ILM Top 100 2005-2009: TRACKS

dirty projectors - i kind of just don't understand what this band is for. in fact all the abuse that gets hurled at AC about their singing would be more justified with this band. Their experiments in melismatic singing just doesn't work - especially that fella's voice, which sound comedically bad at points (not the intended effect I'm sure).

i don't think its sung very well even on the album though, the interesting part of the song to me is the sparseness of arrangement and the 'what is going on, is this in any key at all' harmony

More 2009 for ya...

30. BAT FOR LASHES "Daniel" (2009) [355 points, 14 votes]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00ZHah-c0hQ

I just listened to that Dirty Projectors song for the first time. I kept waiting for the real song to start. Then, suddenly, it was over.

I usually balk at any use of the word 'pretentious' to describe music, but if any music's pretentious, this is (xps to DP)

madonna and jeezy aside, this is a baaaad stretch

ugh @ the dirty projectors' attempt to do indie-mariah placing so far above mariah's actual classic

pot calling the kettle pretentious?

I actually don't mind that particular Bat for Lashes song but if Nocturne by Kate Bush doesn't place in this list then there is something seriously wrong with all of you.

dirty projectors take the most awful parts of music styles and the sum of the awfulness magnifies it by like 10000000000x

i'm a fan of 'daniel', though i think the production and not the singing is my favorite element of it, esp. the timpani rolls and that creepy haunted house organ thing in the chorus

DP sound like they made an executive decision to copy "that there R'n'B music" without ever really having listened to any of it. They seem to have a vague notion that instead of singing the word "I" they have to sing "IIII--iiii--iIIIIII-i-I----I". Real Emperor's New Clothes stuff.

Are we listening to the same music? There's a ton of interesting stuff going on past the vocal flourishes and I don't find those particularly distracting anyway. Maybe it's a thing with people who actually listen to Mariah Carey?

pot calling the kettle pretentious?

well done

29. TAYLOR SWIFT "You Belong With Me" (2008) [359 points, 14 votes, 1 first place vote]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuNIsY6JdUw

i'm not on the TS bandwagon but i will concede that song is great

i guess people are taylor swifted out?

Put On >>> all these songs coming after it, except maybe Swift and Madonna.

I voted My President instead of Put On tho :( guess it won't make it.

just completely unmoved to say anything about that last one

obviously that madonna song is great but yeah I didn't know it was madonna!

Glad to see that jeezy place -- hung up is banger of all bangers -- I like stillness but lex v otm -- pretty sure promise will be top 10 tho

i guess people are taylor swifted out?

Maybe the "OMG teenage girls have feelings too!" crowd and the "I don't get what's so special about this globally massive pop music" crew have finally got tired of rehashing the same argument with one another. We live in hope.

Actually that ladytron is a jam. What would lt fans recommend to someone who has only listened to that 1 yt clip?

Any of the first three albums, but in this order: Light & Magic, 604 and then Witching Hour.

28. THE KNIFE "We Share Our Mothers' Health" (2006) [369 points, 20 votes]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=617ANIA5Rqs

YES

the first track I absolutely *love* for about 30 positions

Actually that ladytron is a jam. What would lt fans recommend to someone who has only listened to that 1 yt clip?

"seventeen" is their classic single 4eva

jesus that's 5 Knife/Fever Ray tracks you fanboys have gotten on this list so far?

cheers johnny, will try and listen to l&m tonight if its on spotify :)

that animal collection video is beyond shit. i mean fucking hell you make the record that gets fucking everyone talking and can finally break you into a big group and have the big fucking single and you have... that shit for the video? eurgh. it's just ugly and clunky and eurgh.

breakdown by year so far:
2005: 10
2006: 17
2007: 17
2008: 9
2009: 20

i love the knife and fever ray but i'd be interested to see how many voters had pretty much the same artists on both albums and tracks ballots - i tried to avoid that, really; always think it's better to rep for tracks which don't necessarily have a worthy parent album, or a parent album at all

We Share Our Mothers Health still sounds terrific, as does the Trentemoller remix that amps everything up to ridiculous levels. I might listen to it on the way home actually.

(I wonder if What Else Is There will place, incidentally... the Trentemoller remix is another insanely bombastic classic and the JLC fake filter disco version is just pure euphoria).

2005 is gonna have a load right at the top end, I can feel it.

WSOMH and Seven are the only two nominated that I really, REALLY wanted to see. Although I think I tossed Silent Shout a point or two as well.

trentemøller remix of "what else is there?" had better place!!!!!! ditto "in white rooms" and "way out" #ravememories

We share our mothers health is really amazing -- only kindergarten song I really love

Also don't get people (unless it was lex obv :D) calling dirty projectors too srs or whatever. they are one of the few current bands who just seem like they having a bunch of infectious fun times.

I'm Not Done is my favourite of all the pre-Darwin-opera Knifey things though - wish I'd nommed it

This video still creeps me right the fuck out...

27. MGMT "Kids" (2008) [371.5 points, 17 votes]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe4EK4HSPkI

and btw has anyone ever gif'd the lamur in the stillness video? this seems like it should be quite an important gif when needed.

hang on wait I try not to be a pedant but were you trying to spell llama there

the top end of the list has a hell of a redemption job on its hands right now

stop being such corny indie fuxx, ilm, that shit is for LOSERS. are you losers?!

ha, i was. my bad, i don't think i've ever had to spell the word before.

fuckkk i'd totally forgotten abt 'what else is there'! would have def voted for it

i love the knife and fever ray but i'd be interested to see how many voters had pretty much the same artists on both albums and tracks ballots - i tried to avoid that, really; always think it's better to rep for tracks which don't necessarily have a worthy parent album, or a parent album at all

― لوووووووووووووووووووول (lex pretend), Monday, July 5, 2010 1:05 PM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

yeah i'd be curious about that, too -- 17/40 of my tracks ballot are by people who are also on my albums ballot, although only 8 of those songs are actually from the albums I voted for.

Only voted for 2 tracks from my 40 albums.

yay wsomh! also i'm glad you belong with me didn't place AS ridiculously highly as it might have. it's a good song but it would have felt strange to see it in the top 10 or something.

we share our mothers health is my fav knife/fever ray track, i love it, still didnt make my top 40

and JF, check your ILM poll gmail, I sent in a nomination for first-place track vote...

Kids IS pretty epic -- aeroplane electric feel rmx is best mgmt song tho

skip, you can't mix a ballot between ranked and unranked (or, in this case, give one track a "ranked" amount of first place points and then the remainder of your tracks the allotted "unranked" points). It's all or nothing. I gave every one of your votes 20.5 points because it was specified as an unranked ballot. xp