ILM's Top 77 Albums of 2014

http://i.imgur.com/pEzE4q3.jpg

60 TUNE-YARDS Nikki Nack [278 points, 11 votes]

whats the latin word for afterglow of critical irrational exuberance

Tune-Yards finally make an album that I love front-to-back, and that's when everyone starts to cool on them a bit.

ha found it quite tricky to jones for a second listen to this one :(

worst album title of rollout sewn up, maybe worst album too

maybe, one day, i will get through more than 2.5 of the songs on here.

i like the name nikki nack, and the cover to an extent. very ze records/italo disco

does the title actually refer to anything or is it insufferable quirky infantilism pt 939203354354

love your indie infantilism thing, lex.

All of a sudden I have a hankering for a cherry Fruit Roll-Up

I usually love twee infantile indie maximalism and I can't stand Tune-Yards.

Violently loathed Water Fountain, but maybe this harbours discreet depths I'm yet to discover. Trying now.

Only heard one song (dunno from what album) and never felt encouraged to explore any further, even after she won the P&J in whatever year.

we have no time for anything childlike ::roars with applause when nicki minaj becomes a human barbie doll::

that's a pretty low placing right?

mmmm... not really?

Would a Ting Tings comparison be unfair?

Some infantilism is uncanny & inspired. Some is unconscionable & insipid

it's a low placing when her last album was #10 in our 2011 poll. but it's also not unexpected given that on Pazz & Jop she dropped from a #1 in 2011 to #29 in 2014. it doesn't even seem like there was a backlash or bad reviews, people just moved on and lost interest?

it's a low placing when her last album was #10 in our 2011 poll. but it's also not unexpected given that on Pazz & Jop she dropped from a #1 in 2011 to #29 in 2014. it doesn't even seem like there was a backlash or bad reviews, people just moved on and lost interest?

― some dude, Tuesday, January 27, 2015 8:21 AM (1 second ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

quite possibly. it's rough when you believe in an artist and this happens, but it's usually inevitable.

never got into Tune-Yards but her stuff is definitely distinctive, not yr typical indie whatsit at all iirc

how much of TY's high placing in 2011 was down to 'shock of the new'? i don't feel as though this new album is much of a leap, is it?

I was listening to this while showering this morning – some of her best choruses ever. I top tenned it.

Becky G would approve.

I liked "Real Thing" and "Water Fountain" off the album but not much else tbh

http://i.imgur.com/FBf6x3y.jpg

59 KELIS Food [281 points, 13 votes]

criminally underrated

great cover/title. not heard this though.

now this album I couldn't get into at all besides "Jerk Ribs" and, I think, "Rumble." Dave Sitek arranges the horns rather awkwardly.

criminally underrated

guess no-one was all that hungry?

this falls into my 'like every track on the album' category
voted for it i think

xpost yeah same as Alfred, I like the afrobeat touches though, maybe its due a relisten

Agree with Alfred, love 'Jerk Ribs' but found the production really cloying over a whole album.

I should love Kelis but to my ears her producers don't often find the most sympathetic settings for her chalky voice. I do ride for this album conceptually though.

wonderful album, kelis is a rare one who can do retro revivalism (on the heels of a guettabosh motherhood album) and still sound completely distinct. if it faded a bit i'll ascribe that to winter, it's really a blazing weather album, but it's domestic as well, sort of like being in your kitchen looking out at the city. it probably sounds like a lot of classic 70s soul records i've never heard

aside from "jerk ribs" (obviously), "runnin" and "friday fish fry" were favourites - former for the gorgeousness, latter for the funk

This Kelis album was a massive grower for me. Thought it was kind of bland at first apart from Jerk Ribs which I already loved but slowly the rest of the songs grew on me. Forever Be, Floyd and Bless The Telephone are my highlights now. Shame this was her first album that didn't produce any big singles.

I'll give it another try.

I wonder will the Neneh Cherry album chart

the production sounds a lot more natural than the retro shit that actually does do well like "uptown funk" or "happy". horns sound excellent to me, and her voice has this dustiness to it that fits right in.

she smashed it live with this album too

I wonder will the Neneh Cherry album chart

― Stig of the sanctimonious uncontextualized linkdump (Michael B), Tuesday, January 27, 2015 8:39 AM (31 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Was literally just wondering this too

didn't like the neneh album half as much as the free jazz one she did.

I figure it will. Seemed to get quite a bit of love 'round here (and I voted for it).

I wonder how much of the production complaints are just a subconcsious kneejerk "eww indie bro" thing, whole album sounds great to me (xp's)

do I need to send you a photo of my Stephen Malkmus poster

also...Kelis is indie?

i heard so many albums last year but not enough listens to let them sink in hence i ended up having 3 albums on my ballot. neneh cherry album sounded good though (esp "weightless") although not as good as the free jazz album

I wd be stunned if Neneh didn't make it

Opening track sounds like a peppy retread of Massive Attack's Protection. Not such a bad thing

Put those horns away though, jesus

also...Kelis is indie?

Was referring to Sitek

Kelis making it made me wonder for a moment abt Meshell but I just don't see that happening...(xxxp)