Prince - Jamie_ATP (finished)
4. U2 - Ismael Klata (finished)
5. Beach Boys - iatee (finished)
6. Led Zeppelin - WmC (finished)
7. Timbaland - some dude (finished)
8. Guided By Voices - Johnny Fever (finished)
9. Stevie Wonder - Eric H. (finished)
10. “Producers” - Shakey Mo Collier (finished)
11. Pulp - Finefinemusic (finished)
12. James Brown - strongo/Shakey Mo Collier (finished)
13. Jacksons - Jamie_ATP (finished)
14. David Bowie - WmC (finished)
15. Paul Simon - Lamp (finished)
16. Rolling Stones - rogermexico (finished)
17. The Kinks - C. Grisso/McCain (finished)
18. Depeche Mode - crüt (finished)
19. Beastie Boys - Johnny Fever (finished)
20. ABBA - donna rouge (finished)
20B. Bee Gees - Shakey Mo Collier (finished)
21. Neil Young - clemenza (finished)
22. Fleetwood Mac - Clarke B. (finished)
23. The Cure - nate woolls (finished)
24. Kate Bush - Ismael Klata (finished)
25. The Who - Tarfumes the Escape Goat (finished)
26. Joni Mitchell - Mordy (finished)
27. The Neptunes - V79/some dude (finished)
28. Saint Etienne - Billy Dods (finished)
29. Hüsker Dü - Pleasant Plains (finished)
30. Bruce Springsteen - Jamie_ATP (finished)
31. Madonna - Johnny Fever (finished)
32. Miles Davis - WmC (finished)
33. The Fall - Mark G (finished)
34. PJ Harvey - Nasty, Brutish & Short (finished)
35. Cocteau Twins - Le Bateau Ivre/LeRooLeRoo (finished)
36. Sonic Youth - ArchCarrier (finished)
37. New Order - Bee OK (finished) I feel so extraordinary somePoll's got a hold on me: NEW ORDER artist poll #37 (RESULTS thread)
37B. The Doors - Ismael Klata (finished)
38. The Clash - Gukbe (finished)
39. Motown Singles - a hoy hoy (finished)
40. Jay-Z - some dude (finished)
41. Elton John - Johnny Fever (finished)
42. Stax - seandalai (finished)
43. Disco - Tuomas (finished)
44. R. Kelly - Spottie_Ottie_Dope (finished)
45. Tom Waits - chap (finished)
45B. Velvet Underground and Solo Careers - Shakey Mo Collier (finished)
46. The “Classic Rock” Canon - some dude (finished)
47. Elvis Costello - kornrulez (finished)
48. Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry - charlie h (finished)
49. Pink Floyd - Elvis Telecom (finished)
50. Steely Dan - Bee OK (finished) Polled At Last: STEELY DAN - ILM Artist poll #50
51. Bob Dylan - tipsy mothra (finished)
52. Sleater-Kinney + offshoots - C.Grisso/McCain (finished)
53. Outkast - Spottie (finished)
54. Autechre - Leee (finished)
55. Brian Eno - WmC (finished)
56. Radiohead - nate woolls (finished)
57. Spaceman 3 (& descendants) - Elvis Telecom (finished)
58. "Epics" - Leee (finished)
59. XTC - Οὖτις (finished)
60. The Boo Radleys - Bee OK (finished) Just a simple song but God I love it Embedded in me, so bittersweet I’m addicted, I’m a melancholic Sing it again, I’ll be your Poll forever: THE BOO RADLEYS - ILM artist poll #60 or new numbering #65
61. Yo La Tengo - Van Horn Street/clemenza (finished)
62. Creedence Clearwater Revival - crüt (finished)
63. Ramones - tipsy mothra (finished)
64. Italo - daavid (finished)
65. P-Funk - Οὖτις (finished)
66. Metallica - pplains (finished) Deez POLLABLE Heroes - THE ILM //METALLICA\ POLL RESULTS
67. Spoon - Bee OK (finished) POLL POLL POLL POLL POLL - SPOON (ILM artist poll #67) --- The results thread
68. Queen - charlie h (finished) The Fairy POLLers Master-Stroke: The ILX Queen Poll Results Thread (#68 in a series)
69B. Pixies - Johnny Fever (finished) Hey Paul, Hey Paul, Hey Paul, let's have a POLL: ILM Artist Poll #69 • Pixies (results!)
69. Nirvana - Gavin, Leeds (finished) Teenage angst has paid off well / Now I'm bored and POLLed: The ILM Nirvana poll results thread (Poll #69)
70. Extreme Metal - Viceroy (finished) Finally... The Top 200 Extreme Metal Albums of ALL TIME!(results)
71. Tom Petty - rogermexico. (finished) YOU RANK ME BABY, YEAH YOU RATE ME 1-2 - ILM Artist Poll #71 - Tom Petty (results)
72. The Smiths - nate woolls (finished) IF IT'S NOT LOVE THEN IT'S THE POLL THAT WILL BRING US TOGETHER - ILM Artist Poll #72 - THE SMITHS - RESULTS THREAD
73. Bauhaus/Tones on Tail-Love and Rockets/Peter Murphy - Bee OK (finished) We POLL Our Audience: You, The Night and The Music - BAUHAUS - Love and Rockets, Tones on Tail, Peter Murphy etcetera - ILM artist poll number 73 - results thread
74. Stereolab - Moka (finished) LM Artist Poll No. 74 · STEREOLAB · Results Thread
75. Van Halen - Johnny Fever (finished) Have you seen Junior's grades?! ILM Artist Poll #75 - VAN HALEN (Results thread)
76. Devo - soref (finished) in the past this information has been suppressed, but now it can be POLLED - Devo ballot poll results thread
77. Can - Z S Moka (finished) ILM Artist Poll No. 77 · CAN · Results Thread
78. Oasis - Bee OK (finished) POLL With It - OASIS (ILM artist poll #78) --- The results thread
79. George Michael - Ismael Klata (finished) Hot damn! Everybody let's play the GEORGE MICHAEL TRACKS POLL results thread
80. The Stooges/Iggy Pop - Moka (finished) ILM Artist Poll No. 80 · Iggy & The Stooges · Results Thread
81. Leonard Cohen - Simon H. (finished) Laughing Len strikes again: ILM Artist Poll #81 - Leonard Cohen

Hard Rock/Hair Metal - gr8080
Stephin Merritt - Gukbe
Fairport Convention et al (R Thompson, S Denny) - Billy Dods
Jimi Hendrix - some dude
Genesis + solo - NickB
The Burt Bacharach songbook - C. Grisso/McCain
Dead C - Raymond Cummings
Royal Trux + side projects - sleeve
John Fahey - Naive Teen Idol?
Rush - Matt #2
Talking Heads - Bee OK
Gamble & Huff/Philly International Records - jetfan
Billy Joel - Doctor Casino
Low - aldo
Nine Inch Nails - chap
REM - rogermexico.
Bjork - Eric H.
Wu-Tang Clan - Spottie
Shoegaze/Dream Pop/Post-rock (Albums and EPs) - Bee OK
Covers - kornrulez6969
New Pornographers/AC Newman - staggerlee
They Might Be Giants - Johnny Fever
No Wave - sarahell
DFA - Van Horn Street
Misfits/Samhain/Danzig - gr8080
Beatles solo careers - Οὖτις
Erykah Badu - Eric H.
Nick Cave/Bad Seeds/Birthday Party/et al - charlie h
Herbie Hancock - crüt
Aphex Twin - Stevie D
**The Jesus and Mary Chain - Bee OK (instead of Blondie)
Blondie - Bee OK pollrunner needed for this one
Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis - Spottie
Siouxsie & the Banshees/The Creatures - LeRooLeRoo
AM Radio Gold - Jeff W
Eurovision - nxd
Steve Albini - nate woolls
Yellow Magic Orchestra - frogbs
Elvis Presley - Euler
Byrds + offshoots - kornrulez6969
Cardiacs + affiliated - imago
Tropicalia/MPB - Frederik B
Chic Organization - pollrunner needed for this one
French/Francophone - Van Horn Street
Smashing Pumpkins - Bee OK

*Added:

The Cars/Ric Ocasek - crüt
Tim Buckley - Naive Teen Idol
Van Morrison - kornrulez6969
Animal Collective - flappy bird
The Cramps - Moka
Bristol trip-hop - chap
Wire - kornrulez6969
jungle/drum 'n bass - Le Bateau Ivre
Suede - Bee OK

Robyn Hitchcock - campreverb
Power Ballads - rogermexico.

Some really great stuff coming up, sooner and later. Not sure if I noticed Pumpkins getting added but that will be a fun one IMO.

Just curious, did we ever decide we'd do a ILM Best of 2010-2014 rollout? I believe we did one for 2005-2009 back in the day.

I was going to last summer, but nobody (including me) was super enthused about it, so it just kinda evaporated.

some folks tried to turn it into a 2000-2014 poll iirc

I think the consensus was that no good music was released from 2010-2014, promising a rather grim affair.

Ha, thanks all. I'm sure it's a ton of work to put that together. And who knows what the turnout would be. Hopefully we do a 2010-2019 poll when the time comes.

If JF doesn't want to do a 2000-14 poll Then I maybe could if there's demand.
Maybe jf could be persuaded to do tracks and I do albums?

the 2000-15 metal poll went nicely so it would make a nice companion

oh does anybody want to do a kylie minogue poll? is this where i ask that sort of question? i'd run it.

wooooo

I would definitely vote in a Kylie poll.

I feel like the commentary around the fifteen-year poll idea was that it would basically be impossible to make a meaningful ballot with that much stuff on the table - as tempting as a "all music released since ILM existed" poll might seem, conceptually. Whereas the five-year things, though still overbroad, do hypothetically suggest taking stock of the recent past in what might be a SLIGHTLY more coherent fashion - some kind of 'era' at stake.

I feel like the commentary around the fifteen-year poll idea was that it would basically be impossible to make a meaningful ballot with that much stuff on the table

I disagree. It would mean you really were picking the cream of what was released.

It would be much fresher to just have a 2010-14 poll. If we did a 2000-14 one we'd be just going over the same albums again (Sound Of Silver, Kid A, Silent Shout, Discovery etc). Also, Bee just did all those 00s polls recently which already gave away how the results might look. Doing a poll for those first five years of the decade gives other albums a chance to shine.

Really though, I just want to see what will happen if Kaputt wins.

wasn't that why some posters didn't want a poll? lol

i'm on team 2010-2014

My view on a lifetime of ILM poll was simply that
a)companion to metal poll
b)most ilxors weren't posting in those early days

but it doesnt really matter does it?

I'll do a lifetime poll but if someone else would rather do a 2010-14 poll they can volunteer and I'll step aside no probs

crut its your poll if you want it