ILM's Top 77 Albums of 2017

https://i.imgur.com/LlUOSXE.jpg

76 L'RAIN "L'rain" (198 points, 7 votes)
spotify

Aaaah TOO LOW

My #2. An absolutely incredible record

L'Rain didn't quite make my ballot but it's excellent, glad to see it show up

whoop whoop. This'll be one that really breaks through this year instead of 2017.

i really look forward to hearing what she does in the future since this is such a good debut, first two tracks and Which Fork/I'll Be are the highlights

Mental Illness sounds especially beautiful on this chilly January morning.

https://i.imgur.com/0MTVioT.jpg

75 ELDER "Reflections of a Floating World" (200 points, 6 votes)
spotify

hey one of my votes already appeared! <3 the l'rain album

I think the whole L'Rain album follows a beautiful dream logic. It's obviously a very carefully thought-through song-cycle (maybe sound-cycle?) - progge as fuck but also spry and lean. Emotionally intense and deeply sad, yet also blithely playful. It's the best debut I've heard in ages. Not just for the psychedelic R&B fans out there. It's for all of you.

Not for everyone, obviously, but the Elder album is superlative contemporary prog-metal.

It seemed decent enough to me but I've not heard it in full yet! Maybe that'll have to be addressed

enjoying the cover. might check it out

That L'Rain album would have made my Top 10 had I heard it in time, gorgeous stuff.

I nearly lost my shit at the birthday voicemail.

seriously.

Wow, it took tracks forever to get to the 200 point barrier, and we get there at #75 in this one.

that is strange. i'd have thought it'd be the other way round

That makes sense, given a similar number of ballots aimed at (what I assume must be) fewer entries than the tracks poll?

I wasn't bowled over by Elder's previous album but loved this one.

There were more albums than tracks nominated iirc

Think it's a combination of more albums ballots and more consensus - there was SO MUCH vote splitting in the tracks poll

108 album ballots vs. 105 tracks ballots. That's pretty even. Maybe just more albums consensus for 2017?

more consensus is natural given basically no vote splitting per artist, I would think

the albums poll has always had more consensus than the tracks poll, at least while i've been here

much less vote-splitting is the obvious reason but also just less range - there are more good tracks released than good albums

True, true. I just got out of bed. Brain not working yet.

https://i.imgur.com/8QDYjSM.jpg

74 PLAYBOI CARTI "Playboi Carti" (201 points, 7 votes)
spotify

very low for an excellent record

I try not to be a dinosaur and keep up on contemporary rap but try as I might this is one of those records that just makes me feel old

Amazed that there were more LP than tracks ballots, I never feel I've heard enough LPs by the end of a year to justify voting.

I really like the track that got in the 77. Just silly enough to make me love it.

Magnolia is a fucking dope tune.

yeah this is surprisingly low. Pi'erre and Carti are great together & wokeuplikethis* especially is fantastic

Wow, it took tracks forever to get to the 200 point barrier, and we get there at #75 in this one.

― Johnny Fever, Monday, January 29, 2018

that is strange. i'd have thought it'd be the other way round

― Badgers (dog latin), Monday, January 29, 2018

108 album ballots vs. 105 tracks ballots. That's pretty even. Maybe just more albums consensus for 2017?

― Johnny Fever, Monday, January 29, 2018

For me, I think the killer point is that it looks as if you need 6+ voters to make the 77, so bang goes my slim hopes of squeezing in a couple of records that I know have a dedicated, but tiny, fanbase here.

RIP Drab Majesty :(

they'd have stood a better chance had DJP gotten a ballot in, I'd imagine.

Anyway. Count me as another who came to the L'Rain record after the voting deadline. Not sure I'd have voted for it but it's in my Top 50 for 2017 easy.

Sometimes you just have to go 'omgomgomg this record' on the lobbying thread if you want something to get in. Mind you L'Rain still wouldn't have if it didn't have existing fans. It's hard to hype

I never have any hopes that my picks will place, it's the list making process itself that's nice.

https://i.imgur.com/JXIHAxO.jpg

73 THE WEATHER STATION "The Weather Station" (202 points, 6 votes)
spotify

Quick check of Weather Station album, sounds nice.

Glorious album.

fantastic album and I really hope ppl will check it out

A lovely record that I haven't given enough listens.

I gave this a go but gave up about two thirds of the way through IIRC. "Power" is good though.

I think I first heard it in December and played the shit out of it for that month, I usually find albums in that vein to be worthy but dull but there's a real clarity to her voice and a spark to her songwriting.

It's the most wonderful time of the year. This thread sorts out my commuting playlists for the next few months - thanks pollsters/respondents.

FWIW, that Aimee Mann album won a Grammy for Best Folk Album yesterday.

Yeah I picked this up after ums' stanning - thanks man, I love it. Too bad she's not visiting the Netherlands on her current European tour.

the elder and weather station albums are amazing. elder in particular, what a journey

The Weather Report sounds lovely.

btw, I'd nominate Moka as a poll partner, but she may be way too busy.

― Johnny Fever, Friday, February 2, 2018 3:13 AM (four hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Would endorse.

― Le Bateau Ivre, Friday, 2 February 2018 07:56 (five hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

thirded

I never knew Moka was a she!

Thanks, poll runners! I'll do my best to vote next year.

Saturday night is when voting closes for The 2017 ILX Metal n' Heavy Rock Poll VOTING + CAMPAIGNING thread! Ballots due Saturday, Feb. 3rd!

please vote!

Hello there! I would love to help you out whatever you need as a poll partner. My line of work is sometimes very busy but I have several months I’m practically on vacation.

I never knew Moka was a she!

― ArchCarrier

Yes! Feisty, spanish, girl iirc lol

you'd basically need to spend the 3rd or 4th week of the year preparing posts, bbcode, and images for the 77 albums, and then post them over the course of the 4th or 5th week of the year

I can work with that. I’m in.

In case you call on some thread and I’m not around to read it:

motelmoka (at) gmail.com

i knew feisty and spanish; the onion has so many layers

lol

Yay Moka! She'll be great at this.

Love you emily

Ooh wow, looking forward to next year already!

why wait? let's do it now.

It's probably the only way the Tracey Thorn album would win.

octo octa album is incredible; she really has a touch for making quite maximal tracks smooth as ice

It's probably the only way the Tracey Thorn album would win.

NV:

I think I don't listen voraciously to enough new albums to be a viable music-poll voter.

This is p much exactly how I feel, but I talked myself into submitting a 13-album ballot shortly before the deadline, and am glad I did.

I think it's pretty crucial that partial and unranked ballots are allowed. I decided I was comfortable with submitting a ballot that in effect says "here are a few albums from 2017 I enjoyed"; a ranked ballot would feel uncomfortably like stating "this is the actual very best album of 2017".

(nb that is just how it would feel to me, I don't look at the ranked ballots of others as necessarily making grandiose claims or anything)

Yeah I'm the same really. I tend to parasitically use the yearly polls to get recommendations of music to check out. I listened to the tracks Spotify playlist and there was quite a bit of stuff I wasn't aware of that I liked (e.g. I didn't even know Charlotte Gainsbourg was a musician) and downloaded some albums that looked intrsting from the albums poll.

a friend of mine recently said he never heard anything from Stormzy that came close to the Shut Up freestyle, I was about to tell him he was wrong but then I couldn't really come up with as great a song from his catalogue

wonder if he'll ever top it

bummed i didn't vote for BALSAMS by Chuck Johnson.

what's the gif (by gr80?) that every was applauding?

the image for the reveal of #1 and #2. If it's not working, right click the image and open it in a new tab (that's how i saw it)

bummed i didn't vote for BALSAMS by Chuck Johnson.

― omar little, Sunday, February 4, 2018 7:56 PM (yesterday)

my number one!

what's the gif (by gr80?) that every was applauding?

― flopson, Sunday, February 4, 2018 8:34 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

click this

xp my number 6!

works like a balm...

i probably read three whole books just to that album alone in 2017

fantastic stuff, I had no idea. glad you singled it out just now, right up my street.

xps- woahhh