ILM’s Top 77 Albums of 2021

the 2021 album whose vocals and lyrics reminded me of the Fall in any way at all was by audiobooks, and it wasn't nominated

this Mr Twin Sister preview track is...much livelier than I remember them being? Hypersophistipop?

Listened to that twice. Very keen to hear the rest

Same, love the production

https://i.imgur.com/6pyfevU.jpg
23. Men I Trust - Untourable Album
290 points / 10 votes
Video from the album: “Tree Among Shrubs”
thraed of smooth jazz dream pop opus ONCLE JAZZ by montreal band MEN I TRUST

amazing album, I was really blown away by their skill and talent after watching the Tiny Desk Concert for this

still one of favorite bass tones in indie pop.

Particularly in love with Serenade of Water and 5am Waltz. They have a late 90's downtempo/chillout/Boards of Canada thing going on which I wasn't expecting from them.

Love Men I Trust <3

I was thinking the other day how much I'd love to play drums in a band like that.

damn lol i had these back to back on my ballot but in reverse order (#5 & #6)

I didn't even know this was out there until the noms list, but I love it so much more than Oncle Jazz.

Btw, they're touring the untourable album this summer.

Weird that Men I Trust and Men Without Hats are both from Montreal, I wonder whether they ever play joint shows as Men I Trust Without Hats

Nice run today. I much preferred the latest Mr Twin Sister album to Salt which I never got into. I don't think I ever forgave them for leaving off Power Of Two and Echo Arms. This one comes close to the brilliance of their 2014 album.

Can't remember if I voted for Erika De Casier now. Beautiful album and a big step up from her debut.

Had a feeling Men I Trust would make it. Easily their best album yet and I ended up really loving Oncle Jazz. Great band.

https://i.imgur.com/5iZBos4.jpg
22. Dean Blunt - Black Metal 2
292 points / 9 votes / 2 #1 votes
Song from the album: “Vigil”
Dean Blunt

my number one. this particular flavor of deadpan ennui spoke to me this year, who could say why

A somewhat related album:

https://i.imgur.com/VNGiI4H.jpg
21. Tirzah - Colourgrade
301 points / 10 votes / 1 #1 vote
Video from the album: “Hive Mind”
Tirzah

I'm not even sure if this is good or not, but I love how weird she got with it

today's run feels like the real ilm-core
(for better or worse)

i love ilm-core

I'm assuming Kacey Musgraves is shut out at this point? I enjoyed that one and had it in the lower reaches of my ballot, but I'm not sure it will make it into the top 20 - something of an upset after she placed #2 in 2018.

Huh I had just assumed ILM doesn't like Men I Trust

you ruled out ILM liking sophistipop?

didn't the previous album also place?

it's because their thread is on ILE

"I like them so therefore ILM won't" was the extent of my calculus, lj

https://i.imgur.com/Jb7e1xC.jpg
20. Koreless - Agor
305 points / 12 votes
Video from the album: “White Picket Fence”
Rolling Re-Re-Reconstructed Club Music 2021

The Mr Twin Sister album is probably fine track-by-track, but what interested me about Beezle is repeated, with extremely limited variation, across every single track here, and the cumulative effect is...well, y'know. If you're into that sort of thing...

Gotta say, after the start I had visions of today being a little less relentless than it's turned out to be. Maybe this Koreless is something idk

I really liked the Koreless Yugen EP in 2013 but didn't keep up with them at all. Hm.

Heard the Koreless record when it came but never got round to going back to it. Vague memories of it sounding a bit like an updated Orbital?

I confuse Men I Trust with Fear of Men...

How apt that Men I Trust and Mr Twin Sister placed back to back

https://i.imgur.com/7pgG5Ms.jpg
19. Grouper - Shade
339 points / 11 votes
Song from the album: “Unclean Mind”
GROUPER "Way Their Crept" --- CONTACT

Koreless basically didn't release between 2013 and 2021! I think he did some performances/commissions with orchestras somewhere in there? The album really grew on me, love the use of vocal samples (which feels like a callback to that post-dubstep era but also very fresh).

Lol @ "official lyric video"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN7anCPkhMA

ilm kore

lyric of the year: e eh eh e e e e e e e eeee ee eee ee eeee ii?? eee ohm ee e e ee e eeeee ehh

love the Grouper record so much

woooo Koreless

lyric of the year: e eh eh e e e e e e e eeee ee eee ee eeee ii?? eee ohm ee e e ee e eeeee ehh

― Indexed, Thursday, February 10, 2022 2:13 PM (one minute ago) bookmarkflaglink

these lyrics are so corny, why do people keep posting them???

lol

turn this damn vibe around

https://i.imgur.com/SXNGR4w.jpg
17.(TIE) Sault - Nine
342 points / 13 votes
Video from the album: “Bitter Streets”
Sault - What's the story?

Tirzah album felt to me like this year's equivalent of Pre-Millennial Tension-era Tricky. That's a good metric.

oh damn, i should hear that then

Feels like Sault a bit too high. Easily their weakest album.

Well that's why it's not #1

With Sault it wasn't easy to decide to go with album or tracks. Personally I went with tracks and voted for Bitter Streets. The album is maybe a transition.

Love that Dean Blunt album, the first thing of his I've really gotten into. Voted for Sault too. I agree it's their slightest album, but that's by comparison to four great ones.

the strategy to only make it available for a limited time was a big negative for me

I mean, "available" ... it's not like it's hard to find if you want to listen to it.

Grouper = ILM bait, in a good way.