ILM's 2025 End of Year Tracks & Albums Poll / VOTING & CAMPAIGNING THREAD

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And now it's time to vote! Here's the link: https://forms.gle/kJJfZ6rx2tsBnVG29

Voting ends at MIDNIGHT PST on Wednesday, January 21st, 2025. (note non-traditional day!)

The procedure is simple: enter your tracks and album ballots (up to 25 items on each), one item per line, in the appropriate fields below. Please copy each line directly from the nominations list; do not number your ballot.

You can choose one of three ballot types, which determine how points are allocated to each item you vote for:

(1) Weighted: The first item on your ballot receives 50 points, the second receives 48 points, and so on, until the 25th item receives 2 points.

(2) Unweighted: Each item on your ballot receives 26 points.

(3) Mixed: To submit a mixed ballot, you must divide your ballot in two with an extra blank line. The upper portion of the ballot will be treated as weighted, with the first item receiving 50 points, and so on. The lower portion will be treated as unweighted, in that all items will receive the same number of points. The score allocated to items in the unweighted portion is calculated as 26 minus the number of items in the weighted portion (this is so that any weighted, unweighted or mixed ballot consisting of 25 items will allocate a total of exactly 650 points).

NOMINATIONS
Track Nominations
Album Nominations

PLAYLISTS

Tracks on Spotify
Albums on Spotify

If anyone has a playlist on another platform, post the link in the thread and we'll add it here.

This thread is also for campaigning - convince/cajole/threaten the ILM community to check out your favourites. Just keep it easy on the Youtube embeds so the thread stays loadable, if you're posting more than one track please link instead.

The EOY team this year is me, moka, emil.y...and maybe you? We're looking for one volunteer to help with the album poll rollout - if you think you can help, shoot me an ILXmail.

sous-vide summer camp (seandalai), Saturday, 3 January 2026 23:26 (one month ago)

Silverfish proffered a groovy Youtube tracks playlist in the other thread:

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLblxCtzm7x4qCKBvDI-zsM8ydC_DeeBZ7

It’s a powerful boat for a powerful mind. (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Sunday, 4 January 2026 00:01 (one month ago)

Voted

saultsie sault (Drugs A. Money), Sunday, 4 January 2026 01:09 (one month ago)

Nation of Language - Inept Apollo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjCgSSepzrA

Song feels like it could have been released in 1984.

Bee OK, Sunday, 4 January 2026 05:10 (one month ago)

The Spotify tracks list is as complete as I could get it, maybe 20 or so that I couldn't find. It comes in at 970 songs, running 66 hours and 18 minutes. If you're curious, that is up from last year's 917 nominees running 64 hours and 43 minutes.

paper plans (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 4 January 2026 05:46 (one month ago)

Voted!

Saxophone Of Futility (Michael B), Sunday, 4 January 2026 10:28 (one month ago)

I think my top three tracks will be a combination of these three, and if I don't do a bit of campaigning, I'll end up with three for three in the 'only one vote' poll.

Boy Sayso ft. Emarvellous & MAXOO - Rice & Peas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_c7dcC77nE

The 3-step rhythm began really working for me this year, and this hiphop/3-step hybrid was amazing. Reminded me of classics like Lapaz Toyota, yet still felt fresh and new.

Cocojoey - Trust In Events
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2NiQ7G7cq4

I don't entirely get why this wasn't the big hypertrash banger of the year. Entire album is pop at its best.

No Joy feat. Fire-Toolz - Jelly Meadow Bright
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXie0A23LM0

No Joy does the traditional shoegaze freak out, except it's with Fire-Toolz, so there's both death metal and juju in there as well.

Frederik B, Sunday, 4 January 2026 11:13 (one month ago)

I do already have slight buyer's remorse, can I send in a slightly modified ballot?

saultsie sault (Drugs A. Money), Sunday, 4 January 2026 11:15 (one month ago)

Big fan of this - sounding like a remix downloaded from an MP3 pop blog (possibly mine) in 2006.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spI46ET_W74

ShariVari, Sunday, 4 January 2026 11:35 (one month ago)

Small observation: in the tracks list, I believe the entry

Goldfrapp - Strange Things Happen

should really be

Alison Goldfrapp - Strange Things Happen

(ie the solo artist, not the duo)

anatol_merklich, Sunday, 4 January 2026 13:27 (one month ago)

I don’t have a clear picture yet of what my track votes will look like. Still collating and listening and paring things down. But a few songs I discovered from the tracks noms that I’m really enjoying (thank you nominators):
- Judeline - Chica de cristal
- Max Dean - Can’t Decide
- Le Sserafim - Spaghetti
- Jennie - Like Jennie
- Jade - Plastic Box
- Jason Isbell - Bury Me
- Charley Crockett - Lonesome Drifter
- Japanese Breakfast - Picture Window
- Wolf Alice - Bloom Baby Bloom (can’t remember if this was actually nominated but the ones that were got me to check out the album)

Indexed, Sunday, 4 January 2026 14:05 (one month ago)

The below are ~probably~ going to be my top two, some classic electro vibes and a short burst of DIY chaos. Despite it being January already I may be on the look-out to fill out my "tracks that aren't just from the albums I'm voting for" ballot, so please lobby!

8485 & Danny Brown:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SupOQkKcHpE

No Peeling:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAwr_5jRYRk

emil.y, Sunday, 4 January 2026 14:12 (one month ago)

emil.y, one that you (and others) might find interesting is in my top five tracks of the year, Minor Science’s “Mortals.” Tim F described it (paraphrasing!) as nu-metal transmuted into leftfield house banger, and that gets it down to a T. I honestly couldn’t stop listening to it this year and everyone for whom I’ve played it has been bowled over, too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smDTaXVjra8

a tv star not a dirty computer man (the table is the table), Sunday, 4 January 2026 14:33 (one month ago)

Okay, that slaps! Immediate YES from me.

emil.y, Sunday, 4 January 2026 14:48 (one month ago)

I want to promote the Darryl Johns self titled album

I dont know where I came across his music, maybe THE ALGORITHIM but its my most listened-to album of the year.

His trajectory is interesting - he is this jazz bass guitar prodigy who just got sick of the stuffy world of jazz and just wanted to do his own thing. He’s played with Mac Demarco (this came out on his indie label) and with power pop band The Lemon Twigs (my fave album of ‘24) for a bit. There’s some live sets online that are fun but pretty shambolic. Gigs that seem very much off the cuff. He and the band can really play, but live he can’t really sing — and he usually seems a bit drunk or high. That said, it kind of fits the vibe he’s going for on this album; it’s a laid-back punky rebellion against the hyper-disciplined jazz world he came from.

Musically, this album is hard to pin down — it’s this strange, vaporwave-adjacent mix of smooth jazz and pop, like 80s sitcom theme music crossed with the funky soft jazz they used to play on old TV weather forecasts. Johns plays everything here. Ibthink he runs his guitar through a MIDI interface, so sometimes it sounds more like a synth, and his vocals are pitch-shifted and warped until they feel almost gaseous. It’s like he’s created a new micro-genre: Zoomer Jazz. Or maybe Mall Prog fits better. Most of the album is instrumental which are all quite loose and joyful invoking a kind of tv jingle memory but couched in these slightly off-kilter arrangements. Or sometimes it sounds like pop hits from an alternative 80s being played on a warped cassette (like the “Jessies Girl” sounding “Im So Serious”).

For me, this hits pleasure receptor parts of my brain that are irresistible. Instant mood enhancer for me. Nostalgia feels (with maybe something a bit “off” also) without any baggage. It makes me happy for reasons I can’t fully explain.

Saxophone Of Futility (Michael B), Sunday, 4 January 2026 15:14 (one month ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK2ItHcBMs4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvnYySfPjtk

Saxophone Of Futility (Michael B), Sunday, 4 January 2026 15:15 (one month ago)

darryl johns is so good, his album was technically 2024 so i didn’t think about him at all for my eoy lists, but he really does hit that nostalgia sweet spot. kind of like the lemon twigs but for the 80s. “i’m so serious” and “maggie and me” often run through my head

harper valley paul thomas anderson (voodoo chili), Sunday, 4 January 2026 15:57 (one month ago)

Heh he played bass for The Lemon Twigs for a bit

Saxophone Of Futility (Michael B), Sunday, 4 January 2026 16:02 (one month ago)

I'll blurb a few of my submissions for y'all.

Quick access to all 15 of these 15 songs in YouTube right here

1. Nova Twins - Hide & Seek

What better way to begin the madness than a stop-start blast from the pre-eminent representatives of the New New Wave of British Heavy Metal? Bask in the glory of the 4-on-the-floor stomp of the bridge, as it sets the stage for the maelstrom of 🤘ROCK🤘 that awaits…

2. Scowl - Tonight (I’m Afraid)

Although not as punctuationally-ridiculous/awesome as the Human League’s “Love Action (I Believe in Love)” or the Beastie Boys’ “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)”, I applaud this Santa Cruz cadre for excellent use of parentheticals. Get ready to thrash all over the room when it all goes supernova around the 1:50 mark, like when Bowser drives over a gold question mark to fly past Waluigi on Toad’s Turnpike. Another ‘must see live’ band.

3. Niis - The Bow

Gee whiz, why would songs of this style be appealing in a year like 2025? Basically structured like the Scowl song in reverse, where instead of slamming on the gas pedal about 2 minutes in, we get a break_d__o___w____n 📉, both in tempo and in disposition. Niis, which I learned is pronounced “Nice!”, are part of a hardcore scene with newcomers Die Spitz and Babe Haven, both of whom were awesome live, but damn, if only it could have been a trio.

4. Seaside – Butter

No, it’s not a BTS cover, you goofballs, although repurposing titles from songs streamed a billion times would not be a horrible idea! For a band that normally plays in the dreampop/strut-rock sandboxes, this punky explosion was quite the departure. I love how each of the 3 different chord progressions build upon each other, like aftershocks of an earthquake.

5. Master Peace - There’s No More Underground

Bridging the worlds of landfill, pop punk, and indie sleaze into a Ramones-esque sampler platter, I'm still kicking myself for missing his hella cool London live show in late '24 by one week (I really need to check schedules before deciding when to travel to Europe). The super-brief mosh part near the end is like a campfire when the wind blows it right at you.

6. Ash Molloy - will I ever learn?

Time for some CanCon (complimentary)! In headphones, the production choices are somethin’ else, especially as the chorus hits, when the Alternative Nation-era pop-rock guitars blast off like a space shuttle. On the surface, the lyrics seem quite opaque, but then I read a profile of Ash, and she said the goal was to shine a set of halogens on the scourge of creepy, abusive rapists who get away with their transgressions again and again, quoting actual statements made by said creeps during court depositions, news conferences, and campaign stops. As for your question, Ash, I really want to believe that we will.

7. EEVAH – Lullaby

Time for a slow-burn cinematic stairway to the clouds. ASMR whispers from a higher power, it’s the Sistine Chapel of weightlessness. I could see this as a first dance at a wedding, or the “raising fists in the air as you scream with joy” post-vows celebration. Those guitars are ladders to other galaxies. And that ending - great to hear Santigold’s influence via the Midlands!

Ben Gibbard and the Libbard Wibbard (Prefecture), Sunday, 4 January 2026 17:04 (one month ago)

8. Dizzy Fae – Magnify

A wonderful collision of dreampop and Garridge, Fae seeks to assure that her vocal is as percussive and onomatopoeic as the clanging around her. While the bassline reinvents AMSR, it’s that drum track, which is so synthetic it's like your 808 had its own 808, that really carries it to the sky.

9. TEHYA - trap door

This pop-forward blast of rhythmic adrenaline is loaded with melodic hooks, sing-to-rap-to-sing switches in a real Smörgåsbord of vocal styles, percussive drop-outs, and instrumental motifs, including a pre-chorus that allows me to make my second reference to Santi White when she was still allowed to be called Santogold.

10. chlothegod - Digging Around

I'll hand it over to the titular Chlo to explain the (pop) punk-leaning track:
“‘Diggin Around’ symbolizes the monotonous task of self-work. While I often have fallen victim to the pseudo-freedom that inciting chaos brings, I had to take 2 steps back and a deep breath while I reflect on the harm I have caused myself and others. Really uncomfortable but necessary shit. 'Nothing changes if nothing changes' type beat.”

Backed by dry-as-fuck tom fills that wandered over from a Rural Alberta Advantage studio sesh, and a rising intensity of the pre-chorus leading to a tasteful-yet-shouty refrain (not to mention a post-chorus - we have a 4-leaf clover here!), it's just so God-damned joyous in its open release.

11. Beth McCarthy - Drama At The Disco

Subtlety? Restraint? Classiness? “I don’t know her!”

I hear you: "Pref, what in the hell are you doing to us?" OK, screw it, let’s embrace the cheesiest, poppiest, scream-alongiest 3 1/2 minutes you’ll hear this year.

Ever wonder what would happen if someone dared to mash-up The Fratellis and Chappell Roan? No? Well, whatevz, here we are! The change from 6/8 to 4/4 totally hits my pop-side-of-prog sensibilities, as does the unnecessarily-loud pounding drums and back-up gang vocals, bonkers lyrical scenarios, and fearlessly-guileless “Look! Geddit?” references to what might be the last enduring rock hit of the monoculture. If this is where Pop is headed, count me in (just don’t throw the tequila on the rocks at me).

12. Pistol Daisys - Crying in Marseille

Everything is exaggerated in another example of OTT melodrama, disco-pop edition: the synth sounds (round, bouncy, and consuming everything in their path); the vocals (shouty and emotive to the Nth degree, dig the way singers Lorna and Belly nearly channel James Hetfield on the end of the chorus with “Marseille-yuh!”); the drums (apparently not big enough, so they added handclaps and fuckin’ woodblocks); and thankfully, the gloriously-ludicrous lyrics (“That night in Toulouse, we had nothing to lose…”). Their follow-up single “Honey” is equally as more-ish, an “OOPS! ALL TOWERS!” Tarot deck you didn’t know you needed.

13. Sophie Kelly - Sparkling Wine

My wife's blasting of Olivia Rodrigo's “Vampire” during the “Spooky Szn” round of my Non-ILX Music League subliminally prepared me to appreciate the New Melodrama, and fully submitting to the very Meat Loaf-esque idea that the three-plus minutes I'm currently hearing is “The! Most! Important! Song! Ever! Recorded!”. The guitar runs and textures that pop up in the 2nd verse are rad as hell. Another stellar example of taking 3 different chord progressions and having them build on one another like rock formations, with it all dropping out for a stripped-down ending that will remind you of that uncomfortable voicemail that you know you should have cut off a minute ago, but you just had to keep going.

14. crushed – starburn

I know it’s silly to let outside affirmation affect you, but when I saw that Yasi Salek of “Bandsplain” also listed this as one of her yearly faves, I was repeating her own vernacular, “Let's fucking go!”, in a similar So-Cal lilt. The emotional flip-side to EEVAH’s “Lullaby”, this is all ethereal vox and subtle guitars that remain Earthbound, all while feeling like levitation is eminent.

15. Moon Panda - Space Elevator

The gorgeous chorus, those synth progressions, & propulsive rhythm are evocative of the R&B of the mid-’90s, while the vocal melodies are just devastating in their beauty. You can guess that I also love when weird sounds show up in something more on the understated, chill level. This is almost up there with Little Dragon’s “Feather”, Cibo Matto’s “Moonchild”, and Beyonce’s “Love Drought” in the exalted hierarchy of cosmic liftoff music.

Ben Gibbard and the Libbard Wibbard (Prefecture), Sunday, 4 January 2026 17:04 (one month ago)

Oh damn, was looking through the list and it looks like nobody nominated any of the new Castle Rat stuff. I completely forgot, but I would've voted for 'Wizard'. Maybe I'll write it in but don't want seandalai to kick me off the team.

emil.y, Sunday, 4 January 2026 17:06 (one month ago)

myaap - fairy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhCC1yW4nlU

flopson, Sunday, 4 January 2026 17:33 (one month ago)

^^ def voting for this one

harper valley paul thomas anderson (voodoo chili), Sunday, 4 January 2026 17:49 (one month ago)

some things I liked a lot and you might too

Florence Adooni - A.O.E.I.U. (An Ordinary Exercise In Unity): sprawling, live-giving disco/highlife/acid alchemy, I can't imagine anyone here not loving this
Yasmine Hamdan - Shmaali شمالي Tarweeda (Nicolas Jaar Remix): Hamdan's original already mixes up Palestinian folk tradition and electronics, Jaar stretches and twists it into a big space rollercoaster
CHUU - Back in town: twee, lightest-of-light-disco K-pop that was in my head for half the year and I love unconditionally
Halima - SWEET TOOTH: sexy, sweet Afro-pop/R&B
Throwing Shapes - Throwing Shapes: harp-forward post-rock, kinetic and immersive
Just Mustard - WE WERE JUST HERE: shoegazy rock, reminds me of Gang Gang Dance a fair bit, it's fun to float around in the fuzz

sous-vide summer camp (seandalai), Monday, 5 January 2026 00:22 (one month ago)

I think of these songs as a perfect triptych of shimmer and swoon:
Kali Uchis ft. Ravyn Lenae - Cry about it!
Halima - Eau de vie
CHAEYOUNG ft. Gliiico - Avocado (song starts at 1:13)

sous-vide summer camp (seandalai), Monday, 5 January 2026 00:29 (one month ago)

As this came up via Moka during nominations: addison rae - diet pepsi made the Top 77 last year and is ineligible this year.

Bee OK, Monday, 5 January 2026 00:46 (one month ago)

aha - removed

sous-vide summer camp (seandalai), Monday, 5 January 2026 00:49 (one month ago)

however! pleasure systems' gorgeous cover of it did come out this year and i nominated it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr50JVWcJRo

donna rouge, Monday, 5 January 2026 01:00 (one month ago)

oops, sorry for the YT embed!

donna rouge, Monday, 5 January 2026 01:10 (one month ago)

i also forgot about that rule, apologies

a tv star not a dirty computer man (the table is the table), Monday, 5 January 2026 01:28 (one month ago)

Right now I mostly want to campaign for Min Taka’s “Pyramid”, which answers the age-old question: “what if Olivia Rodrigo but uk garage?”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FS4UcxW_kE

Tim F, Monday, 5 January 2026 03:20 (one month ago)

- Voters should make sure that they have reached "Bye Bye Snake Eyes" and "Joe Meek Will Inherit the Earth" on Tropical Fuck Storm's album. The former is a fantastic violin-sustained bluesy number carried by the vocals of Fiona, who I found convincing enough to actually nominate the track. The following one is another slow burner with Gareth this time, it features amazing guitar and my favorite solo in a long while. Wish they could do a whole album like that.

- The Juana Molina is one of her peaks. Soft and radical, structured and trippy, and it sort of rocks.

- Isaka (6am) is one of the most obvious South African songs this year. You wouldn't want your top to look too monolithic and anglo-centric now, would you? And if you're curious, there are many things of beauty that were released this year, see two others below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2_Y3Vq5yd4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ-9gZc34v0

Naledi, Monday, 5 January 2026 13:47 (one month ago)

oops, sorry for the YT embed!

― donna rouge, Monday, 5 January 2026 01:10 (thirteen hours ago)

i also forgot about that rule, apologies

― a tv star not a dirty computer man (the table is the table), Monday, 5 January 2026 01:28 (twelve hours ago)

Me too, though the rule is just "go easy on them" not "don't post any", so both of your posts were in fact fine - mine was more of an edge case with two embedded, I should have turned them into links, really.

emil.y, Monday, 5 January 2026 14:21 (one month ago)

No one nominated The Happy Fits (ultra cheesy. hooks for days.) meaning that the one ILX quest I set for myself last year has failed. Goddamn, how do you get people to like bands?

peace, man, Monday, 5 January 2026 14:26 (one month ago)

Naledi, even if the band was the best band in the world and hit all the right buttons, there is absolutely nothing that would get me to listen to a band named Tropical Fuck Storm, and honestly, that is entirely on them. Pick a better name.

a tv star not a dirty computer man (the table is the table), Monday, 5 January 2026 15:25 (one month ago)

Minor Science’s “Mortals.” Tim F described it (paraphrasing!) as nu-metal transmuted into leftfield house banger,

Yeah "Mortals" rules, it manages a kind of riff-step that is unrelated to any dubstep/EDM versions of electronic music by people who probably love metal. It has a gnarly post-punk/early '80s industrial flavor to me, in addition to the '90s nu-metal vibe.

Jordan s/t (Jordan), Monday, 5 January 2026 16:12 (one month ago)

there is absolutely nothing that would get me to listen to a band named Tropical Fuck Storm

Well then maybe Total Fucking Darkness is more your speed!

Highly recommend "Desolation Boys" — plucked with gratitude from the Said the Gramophone year-end list.

paper plans (tipsy mothra), Monday, 5 January 2026 16:13 (one month ago)

And speaking of African tracks, I really like "Keep on Lovin' Me (Biko Biko)" by Lady Donli — kind of a modern ZamRock thing.

paper plans (tipsy mothra), Monday, 5 January 2026 16:17 (one month ago)

My favourite find from the noms list is Zucha ft. Spice - Amanda. Absolute corker.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jE-wsqsNmQ

Jonk Raven (dog latin), Monday, 5 January 2026 16:26 (one month ago)

I really like Minor Science, but not sure "Mortals" is my thing. I do like how unusual it is but ew... nu-metal

Jonk Raven (dog latin), Monday, 5 January 2026 16:27 (one month ago)

Of my picks, here are some that I think might be more appealing to ILM at large:

Darkside - Nothing
I'm sure a lot of people know this record, but it is truly great (and fun). It manages to pack in so many twists, surprises, genres, and references and somehow make them hang together. When the clavinet groove kicked in midway through S.N.C. I was fully in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKiS9DPARDg

Nakibembe Embaire Group & Naoyuki Uchida - Phantom Keys (Nyege Nyege)
This is just ear candy for me, incredible live performance by a Ugandan balafon group with live dubs.

Valentina Magaletti & YPY - Kansai Bruises
Dense Valentina (who everybody loves, right?) + electronics
https://valentinamagaletti.bandcamp.com/album/kansai-bruises

Ensemble Nist-Nah - Spilla
Hybrid Gamelan ensemble
https://willguthrie.bandcamp.com/album/spilla

And I don't think I need to rep for Oren Ambarchi, Lucrecia Dalt, Yasmin Hamdan, Sam Prekop, etc.

Jordan s/t (Jordan), Monday, 5 January 2026 16:28 (one month ago)

Somehow not nominated, criminal (just discovered it yesterday)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITy-DDcEGAc

Dance Yourself Dizzy To The Music of Time (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, 5 January 2026 16:29 (one month ago)

Oh and Nikki Nair once again made the best and most fun dance tracks of the year, I'm sorry I didn't nominate 'IRS Love' as a track, that seems like it would be an ILM fave.

https://nikkinair.bandcamp.com/album/violence-is-the-answer
https://ssscccrrraaappp.bandcamp.com/track/sheeps

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOWRwgCuSL0

Jordan s/t (Jordan), Monday, 5 January 2026 16:30 (one month ago)

From my own noms, I have a handful which I really really must stan for:

Chimpo ft. Stanna Banner - Cheeky (DJ Polo Mix)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLkBVAeXOhg
This is just so fun. Chimpo and DJ Polo are among my favourite producers in recent years, and it's got that fantastic post-amapiano/afro-house thing. but it's Stanna Banner's Manc-Punjabi delivery that put a big grin on my face every time I hear it.

MÖRDA - Izigi ft Mnqobi Yazo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi-yVp_hT4I
Others might disagree, but from where I'm standing Amapiano fatigue is real. And while the rise of 3-Step has been interesting to observe, I fear that it's largely the same vibe with a different rhythm. Not so MÖRDA's excellent album from earlier in the year. Asante III showcases the possibilities of what is possible within this new genre, and "Izigi" is the highlight. It's a wonderful sound - loads of live instrumentation, but still very much a dance tune. I haven't stopped playing it out.

Lvbel C5 - HAVHAVHAV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tppzgR5ok0
Youse are all sleeping on canine Turkish drill.

Sir Hiss ft. Logan_olm - Don Gorgon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo3Mzr4x9TM
Immaculate UK electro/grime/dancehall crossover track. Knocks the breath out of me.

Tourist - Embrace
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpmwf12vcr0
Tourist pivots into pretty trance sounds. Huggy, warm, danceable. Love it.

Jonk Raven (dog latin), Monday, 5 January 2026 16:42 (one month ago)

(ulp, sorry if that was too many YTs! I promise that's enough from me for now).

Jonk Raven (dog latin), Monday, 5 January 2026 16:43 (one month ago)

Avalon Emerson released an excellent EP of bobbins earlier this year (which you should totally vote for) and then in November she gave us this Indie pop gem under her '& the Charm' guise (and produced by ILX favourite Bullion to boot)

Avalon Emerson & the Charm - Eden

groovypanda, Monday, 5 January 2026 17:14 (one month ago)

YoSoyValentina's voice just leapt at me.

YoSoyValentina - Arena

YoSoyValentina - Blues

the way out of (Eazy), Monday, 5 January 2026 17:33 (one month ago)

I like 'Mortals'! And the Miguel track (totally forgot to check his recent stuff). Going thru the playlist alphabetically by artist and over halfway thru but only a couple of other things might make my ballot.

nashwan, Monday, 5 January 2026 17:50 (one month ago)

Yeah those YoSoyValentina tracks are great. They came on in the car the other night (I was playing the nominee playlist) and my wife was like, "Who is THAT?" and immediately googled her.

paper plans (tipsy mothra), Monday, 5 January 2026 17:55 (one month ago)

love that Tourist track, downloading the album now. thanks dl!

fwiw i don't really like nu-metal— with maybe an exception made for some of the outliers like Linkin Park and System of a Down, whom I appreciate every once in a while— but i think that the Minor Science track's way of utterly disrupting my expectations and moving from ambient euphoria to nu-metal screaming to a sort of industrial funk in less than a minute, and making it sound *good*, is really exceptional.

I talked about this record a bit on the "best albums of the year" thread, but i really do think that "Eden" is the best track from the Baths record that came out last year. something about the bass coming in when it does, the vocal effects, the utter gayness of it all...really does it for me. it's very well done, definitely worth a listen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N6EI_oHL1I

I also just want to again urge people to listen to the Burial single from 2025. i know not everyone is a fan of the more ambient side of their output, but "Imaginary Festival" is much more affecting and successfully atmospheric than "Comafields," which sort of feels more like rote Burial bits hastily glued together, imho.

a tv star not a dirty computer man (the table is the table), Monday, 5 January 2026 17:55 (one month ago)

I'll have to give that Burial another listen.

Btw I don't expect this to represented on the poll, but if anyone wants to listen to just one swinging acoustic jazz album this year, I recommend Bill Stewart - Live at the Village Vanguard (best drummer of his generation with a piano-less trio that's both very rooted and contemporary).

Jordan s/t (Jordan), Monday, 5 January 2026 20:12 (one month ago)

really have to campaign for "deus deus" by anaiis, which totally bowled me over when I first heard it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCPLV15tKlI

brains, washed (The Brainwasher), Monday, 5 January 2026 21:20 (one month ago)

I was AWOL during the nomination period so can't waste my votes on all the random NZ stuff I'm the sole voter for (apols to the EOY team in advance for all the write-ins).

Brìghde Chaimbeul's album Sunwise might appeal to the drone/William Tyler massive - Scottish smallpipes, Colin Stetson collab.

etc, Tuesday, 6 January 2026 00:30 (one month ago)

you can join me in voting for ringlets

harper valley paul thomas anderson (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 6 January 2026 00:36 (one month ago)

Somehow not nominated, criminal (just discovered it yesterday)

could have sworn I nommed this one, how could I have forgotten it (how?)

cr4bdbgs, Tuesday, 6 January 2026 05:17 (one month ago)

Naledi, even if the band was the best band in the world and hit all the right buttons, there is absolutely nothing that would get me to listen to a band named Tropical Fuck Storm, and honestly, that is entirely on them. Pick a better name.
― a tv star not a dirty computer man (the table is the table), lundi 5 janvier 2026 15:25 (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

It's a Australian bluesy arty garagey experimental rock band with a male lead (guitar/vocals) and three female musos who also assume vocal duties. They're very much on the introspective / social critique side, trying to keep on the good side of despair / nihilism. I have no idea who had the idea of the name but I don't really care. It's a rock band worth hearing, and they don't come from nowhere, it's a spin-off from The Drones. Can you listen to a band named The Drones ?

Naledi, Tuesday, 6 January 2026 08:26 (one month ago)

Btw, I'm sorry I lashed out at you last year. I know from your posts you are not at all a malicious person.

Naledi, Tuesday, 6 January 2026 08:27 (one month ago)

I for one am glad for the TFS reminder. Still haven't heard the whole of last year's longplayer...

It’s a powerful boat for a powerful mind. (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Tuesday, 6 January 2026 09:49 (one month ago)

I don't think it's a bad name. But it's the wrong name for this kind of band. If you're going to be called Tropical Fuck Storm you better sound like steel drums in a hurricane

Jonk Raven (dog latin), Tuesday, 6 January 2026 11:38 (one month ago)

Tropical Fuck Storm is a cocktail at The Dredgers Balloon in Ellesmere Port. Never again la

saer, Tuesday, 6 January 2026 11:56 (one month ago)

I am sure they are a good band, will try to listen to them

a tv star not a dirty computer man (the table is the table), Tuesday, 6 January 2026 12:38 (one month ago)

i saw TFS live in 2024 opening for another band and enjoyed them, but found their recorded music a bit lacking in comparison. haven’t heard the new one yet tbf, but will give it a listen. agreed their name is bad lol

donna rouge, Tuesday, 6 January 2026 14:38 (one month ago)

this might be the top song for me.
they seemed to show up on critics lists etc for a few years now, but never caught my ear in any serious way until this one that i just cannot get enough of.
other songs near my top – "it's a mirror", "straight line was a lie" "chains & whips" & "bog body" (sorry)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6QUT0Re_8Q

FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 6 January 2026 17:59 (one month ago)

would be better if the vocals were actually given any thought. affectless, artless, boring.

a tv star not a dirty computer man (the table is the table), Tuesday, 6 January 2026 18:43 (one month ago)

"playing classics" especially the ten minute version ("driving classics playing cars") >>>>>

ivy., Tuesday, 6 January 2026 19:04 (one month ago)

Agreed, I’m kinda hoping it unexpectedly wins (though I would be mentally replacing the OG version actually nominated with the longer version).

Tim F, Tuesday, 6 January 2026 22:10 (one month ago)

really surprised that people like this

a tv star not a dirty computer man (the table is the table), Tuesday, 6 January 2026 22:39 (one month ago)

WFYE isn't my thing but I can see why people like it, I like the blend of programmed/real instruments (sometimes unexpected or a little uncanny, in a good way), and how the vocals go from introvert speak-singing to unexpected hooky melody.

Jordan s/t (Jordan), Tuesday, 6 January 2026 22:56 (one month ago)

Some albums I nominated and want to campaign for (w/ Bandcamp links for yr ease):

Annie A - The Wind That Had Not Touched Land

A one-off concept album about the textile artist Anni Albers by the Time Is Away folks, composer Félicia Atkinson, poet/musician Christina Petrie and folk singer Maxine Funke, among others. Spoken-word passages in English and French weaving themselves around sparse electro-acoustic/woodwind instrumentation. A record I've returned to a lot as the weather's gotten colder.

Pouya Ehsaei - People of the Wind

This album feels like it's in a similar ballpark as the Magaletti/YPY album Jordan mentioned upthread - frenetic electronic avant-jazz compositions with bracing lyrics ("I'll take you to hell and churn you like barbecue chicken" being a personal fave).

Big Hands - Thauma

Tuned percussion compositions by an Italian experimental artist envisioning an expansive concept of "the Mediterranean", with haunting vocal turns by Palestinian artist Bint Mbareh. If you liked the Nadah El Shazly album from this year, you should give this a shot.

Jules Reidy - Ghost/Spirit

This was a late-in-the-year discovery for me despite coming out in February, but it quickly became a favorite: jagged microtonal guitar and stuttering cut-up drums puncturing lyrical meditations on space, light, and queer heartbreak (the first lines on the album are "I give all to you/until I disappear").

Volodja Brodsky - Raindrops

Lo-fi solo piano compositions that veer between classically pretty and a little goofy (one track is called "Breakfast Martini"). A great rainy day album, as the title indicates.

Voice Actor, Squu - Lust (1)

Come for the dubbed-out aqueous electronics & half-murmured vocalizations, stay for the Barbara Walters diss track.

donna rouge, Tuesday, 6 January 2026 23:16 (one month ago)

I will vouch for the Big Hands album. Really nice stuff

Jonk Raven (dog latin), Wednesday, 7 January 2026 00:10 (one month ago)

i nominated "Playing Classics," not sure i knew about the longer version. gonna look for that now, it's perfect at 6 minutes but can definitely imagine it perfect at 10. and plenty of thought in the placement of that first "look" alone.

moral ziosk (geoffreyess), Wednesday, 7 January 2026 03:48 (one month ago)

Patrick Wolf's "Jupiter" is my inevitable #1, missed him for so long and now somehow here's his best song ever. didn't realize there was a video for it let alone three, looking at them now i feel like this one fits best.

moral ziosk (geoffreyess), Wednesday, 7 January 2026 04:10 (one month ago)

I’ve got my two lists at 95% bur I’m waiting to be seduced by someone campaigning an album or track I overlooked.

✖✖✖ (Moka), Wednesday, 7 January 2026 05:16 (one month ago)

I already wrote about my favorites here but I recommend everyone check out the Biota record (link after)

Albums of the Year so far 2025

https://biota2.bandcamp.com/album/measured-not-found

vague facial gymnastics (sleeve), Wednesday, 7 January 2026 05:25 (one month ago)

I suck at campaigning but I’ll try it:

2025 saw Oklou and FKA Twigs delivering two of the most critically acclaimed albums of the year. And them collaborating together for “Viscus” at the height of their powers is the alt girl version of Telephone.

Here’s some select blurbs from two eoy lists that placed it in their top songs of the year list:

Oklou released Choke Enough back in February, and I admit it took me a few months to recognize the true scale of what she had accomplished. It isn't just a very pretty hyperpop album: Choke Enough expanded the sonic vocabulary of contemporary pop music, uncovering an array of textures that feel as connected to abstract ideas like cloud and cashmere as to references like PC Music or Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. One morning, walking home from school with my eight-year-old, I slipped headphones over his ears - to let him hear the world with Choke Enough playing, to let him discover how the weather changed.
For most of this year, Oklou's "ict" was a lock on this list. But then this collab dropped last month: a duet in a setting of astonishing beauty, organic and yet artificial, churchy and clubby, as patient in its timing as something Bach might have written, stooped at a desk.

- Said the Gramophone

“The body is a temple / Am I worshipping too hard?”, sings Oklou, on “Viscus ft. FKA twigs”. When I first listened to this song, I couldn’t (and still can’t) get that line out of my head. In a year when we have seen self-optimisation, specifically relating to the body, in full force, it is a line marked by sharp self-awareness that we do not treat our bodies as bodies at all. In an interview between the pair with Highsnobiety, Oklou remarks that the song was inspired by her relationship with her body: “I have had tummy aches since I was a child. I kind of go through all of these sources of anxiety and talk about my body as a conflicting relationship,” she states. The otherworldly textures of “Viscus” – from the feather-light percussion to the orchestral swells – leave you wanting more as the pair create a world of inquisition that you find yourself reluctant to escape from. (HJ)

- Dazed

✖✖✖ (Moka), Wednesday, 7 January 2026 05:25 (one month ago)

I’ve got my two lists at 95% bur I’m waiting to be seduced by someone campaigning an album or track I overlooked.

You've obviously already got Logic1000's fantastic DJ-Kicks mix of trip-hop, downtempo and ambient on your ballot, yes? ;)

https://logic1000.bandcamp.com/album/dj-kicks-logic1000

groovypanda, Wednesday, 7 January 2026 07:35 (one month ago)

In my long 10% written and 60% envisioned round up of music in 2026 I go on a rant about how “Driving Classics, Playing Cars” has the kind of loose, “sloppy” relationship to house that only someone who understands its interior logic with exacting precision and intimacy can pull off, like a caricature that somehow captures its subject’s essential qualities despite (or rather, because of and via) its more exaggerated features.

Tim F, Wednesday, 7 January 2026 09:07 (one month ago)

*2025

Tim F, Wednesday, 7 January 2026 09:08 (one month ago)

really enjoying this Darryl Johns album that Michael B recommended

Platinum Penguin Pavilion (soref), Wednesday, 7 January 2026 09:43 (one month ago)

Tim F, i think that you’re right about that track, but it’s the sloppiness that i dislike. I also still think the vocal sucks. Enough with affectless female vocals.

a tv star not a dirty computer man (the table is the table), Wednesday, 7 January 2026 15:19 (one month ago)

Is it sloppy? I don't really hear it.

Jonk Raven (dog latin), Wednesday, 7 January 2026 16:36 (one month ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9yeUbxElhA

4:32am - Speaking in Silence.

It didn't get selected for either of the playlists but it does have vocals and it was filmed in Penge

saer, Wednesday, 7 January 2026 17:04 (one month ago)

really enjoying the new album by Prewn. Reminds me a little of Cat Power's "Myra Lee" or PJ Harvey's "Dry"
except it's a lot more layered with the production. otherworldliness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx79eCpey6I

nicky lo-fi, Wednesday, 7 January 2026 17:55 (one month ago)

Is it sloppy? I don't really hear it.

i was responding to Tim’s post. i think that WFYE track is dull, find enthusiasm over it to be utterly baffling.

a tv star not a dirty computer man (the table is the table), Wednesday, 7 January 2026 18:00 (one month ago)

i love ‘driving classics playing cars’ but ’playing classics’ left me cold

flopson, Wednesday, 7 January 2026 19:20 (one month ago)

This song was released on Christmas and not on the album. It will probably make my Top 25, even if only at 25.

Sabrina Carpenter - Such a Funny Way:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaJKUCgSSkc

Bee OK, Thursday, 8 January 2026 01:53 (one month ago)

First part of that sounds like she's been listening to Faye Webster. I like it, but my Sabrina vote is the pop-reggae "Nobody's Son."

paper plans (tipsy mothra), Thursday, 8 January 2026 05:58 (one month ago)

I'm surprised "When Did You Get Hot?" Wasn't nominated.

Bee OK, Thursday, 8 January 2026 06:39 (one month ago)

Wanted to thank whoever mentioned Nation of Language, whom I had never encountered before. I actually don’t like the single embedded as much as two other tracks on the record, “In Another Life” and “Can You Reach Me?” The latter sounds like what I always wanted Band of Horses to sound like— plaintive and yearning without being stupid and whiny.

a tv star not a dirty computer man (the table is the table), Thursday, 8 January 2026 15:28 (one month ago)

i think all three ratboys singles from last year were nominated, not sure i'm voting but at least two of them ("light night mountains all that" and "what's right") would be on my ballot, really following up on what "black earth, wi" laid down

ivy., Thursday, 8 January 2026 15:31 (one month ago)

ivyyyyyy, please vote! Your taste is quite different from mine but the things that you rave about are always cool & interesting.

emil.y, Thursday, 8 January 2026 15:36 (one month ago)

i mean DJing has gotten me a little more on top of things tracks-wise this year so yeah i might just vote and for once not assume i don't know what i'm talking about and that i need to do more research

ivy., Thursday, 8 January 2026 15:51 (one month ago)

please do!

vague facial gymnastics (sleeve), Thursday, 8 January 2026 15:58 (one month ago)

cosign with others, ivy. even when we don’t agree i enjoy thinking about and hearing your faves!!

a tv star not a dirty computer man (the table is the table), Thursday, 8 January 2026 16:23 (one month ago)

really enjoying this Orcutt Shelley Miller album which I'd not even heard about after coming across "A Long Island Wedding" while listening to the tracks list on shuffle. Amazing spacey rock music.

silverfish, Thursday, 8 January 2026 17:21 (one month ago)

man I gotta listen to that

vague facial gymnastics (sleeve), Thursday, 8 January 2026 17:29 (one month ago)

I also need to listen to it, I was kind of Orcutt-ed out for a while but I am ready again.

a tv star not a dirty computer man (the table is the table), Thursday, 8 January 2026 17:31 (one month ago)

I don't know who nominated it, but I listened to Andrew Pekler - New Environments & Rhythm Studies yesterday based on the title, v v nice rhythmic ambient stuff (sounds like modular-based to me, but very restrained in a good way).

Jordan s/t (Jordan), Thursday, 8 January 2026 17:49 (one month ago)

Man, I went back to the Uhlmann Johnson Wilkes record (on International Anthem) and that is a gorgeous record

Jordan s/t (Jordan), Thursday, 8 January 2026 22:27 (one month ago)

Really enjoying DJ Subaru's "Dog", NickB - finds such a sweet industrial-italo spot between Severed Heads and the Presets I can't believe it's not Australian.

etc, Friday, 9 January 2026 05:11 (one month ago)

orcutt quartet live release i nommed (hauslive) is the one i’ve returned to the most. probably unlikely to be his the tentpole consensus ilm orcutt release but i think they did something really special fleshing out the material in a live session. and the recording is really nasty

flopson, Friday, 9 January 2026 19:20 (one month ago)

i harbor no delusions about it placing but if someone listens to and enjoys this cute indie pop tune from an album i nommed i will claim success

born at midnite - pop charts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FARX0350sHo

flopson, Friday, 9 January 2026 19:22 (one month ago)

Very cute, and I did enjoy it (especially the sax part).

And while we're on cute indie pop, there's Guppy's Back to the Thing. Not as epic as their 2022 Smooth Jazz, but I dig it.

the way out of (Eazy), Friday, 9 January 2026 20:20 (one month ago)

Wanted to thank whoever mentioned Nation of Language, whom I had never encountered before. I actually don’t like the single embedded as much as two other tracks on the record, “In Another Life” and “Can You Reach Me?” The latter sounds like what I always wanted Band of Horses to sound like— plaintive and yearning without being stupid and whiny.

― a tv star not a dirty computer man (the table is the table), Thursday, January 8, 2026

You're welcome, I nominated both the album and "Inept Apollo." The other nominated song "Under the Water" is good too. Glad you like it. "Sole Obsession" place in our Top 77 in 2023 bit other then that I don't know a thing about them.

Bee OK, Saturday, 10 January 2026 02:44 (one month ago)

VOTED

nashwan, Sunday, 11 January 2026 15:15 (one month ago)

One of the things I liked about discovering (or at least properly clicking with as I think I heard it once before a few weeks back too) Gelli Haha's 'Bounce House' in the nominations was I could v quickly tell that one/both of De Lux were involved in its production. Thanks to the eternal DJ MARTIAN for nominating it.

nashwan, Sunday, 11 January 2026 19:22 (one month ago)

Bounce House stood out to me on the playlist as well. I listened to the album a few months ago and enjoyed it fine, but when it came on the playlist it sounded so great. Will definitely be getting a vote from me.

kitchen person, Sunday, 11 January 2026 20:38 (one month ago)

Another new discovery from the playlist is this Neggy Gemmy. Huge Saint Etienne vibes as a couple of others have mentioned on other threads (NickB and Furtho).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihqslnzXRBc

kitchen person, Monday, 12 January 2026 01:45 (one month ago)

Yo! I had to look through the list and I figured there's like 30 things I loved this year... mostly ambient intake of my usual sorta diet. Not exploring enough. But I'll feel good about voting if I do some cramming now. Anyway all I really wanna campaign for is Jim Legxacy who kinda came out of nowhere for me this year, played the album endlessly. Glad someone nommed this track!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhjZgIk9oCs

maf you one two (maffew12), Monday, 12 January 2026 16:51 (one month ago)

I voted for the other Jim track but that album rules

rob, Monday, 12 January 2026 17:41 (one month ago)

A few more standouts from the playlist for me:

Darkside - SNC
Grace Ives - Dance With Me
Wally Badarou - You Can't Hide Always
Water In Your Eyes - Nights In Armor

nashwan, Tuesday, 13 January 2026 11:45 (one month ago)

voted x

nxd, Tuesday, 13 January 2026 13:36 (one month ago)

Gotta get my ballot done this weekend- the month is getting away from me

Clever Message Board User Name (Raymond Cummings), Tuesday, 13 January 2026 13:36 (one month ago)

Oh god, me too. I always do these at the last minute, mind you.

emil.y, Tuesday, 13 January 2026 14:48 (one month ago)

Hey, I just noticed a typo in the Tracks list:

Jaylann - Ja Wlidi

should be

Jaylann - Ha Wlidi

Not sure if that's too late to change

Jonk Raven (dog latin), Tuesday, 13 January 2026 17:08 (one month ago)

whew I still have 8 days

vague facial gymnastics (sleeve), Tuesday, 13 January 2026 17:09 (one month ago)

VOTED! Whew, I'm sweating!

Jonk Raven (dog latin), Tuesday, 13 January 2026 18:02 (one month ago)

Working on my list.

As well as the Neggy Gemmy and Gelli Haha songs already mentioned, big thanks to the people who nominated these which have been new discoveries for me over the last week:

Avalon Emerson - Eden (loved her album, but haven't kept up with her stuff since then)

The Belair Lip Balms - Hey You (my favourite indie/power pop song of the year that isn't by The Beths)

Raye - Where Is My Husband (somehow missed this even though it has become a massive hit)

Debby Friday - 1/17 & All I Wanna Do Is Party (need to revisit the album because these songs are both bangers)

Sigrid - Jellyfish (the drums kind of remind me of Young Folks on this. Nice to hear something so great from her as I'd forgotten about her after loving Strangers a few years ago.

underscores - Do It (looks like this has a big following on RYM. It's huge!)

Zara Larsson - Midnight Sun (didn't expect to love this, but the chorus is a big earworm)

Future Utopia x Lava La Rue - The Pleasure Trap (this starts as fairly enjoyable electro that builds nicely in the second half)

Snuggle - Woman Lake (this is so gorgeous. The Saint Paul Minnesota shout out got me)

Cami - Poseida (I don't know anything about Cami. This has such a great groove and the production is amazing)

George Riley - Slow & Forever (I always end up liking her songs from the playlists. Slow in particular is so good)

Some great electronic tracks which is a genre I don't keep up with enough from Loula Yorke, James K, Sinnai, Yetsuby and Sam Prekop.

kitchen person, Tuesday, 13 January 2026 20:17 (one month ago)

The whole snuggle album is worth a listen.

✖✖✖ (Moka), Tuesday, 13 January 2026 20:59 (one month ago)

I quite liked the Sigrid too - probably a grower but nice hook.

nashwan, Tuesday, 13 January 2026 21:32 (one month ago)

I nominated the Emerson EP figuring there may be splitting on the tracks - 'Treat Mode' and 'Don't Be Seen With Me' are actually my faves from it.

nashwan, Tuesday, 13 January 2026 21:34 (one month ago)

i only have one plug, and that is for

steve hauschildt - aeropsia

which is one of the best ambient albums i've heard this year.

map, Tuesday, 13 January 2026 21:38 (one month ago)

Steve is most definitely on my list. He's rarely missed with his solo work.

octobeard, Tuesday, 13 January 2026 21:40 (one month ago)

karneef - cyber criminal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyz-h_Lx9t8

i only nominated this track, but i've been revisiting the album ('its how you say it') lately and concluded it will be a write-in near the top of my ballot

proggy jazz funk, sounds like steely dan + rush + robert wyatt. crazy playing on the whole album

flopson, Tuesday, 13 January 2026 21:40 (one month ago)

that is relevant to my interests

harper valley paul thomas anderson (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 13 January 2026 21:56 (one month ago)

i usually don't add songs from the playlists to my ballots, i prefer it to reflect my experience during the year, but i am enjoying the recs and playlists as always

harper valley paul thomas anderson (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 13 January 2026 21:57 (one month ago)

Kitchen person has partly done my job for me by spotlighting a whole heap of my nominations - glad you enjoyed them!

I admittedly don't know a lot about Cami either, other than that she's a Chilean singer and that I was very taken by "POSEÍDA" (which reminded me a little of Jessie Ware) on first listen. Though I didn't nominate it, "CIERRO LOS OJOS" from the same EP is also excellent.

And yes, that underscores song is huge and I hope anyone who was into "harvest sky" from the Oklou record gives it a try!

I do also want to take a second to say something about "Midnight Sun", the song, and Midnight Sun, the album. I nominated both in the end. We don't have a Zara Larsson thread on ILM which I can understand given that a lot of her previous output - particularly that which wasn't released as a single - is pretty unremarkable. However, I've grown both very fond of her latest record and of her as a pop star generally - at a moment where her 10+ year old single, "Lush Life", is surging the charts again, "Midnight Sun" is finally breaking into the UK Top 40, and her visibility is thus as high as it's ever been, she's posting unequivocal, intelligent anti-ICE, abolitionist, and anti-Zionist screeds on her Instagram story which...in this climate I admit to finding rather laudable. That's to say nothing of the music itself on the album which I would say is influenced by, variously, Desire, I Want To Turn Into You, Internet culture, clubbing, "Stereo Love", Lisa Frank, Sweden, et al. Exec. produced by MNEK and featuring contributions from Zhone (Demi Lovato, Kesha, Mette, Rose Gray, various other pop acts beloved by gay men, etc), it's got interesting things to say about being a part of pop's middle class - kind of a vanilla-scented counterpoint to the unlikeable cool girl Charli presented us with on brat. The title track with its crazy ululating post-chorus is the best one, but "Blue Moon", "Saturn's Return" and "Hot & Sexy" (feat. New York / Tiffany Pollard) are other big highlights for me.

Other songs I nominated worth a quick mention:

Silly Silky - Sweat, Sweaty (floaty house from South Korea)
Pom Femme - Buy Your Love (a modern update on classic Björn Yttling-core)
Naomi Sharon - The Only Love We Know (sweeping and grandiose, with Sade-like vocals)
Malla - Toista tilaisuutta ei ehkä tuu (pulsing and portentous dancepop from Finland)
Grace Ives - Dance With Me (curling, thrilling artpop)
Jewel Owusu & Cydnee with a C (who allllmost made our 77 I think a year or two back) - Spark (just a slam dunk banger)
SoFTT - Cerca Al Cielo (amazing trancepop single from Miami, probably my #1 and I expect to be the sole voter!)

monotony, Wednesday, 14 January 2026 07:35 (one month ago)

Yeah, I listened to the Zara Larsson album and it's good. Hopefully the title track belatedly becomes a proper hit single now. I only really know a few of her hits like Lush Life, I Would Like and Symphony with Clean Bandit.

I'll definitely be voting for her in the tracks poll.

kitchen person, Wednesday, 14 January 2026 14:31 (one month ago)

Voted!

Jordan s/t (Jordan), Thursday, 15 January 2026 15:38 (one month ago)

going through the nominations list and once again have no one but myself to blame for not nominating anything. still, really wish i could vote for four tet's mazzy star flip "into dust (still falling)"

ivy., Thursday, 15 January 2026 16:11 (one month ago)

Wish I'd heard the Gelli Haha album before voting now, would've bumped it bigly.

nashwan, Thursday, 15 January 2026 16:12 (one month ago)

at least someone sensibly nominated elaine howley's "hold me in a new way," my song of the year

ivy., Thursday, 15 January 2026 16:15 (one month ago)

That's been growing on me after a few listens.

nashwan, Thursday, 15 January 2026 16:18 (one month ago)

bout to vote, but wanted to quickly campaign for some songs that i think no one else will vote for otherwise lol

thirteendegrees - "da problem solva": the best song young thug didn't release last year, that is also better than all of the songs young thug did release last year

verraco - "sobe sobe" ft. mc yallah: a collab between a colombian producer and kenyan emcee. it fucking bangs!

myaap - "fairy": pretty sure flopson is also gonna vote for this one, but it bears repeating. milwaukee rap if it emerged from zelda's great fairy fountain

the new eves - "rivers run red": i'm sure folks are voting for the album, but this was my favorite song on it. a whirling dervish of a folk rock song that makes me want to burn a wicker man with nicolas cage inside it

ringlets - "i was on that roof once": cheeky, brainy jangle-pop out of new zealand with quotable lyrics and a sick syncopated groove

nba youngboy - "shot callin": i for one think it's pretty cool that the biggest rapper in the world still makes these mouse on the track-style baton rouge neck-snappers

mexiko dro - "no date": growling, gully trap music with a beat that sounds like a spaceship taking off

khadija al hanafi - "always treat u rite": spritely hybrid of jersey club and 2-step from a tunisia-born dj. what a world we live in

harper valley paul thomas anderson (voodoo chili), Thursday, 15 January 2026 16:46 (one month ago)

I voted a few days ago, slightly ashamed of my half-assed, unweighted tracks ballot. Resolving to be a bit more tracks-curious this year!

rob, Thursday, 15 January 2026 18:18 (one month ago)

voted, the most wonderful time of the year

kraudive, Thursday, 15 January 2026 20:58 (one month ago)

just voted!

harper valley paul thomas anderson (voodoo chili), Thursday, 15 January 2026 21:01 (one month ago)

It's a good weekend to vote! Also the last weekend to vote, since voting closes on Wednesday.

sous-vide summer camp (seandalai), Saturday, 17 January 2026 00:58 (four weeks ago)

noted, ty

vague facial gymnastics (sleeve), Saturday, 17 January 2026 01:38 (four weeks ago)

I heard one of the hippest, flyest vibes rn is to vote. Bring that energy

Jonk Raven (dog latin), Saturday, 17 January 2026 02:02 (four weeks ago)

Diving in now

Bee OK, Saturday, 17 January 2026 02:17 (four weeks ago)

planning on voting on Sunday

a tv star not a dirty computer man (the table is the table), Saturday, 17 January 2026 02:50 (four weeks ago)

yeah need to block out some time over the weekend to think on it. so many good albums came out last year!

donna rouge, Saturday, 17 January 2026 03:08 (four weeks ago)

Voted

Took about three hours of my Friday Night.

Bee OK, Saturday, 17 January 2026 05:24 (four weeks ago)

Ballot building weekend is in progress

Clever Message Board User Name (Raymond Cummings), Saturday, 17 January 2026 12:47 (four weeks ago)

is it annoying to do a weighted ballot with only a vote for a single song?

because that's what i did. sorry?

austinato (Austin), Saturday, 17 January 2026 14:07 (four weeks ago)

Nope. Play the game.

kraudive, Saturday, 17 January 2026 19:09 (four weeks ago)

there are many ways to vote

sous-vide summer camp (seandalai), Saturday, 17 January 2026 23:56 (four weeks ago)

RIP taytayfan

sous-vide summer camp (seandalai), Saturday, 17 January 2026 23:56 (four weeks ago)

lol I was actually thinking about taytayfan earlier today after Austin's post

vague facial gymnastics (sleeve), Sunday, 18 January 2026 00:25 (four weeks ago)

been going through the albums list and enjoying a lot of the stuff on here but I wanted to pop in and say the Uhlmann Johnson Wilkes album is really fucking cool

c u (crüt), Sunday, 18 January 2026 02:34 (four weeks ago)

Voted!

Really enjoyed going through the playlist and finding some awesome new music. Excited for the results.

kitchen person, Sunday, 18 January 2026 03:21 (four weeks ago)

Voted. Another thank you to those who assembled the playlists.

o. nate, Sunday, 18 January 2026 16:29 (four weeks ago)

Voted!!!!

Clever Message Board User Name (Raymond Cummings), Sunday, 18 January 2026 17:24 (four weeks ago)

Voted!! Filled up both of my weighted ballots *for the first time ever*. I became a singles girl this year, it seems.

a tv star not a dirty computer man (the table is the table), Monday, 19 January 2026 03:07 (four weeks ago)

Last minute realisation: there are at least two MBV covers amongst the track noms lol. Okey dokey.

Heavy, downy baby goose (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Monday, 19 January 2026 04:36 (four weeks ago)

Voted! As always, my ballot is the best and everyone else is wrong (OR: as always, my ballot is rushed and fragmented and I probably completely missed a load of great tracks and albums from this year).

emil.y, Monday, 19 January 2026 15:21 (four weeks ago)

We’ve probably done this before, but would a “running best tracks of 2026” thread be a good idea? To include playlists constantly updated?

Clever Message Board User Name (Raymond Cummings), Monday, 19 January 2026 16:49 (four weeks ago)

2-ish days left to vote - keep them coming!

sous-vide summer camp (seandalai), Monday, 19 January 2026 17:34 (four weeks ago)

Grrr. Didn't really listen to Kasambwe Brothers (Mali) or Neba Solo (Mali) a lot till after nomination process, and no one else nominated them. Oh well, still finalizing my votes

curmudgeon, Monday, 19 January 2026 18:37 (four weeks ago)

I didn't nominate them either I mean.

curmudgeon, Monday, 19 January 2026 18:38 (four weeks ago)

Tiny typo on album nomination page

It mistakenly says “Ale Bop & Titi Bakorta” but it’s actually Ale Hop…”

Here’s Pitchfork about this album

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/ale-hop-titi-bakorta-mapambazuko/

curmudgeon, Monday, 19 January 2026 19:46 (four weeks ago)

amazing album and typo. possibly nominated by my co-worker who is always saying "Hale-Bopp" out of nowhere

moral ziosk (geoffreyess), Monday, 19 January 2026 22:34 (four weeks ago)

Voted! Amazing year in music.

octobeard, Tuesday, 20 January 2026 05:00 (three weeks ago)

Last minute campaign for a few songs:

Amadou & Mariam - Sonfo (feat. Fally Ipupa)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m9rsBFnWns

Automatic - mq9
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q--BEZQA3RE

Sofia Kourtesis - Unidos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RBCEtlxs5M

octobeard, Tuesday, 20 January 2026 05:07 (three weeks ago)

Only just now listening to that Afro-Portuguese kuduro comp of various artists Não Estragou Nada

curmudgeon, Tuesday, 20 January 2026 06:16 (three weeks ago)

Freakishly, curmudgeon's last two posts mention precisely the things I revisited for ballot purposes today. :)

Heavy, downy baby goose (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Tuesday, 20 January 2026 10:34 (three weeks ago)

Voted. Full slate of tracks (and could have doubled it) but only a half-slate of albums. Not sure if that just reflects my listening habits these days, but there were fewer full albums than usual that I returned to over and over last year. I listened to a whole lot of albums at least once, but not all that many more than two or three times.

paper plans (tipsy mothra), Tuesday, 20 January 2026 15:29 (three weeks ago)

I'm the same. Somethign happened ten years ago (likely the switch to streaming/playlisting) that made me go from being much more interested in the albums poll to getting much more excited about tracks.

Jonk Raven (dog latin), Tuesday, 20 January 2026 15:32 (three weeks ago)

is today the last day to vote or can we vote on Wednesday?

c u (crüt), Tuesday, 20 January 2026 15:41 (three weeks ago)

OP says Midnight Pacific Time on Wednesday so assume that means there's about 40 hours left?

groovypanda, Tuesday, 20 January 2026 15:46 (three weeks ago)

Anyway, voted!

As usual far too many amazing tracks to try and squeeze onto my ballot

groovypanda, Tuesday, 20 January 2026 15:46 (three weeks ago)

I'm still an albums person, I was much more cavalier about my tracks ballot (which was fun too). Looking forward to it, thanks to the volunteers.

Jordan s/t (Jordan), Tuesday, 20 January 2026 15:48 (three weeks ago)

I'm the opposite! Really overthink the tracks and have a bunch i wish i had room for on my ballot, but with albums i'm just like "ya here's 20 i guess" and the back 10 could be any order.
about to submit said list now.

FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 20 January 2026 16:23 (three weeks ago)

voted!

vague facial gymnastics (sleeve), Tuesday, 20 January 2026 16:30 (three weeks ago)

I don’t usually campaign for stuff for EOY but these two cuts are in the nominations, and those of you of the noise persuasion might find them fun:

https://niacinamide.bandcamp.com/album/spaces-2-compilation-niacinamide-abandoned-in-their-panic-dystopian-frequencies

https://harshnoisewall.bandcamp.com/track/miasma

Clever Message Board User Name (Raymond Cummings), Tuesday, 20 January 2026 16:39 (three weeks ago)

Voted! Tracks was especially difficult for me this year. Lots of great discoveries in the playlist.

Indexed, Tuesday, 20 January 2026 16:48 (three weeks ago)

voted! i am more of an albums guy at this point in my life but i still submitted 25 for each. unweighted because i honestly hate ranking things.

donna rouge, Tuesday, 20 January 2026 17:06 (three weeks ago)

Ugh it's been an hour and I already found a track I forgot to list

Indexed, Tuesday, 20 January 2026 18:40 (three weeks ago)

lol yeah I totally forgot one album but ah well.

paper plans (tipsy mothra), Tuesday, 20 January 2026 18:43 (three weeks ago)

OP says Midnight Pacific Time on Wednesday so assume that means there's about 40 hours left?

― groovypanda, Tuesday, 20 January 2026 15:46 (six hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

I confused everyone last time so just to clarify: I'm in the UK and will close voting on Thursday morning, there's about 36 hours left to vote.

sous-vide summer camp (seandalai), Tuesday, 20 January 2026 21:48 (three weeks ago)

ty!

c u (crüt), Tuesday, 20 January 2026 21:50 (three weeks ago)

did you all ever find a volunteer? I'm not sure I could commit to it, but I'd think about it if you are still a hand short

obvious old hat (rob), Tuesday, 20 January 2026 21:55 (three weeks ago)

trying to scrape together a lonely voter ballot but no promises

omar little, Tuesday, 20 January 2026 23:41 (three weeks ago)

Voted! Only eleven write-in votes in the end ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

etc, Tuesday, 20 January 2026 23:57 (three weeks ago)

voted!

moral ziosk (geoffreyess), Wednesday, 21 January 2026 03:32 (three weeks ago)

voted as well!

for anyone yet to vote, don't forget to save your ballot(s) somewhere before you vote so they can be shared in the post-mortem / recriminations threads

monotony, Wednesday, 21 January 2026 04:38 (three weeks ago)

voted :)

including one write-in that i forgot to nominate lol

dyl, Wednesday, 21 January 2026 05:08 (three weeks ago)

I forget to do that every year, and this year is no exception.

Xp

Jordan s/t (Jordan), Wednesday, 21 January 2026 05:36 (three weeks ago)

Managed to vote!

Thank u flopson for nominating sam goku's "xplor-1" which I had somehow completely forgotten though EVEN THOUGH everyone knows that I sam goku's number 1 fan.

Tim F, Wednesday, 21 January 2026 11:47 (three weeks ago)

getting excited. i hope everyone votes for my noms because they're the best ones

Jonk Raven (dog latin), Wednesday, 21 January 2026 14:35 (three weeks ago)

iiiiiiii voted

ivy., Wednesday, 21 January 2026 19:44 (three weeks ago)

Very psyched for the rollouts, got my Apple Music 77 tracks playlist created already

Clever Message Board User Name (Raymond Cummings), Wednesday, 21 January 2026 19:47 (three weeks ago)

ok lets do this thing

*rolls up sleeves, cracks knuckles*

Reggaeton Sax (NickB), Wednesday, 21 January 2026 21:25 (three weeks ago)

~12 hours left - keep them coming!

sous-vide summer camp (seandalai), Wednesday, 21 January 2026 22:04 (three weeks ago)

Don't forget yr write-in votes for

Badger - Canva (Why?)

Dance Yourself Dizzy To The Music of Time (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Wednesday, 21 January 2026 22:21 (three weeks ago)

way too late to campaign now i guess but this tune has been my happy place for months now, he's kind of like an Aboriginal Australian Nourished By Time...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nByNWPpsCU
Keanu Nelson - Place Where I Go

Reggaeton Sax (NickB), Wednesday, 21 January 2026 22:39 (three weeks ago)

oops sorry for embed

Reggaeton Sax (NickB), Wednesday, 21 January 2026 22:40 (three weeks ago)

voted zzzzz thank you!!

maf you one two (maffew12), Thursday, 22 January 2026 03:46 (three weeks ago)

I voted. Thanks

curmudgeon, Thursday, 22 January 2026 04:26 (three weeks ago)

voted!

c u (crüt), Thursday, 22 January 2026 05:33 (three weeks ago)

me too!

Venus of Willendorf on Golf (jaymc), Thursday, 22 January 2026 05:42 (three weeks ago)

already regretting voting for "tears" instead of "manchild"

Venus of Willendorf on Golf (jaymc), Thursday, 22 January 2026 06:07 (three weeks ago)

Yeah, "Manchild" is the best song from that album.

Bee OK, Thursday, 22 January 2026 06:10 (three weeks ago)

Just checked your noms dl and two of them did indeed make my tracks ballot xps

There were also a couple of your noms that were discoveries that just missed out so I'll be looking forward to seeing your final ballot

groovypanda, Thursday, 22 January 2026 08:11 (three weeks ago)

Wahoooo! Influencer! :-D

Jonk Raven (dog latin), Thursday, 22 January 2026 08:55 (three weeks ago)

voted!

human and working on getting beer (longneck), Thursday, 22 January 2026 10:26 (three weeks ago)

closing this down in about an hour - stragglers get on it

sous-vide summer camp (seandalai), Thursday, 22 January 2026 10:40 (three weeks ago)

voting = closed

sous-vide summer camp (seandalai), Thursday, 22 January 2026 12:57 (three weeks ago)

Thanks for organising

Roll out starts next week?

groovypanda, Thursday, 22 January 2026 14:24 (three weeks ago)

Do it the first week of February so we can argue whether the Roll Out should start on the 1 or the 4.

paper plans (tipsy mothra), Thursday, 22 January 2026 14:26 (three weeks ago)

a ludicrous suggestion, ban tipsy mothra

obvious old hat (rob), Thursday, 22 January 2026 14:53 (three weeks ago)

Thank you seandalai. Godspeed on the tabulation.

Indexed, Thursday, 22 January 2026 15:13 (three weeks ago)

👍🏽

Clever Message Board User Name (Raymond Cummings), Thursday, 22 January 2026 22:06 (three weeks ago)

Just realised I never bumped this thread: in case anyone has this one bookmarked and missed that the rollout has started, we are now in the 30s over at ILM's Top 77 Tracks of 2025

emil.y, Wednesday, 28 January 2026 16:48 (two weeks ago)


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