ILM's Top 77 Albums of 2014

On the other thread, someone asked about what records sound like Ninos du Brasil, and I was gonna mention the Sultan project by Burhan Öçal & Pete Namlook. Obviously the origin of their sound is completely different (Turkey instead of Brazil), but they have a similar combination of dense polyrhythmic percussion riffs and heavy synths (heavier than on Namlook's ambient albums), so NdB fans might enjoy that shit too.

Sturgill Simpson's record is very solid--I voted for it--but I preferred his last album. This one is a bit more ambitious (especially lyrically) but the last one was rawer and had a couple tracks that I think are better than anything here.

Regardless, do check him out. For how much this board was willing to cross over for Pistol Annies, Brandy Clark, and Kacey Musgraves, one would think Sturgill would be popular here; he pushes many of the same buttons, putting a modern spin on traditional sounds.

Suspect Ninos du Brasil would have placed a good bit higher if the album vote had happened after the track rollout.

Re: Sturgill Simpson

I hate the implication that I should somehow be ashamed for liking a crossover/token country album, sorry I don't have the time to do a deep dive into the genre of every kind of music that catches my attention

(But of course, I felt the same way country listeners did in 2012 as an R&B listener, when Channel Orange and Kaleidoscope Dream were the token R&B albums so who am I to whine)

Anyway, there's so many things about Sturgill Simpson's album that should turn me off - the aforementioned title, the "authenticity"-laden marketing, the drugs-as-salvation-but-really-love themes - but it's all executed so well to me that it's all moot

ninos du brasil just released a 12" on DFA last week fwiw

from what i heard it wasn't as compelling as the album but maybe check it out if you're a fan

xp Tuomas:

Good call. A similar project from this year (which I doubt will make the cut) was Clap! Clap! - Tayi Bebba, which is light, African, sampled, and footwork rather than the dark, Brazilian, live, and house of the Ninos du Brasil.

Ought record is sweet, really happy to see it here & look forward to spending much more time with it. Up there with Total Control in the year's best post-punk.

http://i.imgur.com/wKm9XqL.jpg

68 WARPAINT Warpaint [262 points, 9 votes, 1 first place vote]

when this came out it felt like it was going to be finishing much higher in the poll

hadn't heard this, but this is super cool - hearing a little karate in this too maybe?

― the portentous pepper (govern yourself accordingly), Monday, January 26, 2015 1:24 PM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i haven't formed an opinion on ought yet but karate was a great band

ought album is gr8! not hearing so much direct television or radiohead influence, but yeah, maybe as the more traditional pop/rock element being squozen out through thinking fellers & this heat type art weirdo filters. pere ubu! or a more long-term interesting version of tyvek. not so fond of "habit" cuz i like the herk & jerkier punk stuff best.

― A Severus of Snapes (contenderizer), Monday, January 26, 2015 1:21 PM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

hmm this sounds nothing like tyvek or pere ubu and exactly like television + radiohead (+ talking heads) i think u need to update your rock vector space basis

great album tho. tim's vocals make it imo. it's like, with this post punk stuff there's the whole mythology of ian curtis *actually* having an epileptic fit or a seizure or whatever on stage, omg so punk right? but, like, the truth is no one actually wants to hear someone spazz out. it's uncomfortable and bad. but the flip of that is no one wants to hear someone sing sound like they're holding anything back or shy. and i think the vox on this album are really the perfect point between these two extremes

my #1, wooo

the Warpaint album owns super hard

IMO it's best digested as a whole but "Love Is To Die", "Biggy" and "Drive" all are immaculate songs in isolation

Remembered who this ought album really reminds me of: horny genius!

Speaking of the year's best post-punk...I didn't vote for Warpaint as I thought it was an album of highlights (pretty much the songs DJP lists! DRIVE omg), but I think it's still a very good record with some cracking ideas and performances!

hmm this sounds nothing like tyvek or pere ubu and exactly like television + radiohead (+ talking heads) i think u need to update your rock vector space basis

― flopson, Monday, 26 January 2015 18:33 (28 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I can totally hear Pere Ubu in there!

I was initially lukewarm about the Warpaint album, but ended up listening to it a lot this year, it's great driving-at-night music

Warpaint expands on all of their strengths: dreamy flow, dubby undertow, and proggy but non-masturbatory excursions, but the album as a whole became wearying after repeated listens. I still return to highlights ("Love is to Die", "Disco//Very").

xps- yeah ok the least yelpy stuff though. tyvek is a major reach tho. whatstheirname, ummm parquet courts that one sounds like tyvek

Didn't vote for this, but definitely memorable from this year. El-p remix of Keep It Healthy is well worth checking out too.

One thing about the Warpaint album that puzzled me was picking "Disco/Very" as the single. I mean, it's catchy and pleasant but it seems like "Love Is To Die" is such a no-brainer introduction into what the album is all about and "Disco/Very" would work better/have more impact as a follow-on to it.

xp with Sanpaku, ha

Strongly recommend Drive for passing samplers btw

warpaint record came out early in the year but i never stopped listening to it at any point really. was in my top 5 iirc

It's a short album, I recommend just listening to it. The highlights work outside of context but within context they work with the albums sequence and achieve super-saiyen status.

Yeah it does work as a whole too

i think u need to update your rock vector space basis

― flopson, Monday, January 26, 2015 10:33 AM (8 minutes ago)

mebby so? but i hear what i hear. admit it's been a long (long) time since i last heard any early radiohead.

i listened to "gimme chocolate" and omg babymetal are quite something. i think i might actually like the instrumentation more than the vox. not sure i want to delve into a whole album, which might make me tire of them a bit quickly, but i'll be happy with this treasure of a single for a bit

spent a couple months with the warpaint album in heavy rotation, so much so that i eventually became a bit tired of it. haven't been tempted back, though i still dig certain tracks, esp "biggie" and "disco/very"

like the instrumentation more than the vox

May be an issue with Warpaint. These women (particularly the rhythm section) are super skilled, but perhaps too much character has been ironed out of the vocals.

Babymetal basically ended up as #26 on my ballot ;_;

should i be surprised that the metal fans itt seem to be pro-babymetal?

i'm watching their live dance routines for "gimme chocolate" now <3333

http://i.imgur.com/bSBV9mm.jpg

67 FUTURE Honest [262 points, 10 votes, 1 first place vote]

i'm surprised because i'm a fan of NEITHER metal nor j-pop yet it turns out what i needed in each was...the other

If shitty rock must place at least it is outside the top ten. But eww at anyone voting for indIe.
Where is saer?

I think there's another "metal" album you may like this year lex

i'm surprised because i'm a fan of NEITHER metal nor j-pop yet it turns out what i needed in each was...the other

they are the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup of music

wow talk about a big budget highly anticipated album that sounded less awesome than his cameos and guest appearances on other records

"Honest" from way back in 2013 is easily my favorite song on Honest and "I Be U" was the only thing that even came close. one of the big sophomore slump disappointments in recent major label rap history imo.

Future has IMO always been terrible

dunno whether i should be surprised future scraped in or slightly pity the fall of a former ilx favourite

the album wasn't that bad at all, "special" and "i be u" are pretty great, but it really had a grab-bag, unsure feel about it

yeah the future album was super disappointing. the title track owns though, which reminds me that totally got snubbed in the tracks poll, goons blew that one

i love 'turn on the lights' but i haven't really liked any other future songs at all

These women (particularly the rhythm section) are super skilled, but perhaps too much character has been ironed out of the vocals

^this. I'm relistening to the Warpaint album now and I wanna go all JK Simmons on their voices

xp that's insane

I think there's another "metal" album you may like this year lex

― o.m.g. lol @ hurt butt (wins),

what would that be? It can't be menace ruine.

there are a lot of great tracks on Honest (plus a couple terrible ones admittedly). feel like you guys are kind of overinvested in the narrative on this one

I really dug this album *skrug*

I think the flat-affect singing on the Warpaint album is the unifying thread across the songs that weave them into a stronger whole.