ILM's Top 77 Albums of 2017

i can def hear craig finn yelling "HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF" but yeah otherwise no

Fuck I posted a bad link - let’s try again:

visible cloaks with miyako koda - valve revisited

This one completely passed me by and I like Colin Stetson

― Well bissogled trotters (Michael B), Monday, January 29, 2018 12:55 PM (two hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Same. Good stuff.

A couple thoughts after tonight's listening session

Aimee Mann is undoubtedly closer to my own personal taste than I suspect most of these picks will be yet it doesn't really grab me.

L'Rain sounded interesting based on the first few tracks. Saving this one for later.

Not feeling Louise Burns or Hurray for the Riff Raff at all.

I don't think I've listened to any Spoon before. First few tracks were not bad. Might revisit.

The popularity of Waxahatchee still escapes me.

Tornado Wallace sounded okay. Maybe a bit too background-ish for me to care.

Hannah Peel is the one I listened to all the way through. Nothing spectacular but enjoyable enough.

Just put Visible Cloaks on. This sounds very nice so far. Might be a keeper.

Got one of my picks in (Ex Eye). Most likely the only one I'll get even though I have unreasonable hopes for my 2# due to this board's passion for women-made indie rock and I'll end up being sad.

Ex Eye is awesome

Visible Cloaks are cool

nuh, visible cloaks is just water, light and vapours, it’s basically music for breatharians

I tried the L'Rain album after she appeared in the tracks poll; it was a little bit shapeless for me to truly love straight off the bat but I'll persevere with it.

Enjoying Louise Burns!

weather station record is great, sad i slept on this.

i like the swearing in it.

My picks already faring much better than on the tracks list -- L'Rain, Waxahatchee, Aimee Mann. Happy about the latter's Grammy win, though I don't hear it at all as a folk album.

Love love love the waxahatchee album but I get why some ppl might think the arrangements are boring. Idk, it's the kind of personal songwriting that I find really powerful and immediately likeable. Hear You is especially a jam

very symmetrical album art itt

gr8080 otm re: tornado wallace

into this hannah peel joint, somewhat surprisingly, as I was kind of expecting vocals. points off for lacking a paul buchanan cover tho

I adored the last Hannah Peel album but the new one isn't for me at all

would like to rescreen whilst baked, for sure xp

Glad Hannah Peel made it! Visible Cloaks was on my radar but just never really grabbed me enough. Feels like a more abstract retread of OPN's R Plus 7's sound palette. On that record I remember a score of moments, but on Reassemblage, not one comes to mind. That said, the followup EP Lex is better.

liking this Tornado Wallace record, I think "Trance Encounters" has turned up on some recent-ish Prins Thomas/Lindstrom beardo disco mixes

Prins Thomas remixed "Trance Encounters"
https://www.deejay.de/Tornado_Wallace_Lonely_Planet_Remixes_RB069_Vinyl__303424

ah nice, thanks

i:Cube too on that EP! he always does great remixes

Most important discovery for me from the nominations process was Hannah Peel's *previous* album (which I had somehow completely missed last year). The new one is fine too though.

Instant love for Visible Cloaks. Thank you.

Yeah 'Awake But Always Dreaming' is one of the best and most overlooked records of the last few years, the new one isn't at that level and definitely has more of a side project feel to it. But it's a fantastic side project.

I'll take the opportunity to alert Hannah Peel-newcomers to her group work with The Magnetic North. Very different (more acoustic elements, folky vibe, high concept), but also very good.

https://i.imgur.com/j7wQ94x.jpg

60 WILEY "Godfather" (266 points, 9 votes)
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I'm not really paying attention but that's TOO LOW probs

p good album

i havent heard this. youd forget about wiley tbh

Hey first one I had on my ballot. It's just banger after banger so the whole album is pretty exhausting listen as a whole, but in 2-3 song chunks it's awesome.

Also nice to see a banging Darq E Freaker production on a mainstream album

yeah I don't really sit thru albums much so it's just been in my playlists all year, bangering away being greeat

It's the album he should have made a decade ago but it's still str8 banging for all its victory lap/old people's home tendencies.

Also nice to see a banging Darq E Freaker production on a mainstream album

That track is great but he seems like a weird choice of producer to single out?

https://i.imgur.com/3nDwfix.jpg

59 COLLEEN "A flame my love, a frequency" (266 points, 10 votes)
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I was bowled over by DEF's mixtape Don't Freak Out the other year and am always on the lookout for his work. I think he's one of the best producers out there. Mind you, the Wiley track I voted for was Laptop which was just too charming.

colleen's got a really admirable approach where i think she learns new instruments and switches her whole set-up for each album, but unfortunately i just didn't get into her new thing at all and it was a bit of a letdown after the lovely 'captain of none'

Glorious record.

agree with the last 2 posts!

Agree with Nick. On paper it should have been awesome, but this record didn't do anything for me.

It reminded me way more of her first two records, even though her approach has changed drastically. The austere means with which she drew up such a rich, blissful world. It helps when you live by the sea in San Sebastian.

Tornado Wallace is better than I thought it would be, quite liked 2 of the tracks, sounds a bit like Vakula

Playing 'Separating' by Colleen now and this is good, never heard before. Would be better as instrumental as her voice (on this) isn't particularly complimentary with the music

One Warm Spark is really good, actual proper music not designed to obliterate or immiserate the soul! probably the best thing I've heard on either poll so far.

Not keen on Summer Night, but enough here to come back and investigate the rest

this poll’s only tie is next:

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

57(tie) RYUICHI SAKAMOTO - "async" (228 points, 8 votes)
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This wasn't on my ballot but it's a really nice record.

Three terrific and completely different records in a row now.

kept meaning to spend more time with that, liked what i heard though

Voted for async, even though it's probably his least record in a while (greatly prefer the ones w/ Alva Noto). Still good, mind, but I thought it severely lacks focus.

Wiley way too low

https://i.imgur.com/oN1ZHZh.jpg

57(tie) MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA " A Black Mile to the Surface" (228 points, 8 votes)
spotify