ILM's Top 77 Tracks of 2014

that style of rundown didnt seem v well received last time...

I think I was the only grumpus in that regard, but I'm over it this year.

My #1 was a Finnish rap tune

Yhdentekevää? Really really liked this stuff on the Spotify playlists, as did my gf (who is in fact saying right now: "it was the best!") :)

Yeah, that's the one, glad to hear someone else liked it too. It doesn't help that I find the female MC in the group is ridiculously cute, though it feels kinda silly to have "musician crush" at the age of 35. :)

The day I stop having crushes on musicians is the day I've died inside.

This was brought up in a revive of the 2008 albums results thread, but would a mod like to go back and hunt down the pre 2010 albums & tracks poll results and standardize the titles of them like we've done for the past five years? It would make them much easier to find when searching. Hint: musically liked to spell tracks as "trax".

Good start to the list! My only votes were Tijoux and R&R, but I had fun discovering Sombra da Lua and Tchelete. That Shakira song placing seems totally random.

Just caught up. Voted for Ninos du Brasil and Holly Herndon (though 'Home' was much higher on my ballot). Obviously I was the Katie Gately #1 voter.

Favourite new discovery: Ana Tijoux by a long chalk, but I'm also pretty into the Davido track. The Usher rhythm is really cool but I felt like it didn't go anywhere with it.

really cool to see people liking the ana tijoux, definitely check out her other stuff esp the new album. but don't just take my word for it:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/32863603/Screenshot%202015-01-18%2022.11.33.png

lmao oops

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/32863603/2014-08-15%2017.38.44.jpg

well if waste man likes it

All three of those things almost make me want to rescind my statement of admiration. But nah, that track is really great.

xp that's no way to talk about tom york ahaha

Ffs mark me down as another who inexplicably forgot to vote for Holly Herndon.

lol emily

Finally got around to listening to today's tracks, here's what I think:

Nicki Minaj - Lookin Ass: I'm happy to see this place, even though I didn't vote for it. Nicki kills her verses, but the vocal samples grate.

Owen Pallett - Song For Five & Six: I really loved this album and regretted cutting it from my ballot. I also cut "I Am Not Afraid" during my last round of cuts. I never really considered "Five & Six" a highlight from In Conflict, but that was very silly of me it turns out. The highlight is when the strings blend with the synth during the final minute.

Tune-Yards - Water Fountain: I somehow entirely missed the new Tune-Yards album even though I enjoyed the last one quite a bit. I'm pretty sure I heard the NPR stream, then forgot about it. "Water Fountain" reminds me a bit of Diplo-era MIA, which is a good look for T-Y. Doesn't really click for me until the end, when the track explodes.

Ninos Du Brasil - Sombra Da Lua: Never heard this before now. Just got back from two weeks in Brazil, so I'm really feeling the Samba percussion. I would wild out to this in a club but would likely never listen to this by myself. Wish it were longer, weirdly.

King - Mister Chameleon: Hadn't heard this one either, turned out to be totally different than what I expected from the first moments. It's totally gorgeous, with a unique melody. I'm ashamed that I've missed this until now.

Katie Gately - Pivot: I hear a lot of "Comfy in Nautica" in this one, but without the pop ambition (however little that was). I can appreciate the experimentation and the construction of this track without ever wanting to listen to it again.

Ana Tijoux Ft. Shadia Mansour "Somos Sur": I'm floored. Listening to this makes me realize just how little I pay attention to lyrics in my first go-rounds even when listening to rap in English. I respond to charisma, delivery and song structure and this song checks those boxes. So energetic, so vital.

Usher - Good Kisser: An amazing track that I completely forgot to vote for. Didn't seem to need my help anyway. Love the way the arrangement expands and contracts, with so many interlocking vocal and instrumental hooks.

Nicki Minaj - Anaconda: Not a fan of Nicki's flow on this song or her groan-worthy punchlines. Reminds me of Encore-era Eminem's jokey songs in a way, and that's not a good look.

Davido ft. Mafikizolo - Tchelete: This is super-energetic and danceable and I love it.

Röyksopp & Robyn - Do It Again: Far from my favorite Röyksopp, far from my favorite Robyn. I do love the part where Robyn says, "The anticipation, you know it's like mm-mm-mm"

Shakira - Empire Hadn't heard this one either. I can't get past the typically corny lyrics or Shakira's weird hiccup-y delivery, though I do like the melody. I'd almost definitely prefer this in Spanish. Reminds me weirdly of a mixture of Massive Attack's "Teardrop" on the chorus.

St. Vincent - Prince Johnny: Narrowly missed my ballot, voted instead for "Huey Newton," which will certainly not place. "Prince Johnny" is beautiful and dreamlike, but what truly makes the song are the ugly elements, like the compressed percussion and the overblown guitar lines.

Duke Dumont ft. Jax Jones - I Got U: It's no "Need U," but what is. It's very consciously trying to be a "summer jam" and it mostly succeeds. It's very bright and warm. The steel drum hook reminds me a lot of this, and the rest of the track evokes "Rather Be," though I prefer that.

Caribou - Silver I used to like this guy a lot, but I haven't paid nearly enough attention to him since he released Andorra, which I loved. I still haven't listened to Our Love all the way through yet, and as a result haven't heard this yet. The vocals have a strange echo/reverb, which make the track sound like it was recorded underwater. It's much better during the hypnotic instrumental section of the end, though Snaith owes one to Gold Panda/Charli XCX for the vocal sample.

Against Me! - FUCKMYLIFE666: I somehow skipped this entire record and after hearing this I regret it. Actually, scratch that, I've skipped the entirety of Against Me!'s career. Of course I know the story of Laura Jane Grace by now, and knowing the story definitely enhances the experience of the song. That said, "FUCKMYLIFE666" would succeed even without the backstory, sounding like a souped-up, hookier version of the Mountain Goats.

Holly Herndon - Chorus: Stitched-together, glitchy vocals, but I like this more than Julia Holter or Julianna Barwick or whoever I'm thinking of. I also like it a lot better than that Katie Gately track from before.

http://www.samosapedia.com/e/waste_fellow xposts

Really enjoying the image format for this rollout, bravo!

"Anaconda" is the only song of these I've heard, didn't care about it. Sampled the Davido, and I'm not sure yet if it's for me, but I was intrigued enough to wanna try again - may work better for me w/o the video.

Oh yeah, I wanted to mention that the Davido video is chock full of fly motherfucking outfits.

I seriously could listen to nothing but tunes like "Tchelete", "Skelewu" and "Khona" for the rest of my goddamn life.

great job gr8080, as expected.

0/17 lol

pretty sure I voted, and that I voted for two of these (Pallett/Tijoux)

Just catching up on the rollout so far... More stuff I've enjoyed at this point in the poll than last year, I think. I wish I could understand the lyrics of the Tijoux, but some of the attitude comes through and with the music that's enough to send me off in search of the album. The ILX tracks poll is usually my go-to place to discover the club tracks that I missed, since I don't often make it to clubs, and with "Tchelete" and "I Got U" and "Good Kisser", this poll has not disappointed so far. I believe I was the #1 vote for "Water Fountain". Garbus seems like someone who is constitutionally incapable of playing it cool, which as a major nerd is something I immediately respond to. A lot of the more subtle stuff in the rollout exhausted my attention span, but the Herndon was kind of nice.

L and I listened all the way through unless noted:

Look Ass - love the sparseness and the rapidfire delivery on this, liked it much more than I expected

Owen P - this sounds great on the surface but it's not my kinda vocal style, too ornate, I dunno, sorry.

King - nice voice but not for me

Gately - like most of this but no thanks to the yelping/digeridoo part

Tijoux - y'all had me pumped for this but I was v. disappointed except for the big chorus near the end, just too mechanical sounding, not enough hooks

Usher - not for me, skipped forward at 3:00

Anaconda - never heard this before, would like it much more as a 3-minute edit but would definitely dance to this

Davido - yes to this, echoes of reggaeton/toasting?

Royskopp - what a leaden beat, nice melody got boring fast, skipped at 3:00

Shakira - hey it's the 90's! is this a conscious throwback? pretty good.

St. Vincent - don't like this, skipped at 3:00, NickB otm

Duke Dumont - got repetitive, skipped at 3:00

Caribuo - I like this track MUCH better that Can't Do Without You, hadn't heard it before

Against Me - I got this song mixed up with "Drinking With The Jocks", it makes much more sense that this placed

Herndon - I liked this but wouldn't seek it out again

oops forgot:

Tuneyards - we both love this and I voted for it

Ninos Du Brasil - we both love this, forgot to vote for it

so happy Empire made it, it was my #1. i was trying to find an adjective to describe the lyrics: i was going to go with "earnest" but actually "corny" probably captures it better. i love its earnest corniness! i love the juxtaposition of the slangy "and i'm like" with the grandiose, beyond-words declaration of joy. ("and i'm like" is also one of those phrases that's emblematic of the flighty-teenage-girl stereotype, and i love how unabashed she is in using it.)

favorite discovery of this section was the katie gately track, didn't think i'd have patience for it but was very pleasantly surprised.

why are we all giving our hot takes on every song

Because who needs a blog when you've got ILM?

feeling reddening's description of the shakira track, it's def corny in a good way. i like how her ooOOOooOoOoOo's simulate a full-body shudder of the type of joy her lyrics are describing

why are we all giving our hot takes on every song
― j. winters (josh),

lol bcz it's a geeky music message board where ppl talk a lot abt music, dawg

I don't want to derail this thread with a discussion of what a "hot take" is but I'm pretty sure that phrase has lost whatever meaning it had in the first place due to the internet's tendency for overusage - what did it mean? A contrarian opinion? A disingenuous opinion? Whatever, who the fuck cares. I hate how it's used on Twitter to shut down discussion.

Okay, back to top track discussion, had to get that off my chest

At the risk of derail, i think it does capture a certain mode of internet journalism - e.g. a million thinkpieces on what Charlie Hebdo "means" published within 24 hours of the event - quite well.

To continue the longstanding tradition of providing unsolicited hot takes on each and every song -- ladies and gentlemen, my live-blogging thoughts on this 1st set:

Nicki Minaj - Lookin Ass : good track. I don't remember Anaconda being nearly this good IMO. Great production on the drums and great flow. The track as a whole seems too short and underdeveloped? Sounds like the start of something that never amounts to much. The muffled vocal sample and synth aren't particularly memorable either. 6/10

Owen Pallett - Song for Five and Six : excellent arpeggiator synth intro. Hooked immediately. Uh oh, lyrics are atrocious. Vocals are lame. Sick beat drop bro, but the snare drum is flat. Percussion effects, synth fills, and string break are a welcome addition. Why is this song still going? Outro was redeeming, but this probably could ended after the intro arpeggiator lick. 4.5/10

tune-yards - Water Fountain : right groovin' percussion -- good progression through the song, earwormy AnCo-style hook that won't age well. Bass player could probably turn their volume down. The track immediately changed to one called "Bizness" afterwards, which sounds much better than this. 6.5/10 anyway

Ninos du Brasil : Sombra du Lua : mmmhmmmm. Now we're talking. 9/10

Mister Chameleon : KING : I've heard this before, somewhere. Nice bouncy bass and synth arrangement. Songwriting is great. 7.5/10

Katie Gately - Pivot : "hungry hungry hippo?" - like randomly generated impressions of pop. Cool mid-section starting around the 7:40 mark. Some very creative parts in this. 11:00 mark opens another world. 8/10

Ana Tijoux - Somos Sur : love the verse sample hook, percussion throughout. catchy chorus. The featured artist takes this for me - great stuff. 7.5/10

Usher - Good Kisser : wohoooo damn son where'd you find this 8.5/10

Nicki Minaj - Anaconda : not so bad listening into it the context of these other tracks. It's fun, but it's not much of a dance track, and not much of a hip-hop track. Not much of a song at all, really. Not sure what it is. Loses points for Drake being in the video. 4/10

Davido - Tchelete (Goodlife) : nice rolling intensity; very catchy 7.5/10

Royksopp, Robyn - Do It Again : a song I've heard previously!, albeit once. I forgot it sounded like this. It doesn't really stand up with the other tracks here, IMO. But nice production, I guess. Needs more Robyn, and bring the old Royksopp back. Sounds like a track from a number of years ago, at a time when Royksopp did not sound like the popular music being released at the time. Surprised this is what they came up with in 2014? 5/10

Shakira - Empire : wow, beautiful. The modern chorus is on overdrive on a number of levels. 7.5/10

St. Vincent - Prince Johnny : lyrics are bad. But it's a nice song. I like it. It's kind of the same idea over and over. Can I turn it off now? 7/10

Duke Dumont - I Got U ft. Jax Jones - Fun, like a beach. Love 'dem steel drums. Boop bing bong. Sounds like the kind of song I needed to hear at 5am after one of those nights for it to mean something. I give it 7/10 for its unrealized potential in my psyche.

Caribou - Silver : the sounds here are amazing. I always avoid Caribou for some reason, but this is deep, meditative. Something about picturing that dude singing in falsetto irks me though. I saw him live circa Andorra but don't remember a thing except that every possible frequency was filled with sound. This has a nice a climax. Call me Pleasantly Surprised, and I'll call you back. 8/10

Against Me! - FUCKMYLIFE666 : Wut. 4/10

Holly Herndon - Chorus : Yeah, sounds straight from the school of oneohtrix, but not afraid to hold onto a fixed BPM it seems, with a pop progression and song structure. It's kind of like where you wish some oneohtrax would latch onto and go, but then once you hear it you realize why he maintains his tension and restraint. I'd probable be more impressed if I'd never heard R Plus Seven. The video is mesmerizing, but I'm trying not to let that factor into my decision unless Drake has a cameo. 7.5/10

why are we all giving our hot takes on every song
― j. winters (josh)

idk what else you think would be posted in this thread

i have enjoyed reading all the hot takes so far. gonna get the ninos du brasil and ana tijoux albums, and that shakira single's gonna get into rotation too

oh wow fuckmylife666 placed! an agonising late cut for me so happy to see it broke the 77 anyway :D
and chorus was my #3 - such an amazing piece of music
great list so far and echo my earlier statement of fantastic smart images

yes a+ presentation. lol, didn't realise til seeing the full imgur page that they're alternating sides

It goes without saying that one of the best things about I Got U is how DD interpolates 'Your Love Is My Love' but places the vocal so it lands at a completely different part in the beat. Rather than being 'cut-up', the male vocal sounds like it's been extended, or opened up, which is also unusual. The way the vox are contextualised like this meant it took me a while to grok on to where the vocal source came from, even though I'd been listening to YLIML just a few weeks before.

Prince Johnny was my #4. Like the Owen Pallett album, the St Vincent LP is short of bad tracks and is the kind of record where my favourite song changed regularly on the first several plays. But I eventually found myself listening to this one more than any. Whoever said it's the 'ugly' parts of her music that make it, is OTM. SV's music is very much about spiky, somewhat awkward phrases rubbing up against moments of startling beauty, and that's what's happening here. The pay off comes when she gets to the Court & Spark-style harmonies and the music starts swirling round her head. Also a fantastic musician and live performer. I could see her becoming a mega-star on the next album.

Much as I love both Katie Gately and Holly Herndon, I find myself getting confused about which tracks are which and where they appear. Both seem to have been keen on releasing a lot of split-singles and single track things it's hard top keep up. So is Chorus the one with the video of a computer desk rendered in VR graphics? I love that one.

Really enjoying that Owen Pallet track. Never crossed my radar before. What other things of his should I be checking out?

Not keen on any of the music so far but its interesting to hear different things I wouldnt otherwise hear.

i like the images

I dont usually post negative thoughts but here it feels ok to do so. An occasional hot take to clear the january air

yep chorus is the one with the computer desks
and in relation to owen pallett, personal choices but i'd recommend the riverbed off his latest, and this is the dream of win and regine way back from his first album (under the alias final fantasy)
genuinely love all four of his solo records though and would say that if you have the time to, to check them all

correction, i liked he poos clouds but never loved it :'(

Ok, cheers

Both seem to have been keen on releasing a lot of split-singles and single track things it's hard top keep up

i wish! katie gately discography is really short: 1 x cassette (Pipes), 1 x 12" EP, 1 x split 12" (includes 'Pivot'), 1 x split 7" (includes 'Far')

might be more stuff on her soundcloud, but otherwise it's just the two songs in 2014

Love love love that Ninos do Brasil track, those rotating drums sound great on headphones.

yh so far,

voted for: gately

love: pallett, herndon

like a lot: ninos, against me, MAYBE st vincent

other: the others

why are we all giving our hot takes on every song

Because a rollout without discussing what we think of the songs would be really fucking boring?

Whoever said it's the 'ugly' parts of her music that make it, is OTM. SV's music is very much about spiky, somewhat awkward phrases rubbing up against moments of startling beauty, and that's what's happening here.

See, I know this is what people like about St Vincent, and having seen clips of her live I can sort of get it, but listening to this track I don't hear "ugliness vs beauty" at all, I just hear a mid-range radio blandness.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

maybe it works better in the context of the album/rest of her work. like, Prince Johnny is a highlight on that record because it comes as a much-needed breather after a bunch of fairly fast/jerky songs. I could imagine hearing it for the first time as an individual tune and thinking it might be a bit on the sleepy side. It's def a song that reveals itself after a few plays.