ILM's Top 77 Albums of 2020

Soccer Mommy sounds like... Liz Phair?

not digging that Theo Parrish, too jagged or something

that Ulla thing is bewitching

Thought Georgia would've placed by now but above 15 seems too high

if the 78 is on my ballot, it's ulcerate

Ulla is maybe favorite discovery / most upset about overlooking

of what I've taken any time with so far... same

Chloe X Halle seems like a reasonable shot at the top 15.

my guess for 78 is OPN - Magic

I was cool with this Malkmus album until vocals came in

amaarae
dua lipa
haim
charli
chloe x halle
roisin
the 1975
fiona apple
wizkid
taylor swift x2
jessie ware
sault x2

which is 14

wildcard: boof

oh actually no. 15 is owen, obviously

agree with above that Kate NV has to be included (and i think she will be too)

hm then i guess amaarae got shut out :(

sorry, Evermore

where was my boof crew this year

Caribou is surely to come. Algiers? Avalon Emerson's DJ-Kicks? And yeah OPN usually places high

forgot about Caribou (did vote). tomorrow's gonna be a heartbreaker.

Jessy Lanza perhaps?!?!?!

ok no. But i voted high. I go now

But i voted high.

lmao

I thought US Girls and The Avalanches would do a bit better too but certainly not this high

I didn't, but my tracks ballot kind of looked like it

feeling just like i did last week before the top 15 tracks, like at least 20 more things need to place

Maybe the Kate NV album is the one that got 78ed

Thought for sure it would place since Telefon placed highly in the tracks ballot but I doubt it’s top 15

I'm always amazed at how good people are at estimating what's popular in the ILM hivemind. I literally have no clue and were I to guess, I know I'd be way out. That said I'd love it if the Eddie Chacon album placed

is Megan Thee Stallion likely to place?

It's always hard to tell what's actually popular, but it felt like there was very little discussion of that Caribou album here or elsewhere soon after it came out. It's solid but it didn't really stick with me.

the eddie chacon is the one record i really regret not voting for

Backxwash?

feeling just like i did last week before the top 15 tracks, like at least 20 more things need to place

same, I'm even wondering if maybe only one taylor placed? could that happen??

Yeah Ulla album is amazing, glad to hear so many people are loving it!!

Algiers are definitely out, I'm one of their biggest pushers on here and even I kept them in tracks this year

I thought ILM loved Carly Rae Jepsen. Will she really not be in this?

The Carly album was B-sides to a release that itself was liked but I think not loved, so I wouldn't expect to see it here.

Brad's revised & updated list looks pretty solid with the possible exception of chloe x halle?

xp She was fifth last year! And her B-Sides albums have both been nearly as strong. I didn't imagine it wouldn't be here at all.

CRJ didn't even make the tracks list, her natural kingdom

Gigi snubbed too. How could you ilx

there are some jams on dedicated side b but it's the most her outtakes have ever felt like outtakes. still, the day it came out was wonderful

I'm new to these polls but thought it would have been fitting if Alabaster dePlume could have won.

Sooo, Sault for #1 track AND album???

sault could sweep but i'm still 1000 percent certain jessie ware will win

same, I'm even wondering if maybe only one taylor placed? could that happen??

― stimmy stimmy yah (Simon H.), Thursday, February 4, 2021 2:34 PM (nine minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

it could happen and maybe everyone else would be relieved but i would be upset :)

oh yeah, rob, Cleo did place, I forgot.

you're right about the Azana album being miles ahead of the Simmy and Sun-El sophomores. like Simmy's debut, it works perfectly as an album, every song works, there's no padding. the Simmy and Sun-El however (disclaimer: these albums do contain some of the most beautiful music of the year! Sun-El may have had the best run of singles of anyone in 2020!) feel more like folders to me: "we just put everything in there, you pick and choose your own favourites, okay?"

the approach works well with those equally long-ass amapiano albums, but not with the Sun-El sound*, I feel. maybe it's because amapiano is more beat-driven and these albums work as collections of very rewarding variations? they allow you to just immerse yourself and luxuriate in the wonderful sameness of it all, but you can also choose to focus on your favourites (which I tend to do with the Kabza albums, for instance), whatever suits you best. the Sun-El sound is too dependent on those gorgeous melodies and he doesn't have enough of them to sustain such long albums, and there's too much mundaneness creeping in. a little trimming would have gone such a long way.

*please do not confuse the Sun-El sound with amapiano!

(sorry for my rambling, i'm terrible at coherently describing music)

If Taylor Swift wins I'm quitting ILX

Are we just assuming Evermore makes the top 15? I think there's a fair chance it won't

No Biffy Clyro?

Just listened to the Azana album while taking a rare bubblebath. Excellent soundtrack. I enjoyed Your Love last year but burnt out in it, which is maybe why I didn't bother with the album til now. Enjoyed the more Sade-like moments

i don't think taylor has a chance of winning in the year that jessie ware released ILM: The Album

Good post breastcrawl, and reading it I had the thought that part of the problem is the "folder" approach runs so counter to the spirit of the house-sun-el scene. Part of its appeal is the sense you get of a sophisticated, thoughtful elegance presiding over everything. It's like someone serving you a complex, delicious cocktail and then they bring you a full pitcher of them.

I'm new to these polls but thought it would have been fitting if Alabaster dePlume could have won.

I made it my #1 essentially for that reason -- people swooning over it was one of the nicer ILM moments in 2020 for me. In retrospect, I kind of wish I'd switched it with Pa Salieu.

Great post upthread re: sun-el sound, breastcrawl. That's exactly what I took from Azana - it was nice background music for me but there were particular moments that stood out. While "wallpaper" might sound like a diss, it's not so in this case

Pa Salieu def a brilliant discovery