ILM's Top 77 Tracks of 2017

It's funny how many tracks I was like 'Everyone loved that one, it'll get at least a few votes if it doesn't break the 77', and then I look and I'm the sole voter.

When I first heard "Question Time", I thought it would be the sort of track which makes all of its impact on the first couple of plays, then quickly fades - but I've returned to it frequently, and find that it retains all of its initial power. Different details jump out at different times: the letters in the car (she doesn't want them found at home), the extra instrumental weight on the final Corbyn verse.

completely unsolicited opinions4u but i have had the 177 on shuffle today and here are my ~deep thoughts~:

#103 Ex Eye - Opposition/Perihelion; the Coil - big bad wolf music that starts off like iron maiden gone jazz but it does run out of puff a bit in the back half without inflicting too much damage on my house of sticks
#153 Johnny Jewel - Windswept - this is from twin peaks i guess? could see it working well in a corny sort of way in a cinematic context but it's not doing much for me as a soundtrack to sitting in an office listening to my colleagues whinge and fart
#140 Jute Gyte - Mice Eating Gold - actually enjoyed this a lot until the shouty man appeared, and then i realised he was angry cos the mice had been eating his gold again and the image of a burly man of metal really losing his shit at a mouse was just too funny for me not to like. it does go on a bit though
#156 Hugo Massien - No Return - sounds like music for sex people
#122 Zimpel/Ziolek - Wrens - this is pretty nice, like pink floyd at their most pastoral, some strong wind in the willows vibes on this
#89 The Horrors - Something to Remember Me By - lol remember the killers?
#112 Nabihah Iqbal - Zone 1 to 6000 - highlight of her album for me, reminds me a lot of that real lies record from a couple of years back
#114 Nite Jewel - 2 Good 2 Be True - third time i've heard this and i'm slowly coming to realise how awesome it is. especially fond of the little squiggly synth sound in the chorus, trying to think what it reminds me of... 'while you see a chance' maybe?
#143 Aldous Harding - Imagining My Man - i thought this was a quiet year for angel olsen, turns out aldous harding stole her larynx
#52 Mama - Unmask Me - not sure this justifies it's length tbh, the floating pointsy twinkliness is nice enough but the bassline and woodblock thing get a bit tedious after a while
#91 The Mountain Goats - Rain in Soho - genuinely impressed by this, it sounds amazing. well done to everyone involved!
#93 Oneohtrix Point Never ft. Iggy Pop - The Pure and the Damned - think all my favourite opn tracks are dan working with a vocalist, and this is another good one but it probably wouldn't quite have the same replay value for me as (the amazing) returnal or whatever
#85 Sufjan Stevens - Tonya Harding - remember that 'no sufjan, no credibility guy'? what the hell was he thinking?
#99 Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile - Continental Breakfast - definite improvement on the cb stuff that placed last year, mostly because of the last couple of minutes which is passable neil young bumble rock, but eh i dunno guys
#130 Baba Stiltz - Can't Help It - maybe my ipod is drunk but this sounds nothing like i would have guessed from the cover and the artist name. decent if not especially memorable housey business
#136 Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Holy Mountain - loooooool, this is basically a mud album track
#138 Jefre Cantu-Ledesma - A Song of Summer - this is what the eno/shields collaboration should have sounded like tbh, ten minutes of bliss topped off with the wonkiest of sun-addled guitar lines
#144 Beatrice Dillon & Call Super - Fluo - best clarinet solo in techno iirc, like a seagull wheeling over a dingily-lit dustbin outside the backdoor of the club
#144 Carla dal Forno - We Shouldn't Have To Wait - a strangely alluring trudge through dismal nighttime realms. made me think of that last htrk record
#149 Drab Majesty - Dot In The Sky - sounds like a-ha gone goth but i'm afraid it ain't no 'cry wolf'
#149 Jlin - 1% - this is the greatest thing ever obv
#79 Rita Ora - Anywhere - minus a million points for making me think of 'location location' with kirsty allposh and phil sentient potato-man
#82 Shinichi atobe - regret - one of the most maddeningly brilliant tracks i heard all year, kind of like a techno version of oval's do while
#90 Re-TROS - Hailing Drums - sounds like a cross between battles, circle and six-finger satellite so well done 2007 i guess
#78 Big Thief - Mythological Beauty - reminded me of 'flame' by sebadoh which only goes to prove that i am old and demented

#52 Mama - Unmask Me - not sure this justifies it's length tbh, the floating pointsy twinkliness is nice enough but the bassline and woodblock thing get a bit tedious after a while

That's what the single edit is for.

'it does run out of puff a bit in the back half' = 'i am totally impervious to the best post-rock build in living memory' :P

dude i am goretex when it comes to that shit

I'm listening to this Partner album people were talking about upthread when Charly Bliss placed.

No. This isn't even similar, and definitely not better. wtf

So, I have been obsessing over that Pour Aisha track and will appreciate any suggestions for similar tracks (have bookmarked bobbins 2018 in hope that it is where similar tracks will be posted going forward)

I haven’t listened to Pour Aisha in months but worthwhile House releases so far include the Seeing Aliens single by Dj Koze mentioned on the rolling favorite tracks of 2018 thread.

There’s also an STL single with 4 good tracks called “if time qould move backwards”, I specially like the b-side but they’re all very different so listen and see if any of those are close to what you’re looking for.

Closer to pop and breakbeat but with a hint of house there’s the Negativ Gemini single Bad Baby. “Infin Path” and the title track are favorites of the year for me.

Loved the rollout (thanks Johnny Fever!) as always, particularly the Afro, K and trap tracks, which are always new to me. Discoveries for me: Bicep, both Loona tracks, J Hus, the Mountain Goats (that was a shock), Red Velvet (for the second time), Algiers, Slowdive (I listened to it once earlier, and felt nothing).

Shocked nothing from either Charli XCX mixtape charted. Number 1 Angel is fun and Pop 2 is easily her best.

Other suprises to me (I guess these are just ILMy tracks I ranked highly that didn't place): No love for "Skywalker"? Do we need an Avalon Emerson remix of Ariel Pink's "Feels Like Heaven" for it to have a chance? No "It's Okay To Cry"?

AP’s chances flopped after the physical assault on her gf and unconsented kissing of audience members.

I was more dissapointed in the lack of Julien Baker and Sacred Paws and Ibibio Sound Machine thought those would make it.

Baker suffered from vote splitting for sure. has anyone sat down to work out which artists got the most votes overall?

"Skywalker" was pretty controversial in the Miguel thread. I like it but would have picked "Banana Clip" if I'd voted for any tracks

So, I have been obsessing over that Pour Aisha track and will appreciate any suggestions for similar tracks (have bookmarked bobbins 2018 in hope that it is where similar tracks will be posted going forward)

― niels, Saturday, January 27, 2018 11:43 AM (three hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Callisto - Never Again
Planetary Assault Systems - Return
Primary Perception- Hal9000
Pure Science - Bakwenas
Seafoam - Thrill Ride

Off the top of my hat you wont get these in the car boot sale, they are a bit serious so let me know if you want a couple of tunes with a cocktail stick and an gauche umbrella in too and I'll see what I can sort out, just don't tell the rozzers

<3 saer

thanks Moka and saer those are all excellent

I prefer the ones with not too much going on, is it called deep house?

I have the Will Long - Trax album, that's also right up my alley (and I think I discovered it in an ILM eoy poll)

those dang rozzers

^one similar track I can think of from last year's poll is DJ Sotofett - "Current 82 (12 Mix)"

I think my biggest discovery from this poll is how incredible Paramore's version of Passionfruit is. Not sure why anyone would have any use for the original after hearing that.

^one similar track I can think of from last year's poll is DJ Sotofett - "Current 82 (12 Mix)"

indeed, that one and DJ Metatron - 2 The Sky were great takeaways from last years poll

while no one is looking, lets beam in a couple more sea shanties from the boot estate

Journeyman - Has Got To Go
Ion Ludwig - Now On The Ocean Sky Only Knows Back In The Mountain Is Where It Goes

xp re: "random album tracks"

I agree although strangely 3 of the top 4 are non-album tracks (which has to be some kind of record).

Grafts is awesome. Really impressed that it showed up. I hope it appears on the albums list as well.

kevin you're like 28 stfu

― flopson, Friday, January 26, 2018 1:59 AM (yesterday)

flopson is the cops ban flopson

you're 77.

does it matter

claim to wizened out of touch rockist status starts thirties EARLIEST, on this i am firm

Freaky Trigger results for comparison. Smaller voter base. A total of 448 tracks got at least one vote but only 69 got more than one. The top 40:

40. Spoon – “Hot Thoughts”
39. Fever Ray – “To The Moon And Back”
38. Methyl Ethel – “Ubu”
37. Harry Styles – “Sign of the Times”
36. Algiers – “The Underside of Power”
35. Susanne Sundfør – “The Sound of War”
34. The Killers – “The Man”
33. The National – “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness”
32. Sunny Sweeney – “Pills”
31. DJ Khaled ft Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance and Lil Wayne – “I’m The One”
30. Slowdive – “Star Roving”
29. Blanck Mass – “Rhesus Negative”
28. Lil Uzi Vert – “XO Tour Lif3”
27. St Vincent – “New York”
26. Wolf Alice – “Don’t Delete The Kisses”
25. The Magnetic Fields – “’83: Foxx and I”
24. St Vincent – “Los Ageless”
23. Clean Bandit & Marina & The Diamonds – “Disconnect”
22. MUNA – “I Know A Place”
21. Cardi B – “Bodak Yellow”
=19. Rina Sawayama – “Cyber Stockholm Syndrome”
=19. Jessie Ware – “Midnight”
18. Calvin Harris ft Frank Ocean & Migos – “Slide”
17. Angaleena Presley – “Wrangled”
16. SZA – “Supermodel”
15. Steps – “Story of a Heart”
14. Ibibio Sound Machine – “Give Me A Reason”
13. Saint Etienne – “Dive”
12. Big Shaq – “Man’s Not Hot”
11. Kendrick Lamar – “DNA.”
10. Steps – “Scared of the Dark”
9. Kesha – “Praying”
8. Dua Lipa – “New Rules”
7. Stormzy – “Big For Your Boots”
6. Charlotte Gainsbourg – “Deadly Valentine”
5. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Cut To The Feeling”
4. Lorde – “Green Light”
3. Charli XCX – “Boys”
2. Selena Gomez – “Bad Liar”
1. Paramore – “Hard Times”

much, much better #1

lack of akrakabo means i'm giving this to ilx though

34. The Killers – “The Man”

Redemption!

Simon i totally forgot to vote for The Man, would have been in my top 5. saw that u nommed it

I've been listening to Charly Bliss and Alvvays since this.

=19. Rina Sawayama – “Cyber Stockholm Syndrome”
=19. Jessie Ware – “Midnight”

My number 1 and number 2 tied together at the same spot.

Also, Steps? Really?

22. MUNA – “I Know A Place”

I'm surprised this song didn't get more traction in year-end lists. Prob just came out too early in the year.

iirc it was nominated last year. great song imo, was on my long-list.

ILM's Top 77 Albums of 2017

That Atelje track is really really terrible compared to his earlier stuff. Reminds me of Foster The People or some other indietronic-ish thing c2009. The Meditations album was much better than this.

On the plus side my partner and I are now K-pop converts thanks to this thread.

just caught up with this

I like CXCX just fine, but this is the weirdest #1 in this poll since "Wut."

weirdest as in unexpected or weirdest-sounding? bcz Wut was a culmination, a peak, a joyous collective ILM event; this is just a result of a lot of people liking something moderately (which makes sense after a wonderfully disparate 77!)

I don't know any of the boys in the video except for Dave 1 & Pee-Thug, Diplo, will.i.am and The Fat Jewish

wut winning and yamaha #4 was why i signed up to ilm

Wut was a culmination, a peak, a joyous collective ILM event; this is just a result of a lot of people liking something moderately

As someone who never much liked "Wut," this is still true.

niels if you like pour asha, try

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5LkLmxcgIQ

I like CXCX just fine, but this is the weirdest #1 in this poll since "Wut."

weirdest as in unexpected or weirdest-sounding?

Unexpected, on a personal level, because I had no idea what "Wut" was until people began saying it was going to win, and I was like "WHAT IS WUT?" Same thing with "Boys." I did not follow CXCX at all in 2017, and had never heard "Boys" until listening to it after seandalai gave me the results.

xp had I voted, that might have been my #1 track of the year

nice Ross, I definitely like what I'm hearing! Is Skee Mask's other stuff similar?

btw I was happily surprised to find out SAM is from Denmark and actually a friend of a friend, small world

I'm late, but Thank you to everyone who ran the polls and everyone who voted. I started to make a ballot, but realized that I knew 1% of the tracks nominated. This poll was full of surprises. I've been putting off sitting down and going through this thread until finally, while coming down off a microdose acid trip last night, I went through every song on the list.

First off, I loved this one from the nominations YT playlist. It would have blown my mind if it had placed. The story about it is interesting too - https://youtu.be/sWblpsLZ-O8

My favorites in no order:
Twice - Likey
Bullion - Blue Pedro
Chromatics - Shadow
Playboi Carti - Magnolia
Mondo Grosso
J Hus - Did You See
Loona/Odd Eye Circle - Girl Front
Loona/Yves - All My Life
S.A.M. - Pour Aisha
Susanne Sundfor - Undercover
Kehlani - Undercover
Avalon Emerson - One More Fluorescent Rush
Serge Beynaud - Akrakabo
Black Madonna - He Is The Voice I Hear
Sun El-Musician feat Samthing Soweto - Akanamali
Carly Rae Jepsen - Cut To The Feeling
Jason Isbell - If We Were Vampires
Patrice Baumel - Glutes
Kamasi Washington - Truth

Great poll. Really blew my mind a few times. Someone said that it's been one of the best polls ever. I agree. Can't wait to dig through the albums now!

we have similar tastes there mom, like almost weirdly so. A Mind was my nom.

we have similar tastes there mom, like almost weirdly so. A Mind was my nom.

― Chocolate-covered gummy bears? Not ruling those lil' guys out. (ulysses), Saturday, February 10, 2018 11:58 AM (three hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

That's awesome ulysses! I'm glad you introduced me to that song. I love how moogy that filter on the bass sounds, like the tone is about to rip apart at the seams.

You know I noticed a common theme running through many of these tracks: an abundance of 7th chords, minor and major. 2017 seems to have really taken those tones to heart. (Not that 7th chords are uncommon to begin with, but they always strike my ear, and it seems like I heard them lots of tracks from this top 77)

Blue Pedro is in my head ALL THE TIME now