ILM's Top 77 Albums of 2013

haven't heard

really surprised to see Goldfrapp made it. got v little love on the singles poll and aside from "Thea" I wasn't all that into any of the tracks.

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

AMEL LARRIEUX - Ice Cream Everyday (563 points, 19 votes)

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27 AMEL LARRIEUX - Ice Cream Everyday (563 points, 19 votes)

haha ONE MORE TIME

27 AMEL LARRIEUX Ice Cream Everyday (563 points, 19 votes)

Every Larrieux song str8 kills it, stoked to hear this when home

I can't help but sing that title to the tune of 'Satori' by Flower Travellin' Band. I suspect that is the first and last time the two acts are mentioned in the same breath.

That I've heard, I mean. Maybe best left as is tho

i know this is "rockist" of me, but to be clear, the new dj sprinkles is a compilation of-sorts, with dj sprinkles applying his touch to the songs. midtown 120 blues is all-original material from dj sprinkles, and it is breathtaking.

― Daniel, Esq 2, Wednesday, January 29, 2014 10:42 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

sorry, this is going way back but i'm just catching up now. dj sprinkles' does not just add her "touch" to remixes, these are reconfigured so completely as to be effectively the same as original sprinkles tracks. if anything the remixes are taken further and to stranger, more uniquely thaemlitz-esque places than even the album goes. if the remixes and her original tracks were all mixed up in a dj set (which they are if you were to see sprinkles dj) you wouldn't be able to tell the difference without just being familiar enough with the music to recognize specific tracks. also, for the people who are having difficulty tracking down the music from this comp, i assure you it is worth the effort, because it is some of the most beautiful house music ever made, it's perfect for home-listening and very accessible to people who are used to listening to stuff not geared towards the dancefloor. i'm certain that imago, for example, would find a lot to enjoy in it.

before "i do take" stormed the trax top 10 i didn't even have much hope for this album placing; i'm so glad ilm took to amel this year. in my top 10 obv. some of the other highlights -

"a million sapphires", so much swirling drama and the central metaphor is whoa. not on youtube, this was the only web stream i could find
"orange glow", woozy funk that should appeal to fans of erykah badu circa mama's gun and sa-ra
"danger", intricate and wending and full of complex details

voted for both of the last two! kinda surprised the Larrieux album is so much lower than the song was in the tracks poll. hopefully the people that liked "I Do Take" are checking for the whole album now though.

the phrase "to the nth power" seems to leave out the possibility of negative powers

also, for the people who are having difficulty tracking down the music from this comp, i assure you it is worth the effort,

seriously, if you know of a place...

Tegan & Sara album is very good, i love that there was a critically acclaimed hit album in 2013 produced by one half of Geggy Tah

Hadn't heard of Tegan & Sara before but really liked Closer from the tracks poll. Anyone recommend some more tracks to check out from the album?

negative powers -- now you're talking !

xpost
Try "Goodbye, Goodbye" and "I'm Not Your Hero" (though I like the whole record).

xps that's a good recommendation, karl, reminds me I'm going to have to listen to this

haha I'm always surprised when the album covers for things that you never see in HMV or Fopp (e.g. Fantasia, Amel, Ariana) pop up on this thread. They're never how I imagined they would look.

Am basically boycotting Holden until he reinserts the "James" - there's a brilliant French band called Holden who were around long before. But I am having trouble parsing "it was all played live on modular synths, don't you know" and "saxophone solos".

heartthrob was my first favorite album of last year, love that an album that begins with "closer" ends up being largely a breakup album dressed up in icy synths

holden record is wonderful, was my #3 i think

i never actually listened to all of the holden record bc i'm exhausted with anyone attempting krautrock at this point

don't hear any krautrock on it myself

first track was v resonant of krautrock, idk

definitely will revisit it

Bold prediction: TNP next

First track of Holden was gr8 btw, made me :O

Amel's album is great but what's with the cover? Is it retro or just a sickly design fail.

and yeah agree with others upthread that 'blackpool late eighties' is the standout despite being a bit more conventionally pretty than the rest of the record

didn't think of krautrock at all w/r/t holden, the rhythms are way different

Amel's album is great but what's with the cover? Is it retro or just a sickly design fail.

a self-released low-budget thing i guess? plus maybe she likes inappropriately bright colour schemes

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

26 TIM HECKER Virgins (565 points, 20 votes)

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i generally ignore references to krautrock unless someone tells me what kind of krautrock they're referring to -- it's kind of a meaningless term on its own.

what kind of krautrock is this holden record trying to evoke?

the cover is like an adult's version of the bangerz cover

oops sorry
many xps

what kind of krautrock is this holden record trying to evoke?

ignore me, dude who listened to half of the first track and turned it off

hmm i didn't really get into this hecker as much as his last few, will definitely revisit at some point though

when most people say krautrock, they mean motorik

Holden has talked about being influenced by Amon Duul iirc

Wow I have totally been conflating Hecker and Holden I guess

Hecker album is awesome, hope I remembered to vote for it.

that Hecker album is amazing, voted for it at (I think) #9.

haha and there is a hecker who is not tim hecker to confuse things even more xxp

virgins is great, not quite as obsessed with it as I was by ravedeath but better than the one with lopatin

Still would like to hear the last two all the way through, but must find the right mood for each.

this album surprised me. It's very gripping, and I haven't wanted to stop listening to it. haven't felt this way about one of his albums before.

the video for "black refraction" is hypnotic and sinister, with image of giant swinging incense boat
http://youtu.be/EEmgEAp8hSI

i like the hecker but i don't think i heard it in time to vote. i guess this was the year i finally gave in on the arty electronic music stuff

if people mean motorik when they say krautrock, could we encourage/promote the use of more precise terminology? i'll give it a listen regardless.

http://i.imgur.com/iFp7l0w.jpg

25 CLASSIXX Hanging Gardens (572 points, 19 votes, 1 first place vote)

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whee

most fun record of the year imo

This was one of my late year discoveries.

Loved the Holden record, reminds me a fair bit of Colin Stetson out of his loose contemporaries, same flutteriness (rather than motorik).