ILM’s Top 77 Albums of 2018

Had hoped that Neko Case or Johan Johannsson would make it, but suspect too late now. Only one of my picks not mentioned which may have a chance is Young Fathers, but not seeing much discussion about them here.

I was thinking this AAL was fine but sort of boilerplate and badly produced and then I found out it was by Nicolas Jaar and the weird critical hosannas suddenly made sense. The cult of the pompously revered dance producer is so boring at this stage.

(Speaking of which if the DJ Healer album has missed the 77 I will be so happy).

Wow @ McCraven so far. This is like four mini-albums!

the band w the worst name in the world will place top 10

mr twin sister

surprised this wasn't higher tbh though it didn't make my list. this seems like a very ILM top 10 type record

― octobeard, Wednesday, February 6, 2019 5:39 PM (twenty minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Same here, was sure it would be up there.

A few of my votes in this last run - SOPHIE, RBCF, Kali Uchis and Hop Along. The SOPHIE record in particular was a nice surprise as I hadn't previously been a fan (although I liked 'Nothing More to Say').

Friendly reminder to vote in this year's Metal poll:

https://www.popmatters.com/yves-tumor-safe-hands-love-2607254603.html

the Pistol Annies record has been finishing higher in music polls across the board, it's the most common #2 album I see on country polls as well (Kacey's is almost always #1.)

The 2018 ILX Metal n' Heavy Rock Poll VOTING + CAMPAIGNING thread! Ballots due Saturday, Feb. 9th!

that's a spoiler isn't it

the mccraven is a top 5 for me for sure; so pissed i missed his set last month

The results have been compromised!!

maybeee... I'm very distracted today hahaha

mccraven record is cool, one of the (few) nice discoveries so far.

we're thinking of allowing a weeks extension for metal poll incase more of you are interested in taking part after hearing albums here.

Imago & TT will be the deciders haha

McCraven is sounding good. There's stuff going on. Much less noodly than expected. I guess that's where the editing aspect came in

I am not a decider but I would appreciate one more week

I propose that it runs tomorrow and only my ballot is counted

just spent the past 15 minutes getting irritated by the sophie album.

Yeah it seems a lot to ask for us to formulate a ballot while following albums poll with bated breath. Maybe extending it out to the next Friday would be the shrewd move...xp

(Haha Moka thanks for the help btw but are you saying that YT won't be placing so we'd better vote for it in the metal poll?) (bcz it's not nominated...)

I'd somehow semi-consciously been assuming that Against All Logic was a punk band. Weird.

My ears are fucked so I'm not going to be able to dedicate enough listening time to join in the metal poll. Sadface.

My shit autocorrect tried to change ' sadface' to sofa emperor, which is a marginally less shit band name than Let's Eat Grandma. Topical.

Sofa Emperor, a few steps above Sofa King.

Sofa, So Good, So What?

Sorry.

Glad for Tirzah, TFS (how is that not a good name ? and that cover ! and how can you not have followed The Drones / Gareth Liddiard !!??), AAL and Kali Uchis, who could have been even higher.
Interested to hear the Gang gang dance. I'm relatively indifferent towards the rest, many bands I just haven't followed.
Couldn't get any interest from the Makaya, and I think I like jazz.
Tierra Whack will never place. Not many hopes for Simmy either.

I was re-listening to Luisa Maita and wonder how it would ever possible to conduct a 2010s poll without infinite splitting. It's ok to have boring ILM bands for a year poll, but for a decade... it would really hurt !!

anyone know what happened to Moka's graphic for #36: Meshell Ndegeocello - Ventriloquism?

https://imgur.com/KOH8KcC

:-(

Quietus ran a headline that said "Let's Eat Grandma's Favorite Albums" which made me come around on the band name a little

also lol that if i'd voted this year LJ an i would have had the same #1

if you do enough polls eventually everyone aligns with lj once

And that was great (re McCraven). Totally get why someone would pick it as aoty.

Oh, I like Tropical Fuck Storm so far, based on the first song! I was expecting some kind of arch, cold Brit-postpunk thing but this actually feels like fun, inviting noisy rock 'n' roll that gets a lot of what I enjoy about 80s Amerindie and 70s hard rock. In a weird way, I actually thought of Thin Lizzy a little!

anyone know what happened to Moka's graphic for #36: Meshell Ndegeocello - Ventriloquism?

https://imgur.com/KOH8KcC

:-(

― gr8080

There was an error in the scores and I deleted it, but posted the link to the correct version shortly after the result.

thank you!

RIP Tal National btw. I thought that album had a shot ;_;

Only one more placement from me, it seems

Jordan & Brad are both fantastic writers/posters whose opinions I particularly respect, so I'm gonna quickly respond to the below points -- purely on my own behalf, as a lover of the album, and not on behalf of "critical consensus" or however others may be rating it (cuz I can only speak for myself):

the critical consensus that sweetener is the pinnacle of both ariana's career and pop in 2018 instead of re-heated pharrell leftovers from 2005 with a few nice max martin songs is just completely baffling to me

― J0rdan S., Wednesday, February 6, 2019 8:09 AM

sweetener so dramatically worse than dangerous woman i still can't believe ppl rate it so high

― jolene club remix (BradNelson), Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Dangerous Woman is a terrific album, but I personally love Sweetener even more, because -- (a) its high points are even higher for me, and (b) its lyrics are stronger and I guess more "personal"/interesting (DW's somewhat generic lyrics are its Achilles heel, IMO).

Popcore conquers all!!

That said I think gr80 and I have aligned before. Richard Dawson and that Oranssi Pazuzu track iirc

My favorite thing TFS released in 2018 was their wild cover of "Stayin' Alive."

Gr80 was a proponent of the Botanist album as well

Atlantic Black is an especially great bit of the McCraven album I'm finding

no. 1 either gonna be the 1975, low, or kacey imo, big maybes for mitski, robyn, and beach house too

regardless i am rooting for aviary both for its merits and for the potential lj meltdown

three times I sat through that album, three times. biblical

would love aviary to win, but can’t really see it happening

Low would be an amazing winner but it's gonna be kacey

Kacey would be an amazing winner but it's gonna be the 1975

My favorite thing TFS released in 2018 was their wild cover of "Stayin' Alive."
― Chris L, Wednesday, February 6, 2019 7:47 PM (nine minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Thank you ! Well worth tracking.

no 1 has to be kacey surely

the 1975 had what seven songs in the top eight on the tracks countdown, or something terrible like that? i figure it's gotta be them.

I #1spotted Aviary without a second thought. I'd be really happy if it was Musgraves. The rest can get lost in the storm.

FM! and/or ASTROWORLD possible for the top 20? I will be disappointed if Whack World does not make it.

vince & travis aren't getting higher than earl or push