ILM's Top 77 Albums of 2017

Pleasingly high placement! I didn't like the whole album but Challenge (To Be Continued) and 1% are all time. Voted for the latter in my tracks ballot.

Yesss. Happy to jump in this morning to find Jlin at #6

Solid album, I voted for it, but like the Fever Ray, maybe don't love it unconditionally.

dawson deserves much better detractors bc so many of the elements of peasant are offputting. i hate prog, hate british folk singing, hate acoustic guitarists getting a big band in to back them up, hate medieval reenacters, hate big thumping triumphant choruses, hate really high concept albums with songs from various characters' perspectives, and I definitely hate lines like "avowed to never draw another blade", and yet he pulls it all together with that little twinkle in his eye. his singing is much more expressive and powerful on this album, his always excellent phrasing is used to pull of some fantastic changes of pace, there's great guitar all over it and songs like shapeshifter are gently beguiling gems unlike anything else.

the jlin is really banging also

I think it's probably safe to say SW.'s brilliant The Album is not going to make it. Alas.

nicely put ogmor!

do u like drums

― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Thursday, February 1, 2018 2:21 PM (twenty minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

srsly, this album is like the celestial drum kit

yes, v much so xp

i really don’t get jlin

it’s neat and all, but like how do ppl adore this music the way they do

I forgot to vote in this poll, but Jlin would have been top 10 for me if not top 5. She's so good.

so much good electronic music in this poll. listening now to this octo octa record it is so good

agree w/gr80 on Jlin

I think it's probably safe to say SW.'s brilliant The Album is not going to make it. Alas.

hey, I voted for it!

that makes 10 in the top 77 for me now. was not expecting Jlin this high.

I don't know the right way to adore Jlin but for me it's about hearing the tracks as kind of undulating sonic and rhythmic compositions. I guess I listen to it the same way I listen to jazz.

ok I’ll try that, I like jazz

this didn't have quite the impact on me that Dark Energy had - it wasn't a surprise - but it was still top 10 on my list. listening to this with the volume turned way up makes all the difference I think!

https://i.imgur.com/dXjHa1b.jpg

5 SLOWDIVE "Slowdive" (737 points, 22 votes, 2 first place votes)
spotify

Hey finally a record i voted for!

half of this album was an impressive follow through on their best material, but the other half sounded like a local Pink Floyd cover band

really great album, probably voted it too low after listening to it again this week

kind of expected this to be #1 since we're on ilm and all

Ha that’s why I expect SZA

rob, i voted dan caesar for album as well. only four of us sadly.

taken out of context this is a perfectly decent reunion album and I slightly preferred Ride's. seeing everyone go ape over this was very cognitively dissonant. I guess we all just needed Slowdive

i am a falling ashes liker btw

great album that surpassed all expectations. Slomo and Don't Know Why especially are incredible

japanese bonus track 30th June is excellent too, definitely worth a listen if you haven't heard it https://youtu.be/gZiBd1iGC3o

I would have lobbied for Freudian but it honestly didn't cross my mind that it wouldn't place!
has all the rnb placed in the top 20?

well I’d say this is probably 10 places too high but I voted for it so more fool me. gazing at my shoes rn in mock shame

do you consider SZA r&B?

yes (without thinking about it too much)

oh wait bad wording on my part...what I meant was: has all the rnb that has placed or will place been within the top 20?

Aromanticism was in the 20s somewhere

oh yeah, though everyone mostly talked about how it sounded like radiohead lol

does L'Rain count as r&b

forgot that one too, never mind...

In response to the question up thread what caught in the middle's chorus sounds like - it reminds me of no doubt - ex girlfriend

Kendrick is #1, come on.

Slowdive #5 is impressive. Great album.

i am a falling ashes liker btw

― ciderpress, Thursday, February 1, 2018 3:00 PM (eight minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I don't like that one. It just sounds like the theme music to a doctor drama.

yeah it seems to be the contentious part of the record

I didn't even like Slowdive the first time around

Jlin was my number one, though I think all of my top 3 were #1 at one point. I like it more than admire it, btw! I think she's amazing and brilliant and should be lauded, but I don't see her work as the revolutionary advancement of dance music*, I just think it's awesome.

*people who do think this seem to ignore the massive '90s influence on her sound and structures, maybe?

does L'Rain count as r&b

― ufo

I don't really think so, though maybe I'm influenced by POC friends being pissed off at the prevailing labelling culture of "it's made by a black woman so it's R&B". I think there are little bits of it in there but there's also a vanload of shoegazey psych...

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

4 CHARLY BLISS "Guppy" (740 points, 20 votes, 2 first place votes)
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I knew it was gonna be top 20 but this is high! (v good album)

should've been no. 1 imo

j/k i'm calling sza as no. 1 which is also great

<3 <3 hooks on hooks on hooks

Charly Bliss was my #1.

I think the artist/album names put me off, but everything I've heard of this seems really lovely

i certainly agree with you on the first part

about as good as this sort of power pop gets