Deserving winner. Thanks to everyone running the poll.
― Pfunkboy AKA (Oor Neechy), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:18 (two years ago) link
the chvrches record was instrumental in me realizing i'm a woman, so, like how the deafheaven record is impossible to extract from how depressed i was last august, it is impossible for me to separate screen violence from that realization. also horror movie tropes are very smartly employed as metaphors throughout the record, there was no way i wasn't going to like a record that did that. regardless: synth-pop revival isn't free jazz or harsh noise i guess but i always thought chvrches provided a very original vision of it, always a little faster and crisper than it should be, like it was being blinked out by an overclocked processor, and the melodies never recalled anything of '80s vintage for me, they were definitely written by someone who fucking loves jimmy eat world and other early '00s emo. surprisingly they are the only band i can think of who spliced these two things together. and instead of any contemporaneous synth-pop act they might be associated with, they remind me most of garbage, who also made pop-rock that sounded as if it had been fed through something and come out almost unrecognizable and partially-to-totally danceable on the other end
so if screen violence is their best album, which i think it is, it's because they further darkened and fragmented their sound by incorporating goth pop guitars, breakbeats, and a total confidence in these choices that contrasts with the pools of anxiety the lyrics keep melting into, that it provides indelible hooks to latch onto even as it clings to the cliff's-edge of sanity, even as it is surrounded by threats and double-standards that do not abate but reinforce themselves and gradually suffocate the atmosphere, like something determined to remain itself no matter what it has to survive
it's also totally hypocritical to love the sayonara wild hearts soundtrack and not give chvrches the time of day, imago
― STOCK FIST-PUMPER BRAD (BradNelson), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:19 (two years ago) link
[FULL RESULTS]
1. Low - HEY WHAT2. Arooj Aftab - Vulture Prince3. Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises4. Cleo Sol - Mother5. Magdalena Bay - Mercurial World6. Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever7. CHVRCHES - Screen Violence8. Wolf Alice - Blue Weekend9. Japanese Breakfast - Jubilee10. Tinashe - 33311. L'Rain - Fatigue12. Dawn Richard - Second Line13. Olivia Rodrigo - Sour14. Nala Sinephro - Space 1.815. Mdou Moctar - Afrique Victime16. Cassandra Jenkins - An Overview on Phenomenal Nature17.(TIE) Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert17.(TIE) Sault - Nine19. Grouper - Shade20. Koreless - Agor21. Tirzah - Colourgrade22. Dean Blunt - Black Metal 223. Men I Trust - Untourable Album24. Mr Twin Sister - Al Mundo Azul25. Erika de Casier - Sensational26. Sons of Kemet - Black to the Future27. Dry Cleaning - New Long Leg28. CFCF - Memoryland29.(TIE) Lil Ugly Mane - Volcanic Bird Enemy and the Voiced Concern29.(TIE) The Armed - Ultrapop31. Snail Mail - Valentine32. Halsey - If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power33. Richard Dawson & Circle - Henki34. The Bug - Fire35. Wau Wau Collectif - Yaral Sa Doom36. The Weather Station - Ignorance37. Jane Weaver - Flock38. HTRK - Rhinestones39.(TIE) Lingua Ignota - SINNER GET READY39.(TIE) Wild Up - Julius Eastman Vol.1: Femenine41. Rochelle Jordan - Play With the Changes42. Tyler, the Creator - CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST43. Deafheaven - Infinite Granite44. Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert & Jon Randall - Marfa Tapes45. Rắn Cạp Đuôi Collective - Ngủ Ngày Ngay Ngày Tận Thế46. Jazmine Sullivan - Heaux Tales47. aya - im hole48. Insides - Soft Bonds49. Lana Del Rey - Chemtrails Over The Country Club50. Flock of Dimes - Head of Roses51. Nite Jewel - No Sun52. Bicep - Isles53. Yu Su - Yellow River Blue 54. Joy Orbison - still slipping, vol 155. Mogwai - As The Love Continues56. Loraine James - Reflection57. Arab Strap - As Days Get Dark58. Natural Information Society & Evan Parker - descension (Out of Our Constrictions)59. Damon Locks & Black Monument Ensemble - NOW60. Saint Etienne - I've Been Trying To Tell You61. Mach-Hommy - Pray for Haiti62. Sarah Davachi - Antiphonals63. Howie Lee - Birdy Island64. Black Midi - Cavalcade65. Vijay Iyer Trio - Uneasy66. Altın Gün - Yol67. Kabza de Small, DJ Maphorisa & Tresor - Rumble in the Jungle68. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - G_d’s Pee AT STATE’S END!69. Can - Live in Stuttgart 197570. Vanishing Twin - Ookii Gekkou71. Eris Drew - Quivering in Time72. Emeka Ogboh - Beyond the Yellow Haze73. Spellling - The Turning Wheel74. Hayley Williams - Flowers for Vases / Descansos75. Doja Cat - Planet Her76. Manchester Orchestra - The Million Masks of God77. Various Artists - Heisei No Oto- Japanese Left-Field Pop From The CD Age, 1989-1996
FULL RESULTS IMG WITH STATS
https://imgur.com/a/UozxiGg
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:19 (two years ago) link
Wow I stand corrected re: Floating Points!
― change display name (Jordan), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:20 (two years ago) link
in isolation I'm sure I'll enjoy Chvrches and I'll be testing that very soon :)
― imago, Friday, 11 February 2022 19:20 (two years ago) link
good post Brad
― imago, Friday, 11 February 2022 19:21 (two years ago) link
(I just thought that even the target audience for ambient jazz on ILM was divided on the FP/Pharoah Sanders record)
― change display name (Jordan), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:21 (two years ago) link
The full spreadsheet is on seandalai’s hands. Thank you forks and seandalai for helping create this, and all of you who voted and/or commented for being good sports.
Here’s 78-100 in the meantime:
78 Sun-El Musician - African Electronic Dance Music79 Faye Webster - I know I'm Funny Haha79 Genesis Owusu - Smiling With No Teeth81 Sofia Kourtesis - Fresia Magdalena EP82 Octo Octa - She's Calling EP82 kacey musgraves - star-crossed84 Rosali - No Medium85 Victory Over The Sun - Nowherer86 Pino Palladino & Blake Mills - Notes With Attachments86 Self Esteem - Prioritise Pleasure88 Parquet Courts - Sympathy For Life89 Dos Monos - Larderello90 Goat Girl - On All Fours91 Bitchin Bajas - Switched On Ra92 Tems - If Orange Was A Place92 remi wolf - Juno94 Squid - Bright Green Field95 Serpentwithfeet - Deacon96 Chants - Poly Pointillism97 Pale Waves - Who Am I?98 Black Dresses - Forever in Your Heart99 Arlo Parks - Collapsed in Sunbeams99 Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - Candy Racer
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:22 (two years ago) link
pamyu pamyu pamyu pamyu
― maf you one two (maffew12), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:24 (two years ago) link
Thank you so much, poll runners. Always look forward to this and it did not disappoint. Discovered a ton of stuff in the first few days of this poll that was largely ignored in the EOY list cycle.
What I see in the ilm consensus this year is a bias towards the quiet. Albums for 1, with lots of space, perhaps best enjoyed on headphones. In a continued world of lockdowns and quarantines, that's how I consumed 99% of the music I listened to this year. There are a few festival bands here, but they seem like the exceptions.
I am seeing my first live show in over 2 years in April (Arooj!) and have made it my personal goal to see enough live music this year to make up for a lot of lost time.
― Indexed, Friday, 11 February 2022 19:25 (two years ago) link
jesus christ Nowherer got that close
― imago, Friday, 11 February 2022 19:25 (two years ago) link
What's the last ILX poll winner to get > 1000 points?
― Forgive the thread spam, but I wanted to note I'm (Whiney G. Weingarten), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:25 (two years ago) link
Oh wow what a points jump! Everyone loves Low. Even me as it turned out. Can’t wait to see them live later this year.
― tangenttangent, Friday, 11 February 2022 19:25 (two years ago) link
Thank you Moka, forks and seandalai - this was a really fun one to follow.
― tangenttangent, Friday, 11 February 2022 19:26 (two years ago) link
Yep, thanks to all of you!
― imago, Friday, 11 February 2022 19:27 (two years ago) link
never heard of Arooj Aftab either, but I am liking that live video a lot
lots of stuff to explore here, thanks ILM
― bad milk blood robot (sleeve), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:27 (two years ago) link
dang voted for 78, 80, and 81
― Indexed, Friday, 11 February 2022 19:27 (two years ago) link
dunno why I never got round to hearing the arooj album, but it does sound lovely
― o shit the sheriff (NickB), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:29 (two years ago) link
Not a bad list, I reckon. Two more of my votes in the 78-100 bracket (Chants and Kyary). Thanks to the poll team!
― emil.y, Friday, 11 February 2022 19:29 (two years ago) link
Aw so close VotS
― The sensual shock (Sund4r), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:32 (two years ago) link
Honored to be in the top 100 <3 <3 <3
(surprised that the Coltrane record didn't show up anywhere?)
― change display name (Jordan), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:33 (two years ago) link
Thanks pollsters!
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:34 (two years ago) link
In Soviet Russia, #1 is too Low
― Evan, Friday, 11 February 2022 19:36 (two years ago) link
do think the need to state "why would you listen to female-fronted pop music when you could listen instead to this guy farting into a tuba for 4 hours" is an impulse worth interrogating― castanuts (DJP)
― castanuts (DJP)
i ❤️ djp
― enochroot, Friday, 11 February 2022 19:37 (two years ago) link
thanks poll team, the work the three of you put in is vm appreciated
― karl...arlk...rlka...lkar..., Friday, 11 February 2022 19:38 (two years ago) link
re: Arooj, can't think of a more ILM-friendly way that Hindustani vocal music could have been packaged; props, in a weird way. if you want to hear something from the tradition that's got a bit more going on tonally, I recommend Ustad Saami (who I voted for)
― imago, Friday, 11 February 2022 19:38 (two years ago) link
lol Evan
― change display name (Jordan), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:39 (two years ago) link
I can’t find the Coltrane in the top 200
Live albums in 101-200 we have #102 Can, #127Lee Morgan, #137 Arthur Russell
And a tie
111 75 Dollar Bill - Live Ateliers Claus111 Les Filles de Illighadad - At Pioneer Works
Not sure if those are Live albums but the album title makes it sound like they could be
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:39 (two years ago) link
Ok found the Coltrane it’s our #540 lol
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:43 (two years ago) link
Haha ty
― change display name (Jordan), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:44 (two years ago) link
― imago, Friday, February 11, 2022 2:38 PM (four minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink
"hey guys, i get why this lamestream artist would appeal to your shitty tastes, but how about you check out an artist you're less likely to appreciate but that i, the one true arbiter of what is and isn't interesting, like more"
― roflrofl fight (voodoo chili), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:45 (two years ago) link
it's tradition
― STOCK FIST-PUMPER BRAD (BradNelson), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:45 (two years ago) link
Other Music clerk parody circa 2006
― Evan, Friday, 11 February 2022 19:47 (two years ago) link
Moka - yes those are both live albums
― bad milk blood robot (sleeve), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:48 (two years ago) link
Thank you poll runners, this was fun
― Legalize Suburban Benches (Raymond Cummings), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:50 (two years ago) link
Thanks so much to the poll runners for all your efforts. It has been a good distraction over the last couple tough weeks.
I'm a very casual Low fan and didn't vote for the album. It's definitely up there with the best they've done (probably only rivaled by the Christmas album) and I can see why it was so popular. It does feel like this is a rare poll where it seemed obvious who the number one would be from the very beginning. I can't think of another year where it was like this? Maybe Kendrick in 2015, but even then Ten Love Songs and Emotion put up a good fight.
I enjoyed the top ten and voted for everything from Cleo to Tinashe so I guess I'm part of the problem. I really need to finally check out the Arooj Aftab album.
― kitchen person, Friday, 11 February 2022 19:50 (two years ago) link
do think the need to state "why would you listen to female-fronted pop music when you could listen instead to this guy farting into a tuba for 4 hours" is an impulse worth interrogating
The gender assumptions here are also worth interrogating imo.
― The sensual shock (Sund4r), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:54 (two years ago) link
And thx to the poll runners!
I am loving the fact that the Aftab album also had a limited edition perfume sold along with it (see Bandcamp)
― bad milk blood robot (sleeve), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:54 (two years ago) link
i'm down with the new low sound but am apparently the only person who thought HEY WHAT was diminishing returns after double negative
― na (NA), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:55 (two years ago) link
Whiney and all, I'm certainly down for rolling goon or a new weird/inexplicable/time travel thread.
I mean I know my tastes in everything are "particular" so to speak, but I just really don't like a lot of what placed today...Arooj album fell flat for me, and contemporary pop is crap to my ears, so...
― we need outrage! we need dicks!! (the table is the table), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:55 (two years ago) link
(As I put on the Sylvie Courvoisier/Mary Halvorson album) xps
― The sensual shock (Sund4r), Friday, 11 February 2022 19:56 (two years ago) link
I had a crazy week so basically had barely any time to listen to anything during the rollout, but will listen to a bunch of these in the coming weeks. Ultimately only two things I voted for ended up placing the top 77 (though they were my number 1 and 2 (Lingua Ignota and Mr Twin Sister)).
― silverfish, Friday, 11 February 2022 20:01 (two years ago) link
great poll, thank you forks, moka, and seandalai
thursday was the best day of the poll, good mix of faves plus discoveries for me
― roflrofl fight (voodoo chili), Friday, 11 February 2022 20:04 (two years ago) link
Big thank you to the pollrunners. I didn't really chime in on this thread because most of my comments would've been along the lines of "This album is OK" but a decent chunk of my ballot did show up at the end here. The Low album is a worthy winner, really grew on me to become one of my favourite things they've done. Nice to see the Nala Sinephro album just outside the top 10, I had that as my #1.
Lots of things to check out (and some to re-listen to maybe) as usual.
― Gavin, Leeds, Friday, 11 February 2022 20:05 (two years ago) link
Thanks forks, moka, and seandalai!
― we need outrage! we need dicks!! (the table is the table), Friday, 11 February 2022 20:06 (two years ago) link
I don't like most contemporary pop either, the glossy production always instantly makes my brain lump it in with reality-show-background.mp3 and other muzak you might hear at Walmart or the dentist. Generally it's just not for me. I guess I'd be totally pwned with the guy farting in tuba comment but instead I'm listening to for example Lea Bertucci's last album (if that's the sort of thing being parodied) and it's actually beautiful if you give that sort of thing a chance. But maybe it's not for you!
― Evan, Friday, 11 February 2022 20:07 (two years ago) link
Huge appreciation to moka, forks and sean - this is always such a treat
― technopolis, Friday, 11 February 2022 20:15 (two years ago) link
Great list, needed more rap/hip hop though, and less alt rock *yawn* but thems my preferences I guess
― octobeard, Friday, 11 February 2022 20:26 (two years ago) link
― roflrofl fight (voodoo chili)
― STOCK FIST-PUMPER BRAD (BradNelson)
Also without this kind of stuff the thread would be mostly empty. I say we need *more* challops4u, not less.
― emil.y, Friday, 11 February 2022 20:28 (two years ago) link