ILM’s Top 77 Albums of 2021

Promises will not beat Magdalena Bay or Low imo, if we're doing predictions

not gonna say the only one of those three i voted for

screen violence top five please

Not even heard of this one - thread title makes it sound promising so will put it on my 'to check out' list.

didn't realize it had its own thread (rather than just part of the Promises thread discussion). Not even sure where I heard of it now. A gorgeous little trip

said 'Judas' out loud when it became clear track 3 of the Moctar would be acoustic-led

this bangs tho

when moctar built his own guitar when he was a child, he should've made it an electric one. what was he thinking?

The Nala Sinephro mixing is particularly astounding. One of the best sounding records on the countdown imo.

https://i.imgur.com/m1wEkAM.jpg
13. Olivia Rodrigo - Sour
369 points / 10 votes / 2 #1 votes
Video from the album: “Brutal”
olivia rodrigo sets a record

all he had to do was find some magnets and wires xps

Liking this means you're down with the kids and True Pop or something

The Nala Sinephro mixing is particularly astounding. One of the best sounding records on the countdown imo.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Friday, February 11, 2022 10:27 AM (one minute ago)

otm

Tala Tannam is a very beautiful acoustic track; I retract the 'Judas' which was a joke anyway :p

This is the first of the several albums that had 3 songs place on the track list to show up

a fine debut but kind of obviously a padded out EP, it’s too high here but it was too high on every year-end list

i guess that’s my version of dissing the modern-day jagged little pill which would’ve been no. 13 on ilm’s ‘95 list i assume

https://i.imgur.com/oS2AJXT.jpg
12. Dawn Richard - Second Line
381 points / 15 votes
Video from the album: “Morning/Streetlights”
The purpose built next generation interstellar Dawn Richard thread

B-tier Dawn is still good, albeit this is very B-tier for her

her discog is so multifaceted at this point. love this record

ok so those are two out of the three albums i listened to and loved the most last year, pretty sure the other one isn't placing

I'm surprised that the Sinephro record is that high too, really good record though and it does sound incredible. For fans of it I'd also recommend that John Carroll Kirby record 'Septet' from last year, it's also incredibly produced.

somehow Moctar is my best discovery of both polls

I basically agree with both Brad and imago about this album, which I voted for but was a little less viscerally thrilled by compared to last few

sinephro has been on my list for months, i'll put it on this afternoon

I hate to say it, but seeing the Dawn cover zoomed in like that, it's kind of wack

how is it possible Dawn is getting more interesting with each album

Will imago dislike this one barely made it to the top 10?

https://i.imgur.com/DIGKjri.jpg
11. L'Rain - Fatigue
423 points / 13 votes / 1 #1 vote
Video from the album: “Find It”
Does anything sound like L'Rain?

I like Dawn Richard but calling the album 'Second Line' and including those little audio clips talking about New Orleans and second line culture, but the music having zero reference to it, it drives me a little crazy. I mean it's part of her culture and she's not beholden to it, but still.

yeah this is good - brilliant at points - and L'Rain deserves plenty of attention (and your attendance at any gig she performs near you, seriously), but this is a classic case of a merely-good record getting the props that its masterpiece predecessor failed to get at the time

lol @ 11 in both polls tho, c'mon

listened to Second Line way more than.... anything else that i didn't find room for on my ballot. Feels bad!

only really vibed with track 1 on the L'Rain but I'll go back

l'rain is touring with animal collective this fall, apparently

I hate to say it, but seeing the Dawn cover zoomed in like that, it's kind of wack

― rob

Lol it took me months to want to listen to it because I hated the album cover

xp ok wow, would go

L’Rain is touring with Sharon van Etten here.

xp
I hadn't noticed that's a real photo under the drawing...bad choice :/

on the plus side, I put the album on and I wonder if I've been underrating it

you have been

XD

Ah, nice, third album from my ballot to place.

Dreamlike and flows really well

Space 1.8 is so, so good for a debut. Only listened to L'Rain once but was really impressed--need to go back. Second Line rules. Was very high on my ballot. Getting a bit nervous about Arooj Aftab but thinking she could be top 10?

Aftab will place, don't worry

totally

i’m ready for that top ten

Bussifame is a good soundtrack for astral projecting "save us" at Moka

Arooooooj

lol

somehow I forgot about that wonderful thumb piano outro on Bussifame (sorry I should have made these posts in the other poll)

Tinashe, Japanese Breakfast, Arooj, Floating Points, Low, Magdalena Bay, Billie??

pulling for an aftab #1, but no way she beats too low