ILM's Top 77 Albums of 2012

http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/images/campaigns/map_1972_original.jpg

yesssss miguel

Miguel was my #4; dude lavished us w great songs this yeat. Its only appropriate we reciprocated

51 votes - nearly half (or over half?) of all voters :o

http://i.imgur.com/mFCnw.gif

yay
great thread.

thanks matt!

The melodic austerity and purposeful restriction of sound palette on Fin meant that while I always liked it I could never love it in the way I do some of his remixes. I wish he'd leavened it with a couple of sun-coming-up beach rave tracks like his Teengirl Fantasy/XX/Chairlift remixes. Still a really strong album but it's like dance music for giant Easter Island heads or something.

― Matt DC, Thursday, January 31, 2013 9:59 AM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

xp remember you saying it wasn't sunny enough or something

― flopson, Thursday, January 31, 2013 9:59 AM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ha, yes. basically what Matt DC said

Also Miguel was my #1 so fuck yeah. It's just such an accomplished and gorgeous and emotionally rewarding album on every level and his voice is just so fucking soulful.

Thanks Johnny and also J0rdan for the Trax poll. Oh and Seandalai

Well done, everyone. Tea and cakes all round.

woulda been my #1 if I'd voted

anyone who liked this miguel album and still hasn't heard his (possibly superior) first record should go and un-fuck that up

wish some dude was around to tell us what kinds of drinks the bobbins crew brought to the party this time

something polite, yet austere

This Top 10 utterly blows away the idea of 'tasteful' or 'dinner party music' as pejoratives. Everything here with the exception of Goat and Kendrick is total dinner party music and almost all of it is good-to-astonishing. And even the Kendrick has a sort of velvety soundtracky sumptuousness to the production that means it sort of qualifies as well.

Kendrick was my #1, Miguel was my #21

what happened to al?

Great stuff, JF and seandalai... only another year to go 'til the next lot, eh? :D

The Top 3 means absolutely dick-all to me, mind.

"Adorn" still #1 in R&B airplay. If not for the absurd rule change, this would have been one of the longest running #1's on the R&B chart. As it is, we'll remember "Adorn" up there with the great R&B electroballads.

It would have been the biggest passing the 18 week record by now and it's still miles ahead in airplay over the #2 ("swimming pools") - it's pretty much going to go down as the biggest song in the history of the format which is insaaaaane.

yes, thank you! great poll.
also by the end I was really won over by the b/w album cover art

i recently unfucked up re kendrick, and now that i am on the right path I LOVE HIM

good voting, ILX!

what happened to al?

― flopson, Thursday, January 31, 2013 10:08 AM (31 seconds ago)

banned for going over the line while beefing w/ another poster

This Top 10 utterly blows away the idea of 'tasteful' or 'dinner party music' as pejoratives. Everything here with the exception of Goat and Kendrick is total dinner party music and almost all of it is good-to-astonishing. And even the Kendrick has a sort of velvety soundtracky sumptuousness to the production that means it sort of qualifies as well.

"Tasteful" can absolutely be done well, as evidenced by a good chunk of the top 10, but it can also make one wonder "what exactly are people hearing in this that makes them go 'OMG THIS IS INCREDIBLE' rather than 'how very competent, please pass the butter'"

man those top two are so appropriate and deserving. kendrick is a really good rapper and all but his songs kind of suck, and it sounds bad on every speaker and headphone I have heard it on. miguel's album is super gorgeous and classic and solid gold, deserves all its points.

banned for going over the line while beefing w/ another poster

― ❏❐❑❒ (gr8080), Thursday, January 31, 2013 3:10 PM (30 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

smh

fuck yes miguel

Hey where did Fiona place? I'm having problems showing all messages on my phone

yeah, major kudos to Johnny Fever for the greyscale choice, if for no other reason than just that it's DIFFERENT

why is michelangelo trembling?

"a really good rapper whose songs all kind of suck" is pretty much the best description of kendrick i've ever read

xp Fiona was #19

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)

40. WILD NOTHING Nocturne (357 Points, 12 Votes, 1 First Place Vote)
39. NICKI MINAJ Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (362 Points, 13 Votes)
38. THE MOUNTAIN GOATS Transcendental Youth (368 Points, 13 Votes)
37. ANGEL HAZE Reservation (381 Points, 14 Votes)
36. CHAIRLIFT Something (382 Points, 14 Votes, 1 First Place Vote)
35. LANA DEL REY Born to Die (392 Points, 11 Votes)
34. LE1F Dark York (396 Points, 12 Votes, 1 First Place Vote)
33. NENEH CHERRY & THE THING The Cherry Thing (396 Points, 13 Votes)
32. VOICES FROM THE LAKE Voices From the Lake (419 Points, 17 Votes, 2 First Place Votes)
31. SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS Ghostory (422 Points, 14 Votes)
30. TAME IMPALA Lonerism (426 Points, 15 Votes, 2 First Place Votes)
29. MUNGOLIAN JETSET Mungodelics (428 Points, 15 Votes)
28. IAMAMIWHOAMI Kin (430 Points, 13 Votes, 2 First Place Votes)
27. SAINT ETIENNE Words & Music By Saint Etienne (434 Points, 12 Votes, 4 First Place Votes)
26. HOT CHIP In Our Heads (457 Points, 14 Votes)
25. BEACH HOUSE Bloom (470 Points, 20 Votes, 1 First Place Vote)
24. ACTRESS R.I.P (473 Points, 17 Votes, 1 First Place Vote)
23. BURIAL Kindred EP (479 Points, 16 Votes, 1 First Place Vote)
22. JULIA HOLTER Ekstasis (503 Points, 18 Votes, 1 First Place Vote)
21. GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! (510 Points, 19 Votes)

20. TODD TERJE It's the Arps EP (530 Points, 15 Votes, 1 First Place Vote)
19. FIONA APPLE The Idler Wheel (608 Points, 17 Votes, 1 First Place Vote)
18. BLONDES Blondes (634 Points, 25 Votes)
17. CARLY RAE JEPSEN Kiss (635 Points, 20 Votes, 4 First Place Votes)
16. SCOTT WALKER Bish Bosch (636 Points, 18 Votes, 4 First Place Votes)
15. FARRAH ABRAHAM My Teenage Dream Ended (652 Points, 21 Votes, 2 First Place Votes)
14. FUTURE Pluto (678 Points, 20 Votes, 2 First Place Votes)
13. LINDSTRØM Smalhans (710 Points, 24 Votes, 2 First Place Votes)
12. ANDY STOTT Luxury Problems (713 Points, 25 Votes)
11. SWANS The Seer (718 Points, 21 Votes, 4 First Place Votes)
10. GOAT World Music (736 Points, 21 Votes, 1 First Place Vote)
09. FRANK OCEAN Channel Orange (757 Points, 27 Votes, 3 First Place Votes)
08. JESSIE WARE Devotion (791 Points, 26 Votes, 1 First Place Vote)
07. CHROMATICS Kill For Love (882 Points, 26 Votes, 1 First Place Vote)
06. TAYLOR SWIFT Red (943 Points, 28 Votes, 2 First Place Votes)
05. GRIMES Visions (1057 Points, 33 Votes, 1 First Place Vote)
04. DAWN RICHARD Armor On (1174 Points, 31 Votes, 3 First Place Votes)
03. JOHN TALABOT ƒin (1218 Points, 38 Votes)
02. KENDRICK LAMAR Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City (1293 Points, 40 Votes, 5 First Place Votes)
01. MIGUEL Kaleidoscope Dream (1909 Points, 51 Votes, 7 First Place Votes)

Thanks, JF and J0rdan and seandadata. Smooth as ever. Now, I'd better go listen to Miguel, huh?

Well looks like Grizzly Bear got shafted

so Anco finished #77 w/ one first-place vote, and Talabot finishes #3 with none.

finished/finishes #writing!

i think KD is the best album of the first third of the decade (although something may blow it away prior to may 1st).

Yeah images looked great! Ace job JF, seandalai and ilm for a fantastic countdown. What I thought was a bit lacklustre year actually looks top notch all ganged up in that recap.

whoa miggy's average points per vote is like 38, #1 votes are 40 right?

50 i thought

Full results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AumbddEHET5xdFVGakxIeG1NMzVfcDR1cVJoNC1Ybnc

I'll put the stats thread up in a minute.

Hurrah for Miguel! Was in the lower half of my ballot (alongside Dawn Richard and John Talabot and Chromatics) but I can definitely get behind it as the consensus #1.

xp #1 vote gives 50 points

oh ok i think it was 40 at one point in the past, that would be less crazy

Great work, pollrunners. Awesome choice for #1 too.

Armor On had the highest average points/vote in the top 77, Kaleidoscope Dream had the 2nd highest average.

78 Trust - TRST

OH FUCK ALL OF YOU

OMFGGGGG Shanell actually almost made it!!!!!!!!!!

I should've just bumped that highe rup my ballot, aghhhh

wow baroness at #82

if I had flipped Trust and Killer Mike, I could have kept Animal Collective out of the countdown

DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT