ILM's Top 77 Albums of 2012

recap...

77. ANIMAL COLLECTIVE Centipede Hz (204 Points, 8 Votes, 1 First Place Vote)
76. JEREMIH Late Nights With Jeremih (206 Points, 10 Votes)
75. BIGBANG Alive EP (210 Points, 6 Votes, 1 First Place Vote)
74. DAPHNI Jiaolong (213 Points, 9 Votes)
73. TWIN SHADOW Confess (214 Points, 8 Votes)
72. VATICAN SHADOW Ghosts of Chechnya (216 Points, 7 Votes)
71. NITE JEWEL One Second of Love (216 Points, 8 Votes)
70. LONE Galaxy Garden (216 Points, 9 Votes)
69. NINA KRAVIZ Nina Kraviz (218 Points, 7 Votes, 1 First Place Vote)
68. METZ Metz (219 Points, 10 Votes)
67. GUNPLAY Bogota Rich: The Prequel (220 Points, 9 Votes)
66. KATY B Danger EP (223 Points, 8 Votes)
65. LOWER DENS Nootropics (227 Points, 7 Votes)
64. ACTION BRONSON & PARTY SUPPLIES Blue Chips (230 Points, 7 Votes)
63. CHRISTIAN MISTRESS Possession (232 Points, 8 Votes)
62. GRIZZLY BEAR Shields (233 Points, 8 Votes)
61. LAUREL HALO Quarantine (246 Points, 8 Votes)

60. DIRTY PROJECTORS Swing Lo Magellan (254 Points, 8 Votes)
59. SHACKLETON Music for the Quiet Hour/The Drawbar Organ EPs (258 Points, 7 Votes, 3 First Place Votes)
58. CHIEF KEEF Finally Rich (262 Points, 10 Votes)
57. SILENT SERVANT Negative Fascination (277 Points, 11 Votes)
56. RICARDO VILLALOBOS Dependent and Happy (278 Points, 8 Votes)
55. ORBITAL Wonky (278 Points, 11 Votes)
54. COOLY G Playin' Me (282 Points, 11 Votes)
53. JAPANDROIDS Celebration Rock (290 Points, 11 Votes)
52. CONVERGE All We Love We Leave Behind (296 Points, 10 Votes, 1 First Place Vote)
51. SUN ARAW & M. GEDDES GENGRAS MEET THE CONGOS Icon Give Thank (298 Points, 12 Votes)
50. NIKI & THE DOVE Instinct (306 Points, 9 Votes, 2 First Place Votes)
49. DEATH GRIPS The Money Store (307 Points, 12 Votes)
48. CLOUD NOTHINGS Attack on Memory (314 Points, 13 Votes)
47. FRANKIE ROSE Interstellar (316 Points, 12 Votes)
46. PURITY RING Shrines (320 Points, 11 Votes, 2 First Place Votes)
45. BAT FOR LASHES The Haunted Man (329 Points, 13 Votes)
44. BEAK> ">>" (332 Points, 13 Votes, 1 First Place Vote)
43. ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI Mature Themes (334 Points, 12 Votes)
42. KILLER MIKE R.A.P. Music (345 Points, 14 Votes)
41. THE XX Coexist (352 Points, 14 Votes)

resumes in the morning...

xp At least we won't confuse her with ILM's favorite Frances Bean Cobain lookalike.

lol

I shoulda voted in this just to vote for E-40, who never shows up on these things :(

five things i voted for turned up on this stretch, but i think it'll be slim pickings for me for the rest of the rundown

favourite thing i hadn't heard before was the converge record, amazing they're sounding quite so inspired at this point in their career. think i need to give the frankie rose one a go as well

Bisch Bosch is so gonna win this isn't it? Awes <3

ha ha no

chris bosh has as much chance of winning this as bisch bosch

Also he's a better singer lol jk

Two more of my votes today, Killer Mike and Chief Keef, both fairly low on my ballot.

I had the same experience with Killer Mike that a lot of people did, where it was initially impressive and then wore thin, but then I listened again more recently and it was awesome again, so maybe it just needs to be heard only occasionally.

It strikes me as weird that Matt DC and Lex are looking to Chief Keef for club tracks, I've never really thought of that as what he does, although you could play a lot of his tracks in a club. I put it at the end of my ballot but it turns out there's only a few tracks on there I really ever want to play.

The Cooly G album is decent background music, but I was kind of disappointing that there's nothing as engrossing as "Love Dub" or as banging as "Weekend Fly". It just barely missed my ballot.

unlistenable?! damn, harsh... i can see the vocals being sort of off-putting, maybe? but i kinda doubt that's what you're talking about, b/c they're really not too bad. its just a totally charming album of warm, spacey funk, how can you hate this?: http://youtu.be/Jdb6SnSBOPk

― karl...arlk...rlka...lkar..., Tuesday, January 29, 2013 4:29 PM (37 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ha yeah that was def ott, but the few times i tried to get through it i ended up skipping each track after 30 seconds

still don't really get why this album places this high, and there has been like zero appreciation for Zaki Ibrahim's album. Probably a spurious comparison, of course. Let's see, they are both black women who made albums at least partly drawing on a variety of dance music rhythms and using some electronic sounds and stuff. Okay, fine, but I still think Zaki Ibrahim has been weirdly neglected, and if her album is flawed it's no more flawed than the Cooly G album.

― _Rudipherous_, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 5:00 PM (5 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I'd compare Zaki Ibrahim to Dawn Richard before I'd compare her to Cooly G.

I think of Cooly G as an electronic producer who uses her voice as an instrument, rather than a songwriter per se.

Zaki may have vaguely comparable rhythmic ideas ("Something In The Water" remains a better dubstep-R&B fusion than basically anyone else has done, I think) but she's really an R&B singer and songwriter first and foremost who just happens to be tracking a variety of production trends. She certainly shares some of Dawn's eighties art-pop vibe, though I'd say her vision is neither as flagrant nor as singular.

I put Zaki a bit further down my list than I perhaps wanted to or should have done, mainly because I didn't get around to listening to it again at the end of the year in order properly to pit it against everything else I'd heard subsequently. Definitely worth hearing IMO. Lex, check "Heartbeat" or "Something In The Water" or "Draw The Line" or "The Brave Ones".

The Cooly G album is decent background music, but I was kind of disappointing that there's nothing as engrossing as "Love Dub" or as banging as "Weekend Fly". It just barely missed my ballot.

― Differ of Narcissus (The Reverend), Tuesday, 29 January 2013 10:10 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

The title track and "It's Serious" strike me as being easily as banging as "Weekend Fly".

A few more thoughts:

Frankie Rose - Love this album, have loved it all year, I'm glad it is catching on with more folks, looking forward to hearing what she does next.

Purity Ring - Came kind of late to this one, but I'm really enjoying it, was a late addition to my ballot. They'd be a bit better if they explored other synth patches though. Are people really comparing them to Dirty Projectors or did I misread that? I don't get the connection there.

Bat For Lashes - I think I like this, but haven't given it enough listens to really say. She has a nice voice.

Ariel Pink - I really like this one, but understand why many people are turned off, he's kind of aggressively bad, and yes, the Zappa comparison makes sense. I'm a big Zappa stan so... And Shnitzle Boogie is pretty sweet!

The XX - I really wanted to like this, but it is just too dull for me. Wish they did more tunes like "Islands"

Also, I'm with Ciderpress in hoping that Rush shows up. They were my #2, so that should give them at least a little points boost.

xps

Yes, the vocals are more central in Zaki, absolutely. It wasn't a good comparison, except that, very subjectively, in terms of albums I've cared about this year, it was closer than anything else. They do also both work with what to met are newer dance forms, but I can see your point about them coming from different directions (producer vs. singer just adapting certain dance music trends). I kind of like what I've heard of Dawn Richard since checking it as a result of the poll, but I'm not smitten.

I listened to "Go Widdit" by Zaki and I feel like I've heard this in remixed form?

Haha "Go Widdit" pretty much immediately sounds like a song you must have heard before, that may just be it.

"Heart Beat" has a massive Nick Holder house mix but I'm not aware of any other remixes of tunes from this album.

People drawing up projected top ten lists for this poll need to remember FIONA APPLE

So far I think Ariel Pink is the only thing I've voted for that's shown up - can't remember whether or not I voted for the Money Store.

Yay, when Vatican Shadow was in the first batch I thought Silent Servant might not have placed, but it did, and it is awesome. (Confession: I didn't vote because I was so obsessed with Silent Servant at voting time that I couldn't think of anything else to vote for)

i heard of the cover of 'baby' and liked it, then i heard the original and no longer had much use for the cover. also, the rest of the donnie and joe emerson album is fantastic, unlike the ariel pink.

― karl...arlk...rlka...lkar..., Tuesday, January 29, 2013 3:38 PM (26 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

disagree with this entirely haha. imo the cover destroys the original, and everything else on dreamin wild was almost unlistenable.

― flopson, Tuesday, January 29, 2013 4:07 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i will diplomatically half-agree with both of you. the original is definitely the better, but the rest of the album is indeed terrible

the original is used to great effect in the opening minutes of "the comedy" starring tim heidecker

I thought the Emerson Bros album was all-round great. Didn't hate the Ariel Pink album but I still feel I've never really "gotten" him. Zappa comparisons do feel otm.

I like the Emerson Bros record too. I loved this video of the brothers talking about how insanely supportive their father was: http://vimeo.com/39424998

would prob have been in my top 3 if we did re-issues

My two favorite discoveries today are the Cooly G (that name totally threw me off) album and that Emerson Bros album.

cover looks GREAT in full-color too btw ;-)

http://i.imgur.com/epWIs61.jpg

disappointed to see they're not called ralph and waldo tbh

i admit that when i listen to the rest of the album past "baby", my thoughts often drift to rep. jo ann emerson, (R-MO), and that puts me in a bad mood

Emersons really are great.

Just got back in to check over the last ten - only one more of mine placing, which was the Beak>> of course.

I didn't vote for The Money Store but my god are the highs high. Hacker was my #2 track and I'd like to reiterate how astounded I am that it only got one other vote

Plenty to discover here, perhaps. Hoping the possibly-intriguing stuff doesn't turn out all too minimal-techno for my tastes, not that I haven't strayed that way before...

Working through these after coming back from concert:

re: Frankie Rose, its like the best Joy Division knock off I've heard in an age. Look at that art work sheesh!

Voted for:

I voted for the Villalobos album but I can't listen to the whole thing in one go. I think I like "I'm Counting", "Das Leben Ist So Anders Ohne Dich" and "Kehaus" the most. I think it's a return to form. Glad that he is still out there doing his weird thing. There's really no one like him. Comparison to Autechre is apt in terms of the strangely balanced sound. It's so low frequency heavy. And the way it's (not) reverberated - it feels very close to you. Dense but clear. Great rhythms as well.

"Negative Fascination" made it purely on the strength of the immense "Strange Attractor". Both that track and Andy Stott use female vocals when techno has long stayed away from any use of the human voice at all. The last track on this is really good as well. An RRose album would be really welcome.

The Daphni album - I don't know if it works as an album. But when the EP's it draws on came out I really dug them. What's with him and Four Tet? One guy makes a re-edit, the other makes a re-edit. One releases an album composed of EP's released previously, so does the other. Always remixing each other.

Didn't vote for:

Ariel Pink. I didn't vote for "Mature Themes" but after this thread I went back and realised how many great songs are on it. I just couldn't listen to it all the way through in the same way I could "Before Today".

Niki & The Dove - enjoyed "Drummer" very much but couldn't get into the rest.

Great discoveries:

Metz

Vatican Shadow - I've stayed away from him just because I distrust acts that put out an album every couple months

Lone - never got around to listening even though I love the idea of it. Perfect that it came out on R&S. Could have come out there 20 years ago. So much better than the Zomby album - way more going on.

i was going back to the frankie rose album tonite; if i had relistened to that sooner it might've made my ballot

I'm going to give "Icon Give Thank" another try. It's probably not meant to yield immediately. On my one and only listen it sounded like a complete mess. Agreed with posters above in that the music doesn't work with the vocals at all.

i placed three in the first 17 and six in the next 20 for nine out of 25 (so far). doing much better than i thought i would.

are there any other releases in the FRKWYS series that are eligible/stand a chance at placing?

i dont think they released anything under the FRKWYS name this year

i figure the blondes record has a chance of placing tho

Will be very surprised if Blondes doesn't make it.

really? i wouldnt be - like all the sweet stuff on L.I.E.S. wasnt even nominated iirc, that tennis 12", if the ital record was going to show up i figure it wouldve by now, right? idk i was p disappointed with the tracks list, or not even really disappointed so much as just perplexed cuz i liked a bunch of things, but it felt p hostile to the type of dance music im associating w/blondes

IDK, the Blondes stuff seems to have an existence for people closer to John Talabot than 100% Silk stuff, which seems to have a p.big following here.

Like, I could see the Blondes LP appealing to people who'd vote for the new Orbital/Underworld/etc, deep headphones albumdance or w/e.

Even w/more uh Altered Zones-y oriented friends, I think the Legowelt was the only L.I.E.S. stuff I heard played out.

was the ital record even nominated? i remember being surprised at not seeing it towards the end of nominations

Blondes felt like it had much more crossover with general bobbins listeners than any of that other stuff though, which also makes sense based on what it actually sounds like. Like, I would class Blondes with Talabot before I would with Ital.

multiple xposts!

no, i looked for it when i was making my ballot. neither was the fort romeau or any of the rush hour recordings stuff or anything on L.I.E.S.? i think anyway, i could v well have missed some stuff

also i heard the bookworms 'african rhythms' played out two different nights in paris and was certain it was going to be a big thing - never heard it played again :/

the fort romeau album was nominated, i voted for it. also voted for a delroy edwards track on L.I.E.S.

Icon Give Thank was FRKWYS 09 iirc. Blondes will make it I reckon but Julia Holter is a dead cert as far as other RVNG stuff goes.

Def. think coalitions are the key to success, whether in tracks or albums polls.

A lot of that stuff even if mindblowing can only really possibly attract votes from a remnant of a remnant of the voting pool

love Samma off the ricardo LP but havent actually got round to hearing any of the LP yet, thats just from hearing it played out

only actually heard one full album from 2012 (STL - Secret Weapons)

blondes will 100% place, i got really into it as a sort of isolated dance album not connected to any particular scene (not into 100% silk, very into talabot but wouldn't really associate blondes with him, sonically at least)

only one of my votes has come up so far :///// though i assume 13 are yet to come

sad for the ones i thought had a slight hope but prob don't any more: voices from the lake, carly rae jepsen, mirel wagner, the cataracs, royal-t

even sadder for the ones that never had a hope because people suck: shanell, jojo, khia