ILM's Top 77 Albums of 2012

lex otm, I don't think she really cares about "pop," she just wanted to make some music to express herself & pop is what she's grown up hearing & this is the result. I assumed she produced it herself, but I guess the "beats" could have been made by a friend or something?

many xposts

lol I only heard the track emil.y talked about.

But from a quick scan - horrible or unfortunate family story background, tech used by someone you wouldn't expect to and mixed reaction from listeners.

Obv plenty of differences too. xp to Tom D.

a portrait of a fairly traumatic life: teenage pregnancy (and consequent body horror/post-natal depression), domestic abuse, the death of the baby's father...

... stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Scott Walker

the more reflective (and genuinely quite gorgeous) songs on the album - "with out this ring", "searching for closure" - are key as well, though they're not on youtube

^^^^ absolutely

the refrain "you're in my heart/my mind/my thoughts/my prayers" floats through my mind a lot

the refrain "you're in my heart/my mind/my thoughts/my prayers" floats through my mind a lot

"i'm holding back my tears my tongue this kills me" in that robotic autotune chirrup as though she's literally shutting herself down

the ineptitude of the album is almost like a trojan horse - once you find yourself returning to it in gawping fascination (reality tv principle #1!) you end up realising how accurate and effective it is as a portrait of a fairly traumatic life: teenage pregnancy (and consequent body horror/post-natal depression), domestic abuse, the death of the baby's father...

― lex pretend, Thursday, 31 January 2013 15:40 (59 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

the more reflective (and genuinely quite gorgeous) songs on the album - "with out this ring", "searching for closure" - are key as well, though they're not on youtube

― lex pretend, Thursday, 31 January 2013 15:40 (13 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

that's very similar to the way i feel about latter-day Scott Walker. you have to kind of desensitise yourself to the surface-level "difficulty" of the music and after a few goes it starts making a whole different level of sense. I forget how I used to feel about albums like the Drift now.

taking a shitty novelty record by a mentally damaged individual "seriously" isn't transgressive or interesting in 2012, it's very lester bangs

"oh baby / oh baby / this bump doesn't go away / neither does the fear on my face / it feels like i'm going in on this alone"

you can apply that to whichever artist you think it's appropriate for
xpost

taking a shitty novelty record by a mentally damaged individual "seriously" isn't transgressive or interesting in 2012, it's very lester bangs

who says it's transgressive? i take it seriously because it's a record i respond to emotionally, that i find incredibly affective and effective

Also Scott isn't remotely mentally damaged

this is the first time anyone has ever obliquely compared me to Lester Bangs

I think I am obliquely offended

i don't think farrah is mentally damaged either

lol Tom

everybody is mentally damaged

taking a shitty novelty record by a mentally damaged individual "seriously" isn't transgressive or interesting in 2012, it's very lester bangs

― congratulations (n/a), Thursday, 31 January 2013 15:44 (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

could call nearly all artists/albums out on this tbf.

http://i.imgur.com/wj9aHKA.png

14. FUTURE Pluto (678 Points, 20 Votes, 2 First Place Votes) Spotify

Hey Pluto!

My number One. Love it love it love it start to finish. Voted 'Astronaut Status' mixtape high as well. I'm a total Future stan.

hmm

which version of this should go on the Spotify list, the 3D version or the original?

Probably the original. I think seandalai just used an API or something to scrape links.

i love the future singles by themselves but i cannot listen to this album all the way through, it makes a variety of tricks sound like one boring one

I couldn't get thru the whole thing either but I'm gonna give it another try.

Truth Gonna Hurt You

"I live a Cowabunga lifestyleee"

Pluto really drags in its entirety although I like almost everything except the apocalyptic bangers if I play it all the way through. Also Straight Up, Astronaut Chick and obviously Turn On The Lights are all fantastic.

I can understand liking this for the camp, and even some enjoying parts of it. But enjoying it more than about about 30,000 other albums that came out last year? In ten years, are 21 of you really going to go, ah, 2012, what a year, and still have FA in your playlist??

welp the original is only on Spotify in its clean version, and a few of the dirty versions on 3D are listed as remixes

I added the clean version, if anyone wants the 3D version the link is here

I can understand liking this for the camp, and even some enjoying parts of it. But enjoying it more than about about 30,000 other albums that came out last year? In ten years, are 21 of you really going to go, ah, 2012, what a year, and still have FA in your playlist??

You can say that about every album in this list. What people latch onto years later is wholly idiosyncratic and unpredictable.

Many xposts - I got Trans vibes from this album too.

Even more xposts

this Fiona Apple album is pretty cool

I will probably never play it again

Ha, same here. It's the kind of record where, had I been asked to review it, I'd have listened to it intensely for a few days and found all kinds of interesting moments and great things to say about it, and genuinely felt that I liked it and written a fairly glowing review, but then I'd still never have played it again.

I kind of like the Pluto album. I'm still in two minds as to whether it was a good decision to use autotune to emphasise his vocal quirks, i.e. the way his voice has a tendency to fry at the end of some syllables. It's an interesting idea, but it can make it sound like he's got a frog in his throat.

xp Yes, let's think about the Test of Time, that's always useful.

xp Sorry, was talking about Farrah of course. And what congratulations (n/a) said. I believe Lex's sincerity, but still doubt it's gonna stick in a few years.

why are we still appealing to the test of time in 2013?!

xps!

Test of time is the biggest red herring in music criticism. Who knows? Who cares? Do you like it right now? Great.

I hear maybe one or two records a year where I can say with absolute certainty that they'll be regarded as classic 20 years from now. The rest is a mystery.

classics in your canon, right?

Anticipating test of time is guesswork partly, but I'd bet my life savings that FA will not remain affective and effective for 99% of y'all for much longer. Except maybe lex ;)

understandably a challop, but i greatly prefer the new tape future dropped free band gang the movie or w/e its called to pluto

According to last.fm, Farrah Abraham is tied with Orbital as my 7th-most listened to artist; whether I will still be listening to this 10 years from now does not change the fact that I listened to this a shit-ton this year and it would be stupid not to acknowledge that.

I'm not trying to compile a list of 2012 albums that I think people will love in 2050; I'm voting for the albums I loved listening to in 2012.

(7th of the past twelve months, I should clarify)

http://i.imgur.com/9lG4Tnk.png

13. LINDSTRØM Smalhans (710 Points, 24 Votes, 2 First Place Votes) Spotify

Is this a concept album about 'Little Hans', the Freud case study? I hope so.

wooo

there hasn't been any other record in a long time that makes me feel as ecstatic as Smalhans does while i'm listening to it

Feel ILX in 2030 is more likely to be asking "Who remembers that crazy Farrah Abraham record?" than "Who remembers the fourth Beach House album?"

how many people here have enjoyed the shaggs?

like, this record is pure energy

*raises hand*

xp

too low

It's a concept album about Norwegian food iirc.

huh this is the first time Future has made sense to me