ILM’s Top 77 Albums of 2018

think i'm correct in saying that eiko oshibashi is the first record on drag city to make one of these lists since, um, joanna newsome? would never have happened if DC hadn't just recently dropped their no streaming policy amirite

i'd still be pretty surprised if Simmy doesn't place, she got ~16 voters in the tracks poll so she still has a good chance here. though it would be partially my fault if Tugela Fairy didn't place as i only voted for "Ubala" and really should have voted for the album too, but it only really went from 'good' to 'great' for me in the last week

think i'm correct in saying that eiko oshibashi is the first record on drag city to make one of these lists since, um, joanna newsome? would never have happened if DC hadn't just recently dropped their no streaming policy amirite

― my name is leee john, for we are many (NickB),

Would like to think people weren't that lazy/cheap that ALL their listening was done via streaming and didn't actually buy their music from time to time

I only got around to the hearing the Gurrumul record through the playlist here. The arrangements are certainly way more interesting than I had realised. Fairly impressive that something like that topped the Aus charts.

actually i'm thinking that bill callahan or will oldham or 6ooa or rangda might have 77'ed at some point in the last 10 years? they all seem like ancient history now though xp

I got the impression that many voters for “Ubala” and/or “Umahlalela” weren’t even aware she had an album out, but I would love to be proven wrong.

re: Simmy

I'm pretty sure I can name ~30 albums that will definitely place from here on in but I haven't the faintest idea what's going to be #1.

i got 'best of pinkfong' and that's it

what's going to be the joke placement, Idles?

ooof that'd be a good one

catching up on thread - usually more hyped for the tracks poll, but I'm really liking this rollout so far! Intrigued by Senyawa and Hailu Mergia.

Forgot to vote for Mariah, surprised to see Cardi so low. Charlie Puth is ugh - I actually don't hate most of the singles I've heard, but pretty much all of them seem to be about how terrible his girlfriends are.

imo these are all gonna place

Ariana Grande
Musgraves
The 1975
Kali Uchis
Mitski
Robyn
Earl Sweatshirt
Pusha T
Tracey Thorn
Low
Rosalia
SOPHIE
Julia Holter
Let's Eat Grandma
Against All Logic
Arctic Monkeys
Yves Tumor

sounds right except for against all logic

i'd add The Beths, Sun-El Musician, and Janelle Monae to that and then i can think of 25 or so others that seem like decent chances of filling the remaining spots. the only one of those i could imagine not making it is A.A.L?

oh yeah duh to all of those

And Autechre iirc

I could honestly imagine the Grande getting 78'd though

yes to Autechre

I don't think Earl Sweatshirt of Yves Tumor are locks either.

was hoping drug church would place in the lower regions of the chart oh well

add to simon's list: hop along

I'm hoping Sons of Kemet are still to come.

no love for lil xan?

i'm hoping there's some chance Madeline Kenney still places but that seems pretty unlikely at this stage

yes to Sons of Kemet and Hop Along, no to Drug Church :( (not for my lack of trying!)

I think the US Girls album will be in there, probably Christine & The Queens as well. Has the Rolling Blackouts album placed yet?

it hasn't and I could see it making it in soon. I don't think US Girls are gonna make it :/

Chris will definitely make it and i would really hope US Girls are too

oh i would have that MAH wudda made the tracks

no one else has said much in its favour but I love how elegantly understated devotion is. at times it feels very interior, conversations being rehearsed and thought over rather than reported. it's quite oblique in how its presented, with flat affect giving way to vulnerability and then dreaming off again. it's not really like anything else I've heard and it's easily my fav thing mica levi has been involved in, such a good pairing

for anyone who needed a recap

77: Amen Dunes – Freedom - 189 points – 7 votes
76: Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel - 190 points – 7 votes – 1 first place vote
75: Charlie Puth – Voicenotes - 192 points – 6 votes – 1 first place vote
74: Jean Grae & Quelle Chris – Everything’s Fine - 202 points – 11 votes
73: Senyawa – Sujud - 204 points – 6 votes
72: Wednesday Campanella – Galapagos - 206 points – 7 votes
71: Kero Kero Bonito – Time ‘n’ Place - 208 points – 8 votes
70: Kadhja Bonet – Childqueen - 208 points – 9 votes
69: Ghost – Prequelle - 214 points – 6 votes
68: YOB – Our Raw Heart – 214 points – 8 votes – 1 first place vote
67: Kamasi Washington – Heaven and Earth - 216 points – 10 votes
66: Hailu Mergia – Lala Belu - 221 points – 10 votes
65: Skee Mask – Compro - 225 points – 9 votes
64: Yamantaka // Sonic Titan – Dirt - 227 points – 8 votes
63: Mariah Carey – Caution - 228 points – 11 votes
62: Cardi B – Invasion of Privacy - 230 points – 10 votes
61: Andrew WK – You’re Not Alone - 233 points – 8 votes – 1 first place vote
60: Mount Eerie – Now Only - 234 points – 8 votes
59: Burna Boy – Outside - 240 points – 9 votes - 1 first place vote
58: Jon Hopkins – Singularity - 240 points – 10 votes
57: Wye Oak - The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs - 243 points – 8 votes
56: Foxing - Nearer My God - 247 points – 9 votes
55: The Armed - Only Love - 251 points – 9 votes - 1 first place vote
54: Domenique Dumont - Miniatures De Auto Rhythm - 253 points – 10 votes
53: Deafheaven - Ordinary Corrupt Human Love - 254 points – 7 votes
52: Noname - Room 25 - 257 points – 11 votes
51: Boygenius - Boygenius EP - 260 points – 9 votes - 1 first place vote
50: Laurel Halo - Raw Silk Uncut Wood - 260 points – 10 votes - 1 first place vote
49: The Breeders - All Nerve - 267 points – 10 votes
48: Sleep - The Sciences - 270 points – 8 votes
47: Neneh Cherry - Broken Politics - 275 points – 9 votes
46: Saba - Care for Me - 276 points – 9 votes - 1 first place vote
45: Helena Hauff - Qualm - 280 points – 9 votes
44: Eiko Ishibashi - The Dream My Bones Dream - 282 points – 10 votes
43: Black Dresses - Wasteisolation - 285 points – 7 votes - 1 first place vote
42: Gang Gang Dance - Kazuashita - 300 points – 13 votes
41: Ashley Monroe - Sparrow - 304 points – 12 votes
40: Natalie Prass - The Future & The Past - 306 points – 11 votes
39: Snail Mail - Lush - 308 points – 9 votes - 1 first place vote
38: Parquet Courts - Wide Awake - 323 points – 10 vote
37: Mewithoutyou - untitled - 328 points – 9 votes - 3 first place votes
36: Meshell Ndegeocello - Ventriloquism - 329 points – 13 votes
35: DJ Koze - Knock Knock- 330 points – 13 votes
34: Tirzah - Devotion - 334 points – 10 votes

Ones I thought had a chance but not sure they'll place now:

Tess Roby
Spiritualized
Gwenno

I'm still holding out for Daphne and Celeste, but I'm not entirely sure if that will happen.

if Spiritualized place it'll be entirely on reputation imo, that album is a pale, pale shadow

shhhhh MarkoP, let it be a surprise

I could honestly imagine the Grande getting 78'd though

Aw yeah Gwenno, think her beautiful record is not even close to placing tbf, but would love to be proven otherwise

Also apologies if Let's Eat Grandma narrowly misses out as it was one of my favourites from the year but I completely forgot to vote for it.

no chance in hell

hands up if you actually voted for the album and not one of the singles

three albums I voted for have placed so far. i don't think that's ever happened before!

Tirzah album does actually perk up a bit, beginning with 'Holding On' - I can start to see what ogmor is on about now. The first few tracks give it a really slow start but there's more happening now, weirdly

'Guilty' is like the 0PN album but better

No one cared about the last Oneohtrix, right?

no it was pretty bad, was the general consensus (and imo)

defenders, now is your hour!

save us from placement speculation, Moka! (the other chatter is helpful, good to hear people's takes on stuff)

_no chance in hell_

hands up if you actually voted for the album and not one of the singles

A few predictions that I don't think have been mentioned yet, I still have hope Kali Uchis is to come. I would have expected her to place but possibly a lot lower down. I could see Hatchie's EP making it too. The previous Gas album made the top 20 last year. Did this one get a similar buzz? Tierra Whack? Daphne and Celeste? Arctic Monkeys?

I'm certain US Girls are going to be higher up. I think they could even be top 10 contenders. Simmy seems very likely too, followed by a handful of us all saying we wish we'd heard the album earlier so we could have voted for it.

US Girls placing would surprise me. It felt like everyone really liked a handful of the tracks (but not the same handful) and was a bit wary of its cohesion as an album

Once again I may be conflating my own opinion with everyone else's though ;)