ILM’s Top 77 Tracks of 2018

Lala Belu by Hailu Mergia better fucking place says the guy who forgot to vote

I feel Monáe is gonna suffer from vote splitting, but in her case it's understandable, because every song on the album is just so good. I felt really bad voting for just one tune of hers, but I did want to get other things in my ballot too.

nah "Makes Me Feel" is a shoo-in

And the album itself is most likely gonna win the other poll anyway.

No it isn't

Not that I'd resent it winning, but there are things ILX loves more

nah "Makes Me Feel" is a shoo-in

Hah, that was the first one I culled from my ballot when I started cutting down her songs, because even though it's fucking awesome, it's also a bit too blatantly a Prince pastiche.

I feel pretty sure the Mergia album will place, but a track seems doubtful

I wouldn't be surprised to see both "Makes Me Feel" and "Pynk"

Yeahhhhh, two from my ballot now! I didn't get on with the Marie Davidson album as much as her earlier stuff and it dropped off my albums list, but 'Work It' fucking bangs.

Did Octo Octa have something place another year? I have a feeling there was a track by them her that grabbed me more than this one, where I was mostly waiting for something to happen, pretty though the sounds are.

(scratch the 'them', wasn't sure if it was a group but then fact-checked for myself)

think she had a top 20 two years back

rob, Hailu's album is terrific but the title track is an ANTHEM

The Avalon Emerson remix of "Adrift" placed last year, emil.y

the 'see you later' at the end of 'Work It' feels like a THE END at the end of a book report. also, it reminds me of mu, which is cool.

yea I'm kinda surprised we didn't get a glut of Monae tracks around #40 or whatever. It doesn't really have a standout track...my favorite is probably "I Got the Juice" which I gather people don't like. "Make Me Feel" is probably gonna Top 10 though

not certain another let's eat grandma track will place but hey i was wrong about mgmt

"make me feel" is pretty definite but i don't think anything else from the janelle record will make it

there's a strong possibility everything in my top ten will place lol

How many already have?

four, but i expect the remaining six to have some impact, give or take

I think at least 1 other Beach House track will show up, and I wouldn't be surprised by a 3rd from MGMT.

(the four are "otw" "silky" "heart to break" and the "dins el llit" remix) xp

The Avalon Emerson remix of "Adrift" placed last year, emil.y

― Number None, Wednesday, January 30, 2019 7:06 PM (thirteen minutes ago)

Listening to this now and I think I prefer 'Beam Me Up'. Possibly if I did have a better reaction to this one at the time it was b/c of the surrounding tracks. Think I'd like BMU better if it was the low-key track in among different-sounding things, but it seems very much-of-a-muchness with the rest of the poll.

i didn't vote in time, and as usual i feel like a forest animal staring blankly through a window into a heated living room

but, if that Beths song placed upthread, i would assume that 'future me hates me' has yet to place, because that's one of the catchiest songs this decade has produced so far. 'great no one' too.

speaking of indie schmindie, the preoccupations album was uneven but 'disarray' is low-key one of the best songs of the year. don't think that one will place, though.

Valee Womp Womp, Donato Dozzy and Octo Octa were all pleasant enough, and i guess Simmy was alright. There was some more of that photocopier music for dead people earlier but I had to go out and now I can't remember what it was, which is ok because remembering things is for bureaucrats and cops

silky bumps

Think I'd like BMU better if it was the low-key track in among different-sounding things, but it seems very much-of-a-muchness with the rest of the poll.

octo octa is pretty consistently great for my money, album placed #15 last year.

btw, this is a useful thread to have bookmarked:
The ILX List of Lists

hahhaha i really tried not to be negative in my blurbs buti still made the negative blurb allstar list oh no

Twice!

I may be misremembering, but I think both the original version of Octo Octa's "Adrift" and the Avalon Emerson remix were on the ballot, and were counted together. I voted for the original, which is very different and which still sounds great to me

That Hatchie song is great. First time I heard it was from afar and I couldn't work out if it was Macy Gray's I Try dreaming it was a Hatchie song or the other way around.

the negative blurb allstar list

A great day. I voted for “OTW”, “Silky”, “Beam Me Up” (such ecstatic Northern Exposure vibes!) and “Donnie Darko”, and approve of pretty much everything else. Simmy was an album choice for me.

I felt bad about voting for “Donnie Darko” in similar circumstances but that track was such a standalone experience for me, such a fantastic imaginary end of the night Michael Mayer selection.

I love Hatchie but for me “Bad Guy” is so far and away the highlight of that EP that I couldn’t justify throwing a vote to “Sure”, as good as it is.

Really happy to see Octo Octa place, the rollout has been really good for bobbins so far but today in particular. Definitely want to check out the Simmy album now - I already loved 'Ubala' but enjoyed 'Uhmalalela' a lot as well.

Anyone who likes Simmy should also definitely check out the Mlindo the Vocalist album if they haven’t already.

^I still haven't listened to anything other than "Macala" but cosign

OMG rob listen to “AmaBlesser” right now!

Die Wilde Jagd is my only track to place so far! Today is a fitting soundtrack to filing my tax return.

I have "All End" as your #3

― seandalai, Wednesday, January 30, 2019 4:55 AM (seven hours ago)

Thanks!!! I do recall some last minute shuffling before submitting - and now I've gone and completely forgotten what my #1 is (forgot to save my tracks list locally). I'll wait until the full dataset is published after the fact. Thanks for confirming, seandalai!

Amablesser is wonderful. I guess we forgot to nom it.

Okay now that I see the recent results, I'm pretty confident my #1 was Marie Davidson's Work It (there's only one #1 vote - if it's yours, let me know!)

Literally my favorite "single" of last year. And I really want to drop it in a DJ set soon. Glad to see Holding On in there as well. I'll save my more nuanced praise for Devotion if it pops up on the albums list (and it should, damnit, if you guys have any taste whatsoever)

yeah that mlindo the vocalist record is great, really good scene going on there

Voted for: LEG. Agree with whoever said the second album is inferior to the first one, although it has some great moments. "Donnie Darko" is a bit of an outlier on it - they wrote the song some years ago and it has the strongest connection with the sort of thing they were doing circa I Gemini.

Pleased for Simmy placements as I couldn't find room for her or Sun El on my ballots. Figured they will both do fine w/o me though.

Never heard of: Peach. Sounds intriguing, will listen soon.

OMG rob listen to “AmaBlesser” right now!

― Tim F, Wednesday, January 30, 2019 3:40 PM (seventeen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

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Just listened to the Simmy album for the first time. It's so beautiful and just as great as the singles that placed today would suggest. This is why I love this place. Every year I discover songs/albums that don't seem to get much attention anywhere else. Previous examples, being introduced to music by When Saints Go Machine, Charly Bliss, Miguel, The Beths, Todd Terje, Crying, Japanese Breakfast, Amel Larrieux, KING and most importantly for me Susanne Sundfør before other places seemed to pick up on them (if at all in some cases). Excellent work everyone!

how had I never even heard of that simmy record. what thread was it discussed on

Sun-El Musician - Africa to the World