ILM’s Top 77 Albums of 2018

Weirdly enjoying Courtney Barnett this morning after posting that I found her dull.

I must be hitting some of the more peppy tracks.

I liked KKB's cover of "rock n'roll star"

http://i.imgur.com/l0FJD25.jpg

#70: Kadhja Bonet – Childqueen - 208 points – 9 votes

Let's listen to Kadhja Bonet and discuss her soulful psychedelic sounds

Adriane Ponetcorvo: “Kadhja Bonet carefully chooses how much of her the world can know. In doing so, she remains weightless, an artist ephemeral, even as her genre-resistant music makes a serious sonic impact.”

Diva Harris: “From the back seat of an intergalactic Ford Pinto, possibly driven by Minnie Riperton, a supernaturally excellent album.”

I'm worried the KKB album won't be as fun as Only Acting. Is it?

― frame casual (dog latin), Monday, February 4, 2019 5:18 PM (eight minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I was worried about this but was proven wrong. It's more fun.

Oh yeah!

Heck yes! Also, I think I forgot to vote for this, so it should have placed higher.

This opening stretch has been largely fantastic.

Never heard of this one, sounds intriguing.

WC seems like a band I should be listening to.

nm, I did vote for it. 👍

I keep meaning to follow Moka's advice and listen to Bonet's previous album, but this one builds its own lovely little world

That's already two I forgot to vote for! (Khadja and Senyawa.)

Ten seconds in, this is this year's L'Rain, isn't it? I mean I can hardly hope it's as good, but

Childqueen was pleasant enough but never got really into it, maybe if i'd given it a few more tries?

Not that I know them, but going by the sleeve the spelling of their name is “Senyawa”, not “Senjawa”.

OTM

ditto for me xp

Hmm, it's much less effortlessly dreamlike than L'Rain, more mannered. Will still give it a good go

more minimalist than L'Rain I'd also say. in terms of stuff I know an imago likes, I'd say it's closer to Weyes Blood than L'Rain in spirit if not in genre

Yeah it's not helpful to think of this in terms of L'Rain. Much more in the...I want to say Laura Mvula bracket? Enjoying it cautiously so far

With a bit of Connan Mockasin thrown in

I think the thing that held me back from falling deeply in love with this album is that the songs themselves are magnificent but the production lacks a fullness and warmth that would fully bring them into life. Still a total downer jam, though.

I find Bonet's singing hard to engage with, it's a bit distancing? But I'm giving the record another go now. Does she do all those sumptuous arrangements herself?

I find Bonet's singing hard to engage with

I never quite got why this album was often put across as alt-r&b. It's got more in common with someone like Petula Clark than Gladys Knight.

I tried a couple of times with the Bonet, but I wasn’t feeling it.

Good selection of albums on those last four. I don't really get Grae & Chris, bass-driven but deconstructed and not really pleasant instrumentally, though I've reached House Call and like this one. I returned to Senyawa the other day and realized I can just enjoy them on a purely sonic level - impressive sound and ambiance. I liked what I heard from Wednesday Campanella during the campaign, I imagine they could have placed a track like Bamboo Princess rather than appear here, but why not. I don't get KKB. Childqueen is certainly very well made but it was like a nice background painting and rather forgettable to me, except for tracks like Second Wind and Delphine.

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

#69: Ghost – Prequelle - 214 points – 6 votes

Ghost (or Ghost B.C. or w/e) -- Swedish Pop Metal in Satan's Service

Adrien Begrand: “Underneath the catchy melodies and snazzy artwork, Ghost have created one of the cleverest heavy metal records in recent memory.”

Dave Everley: “Satanic metal meets shameless pop on Swedish faux cultists’ crowning glory.”

Not quite as good as the last one but endearingly garish in its own way

xxp that's how i felt about Everything's Fine too, not for me at all

Bonet album is losing me a little after a decent start - kind of coasting by on atmosphere. Oh Ghost, I still need to hear this

Surprisingly low but the ilm rock/metal contingent has shrunk over the past few years

imago did you listen to any of the metal poll spotify playlist?

not yet

I have a friend who's been talking to me about Ghost for ages and ages, and I keep smiling to him and never heard a note of them. Melodic / hardcore swedish metal or whatever doesn't seem very appealing. That's a cool metal cover I must say.

Ghost is the furthest thing from hardcore.

It's Europop in metal's clothing tbh

as long as we're talking metal

I keep forgetting people take this band seriously.

This isn't sounding good tbh

Maybe they just like fun (I wouldn't know anything about that tbf).

xp

as long as we're talking metal

― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Monday, February 4, 2019 12:06 PM (forty-three seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

from maine to san diego
mattingly and canseco!

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

#68: YOB – Our Raw Heart – 214 points – 8 votes – 1 first place vote

YOB

Jimmy Hubbard: “YOB’s music on Our Raw Heart doesn’t settle for truisms. The beauty is of a rough sort, shot through with the residue of suffering. It’s a record by a mature band, setting itself to a serious task.”

Thom Jurek: “These seven songs -- totaling some 73 minutes -- are some of the most trying and beautiful material to emerge from extreme music in some time. This is doom metal possessed of hope.”

Another vote of mine. I don't really like the album tho, just the marketing hook.

Biographical storytelling aside, they could use a new singer.

imago, there's some proggy instrumental stuff in there that might be up your alley. See "Miasma" and "Helvetesfonster".

Wednesday Campanella only one of mine so far. I meant to check out the Jean Grae & Quelle Chris record and go back to Senyawa (not sure I ever heard the whole thing but like the stuff I have heard), but didn't get round to them in time.

I guess the Ghost here is the Scando one? Album cover is fun.

Charlie Puth will always be that dickhead who did the terrible song with Meghan Trainor, I'm just going to remain perplexed and boggling at ilx for voting for him rather than dip a toe in this potentially lethal water.

way too low

Bold use of saxophone on the Ghost album

Puth-Trainor is a human rights violation but the album is solid pop, emil.y.

drugs a money doesn't seem to be here to promote his poll so here goes
The 2018 ILX Metal n' Heavy Rock Poll VOTING + CAMPAIGNING thread! Ballots due Saturday, Feb. 9th!