ILM's Top 77 Albums of 2017

The only album this year that felt like the perfection of a musical language.

I've never really listened to the sort of late 90s Sasha & Digweed style pristeen prog-house that the Bicep album is apparently referencing, but every time I listen to it I find myself thinking quite how naff and unfashionable it would have been in the mid-00s. Not that it isn't highly enjoyable, but it could probably do with pruning in the middle. That said, when you get out of the boring mid-album drift, especially the moment where the Indian film soundtrack sample kicks in during Rain, it's pure hands-in-the-air stuff right to the end.

― Matt DC, Thursday, 1 February 2018 12:59 PM (ten minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

oh matt really? you should listen to disc one of northern exposure 2 at least.

yall

i'm listening to POP 2

^_^

:)

omg

ken is a significant step down from the previous two albums, some nice moments, but mostly feels phoned in and generally lacking spark.

It's a step down and not unpleasant – it's the smoothest nothing since an '80 Bryan Ferry album.

the pops keep coming:

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

17 GAS "Narkopop" (493 points, 16 votes)
spotify

nice!!!

wow, what is this????

Two of my votes in a row. Was so glad to have another GAS record.

yeah! posted in amother thread but was absolutely stoked to see him last year and didn't disappoint

wow something I voted for!!

probly my favourite record listened to this year. like all of the Gas albums, you have to live with it for a while before it really lets you have it. it sounds great straightaway of course but it's the moment when you're listening 3 months later and say 6 suddenly reveals itself as this ecstatic, endless single drone and you're like "yeah this is my music"

i gotta revisit this one because after two listens it just made me start listening to his 90’s stuff ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

probs prefer the previous three records but narkopop is still so satisfying

the continuous single-track version of this >>>>>>

presumably the continuous version is the unavailable "track 11" on Spotify?

Oh this is on Kompakt. Which reminds me that I should have nominated Total 17, which was a big step back up to past glories.

yay wolfgang! was cut from my ballot at the very last minute so glad to see it place

odd future wolfgang lull them all

lmao

3 of my picks in a row!

migos, destroyer and bicep

bicep is some great 90s chunky maximalism

The GAS record was always going to place given what's elsewhere in this poll and seeing him do this stuff live was one of my best musical experiences of last year.

sorry i can't listen to migos without feeling varying levels of hatred, it just isn't for me, idk, they're just too raucously priapic and the next time i hear someone go 'scroot scroot!' i swear to god

scroot scroot mamafucker

only voted for gas (#1 sleep jams) and never heard destroyer but this is shaping up v nicely

*smacks imago in the heed with a thesaurus*

ok i like them now

GAS is less mnmlst than i expected kinda

nobody in the history of mankind has every said "scroot scroot"

*ever, even

it's the pulsing and seething energy lurking within all things but particularly within trees

scroot scroot is so charming

https://i.imgur.com/ZY9FgvQ.jpg

15 OCTO OCTA "Where Are We Going?" (527 points, 17 votes, 1 first place vote)
spotify

gotta go brush up the lingo old boy, scroot scroot!

the Tim eFfect!

scroot scroot sounds like some sort of slim gaillard vout-o-reenee mcvouty language

big for your scroots

wait where's 16?

16 was U2

ruh roh

Voted for both of these.

Narkopop has been hugely influential on the way I think about making music (as a noodling bedroom producer). It’s a beautiful record.

This is one of the few consistently excellent house albums around. Feels like her masterpiece

oh shit guys sorry

gonna be a few before I can get #16 out

wait is imago "minimalism" anything that doesn't have 25 time signatures and a washboard solo every track?

I was expecting Culture to be slightly higher. It is a front-to-back great album (apart from the DJ Khaled intro which suuuuuucks

https://i.imgur.com/QuUEgG0.jpg

16 THE XX "I See You" (515 points, 17 votes
spotify

Have to admit, I never really understood the GAS albums from back in the day.

was better missing it out. *yawn*

OHGODWHYDOYOULOTINSISTONVOTINGFORTHEXX???