ILM's 2019 End of Year Tracks & Albums Poll / VOTING AND CAMPAIGNING THREAD

I nominated a few albums from the Polish label, Instant Classic. There's a thread on them here.

Alameda 5 - Eurodrome (personal standout is "Cdte")
Innercity Ensemble - IV ("Suave Machines")
ARRM - II - ("Birth")

I think this is a label started by a couple of self-professed record collecting music nerds. If you're familiar with Stara Rzeka, you have an idea of where it's coming from. I kind of hate to lump it all together, but there's a common aesthetic to it all: I pick up on elements of psychedelic, punk, free and/or spiritual jazz, maybe retro, "hauntological", industrial, sometimes noisy elements. The biggest trait their releases all share is an adventurousness / fearlessness to the music. Each album is a journey for the listener. It's all kind of dreamlike and trance-inducing. I enjoy listening to these albums in a way that my attention drifts to and from it (it's great music to work or think to). I listen to them over and over at work, while walking, and on public transit. I guess I would recommend to fans of Alice Coltrane, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Swans, Sunwatchers, Kikagaku Moyo, Kim Gordon, and maybe Pyre Corner Audio, although it's definitely all pretty guitar based stuff.

Tim F wrote about some songs from 2019 here

Shuffling the album playlist around Xmas I several times wondered "oooh, who's this?" and it turned out to be Alameda 5!

The Alameda 4 album from the other year was incredible (the numbers refer to how many players are performing) - this one is yet to completely click but there's a lot to like

Eurodrome is my least favourite Alameda album by a long ways :(

LOVE AND AFFECTION FOR STUPID LITTLE BITCHES by Black Dresses is on Spotify now, so I added it to the playlist.

sweet, everyone go listen

As posted on the Rolling Afro 2020 thread:

To show and celebrate the embarassment of riches South African music had to offer in 2019, I made a playlist with all the nominated South African tracks and albums (including two tracks by non-SA artists with significant input by SA artists/producers: “That’s For Me” and “My Power”).

First the 36** nominated tracks, from “Sondela” to “John Cena”, and after that the 9 nominated albums, from Sho Madjozi down to Tresor, coming full circle. I arranged both tracks and albums in an approximation of stylistic order.

(My original intention was to give a bit of context and highlight some tracks and albums, and I might yet do that, but I’m happy to have this playlist sorted. So feel free to explore away, even if you’ve already voted or decided on your ballot. There’s a lot to enjoy!)

Here’s the playlist:
ILM 2019 EOY🇿🇦SOUTH AFRICA

**Missing is Heavy K ft. Moonchild Sanelly’s “Yebo Mama”, which is not on Spotify. This is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmdn52afm2U

(...and a note regarding Kwiish SA’s “Iskhathi”: The original vocal version that I love so much seems to have disappeared completely (I think there was a rights issue). The “Vocal Version” that is on Spotify (and this playlist) is no longer the original vocal version with, you know, actual vocals. There is a video version with re-recorded vocals by Vukani, but it’s not nearly as good.)

There’s more, again see the Rolling Afro 2020 thread: I also made a separate playlist with the nominated [non-South African] AFROPOP tracks and albums. Again, it’s tracks first, albums second, 51 tracks and 19 albums to be precise.

It’s “pop” in the broadest sense: My focus was on the stuff that’s featured on the Afropop thread, but I also included more leftfield stuff: DJ Nigga Fox, Hama and the four (!) Nyege Nyege Tapes albums that were nominated, and music that’s more within the remit of the Global Outernational thread, by KOKOKO!, Blick Bassy, Salif Keita, and Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba. Plus I included an Afropop cut of The Lion King: The Gift. And yeah, I basically excluded Afrodiasporic stuff.

Ultimately, it’s all a bit arbitrary obviously, and I might have missed some things, but whatever. So binge away, or maybe you’d like to shuffle, skip and cherry-pick. Hope you’ll find something to enjoy!

Here’s that playlist in full:
ILM 2019 EOY🔶AFROPOP NOMS

just stumbled across that KOKOKO! song while rifling thru the playlist - it's so great! DRC represent!

^ Innit!

Speaking of Sho Madjozi, I've been contemplating for some days how I might squeeze her into my tracks ballot.

I forgot that DJ Nigga Fox is essentially African too. I think that album might survive my final cull.

Yeah, so much for my no-Afrodiasporic-stuff “rule”, I guess. (Lisbon is pretty close to Africa tho!)

Slight typo in the noms list: 'Tomb Mold - Planetary Clairavoyance'.

Another one: 'Toshio Hosokawa -Gardens'.

Ah, I noticed one too in the Tracks noms: the correct name of the artist is Obongjayar, not “Obangjayar”.

man which billie eilish song am i gonna vote for

Just vote for the same one I had at #1 on my ballot. Easy.

h'okay, voted.

folks don't vote until you've heard the 6-hour Underworld album

Louise Burns made the album 77 a few years ago with Young Mopes and I'm hoping that last year's Portraits might do the same this time. The absence of a Blue Nile cover on this one might hurt her chances, I guess, but the Carlile-core of the rest of it should be sufficient compensation: https://open.spotify.com/album/3QLtE1LINSmpm5b2ITlZ5g

i'm sure i'll love the underworld album when i dig in and i'm equally sure a ballot that i cast tomorrow would look significantly different from what i just submitted. There's just a lot more to do and listen to so I'm gonna keep it movin'

that's fair, just check out this tune at least, might wind up as my #1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtU2Yi2xgGE

yeah, that's grrrrrrreat

the five nom'd billie eilish trax are a v good selection of her output this year!

Louise Burns made the album 77 a few years ago with Young Mopes and I'm hoping that last year's Portraits might do the same this time. The absence of a Blue Nile cover on this one might hurt her chances, I guess, but the Carlile-core of the rest of it should be sufficient compensation: https://open.spotify.com/album/3QLtE1LINSmpm5b2ITlZ5g

― monotony

Brilliant album. It'll be high on my list.

As for Billie Eilish, I love the album but Everything I Wanted is my favourite song she's done. It really hit me hard in the last few weeks.

if there's only one track to hear from Underworld's Drift, it's their 47-minute epic collaboration with the Necks, "Appleshine Continuum"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhcgUodizro

I haven't started on my albums ballot yet, and last night I had an actual nightmare that I hadn't nominated 'Ancestor Boy' by Lafawndah. I think that means I should at least provide a link for people to listen to it: https://lafawndah.bandcamp.com/album/ancestor-boy

I love the album but Everything I Wanted is my favourite song she's done. It really hit me hard in the last few weeks.

same

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK5abCZWdmQ

Always enjoy Eartheater, but 'Solid Liquid Gas' (final track on her album Trinity) is probably my favourite thing she's done since Guardian Alien. Headrush trance synths meet chest-rattling bass, it's love and desire as this volatile flux state - a delirious loss of control, a surrender to the elements. RIYL Glasser, Gang Gang Dance

_I love the album but Everything I Wanted is my favourite song she's done. It really hit me hard in the last few weeks._


same

eartheater rules

just realised we forgot triad god :'(

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86L6qv3F9UU

Wassup! Salut! Hei! How are you doing? I am scoring a goal! Well done mate

Love the Joy Crookes track

Two face(t)s of South African amapiano:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SldyCVP02VM
Zero12finest ft. ThaMagnificent2 - Baby Are You Coming?

Bangs so hard it’s got its own thread.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lbpv1TajH-o
DJ Stokie ft. Loxion Deep & Kabza De Small - Senorita

This glorious flute jam doesn’t even need a thread. It’s a whole vibe, as they say.

here's some enormous psych-power-pop that gets year-of-impacted into 2019 (from late Dec 2018)

Damn, albums ballot is ROUGH GOING this year. Some things will be sacrificed

Anyway, voted!

If it only took you six minutes to sacrifice said things it can't have been that bad.

;)

ah man, i shoulda listed baby are you coming. bah.

bah indeed!

The reason no one has been stanning for Burna Boy’s African Giant album is that everyone already knows it’s the best album of the year, right?

Intense, effortless, hooks for days.

Also, “Anybody” and “Killin Dem” are two of the year’s best tracks.

Come poll time, ILM collectively forgot Weird Al's most recent album and its singles, somehow, though we all had fun with them.

__I love the album but Everything I Wanted is my favourite song she's done. It really hit me hard in the last few weeks._


same_

thirded

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy36CiqEOPA

This is probably just a recreation of a Fresh & Low record but its Christmas and St Paul still isn't back from the Asda

2019 gave us the ultimate proto ideal of hyperactive Japanese idol pop in this song form:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgUm0xYI6fU

^that’s their ‘Phil Spector’s Christmas Album’ for sure, and I’d love it if everyone voted for it. But I voted for “Namadempa”, which is their “River Deep Mountain High”

my dempagumi.inc track of the year was "inochi no yorokobi"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTTnyA38NfE

Voted!

just over six days left to make like Johnny Fever and vote!

Voted. Ruthless shortlisting gave me exactly 25 albums and tracks each on the first which was pleasing. Not had time to listen to the (new to me) noms at all though.