ILM's Top 77 Albums of 2020

"unless" doing a lot of work there unfortunately

Owen’s my no. 1! and Island has become an all-time top favorite!

is made in lagos the greatest album of all time y/y

<3 Brad

would lol so hard if 1975 are the only dudes in the top 10

Is 78 Caribou?

I don't think Sault really fit the all-female idea

Is 78 Caribou?

― Indexed

We got a winner!

if we're going to have the '75 let's have 'em at 11, shall we?

https://i.imgur.com/6CJmIFs.jpg
#11: Charli XCX - How I'm Feeling Now - 587 points - 18 votes - 1 Nº1 vote

Charli XCX

“Long dismissed as a weird starlet in pop’s ordered constellation, Charli XCX suddenly has the entire world on her wavelength and admirably in this unprecedented chaos she has emerged with her most consistent, rewarding and relatable album. This is undoubtedly next level Charli.”
https://www.loudandquiet.com/reviews/charli-xcx-how-im-feeling-now/

“While it may not be the proper sequel to the ambitious Charli, how i'm feeling now's rawness and immediacy give it an appeal all its own. More than just an interesting social media experiment or a way to fend off quarantine boredom, it's an artistic challenge that's true to the very best parts of XCX's music.”
https://www.allmusic.com/album/how-im-feeling-now-mw0003376062

guess not

great poll guys, bye

Her strongest to date. Continues with the experimental qualities of Pop 2, but with tighter, more personal songs without all the endless guest spots.

My #8, the sound of lockdown, the sound of pop today, RIP SOPHIE, arise queen Charli, a miracle of sudden invention, TOO FUCKING LOW, you're not worthy, none of you are worthy, FPs all round, hurrah hurrah

By the way there's a new Jute Gyte album

Oh it's a compilation. Just my sodding luck

I was one of those slow to appreciate charli but this album just exploded with melody.

yeah this was solidly her best work, such a sonic thrill the whole way through and endless hooks

Well, if we couldn't keep The 1975 out of top ten, this will do.

so Dua, Roisin, Jessie, Taylor 2x, Sault 2x, Fiona, Haim, 1975

What is the best track this charli?

we are truly getting the Top Ten we deserve

"forever" or "detonate"

#8 imago!!! 2 here :p

fwiw Deplume was a comp too

i know the Dua and Jessie and they're fine, but I'm not excited about any of these ten topping the poll tbh, my ballot's done already

oh like new new. nm.

Gonna guess Evermore misses the poll:

Moses Sumney
The 1975
Dua
Taylor - Folklore
Roisin
SAULT x2
Haim
Fiona Apple
Jessie Ware

charliiiii. that was the album I needed so much at the time it came out

evermore no. 10

Her best album. My number two.

it'd be funny if both my no. 1 track and album didn't place tho

https://i.imgur.com/cMXjbey.jpg
#10: SAULT - Untitled (Black Is) - 612 points - 21 votes - 1 Nº1 vote

Sault - What's the story?

https://saultglobal.bandcamp.com/album/untitled-black-is

“Untitled (Black Is) comes across as an urgent outpouring of grief, anger, affirmation, and consolation, and at the same time, it stretches Sault's stylistic range to an extent where virtually anything seems possible for their future.”
https://www.allmusic.com/album/untitled-black-is-mw0003397217

“Just as D’Angelo’s Black Messiah landed at the perfect time, so this monumental piece of work arrives with a bible in one hand and balled fist in the other to demand equality and freedom for all at exactly the right moment.”
https://www.albumism.com/reviews/sault-untitled-black-is

I liked the few tracks I heard of Evermore much more than the little I've heard of Folklore, but yeah, they're both going to place.

whoa

ilm's gonna be the only place on the internet to get the order of the sault records right :D

yup

My #1. If Rise had been released first, it'd probably have earned my 1 vote, but no matter... they're both masterpieces

oh man if I was right about only one Taylor placing I'm gonna be happy

what if Evermore was #78?

it wasn’t, caribou is

ilm's gonna be the only place on the internet to get the order of the sault records right :D

― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Friday, February 5, 2021 10:30 AM (one minute ago) bookmarkflaglink

Quietus, Double J, and Paste all rated Rise higher in their eoy polls!

i was surprised the consensus in most of the eoy lists was black is > rise because it was so obviously the other way around to me, glad ilm is with me there

evermore is surely going to place still, big thief managed two albums in the top 10 last year and taylor has probably the most intense fandom on ilm of any artist and this year was probably her best ever year

oh whoops forgot about those three

if Evermore places i will eat my lunch

I’m still unsure why CS KREME was counted as a single album, but we could have had the double albums by Autechre / sault / taylor swift as one entry probably...

Ok, so much discussion for Evermore and it hasn’t made it yet!

So here you go:

https://i.imgur.com/m1wziRk.jpg
#09: Taylor Swift - Evermore - 682 points - 18 votes - 5 Nº1 votes

Taylor Swift -- Evermore

“No doubt Swift is still the master of writing a spiteful kiss-off, but the songs of Evermore are a welcomed step in a more mature direction, the result of months and months of her getting lost in the woods and questioning her way forward. By the time you’re reading this, she may have already found the answer.”
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/taylor-swift-evermore-folklore-1101778/

“On her second surprise album of the year, Swift pushes the boundaries of her indie reinvention, adding a bit of '1989'-era gloss to produce a beacon of hope.”
https://www.nme.com/reviews/taylor-swift-evermore-review-2835933

I think it's fair to say tacking on a single (or EP?) to the CS + Kreme album wasn't justified, but I also don't think removing it would have changed the vote count at all

didn't know Brad had 4 socks!