ILM’s Top 77 Albums of 2021

xps to rob

i liked the madchester arkestra album but it was ultimately a disappointment after the incredible "black mile". also, just wanted to share this convo i had with a coworker:

me: you should check out manchester orchestra... they're a bit like imagine dragons if they didnt suck?
coworker: ....i like imagine dragons

this ogboh record is wonderful

https://i.imgur.com/7vtAxBL.jpg
68. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - G_d’s Pee AT STATE’S END!
140 points / 6 votes
Video from the album: “GOVERNMENT CAME”
Godspeed You Black Emperor! - Classic or Dud?

loved job's lament from this

I know how to play music but could never get a hang of music theory so the only thing that really bothers me these days are blatant Fahey-solo-guitar tropes among those types of players (cause I love that genre, but there are some boring guitar movements I can see the hands doing when I hear them).

― Evan, Monday, February 7, 2022 12:55 PM (five minutes ago)

Yeah, tbc I totally understand being a drummer and perceiving things in drum parts that are entirely invisible to a non-drummer but are unignorable to you. But I didn't even know that VT song was in 5/4, and it turns out I am better off for it. I often have this reaction to posts by Sund4r or fgti or various posters who are trained singers. This is, of course, a cope for the fact that I am deeply jealous of their knowledge & skill

nu-godspeed continue to be a significant downgrade on the og imo

I am also jealous!

xp

i prefer nu-godspeed a great deal, think this is their best album

absolutely backwards take, imago

BRA...WHINEY!

i remember listening to this and it was a bit limp, then i put Yanqui UXO on and it whirled me around the cosmos, but YMMV i guessssssss

It reminds me of Dave Brubeck, but maybe in a really explicit "let's write a song over the Take Five groove" that works for it, idk.

It's not to take away from anyone's enjoyment, it's just my pet peeve that 90% of songs in 5/4 default to that same Take Five/Mission Impossible pattern. I just appreciate hearing anything else.

xp

The Eris Drew record is really fun, it just missed my ballot unfortunately

Godspeed I voted for, with Can I voted for the Brighton set

i forget but also love how much angrier the albums rollout is

The first half of the Godspeed was stronger but it needs to be heard as a whole, their best record in a few

Can album is awesome. I forgot to vote for it, then decided that anything I might remove to make space for it would need the vote more, so left it. Wonderful album, though.

re: Can, have been mollified by explanations that this stuff really is 'new'. it then becomes purely a question of taste and voting decisions

My personal voting policy is no rereleases / no compilations, and I voted for Live in Stuttgart because it's novel and it rocks

77. Various Artists ‎ - Heisei No Oto- Japanese Left-Field Pop From The CD Age, 1989-1996

This is outstanding, I've only been playing one track from it Dream Dolphin - Take No Michi. Very taken with that, hopefully a couple of the others follow suit

https://i.imgur.com/LmtCqsX.jpg
67. Kabza de Small, DJ Maphorisa & Tresor - Rumble in the Jungle
141 points / 5 votes
Song from the album: “Stimela”
🎹🎹PİANO! PİANO!🎹🎹 - a song appreciation thread for “eMcimbini” by Kabza De Small & DJ Maphorisa ft. Aymos, Samthing Soweto, Mas Musiq & Myztro

I was a little on the fence about it, but I did vote for a different newly-issued live album that was recorded decades ago

it then becomes purely a question of taste

is your argument that CAN is bad, actually?

not arguing there!

ok THAT is unexpected

though maybe just because I voted for Motion and not this

FYI there is a dedicated Tresor thread too: TRESOR, the Congolese-South African singer with the heavenly voice

imago arguing that Can is bad, saying old GYBE is better and bringing up Fantano is enough reason to ban him from this thread tbh

i was not arguing that Can are bad ffs

The only Tresor I would vote for

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0xCfOeOnvA

are you guys competing to get banned

rob clearly a false believer

https://i.imgur.com/cSvaVmf.jpg
66. Altın Gün - Yol
142 points / 4 votes
Video from the album: “Ordunun Dereleri”
Rolling Global Outernational Non-West Non-English (Some Exceptions) 2021 Thread (Often African bands)

rob clearly a false believer

― Nabozo, Monday, February 7, 2022 1:32 PM (four minutes ago)

lol looking at my ballot I def could have made room for it, chalk it up to deciding to spend as little time as poss on my ballot. fwiw the amapiano tracks on Motion made me re-appreciate Rumble a lot

I know it’s not an “i” but couldn’t get the typography to do that letter

Guessing we’ll see the Coltrane reissue here as well.

(Or not reissue but first-time issue of A Love Supreme live in Seattle.)

That Can live album was my #1 go-to background album for working last year. Didn't vote for it though.

Well, our next album is not Coltrane but it is Jazz.

https://i.imgur.com/I7ehEl7.jpg
65. Vijay Iyer Trio - Uneasy
144 points / 6 votes
Video from the album: “Combat Breathing”
Vijay Iyer - C/D, S & D

rumble in the jungle is so good. i do not endorse whiney's fav tresor, tho.

I haven't listened to a full Altın Gün album but I do like a bunch of their stuff so I may well check that out.

what genre is Altın Gün?

Oooh, the Altin Gün record is cool. Don't think I voted for it, but generally their output has had some lovely moments. Hey Nari was my fave from this one.

Didn't spot the new Vanishing Twin this year!

My favorite part of the "Ice Cream Whine" Tik-Tok is the third character that's just some dude walking by and getting caught up by the beat

Ooh nice. First album from my ballot to place.

what genre is Altın Gün?

― rob

Turkish psych-folk

Ooh something I voted for placed: love the Altın Gün record. Pleased to see Vanishing Twin place too although it just missed my ballot.

https://i.imgur.com/UrkX2HM.jpg
64. Black Midi - Cavalcade
146 points / 4 votes
Video from the album: “John L”
black midi - anyone been tracking these?

Imago is going to love this lol