ILM's Top 77 Tracks of 2014

I like the idea of using an entire album as a palate cleanser between tracks

http://i.imgur.com/9iaxkbd.jpg

69 NICKI MINAJ "Anaconda" [220 points, 8 votes]
http://youtu.be/LDZX4ooRsWs

xp get off the web interface if you haven't, that thing is horrible. click "follow" then open spotify on your desk/laptop/phone and check under playlists and play from there.

that's got to be it for nicki on the singles, yes?
Anaconda is pretty terrible imo

jeez I prefer "Only"

How does Mix a Lot not get a "featured" on this?

"featuring" rather

"feature"

"anaconda" one of the few thrilling moments on pinkprint

on its own it's uhhh

because he didn't want it to tarnish his rep

prob right

click "follow" then open spotify on your desk/laptop/phone and check under playlists and play from there.

this is what i'm doing and it's still not working so fuck spotify i'll just manually play youtubes

wouldn't be surprised if some of nicki's unofficial remixes/tracks were still to come like "yasss bish" but she perennially suffers from vote-splitting anyway

i'm not an "anaconda" hater by any means but i can't really fathom voting for THAT particular nicki track

i voted exclusively for nicki tracks

that's got to be it for nicki on the singles, yes?

bang bang?

don't think she features on the shred version

lex, try restarting spotify/your computer; it sometimes takes time for the playlist to load.

Yey at Ninos du Brasil track making it! First one of my votes to make it, hope it's not the only one.

I forgot to vote for the Ana Tijoux track. Grr. Such a great song.

I really recommend listening to the full album if you enjoyed that song. It's more of the same sort of thing but it doesn't get boring.

I honestly hope there's no more Nicki tracks, I'd prefer more diversity and there's probably going to be a bit Taylor Swift yet to get through.

Anaconda was her most prominent single, no?

Nothing I've voted for turned up yet but I like this list so far

http://i.imgur.com/DVpnIc7.jpg

68 DAVIDO "Tchelete" Ft. Mafikizolo [229 points, 8 votes]
http://youtu.be/oiHh2-6jmnUA

HELL YEAH

Is spotify desktop any better? I know everyone hates on the web player, but I found the desktop version pretty unwieldy as well.

I like this!

FUCK YEAH "TCHELETE"

Aww man, glad some Naija pop placed, even though this isn't my favourite Davido tune.

This Katie Gately record is awesome, she should go all out and make a full scale choral work using this approach.

oh man "Tchelete" is a revelation.

even though this isn't my favourite Davido tune

same, kinda hoping "shoki remix" places but also it's cool that even this is here

Shoki is great

Not sure what quality file the label sent to Spotify, but it sounds like it's streaming at about 24kpbs fidelity.

no hope for "aye" placing even though it's my favorite davido track. so emotional

ooh i like this one, thx ilm :)

"things that people do for money" midway through "tchelete" is THE moment. reminds me of the divine sounds track - initially half-thought it was a direct interpolation

Since I'm an old geezer who doesn't follow what's hip with the kids these days, I hadn't actually heard any of these tunes before, except for "Anaconda" and "Somos Sur". But here are my first impressions:

77 NICKI MINAJ "Lookin Ass"
Most Nicki Minaj tunes that I've heard have felt too gimmicky and hyperactive for my taste, but this one is actually nicely subdued and moody, and I like the ballsy lyrics too. Does she any other tunes like this?

76 OWEN PALLETT "Song for Five & Six”
This is the same Owen Pallett who used to post to ILX? I didn't know he made music like this! Love the synth arpeggios, but the singing is too New Wave for me, this should have had some disco diva vocals instead. Still, I could imagine dancing to this after having gotten drunk with my corny indie friends

75 TUNE-YARDS "Water Fountain"
I liked the polyrhythms and the general afropop vibes, but the vocals and the farty synth bass got tiring after a while. I guess if I was 10 to 15 years younger I'd have more tolerance for freaky styles like this, but now I just can't be arsed.

74 NINOS DU BRASIL "Sombra da Lua"
Oppressive samba techno, sure, why not? This reminds of the early 90s "tribal" techno and trance like Exqusite Corpse or The Ambush, and that's a good thing! The "full" groove at the end could've lasted a bit longer though, cutting it so short doesn't feel very dancefloor friendly...

73 KING "Mister Chameleon"
This is really sweet, like modern-day Minnie Riperton! You say they haven't released an album yet? This was the first tune in the results that made me feel like I could listen to full LP of the same, so it's sad if there is none.

72 KATIE GATELY "Pivot"
I'm all for experimental stuff and sound art, but the beginning of this track was too flimsy to get me interested, so I didn't make it to the end. Maybe another day.

71 ANA TIJOUX Ft. Shadia Mansour "Somos Sur"
A friend of mine kept playing Ana Tijoux to me and explaining how good it is, and it does sound good, but she speaks fluent Spanish and I don't, so I think she just got more out of it. IMO political rap like this requires a sort of immediacy, a gut-level "HELL YEAH!" reaction when you hear the lyrics, and it just isn't as strong if there's a distance caused by the language barrier, even if you can read a translation online. I think Mansour actually has a better delivery here than Tijoux, does anyone know what she's rapping about?

70 USHER "Good Kisser" [220 points, 7 votes]
This was a surprise, I didn't expect an Usher tune to have such a cool, innovative arrangement, love how the drum rolls become the hook! And I also like how the main love interest in the video looks like a fairly normal (if still quite attractive) woman, and not a porn star. The lyrics are still kinda juvenile, but I can't remember ever enjoying an Usher tune this much, so that's something.

69 NICKI MINAJ "Anaconda"
This is exactly the sort of gimmicky Minaj tune I don't like. It just makes me feel old, makes me want to reach for my Yo-Yo albums.

68 DAVIDO "Tchelete" Ft. Mafikizolo
This is really cool, didn't expect ILM to vote stuff like this so high, well done!

Davido song is dope, gonna check out more of him

I think of Tchelete as being a Mafikizolo track really, it's got that same slightly druggy feel as Khona, like you can imagine either tune being dropped into a deep house or techno set at like 4am and really working.

apart from "oliver twist" i don't recall any of the big afropop songs of recent years placing?

Love the synth arpeggios, but the singing is too New Wave for me, this should have had some disco diva vocals instead.

This sounds like the most ruinous idea imaginable.

Like it sounds like with glossier production it could be on Innervisions or something.

dont like Anaconda but its bearable, and better than the first one that plae

Tchelete is the best one so far, would prefer without the vocals

apart from "oliver twist" i don't recall any of the big afropop songs of recent years placing?

does Omar Souleyman count?

does Omar Souleyman count?

syria is not africa!!!

lol

I think I heard lapaz toyota thru ilx eoy

really quite surprised saer prefers "anaconda" to "lookin' ass"

lex otm

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

67 RÖYKSOPP & ROBYN "Do It Again" [229 points, 10 votes]
http://youtu.be/btBSxtKzF6Q

"lapaz toyota" placed a couple of years back as well!

Fantastic song. Easily the highlight of the EP which was good but should have been way better.