ILM's Top 100 Tracks of the 2010s

Is I Love It the end* of a pop era?

much closer to the start of the EDM wave (roughly, 2011 to 2016?) than the end of it, pretty distinct from "teenage dream" which was just the latest evolution of dr. luke's sound dating back all the way to "since u been gone"

the genius of "i love it" is in how economical it is, just two sections - the chorus with that huge pounding synth riff & then a quick respite to build to the chorus again

yeah, listening to it again yesterday was absolutely bracing, that hook feels way more monstrous now after a few years of softer, more vulnerable sounds in main pop. trampling over billie eilish lol

in its own widescreen-emo way, ybag pulls a similar trick of economy and wish-fulfilment - a slow build-up into a massive chorus, and then, having given us the massive chorus, taking it away only for a second or two before plunging us straight back into the blissful soup of noise

A part of me will never be able to look past the fact that "Shadow" rips off "Wish Fulfillment" by Sonic Youth, but it's been one of my most-listened to tracks since it came out, so you kinda can't argue with those end results. And as pointed out it's indelibly linked with Twin Peaks.

― Chris L, Monday, August 15, 2022 11:08 AM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

never knew/realized this but all otm

several songs i like a lot in this bunch but nothing i voted for

selena gomez and uptown funk are the only ones i was sure i already knew. gomez is fine, uptown funk is not.
in the 5 years or whatever since i last listened to a haim song i still find them (or it if it's the same song i heard previously) relentlessly mediocre. don't really like anything that's placed so far tho tbf i only listened to the first minute of oranssi pazuzu and decided to spare myself the next 16 1/2 mins.

that’s the best minute, before the growling starts

Voted for Slow Burn, New Rules and Feel You so far, glad Andromeda is there, no real qualms about ILM revisiting its favorites even if it can feel like being at somebody else's party. At least I know that Party rock anthem is not coming up after Icona Pop. Good trick Moka to put Oranssi Pazuzu at 100 and keep imago calm for the rest of the poll.

I feel that breastcrawl is very tense though :)

https://i.imgur.com/sUIGw08.jpg
80. Frank Ocean - Pyramids (2012)
[329 points / 8 votes]
Previous Placement: 20 in 2012
Video

our promised stretch of 20 r&b/rap/african pop&house/dancehall/soca tracks starts here!

…with a track I’ve never been very fond of

I like a couple tracks on channelORANGE but not this one. Frank Orange is just not for me. Gimme Miguel.

I'm a big fan of Pyramids - never truly feels like a suite, love songs with extended outros. Voted for Novocane. My friend always had Thinkin' bout you on.

Wildheart >>>>> Blonde

otm

Channel Orange has some good songs, but always hated how it sounds. There’s something about the mix or the production which sounds like a saturated, lifeless mess to me.

It’s been years since I last heard it, though. Might need to re-listen.

"pyramids" is solid, i voted for a different frank song that isn't gonna place

https://i.imgur.com/jkt2oqm.jpg
79. Games - Strawberry Skies (2010)
[332 points / 6 votes]
Previous Placement: 61 in 2010
Video

wow i have never heard this song before

wow i have never heard of this song before

It’s a chill balearic track with Laurel Halo on vocals.

Games btw is a project by Ford & Lopatin.

Lopatin is better known as Oneohtrix Point Never.

so you're saying this song isn't by jayceon taylor aka "the game" and james "big game james" worthy

One of my top votes as was the EP - too exuberant yet busy to be dismissed as homage and will always think of it as too short and 'Channel Pressure' never quite following thru on this promise.

Lol it’s even better than that!

I think this and Lapsley are the only songs from my ballot on the countdown so far. Didn’t expect this one to place. Glad it made it.

https://i.imgur.com/ZIwS1W6.jpg
78. Wolf Alice - Don’t Delete The Kisses (2017)
[332 points / 7 votes]
Previous Placement: 41 in 2017
Video

#78'd

The real countdown begins

https://i.imgur.com/bAntEgZ.jpg
77. Chairlift - I Belong In Your Arms (2012)
[333 points / 9 votes]
Points from remixes: John Talabot & Pional 6.15AMix [32 Points]
Previous Placement: 8 in 2012
Video /// Remix

First time hearing the remix and it’s sounding real good.

God, I loved this song a decade ago. She's never topped it.

would rather see 'Door' here but figure 'So Hot...' might place

Glad to see Wolf Alice make it, even at 78! I had this pretty low in my ballot. It's a fun song, but far from the top of my list of Wolf Alice songs, if that makes sense. My #1 and #2 are also Wolf Alice songs that I'm not necessarily expecting to place.

I think I listened to Orange once or twice a long time ago. It's pretty good stuff, even if it doesn't exactly latch with me.

I only heard Strawberry Skies during the run-up to this poll. I really like it, but left it off because my ballot mostly focused on music that I was actually listening to during the decade.

I've never listened to Chairlift or Caroline Polachek. Only know her from the Charli XCX song Tears, which I forgot to nominate but was a favorite of the decade. This song makes me think they would be in my wheelhouse.

I don't remember Wolf Alice being so low in our 2017 poll. It'll probably be higher than our entire top five from that year (already above Bad Liar and New Rules). Because I didn't love their debut, I didn't even check out anything from the second album until our poll. Kisses is the song that made me a fan and ended up in my top ten.

Delighted to see Chairlift here. Such an amazing song. Wonder if any of Caroline Polachek's solo material will be higher. Would like to see Door make it.

I never got into Frank Ocean. His flat voice is a deal breaker. As a couple of others have said, Miguel over Frank any day.

Strawberry Skies is gorgeous. My brother turned me on to that one back in the day. Another one that feels like an absolute lifetime ago. Good to see it here.

Good start to the list today.

"don't delete the kisses" was one of my last cuts, glorious

"strawberry skies" is a good pop extension of the lopatin universe. it's not too different from much of his stuff with ford, but i also hear echoes of his ecco jams (get it?)

https://i.imgur.com/8yE2eJt.jpg
76. Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert - Bad and Boujee (2016)
[337 points / 6 votes]
Previous Placement: 25 in 2016
Video

but where is "t-shirt"?

my migos vote went to "versace," which was probably my first exposure to them and still their best work imo.

"bad and boujee" is great, though. uzi's verse was my least favorite part at the time, but moments from in his 16 still pop into my head from time to time ("met! her! today!")

https://i.imgur.com/2bNG0yR.jpg
75. Nicki Minaj - Super Bass (2010)
[337 points / 9 votes]
Previous Placement: 3 in 2011
Video

hasn't aged super well imo

My biggest problem with the song is its actual lack of bass.

The first half of "Pyramids" is OK; the second half is massive

Never knew why Super Bass was the breakout hit, or why it was so high in the 2011 poll, or why people are voting for it now, she has so many better songs and it shows off almost none of her talents. Guess it's not unpleasant, just that's kind of it.

They played this one at the gym I went to almost every day and I have to admit it was a fun song to run to - the first times at least.

Agree that it hasn't really aged well and yeah there's way too much high end on it, where's the super bass!?

https://i.imgur.com/3YbRRCu.jpg
74. Amel Larrieux - I Do Take (2013)
[339 points / 6 votes]
Previous Placement: 8 in 2013
Video

Shocked to see this one so low but, yeah, perhaps the glow has worn off.

loved this track

I completely forgot about Amel Larrieux and this album is actually really good. Thanks ILM for reminding me about her and this song. Should've voted for this one.

Brilliant song I somehow didn't vote for.

This is great, was on a longlist for a bit. Moment To Reflect (not nominated) even better