ILM’s Top 77 Albums of 2021

never really returned to ultrapop but it did make me listen to only love again

richard dawson is ilm-core

absolutely

also I didn't get into the Mr Twin Sister album but the thread getting bumped prompted me to listen to the first two, which loved, so maybe I'll find my way to this one in 5 years

What if Anne Bourne is 78.

I actually like that one song from the Cassandra Jenkins album, I should give the whole thing another go. It's been a minute.

(# points in ILM EOY poll) /
(# points on 2021 AOTY aggregate list ) =
ILM-Core score

the other Can live album ain't placing huh

lol I have heard OF a whopping three of the albums that placed today, fragmentation is real

Cassandra Jenkins album is entirely lovely (if not entirely lively).

rochelle jordan the discovery of the poll so far for me

17.(TIE) Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert

can’t bring myself to this on the count of its jomny sun ass album name

yes

first letters of the title spell her name i think, which is why it sounds a bit awkward

Ohhhhhh

eh she still could have said "introverted"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwrGv9gZSNA

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.

― aphoristical, Thursday, February 10, 2022 bookmarkflaglink

Probably my biggest let-down of 2021. Was really looking forward to it but in the end, the best parts were merely okay.

love the Grouper record so much

― winters (josh), Thursday, February 10, 2022 bookmarkflaglink

I think I like the new Raum album that came out last week even more

I ordered that Raum album, I remember the first one was very understated but looking forward to this one.

Seven of my 25 have placed so far, and at this point I only expect another 3, possibly 4. Don't think my #1 is gonna make it.

8 out of 20 for me. These are the albums I voted for that have made it... I'm surprised I have more albums placing than past years... I guess I was more in touch with the ILM Hivemind this time.

WAU WAU COLLECTIF | Yaral Sa Doom
MEN I TRUST | Untourable album
ERIKA DE CASIER | Sensational
HTRK | Rhinestones
TIRZAH | Colourgrade
DEAN BLUNT | Black metal 2
KORELESS | Agor
ERIS DREW | Quivering in Time

I've placed 7 so far - I'm expecting another 8 or 9 to make the top 15 though. I've been enjoying the rollout - I like everything on it that I've heard, and am enjoying catching up on things I've missed like Heisei No Oto and Howie Lee.

voted for cassandra jenkins, grouper, koreless, mr twin sister and lil ugly mane.

only thing here i don't think i've heard is the sons of kemet.

do not really get the armed, tirzah and dean blunt much at all. sault & little simz both pretty underwhelming - the little simz album starts off strong but really runs out of steam towards the end. the concept & interludes are all extremely corny unfortunately.

i looooved erika de casier's debut but this one was just decent. melodies didn't quite grab me in the same way.

cfcf album had some nice moments but was just ok overall, didn't manage to recreate the same magic as liquid colours in this different style.

ime you have to be in a very specific mood to enjoy the Tirzah and Dean Blunt albums.

They’re like idk Gaspar Noe or Lars Von Trier films.

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

OK, I'm glad I checked this out.

Altin Gun album p good

Hell yeah this rollout is amazing. Koreless was my #2. Erika de Casier was off my ballot and I have regrets about that. Men I Trust was amazing. CFCF was on my ballot, as was Little Simz, who I will be seeing live on my birthday. Can't wait for the top 17

playlist is updated btw

With my votes for Henki, Agor, SIMBI, Nine, Sensational, SoK and depending how many place today, I might be at a record in the top 26 or top 33. Or it might all crumble. I have high hopes that 333, Vulture Prince, Mother, Happier than Ever, Hey What, and Mercurial World will place. I also have hopes for Spiral and Collapsed in Sunbeams, although nothing from them showed up in tracks shockingly. I guess any more jazz is out of the equation, though I didn't vote for 1.8, Promises or Open the Gates and jazz is suddenly very contentious apparently (not that surprising for a genre experiencing a sort of comeback after 40 years), and I don't suppose we will see Haram.

...or Stand for myself

HTRK would have been high on my ballot (possibly number one) if I'd gotten round to listening to their album before voting

have placed 4 and am expecting 0 more, but that isn't going to stop me listening to your offerings with pitiless judgement

had always thought of CFCF unkindly before, probably for irrational reasons, but this is pretty engrossing. 'gravure idol' just finished & was particularly so. if we're not going to get death's dynamic shroud, this will have to do instead, lol

it is extremely long tho

Have placed 4 and am expecting 1 more, which for me feels very hivemindy! Given up hope on the Chants album placing, though ;_;

well I mean I didn't vote for it but L'Rain is one of mine in spirit maybe

L’Rain will probably be the only one of my votes to turn up in this last stretch

I’ll echo a few other posters - this has been a year when a surprisingly high number of my votes surfaced in the rollout (and a lot of things surfaced that I’d heard but didn’t vote for)

Haha I saw CFCF roll by and initially thought "right so that Something Something Coastal Fever band has shortened its name, maybe a good move, I can never remember it correctly".

Lol christ, wonder if we've dodged Parquet Courts as well. ILM at least avoiding much of the worst of the new post-punk. Dry Cleaning, whom I'm listening to right now, are pretty good I think

ALC is even serving some primo skronk in the absence of TFS (or Springtime)

lol i don't think there's any chance at all parquet courts show up at this point

tbc I didn't vote for TFS and don't think they deserve it this time

Two tracks in I was on board with Sons Of Kemet. Six tracks later I am....not

although just as I wrote that, the end of 'let the circle be unbroken' was pretty cool

My first skip was Can, towards the end of the opening 20 minute jam. Not horrible by any means, but just not something I need.

I made it all the way through GY!BE, which must be a lifetime first, but my constant thought was "basically this = the Swans it's still OK to like". It didn't give me anything that Swans used to give me more of.

Extremely more into Rochelle Jordan's take on garagey R&B than EDC's rather, um, polite one

I'll add that if 0PN truly has ushered in the era of bright uncanny-valley harpsichord production, I want zero to do with it (see also Koreless)

Maybe the expensive sterility is the point but no

https://i.imgur.com/gCH80YF.jpg
15. Mdou Moctar - Afrique Victime
359 points / 14 votes
Video from the album: “Chismiten”
Rolling Global Outernational Non-West Non-English (Some Exceptions) 2021 Thread (Often African bands)