ILM's 2020 End of Year Tracks & Albums Poll / VOTING AND CAMPAIGNING THREAD

right after i typed my alexander deplume post, i went in for an MRI and they offered to play ported-in youtube music during the scan for me and i asked if they could play cy and lee and it made the whole experience almost enjoyable.

ugh i just realised i forgot to nominate the beths - "out of sight". must have seen that "dying to believe" was nominated and got mixed up somehow

I'd assumed that one had been nominated too - it's even on my draft ballot

If you're going to listen to one thing from my ballot, please listen to Dijf Sanders - Ravana.

Not really sure how to describe this track, it's pretty amazing and I more people should listen to it:

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

Also just noticed that in the nominations it says Djif Sanders instead of Dijf Sanders (my fault for making a typo in the nominations). Could somebody correct that please?

I've said it in few prior threads but the track i would beg everyone to listen to before they vote is "Yaz Abantu" by Gwamba and Mlindo the Vocalist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4afXKoaNIvA

If you're going to listen to one thing from my ballot, please listen to Dijf Sanders - Ravana.

This is wonderful. Fuck, I'm definitely making room for this. I've been trying to keep up the idea that this poll is going to be a big fun escape from everything but the world is so shit and I am so depressed and tired I was tempted to just throw a ballot containing nothing but my band and Scooter at it, but discoveries like this really help get my energy back up.

(I'm not actually voting for my band btw, it's Not The Done Thing, even though I'm so proud of that record and I'll be bummed out to not make any EoY lists at all)

I think my favorite discovery off the noms list so far is Hen Ogledd, "Trouble"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWghsLiZL5k

Strangely, the rest of the album leaves me cold! But this song, wow.

fwiw em, Slum of Legs is on my short list; I think you have enough hometown fans here to crack a 77... and if not, you're top 77 in my heart

Aww <3

Yeah I quite like that Hen Ogledd track too. Had just assumed they were some Welsh band in the mould of Melys so was surprised to find out Richard Dawson is a member. Haven't heard anything else by them though xps

I really like the Slum of Legs track on the playlist and will probably be making room for it on my ballot

SOL gonna be on my tracks ballot for sure

That Hen Ogledd track is a clear highlight of their album too yes

it's very difficult for me to pay attention to any of this but I will try to vote.

“Problem Child” by Hen Ogledd from their previous album was also #2 or 3 on my ballot a couple years ago.

lol ok so somebody added some christian audio book track to the Spotify playlist, "our healthily body conditions" from abraham's teachings - an introduction

lol, okay i am leaving that

that is nothing like what i expected hen ogledd to sound

Beatrice Dillon was not slept on by ILX but I want to put a good word in for "Workaround" anyway, in case anyone missed it: https://beatricedillon.bandcamp.com/album/workaround

Another lesson learned to pay more attention to nominations: how did one Kate NV track get in and not be Sayonara, Marafon 15 or Plans?

I reckon most people will just vote for the album instead

ballot submitted i think, computer glitch halfway thru' so fingers crossed it worked

cheers to silverfish for Jockstrap tip, not just that track but the whole record is great

I never actually got around to listening to the album, I guess I'll do that now

it is dead good

cuz the whole album ruuuules !

Wish i had nominated some though. I probably won't even vote in tracks unless i get to spend most of the weekend going through noms. Here's hoping.

it is good, it is weird

if anyone else is interested in hearing some intricate & elegiac fringe indie that almost nobody has heard of, i am obsessing over this today, the incredible spin-off sequel to a merely decent record that came out to greater notice earlier in the year

https://surfacetoairmissive.bandcamp.com/album/shellys-secret

i meant Kate NV. but i got to check more of these albums getting talked up

gonna vote soon, but first i wanted to rep for some rap songs i'm putting on my ballot

king von - "took her to the o": one of my fav story raps in a long while. it's hard not to hang on every word--von had a kind of controlled intensity on the mic not seen since dmx. it's harder to listen to now, since von's murder, but it's a remarkably well-crafted narrative, and chopsquad dj's whirling dervish of a beat gives the song a sense of paranoid intensity. and the story pays off, ending on a bleak bit of gallows humor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzt31eJTGxo

sada baby - "aktivated": effective, propulsive sample with a bug-eyed vocal. an anthem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q_a6gCou0E

rio da yung og & louie ray - "movie": quintessential michigan rap, two guys competing with one another to see who can be the most disrespectful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm1ToRW0ip8

los & nutty - "i'm jus fuckin around": more tag-team michigan rap, this time both guys take an instrumental funky enough for '90s dj quik and fight so hard against the beat they prob got calls from vince mcmahon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtmK4owlW3Q

pg ra & jetsonmade - "keeping time": beautiful, subdued, street wisdom with booming 808s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PxRBDsCejU

42 dugg - "one of one" ft. babyface ray: sensing a theme here, another detroit duo. helluva is one of the smoothest producers around, combining detroit's propulsiveness with high-def west coast sheen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd5Qe5eW12s

brian brown - "runnin" ft. reaux marquez: soulful southern rap in the isaiah rashad mold with an understated earworm hook.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05AxIXk1GCY

yg teck - "what you know": lyrics are poignant and reflective, but what i really love about this song is the bouncy piano and teck's prominent baltimore accent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLEPAI2-yFc

sorry didn't mean to embed, used to be that posting the short code would post as a url, not an embed

Another lesson learned to pay more attention to nominations: how did one Kate NV track get in and not be Sayonara, Marafon 15 or Plans?

― or something.

Would’ve voted for those. The one nommed isn’t a highlight for me.

sometimes you just need a song to get louder as it goes on. this just hits all my pleasure spots. apology if this is the wrong thread to campaign.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE7vLPSfw6Q

2020 was obviously a great year for disco/post-disco and whilst ilx heavyweights Jessie, Dua, Roisin et al will be getting lots of love, the Horse Meat Disco album is also worthy of your attention, with this track featuring legend Kathy Sledge being one of the many highlights

Horse Meat Disco feat Kathy Sledge - Falling Deep In Love

just got to a slew of rob nominations on the playlist, all new to me, an excellent run. especially like govana,aidonia 'yeah man'.

*i only vote for stuff i heard pre nom period so i can't help these trax but they all seem like keepers to me.

(*I made an exception for the Slum of Legs album.)

cheers, oscar!
I basically follow the same not-new-to-me policy, as much to make ballot finalizing less of a nightmare as to reflect what *my* 2020 was actually like. tbh: with regret, I just couldn't muster the energy to comb the playlist this year

same tbh, I'll be doing well if I even get a ballot in

holy shit that Pet Shop Boys was 2020? god damn this year went slow

I voted. note to self: nominate more tracks next year!!!!!

Horse Meat Disco

holy shit

I really didn't spend any time here all year and am debating whether or not I will submit a ballot, but I hope Komplicerad by Miss Li gets some attention. To my ears it is basically 2020 Call Me Maybe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbsKcqVUd8w

I'm now on the good side of those who have voted ! Join us !

Voted last week but have since fallen heavily for the Mary Halvorson album: please give this love! It has a brace of impossibly cosy Robert Wyatt contributions! Top 10 in my heart.

Regrettably didn't get around to the Bug+Dis Fig or CS+Kreme albums until now either but both are really satisfying gloom.

Would love to see Echos by Beatriz Ferreyra place in the tracks list - no idea whether it got much attention here but it is crushing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0b-u69xdws

Voted! I have a feeling my tracks ballot is going to look deranged when I look at it after the rollout—what a year...

Voted... and have just realised I made a mistake on my albums ballot (put the wrong album by an artist with more than one on the noms list).

When's the deadline again?

Week today

just voted!

I hope Komplicerad by Miss Li gets some attention

There won't be space on my ballot, but I found this on the nominations playlist and saved it! Kind of reminds me of Every Night by Hannah Diamond.

37 ballots in, good job everyone, keep voting!