ILM’s Top 77 Albums of 2018

Great poll!

Moka, tell us: who bears the onus of 78?

wait, people are saying the new one is the *best* Low album? I've got to get back to it to relisten

Good winner, pretty great 77.

Thankig u Moka, Forks and Seandalai! <3

it is def a contender for best Low album, though Trust is my sentimental fave

As someone who's gone between indifference and mild delight re: Low since the 90s, this is the only one that makes my jaw drop.

The Curtain Hits The Cast will always be my fave Low album

Low is one where there are a lot of contenders for best album and whenever anyone argues for any one of theirs being their best, it's usually a sound argument.

Great work pollrunners, thanks to all of you.

I have read only acess to the document, so seandalai will post the results later I guess but 78 was:

Beak> - >>>

my guess is sandro

I've been a big Low fan since the mid 90's and if this isn't their best album, it's definitely in contention. Secret Name means a lot more to me personally, but *best* is a tricky thing.

things we lost in the fire is still my fav but this one is up there

Simmy was #80
:((((((((((

Album with the most votes that didn't get to the top 77 was Grouper - Grid of Points with 9 votes. Ended up in place 87.

Album with the most number one votes that didn't make it was Simmy - Tugela Fairy with 2 number one votes. Ended up in place 80.

wow that's a truly excellent top 4 and a pretty decent top 20 overall, surprised that Low beat Kacey by so much though. my only real complaint is that OPN album placing which was easily his worst and pretty bad really

I really should have voted for Simmy especially since she was so close! sorry all

great work to moka, forks, and seandalai, thanks for running things

sean will drop full list soon i'm sure but:

Beak> #78
Current 93 #79
Jon Hassell, Sarah Davachi #81
Hausswolff , Mr Fingers #83
Tierra Whack #86
Grouper #87
Khruangbin #88
Hunee #89
Mid-Air Thief #90
Rico Nasty #91
Terekke #92
Spiritualized #93
Emma Ruth Rundler #94
Melody's Echo Chamber #95
Objekt #96
Rae Morris #97
"We Out Here" #98
The Amazing #99
Marie Davidson #100
Cavern of Anti Matter #101
Soccer Mommy #102
Kyler Gann #103
Black Panther OST #104
Neko Case #105
Szun Waves #106
Red Velvet #107

simmy was my number one
probs my favourite record this decade

sorry, DJ Healer also at #83

nice to see The Amazing crack the top 100 considering most of the posts about them on here are by me lol

Aw, depending on points there's a chance Black Panther OST and Emma Ruth Rundle would have placed in the top 77 had I been able to get a ballot together.

where'd lykke li place, forks?

That "We Out Here" comp is great. Think it slipped off my ballot right at the end

lykke is at, um #354

Awww I knew Mid-air Thief was bubbling right underneath

some absolute shiters beat that rico nasty record

Mid-Air Thief were robbed - that album is blissful.

Damn, I was one place out with my Current 93 estimate!

lol I let Max Tundra know that ILX put his album top 20 and he retweeted the poll thread :D

Mid-Air Thief definitely one of those things that would've made Top 20 if people here had actually heard the record

xxxxx'ps

The Brandi C. album sort of straddles the line btw. country, "Americana," and just plain "singer-songwriter" excellence. If y'all who haven't heard it have even a passing interest in any of those styles, I urge you to check it out (it'll probably win big at the Grammys!)

yeah i heard the mid-air thief record for the first time last week and whaddya know it's beautiful

A big thank you to all the pollrunners from me as well! And hey everybody, yes, here it is…

YOUR OFFICIAL COUNTRY BREAKDOWN:

AUSTRALIA (3): Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Tropical Fuck Storm, Courtney Barnett.
CANADA (2): Black Dresses, Yamantaka // Sonic Titan.
CHILE (½): Against All Logic (½).
COLOMBIA (½): Kali Uchis (½).
ETHIOPIA (1): Hailu Mergia.
FRANCE (1): Christine & The Queens.
GERMANY (3): DJ Koze, Helena Hauff, Skee Mask.
INDONESIA (1): Senyawa.
JAPAN (2½): Mitski (½), Eiko Ishibashi, Wednesday Campanella.
LATVIA (1): Dominique Dumont.
NEW ZEALAND (1): The Beths.
NIGERIA (1): Burna Boy.
SOUTH AFRICA (1): Sun-El Musician.
SPAIN (1): Rosalía.
SWEDEN (3): Robyn, Neneh Cherry, Ghost.
UK (10): The 1975, Autechre, Sons of Kermet, Tracey Thorn, Let's Eat Grandma, SOPHIE, Arctic Monkeys, Tirzah, Jon Hopkins, Kero Kero Bonito.
USA (44½): Low, Kacey Musgraves, Julia Holter, Janelle Monáe, Mitski (½), Oneohtrix Point Never, Beach House, U.S. Girls, Mr Twin Sister, MGMT, Yves Tumor, Daphne & Celeste, Kali Uchis (½), Pusha T, Hop Along, Against All Logic (½), Ariana Grande, Makaya McCraven, Earl Sweatshirt, Meshell Ndegeocello, mewithoutyou, Parquet Courts, Snail Mail, Natalie Prass, Ashley Monroe, Gang Gang Dance, Saba, Sleep, The Breeders, Laurel Halo, boygenius, Noname, Deafheaven, The Armed, Foxing, Wye Oak, Mount Eerie, Andrew W.K., Cardi B, Mariah Carey, Kamasi Washington, YOB, Kadhja Bonet, Jean Grae & Quelle Chris, Charlie Puth, Amen Dunes.

As was to be expected, an even greater US dominance than in the tracks poll. (Is it okay if I say, unfortunately?)

Ah, 3 of my votes placed (forgot about CB)

I thought US Girls was Canadian, but I could be remembering incorrectly.

the mid air thief record was very charming but didn't have enough bouncebackability for me to return in the autumn and winter, when maybe it would have worked better

I thought US Girls was Canadian, but I could be remembering incorrectly.

― Johnny Fever, Thursday, 7 February 2019 21:05 (one minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

American; moved to Canada

thank you everyone for putting this on. Low didn't make my 25 but the album is great. happy to see them still getting love on here. I actually got into them somewhere around 2006 through a poll on ILM about the best albums from the 2000's first half. I think I picked up Things We Lost in the Fire and Trust because of that. Loved them ever since. Nothing else quite hit me like those did but will give this one a closer observation after seeing so much love for it on here.

that low record is dope; good job team

That is way too much USA.

Autechre was my #1, Aviary my #2. very happy with how this all turned out. great list. had not previously heard the Sun-el Musician album either. digging it so far

you'd like Simmy's album too then

this what you people call albums?

jk nice rollout, thanks guys

Simmy’s Tugela Fairy is pretty much a perfect album, quite literally. Such an incredibly warm and soothing record, and so impeccably structured too. The uptempo seven-song sequence from “Hamba Juba” through “Ngonile” is flawless, my favorite stretch on any album this year. The buildup to it includes “Ubala” (!), and there’s a lovely cooldown section too. Simply gorgeous.

Simmy’s Tugela Fairy is pretty much a perfect album, quite literally. Such an incredibly warm and soothing record, and so impeccably structured too. The uptempo seven-song sequence from “Hamba Juba” through “Ngonile” is flawless, my favorite stretch on any album this year. The buildup to it includes “Ubala” (!), and there’s a lovely cooldown section too. Simply gorgeous.

yesss

It does repeat saying

Would definitely have voted for Simmy if it had come across my radar sooner

So gutted the best album of the year, by far, didn’t even place - knowing that it would have ranked even higher than Sun-El if we had done the album poll after the tracks rollout...

When can we start nominating for Album of the Decade?

I'm happy at the way the top16 looks, except for some middle bafflement for Autechre (haven't heard it), #3 (it's... alright) and obviously #1 and especially at that score (it's... average. I don't know, compared to, say, Slowdive's last album for ex. Are you serious guys ?).

That is way too much USA.

― jmm, donderdag 7 februari 2019 22:15 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

You think?

COUNTRY BREAKDOWN, TRACKS AND ALBUMS COMBINED:

USA: 77⅓ (325⁄6 + 44½)
UK: 23 (13 + 10)
GERMANY: 7⅓ (4⅓ + 3)
AUSTRALIA: 7 (4 + 3)
CANADA: 5 (3 + 2)
SWEDEN: 4⅓ (1⅓ + 3)
SOUTH AFRICA: 4 (3 + 1)
JAPAN: 3½ (1 + 2½)
SPAIN: 3⅓ (2⅓ + 1)
NEW ZEALAND: 3 (2 + 1)
FRANCE: 2½ (1½ + 1)
IRELAND: 2 (2 + 0)
NIGERIA: 2 (1 + 1)
SOUTH KOREA: 2 (2 + 0)
COLOMBIA: 1⅓ (5⁄6 + ½ )
DENMARK: 1 (1 + 0)
ETHIOPIA 1 (0 + 1)
INDONESIA: 1 (0 + 1)
ITALY: 1 (1 + 0)
LATVIA: 1 (0 + 1)
CHILE: ½ (0 + ½)
HONDURAS: ½ (½ + 0)
PUERTO RICO: ⅓ (⅓ + 0)

Too bad U.S. Girls isn’t/aren’t actually half-Canadian. It would have denied US acts the actual, factual, absolute majority they have now…