ILM’s Top 77 Albums of 2021

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

re Altin Gun: “Ordunun Dereleri” was my #1 track so check it out. It's a bit more chill/normy than e.g. Paavoharju but not way off, very satisfying.

ok yes good

this was my #5 it is sick. prog doesn't just live, it thrives, and the kids love it

Still refusing to listen to Black Midi because they're not actual black midi.

After finding the first Black Midi album a bit half-baked and not really committing enough to any of its many ideas, this one was a pleasant surprise. More measured, but just as ambitious. Didn't vote for it, but I could have.

really love the Altin Gun artwork and Yuce Dag Basinda is so infectious

I want to use Moka's images for this poll as a set of Tarot cards.

otm, classic indie bait and switch

xpppp to e.mily

what genre is Altın Gün?

― rob

Turkish psych-folk

I'm curious about this, since the tracks I've heard through the poll are much more synth pop/Italo sounding?

Their previous albums were a bit folkier, but this one blends in plenty of synthpop too, you're right.

altin gun is a band that i listen to occasionally but would prob be blown away by in a live setting

liking the Altin Gun, lotta stuff I don't know so far

I want to use Moka's images for this poll as a set of Tarot cards.

― tangenttangent

Haha, my initial idea for the design was to make a series of shapes - like the stars and circles I ended up adding in there - and use them as containers for the images. Use some 8/10 different ones either random or by genre… it would’ve looked “tarot-esque” but ditched the idea because I would’ve needed more time.

black midi amuses me because they have this one singer whose style can't help but remind me of larry blackmon from cameo

fwiw Slow is both my track and video pick from Cavalcade

Jordan, 'Yüce Dağ Başında' (which for some reason I thought placed last year, but youtube is telling me it came out this year?) is pretty synthpop yeah, but it still has that folky element to it. They're definitely a modern take on it (and not actually based in Turkey iirc) but a large amount of their output I've heard is that psychy folky thing.

I'm probably not the best person to judge this I guess, as I've only sampled the singles/tracks with vids.

I'll have to check out some of their other stuff!

I think I've listened to each Black Midi record exactly once, but I loved seeing them live.

I might have to run, sorry for rushing this last part. Posting two more albums and I’ll continue tomorrow.

https://i.imgur.com/Xt1qB5r.jpg
63. Howie Lee - Birdy Island
146 points / 4 votes / 1 #1 vote
Video from the album: “Time to the Sun”
A thread for HOWIE LEE's sublime, genre-spanning Chinese folk/prog/jazz/Balearic/grime opus 'BIRDY ISLAND'

to be extremely reductive, altin gun is basically khruangbin but for turkey

love this album

my initial idea for the design was to make a series of shapes - like the stars and circles I ended up adding in there - and use them as containers for the images

That sounds rad, but they look great in any case. Kind of reminds me of that Magik Cyrkles comp from a few years back too.

https://i.imgur.com/cT7k2Ix.jpg
62. Sarah Davachi - Antiphonals
150 points / 5 votes
Video from the album: “Border of Mind”
Rolling ambient/chill out/drone/moodz thread: from 2010s 'til infinity!

and another i voted for
nxd power hour

This Sarah Davachi album is great! One of my favorite discoveries from this run.

I’d say this and the left field pop compilation are my two picks of albums I would have voted for if I had listened to them before the poll.

yeah great album, maybe my favorite of hers yet

I missed that Howie Lee thread but "Chinese folk/prog/jazz/Balearic/grime" is definitely something that would have swayed me to listen. Giving it a try now and the sample track sounds great. Fuck yeah. Wish I'd heard it earlier.