ILM's Top 77 Tracks of 2014

tried to listen to Katie Gately on youtube, made it to 8 mins until wtf youtube an ad interrupted it!

the new album has the story but i'm firmly in the new wave/white crosses camp - but i totally understand why this one crossed one

This was my #1 vote, mostly for personal reasons, although I'm not sure it'd have the same place if I made my ballot over. There are albums from 2014 I find a lot more musically interesting, but I was listening to this album pretty heavily when I was starting to come out and transition, and this song (my favorite track nominated, if not my favorite on the album) is fairly subtle in the way it deals with the complex emotions involved in the early moments of transition, or more specifically anxiety about how transitioning is going to affect your existing relationships--I haven't found a lot of songwriters who've explored that ambivalence.

crossed over i mean xp

youtube otm xps

"FUCKMYLIFE666" is both my favorite song title of the top 77 and also the most obnoxious to try and fit in my chosen design theme

did it well gr8080 imo

ows I'm glad you had an album like this one in your pocket, then.

final result for today coming up

i just realized that updates on the results can be viewed way faster via the spotify playlist.

http://i.imgur.com/wk60g2v.jpg

61 HOLLY HERNDON "Chorus" [249 points, 9 votes, 1 first place vote]
http://youtu.be/nHujh3yA3BE

yesss i love this track. awesome video too

gr80 you're doing this like a champ! Can't wait for the next three days.

Herndon is the first track thus far to not be on spotify.

thanks, man! me neither.

MONDAY RECAP:

Gallery of today's images

77 NICKI MINAJ "Lookin Ass"
76 OWEN PALLETT "Song for Five & Six”
75 TUNE-YARDS "Water Fountain"
74 NINOS DU BRASIL "Sombra da Lua"
73 KING "Mister Chameleon"
72 KATIE GATELY "Pivot"
71 ANA TIJOUX Ft. Shadia Mansour "Somos Sur"
70 USHER "Good Kisser"
69 NICKI MINAJ "Anaconda"
68 DAVIDO "Tchelete" Ft. Mafikizolo
67 RÖYKSOPP & ROBYN "Do It Again"
66 SHAKIRA "Empire"
65 ST. VINCENT "Prince Johnny"
64 DUKE DUMONT "I Got U" Ft. Jax Jones
63 CARIBOU "Silver"
62 AGAINST ME! "FUCKMYLIFE666"
61 HOLLY HERNDON "Chorus"

This was my #1 vote, mostly for personal reasons, although I'm not sure it'd have the same place if I made my ballot over. There are albums from 2014 I find a lot more musically interesting, but I was listening to this album pretty heavily when I was starting to come out and transition, and this song (my favorite track nominated, if not my favorite on the album) is fairly subtle in the way it deals with the complex emotions involved in the early moments of transition, or more specifically anxiety about how transitioning is going to affect your existing relationships--I haven't found a lot of songwriters who've explored that ambivalence.

― one way street, Monday, January 19, 2015 12:54 PM Bookmark

Yeah, I didn't vote for any individual songs from it, but Transgender Dysphoria Blues was my #1 album until D'angelo suddenly appeared and tbh I'd probably put it back there if I could redo it. It's been so helpful to me this year in sorting through a lot of my own emotions, and I've been surprised to find myself connecting so strongly with a band I never previously had any interest in. And as Louis says, the poppiness of the tracks is one of their greatest strengths. Usually as trans people, we don't get catchy singalongs that directly speak to our interests, concerns, loves, and fears.

this video is giving me a headache

Herndon in the oneohtix school of production i see. i like this a lot.

This was my #1 vote, mostly for personal reasons, although I'm not sure it'd have the same place if I made my ballot over. There are albums from 2014 I find a lot more musically interesting, but I was listening to this album pretty heavily when I was starting to come out and transition, and this song (my favorite track nominated, if not my favorite on the album) is fairly subtle in the way it deals with the complex emotions involved in the early moments of transition, or more specifically anxiety about how transitioning is going to affect your existing relationships--I haven't found a lot of songwriters who've explored that ambivalence.

― one way street, Monday, January 19, 2015 12:54 PM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Rad. I will always be loyal to Against Me! for "Baby I'm an Anarchist" and other anthems that defined my political consciousness as a teenager. Transgender Dysphoria Blues just fucking solidified that love.

Duke Dumont probably the rotest thing I heard last year.

good lord, i was clearly sleeping on Holly Herndon

this is kinda great. obviously it has the slightly unfair advantage of a spectacular video but it's still got something really interesting going on. haha and 2 mins in it explodes into life! yay this is awes

eh, i don't hear oneohtrix so much xxxp

I haven't heard any of these yet:

77 NICKI MINAJ "Lookin Ass"
68 DAVIDO "Tchelete" Ft. Mafikizolo
62 AGAINST ME! "FUCKMYLIFE666"
61 HOLLY HERNDON "Chorus"

this is ACE! how tf did I miss this, this is something I should have voted for

Holly Herndon is someone I like in theory but I never end up actually listening to.

doh I forgot to vote for hh

i voted highly for both "lookin ass" and "sombra da lua", very glad they managed to sneak in.

most captivating new exposure was katie gately -- quite bizarre, wasn't sure what to make of it at first, but unlike similar more experimental tracks of extended length it actually gelled into something amazingly captivating by its back half. i see others saying they can appreciate it but will never listen again but i am already listening again and looking forward to spending good time w/ it later on too.

holly herndon track is tiring :\

Holly Herndon is incredible. That track and Katie Gately were in my 25.

Enjoyed Ninos Du Brasil, King, Usher, OP... Caribou and St Vincent leave me cold, I was big into the Manitoba era stuff too. I tried living with the St Vincent album for a bit, it had its moments but just dulled out too much to keep me in.

My voting significance to top 77 placements seems exhausted with Ana Tijoux and Holly Herndon this year. I've perhaps 6 votes left to place, but they're lost in the chorus.

Ana Tijoux / Shadia Mansour: Sure, I get a contact high off the militant Chavista politics, but the amazing thing is how adroitly it blends Andean and Chaabi horns, beats, and ululations as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Its a great template for a post-everything global music, far more organic than some of M.I.A.'s similar ventures.

Holly Herndon: What if Paul Lansky listened to Autechre? I'm fond of contemporary composers remembering there's an audience to meet halfway, and accessible entries from the electroaccoustic left-field.

Otherwise, I'm pleased to see Owen P., Ninos du Brasil (both more album picks for me), King (its no "Hey"), Katie Gately (its no "Pipes"), Davido (also would like an instrumental version).

"Chorus" is maybe the only Herndon track I've really warmed to.

by the wayyyy

katie gately and holly herndon get compared a lot but if we're crudely reducing to women who make experimental techno in 2014 don't sleep on karen gwyer, she might be the best one anyway nuff said

i keep wanting to like herndon more than i do but it just seems like pleasant electronic background stuff to me

it's lovely when it sort of turns into sehnsucht part of the way in

Cosign on the Gwyer respect from me to

didnt like the holly herndon, tiring is definitely the word

Preferring the Herndon track to the Gately one, mostly because there are no farty mouth noises.

Yeah, I didn't vote for any individual songs from it, but Transgender Dysphoria Blues was my #1 album until D'angelo suddenly appeared and tbh I'd probably put it back there if I could redo it. It's been so helpful to me this year in sorting through a lot of my own emotions, and I've been surprised to find myself connecting so strongly with a band I never previously had any interest in. And as Louis says, the poppiness of the tracks is one of their greatest strengths. Usually as trans people, we don't get catchy singalongs that directly speak to our interests, concerns, loves, and fears.

― The Reverend, Monday, January 19, 2015 4:08 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yeah, totally: art by trans people about their lives typically struggles for visibility, but it's been so important (especially trans women's writing) in helping me come to terms with my experience. I'm glad TDB was emotionally useful to you, too, Rev!

Voted for Holly Herndon... The HH album from a couple of years ago didn't do much for me, but her singles from 2014 were tremendous, feels like she's crystallized the thing she hadn't yet fully found on that album. And yeah, I like that she feels for us beat-lovers too, not just for the electro-acoustic crowd.

I like Karen Gwyer, but I don't see much reason to lump her with HH besides their gender... Gwyer's music is much more in line with trad techno. It's still great though, I voted for her single too.

sorry i mentioned holly herndon below katie gately i wasn't trying to compare them

lol i was just referring to how both singles are oblique and ponderous

idk they seem totally comparable? based on these two songs, at least.

gwyer's track got nice about halfway through though

XP *too

The Katie Gately stuff is so fierce and dynamic, almost nauseatingly so in places but it a ruddy thrilling ride

Holly Herndon was a kind of ideal primer for loving the fantastic Giant Claw record from last year. Looking forward to finding kindred stuff in 2015.

Agreed re Gwyer not really being as closely comparable as the above.

Holly Herndon also someone I admire in theory, and she's obviously very onto important issues (including cool collabs, esp. Metahaven), but there's something also a bit art school po-faced about it all. Appreciate 'Home', more than Chorus, for obvious political reasons.

Feel like you might get trapped in a conversation about gluten with her.

Or she might say, "oh my god, you're funny", after you tell a joke.

Johnny Fever, Dyl was confusing my comment on Karen Gwyer with Katie Gately, but I commented on Imago comparing Herndon with Gwyer. Gately is roughly in the same genre as Herndon, I guess, but Gwyer isn't.

oh lol i'm totally lost between the kgs