ILM's Top 77 Albums of 2014

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.

ok i rescind the ambient snark bc i've just put this gigi masin album on and i'm already quite spellbound. i like his voice!

didn't vote for the wild beasts record but it's very underrated

gigi is a man?

i love this band so much! (p sure it was on my ballot) despite some strong ideas i think this album is a slight step down from earlier ones.

feel like my 2014 was very successful in that i passed through the whole year without this terrible band once coming into my purview

didn't vote for this but it's nice, has at least 3 or 4 songs that i really dig

my #1! cant really put my finger on why it struck me so hard this year but i played it more than any other record this year

Tired Sound of Stars of the Lid was a forest favourite for a long time until I replaced music with the the sound of a pine cone lying on the ground. Winged Victory is a little rich for me, though I did like one track off the previous record

<3

never heard of gigi masin, but i'm listening to "snake theory" and the vocals just kicked in. wow.

not much use for wild beasts tho.

le saer est mort vive le saer

that pinecone mad underrated imo

fuuuuck I haven't been on this thread all day but WORKSHOP 19 IS SO FUCKING GOOD, Y'ALL!!!!

I think I'm the only regular on the ILX Brigade thread who was not totally into this Steve Gunn record, but I'm happy to see it place

― sleeve, mardi

felt it was super okay but not nearly as EOY worthy as Time Off

ugh benji
April is one of my all-time favs and Admiral Fell Promises is pretty great too but since then he's been crap. Had to turn to Rivulets to get a taste of former SKM this year.

Fennesz was on the long list, didn't expect much but was pleasantly surprised.

he's italian xp

that Kelis album was also so so so great