ILM's Top 77 ALBUMS of 2011

destroyer would have been my #1 or #2 if i'd voted. kinda funny watching people's reactions to that one. pleasantly shocked at quik's placing at #7 without help from either me or deej!

4 is great. So is B'Day. I still haven't decided which is better - they have totally different aesthetics and aims.

Great poll. Honestly, the most I can ask out of an ILM poll is that much of it be stuff I didn't know existed, and this succeeded.

johnny i was going to say, it doesn't sound much like a rock record.

the fact that it might not really be a rock record fits in with the REAL RnB/Black Metal/Indie arguments quite nicely hahaha

as for lifestyle, it must be a damn boring tasteful life.

TRVE LIFESTYLE

lol

lol, that florence IS kinda casually racist
and the song ain't bad! Two surprises!

kev, if you me and deej had voted it likely woulda been at like #4

i'd just like to note that one of the million awesome things abt destroyer getting #1 AND twelve 1st place votes is that it leaked THIRTEEN MONTHS AGO.

It should go without saying, but the "problem" with critical championing of "indie-" versions of genres (R&B, metal) etc. over and above other music from those genres is not the music per se or the fact that it's being celebrated; rather, it's that so often the form and the intent of the celebration is the revalidation of the same values, over and over and over, as if the (let's call it) p4k mindset exists in a hall of mirrors wherein all it can see is refracted images of itself splayed endlessly along an infinitely receding horizon of vassal-genres.

yup that's what i think about when i listen to the weeknd and smoke mad weed

tim did you check out drugs a. moneys thread? Poptimists get into ...METAL?!

6. Gang Gang Dance — Eye Contact (it's ok, not a patch on previous LP tho'. About the same as God's Money now I've gone back and checked out their older stuff. Really dig them overall but very surprised at the collective praise for a MUCH less convincing/exciting/diluted album to my ears)
5. Kate Bush — 50 Words For Snow (christ, I can't get into this, like really into (it's KATE BUSH!!)... I hope it deserves this place, surely AERIAL didn't place this high last time round??)
4. Beyonce — 4 (ilm)
3. Katy B — On a Mission (really, REALLY fun. Slept on this till last month, but sooo lightweight & *almost* anonymous for a good 3rd or more of the running time... #3 is an overration. Deserves to be noticed though.)
2. PJ Harvey — Let England Shake (listened a couple of times, probably as much decent as every album since the first 3 been... but never enough to surpass them to me)
1. Destroyer — Kaputt (unlikely to be my thing, ignore)

i'd just like to note that one of the million awesome things abt destroyer getting #1 AND twelve 1st place votes is that it leaked THIRTEEN MONTHS AGO.

― ⚓ (gr8080), Thursday, February 2, 2012 5:23 PM (5 minutes ago)

otm! i voted for "bay of pigs" in the 2009 poll

anyone got a handy list of previous years results? was looking back at 2010 yesterday and faintly surprised to only see Warpaint at #70 (finally gave that the attention I'd meant to a whole year ago and fallen in love to bits wit it quite unexpectedly....)

tim did you check out drugs a. moneys thread? Poptimists get into ...METAL?!

I've read it but can't watch youtubes at work.

I'm not someone who objects to people viewing genres with one set of values through the prism of others. It's more about how crushingly monolithic that process gets within critical discourse and how aware people are of what they're doing. I definitely think it's a massive bridge too far to think that everyone into the Weeknd or Liturgy is enjoying them for their "indie values".

xp to a few posts up

Tim, doesn't that argument rely on p4k playing a normative role? Why should the opinions of p4k people get to define what kind of (say) R&B is visible? I know they're influential and ILM sometimes seems oddly obsessed with p4k, but as long as there is healthy R&B criticism it's not like non-indie/crossover artists can get completely written out of the discourse.

Hey, Infinite Sense Of Value
Hey, Infinite Sense Of Value
Hey, Mystic Prince Of The Purlieu at night!
I heard your record, it's alright...

― Sounds Of The Baskervilles (dog latin), Thursday, February 2, 2012 11:06 AM (1 hour ago)

glad everyone enjoyed the poll, we'll see you next year

also seandalai is really the true hero of these polls, y'all

anyway i think destroyer is awesome

i didn't vote either, and would have had LULU in my top 10

thank u sir

Tim, doesn't that argument rely on p4k playing a normative role? Why should the opinions of p4k people get to define what kind of (say) R&B is visible? I know they're influential and ILM sometimes seems oddly obsessed with p4k, but as long as there is healthy R&B criticism it's not like non-indie/crossover artists can get completely written out of the discourse.

Nothing ever gets completely written out of the discourse. But I think indie criticism does play a normative role for a lot of people, and I query whether and to what extent "healthy R&B criticism" even exists as a widespread thing to be honest. R&B is one of those genres that doesn't really have an organic music press, its coverage is dispersed across pop, rock, and rap-focused critical communities, and gets treated slightly differently by each.

Anyway this is not something I'm particularly worked up about, I was just trying to address the emerging misnomer ITT that the discussion is about whether or not musicians should be allowed to mix these things up (obv they should!).

I love New Pornographers and some of Bejar's songs are among my favorites, so I listened to Kaputt as soon as I could, and it read to me as a boring if impressive soft-rock genre exercise with no songs. Which of these songs should I listen to 10x in a row to get the point of this record?

listen to the album track 1 through track 9 ten times in a row to get the point of the record imo

glad everyone enjoyed the poll, we'll see you next year

all right dawg, stay cool

"chinatown" and "blue eyes" aren't song-y enough for ppl?

I'm cool with Destroyer winning, it's a good record. But once again, I like 3-4 a lot more than 1-2.

In any event,

http://www.camizone.com/camizone/gif/Drapeaux/Canada/Canada-30.gif

I was pulling for you, Canada, at least once we got past Katy B.

*high 5* to the other Alela Diane voter.

so proud yo xp

20. Bon Iver — Bon Iver
17. M83 — Hurry Up We’re Dreaming
10. tUnE-yArDs — w h o k i l l
8. Pistol Annies — Hell on Heels
6. Gang Gang Dance — Eye Contact
5. Kate Bush — 50 Words For Snow
3. Katy B — On a Mission
2. PJ Harvey — Let England Shake

never listened to these, will never listen to these.

14. Kurt Vile — Smoke Ring For My Halo
12. EMA — Past Life Martyred Saints
7. DJ Quik — The Book of David
4. Beyonce — 4
1. Destroyer — Kaputt

like parts of these for assorted reasons but dont have strong feelings

16. Boy Better Know — Tropical 2
9. Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats — Blood Lust

will give these a shot

18. Nicolas Jaar — Space is Only Noise
13. Julianna Barwick — The Magic Place

enjoyed both - i think theyre overpraised but meritorious

19. Peaking Lights — 936 (514 points, 17 votes)
11. Tim Hecker — Ravedeath, 1972

voted for both of these. i feel like i have a lot of 'thoughts' about 936 in particular, kinda weirded out by how over the course of the year 'hey sparrow' has gone from having one mislabeled youtbue version of postcollegiate beardos on a rope bridge to having a legit video gorgeously shot that does the whole aping wes anderson aping french new wave thing. (its still a rad video tho gr8080 if yr readddding this) but also the perverse and wonderful remix album of '936' has kinda supplanted it in my memory so its dancier and droning and dense but maybe not

similarly i wish that hecker had gotten a mention for 'dropped pianos' because i ended up listening to that a lot more than 'ravedeath' like while im biking to work or walking around and stuff

15. Rustie — Glass Swords (557 points, 18 votes)

i actively dislike this record, like a lot, i feel like its the worst parts of ninja tune and thirtysomething (the tv show but 'updated for 2k12') and precocious high school music nerds all mixed into a messy sounding soup

want to hear your 'thoughts' on 936, dude

also pretty into the remix 12"

just putting the full list here again so i can look at it

77. When Saints Go Machine — Konkylie (258 points, 10 votes, one first place vote)
76. Robag Wruhme — Thora Vukk (262 points, 8 votes)
75. Liturgy — Aesthethica (264 points, nine votes)
74. The Joy Formidable — The Big Roar (266 points, seven votes, one first place vote)
73. Jay-Z & Kanye West — Watch the Throne (266 points, 10 votes)
72. Barbara Panther — Barbara Panther (270 points, seven votes, two first place votes)
71. Toro y Moi - Underneath the Pine (271 points, nine votes)

(tie) 69. Wild Flag — Wild Flag (273 points, 10 votes)
(tie) 69. Low — C'Mon (273 points, 10 votes)
68. ILX Presents Lulu (276 points, 11 votes, one first place vote)
67. Veronica Falls - Veronica Falls (282 points, 11 votes)
66. Big K.R.I.T. - Return of 4Eva (288 points, 10 votes)
65. The Psychic Paramount - II (290 points, 9 votes)
64. Wolves in the Throne Room - Celestial Lineage (290 points, nine votes, one first place vote)
63. Austra - Feel it Break (290 points, ten votes, one first place vote)
62. Drake – Take Care (292 points, 8 votes, one first place vote)
61. Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes (294 points, 10 votes)

60. James Ferraro — Far Side Virtual (295 points, 11 votes)
59. Perfume — JPN (298 points, 10 votes, two first place votes)
58. Grouper — Alien Observer/Dream Loss (304 points, 11 votes, one first place vote)
57. The War on Drugs — Slave Ambient (322 points, nine votes, one first place vote)
56. Danny Brown — XXX (323 points, 11 votes, one first place vote)
55. Mastodon — The Hunter (328 points, 10 votes)
54. Kendrick Lamar — Section.80 (337 points, 10 votes, one first place vote)
53. Laura Marling — A Creature I Don’t Know (342 points, 11 votes, one first place vote)
52. The Mountain Goats — All Eternals Deck (342 points, 12 votes)
51. Demdike Stare — Tryptych (347 points, 16 votes, one first place vote)

50. Hatchback — Zeus and Apollo (350 points, nine votes, two first place votes)
49. Moon Duo — Mazes (350 points, 12 votes)
48. Tom Waits — Bad As Me (352 points, 14 votes)
47. Clams Casino — Instrumentals (354 points, 12 votes)
46. Azari & III — Azari & III (358 points, 12 votes)
45. The Weeknd — House of Balloons (360 points, 10 votes, two first place votes)
44. Fucked Up — David Comes To Life (360 points, 13 votes, one first place vote)
43. Real Estate — Days (361 points, 11 votes, two first place votes)
42. Radiohead — King of Limbs (362 points, 13 votes)
41. Andy Stott — Passed Me By/We Stay Together (363 points, 13 votes)

40. Dawn Richard — The Prelude to a Tell Tale Heart (372 points, 11 votes)
39. Girls — Father, Son, Holy Ghost (374 points, 11 votes)
38. Junior Boys — It’s All True (375 points, 15 votes)
37. Death Grips — Ex-Military (382 points, 13 votes)
36. Holy Ghost! — Holy Ghost! (384 points, 13 votes, one first place vote)
35. Julia Holter — Tragedy (386 points, 14 votes, one first place vote)
34. Cut Copy — Zonoscope (392 points, 12 votes, one first place vote)
33. John Maus — We Must Become The Pitiless Censors of Ourselves (398 points, 14 votes, one first place vote)
32. Panda Bear — Tomboy (402 points, 13 votes)
31. Nguzunguzu — The Perfect Lullaby (404 points, 13 votes, 2 first place votes)

30. Ford & Lopatin — Channel Pressure (410 points, 14 votes)
29. Britney Spears — Femme Fatale (424 points, 13 votes, one first place vote)
28. Araabmuzik — Electronic Dream (445 points, 14 votes)
27. St. Vincent — Strange Mercy (469 points, 14 votes, one first place vote)
26. Oneohtrix Point Never — Replica (474 points, 17 votes, one first place vote)
25. Frank Ocean — Nostalgia, Ultra. (476 points, 12 votes, one first place vote)
24. Colin Stetson — New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges (481 points, 13 votes, one first place vote)
23. E-40 — Revenue Retrievin: Overtime Shift/Graveyard Shift (484 points, 16 votes)
22. Lady Gaga — Born This Way (488 points, 14 votes, one first place vote)
21. Shabazz Palaces — Black Up (502 points, 17 votes)
20. Bon Iver — Bon Iver (512 points, 15 votes)
19. Peaking Lights — 936 (514 points, 17 votes)
18. Nicolas Jaar — Space is Only Noise (517 points, 19 votes, one first place vote)
17. M83 — Hurry Up We’re Dreaming (519 points, 21 votes, one first place vote)
16. Boy Better Know — Tropical 2 (548 points, 15 votes, 4 first place votes)
15. Rustie — Glass Swords (557 points, 18 votes)
14. Kurt Vile — Smoke Ring For My Halo (572 points, 16 votes, one first place vote)
13. Julianna Barwick — The Magic Place (583 points, 19 votes, two first place votes)
12. EMA — Past Life Martyred Saints (590 points, 18 votes, two first place votes)
11. Tim Hecker — Ravedeath, 1972 (597 points, 21 votes, one first place vote)
10. tUnE-yArDs — w h o k i l l (666 points, 20 votes, two first place votes)
9. Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats — Blood Lust (696 points, 19 votes, two first place votes
8. Pistol Annies — Hell on Heels (762 points, 19 votes, two first place votes)
7. DJ Quik — The Book of David (846 points, 26 votes, one first place vote)
6. Gang Gang Dance — Eye Contact (860 points, 29 votes, one first place vote)
5. Kate Bush — 50 Words For Snow (880 points, 29 votes, one first place vote)
4. Beyonce — 4 (1,089 points, 32 votes, three first place votes)
3. Katy B — On a Mission (1,288 points, 37 votes, one first place vote)
2. PJ Harvey — Let England Shake (1,311 points, 37 votes, seven first place votes)
1. Destroyer — Kaputt (1,355 points, 36 votes, 12 first place votes)

i actively dislike this record, like a lot, i feel like its the worst parts of ninja tune and thirtysomething (the tv show but 'updated for 2k12') and precocious high school music nerds all mixed into a messy sounding soup

― the parable is the parable of the (Lamp), Thursday, February 2, 2012 3:21 PM (7 minutes ago)

dont get the thirtysomething ref but otm nonetheless

'hey sparrow' has gone from having one mislabeled youtbue version of postcollegiate beardos on a rope bridge to having a legit video gorgeously shot that does the whole aping wes anderson aping french new wave thing. (its still a rad video tho gr8080 if yr readddding this)

will check it out

had never listened to peaking lights or tim hecker before today, have now listened to each one twice.

1st track on peaking lights is my favorite but its all p dope.

tim hecker is totally awesome-- were dudes talking about this in an ambient/avant garde thread last year?

favorite discovery from this list so far is definitely james ferarro

max otm

will never understand what anyone gets out of Katy B

want to hear your 'thoughts' on 936, dude

haha well its mostly that i think its really successful example of the sort of record lots of people have been making where it takes a bunch of sounds and themes and preoccupations that have been percolating in the underground and makes a conscious decision to incorporate these into a more rigorous/approachable song-based structure. like theres still a lot of murk and dissonance but like 'tiger eyes' is so much more propulsive and catchy than its other nnf ancestors yknow?

i mean if you listen to their earlier cassettes its really ambient, textural, dissonant. i really like that stuff but its interesting to see how much more effective the tracks on '936' are at communicating this mood of uncertainty and yearning compared to the earlier, more formless 'tracks'. i mean its not news that a band moves towards the msntrm as it 'matures' but it also kinda is?

it's weird - i <3 the first two tracks on that Ferarro album but after that it's unlistenable for me.

dont get the thirtysomething ref but otm nonetheless

haha idk i just get this like smugly discerning cashmere turtleneck wearing vibe from the whole thing, the way he tries to pull it all together 'tastefully'

should be noted that Rustie was the first cutty recommendation i did not enjoy

It should go without saying, but the "problem" with critical championing of "indie-" versions of genres (R&B, metal) etc. over and above other music from those genres is not the music per se or the fact that it's being celebrated; rather, it's that so often the form and the intent of the celebration is the revalidation of the same values, over and over and over, as if the (let's call it) p4k mindset exists in a hall of mirrors wherein all it can see is refracted images of itself splayed endlessly along an infinitely receding horizon of vassal-genres.

― Tim F, Thursday, February 2, 2012 2:23 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah, indie and rock audiences primarily like indie and rock music and tend to view other types of music through that lens. this is not a "problem". everybody's got a point of view, and everybody's point of view is limited in some way or another.

the tendency of indie & rock critics to dominate the discourse might be a problem, but it's better fought by presenting alternative voices than by sniping endlessly (tediously) at whatever indie & rock critics happen to enjoy.

should be noted that Rustie was the first cutty recommendation i did not enjoy

haha the cutty rec makes me feel like i should give it another chance

i think it's the best not not fun release ever--well i haven't heard all of them, but at the very least the best in the series of bleak, monotone female-fronted mellow psych projects (us girls, pocahaunted, zola jeez, la vamp, my estrogeneration comp etc.)

despite being a somewhat marginal sound (although more broad indie acts like vivian/dum dum girls definitely overlap aesthetically) i really felt like i was rooting for these groups because i consider the style to be one of the few that feel very uniquely contemporary. but it's also one that has, until now, never produced a masterpiece, at least in full length form.

like theres still a lot of murk and dissonance but like 'tiger eyes' is so much more propulsive and catchy than its other nnf ancestors yknow?

i know! i think there's an important caveat here though. there's a smallness to this microgenre that is at the centre of what's really unique about it, both in terms of production and performance: it's like the opposite of blaring horn arrangements and loud, confident singing, more about an "uncertainty and yearning" and hesitance--that i'm glad that the breakthrough album preserved. i think the reason it's such a relief is because it had been tempting to conclude that those were its weaknesses

xp 2 lamp re: peaking lights

I was just trying to address the emerging misnomer ITT that the discussion is about whether or not musicians should be allowed to mix these things up (obv they should!).

― Tim F, Thursday, February 2, 2012 2:54 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i wasn't raging against a "never cross the streams!" strawman. i was critiquing the tendency of some critics and fans to grouse when supposedly watered-down versions of genres like R&B break through into rock & indie consciousness. this sort of grousing typically and conveniently ignores the fact that the perceived watered-down-ness of an artist like frank ocean is entirely a product of perspective.

such criticisms often seem built around the assumption that such music can only be "properly" evaluated from a within an R&B-focused context. the thinking seems to be that if dedicated R&B fans and critics don't rally around it too, validating the acclaim it's received outside the genre, then there must something wrong with both the music and with the tendency of indie/rock ppl to celebrate it. we see the same thing in metalhead complaints about the popular acclaim accorded nigel hipster interlopers like the sword and liturgy.

this sort of response is understandable, but tiresome, and it ignores the fact that music can be appreciated in ways that don't necessarily square with the aesthetics of its ostensible genre.

anyway, i voted for only three of the top ten finishers (tune yards, uncle acid and PJH). should have voted for DJ quik, but slept. destroyer gets no love. have heard it couple times, but don't get the acclaim. it's not horrible, just not my thing. like bon iver and girls. okay, well, girls is horrible. destroyer's at least better than that.