ILM's Top 77 Tracks of 2014

love "empire". it sounded especially great following that rihanna duet, which was such an ungainly attempt at a hit.

I got over my thing about Shakira's voice a number of years ago, so it doesn't even phase me now.

http://i.imgur.com/xsg1fr0.jpg

74 NINOS DU BRASIL "Sombra da Lua" [210 points, 6 votes]
http://youtu.be/VO5BOLIV2S4

― gr8080, Monday, January 19, 2015 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Awesome how the video is based on Limite. I always wanted to catch a screening of it.

I was wondering about where the footage was from. Looks like an interesting film.

So far Usher is the only thing I voted for. It was way high on my ballot and I'm shocked it's so low here. Like it's the type of thing I would expect to do better here than on P&J? It some how manages to pull this balancing act of being very minimalist while still being ridiculously crammed with hooks, like every beat and vocal tic in the song is pitched for maximum impact. Tuomas otm about the drums-as-hook.

It was such an anthem for me and my gf this summer, like we'd be walking around Brooklyn and one of us would randomly break out singing it or even just the beat to each other. Also DJing, it's been my favorite song recently to slow things back down at the end of the night after faster stuff. People hear that first bass/drum beat and instantly know what it is. Easily my favorite song he's done since Confessions.

Shakira track sounds like a poor stab at a little earthquakes era tori amos outtake; I am not feeling this. sorta discards what makes shakira special amongst the grandiose production; why you wanna put a yodeller on and then drown her out with all kinda sci-fi marching music. Was this on a soundtrack for hunger games or interstellar or something?

Do It Again/Monument were big for me this year, generally while jogging. I prefer Monument over DIA but perfectly happy to have this here.

Tchelete is def one of the tracks I only caught through ILX which is as good a reason to stay plugged into this forum as any. this also reminds me I need to get caught up on the early returns of the afrobeats 2015 thread.

That beenie man take over the "beng beng riddim" is excellent; would take that over Usher seven days a week

"do it again" <<<<<< "monument" which i voted for (highly) [also ep version is far preferable to the inevitable end version]

i like "empire", nice 2 see it place

TS: "and the stars make love to the universe / and you touch me / and I'm like / WOOOOOOOOOAHHOOOOOOOO" vs "she looks so perfect standing there / in my american apparel underwear / and I know now / that I'm so down"

i think monument may still place

http://i.imgur.com/L1wH2cr.jpg

65 ST. VINCENT "Prince Johnny" [230 points, 8 votes]
http://youtu.be/idllxjHbX7w

[also ep version is far preferable to the inevitable end version]

hi-five

how many of these per day are we doin' btw

It was between this and Digital Witness for my one St. Vincent vote. This won.

To 61 today I hear

as nonplussed by this as ever

17 today, 20 on T, W and TH.

77-61 today
60-41 tuesday
40-21 wednesday
20-1 thursday

why you wanna put a yodeller on and then drown her out with all kinda sci-fi marching music

What "sci-fi marching music"? Sounds like regular rock drums to me, and fairly subdued strings... The orchestration on "Empire" is actually quite simple for such a huge tune, certainly it doesnt "drown" her vocals, and I don't think it'd work if it just followed the ballady part in the beginning in all the way through; this is Momentous Pop Music, it requires those big feelings.

"Prince Johnny" sounds pretty cool, the combination of moody synths and trad pop melodicism reminds me of Marc Almond... Except that I hate that weird hi-hat sound that pervades it, the one that sounds like a screwed-and-chopped hamster fart, whoever thought that kind of synth drum was a good idea for a tune like this?

st vincent

sorry, anybody else I'd know when a question was rhetorical

Love this song. It's just so beautiful.

"monument" is definitely better than i remember it being (i remember it being boring, which it is kinda, but right now i'm enjoying how sleepy and inviting it is)

this was my St Vincent vote. she's great.

King: I totally forgot about this song and I stan for them so hard. It's nice, I guess? Their other songs have been better.

Katie Gately: This is the kind of thing that's interesting to listen to once but I'm never going to put it on again.

Ana Tijoux: Yeah, this is good! The horns, the anti-colonial politics. I like.

Anaconda: I maintain my stance that this is fun and has some good ideas until it becomes a total mess halfway through but the former wins out.

Davido: This is cool but I feel like don't love Naija-pop because it's too focused on mid-range. When I listen to this I'm just waiting some heavy bass to appear the whole time.

Robyn/Royksopp: What boring people. This is better than that song they did together that placed a few years ago but as others have said, it just feels so rote. This kind of tidy euro stuff was much more cute a decade ago. Really good video though.

Shakira: I had no idea she released music this year. This is very 90s alt-pop! Which is funnily kind of full circle for her, just not what I'd expect her to be doing at this point.

St. Vincent: This evokes no reaction from me whatsoever.

'monument' is incredible driving music imo

Davido: This is cool but I feel like don't love Naija-pop because it's too focused on mid-range. When I listen to this I'm just waiting some heavy bass to appear the whole time.

^^feeling this. still a good track and i'm happy to have discovered it

love her guitar playing, couldn't give a hoot for her songs so ah i dunno

st unconvincent basically

drums are so stiff and muted on that st. vincent record idk

I'm not quite that hardline on St. Vincent. She's usually good for between 2-4 keeper songs on each album, but for the most part I just admire her gitfiddle skills.

i've listened to this st. vincent track three times and i still don't know what it sounds like except i don't like it

^^feeling this. still a good track and i'm happy to have discovered it

― gr8080, Monday, January 19, 2015 11:23 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Oh absolutely, I'm just trying to suss out why I like not love this type of stuff when it seems otherwise so squarely pitched at me.

I've listened to it 0 times and feel the same xp

ouch! xps to NickB

i think she's a very admirable artist overall, i'm happy for her success (even though i'm not a huge fan)

"st unconvincent" lol

Ienjoygourmethotdogs

more like st wincent

never been a fan of her, but she absolutely crushed her performance at pitchfork this summer, pretty whack that neutral milk hotel got top billing over her because she totally outshone everyone.

very few artists i enjoy live more that listening to their recorded output, but she's top of the list.

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

64 DUKE DUMONT "I Got U" Ft. Jax Jones [233 points, 10 votes]
http://youtu.be/FHCYHldJi_g

Oh hey one I voted for

2x lol @ wins

hip hop tracks showing very "Tanuki was right" so far

oh yeah this one

this duke dumont is kinda nice but it got old kinda quick idk, lots of better populist house this year imo

joyous stuff, gave it points

I voted for this one as well, played to death earlier in the year.

this is alright, i liked the duke dumont thing from last year way more, abrupt eq filtering kinda took me out of it

my ballot was >90% hip hop tracks and i am confident most of them will place

I Got U is a very fun track; almost as good as "Rather Be". It was a good year for populist house!

I like this too. it's the steel drums imo