ILM's Top 77 ALBUMS of 2011

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

A lot of Prince in Dawn Richard's full album download.

(I was on the verge of posting Save us J0rdan S!)

Here's the ones that are on my overall list (three have made my ballot so far)

77 Liturgy - 285
71 Toro Y Moi - 318
69 Wilf Flag - 94
69 Low - 264
65 Psychic Paramount - 145
64 WITTR - 284
63 Austra - 97
62 Drake - 486
61 Lykke Li - 166
60 Ferraro - 91
58 Grouper - 143
57 War On Drugs - 168
56 Danny Brown - 495
55 Mastodon - 9
53 Marling - 81
51 Demdike Stare - 384
50 Hatchback - 349
49 Moon Duo - 53
48 Waits - 10
45 Weeknd - 69
44 Fucked Up - 45
43 Real Estate - 154
42 Radiohead - 18
41 Stott - 268

Another one to check out. The sleeve gives me no idea what the contents are like.

dawn richard!!!!! one of my higher votes. this is the free mixtape r&b that everyone should've been listening to in 2011 instead of the weeknd. proves diddy's assertion that dawn and kalenna were just as important to the dirty money project as he was, and just as talented in their own right.

highlights -

superman - opening banger, I'M ON MY SUPERMAN SHIT / WHIPPIN UP TOWN, BLOWIN UP SHIT - i play this as a pre-going out song all the time
vibrate - so voluptuous and generous, beats like luxury cushions, this is prob the album's most prince/terius-like moment
bulletproof - betas grinding like tectonic plates - if she opened the mixtape by saying she was a superman, she closes it by wearing her emotions like armour

yeah "vibrate" is crazy good

"runway" is also dope

http://i.imgur.com/IVm4W.jpg

39. Girls — Father, Son, Holy Ghost (374 points, 11 votes)

P4K: 5
P&J: 25

Spotify

listened to "bulletproof" so much last year

"runway" is also dope

THAT'S MY HAIR NO HORSES UP THERE

<3 <3

Girls are the band that got in last years poll and everyone was outraged , right?

loved that Girls record. My #5. 'Vomit' is great. Liked their first record a little but this is a big improvement imo

girls record is fantastic, was my #5 i think

i barely listened to it at all until the past month or 2 when it hit me pretty big

I think people went nuts over a Girls track showing up in the tracks poll rather than the album poll. Also, I still think this band is completely boring.

there are some really great tracks on that Girls album, as well as some cringeworthy moments. Their little Black Sabbath homage was embarrassing live.

I think their name is so lame that I haven't been able to bring myself to listen to them.

i just really like the sound, it's like something straight out of 1977

i would say 1986 judging by these 2 tracks ive heard on spotify just now

Seems like this Girls record got a fraction of the hype of the first one, and yet it did nearly as well on EOY polls.

some of the personality that came through on their last record seemed leeched out on this one to me

and i dont get why people would love it so, yet i dont get why people would hate so much either. Its inoffensive and polite. If theres a new Friends this decade i could imagine them doing the theme song.