ILM's Top 77 Albums of 2012

"no death" is so good that if i'd known people were voting for the track instead of the album, i'd have done the same tactically

i kinda like not really knowing what i voted for, i have no idea of whats going to place and no real stake in anything in particular showing up

i mean itd be cool if the motion sickness of time travel record placed, feel like that was b cool record that deserved a decent audience

i was totally deluded by that dance eoy thread into thinking a bunch of that stuff had a shot on the real thing, not enough consensus i guess

i dont know how many of those people voted in the eoy poll tho but it certainly made me unrealistic about what dance music 'most' of ilx liked last year

how is the carly album compared to single?

― coal, Wednesday, 30 January 2013 7:20 AM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yeah I echo Lex on this. Esp. check "Tiny Little Bows", "This Kiss", "Curiosity", "Hurt So Good", "Tonight I'm Getting Over You".

wasnt really into the dance eoy:/

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

It was Lex who made the club track point. I'm not looking to Keef for anything really. As I said on the tracks thread I've happily come to terms with the fact that this type of rap production just isn't for me unless there's a really compelling MC over the top like Meek. But that lack of bounce or rhythmic interest in the beats (outside hi-hat patterns) is one reason why I find that style boring.

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

Will be pretty shocked if voices from the lake doesn't place.

Gave Frankie Rose another go but didn't really like it that much at all. A couple of the more forceful numbers are okay albeit a bit forgettable, and I do have a soft spot for that Gnomey song too, but some of the rest of it is a bit too much like some sort of nothingy Shop Assistants-scented bubblebath.

The list so far has mostly been niche/lesser known records with a passionate following and slightly disappointing records from established acts, so I wouldn't rule anyone out at this stage.

The Villalobos placing where it did with three(!) first place votes leaves me s bit despondent for the chances of other records with minor cults. Just hoping the Cataracs manage to sneak in, hasn't been a lot of pop so far.

xpost True, it feels like this list is only just warming up. Great news since all year I was walking around thinking "this has been a pretty lackadaisical year compared to 2011", but now I'm wondering how all these fantastic albums are going to fit into the next run.

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

when something's described as an "anthem", which "i don't like" was, i think of it as a song whose natural habitat is a social one, which for hip-hop and dance = the club. maybe not sole habitat, but my most beloved hip-hop bangers are all fundamentally songs you can dance to whether that's "what you know" or "hard in da paint". the trouble with keef is that for the most part i don't get anything from him that i don't get from meek mill (except keef is nowhere near as compelling a vocal presence) or waka (except keef leeches all the energy from that style).

Just hoping the Cataracs manage to sneak in, hasn't been a lot of pop so far.

agh just remembered i forgot to vote for dev!!!! i meant to rejig my ballot after deciding she counted as 2012 after all ;_; can we launch a campaign to make sure she is the only dev in music in 2013? #fuckdevhynes

anyway the cataracs only had the tiniest chance of sneaking in anyway, pretty sure that thread only consisted of rtc and i going nuts and the rest of ilm remaining unmoved. which puts their chances on a par with shanell. y'all suck :(

is there such a thing as an ambient "anthem"? Maybe 'Rhubarb' by Aphex...

'Another Green World' by Eno?

Not sure you're going to see any of the footwork albums you've been boosting dog latin. Would have thrown Traxman a few points if I'd have heard it sooner.

I wasn't too mad on the Traxman one compared to Rashad/Young Smoke. If any of these place it'll be Rashad even though Young Smoke is the most accessible Chi footwork release I've come across. But you're right, I don't think they will place :-(

See I voted Spinn over Rashad and couldn't really get into the Young Smoke. Liked the pretty ambient parts of the Traxman stuff, it's not like I would be dancing to it anyway.

is there such a thing as an ambient "anthem"?

first thing to spring to mind was 'roygbiv'

also think it's significant that keef's biggest boosters on ilm lived in chicago last year - i can imagine that the closer you are to it the more important it seems. a lot of the album actually reminded me of grime, stylistically, but even though grime was incredible to me i wouldn't have expected non-londoners (certainly not non-britishers) to get it.

I really need to give the Spinn EP a proper listen. On first investigation it sounded kind of back-to-basics compared to the other big footwork releases of the year, but I've recently read reviews saying the opposite.

I think it is more back-to-basics cos it's a compilation of old stuff iirc rather than a new album (similar case with the Rashad too?). Missed out on it the first time round though, so it still sounds pretty new and exciting to me.

is there such a thing as an ambient "anthem"? Maybe 'Rhubarb' by Aphex...

Little Fluffy Clouds?

With the Metal poll #1 having already placed (Converge) I've given up on Neurosis, Nachtmystium,Alcest, Om, Saint Vitus placing however I think the controversial #3 Swans will place and the even more controversial #16 Goat might place.

for those who didn't read that poll here is the top 20
1 Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind - 364 points, 17 votes, 6 first place votes
2 Neurosis - Honor Found In Decay - 358 points, 19 votes, 4 first place votes
3 SWANS - The Seer - 344 points, 16 votes, 7 first place votes
4 Nachtmystium - Silencing Machine - 235 points, 18 votes
5 Dawnbringer - Into The Lair Of The Sun God - 223 points, 15 votes, 1 first place vote
6 Old Man Gloom - No - 214 points, 14 votes, 1 first place vote
7 Krallice - Years Past Matter - 213 points, 16 votes, 1 first place vote
8 Christian Mistress - Possession - 195 points, 17 votes, 2 first place votes
9 Aluk Todolo - Occult Rock - 195 points, 16 votes, 1 first place vote
10 Agalloch - Faustian Echoes EP - 194 points, 14 votes
11 Pallbearer-Sorrow and Extinction - 183 points, 15 votes, 1 first place vote
12 OM - Advaitic Songs - 181 points, 13 votes, 1 first place vote
13 Dordeduh - Dar de duh - 178 points, 11 votes, 1 first place vote
14 Saint Vitus - LILLIE: F-65 - 170 points, 14 votes, 1 first place vote
15 Alcest - Les Voyages De L'Âme - 164 points, 13 votes
16 Goat - World Music - 163 points, 10 votes, 1 first place vote
17 Baroness - Yellow & Green - 162 points, 12 votes, 1 first place vote
18 Les Discrets - Ariettes oubliées... - 162 points, 11 votes, 2 first place votes
19 High On Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis - 156 points, 14 votes
20 Jess and the Ancient Ones - Jess and the Ancient Ones - 154 points, 11 votes, 1 first place vote

That Baroness record might well pop up as well although I think you guys would probably have a bigger chance of getting metal records in this if you didn't siphon it off into a separate poll every year. Or it might get overlooked altogether.

i think Baroness have had their day in the sun as far as ILM polls are concerned, but maybe

Whiney is a huge fan of that album and he got a lot of ilxors to check it out. I think it could place. Half of the album really is brilliant.

Alcest made previous polls I think.

Hey, I voted for four of the records on that top 20. Probably the four least tr00 metal, but still... Good list.

If I could pick a few of that top 20 to place I'd choose
Converge
Neurosis
Aluk Todolo (krautrock inspired metal)
Jess And The Ancient Ones (If you dug Christian Mistress i recommend this album as its even better imo)

Aluk Todolo is so awesome. Track VI from that is close to being the best thing i've heard all year.

as much as i love Neurosis, i couldn't quite bring myself to love the new one. i haven't given up on it just yet though.

The best tracks on the Blondes album were the remixes which put me off voting for it.

I'd say the metal poll can only help in terms of giving exposure. To get into the top 77 an album needs around 8 votes. The number of votes for an album is something like the intersection of (a) the people who have heard the album (b) the people who would like the album if they heard it (c) the people who vote. With anything other than the most well-known albums, (a) plays a really big role - see all the people going "I've never heard this before but it's really great", even for albums that made it.

right, I'm hungry for some countdowns...

I agree. One of the only reasons I vote in this poll at all is because I feel like I have no crew, no bobbins or goons, I'm not a metalhead or a poptimist, but I like what I like! So I voted for what I like. And apparently what I like does not appear to be what other people like. I'm ok with that, but I thought my #1 had a chance because (1) it was my #1, (2) it was on the WIRE list, (3) NickB assured me so (4) people seemed to really like it on ilx, if maybe a disparate group of people.

Anyway, I agree that the little polls help increase exposure. Aluk Todolo, Pinkish Black, Menace Ruine, all great metally albums I liked this year. Goat too but that is not metal.

Dawnbringer is ok but the power ballad is not my bag.

(5) it is awesome

well obviously

what are you talking about herE?

also think it's significant that keef's biggest boosters on ilm lived in chicago last year - i can imagine that the closer you are to it the more important it seems.

Actually got into a heated argument about Chief Keef with my 21-year-old cousin on Christmas.

xp Josephine Foster (also my #1)

LL you should join us on rolling rock/indie/alt/experimental/pop-but-weird stuff 2013 - nobody's really sure what the thread is about but its dreams of inclusivity have not yet been crushed.

Is 'Blood Rushing' the record you're talking about LL? I have been listening to it since I caught up with this thread this morning. It has managed to put me in much better humour than I was in when I finished work today. I don't usually listen to music this delicate, for want of a better word, but perhaps I should.

xp - I agree with that too -- Keef was big news here. (Did not vote for, but I enjoyed Don't Like when it came on the radio)

YES J Foster album is BLOOD RUSHING. That is what I was talking about. It's on spotify if you're inclined. I guess now that I think about it I tend to post enthusiasm to artist threads rather than rolling threads -- that and I pretty much like anything on Soundway and they have been stepping it up in the new music dept recently. Poor JFo has to share a thread with J Newsom! Unjust.

xposts i feel the same way you do LL

The JoFo (lol) album is not all as delicate as the first song -- there's a lot of variety. I recommend Geyser for a thorough shakedown, Panorama Wide for Morricone-esque Western noodliness. I don't think of her as delicate at all though! Well, sometimes, but she's pretty fierce imo.

i somehow deluded myself into thinking richard skelton would place

Rolling vs artist threads goes back to my point about people needing to have heard an album to vote for it - how many people read the JoFo thread?

xp - I knew you were going to pick up on that "delicate" comment!

I love josephine foster but I think i forgot to vote for it (didnt take note of my ballot)

Richard Skelton was on my to-check-out list but it's not on Spotify and I guess I'm lazy :(

man I am sad I didn't hear about this Cooly G album earlier

i've been meaning to check out josephine foster for a while and i think i shall, now

seandalai could you email me my ballot please?