ILM's Top 77 ALBUMS of 2011

these seem like such indifferent defenses. i get that it's texturally interesting, bright and cheery. i get that it's kind of psychedelic and provides some stimulating irony/not-irony dissonance. i get the sly, andy warhol blankness. but i just don't get how that kind of low stakes conceptual gamesmanship makes it one of the best albums of the year to more than a couple people. its rewards seem so ordinary

You are right, they are kind of indifferent defences! I only voted for 4 albums so it didn't take a lot to get in there. I like it just fine as it is, and don't have a problem with it's slightness (also I like library records)

Setbacks was always going to beat Section.80 IMO

lex what cousin fik mixtape are you referring to upthread

Yeah its just that his albums are hard to get through, which doesn't really scream "fun" to me. Its his production choices that give his work an oppressive edge. He is a fun rapper though yes.

― Poon Aggroved (Spottie_Ottie_Dope), Tuesday, January 31, 2012 6:11 PM (7 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

back to danny brown... it's not fun, and it's a hard album to listen to i think, the production is pretty brutal in places, but the dude flat out raps his ass off, and his voice is up there w/ boosie's imo

― J0rdan S., Tuesday, January 31, 2012 6:14 PM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

^5

Cousin Fik was a "fun" listen for sure.

hacksaw ben thuggin

Cousin Fik -Hacksaw Been Thuggin! It's fun

http://i.imgur.com/CItqF.jpg

53. Laura Marling — A Creature I Don’t Know (342 points, 11 votes, one first place vote)

P4K: DNP
P&J: 89

Spotify

the laura marling single floored me but idk, i can't listen to her voice over the course of an entire album, unfortunately

eh, this is not my thing

it might cause you to walk around singing 'i am a vampire' to yourself mind you, or that may just be me
xxxp

I AM A VAMPIRE I AM A VAMPIRE I AM A VAMPIIIRIIEIRIER

I LOST MY FANGS

Loved Droop-E's "scary" voice

I mean we already have KT Tunstall, do we really need this too

Voted for "The Beast" in tracks, didn't feel the rest of the album lived up to the promise.

I liked the Laura Marling a lot for a couple of weeks, but seem to have forgotten about it since.

I mean we already have KT Tunstall, do we really need this too

― I spend a lot of time thinking about apricots (DJP), Tuesday, January 31, 2012 1:26 PM (35 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

not fair!

okay lol that Cousin Fik song is basically a hip-hop version of "The Days Of Swine And Roses"

I like the Kendrick album enough, but it bores me pretty quick. I can't remember if it made my ballot. I'm pretty sure the schoolboy q album should be higher on my list.

I mean we already have KT Tunstall, do we really need this too

― I spend a lot of time thinking about apricots (DJP),

we really dont need KT Tunstall

marling! my first vote

"the beast" might be the most incredible song she's written - the intensity of how it builds, the power she has at her disposal http://youtu.be/rtCKteAm6jw

"the muse" was another favourite - really illustrates how she's pushing herself forward musically too http://youtu.be/87YKNZyAy50

didn't think the single was actually a standout, and overall i don't think the album was as strong as her last one, but its highs were certainly worth it

Yeah, not fair. xps

That said, she may have already peaked with her second album. This is more like the first one, which is boring.

btw did the goons agree on anything this year? it seems not going by this thread.

i love laura marling's lyrics - throughout the album there's this incredible tension re: who in the narrative holds the power - this section from "the muse" really encapsulates it

you know what I need
why won't you give it me
must I fall down at your feet
and plead
don't you be scared of me
I'm nothing but the beast
and I'll call on you when I need
to feast

Anyone who has written Marling off as Mumford-aligned landfill folk should definitely check out "The Beast".

back to cousin fik for a sec - "i am a vampire" is the best thing is it not! dropped on halloween iirc too. as i'm fairly sure it won't place, some other highlights

water in the bo
follow you (colombiana mix)
ghost of hyphy
ruthless

sounds like a Nightwish lyric
xp

the laura marling single floored me but idk, i can't listen to her voice over the course of an entire album, unfortunately

what is it about her voice you don't like? it doesn't strike me as a particularly grating voice...she's a very understated vocal presence

There's a few we agree on, I'm sure they will place here soon. xxxxxxps

If Laura Boring places and not King Creosote, I may have to reconsider our relationship, ilm

so does anyone wanna explain why it's unfair to compare Laura Marling to KT Tunstall or we have we moved on to the "sulk and hate on DJP" portion of the thread

That said, she may have already peaked with her second album. This is more like the first one, which is boring.

hmm i don't think so - well firstly i don't think the debut is boring, but "quality of whole album" and "progression as an artist" are different things, and i think a creature i don't know shows enough of the latter to keep me interested in what she does next without necessarily beating its predecessor in terms of the former

I've never heard KT Tunstall approach anything even remotely resembling nuance. She's very IN YO FACE all the time. Laura Marling is a lot more varied in her approach to recording/writing.

Unless you were just making a general comment about female singers who play guitar, which I'd like to think you weren't.

laura marling is much more interesting and cathartic a lyricist than kt tunstall, and much less polite a performer

kt is straight-up adult contemporary and marling is a pretty expansive talent who makes darker, more compelling music?

http://i.imgur.com/blwLa.jpg

52. Aerosmith The Mountain Goats — All Eternals Deck (342 points, 12 votes)

P4K: DNP
P&J: 65

Spotify

as well as those cuts off this marling album, i recommend "alpha shallows" and "what he wrote" off the last one

i've always got time for a mountain goats record

good mtn goats alb, they've had a nice run going after i lost interest for a bit

shit, i think i meant to vote for this one but forgot. i'll have to check my ballot when i get home.

sourdoire valley song really kicked my ass

kendrick was in my top 20 somewhere i think but i can't recall if marling was on it. would've voted "the beast" in tracks poll if i'd voted there, for sure

Love the mountain goats but still haven't picked this up. Assume it's quality.

It's quality. I liked the last one a bit more, but this is a really good album.

Hahahaha. Think I voted for the MG album before this, but didn't even hear this one. Perfectly willing to believe it's good, though.

Also, those Laura Marling lyrics are terrible.

Laura Marling's voice is more open and her resonance is slightly deeper, but there are strong similarities between the two of them.

KT Tunstall follows the "start soft/tenderish and build in intensity" pattern on her big songs and Laura Marling doesn't seem to ever growl.

"Black Horse and Cherry Tree" did not sound wholly out of place played amidst the tracks on this album; the biggest difference was in production glossiness, with thickness of arrangement coming in second.

laura marling is much more interesting and cathartic a lyricist than kt tunstall, and much less polite a performer

The second half of this is completely wrong based on this album? This is the epitome of polite singing/performing!

kt is straight-up adult contemporary and marling is a pretty expansive talent who makes darker, more compelling music?

It would be more accurate to say KT Tunstall would get played on commercial adult-contemporary and Laura Marling would get played on NPR; the first three tracks on this album have sparse Jewel-with-strings arrangements that might knock them off the playlist but there's nothing going on in performance or lyrics that makes it as unmarketable/unknowable-to-the-masses as you are claiming.

btw I am totally abstaining from talking about the Mountain Goats album aside from saying "Age Of Kings" is fucking badass, love those strings to death

i didn't say anything about marling's marketability

What I'm saying is Laura Marling is also straight-up adult contemporary, it's just that you like her!

I don't know about "High Hawk Season". There's some dude trying to class it up in the background.