ILM's Top 77 Albums of 2014

Alvvays >>>>> Best Coast by so much

This is true. Still not something I'd reach for all the time, but I don't want to turn it off while it's playing either.

First Best Coast album was great the second one was one of the most boring records I've heard in recent years.

Diary notes though? Weird diary.

Every time the name Alvvays comes up, Bon Jovi's "Always" pops into my head but with him singing "alvays" instead of "always"

Also, that Bon Jovi song >>>>>> Alvvays

Nothing Important is confessional solo-guitar music maybe, but the comparison ends there. Dawson is maximalist literature, complexity, philosophy, poetry. SKM...diary notes by a confirmed narcissist imo

― Ban Kil Moon (imago), Tuesday, January 27, 2015 12:39 PM (9 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

chug my entire nutsack you dilettante

I like Benji

― Wu-Tang Clannad (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, January 27, 2015 1:00 PM (12 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Kinda funny how hateful everyone is. I feel like it's at least 75% motivated by his dickish behavior unrelated to the record itself. Some other percent motivated by the hype disproportionate to it's quality against the rest of his catalog, fueled by a glowing review from everyone's fav ian cohen...

Many of the songs he's written over the years are the most gorgeous I've ever heard yet because of the effect I've outlined above people will just go on writing him off as the guy who bullies other bands and sings about his teenage sexual conquests. Almost guarantee many people would love an album here or a handful of songs there by him if that context was never part of the picture.

Stars of the Lid are great

maybe check out Admiral Fell Promises - all nylong-string guitar, no stream-of-consciousness aspect to the vocals

lots of folks didn't like it, but that's a pretty record imo

― why you gotta be so rmde (NickB), Tuesday, January 27, 2015 1:37 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

That is my favorite record ever (currently)

i think his war on war on drugs was an amazing labeouf-esque meltdown and sort of pathetic but i'm interested to hear the album now. he's done so much good work.

It's not as good as Stars of the Lid but it's perfect for staring blankly on winter morning commutes.

chug my entire nutsack you dilettante

second verse of 'WoD suck my cock' right?

As someone who's a pretty big Koz fan overall, his antics last year were pathetic and annoying. Really hoping that was just a brief phase.

is there an imgur gallery for this

Evan and others, I believe I have made it clear that I hate SKM on its own musical terms regardless of media hype (that I ignored) so plz do not include me in yr strawmanning

it's so maudlin and overwrought, I get that y'all are feeling him at times but all I hear is willful pandering to sad cliches

LOOOOVE the alvvays record, it'll always remind me of last summer

is there an imgur gallery for this

It's not public yet.

haha so if any of you "i can't listen to this because funny spellings of band names are so over" peeps voted for Rae Sremmurd we are going to need to have a talk

http://i.imgur.com/ruUC95V.jpg

49 GIGI MASIN Talk to the Sea [323 points, 9 votes, 2 first place votes]

xps to evan - upthread there are quite a few laudatory statements about non-benji albums of his, i think the nature of benji's songs + his attitude/stunts have thoroughly soured the opinions of many, incl. those who may have liked previous work

I can't listen to it because I listened to enough boring sub-Slumberland shit when I was in school

What is this Hm?

i know nothing of kozelek's apparent dickish behavior, i just really loved Perils From the Sea and this record came pretty soon after it and failed to affect me at all, so he's doing something wrong here in relation to what i want from his music, even if i can't nail down exactly what.

yessssssssssss!!!! this is sooo good

https://music-from-memory.bandcamp.com/album/talk-to-the-sea

there is a LOT of ambient music in this list! it is probably all great and serves its purpose but i feel like no one person needs this much ambient music? i haven't heard this one, only recognise the name bc he collaborated with young marco once iirc?

makes me feel more hopeful that francis harris will show up though

This Alvvays is so sweet. This year's Waxahatchee (sort of).

My favourite indiepop of the year (why didn't I nominate it?!) was Teleman. New Tommy Sanders (of Pete & the Pirates) project of crippling poignancy and infectious minimalism that builds and builds.

I think people are writing this album off due to Kozelek's (admittedly assholish) public persona.

― Stig of the sanctimonious uncontextualized linkdump (Michael B), Tuesday, January 27, 2015 10:17 AM (2 minutes ago)

this is what i did w/ it, tbh. plus i never much cared for red house painters, and even the biggest kozelek fans seem to slot his recent material in as a footnote to those early, s/t painters albums. between those two considerations, i felt pretty safe writing benji off. now, listening to "carissa", i feel chastened. i'm not sure i like it, as he's foregrounding his cousin's life (and death) as the impetus for his songwriting in a way that i find somewhat distasteful ("meant to give her life poetry", etc). but i suppose the self-centeredness fits with the confessional angle michael b. noted?

...five or six songs in, i'm starting to find kozelek's interest in all of the above somewhat less interesting than he evidently does. or maybe the general vibe of truculent midwestern masculinity just isn't my thing: flatness of affect, focus on matter-of-fact details, willingness to go sentimental and/or serious while distrusting intellectualism. the appeal lies entirely in kozelek himself, his voice & playing, his memories, interests and persona. i'm on the fence there.

getting hopeful john luther adams might place

Evan and others, I believe I have made it clear that I hate SKM on its own musical terms regardless of media hype (that I ignored) so plz do not include me in yr strawmanning

it's so maudlin and overwrought, I get that y'all are feeling him at times but all I hear is willful pandering to sad cliches

― sleeve, Tuesday, January 27, 2015 1:44 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I only meant in general. Of course you're welcome to not be into the record itself regardless of the surrounding context.

Fwiw I know only a handful of Mark Kozelek's tunes besides "benji" as I'm not a singer-songwriter guy

yessssssssssss!!!! this is sooo good

― languagelessness (mattresslessness), Tuesday, 27 January 2015 18:48 (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Huh, I skimmed this Gigi Masin album earlier in the year, but I'm only just now discovering there are some vocals. Makes it better imo.

alvvays album is great :)

Benji is clearly Kozelek not giving a shit and venting through his music. Admiral Fell Promises was him giving a shit and trying his best to write songs, play, and sing them well. It's interesting to me to see one artist have such completely opposite approaches in just a few years.

I am fairly convinced that my father in law owns every ambient album ever made including everything in this list, so apparently you can't have too much ambient music.

talk to the sea is a retrospective compilation and mr. masin has been working since the 80s (including a collab with charles hayward [this heat] which my bf pointed out as a huge charles hayward fan). as someone who listens to a lot of ambient-ish music i thought this was pretty special and a cut above, with more varied instrumentation including like the best-sounding digital synthesis ever and great cale-esque vox on some tracks. the vibes are kind of perfect for 2014 era balearic. i'm sort of over stars of the lid and certain guitar treatments, personally.

idk i was pretty excited about this person's work as a "discovery" obviously lol

Will second greatness of Teleman album, if UMS will let me off his nutsack

I can't listen to it because I listened to enough boring sub-Slumberland shit when I was in school

― Tay-Tay Brooklynpants (Murgatroid), Tuesday, January 27, 2015 10:46 AM (9 minutes ago)

engaging super-Slumberland shit imo

my ballot was very ambient-heavy but none of the ambient albums I voted for have placed yet.

OK I need to hear that Masin/Hayward record, as I am also a massive CH fan

Talk To The Sea was beautiful when I listened awhile ago. I totally forgot to seek it out later for purchase, thanks for the reminder ilx

I am fairly convinced that my father in law owns every ambient album ever made including everything in this list, so apparently you can't have too much ambient music.

feel like yr father-in-law should post to ilx

Go Gigi. Great album.

Well worth also checking the Gaussian Curve album he did with Jonny Nash & Young Marco

TIL: Don't put aerosol cans on trash fires, else Mark Kozelek may eulogize you.

http://i.imgur.com/qo30AJW.jpg

48 WILD BEASTS Present Tense [326 points, 12 votes, 1 first place vote]

wes anderson album cover

did not really get a lot out of this record :/

Gigi Masin sounds really good so far

Yes! An album I voted for! Love these guys.