ILM’s Top 77 Tracks of 2018

i'm pro-"smoko" now

yesss

the Die Wilde Jagd track is the only track so far i hadn't heard of at all but it's quite cool. finding stuff like this is one of my favourite things about the rollout

the Mr Twin Sister, 1975 and Natalie Prass songs are all highlights off their great albums that i voted for

surprised MGMT placed twice but "Me and Michael" is pretty nice so i can't complain too much

Great rundown Will

― resident hack (Simon H.), Tuesday, January 29, 2019 5:28 PM (six hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I liked your Drake story Will

― rob, Tuesday, January 29, 2019 5:29 PM (six hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

^yes, v good blurb

― i stan corrected (morrisp), Tuesday, January 29, 2019 5:31 PM (six hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Thanks for reading the opinions of the ilx countdowns resident dumb guy! I'll be here all week

yes, although I don't agree about your verdict on the Talaboman/Superpitcher, that track is great

I really think it should be listened to with headphone for the fractured vocals dispersed in the stereo field

*headphones*

I love this:

yeah, me and michael is like M83 and OMD joined at the hip

― Rhubarb (Ross), Saturday, June 30, 2018 9:58 AM (six months ago)

Where is Ross? Miss that guy.

i am hoping #54 may be the first saer-approved track

This was the Taliban track? Sorry no:( Didn't exactly dislike it but it didn't really have any particular charm.

I think the closest to an approval so far is probably the Natalie Prass track even though its one of a fair few in the rundown that sound like those bands that go on talk shows. I wouldn't be offended if it came on in a cafe. Felt like a lot of repeats of yesterday so nothing really to add elsewhere

xp I also miss Ross!

who da fuq is ross

like that quote, but Ross is obviously off on his own adventure

note to ||||||||, he was not all that great to begin with

would be glad to see him back though

https://itunes.apple.com/au/playlist/ilms-top-77-tracks-of-2018/pl.u-GoB6SZyPM8g

Apple Music crew, I got you - let me know if this works.

It does, thanks!

Really not feeling this year's rundown so far, so much of it sounds like a comfort-blanket genre exercise which is fine if you like whatever it is you're doing but there's not very much that feels essential or even particularly representative of 2018. That Smoko thing is basically a comfort-blanket genre exercise as well but at least it sounds like they're having fun doing it.

Everyone involved in that Talaboman/Superpitcher record has maybe 20 better tracks each.

Smoko should've been a minute long. Fake it if you don't know what you're doing.

at least it sounds like they're having fun doing it.

Was pretty horrible to listen to but can't argue with this. The vocals on most of the tracks in the rundown sound like they were done by paintings of dead people

lol

I personally hope that the Chats had no fun at all recording their terrible song!

I like its simultaneous embrace and satire of Australian bogan culture. We haven't had a song do that as effectively since Chris Franklin's parody of Meredith Brooks with 'Bloke' in 2000.

Ha, I'll readily admit that would be completely lost on me. I have to say we're not doing too badly as there have only been two songs so far I've had a strong negative reaction to. Matt DC's other point is interesting though, I know my own ballots (albums especially) were quite heavy on my comfort-zone genres this year.

amazingly enough I largely agree with Matt! although we'd best not bring Mitski up again

Strong negative reactions are good not bad! It's a sign the music is worth caring about one way or another. So much of this list is just different flavours of wishy-washy, like Xeroxes of the already Xeroxy bands that appeared at the end of the last season of Twin Peaks.

(I'm happy to exclude Mitski from that fwiw, even if I don't like her music it at least has personality and feels like it has a point to it).

Is that Autechre track worth investing an hour in? Skipping through it it sounded like it was just an hour's worth of ambient drift?

49: Hop Along – “How Simple”

hop along were high enough on my albums ballot that i decided not to vote for them here (also because all those songs are incredible), delighted it placed though!

It basically is that so I guess it comes down to whether that would interest you - I think it's a beautiful piece although there are lots of other tracks from the Autechre set I like more (xpost).

I've already got a fridge to listen to if I'm in the mood for drone thankyouverymuch! At least there's not been too much (c)rap so far!!!

ogmor in a radge mood today. promises much

So much of this list is just different flavours of wishy-washy, like Xeroxes of the already Xeroxy bands that appeared at the end of the last season of Twin Peaks.

This is the thing for me - if I'm listening to a few tracks that sound like that I can really love them, they can take me into a space that's both comforting and eerie, the disaffectedness is really appealing. But then if I'm listening to a whole big list of things that sound like that and are also supposed to be the best tracks of the year then it's underwhelming as hell. I guess all I'm saying is that I understand why people vote for tracks like this (and I voted for some myself) but in the end it winds up a big pile of "meh".

I'm pretty sure I heard 'Smoko' and was underwhelmed by it earlier this year, but in the context of this list it really is a blessed relief. They are human people, goofing the fuck off, making a track that sounds alive.

Hrm, stoked All End made it, but now I wonder if my ballot was counted. I believe I had a mixed songs ballot with All End being #1. Can someone confirm? Maybe I shuffled it around the top 5 at the last minute...

― octobeard, Wednesday, 30 January 2019 02:24 (ten hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I have "All End" as your #3

more like bæll end amirite

what do you think Autechre call their genitals?

haha!

so here's another one that has, as far as I can see, no discussion on ILX at all... of course, it's awfully hard to search, so show me where the party's at

http://i.imgur.com/rrV9G8r.jpg

44: Peach – “Silky” – 202 points – 7 votes
video

amazing tune!

xp though a search did lead me to this choice matt post:
Simon Reynolds is a gobshite

belated note: "I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)" sounds to me like "Wake Me Up When September Ends"

oh this is on midland's label?

Love this one, that snaky dual synth line just ended up stuck in my head for ages and it made my ballot at the last minute.

i talked about this one on ilx but only briefly and prob only i. year-end threads

only in*

anyway, totally bangs

I'm generally not seeking out anything like this during the year, so I'm thankful to get the introduction in the EOY rollout. This is delightful.

(not that I'll likely ever hear it again after Friday)

Is that Autechre track worth investing an hour in? Skipping through it it sounded like it was just an hour's worth of ambient drift?

― Matt DC, Wednesday, January 30, 2019 5:37 AM (forty-five minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

“all.end” works a little better in the context of the nts sessions as a finale of totally exploded sound (which is why i didn’t vote for it despite spending a lot of time with it). but yeah, it’s worth spending time with

Silky is one of those tracks that in the hands of a different producer could have been something enjoyable but ultimately forgettable and (yes) probably wishy-washy but she's taken real care to craft a particular sound that feels unique. I don't think I've heard anything that sounds quite like that tiny-xylophone-in-a-bottle refrain anywhere else. Something about it's propulsion and the care of the sound design reminds me of peak-Booka Shade as well.