ILM’s Top 77 Albums of 2018

don't get the sentiment here that this album was "bad", although for me it took a lot of listens to sink in

Great album never doubted it would place

great album

https://i.imgur.com/6gQNZ4N.jpg
#11: Sons of Kemet - Your Queen is a Reptile - 586 points – 19 votes - 1 first place vote

London jazz wizard Shabaka Hutchings: Sons of Kemet / The Comet Is Coming / Shabaka & the Ancestors

Seb Law: "The richness of the source material and the deftness of interplay of each member of the band ensures that Your Queen is a Reptile leaves you with a sense of having been a part of something truly special. Predictions aren’t our thing, but Sons of Kemet, and indeed Hutchings, are names that should endure, and are truly worthy of the label’s storied history."

Madison Bloom: "For Hutchings, jazz’s cultural memory is not just something to recite, but a rich language that informs an entirely new conversation."

don't get the sentiment here that this album was "bad", although for me it took a lot of listens to sink in

I think most OPN albums get this reaction cuz they're all so different from each other. Reminds me of how every Autechre album was the one where "they really lost it" until they managed to shed the casuals altogether

Voted for both OPN and Beach House.

I agree with 7 being a grower, and I still prefer Bloom. I was psyched about 7 when it was released, but kind of lost interest. Then, late in the year suddenly realized it was amazing. Much more varied, dense, and melodic than Depression Cherry and Thank Your Lucky Stars.

I was down with the OPN record as soon as it came out. His most compositionally complex and inventive album yet. I think it was a bit underrated because people were understandably let down by Garden of Delete and mostly slept on the brilliant Good Time soundtrack.

yesss to Sons Of Kemet

I voted for Sons of Kemet too. I think this may be the most albums I've voted for that has placed.

xp Garden of Delete was also awesome imo

Knew this had to place given the other jazz stuff. I like this a lot but I think the McCraven is slightly more my speed.

I can at least say it's a bit underrated, but I just don't love it the way I love his other albums.

xp

Garden of Delete was great!

Now we're talking. This album rules.

I quite like Andy Beta's review.

This is more like it, redeems the OPN snoozefest making it so high.

Garden Of Delete was amazing, the new one an unengaging mess imo but to each their own etc. I only got interested in him with R Plus Seven so I'm a noob who only likes it when he plays with actual melodies I guess

Huh, I guess Robyn is top ten after all. Never change, ilm.

https://i.imgur.com/ogkySM8.jpg
#10: The Beths - Future Me Hates Me - 602 points – 17 votes - 3 first place votes

The Beths

Justin Cober-Lake: "With one foot in the 1990s and one in the 1960s and both eyes looking forward, it's hard to imagine the album's title will hold true, but the smart lyrics reveal complicated insights that might keep all prognosticators guessing."

Jon Dolan: "A wonderful little record that never lets up, piling on unassumingly buzzy fun until you start realizing you might be in the presence of a true power-pop monument."

regime indie

the little NZers that could!!!

this is the one imago hates, right?

robyn will be top one, ilm aint changed

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FutureMeScaresMe

I wonder if that album was named after this TVTropes entry?

I’ll be here giving ILM the ol’ side-eye... 👀

(xp)

album rips

hope Double Negative places, I never thought at this late point in their career that a Low album would be my favorite of the year

So happy that The Beths made the top 10. I love that people got behind this album. My number one and it wasn't even close.

The Perfume comparison is kind of apt given that their song ナチュラルに恋して felt very much inspired by Max Tundra's Which Song, which in term was very much inspired by Scritti Politti's Perfect Way. I remember Max Tundra even trying to reach out to them on Twitter to produce music for them after that song was released.

― MarkoP, Thursday, February 7, 2019 11:04 AM (fifty-seven minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

even more apt bc "taking notes" is basically "natural ni koshite" all over again

I don't hate this at all! But the love mystifies me a little. I guess the drumming and general musicianship are rly good even if the songwriting is a little by the book

yea I dunno if Nakata's actually heard of Max Tundra but it's abundantly clear now that Tundra was pretty well ahead of his time

Oh my god has blood orange already placed or is Dev Haynes gonna find his way into an ilm top 10

https://i.imgur.com/Vkf41T0.jpg
#9: Sun-el Musician - Africa to the World - 606 points – 19 votes - 3 first place votes

THE HOUSE OF SUN-EL: Sun-El Musician, Simmy, Mlindo The Vocalist, and other related artists

no way blood orange places

Without having heard it I assumed this would be higher given the love

The Robyn is great, the best of what’s left, along with Sun-El Musician, now that a certain other album isn’t placing (don’t tell it was 78’d...)

great album. sonini was robbed in the singles poll

Haven't given this a proper listen yet, but the singles are fantastic

it’s the best one remaining even...

#78 is the 1975 btw

Big if true

No way Owl City are 78'd

i'll 78 you

Shame not to see Szun Waves place.

this was my #1. i listen to it all the time. and it has a way of becoming the fav record of everybody i show it to.

damn those last three placements are *fire emoji*

https://i.imgur.com/vCuRRxq.jpg
#8: Autechre - NTS Sessions 1-4 - 649 points – 18 votes - 4 first place votes

Autechre: Classic or Dud?
Autechre - NTS Session 1 POLL
Autechre - NTS Session 2 POLL
Autechre - NTS Session 3 POLL
Autechre - NTS Session 4 POLL
Most ridiculous post about 'NTS Sessions 1-4' album on the Autechre thread

Andrew Nosnitsky: "Autechre’s eight-hour NTS Sessions adds another level of the British duo’s legacy. Though it’s created by a computer, it will bring you to another plane of human existence if you let it."

Mark Smith: "NTS Sessions 1-4 will elicit the same critiques as any Autechre album in the last decade, but it's their best record in many years."

the 1978 !!

gonna listen to this brb

Eight hours of Autechre, Jesus Christ!

lower than I expected!

Is this the longest album in 77 history?