As blizzard thaws to meltwater, so too must ILM's TOP 77 TRACKS of 2015 give way to ILM's Top 77 Albums of 2015.
Thanks for taking the time to nominate and vote for your favorite albums; my understanding is that we had 137 votes cast. Other cohorts in crime on the creation of this countdown include johnny fever, seanandalai and gr8080 (who will be completing the countdown on Wednesday and Thursday).
You can listen along at home on Spotify if you're inclined using this playlist link:ILM's Top 77 Albums of 2015 Spotify PlaylistMore than 90% of the placing albums will be on this playlist; we'll provide links for sampling the rest.
We'll start tomorrow but it's likely to be a somewhat erratic schedule on Monday (77 to 61) and a later start on Tuesday (60 to 41) due to my busy life. Consider yourself forewarned and forearmed.
Enough preamble! Let the speculation begin!
― from the perspective of a gay man, i will post them now (forksclovetofu), Sunday, 24 January 2016 18:11 (eight years ago) link
all these albums suck!
― scott seward, Sunday, 24 January 2016 18:26 (eight years ago) link
albums are bad
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Sunday, 24 January 2016 18:38 (eight years ago) link
http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/178664-klax-genesis-screenshot-it-is-the-nineties-and-there-is-time.png
https://www.allgigs.co.uk/images/object/artist/73168/Gaz_Coombes-1-200-200-100-crop.jpg
― Jute Gazte (Noodle Vague), Sunday, 24 January 2016 18:39 (eight years ago) link
albums are rockist
― the naive cockney chorus (Simon H.), Sunday, 24 January 2016 18:47 (eight years ago) link
my DN was between this and Sufjan Sund4r
― I remember you was vote-splitted (imago), Sunday, 24 January 2016 18:49 (eight years ago) link
If you were a gurl (or willing to challenge the gender binary), you could use "Susanne Sund4r".
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Sunday, 24 January 2016 18:50 (eight years ago) link
http://cdn1.umg3.net/95/files/2015/01/site-banner-album-more.gif
― sarahell, Sunday, 24 January 2016 18:54 (eight years ago) link
press blurbs otm
― Jute Gazte (Noodle Vague), Sunday, 24 January 2016 18:56 (eight years ago) link
"CLICK HERE TO BUY" otm
― conditional random jepsen (seandalai), Sunday, 24 January 2016 19:08 (eight years ago) link
thk u press blurbs
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Sunday, 24 January 2016 19:08 (eight years ago) link
Nature abhors a vacuum but spoilers still suck. Gaz Coombes speculation excepted natch.
― Jeff W, Sunday, 24 January 2016 19:38 (eight years ago) link
too low!
― EZ Snappin, Sunday, 24 January 2016 19:41 (eight years ago) link
Excited for the joke #2
― octobeard, Sunday, 24 January 2016 19:41 (eight years ago) link
saw a poster today promoting a gig by GAZZ COOMBES
― i;m thinking about thos Beans (Michael B), Sunday, 24 January 2016 19:52 (eight years ago) link
I heard from somewhere that the guy's "[a] bastion of British songwriting"
― Peaking Lights covers One More Time (Drugs A. Money), Sunday, 24 January 2016 19:59 (eight years ago) link
who the fuck is gaz coombes?
― the chalice with the krallice is the brew that is trv (NickB), Sunday, 24 January 2016 20:04 (eight years ago) link
the drummer from superchunk
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Sunday, 24 January 2016 20:09 (eight years ago) link
While we're killing time, here's the all-time list for the albums poll:
2014 D'Angelo and the Vanguard - Black Messiah (2105 points, 58 votes, 8 #1 votes)2012 Miguel - Kaleidoscope Dream (1909 points, 51 votes, 7 #1 votes)2013 Haim - Days Are Gone (1792 points, 56 votes, 3 #1 votes)2014 Taylor Swift - 1989 (1624 points, 40 votes, 8 #1 votes)2013 Daft Punk - Random Access Memories (1532 points, 44 votes, 5 #1 votes)2013 My Bloody Valentine - MBV (1520 points, 47 votes, 2 #1 votes)2014 FKA twigs - LP1 (1509 points, 43 votes, 2 #1 votes)2013 Beyoncé - Beyoncé (1450 points, 39 votes, 9 #1 votes)2013 Sky Ferreira - Night Time, My Time (1426 points, 45 votes, 2 #1 votes)2013 Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires Of The City (1397 points, 39 votes, 8 #1 votes)
― conditional random jepsen (seandalai), Sunday, 24 January 2016 20:34 (eight years ago) link
2013 was a big year for points
What is it with you people and Gaz Fucking Coombes
― paolo, Sunday, 24 January 2016 20:35 (eight years ago) link
^board description
― een, Sunday, 24 January 2016 21:12 (eight years ago) link
Prediction: 2/25
― moans and feedback (Dinsdale), Sunday, 24 January 2016 21:12 (eight years ago) link
lol i was all "no results yet, must be the preemptive AFL thread"
― lute bro (brimstead), Monday, 25 January 2016 05:34 (eight years ago) link
oh please don't say you fuckers have comedy-voted g*z c*****s into this -_-
― cher guevara (lex pretend), Monday, 25 January 2016 08:36 (eight years ago) link
expecting 7/25, hoping for 10
can't wait to see what crazy shit the rogue voters have gotten into 77-61 eh folks
― I remember you was vote-splitted (imago), Monday, 25 January 2016 08:56 (eight years ago) link
I didnt vote for any albums but maybe I will like one of these.
For the purposes of this, do mixes count as albums? There are 3 or 4 mixes i would have voted for
― saer, Monday, 25 January 2016 09:00 (eight years ago) link
they do and iirc a few mixes have placed in the past
― The Reverend, Monday, 25 January 2016 09:30 (eight years ago) link
mostly commercially available mixes right? only online freebie i recall was nguzunguzu's perfect lullaby, which went out of its way to look like an auteurish work rather than RA podcast 8493 or fact mix 94938 (i am surprised we don't see more of the latter sort nominated, but then i don't engage with them the same way i engage with albums)
― cher guevara (lex pretend), Monday, 25 January 2016 09:51 (eight years ago) link
I'd assumed commercially available mixes would, though the mixes I would have voted for were soundcloud podcasts, it didnt occur to me until just now that they might. There weren't so many, but....there were some!
― saer, Monday, 25 January 2016 10:07 (eight years ago) link
4/25 at best, hopefully at least 3, but you never know
― the drummer for Gaz Dad (Drugs A. Money), Monday, 25 January 2016 10:48 (eight years ago) link
Dunno what I'll win, but I expect 7/25, maybe 8 if we still love Colin Stetson.
― astrophagy might not be immediately obvious (Sanpaku), Monday, 25 January 2016 12:09 (eight years ago) link
http://in1.ccio.co/Z3/G4/J8/3181071365207931502831646676354nlarge.jpg
― ulysses, Monday, 25 January 2016 14:14 (eight years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/92SB039.jpg
77 KURT VILE "B'lieve I'm Goin Down" (225 points, 8 votes)Pitchfork - 23 / P&J - 27
this is an outrage!
― puppy enforcer (cajunsunday), Monday, 25 January 2016 14:15 (eight years ago) link
that's right, get the crap out the way.
― canoon fooder (dog latin), Monday, 25 January 2016 14:16 (eight years ago) link
that all-time albums list upthread is pretty dreary imo.
TOO HIGH lol
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Monday, 25 January 2016 14:22 (eight years ago) link
On Matador records I believe ~it's a sign~ #gazwatch
― the chalice with the krallice is the brew that is trv (NickB), Monday, 25 January 2016 14:23 (eight years ago) link
8-vote threshold huh :/
― I remember you was vote-splitted (imago), Monday, 25 January 2016 14:25 (eight years ago) link
if it turns out joanna wang was 78'd by this record then there will be hatred
― I remember you was vote-splitted (imago), Monday, 25 January 2016 14:26 (eight years ago) link
8 votes though, think that means goodbye to 98% of my ballot oops xp
― the chalice with the krallice is the brew that is trv (NickB), Monday, 25 January 2016 14:27 (eight years ago) link
I think #77 on the tracks poll was 8 votes as well, but I think something with as few as 5 votes made it in iirc.
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Monday, 25 January 2016 14:28 (eight years ago) link
this is the most annoying apostrophe in rock, maybe? discuss
xp
yeah fkn Radiohead
― I remember you was vote-splitted (imago), Monday, 25 January 2016 14:29 (eight years ago) link
Several things with 5 votes, actually. That seems to be the threshold this year.
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Monday, 25 January 2016 14:30 (eight years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/d7coN7X.jpg
76 PROJECT PABLO "I Want to Believe" (226 points, 6 votes, 2 first place votes)Pitchfork - DNP / P&J - DNP
― ulysses, Monday, 25 January 2016 14:39 (eight years ago) link
idk even what this is...off to the internet!
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Monday, 25 January 2016 14:41 (eight years ago) link
huh, would've expected that to get more than 6 votes (nb: it did not make my ballot)
― hi-nrg candidate (crüt), Monday, 25 January 2016 14:41 (eight years ago) link
Never heard of it, fuck cassettes though.
― Tuomas, Monday, 25 January 2016 14:42 (eight years ago) link
quite good techno/bobbins of the Todd Terje school imotry "Follow It Up"
― ulysses, Monday, 25 January 2016 14:42 (eight years ago) link
There's like a 50% chance lex will love it.
― canoon fooder (dog latin), Saturday, 30 January 2016 17:01 (eight years ago) link
For me it's the singing, with special shouts to the production on those spooky chain-gang harmonies, plus the strange juxtaposition of soul/gospel vocals and industrial(ish) backing music.
― canoon fooder (dog latin), Saturday, 30 January 2016 17:03 (eight years ago) link
Whining about rolling genre threads another thing I thought we'd avoided. You got your bloody spotify playlists that mean you don't need to make an effort to engage with them, you guys already won
I like the implication in this post that clicking on Youtube links somehow represents "effort". TBH I don't really think there's anything wrong with not making an effort, it's not a syllabus. Or at least it's more important to make the effort to meet the music halfway when you're actually listening to it, however you come across it. But not making the effort while simultaneously bemoaning how much you miss out on is the worst of both worlds and particularly clownish to boot.
― Matt DC, Saturday, 30 January 2016 17:07 (eight years ago) link
Doing the 70s albums redux poll a few years ago was a fun exercise, where we took the results of the original poll off the table and the outcome was really wonderful (even if familiar names/albums still dominated, they weren't the releases you always see in lists of the best albums of the decade).
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Saturday, January 30, 2016 10:41 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
this really was such a great poll!
― een, Saturday, 30 January 2016 17:55 (eight years ago) link
never forget
2010 GOON POLL results: The Top 30 Hip-Hop/Rap Albums of 2010
― Number None, Saturday, 30 January 2016 18:15 (eight years ago) link
loooooool I had not seen that before
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Saturday, 30 January 2016 18:55 (eight years ago) link
I wonder if the Jlin album is going to switch more people onto footwork or if it's being included more as an example of avant-electronica and being thought of in similar terms to things like Holly Herndon? Obviously it can be treated as either / or.
― canoon fooder (dog latin), Saturday, January 30, 2016 2:20 PM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
idk I've probably listened to more avant-electronic stuff than ever before this year, whereas I was already into footwork.
― Hey (Extended Mix), Saturday, 30 January 2016 19:07 (eight years ago) link
but I don't know if I'd posit her as a gateway into that
― Hey (Extended Mix), Saturday, 30 January 2016 19:08 (eight years ago) link
for all my 'waaah it's only metal for people who don't like metal itp', I listened to the Ghost album all the way through yesterday and my god is it glorious. definitely my favourite discovery from the poll so far.
― canoon fooder (dog latin), Sunday, 31 January 2016 11:02 (eight years ago) link
every track is catchy and structurally poppy but coated in metal-camp. whoever said scooby-doo up thread wasn't wrong, bit that's obviously a strength. looking forward to playing this all next Halloween
― canoon fooder (dog latin), Sunday, 31 January 2016 11:04 (eight years ago) link
My favorite non-musical discovery of this year's poll is the Papaganda videos Ghost made in 2013: The Olde One, What Happens in Vegas. High camp indeed.
― Lurkers of the world, unite! (Sanpaku), Sunday, 31 January 2016 14:27 (eight years ago) link
i wish i liked ghost more. guy's voice is a dealbreaker
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Sunday, 31 January 2016 16:44 (eight years ago) link
If you don't like the current Papa Emeritus, just wait till the next album.
― Lurkers of the world, unite! (Sanpaku), Sunday, 31 January 2016 16:48 (eight years ago) link
Devin Townsend? :D
― ZESTY O'PRIDE (imago), Sunday, 31 January 2016 16:51 (eight years ago) link
well that'd probably kill me
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Sunday, 31 January 2016 16:52 (eight years ago) link
still think Addicted was cruelly denied the acclaim Ghost got
― ZESTY O'PRIDE (imago), Sunday, 31 January 2016 16:55 (eight years ago) link
Townsend is a Canadian progressive metal shredder? Iyo, he made a better hard rock pop album than Meliora? Queuing this up.
― Hi! I'm twice-coloured! (Sund4r), Sunday, 31 January 2016 17:33 (eight years ago) link
I like "The Way Home!".
― Hi! I'm twice-coloured! (Sund4r), Sunday, 31 January 2016 18:11 (eight years ago) link
This today, Ginger Wildheart tomorrow
― ZESTY O'PRIDE (imago), Sunday, 31 January 2016 18:12 (eight years ago) link
Oh ha, I did like that one but "Awake!!" was the one I was enjoying at that moment. Got titles mixed up.
― Hi! I'm twice-coloured! (Sund4r), Sunday, 31 January 2016 18:16 (eight years ago) link
Louis, you need to listen to Rwake's Xenoglossalgia like right now..."Calibis/So Fucking Tired" probably ahould've topped your tracks ballot
― thank you, based basics (Drugs A. Money), Sunday, 31 January 2016 19:10 (eight years ago) link
*Calibos
― thank you, based basics (Drugs A. Money), Sunday, 31 January 2016 19:22 (eight years ago) link
just wanted to give a little thanks for that levon vincent album in this list, it is such a fucking TREAT
― marcos, Thursday, 4 February 2016 21:16 (eight years ago) link
Yes, it's excellent.
The Helena Hauff album, which didn't place but got a lot of love, is superb too.
― On a Raqqa tip (ShariVari), Thursday, 4 February 2016 21:21 (eight years ago) link
I'm surprised the Emily King album didn't place. that was 2015 right?
― posted with permission by (dog latin), Thursday, 4 February 2016 21:22 (eight years ago) link
I've been bingeing on Domenique Dumont, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, and Neon Indian. Would love to know if there were threads on ILM for them that sparked more interest.
― Check Yr Scrobbles (Moodles), Thursday, 4 February 2016 21:23 (eight years ago) link
kaitlyn aurelia smith was talked about on the noise dude ambient thread and last year's rolling time travel
― François Pitchforkian (NickB), Thursday, 4 February 2016 22:03 (eight years ago) link
can a noise dude recommend some AMBIENTtime travel 2015 -> 2012 <-> 2102 <-5102 levart emit
― François Pitchforkian (NickB), Thursday, 4 February 2016 22:05 (eight years ago) link
maybe it's even time for her own thread tbh, cos she's got a new album coming out ~next month(?)
― François Pitchforkian (NickB), Thursday, 4 February 2016 22:07 (eight years ago) link
Nice, thanks!
― Check Yr Scrobbles (Moodles), Thursday, 4 February 2016 22:14 (eight years ago) link
what is the time travel thread anyway? I've never figured it out.
― Hey (Extended Mix), Friday, 5 February 2016 10:30 (eight years ago) link
time travel is a feeling
― conditional random jepsen (seandalai), Friday, 5 February 2016 15:34 (eight years ago) link
it's a place to post music that you think might contain clues as to what the time travel thread is
― ciderpress, Friday, 5 February 2016 16:02 (eight years ago) link
its not what it will be
― anvil, Friday, 5 February 2016 16:33 (eight years ago) link
re: what is the time travel thread anyway?
arty / avant / experimental music for timelords that doesn't fit easily into other rolling threads.
to get the most from the thread: you need to match at least one of these requirements
a: be a timelord or dr who fan and appreciate the work of delia derbyshireb: be a fan of imagoc: have a philosophical interest in temporality (and how it relates to music) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temporalityd: read The Wire magazine
― djmartian, Friday, 5 February 2016 19:08 (eight years ago) link
ha I am an imago fan and have occasionally read The Wire but I'm still lost
― Hey (Extended Mix), Friday, 5 February 2016 23:40 (eight years ago) link
Just open yr skull, pour in the music, and let it ferment yr mind grapes
― Check Yr Scrobbles (Moodles), Friday, 5 February 2016 23:49 (eight years ago) link
experimental musichttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experimental_music
see the meta box at the footer of this wikipedia entry
"Experimental popular music genres"
Art pop Art punk Art rock Avant-garde jazz Ambient Drone metal Electronic Experimental metal Experimental pop Experimental rock Glitch Free jazz Intelligent dance music (IDM) Industrial Krautrock Math rock New-age No-fi No wave Noise rock Rock in Opposition (RIO) Post-rock Progressive rock Punk jazz Vaporwave Witch house
i.e the thread should be: Rolling Experimental & Avant Music Multi-Genres
― djmartian, Saturday, 6 February 2016 00:03 (eight years ago) link
As confirmed by your sweeping list of genres, "experimental music" can mean a lot of different things to different people. I don't think it works as any sort of genre marker.
― Hey (Extended Mix), Saturday, 6 February 2016 00:37 (eight years ago) link
or I could have read your last sentence idk
― Hey (Extended Mix), Saturday, 6 February 2016 00:38 (eight years ago) link
TT is the best rolling music thread name since rolling rap threads stopped having good names (thanks to edward, iirc Louis originally named something characteristically horrifying like Post Psych Non Avant Zero Math Chunk Wave). thread also has some of the best contemp music on the board. if the vagueness of the name alienates nebbish bedwetters that can't click on a bandcamp link without knowing what rigidly defined category of music to expect then that's a feature not a bug. imo there is a p obvious sensibility running thru the thread that i would describe as non-pretentious outsider music, often outgrowths of broadly defined 'rock' scenes. you could also just think of it as the thread where Edwars III, emil.y and lj post weird stuff they are freaking out about.
― flopson, Saturday, 6 February 2016 09:00 (eight years ago) link
^the soft sell ;)
ty flopson tho that is v accurate
― artsvashen (imago), Saturday, 6 February 2016 10:17 (eight years ago) link
This is pretty much my entire argument against rolling genre threads in a nutshell:
That Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith album was easily in my top 5 albums of the year.
Yet it seems the only discussion of it happened in a thread where literally every criteria for participation (except "likes Delia Derbyshire") is a massive turn-off to the point of being exclusionary.
But TBH I didn't discover that record through ILX - that was one of the rare suggestions that Spotify Hipster Boyfriend got really really right (and why I persist with him). I guess if that says algorithms (as bad as they are) have a better hit rate than "genre" for me that really speaks to me of the uselessness of genre.
― Möbius the Stripper (Branwell with an N), Saturday, 6 February 2016 10:20 (eight years ago) link
iirc time travel developed from a sequel to LJ's "rolling dilettante convocation" & the idea was supposed to be a free-for-all of stuff that wasn't being discussed elsewhere, ie there are no criteria for participation (martian's were obviously jokes). Obv the stuff that gets posted there has ended up being shaped by the sensibilities of the ppl who do participate, because that is what happens in communities. so time travel has become a vague "I know it when I see it" aesthetic.
― napster p2ppies (wins), Saturday, 6 February 2016 10:31 (eight years ago) link
Would relentlessly troll that thread by posting about Merzbox on it except I don't have the time.
― xyzzzz__, Saturday, 6 February 2016 11:42 (eight years ago) link
there are no rules to time travel, only paradoxes
― conditional random jepsen (seandalai), Saturday, 6 February 2016 13:29 (eight years ago) link
kaitlyn aurelia smith has a new album out in april, i haven't got round to listening to the whole of the one that placed in here but the new one is lovely
my argument for rolling threads is that until an artist achieves a certain critical/commercial mass OR is somehow an outsider to their home genre, starting a thread for them is usually just asking for tumbleweed. i feel like there are lots of general threads around where you can bring them up in a non-genre context.
― cher guevara (lex pretend), Saturday, 6 February 2016 13:30 (eight years ago) link
It was also discussed (though briefly) in the rolling ambient thread.
― Tuomas, Sunday, 7 February 2016 08:42 (eight years ago) link
http://cdn.yamibuy.com/images/201510/source_img/10417_G_1445033936368.jpg
― _Rudipherous_, Monday, 15 February 2016 23:28 (eight years ago) link
(Oops I started reading this, forgot what thread I was on, and decided it was the time travel thread when I read all the time travel discussion. Still an amazing cracker box.)
― _Rudipherous_, Monday, 15 February 2016 23:30 (eight years ago) link