ILM's Top 77 ALBUMS of 2011

listening to fucked up now. i do like this. it's like if leatherface made american idiot.

― the 500 gats of bartholomew thuggins (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, January 31, 2012 9:33 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Lol. Did not know that there was a band named leatherface so thought this post was referring to leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I was v intrigued by the idea and after listening to some Fucked Up tracks was totally on board with this comparison!

I'm so terrified that my hard drive is gonna crash someday... xp

Hatchback was in my top ten as well. I thought the ILX massive would place it higher on this list tbh. Glad to see some people listening to it for the first time now, it's such a classic album.

can someone post a list of all the albums so far thx

― tebow gotti (k3vin k.), Tuesday, January 31, 2012 8:40 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

77. When Saints Go Machine — Konkylie (258 points, 10 votes, one first place vote)
76. Robag Wruhme — Thora Vukk (262 points, 8 votes)
75. Liturgy — Aesthethica (264 points, nine votes)
74. The Joy Formidable — The Big Roar (266 points, seven votes, one first place vote)
73. Jay-Z & Kanye West — Watch the Throne (266 points, 10 votes)
72. Barbara Panther — Barbara Panther (270 points, seven votes, two first place votes)
71. Toro y Moi - Underneath the Pine (271 points, nine votes)
(tie) 69. Wild Flag — Wild Flag (273 points, 10 votes)
(tie) 69. Low — C'Mon (273 points, 10 votes)
68. ILX Presents Lulu (276 points, 11 votes, one first place vote)
67. Veronica Falls - Veronica Falls (282 points, 11 votes)
66. Big K.R.I.T. - Return of 4Eva (288 points, 10 votes)
65. The Psychic Paramount - II (290 points, 9 votes)
64. Wolves in the Throne Room - Celestial Lineage (290 points, nine votes, one first place vote)
63. Austra - Feel it Break (290 points, ten votes, one first place vote)
62. Drake – Take Care (292 points, 8 votes, one first place vote)
61. Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes (294 points, 10 votes)
60. James Ferraro — Far Side Virtual (295 points, 11 votes)
59. Perfume — JPN (298 points, 10 votes, two first place votes)
58. Grouper — Alien Observer/Dream Loss (304 points, 11 votes, one first place vote)
57. The War on Drugs — Slave Ambient (322 points, nine votes, one first place vote)
56. Danny Brown — XXX (323 points, 11 votes, one first place vote)
55. Mastodon — The Hunter (328 points, 10 votes)
54. Kendrick Lamar — Section.80 (337 points, 10 votes, one first place vote)
53. Laura Marling — A Creature I Don’t Know (342 points, 11 votes, one first place vote)
52. The Mountain Goats — All Eternals Deck (342 points, 12 votes)
51. Demdike Stare — Tryptych (347 points, 16 votes, one first place vote)
50. Hatchback — Zeus and Apollo (350 points, nine votes, two first place votes)
49. Moon Duo — Mazes (350 points, 12 votes)
48. Tom Waits — Bad As Me (352 points, 14 votes)
47. Clams Casino — Instrumentals (354 points, 12 votes)
46. Azari & III — Azari & III (358 points, 12 votes)
45. The Weeknd — House of Balloons (360 points, 10 votes, two first place votes)
44. Fucked Up — David Comes To Life (360 points, 13 votes, one first place vote)
43. Real Estate — Days (361 points, 11 votes, two first place votes)
42. Radiohead — King of Limbs (362 points, 13 votes)
41. Andy Stott — Passed Me By/We Stay Together (363 points, 13 votes)

While I knew that some people here were into Hatchback, I don't have the impression that it broke out of the usual suspects for beach vibez or that it got much attention outside ILM. So I think #50 is a decent showing.

Yeah, maybe because of my own enthusiasm for it, having learned about the album through here, I was under the impression it was hueg here. You are right.

fwiw (SPOILERS) Zeus and Apollo is the highest-placing album that got 0 votes in Pazz and Jop, so it's definitely outperforming its broader reception on ILM.

A great list so far. Lots of things that I've either never heard of or haven't bothered to check out yet. I'm at a total loss as to what will and won't place now. Really hoping Jon Hopkins & King Creosote get some love from ILM.

^^ I threw it quite some love DL, got to learn and love it through you!!

voted for:

62. Drake – Take Care (292 points, 8 votes, one first place vote)
54. Kendrick Lamar — Section.80 (337 points, 10 votes, one first place vote)
53. Laura Marling — A Creature I Don’t Know (342 points, 11 votes, one first place vote)

kendrick was my #1 actually. it's not a perfect album: it's way too long and the production is mostly tame but rapping-wise i think kendrick is really creative and wanted to give him a boost in this poll. i think ppl like danny brown for the same reasons but he hasn't really clicked with me yet.

drake's persona is mostly annoying but i listened to 'take care' loads. if the ppl voting for youtube cover versions of his songs on the tracks poll can't even admit they like the production then idk..liking music must be exhausting for you.

was a really weak year for rap albums in general.

Voted for:

59. Perfume — JPN (298 points, 10 votes, two first place votes)
51. Demdike Stare — Tryptych (347 points, 16 votes, one first place vote)
47. Clams Casino — Instrumentals (354 points, 12 votes)

Perfume was in my top 10 and I'm delighted it placed...Demdike Stare and Clams Casino are two of the three or so albums on my ballot that I'm not absolutely sold on, but I did listen to and enjoy them all through the year and I think they're solid releases.

I voted for these:

1st place: 77. When Saints Go Machine — Konkylie (258 points, 10 votes, one first place vote)
12th place: 48. Tom Waits — Bad As Me (352 points, 14 votes)
24th place: 44. Fucked Up — David Comes To Life (360 points, 13 votes, one first place vote)

WSGM are a weird band - really imagerous stuff that makes me want to write stuff like "cyborg monks singing twilight industrial ballads" or something. I like how the first half is exceedingly mellow and that no drums really kick in until halfway through the second song. It gives later tracks like Kelly and Terminal One a lot more impact. Think checking this band out song by song dilutes them a little bit and they end up sounding like another Knife-like act. I've said it a lot of times - it's worth listening to as a piece.

Tom Waits album is pretty good, or at leas it has its moments. There's very little character acting here - it's almost like the album he'd have made if he'd never gone down the Swordfishtrombones route. Fans of Alice, Bastards, the Black Rider won't really enjoy this, but of Waits' "ragged-rocker" era, this is his most fun.

Fucked Up - I know very little about this band outside of this release. I'll maybe have to go back to it as so far it's given me the gift of Queen Of Hearts, which was a top three track for me, but outside of that I've only scraped its surface.

77. When Saints Go Machine — Konkylie (258 points, 10 votes, one first place vote)
72. Barbara Panther — Barbara Panther (270 points, seven votes, two first place votes)
67. Veronica Falls - Veronica Falls (282 points, 11 votes)
61. Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes (294 points, 10 votes)
49. Moon Duo — Mazes (350 points, 12 votes)

Three of these five (WSGM, Lykke Li and Barbara Panther) were in my own best-of list that I made in December, so I'm pleased to see them make the top 77 here. In fact, I'm already happy to have five things I voted for appear here out of the 37 that have placed so far.

I've only voted for Psychic Paramount, but I was looking through my ballot and I expect seven more albums to place

I wasn't sure about this poll initially but there is a cornucopia here to check out: thanks ILM!

Still on zero here. Fairly certain that 4 will make it and 20 won't. Only one I'm not sure of is Martyn. Not someone that follows the bobbins threads, so have no idea if people were into that or not.

let's argue about true metal vocals again until the countdown starts up.

I voted for the Martyn album but I'm not sure I can see it placing.

shitehawks

I voted for Martyn somewhere around no.20 maybe

didn't notice it getting much traction round these parts but if anyone was talking about Hatchback I missed that too so it might just be me

I voted for:

Toro y Moi
Real Estate
Radiohead

I had assumed that Real Estate were landfill indie (and some may certainly argue that they are), but my brother (who doesn't normally go in for landfill-type stuff) tipped me off to them, and I was pleasantly surprised. I feel like they hit some of the same wistful/autumnal tones as the Sea and Cake (I hear this most in the guitar part in "It's Real") and even Dungen.

Grouper, Demdike, Andy Stott
hoping some of the more upbeat music I liked makes it

I'd like to hear or make a mix full of Andy Stott/Demdike type music - I guess Two Lone Swordsmen went some way in being the progenitors of this kind of murky haunted dub-tech with tracks like "Sticky", and it's a sound I've always enjoyed in certain circumstances.

I am now listening to the John Talabot album in an effort to better keep up with dance stuff in 2012.

I much preferred "Lamento" off of that EP he did with Glasser than the original. Also, just quickly - is the Invisible Conga track supposed to sound like it's been slowed down to 90BPM?

I loved Moon Duo!!

i discovered Hatchback from max's gawker end-of-year recap post! would have def been on my ballot if i'd heard it earlier

76. Robag Wruhme — Thora Vukk (262 points, 8 votes)
- what are the kids shouting on this? great record, very personal sound and mood, not fashionable. dude has got serious skills like luomo or isolee.

69. Low — C'Mon (273 points, 10 votes)
- played the shit out of this over xmas, will def bring it out next christmas too.

41. Andy Stott — Passed Me By/We Stay Together (363 points, 13 votes)
- love andy :D so glad to see him making lists like this

"Fallout" off of the Moon Duo album was a regular jam throughout 2011 for me. The riff is almost exactly the same as this little bridge in Paul McCartney's "Admiral Halsey / Uncle Albert" - don't know why I make the connection.

The only two Low songs I've ever really loved are Lazerbeam and Just Like Christmas. I can't really bear the guy's voice for some reason, but I really like the girl's.

There's not much to say about the Hatchback record (or the Martyn record for that matter), they're just really good.

I didn't like the Low album much. Mind you I've only listened once, but that was with my wife who is a big Low fan and she didn't like it either.

I mean it's not bad, it's just a bit mediocre.

I preferred Wooden Shjips to Moon Duo in '11. Loved Escape, though...

i wouldn't say mediocre, the songs are very, um, simple? it's not a problem for me cuz i'm so into the way the record sounds and its mood and something super simple with a cool vibe and great sound seemed to be exactly what i was after.

Hatchback's record is just beautiful, "Orinoco Waltz" in particular--it sounds amazing on my turntable.

I do like the Andy Stott records, but I fin dit interesting that he's made an entire career arc out of basically reworking this track:

http://youtu.be/5XdnmWb8IGU

the real estate album, along with girls, is my favourite indie rock album of the year and some of my favourite indie rock in years. i really like how both are so clean, straightforward, have wonderful lead guitar parts and perfect production. i appreciate that the vocals aren't erratic or spazzy and that while it's not without depth it feels more like its higher purpose is pleasure in pure sound

xp
felt like a few things I was into last year were pretty Aphex-y. BNJMN was more SAWI than II, but I liked that too

I agree with you, Rob! BMJMN had strong, strong "classic IDM" vibes. Parts of the Kuedo record (which I love) remind me of old-school Autechre. I've been digging on a lot of Kassem Mosse's stuff, too. That classic IDM thing is in the air a little bit... Although I like the way the current crop of people taking from that sound seem to be skimming off the best parts and leaving some of the more irritating parts behind.

jesus clarke you could have done a lot better than that. C-

nobody nominated the perc record? a travesty!

alright guys

is lex around?

http://i.imgur.com/hKe4w.jpg

40. Dawn Richard — The Prelude to a Tell Tale Heart (372 points, 11 votes)

P4K: DNP
P&J: 902

If you post it, he will come.

I dunno, that Aphex track just sounds SO similar to some of the tracks on the two Stott EPs. It was an immediate "WHOA, where have I heard this kind of grinding, grit-in-the-rotors lurch of a beat before?" when I got them. I'm sure there are tons of tracks that someone a lot more steeped in the scene could point out as more obvious predecessors, but the similarities are pretty undeniable to me...

anything like http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/13/LRRaven.jpg/220px-LRRaven.jpg?

I agree with you, Rob! BMJMN had strong, strong "classic IDM" vibes. Parts of the Kuedo record (which I love) remind me of old-school Autechre. I've been digging on a lot of Kassem Mosse's stuff, too. That classic IDM thing is in the air a little bit... Although I like the way the current crop of people taking from that sound seem to be skimming off the best parts and leaving some of the more irritating parts behind.

― Clarke B., Wednesday, 1 February 2012 17:22 (15 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

^^^ This, although I must say I've heard some cruddy stuff too. Hi Samiyam and Patten.

dawn :D