ILM'S TOP 77 TRACKS of 2010

sure to end in tears but i want to know what immediately turns people off of "ass on the floor" ("ick" etc) yet they're willing to give janelle (a bad boy artist) the benefit of the doubt

i'd like to think it's more than the pitchfork seal of approval but i doubt it

I have never in my life attempted to stay current with popular music, but hanging out in the Listening Room the last week or more really made me understand how far out of touch I was, so I've been checking these out as the reveal has rolled out (thx for the youtubes). All I can say so far is DAMN I'M SO OLD. I did mark 10 tracks that I actually liked, though, and three more that were kind of interesting.

i enjoyed reading that

i always get a kick when we get off-stage input from s.o.'s for some reason

Diddy's reputation precedes him. xps

yeah of course

which ones did you like wmc

77 Diddy - ick

see, normally I'd be w u, but new album is def worthy of investigation

fucking atrocious:

69. YUNG HUMMA ft. FLYNT FLO$$Y "Lemme Smang It" [236 points, 8 votes, 2 first place votes]

have been listening to more traxx & would like to amend my above list to include el guincho, my god that is a fucking horrific mess.

sade - "soldier of love"
sorry not have kept up, cuz i loved sade once upon a time. while i enjoyed hearing her voice again, this song struck me as sadly hookless and staid. maybe it will grow on me? and maybe it exists more to be respected than loved.

― normal_fantasy-unicorns (contenderizer), Wednesday, January 26, 2011 4:50 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

you should definitely give this another listen b/c this is so offtm. i've never had any particular interest in sade, but this song is amazing. the combination of the popping martial beat and her lush, rich voice, plus the use of space, is fucking beautiful. the wild wild west/tryin my hardest, doin my best line is a hook.

love unreservedly:

40. GUCCI MANE "Lemonade" [300 points, 10 votes]
39. LIL B "The Age of Information" [302 points, 11 votes]
32. TENSNAKE "Coma Cat" [342 points, 11 votes, 1 first place vote]
27. LINDSTRØM & CHRISTABELLE "Lovesick" [394 points, 18 votes]
23. SADE "Soldier of Love" [410 points, 16 votes]

also dig:
38. KATY B "Katy on a Mission" [322 points, 13 votes]
37. JAMIE WOON "Night Air" [324 points, 13 votes]
36. CARIBOU "Sun" [330 points, 11 votes] i definitely dig some aspects of what he does, but kinda wish this guy would stop with the floppy beats and just make a go at real house music tbh
35. WIZ KHALIFA "Black & Yellow" [330 points, 13 votes]
31. EARL SWEATSHIRT "Earl" [344 points, 10 votes]
30. ROBYN "Hang With Me" [346 points, 14 votes]
28. CIARA ft. LUDACRIS "Ride" [394 points, 12 votes] this would go in love unreservedly if it weren't for ludacris ;_; why does he have to be there? this song is soooo fucking good besides him.
22. KE$HA "TiK ToK" [424 points, 14 votes, 3 first place votes] never really need to hear this again, but it was good while it lasted

actively dislike:
21. JOANNA NEWSOM "Good Intentions Paving Company" [428 points, 13 votes]

CAD --
"Lemme Smang It," kinda despite myself. Listened to it a 2nd time without looking at the video and yeah, kinda confirmed that I actually liked the song.

Swans, LCD, Gil Scott-Heron, the slowed down Bieber, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Jaar, El Guincho, Lil B, M.I.A. The kinda-sortas were the Caribou and Joanna Newsom tracks.

I would almost bet money that the Crystal Castles ft Robert Smith song is in the top 5. if i was a gamblin' man, that is...

good list so far. I've gotten into a few songs. actually really like that Diddy Dirty Money song. I avoided it up 'til today because of... well... Diddy.

If we are moving on to the prognostication stage, I'd guess the following are locks for high billing:
Robyn - Dancing on My Own
Janelle Monae ft. Big Boi - Tightrope
Ariel Pink - Round & Round
Erykah B - Window Seat
Big Boi ft. Cutty - Shutterbugg
Crystal Castles - Not in Love

& maybe
Cee-Lo - Fuck You (o_O @ this being the P&J #1. I like it OK, but jeez.. ilx was lukewarm on this, no? still, there is the lurker vote to consider..)

mystery trax w/ a chance (& that I would like to see place):
School of Seven Bells - ILU (ilu ilm if u voted this into the top 20)
Arcade Fire - Sprawl II
Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill
Deerhunter - Desire Lines
Joker - Tron
MIA - XXXO
Willow Smith - Whip My Hair
James Blake - CMYK or I Only Know (What I Know Now)

Count me in with the I'm gettin old / don't really follow "hip" music of today anymore crowd. The only tracks I voted for that have placed so far are "Acappella" and "Cold War", but I hadn't heard 95% of the songs here before. In fact, before this poll I'd never even heard of Azari & III, The Fives, Yung Humma, Javiera Mena, Swans, Games, Drake, Lady Antebellum, Beach House, Gayngs, Taio Cruz, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Nicolas Jaar, Caribou, El Guincho, Katy B, Jamie Woon, The New Puritans, Earl Sweatshirt, Gyptian, Tinie Tempah, or Ke$ha.

I guess I'm just hopelessly out of loop these days, but I'm 31 already, so there's no pressing need to keep up with the cool kids anymore. It's still nice to hear some good new stuff when I get the chance though, so thanks to ILM for poll like these.

xp - I'll add to that roster:

Waka - Hard in Da Paint
something by Yelawolf
Gorrilaz - On Melancholy Hill
something by Big KRIT
Katy Perry?

I just turned 37 yesterday, and I'd at least heard of all those artists (and know several of them quite well)...but then I spend too much time on the computer reading this board and checking out music on my own. xps to Tuomas

I was kinda hoping that "Wondaland" by Janelle Monae would place, as it is my favourite track from the album, but I can't see it making to the top 20.

It's my favorite too, but it was never destined for the kind of traction Cold War and Tightrope got.

i'm enjoying all the rundowns w/comments by various people btw

and i'll get back to deej w/r/t vocals when the tennis is over (also my work) (so it may take some time)

Y'all, J0rdan has to work again today, so I'll be the substitute results giver again. Sucks that he can't reveal the top 20 for his own poll, so let's say thank you to him a bunch when it's all over.

It's almost 5am my time, so I'd better get some sleep since I have to kick this off around noonish (or late afternoon UK time).

I just turned 37 yesterday, and I'd at least heard of all those artists (and know several of them quite well)...but then I spend too much time on the computer reading this board and checking out music on my own. xps to Tuomas

I don't have a radio or tv, so to me ILM has basically been my main source for learning about new music (except for artists who are so ubiquitous I can't miss them, like Lady Gaga) for years, but lately I haven't had the time to read too many threads in here either. I might've heard some of these artists/tunes at clubs, but since club DJs generally don't announce the tunes they've played, I wouldn't know it. Though now I have a gf who's 8 years younger than me, at least she can keep me up with some of the new stuff.

If we are moving on to the prognostication stage, I'd guess the following are locks for high billing:
Robyn - Dancing on My Own
Janelle Monae ft. Big Boi - Tightrope
Ariel Pink - Round & Round
Erykah B - Window Seat
Big Boi ft. Cutty - Shutterbugg
Crystal Castles - Not in Love

& maybe
Cee-Lo - Fuck You (o_O @ this being the P&J #1. I like it OK, but jeez.. ilx was lukewarm on this, no? still, there is the lurker vote to consider..)

^I also think all of these will make it. Plus:

The Dream - Yamaha
Kanye West - Monster
Rihanna - Rude Boy

Girl Unit, Usher, Zinc, Wiley?

Sprawl II will definitely place, it's both the best song on the Arcade Fire album and the only one nominated.

I'd guess that Hard In Da Paint is still to come as well.

Man, this Reckless With Your Love song is awesome.

Listen to the original as well, its even better.

I would almost bet money that the Crystal Castles ft Robert Smith song is in the top 5. if i was a gamblin' man, that is...

Now I like Crystal Castles a whole lot, but if that fucking whey-faced ghoul from the Cure is anywhere near the top 5, I'm gonna be reaching for the crossbow.

Also are we too high up in the list now for that My Chemical Romance single to place?

Voted for: 8.
Nearly voted for: 4
Heard before, liked: 15
Heard before, no strong feelings: 6
Heard before, disliked: 3
Never heard before: 21

i'm not usually bothered by mouth sounds, but the first thirty seconds of this gayngs track is really grossing me out.

also first time i managed to vote in one of these, happy to see some of my votes (esp. kelis & marina) show up. i'm glad the poll directed me to try roman's revenge again, i gave up on it before as another "o look em hates women" track but i'm loving it now.

Tinie placing so low, under Kesha for God's sake, makes me feel defensively patriotic.

Struggling to think of anything on this list that's more mystifying to me than the inclusion of the Rick Ross song. It doesn't even feel like a particularly great example of its genre.

the rick ross album was certainly one of the biggest US hip-hop releases of the year - i don't get it at all, myself, i think it's one of those cases where mediocrity rises by default when there's a vacuum to be filled. i do think the "bmf" beat is a monster, though - check the na'tee and lyrikkal freestyles over it. agree that "hard in da paint" renders rick ross redundant (as if he needed any help on that point smh)

I liked Maybach Music on the Rick Ross album. For me Lady Antebellum is the real headscratcher on the list.

I'm lukewarm on the album as a whole & most RR trax in general, but I loved BMF. Dunno exactly why, but in this case the production/beat seems mesh superbly w/ RR's lazy drawl - esp. wrt the Big Meech/Larry Hoover refrain.

I don't actually like either the beat on the Rick Ross or Hard In Da Paint for that matter. I could quite happily go without ever hearing another massive bombastic orchestral-preset Lex Luger beat ever again, they just sound cheap to my ears.

if i had to defend my love of lady antebellum, i don't think i'd talk about its massive hook - i assume people can hear that. i think it depicts a situation that's both intimate and universal/relatable with real accuracy, though. basically it moves the hell out of me.

when it comes to considering why that song can be so emotionally resonant with one person and leave another completely cold, this post by tim f comes to mind - it was written comparing mariah carey and liz fraser, but it absolutely applies here too:

A lot of the argument for Fraser and against Carey seems ultimately to be rooted in a mistrust of emotional expressions that seem rooted in "universalist" mass culture. The attraction of Fraser is her idiosyncracy, her near-inimitability - this suggests a world of private, singular and perhaps inarticulable emotions. For some listeners I'm sure this would shore up their sense of individuality: "Fraser speaks to and for me because I am suspicious of "standard" emotional responses."

Whereas Carey, who is nearly as singular, nonetheless belongs to a more popular and populist tradition, and is imitated by young singers everywhere. To really like Carey I think you first have to be open (consciously or otherwise) to the possibility of sharing some emotional responses in common with "everybody else".

― Tim F, Tuesday, July 21, 2009 1:52 AM (1 year ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

omg sleeve+wife are stealthily my musical doppelganger

There's something so addictively compelling about "Need You Now", which transcends my usual genre-adversity, to the extent that the thrill almost feels transgressive.

I don't really think that "it's because you're suspicious of common everyday emotions" is even remotely a decent explanation for why someone might like one bit of mainstream pop and not another.

...but, trangression issues aside, the thrill of "Need You Now" comes from the sheer emotional heft of the song and the performance. Everything aligns. Like Lex, I find it incredibly moving.

I mean, Tim's very specific contrasting of Mariah with Liz Fraser doesn't actually map onto this discussion very well at all, because Liz Fraser has kind of a unique position in music and music fandom and Dorian isn't actually offering up anything as oppositional to Lady Antebellum at all.

I think the reason why people like neither Mariah Carey nor Lady Antebellum is because their music is the aural equivalent of an emetic. Puke puke puke puke puke.

That Lady Antebellum is pure late night cab ride music.

74. CRYSTAL CASTLES "Celestica" - Voted for this, I'm hardwired to love swoony electro goth with a pumping bassline.
70. THE FIVES ft. VANYA TAYLOR "It's What You Do (Hottest By Far)" - I know fuck all about uk funky, but it reminded me a bit of Kyla's Do You Mind? Love stuff like that, need to get me a mix. Nice synth thing where it takes those wonky steps down at the end of each line, I'm a sucker for that trick. Sweet vocals too.
69. YUNG HUMMA ft. FLYNT FLO$$Y "Lemme Smang It" - Gross.
61. GAMES "Strawberry Skies" - Voted for this, even though I cannot deny that it's essentially a chillwave version of Like To Get To Know You Well by Howard Jones.
58. GIL SCOTT-HERON "Me and the Devil" - Love the album, but didn't vote for this. I feel like this song is as much about the last minute as it is about the catchy shit that precedes it. Still not quite figured out what the hell it all means though.
54. DRAKE "Fireworks (Deadboy Slo Mo House Edit)" - This is great and I wish I'd heard it before. Sad and beautiful with an anxious banging heartbeat.
52. BEACH HOUSE "Zebra" - These guys stopped me from checking out Best Coast due to bandname confusion, so fuck 'em in the eye.
51. GAYNGS "The Gaudy Side of Town" - Originally thought this was some awfully sparse and tedious shit, but once I got properly tuned in, it turns out it's actually amazingly lush. Some boss playing too, though I do hate that porno sax.
42. HOT CHIP "One Life Stand" - Avoided this album cos the last one was mostly weak bollocks iirc, so I never really heard this. Did enjoy it, gotta say they're a solid (and sometimes even brilliant) singles band.
39. LIL B "The Age of Information" - Lol'ed at the portentous voice announcing 'Everything is now - on the internet!', but the rest of this was lovely.
38. KATY B "Katy on a Mission" - Why didn't I vote for this? Cos this is ace. Voted for 'Lights On' and 'Perfect Stranger' instead.
33. THESE NEW PURITANS "We Want War" - Voted for this. Will probably say more about TNP on the albums thread, but for a band that I had thought was probably just some indie nonsense, hearing this for the first time was a total revelation.
32. TENSNAKE "Coma Cat" - Voted for this, I actually dance around the kitchen to it with my kids. Fun times, but y'know sometimes it sounds so impossibly beautiful for such a simple song and it just totally stabs me in the heart.
21. JOANNA NEWSOM "Good Intentions Paving Company" - Listened to the first disc of this album a couple of times, don't remember this track particularly. Is it maybe that one long rambling one? BTW the road to hell is paved with copies of the second and third discs that no-one ever got around to listening to.

Stuff from my ballot that has shown up so far
beach house
joanna newsome
lcd
nicki minaj 'rr'
wiz khalifa

stuff i voted that I was confident would place but now that we're at the top 20 now realise won't
kingdom 'mind reader'
vampire weekend 'i think ur a contra'
sleigh bells 'tell 'em'
nicki minaj ' massive attack'
diddy-dirty money 'hate that i love you'
yelawolf 'pop tha trunk'

stuff i voted that I think will still show
arcade fire 'sprawl II'
girl unit 'wut'
kanye 'monster'

omg sleeve+wife are stealthily my musical doppelganger

think u mean dreifachgangers in this instance

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/5096/dreifachgangers.jpg

Think "Monster" is a given.

emi.ly you could not be more RONG if you tried

still have my fingers crossed that Undertow will show up :/

Is it maybe that one long rambling one?

Description of 90% of the songs on Have One On Me.

Not that that's a bad thing....