TOP 10 NOW: \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\shawty got poll poll poll poll poll poll poll (part II: 2008 ALBUMS)/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Here we go:

85 ballots received (75 received last year)
1 tie
more stats to come (i haven't done lots of the bonus calcs yet)

can i just say this now and never say it again: fuck TVOTR

also there are some things that didn't make the top 50 that made me go omgwtf, like, search my spam folder to make sure that i didn't lose some ballots kind of omgwtf.

50 - Boris - Smile
80 points, 11 votes
201 in P&J

http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/6937/borissmileir5.jpg

I just got this and love it. It's a lot better than Pink, which was great but the production was sometimes over compressed especially on the drums, and lacked the sense of dynamics this album has.

A lot of the shoegazing from Pink is gone replaced with a few straightforward nuggets psych ballads. The first song has either sampled drums or drums clipped to sound like samples with sweet minimal synth and vocals like pharell made it or something. One song has the garage punk plus detached talking and kind of reminds me of The Wipers and MX 80 sound.

They have always seemed more metal like Blue Cheer than Metal like Black Sabbath to me, even if their name is a Melvins nod, maybe because they bang so fast. There are some awesome gnashing of teeth 4 horseman army of the dead in valhalla guitar solos a few times over some pretty much straight forward Alchemy Records style noise that only comes after jamming with Merzbow. And there's some sweet low end samples/synth banging plus soloing on a few tracks.

I'm going to listen to this a bunch more times. It seems like 2/3rds of the album is super awesome things I've heard before done really well and 1/3rd totally new original stuff done really well.
― filthy dylan

nice start, even though i didn't vote for it since i hadn't heard it yet when i made up my list.

Hold on, that is a metal album?! It looks like a 90's rave compilation.

I only heard it after voting thanks to ILX METAL ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2008 RESULTS (NOW COUNTING DOWN THE TOP TEN, BTW) but that Boris album is super.

haha otm xp

so excited!

lol i remember being similarly confused by their "Pink" record.

w00t! And away we go!

god spotify is actually useless - fired it up to investigate this "boris", nothing there

That's the album cover to the Japanese version. The Southern Lord version is a different cover (and different mix) The japanese version is superior btw. (as are older Boris albums!) But yes I voted for it as I do like it. There's as much shoegaze/stooges influences in Smile as there is doom/drone/sludge.

you would hate them xp

you might like some of the shoegazy stuff on pink (e.g. "Farewell"), but i don't think you'll like smile.

xxp

Lex> Boris have a female guitarplayer! It's not boyz with geetars

The first song has either sampled drums or drums clipped to sound like samples with sweet minimal synth and vocals like pharell made it or something.

^^this is what made me curious. also they're instrumental right? metal vox aren't my thing but if this doesn't have them...

they have non-metal japanese vox.

49 - Arthur Russell - Love Is Overtaking Me
82 points, 6 votes
85 in P&J, 34 in p4k

http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/1406/51j33bkvjlss500nt2.jpg

It's brilliant, and a real grower--21 tracks, and though I prefer the slightly more organic avant-country-folk-singer-songwriter first half to the somewhat more familiar Casio-pop second half, it's remarkable that literally ever song is memorable. Definitely some of his strongest, most traditional melodies, and the lyrics are often quite beautiful and unabashedly romantic. It's obviously very compilation-y, not much aesthetic/production value consistency, but that's not a bad thing. Amazingly, half the tracks are from 1973-1975, and truly reveal an entirely unknown side and period for him. A lot of it feels a little Dylan-The Band, or Modern Lovers, or John Prine, but every bit is indelibly Arthur, even as unexpected as the context sometimes is. The only real downside is that some of the material is so strong, it makes me wish that an entire release had been made from that particular source (for example, the Flying Hearts/Ernie Brooks era stuff, if more of it exists.

There really seems to be no bottom of the barrel for Mr. Russell, which isn't really a surprise. I imagine that for many people, this will be a surprise fave amongst his oeuvre, even those of us who prefer his more avant-garde work.
― Soundslike

They aren't strictly "metal" either in the traditional sense.

lex i still don't think you'd like them. but what the hell give it a shot.

just got that arthur russell album and it's pretty cool.

i never got to the end of that arthur russell album...dunno wtf was up with his voice on it but i thought it sounded terrible.

Way too low... but glad to see it on the list regardless

It's on Spotify so I'll give it a go.

48 - School Of Seven Bells - Alpinisms
83 points, 11 votes
298 in P&J

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/8633/schoolofsevenbells01bigbm5.jpg

Sometimes one wants comfort and familiarity. Or a perfected version of something that seems like your own private world. This album sounds like the inside of my head. I'm going to shut up now.

...

It's funny, I was just thinking this morning, how good Half Asleep is. I've had it stuck in my head all day. But then I got distracted by the video and forgot to say.

No, this album really really *is* a grower.

It's also weirdly sequenced, like, it's *really* back-loaded - that the poppy upbeat songs are towards the end. But Benjamin probably did that on purpose coz he is perverse like that. That you have to listen to the whole thing to get to the poppy bits, and that makes you do multiple listens to the earlier songs and then you get sucked into them and you realise every time you listen to them you notice something different and then one day you wake up and realise you cant' live without hearing the album again and again and again.

it's not an immediate high. But it gets better and better every time you listen.
―Masonic Boom

I love that cover on the Arthur Russell, it's like he's stood there gazing longingly at his neighbour's new tractor. Didn't vote for it though, cos I'm a kerrank and just stuck with new new stuff.

x-post

On paper, the School of Seven Bells album seems like something I'd eat right up. Sadly, it wasn't the case.

I cooled on it a bit after I'd gorged myself silly on the obvious standout tracks.

heard that for the first time this weekend as my friend wants me to see them. itsokigues

Yeah the School of Seven Bells album really didn't stand up to how great the descriptions made it sound. It was just sort of flat and lifeless.

arthur russell's posture is terrible on that cover. why would you stand in a way that makes you look like you have a huge pot belly when you're obviously really skinny??

alpinisms is the first of my votes to show up. still love that its first mention on ilx (that i saw) was kate repping for it on the "albums of the year" thread and saying how it proved how far she'd gotten from the ilx hivemind b/c no one else had mentioned it. a month and a bit later, enough people love it to get it in here!

It is a fantastic album, and unusually "complete" for a debut.

Actually this list is going to annoy me more than the other one because it's much harder to hear everything on it. Downloading the Boris album now, which I actually think I'll really like.

I would link to Spotify or something but I am cursed to being an American so that's a no-go. If it's available on last.fm I'll try to provide a link.

If anyone wants to chime in with recommendations for particular tracks to download on any of these or with youtube links or whatever, then I'm all ears.

arthur russell's posture is terrible on that cover. why would you stand in a way that makes you look like you have a huge pot belly when you're obviously really skinny??

Oh, lexpaws... I suppose you're going to comment negatively about everything you either don't know or don't like on this list, just as on the traxx list. Sigh.

You're being silly just to be silly are you not? Did it ever occur to you that there are actually some people out there who don't give a damn about that? And "huge pot belly"... give me a fucking break.

don't give a damn about appearance that much, is what I meant

should have done a reshoot of the cover but...o wait

lol

Here are two albums so far that are available for full streaming on last.fm, I will make sure to provide these down the line:

Smile - http://www.last.fm/music/Boris/Smile

Alpinisms - http://www.last.fm/music/School+of+Seven+Bells/Alpinisms

ugh, i know there's a dutch online shop which has full streams of loads of albums but i can't remember what the URL is.

Oh, lexpaws... I suppose you're going to comment negatively about everything you either don't know or don't like on this list, just as on the traxx list. Sigh.

i have heard (most of) the arthur russell album and i like him generally, just not these badly sung acoustic demos. and if people really don't care about appearance why bother posing for a photo in the first place.

WTF? I didn't vote on anything, how did I get in here?

Or was I just the first ILX mention for the album?

And Matt DC, pffffttt, I think you're flat and lifeless for hating Justice, so we're even. :-P

They pose for a photo for other people who don't care as much about it. Not for, say, people who are obsessed with it. Both see different things in the same photo, apparantly. You see a man who's stupid enough to pretend to have a big put belly. I see a beautiful man totally in character, looking very confident and glowing like his best music does.

Oh, by the Dutch shop, did you mean http://3voor12.vpro.nl/luisterpaal/ ? It's from a radiostation. They do stream lots of albums in full, but only new ones I think.

xp

Most of the blurbs are from existing ILX posts, and aren't sent in specially for the poll

47 - Sébastien Tellier - Sexuality
84.5 points, 11 votes
447 in P&J

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/1331/41ikgnyc03lss500eh5.jpg

this album is great. i didn't expect something so minimal, the synths and drum machines just glisten. it's kinda like italians do it better for people who go to dinner parties. think 'elle' is my favourite at the moment, but it seems like the kind of album where every song is a potential favourite, i love records like this

― r1o natsume

i think this is my favorite album of the year so far. that fucking glistening sound is just wonderful. it seems to build on discovery's whole 80s aor thing really well, these song forms offer more room to play around in that area. like the over-the-top supertramp-ness of the 4th track (even down to that damn wurlitzer sound). and i've been listening to van halen a lot lately so those "jump" synths in "kilometer" really hit me (especially since it's such a killer tune anyway).

― winston

forgot about that one

My first vote to place. XD

new Secret Machines >>>>>> School Of Seven Bells album

(I am the only person who thinks this)

i think my favorite thing about the Tellier album is the cover

not that its a bad album, just didn't love it

Yeah, it's never quite spectacular, but it altogether works haha. It was in the lower half of my ballot. I'm really digging the Aeroplane remix of "Kilometer" right now.

this is the first time i've actually seen the tellier cover large enough to see what it is :/

i like the album fine - it was a bit too samey to get in my voting range though.

Oh, by the Dutch shop, did you mean http://3voor12.vpro.nl/luisterpaal/

yes this is exactly it. i seem to recall finding it much easier to navigate in the past though.

arthur russell's a bit low, isn't it? I'm glad I placed it high on my ballot then.

let the excitement begin, I look forward to seeing more of my votes on this list. Hopefully.

46 - Fall, The - Imperial Wax Solvent
86 points, 8 votes, 1 #1 vote

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/3245/imperialwaxuc1.jpg

On the first play of it all the way through I gotta say it's definitely never boring. There's a lot of energy here. "Alton Towers" has a really spooky sound to it, like a jazzy haunted house. I adore the bass on "Can Can Summer" - LCD Soundsystem, take that! It really does feel like a swipe at LCD, that one.

― Bimble

my #1 pick. if there was ever a use for the cliche "resounding return to form", this album is it.

Unlike the singles list, this is just making me depressed.

I must have missed something if it was your #1 vote, let me check

I re-sent you my ballot, just in case.

maybe I forgot to say "ordered"...

looks like you were right, pretty much!

yeah it's easier to gloss over a "20" than miss the entire vote, double-checked but it's all good.

Unlike the singles list, this is just making me depressed.

Why? If it's stuff you don't like then surely you're happy it's not high in the list, and the albums you do like will be up later?
Personally I find the 50-30 part the most interesting and sometimes has better albums than the top 20 but for some reason aren't as well known as those that finish higher.

yeah, it's a little early to start complaining, unless your name is lex.

The TRACKS (not singles) list was about as dull-as-ditchwater as it gets IMO, symptomatic of a closed-minded ILM that refuses point-blank to see past its staunch Poptimist principles

Tracks/singles list...whatever...I guess it's just easier for me to like tracks than albums these days. LOL IM OLD!

The TRACKS (not singles) list was about as dull-as-ditchwater as it gets IMO, symptomatic of a closed-minded ILM that refuses point-blank to see past its staunch Poptimist principles

― Robin van Injury (country matters), Monday, February 9, 2009 3:50 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark

is this self-parody i can't tell

louis are you implying that ppl didn't vote in oceansize because of "poptimist principles"? isnt it possible that people just like aeroplane and "paper planes" more than oceansize (or whoever else)?

like me, for example

can't blame ILM if pop is the place where interesting things are happening.

on the one hand, there's lex complaining about indie and on the other, lj complaining about pop. you can't win.

The TRACKS (not singles) list was about as dull-as-ditchwater as it gets IMO, symptomatic of a closed-minded ILM that refuses point-blank to see past its staunch Poptimist principles

You just know the 'poptimists' will say the same about 'rockists' and the album chart. Rather than checking out the good stuff. The trax chart was great for having youtube links to check out what I didn't know.
I assume LJ's complaint was that there was hardly any non-singles choices in the trax top 50?

Oceansize didn't release anything, but plenty of really brilliant, exciting acts did, acts which the Poptimists haven't heard of through simple, brute ignorance. Very little I heard from the Youtubes was in any way exciting for me. At least I gave them a go.

my trax list is poptimist, my albums list is (more) rockist. isn't this the natural way of things?

The natural way of things should be inquisitive, unprejudiced listening. Not following the herd.

I listen to TOO MUCH music. No surprises on either list so far, actually. I'm just not down with these albums (or many 2008 albums at all).

if that was the natural way of things, then wouldn't there be no herd to follow? xpost

louis, i love you but this is an absolutely insane argument. 'poptimists' (what strawman is this btw? lex?) who voted in the ilx poll didn't overlook the rock bands that you like out of ignorance— instead i'd say that these people just don't like the rock bands that you like. it's really not that difficult of a thing to understand

the trax list wasn't even v "poptimist", either in terms of genre or in terms of commercial success (there were 13 crossover trax w/the actual poptimist poll) (i preferred the ilx results, i have to say)

Yeah, I thought the trax list was the most rounded 2008 poll thing I saw on the entire internet.

^otm - i was really happy

srsly tho if people thought something was really good, all you had to do was plug it a lot on the nominations thread like that school of seven bells record here or the ida maria song on the tracks charts. Both didn't really get a lot of ilm love until near the end of the year but had at least one enthusiastic proponent swaying the votes. ilm-ers *are* an inquisitive bunch and i don't know anyone here who wouldn't at least check a few songs out if someone pointed something interesting their way.

Sorry. I shouldn't let myself get worked up like this. But plenty of good things were overlooked in favour of utter fucking shit like The Ting Tings or Katy Perry, and in my opinion there's some weak-ass listening habits contributing to this. Maybe I'm being harsh. I probably am in fact, and I should probably accept the vagaries of taste. I'll give a few more of them a listen.

roz otm - that SVIIB record really is a great case in point. in the end its main enthusiast didn't even vote here, and it still placed. it's not something i'd ever have checked out by myself but the way kate repped for it convinced me.

fwiw my 20-trax ballot contained all of two top 40 hits - this is not v poptimist at all.

OH hang on if your tirade is actually directed at the ting tings and k perry, i am 100% with you on that!!

Lex, I don't actually think you're a particularly bad offender; you tend to get very much into your taste and explore it quite freely. I am a bit miffed about the DIVERSITY of tastes here, is perhaps the point.

katy perry was nowhere close to the poptimist poll fyi

Didn't much care for the Ting Tings song that ranked, but would've supported "Great DJ." I'd only vote for Katy Perry if she slept with me, though.

i think katy perry did win "worst thing of 2008" in the poptimist poll

At least the lex was willing to check out Boris. Even if he probably wont like it.
I cant understand why the ting tings get so much love but meh who cares about them.

diversity of tastes? too many people liked the same thing? in a poll?

ha yeah, katy perry with a landslide in "most horrible thing of 2008"

Sorry. I shouldn't let myself get worked up like this. But plenty of good things were overlooked in favour of utter fucking shit like The Ting Tings or Katy Perry, and in my opinion there's some weak-ass listening habits contributing to this. Maybe I'm being harsh. I probably am in fact, and I should probably accept the vagaries of taste. I'll give a few more of them a listen.

― Robin van Injury (country matters), Monday, February 9, 2009 4:15 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark

louis, what you're doing here is arguing that everyone who voted in the poll - or who votes in polls - should pay close attention to the fringe indie rock you listen to. obviously, this is never going to happen in any situation. katy perry and the ting tings were two of the biggest pop acts of 08 in their respective countries, and though i don't really care for either, i'm not surprised that either placed. when you have a consensus poll it usually coalesces around the - no duh - consensus! and it's hard for something to become consensus when they haven't heard something, and the amount of ppl who heard katy perry and the ting tings is incomparable to the number that heard the rock music you are vouching for. this is really nothing new, my man.

I mean, I can hang with The Lex's tastes, because they're not really herd-influenced, they're inquisitive within his chosen fields (and even slightly outside). Of course, we each hold standards which clash fairly dramatically, but live and let live with an open mind :)

(although I am not gonna open my mind to any fukkin Ting Tings track any time soon) :P

OK, the Poptimist strawman was lazy. I'm more talking about an attitude which champions singles ahead of album tracks, pop above rock &c &c when it should be a level playing-field IMO

J0rdan is actually OTM and I am zipping it now :)

I only liked 3 tracks in the top 50, and knew about two of them already, but for me the whole thing was worth it for "Fascination". If you start fretting about the terrible things other people like, you'll never get anything else done. Just think of it as tourism. Cheap tourism you don't even have to spend vacation days on.

Or, if you prefer polarizing inanity to cheerful can't-we-all-just-get-along: I voted for Katy Perry in both trax and albums, and you are cordially invited to suck on a kerosene-dipped whatever it is you think I ought to have voted for instead.

45 - Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
86.5 points, 8 votes, 1 #1 vote
15 in P&J, 35 in p4k

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/1830/feedtheanimalsnewswi1.jpg

Is it really so hard to like both way out stuff and charting pop at the same time? My music collection says it's easy. xxxxp

I've had the Girl Talk album since last summer and still haven't listened to it. Should get on that.

figured the backlash would have kicked in by the time the voting happened.

lol yeah. i had no idea ilm-ers liked girl talk.

it placed pretty high in lots of year end polls

Why do poptimists hate Katy Perry? I admit I only heard Hot n Cold because my parents had guests over a few weeks ago and i never listen to radio and i never watch the music channels on digital tv , but I've heard far worse than that song (hello keane,ting tings, coldplay,estelle). I don't know that big hit of hers, so maybe if i did that will explain it?
x-posts

Is it really so hard to like both way out stuff and charting pop at the same time? My music collection says it's easy. xxxxp

indeed!!

hey this is the first instance in the albums poll that i can seriously get my hate on. fucking girl talk! i thought mash-ups had died out by 03.

yeah, but this is ILM! do the brits like girl talk?

xxpost

dunno for some reason i always had the impression that there was a lot of gt hate on this board. could be my own hate talking.

xxxp ha

the dubious qualities of 'hot n' cold' were discussed on the trax poll (plodding, boring beat + she's awful human being). but still better than her other hit(s?), which were just appalling and offensive to boot.

xxpost

there is, but lots of people who vote in these poll don't discuss things on the boards - if you read the GT thread re feed the animals, it's basically me, whiney g and jaymc vs ethan and deej - none of us voted for girl talk

I don't know that big hit of hers, so maybe if i did that will explain it?

ha probably. it's actually quite interesting that the sort of people who normally rally round the big summer anthems of 'umbrella' magnitude all seemed to react with total kneejerk hatred of katy perry. anyway, there were a number of good reasons for the hate in her thread - katy perry - what do you think?

I like Night Ripper OK in a novelty kinda way but FTA would barely have made my top 50, let alone 20. IMHO pretty lah.

OTOH that Kleptones/Queen/hiphop mashup record is one of my fave things this decade, fwiw.

too many abbrevs, sorry.

I think a lot of people won't mention they like certain bands due to ilm's hate of "corny indie fuxxors" and they dont want called out on threads for it, but will always vote in polls as they can remain anonymous.

probably, yeah.

(lah = BLAH)

Night Ripper good in more-than-novelty way, but I don't think there needs to be anymore than that. should leave it for american indie rockers to dance to bcz that's teh closest they come to 'clubbin'.

didn't meant that to sound so snide, actually.

Surely it's the disavowed middlebrow-ness of Katy Perry and (esp.) The Ting Tings that seems kinda annoying rather than their pop-ness - as in, it's hard not to suspect that the person who checks for them thinks they're really daring and challenging artists (however this suspicion is probably neither fair nor correct).

I got the impression that the people who like The Ting Tings on this board are mostly American, perhaps it's easier for them to look past or be oblivious to the aspects that will clog up a UK listener's experience. This often happens with UK music - it seemed like everyone from the UK had really specific and elaborate "takes" on M.I.A. (positive and negative) whereas so many US listeners were saying "hey I like that 10 Dollar song."

i voted for GT. lj, i'm interested to see what albums you voted for. hell, i may even give a couple of them a listen someday.

I'll post my ballot at the end. I'm expecting at least 8 of my top 10 not to feature :D

And I will try to be open-minded about anything that features here. Thanks for articulating it Tim - my problem IS with what I perceive as unambitious, middlebrow low-denominator music that nonetheless may well just connect with the sweet spot for others.

But plenty of good things were overlooked in favour of utter fucking shit like The Ting Tings or Katy Perry, and in my opinion there's some weak-ass listening habits contributing to this.

hold on there kiddo. i had both k.p. and the ting tings on my trax ballot, because i like pop songs (even though i mostly do not like katy perry -- i would've voted for "hot n cold" by just about any chirpy girl singer). i also had what i assume were the only votes for two arab pop singers who i imagine you haven't heard of, which is fine with me -- i don't know much about arab pop myself and don't expect anyone else to either. but the absence of arab pop on the top 50 trax list isn't a sign of "weak-ass listening habits," any more than a vampire fucking weekend song making the list is (and i would spend a week listening to katy perry to avoid hearing that vampire weekend album one more time). it's just a sign of people liking different things. part of the fun of these kinds of lists and polls is finding out about some of the things other people like, possibly discovering you like them yourself -- or not, either way -- and just sort of comparing notes from different fields of interest.

xpost: well ok then.

Also, I think Blind is a great #1 track, although I stick by the Frankie Knuckles vers as the definitive

(interestingly, I'm expecting pretty much my entire 11-20 to be in here somewhere...coz that's when I started voting for stuff like Portishead/The Hold Steady etc) :D

tipsy mothra, I do like discovering new sounds! Sorry for harshing your buzz but some of the stuff in the top 50 I found to be (subjectively) limited. For all the talk of diversity, I don't think that sonically the list went TOO far beyond well-produced dancepop. And when it did, stuff like VW and TVOTR wasn't exactly straining at the creative leash. Anyhow, enuff. Let's see what happens in this one!

Yeah but you seem to be assuming that we're all listening for mad crazy shit that inverts the paradigm whereas really maybe most people just want stuff that sounds really amazing in their car.

I kinda want both tbh, which is why I'm holding out for The Chap, as I'm sure you are :D

44 - Jay Reatard - Matador Singles 08
87.5 points, 7 votes
78 in P&J

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/8364/ole822matadorsingles08ls1.jpg

jay reatard matador singles '08

some of the stuff in the top 50 I found to be (subjectively) limited

me too. just probably different stuff than you did. and a trax poll is almost inevitably going to trend toward the dancefloor (but not nearly enough for actual r&b/hip-hop/dance-music heads). just like the album poll is going to inevitably trend rock-ward.

the hivemind at work. hmm, with one glaring exception, i don't think i voted for what i assume will be the top 5 or so.

"inverts the paradigm" is maybe a bit far, I'm more for people who make striking, original, memorable artistic statements that also stimulate one's enjoyment receptors

Yeah, consensus material often tends to be the stuff that goes halfway to pleasing everyone, there are exceptions, but there is a tendency

As someone who loved the shit out of Night Ripper, Feed the Animals is just kinda more of the same and blah.

There are a lot of vocal Girl Talk haters on ILM, but that doesn't take away from the fact that there are plenty of people who liked it, too.

I do agree with you quite a lot LJ though, but I also know that there's hardly gonna be a consensus on niche things I like, or even that certain things don't translate into tracks, I would never have thought of isolating one track from the Carlos Giffoni album, maybe one of my most listened to albums but I really hoped for Chris Brown since I listened to his singles an insane amount this year

yeah, I was just messin' with you on that too LJ

Louis you're setting yourself up as some kind of mirror-image Lex (or perhaps even Geir) which is ignoring things like diversity of opinion or interesting tangents in individual tastes in favour of creating some sort of ideological bogeyman to rage against, even when it doesn't exist, or not in the form you think. It's always beyond tiresome when someone does it and its why ILM threads tend to get derailed into everyone beating on one person.

The problem with music that can fall under the term "striking, original, memorable artistic statements" is that it tends to get hyper-specified in particular genres that it's not possible for everyone to be an expert on, let alone to agree where the striking, original, memorable artistic statements are being made.

Like, I think The-Dream album is one of the most striking, original, memorable artistic statements I've heard in ages (I hope it charts) but I can see why anyone who was not already a massive commercial R&B fan wouldn't get this.

This is a perspective thing that comes with knowledge-of-genre: what strikes the invested listener (close up) as a topography of daring strikes the outsider (standing further away) as undistinguished and insignificant musical wrinkles.

i agreed with your assessment at first, Rev, but after a couple of months found myself liking it even more than the debut. the samples seemed to be a lot less obvious + FTA sounded much more densely mixed overall to my ears.

xps

xpost - As I've said in different terms previously, listeners tend to think most strongly that ground has been broken when a particular piece of music makes them step closer and they suddenly perceive a mountain range where once they saw relative flatness. It's as much about a movement in the listener as a movement in the music vis a vis its context.

I wish I had voted, I could have pushed Boris higher. (At least it made the list though, which is the important thing.)

(I didn't vote because I was going to vote for so little and I haven't heard enough this year, and a lot of the nominations ended up being things that weren't familiar to me at all, which made me feel even more incompetent to vote.)

i only voted for three albums. i don't understand the people who vote for 20 albums but don't vote for tracks, that is insane

Well if there are people voting for three albums, I guess I should have voted. I feel like I still haven't heard most of the albums I expect will be my favorites (where I even have specific albums in mind).

TBH whenever I start going off on one in future, can we put up the bat-signal for Tim ASAP? He has this way of making things lucid

Matt, I'm sorry, and I'll stop/have stopped. Would be nice if every new dance record was QUITE as phenomenally, universally loveable as Studio's in '07 tho ;)

(that is basically the one ILM dancepop consensus album I am *completely* sold on, although I'd be interested to hear other stuff, of course)

did you listen to any of the Aeroplane remixes?

If Earth,Harvey Milk,Grails ,James Blackshaw and Torche and The Bug chart and Portishead win it i'll be very happy really.
If Lau Nau -,Paavoharju , Woods Family Creeps and Growing sneaked in,i'd be delirious,but sadly I cant see it. But no point in complaining if it misses out as most of ILM probably don't know them.

I don't get Studio. :-/

I can't imagine dancing to Studio.

Yeah, they feel slow and leaden to me. (Although there is plenty of music at similar bpms that I love to dance to)

"Balearic’s strategy is more oblique, preferring to fail on both rock and dance music’s terms, as if by doing so it could establish a new yardstick. As dance music it’s too torpid, decadent and tentative; as rock it’s simultaneously blanched-out and excessively manicured. A lot of my favourite records this year felt a bit like inspired failures"

-Tim F on his round up thread

I just really like that line

Haha LJ you like West Coast because its a big epic strung-out stoner psychedelic album than happens to be Balearic as well. Which makes me think the one record from last year that you'd get on with would be the Lindstrom album.

not last year obv, but do you like Manuel Gottsching?

If Earth,Harvey Milk,Grails ,James Blackshaw and Torche and The Bug chart and Portishead win it i'll be very happy really.

i am 99% sure that portishead and erykah badu will be the top 2, and that portishead will win. both have large numbers of backers and will pick up a ton of No 1 votes, but i think in the end more people heard portishead.

This is a perspective thing that comes with knowledge-of-genre: what strikes the invested listener (close up) as a topography of daring strikes the outsider (standing further away) as undistinguished and insignificant musical wrinkles.

yeah - also especially in genres where a degree of formalism is not only important but essential, an outsider will probably listen to an album like the-dream's and only hear where he follows the genre's rules, whereas followers of the genre have internalised those codes to such an extent that they can hear the interesting things going on around them.

I would be optimistic about Harvey Milk and Growing.

would be pleased with Quiet Village making it somewhere, but I really have no conception of its popularity.

After the tracks poll I'm making no predictions about this one. There's probably some utterly random thing up there that was a relative minority concern but ended up with seven people voting it #1.

Ah who am I kidding, it's fucking Vampire Weekend and Portishead ;)

I have no problem with Vampire Weekend doing well, they are the first big indie band since the Strokes that I really really like.

IKR I need to listen to those Aeroplane remixes properly, yeh

Will also check out Lindstrom, cheers :)

I'm guessing that The Bug probably got a few number ones.

West Coast was structured and realised in a manner that really sparked my imagination, regardless of how Balearic/stoner-psych it was.

It was also a really varied-yet-cohesive record, the sort that covers loads of ground effortlessly

Kerr, Paavoharju may well have snuck in if I'd got my ballot in, as it was ordered and they were number 3 or 4, can't remember exactly what I fixed it as. Doubt they will now, though.

emil.y, you said you'd have given The Chap 19 points but forgot to send it in, how can I forgive you ;-)

also there are some things that didn't make the top 50 that made me go omgwtf, like, search my spam folder to make sure that i didn't lose some ballots kind of omgwtf.

― lil waynes babymama (musically), Monday, February 9, 2009 5:08 PM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

^^this intrigues me! i am hoping it refers to vampire weekend

the two i'm hoping to place which i genuinely have no idea about are solange and jazmine sullivan - pretty consensus R&B picks but no one's No 1 or anything, so it'll depend on whether they picked up floating voters from outside the R&B thread

i doubt anthony hamilton will place but if he'd released it a month or two earlier it would've been a shoe-in.

If Earth,Harvey Milk,Grails ,James Blackshaw and Torche and The Bug chart and Portishead win it i'll be very happy really.

I would bet the mansion on Portishead being top five.

Pretty sure The Bug will get a mention. Maybe Torche, but not counting on it.

Anything more would be a stretch... unfortunately.

^^this intrigues me! i am hoping it refers to vampire weekend

Yeah, I wish too... not gonna happen, though.

It's a lock for the top ten.

there should be a mention of where merriweather pavvy would have placed had those votes counted. for anger-lols, mostly.

stoked for the '09 madness with Pavvy :(

but then the end-of-the-Kid A'd poll will outshine it :D

(seewhatididthere)

I wish emil.y had been allowed to vote now. I think that if any of those albums were going to chart it wouldve been in the 50-45 range. But you never know.
Torche will chart. Om were 31 last year and Alcest 26 so id hope Torche,Harvey Milk and Earth place. The others I mentioned probably not.

Aww, you made a Pablo Funny! xpost

Om were 31 last year and Alcest 26

?!

Forgot about those. Damn.

Herman, I wish I'd voted for James Blackshaw. Saw him on Saturday night - I was totally burnt out on the whole Takoma revival thing, but that guy was a fucking champ.

I'm pretty convinced The Bug will place comfortably in the 25-40 range.

Oh I know the bug will chart high. I meant the other bands i mentioned. Id hope the bug is top 10 or close

Certainly expect it to be top 20. If it was only no41 id be shocked

maybe louis was right. on the trax poll, i knew about 45 out of the 50. i don't know most of the stuff ya'llz are talkin about. i didn't even know alcest released an album in 2008!

oh wait, misread. scrap the alcest comment. feel a bit better.

43 - Alex Moulton - Exodus
88 points, 6 votes, 2 #1 votes

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/8139/exodusdigitalcovervg6.jpg

Full album streaming: http://www.last.fm/music/Alex+Moulton/Exodus

ilx I kiss you for introducing me to this album. the packaging is amazing amazing amazing but somehow the music manages to be EVEN BETTER
― jamescobo

Huh?

yeah, there was a massive clusterfuck around this for a while

I left it off mine (just barely), but I'm glad to see it getting repped. This + results of kraftwerk/radiohead and madonna polls = a very good 10 minutes on ILM

Didn't vote for it, but it totally deserves it! Jamescobo OTM

I need to check that out.

So with Gubke and my vote that one could have ended up five places higher, possibly. Sorry Alex

woo hoo two records i voted for finally. :)

yeah, there was a massive clusterfuck around this for a while

― Plaxico (I know, right?), Tuesday, February 10, 2009 12:09 AM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark

Not only that, Alex Moulton was also kind enough to fill ILM in on the details of it's release (which was way behind the hype around this album here).

ahhh alex moulton! i remember loving that for about a month, but it didn't stick. i will return to it.

yeah it's definitely one of those records where you binge on it for weeks and then never feel like playing again.

I honestly can't get past the cover.

You sure that's not a Dragonforce cover? ;)

OK, so the disappointing Sebastien Tellier and Girl Talk albums were starting to worry me - but I'm now totally sold on the Alex Moulton. (That's "sold" as in "just paid money for".)

http://www.drivenfaroff.com/wp-content/2007/09/no-world-for-tomorrow.jpg http://profile.ak.facebook.com/object3/955/95/l7708518682_9470.jpg

Not as good as
http://i39.tinypic.com/24g7rm0.jpg

i must be crazy, i swear i had posted #42 already

42 - Stephen Malkmus and Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
88 points, 7 votes, 2 number ones
43 in P&J, 48 in p4k

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/5913/stephenmalkmusrealemotitk7.jpg

this shit rules. he's just getting better with age. i'm sort of in awe. there's guitar magic toward the end of the title song that gives quicksilver messenger service's "calvary" a run for the money. i'm probably mental but i'm starting to think of pavement as his buffalo springfield
― kamerad

Nice, this was a great album from a guy who i thought might not have one of those in him anymore.

Holy fucking poop on a stick that is hilarious! xxxpost

Yeah the Malkmus album was pretty good. Two #1 votes! Impressive.

I had given up on him. Maybe I need to check this out (still not raising my hopes too high though)

Don't. It's still hippie jamz.

I can dig that if it's good hippie jamz

i only voted for three albums. i don't understand the people who vote for 20 albums but don't vote for tracks, that is insane

OK that makes more sense the second time I read it, but I just wanna note that I mostly listen to albums. I had to narrow my list down from 45 of the nominations that I at least liked! Working in radio helps with this a lot, I think.

Also a note to Mr. Neuname, I placed Paavoharju very high, it should show up later I hope. Listened to it again just after dinner tonight, fucking fantastic.

last one for today:

41 - Solange - Sol Angel & The Hadley Street Dreams
88 points, 8 votes
129 in P&J

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/2918/solangel5b15dfz1.jpg

Album streaming link: http://www.last.fm/music/Solange/Sol-Angel%2B%2526%2BThe%2BHadley%2BSt.%2BDreams

SOLANGE KNOWLES, omg the return of

anyhoo that's it for today, tune in tomorrow!

You're doing the lord's work, musically. Bless you child.

malkmus and solange!!!!!

im really surprised malkmus made this, and it was about in the middle of my list iirc. i really love the way the guy is growing up on record - songs like 'out of reaches' are so direct and affecting by his standards, i can't imagine him writing them ten years ago. i was in love with this back when it came out (best since 'wowee' etc) when it came out, overlistened, and then got back into it around voting time. i didnt post to ilx when this was released, but i dont really recall a lot of people stanning for this, so i'm glad it's getting some recognition. also, i'm rather certain this was not the 48th album in p4k's list (dont think it was on it at all)

solange's album was really solid, but wasn't packed with knockouts; like lex said, it's not going to be anyone's #1 (which apparently it wasn't). TONY was the first song i loved on it--the overall emotional ambivalence (while maintaining self-faith) really echoed what i was going through at the time, and it was exactly what i wanted to hear. of course, 'sandcastle disco' is the best song on this by a mile, as i found out later. totally forgot about it...top ten song of the year IMO

I used to love guitar noodling, but I've felt estranged from the form for some years. Hippie Jamz criticism aside, is it really worth trying out the Malkmus album? I could do with the re-engagement with shredding.

More Paavoharju love from me, too -- in fact I voted it my No.1, so it will do pretty well I think.

xposts

I'm listening to it now, and damn I wish I heard this a few months ago.

eh, if you're categorically against it, i suppose you won't like a few songs. try the shorter pop songs first ('cold son', 'gardenia', 'we can't help you'), then go for the more songy, kinda-jammy-but-still-tight-and-condensed 'out of reaches' (a grower, my personal favorite) and 'wicked wanda'. if youre feeling it, give the longer ones a shot: 'real emotional trash' (really great once it gets going), 'elmo delmo', 'hopscotch willie' and 'dragonfly pie'. 'baltimore' is probably the weakest song here, but still not a bad song.
this is from a malkmus stan, of course...if you love him i dont see how you couldnt like this record

(xposts)

i don't think the malkmus album is jammy at all. some of the songs are just long form and multi-part, not like prog but compositionally coming from a similar place (the mid to late 70s) and obviously allowing time for plenty of guitar leads. it's all pretty structured though.

More Paavoharju love from me, too -- in fact I voted it my No.1, so it will do pretty well I think.

xposts

― Lostandfound,

Good stuff! I think any of my top 10 could've been no1 in other weeks.

not categorically against it at all. I was actually a huge fan of the s/t and Pig Lib, it's just in recent years I've gone off guitar-heroship. I never really felt Face the Truth at all. Now I'm kind of wanting to get back into something like that again, and perhaps this is the record to do so. Not on Spotify, unfortunately. :(

xposts

More Paavoharju love from me, too -- in fact I voted it my No.1, so it will do pretty well I think.
xposts

― Lostandfound,

Good stuff! I think any of my top 10 could've been no1 in other weeks.

― Boring Sign In Name (Herman G. Neuname)

Yes, I was going to say almost the same thing. It seemed almost strange that I voted that record No.1 -- not that it didn't deserve it, just that a lot of other albums deserved it too!

not categorically against it at all. I was actually a huge fan of the s/t and Pig Lib, it's just in recent years I've gone off guitar-heroship. I never really felt Face the Truth at all. Now I'm kind of wanting to get back into something like that again, and perhaps this is the record to do so. Not on Spotify, unfortunately. :(

― Gukbe, Monday, February 9, 2009 11:05 PM (13 minutes ago)

when you said 'listening now' were you referring to the malk record or Paavoharju? if you're looking for a 'Real Emotional Trash' stream, the whole thing is on his myspace

sorry, meant Paavoharju. Cheers for the myspace link. Will give it a listen soon.

I guess if Solange placed already that means I can stop holding out any shred of hope for The Foreign Exchange.

gonna be a long hard road waiting for Badu to show up

this is a dope list so far - reatard and alex moulton are really really good. moulton is definitely an ILM pick

yeah i'm (kinda pleastantly) surprised @ reatard. and re: badu, it's going to be a long road because there's no way she isn't top 2.

need to check out moulton if all you dudes are repping

I think any of my top 10 could've been no1 in other weeks.

Exactly the reason I refuse to rank my top 20 year end list. It's hard enough narrowing it down to that!

and re: badu, it's going to be a long road because there's no way she isn't top 2 5.

Fixed, sadly.

dude i dunno i think lex was otm, it's going to come down to her and portishead. idk maybe fleet foxes will make a run...who else is going to be ahead of erykah?

I think the Badu album will be like "Happy House" and overperform because those who feel strongly about it feel VERY strongly about it. (haha those were both my #1s)

So basically, I don't think top 2 is out of the question at all.

My top 5 predictions:

5. The Bug
4. Vampire Weekend
3. Erykah Badu
2. TVOTR
1. Portishead

Sounds reasonable, though I'd replace The Bug with something else. Maybe Hercules & Love Affair?

I have no problem with Vampire Weekend doing well, they are the first big indie band since the Strokes that I really really like.
― Plaxico (I know, right?), Monday, February 9, 2009 3:38 PM

:speechless:

hey Alex Moulton was my #1.....didn't my ballot get included? :(((

that would prob explain why like none of my tracks showed up in the other poll too right? :(((

solange!!! brilliant. that album switches itself up on you, it turns out to be lovable for its trad motown pastiches rather than its self-conscious experimental aspirations (luckily the former way outweigh the latter). she's a great songwriter and has a charming lightness of touch in her delivery - all the ingredients are ~just right~ i think. 'sandcastle disco', 'would've been the 1', 't.o.n.y.' and '6 o'clock blues' are the standouts for me...

(also, great videos! i was surprised none of the solange singles placed, actually.)

I kinda hate the "Sandcastle Disco" video. It might as well scream "big in the UK" at the top of its lungs.

burn.

sadly it wasn't even big in the uk.

My bet for the 'hang on have I lost some ballots?' album is WEEZY.

^^good point - shit wasn't huge on ilm, that's for sure

Solange was also responsible for my favourite music-on-TV moment of 2008: storming through "I Decided" and "Sandcastle Disco" on Jools Holland. (Sadly, the rough quality YouTube clips don't do it justice.)

My bet for the 'hang on have I lost some ballots?' album is WEEZY.

no. i voted it no. 1. also, don't see how musically could not do likewise. top 15 for sure. i predict that 1 & 2 will be p-head & Erykah (in that order). TV may sneak in on the top 10, but i kinda doubt it.

Yeah I sort of meant Wayne maybe coming in at #11 or 12 instead of top three as I'd have predicted a while back.

yeah, that sounds reasonable.

My guess on 'omg that didn't make it?' album is tv on the radio. it took forever to get nominated and the love for it doesn't seem anywhere close to what it was like for the last album.

yeah i feel like too much of ilx was dismissive of it in the indie-backlash sort of way. it was top-5 for me. weezy f baby was 1 btw

i might vote for Weezy this year lol

don't do that stevem.

doubt it'll be that high - the ringtone crew were lukewarm* and would've voted for it low if they voted for it at all, so it doesn't have the support of its key constituency, but otoh it's one of those albums that pretty much everyone heard so it'll make up for it w/floating voters in a way that young jeezy or nappy roots wouldn't.

*i wouldn't say this was indie-backlash, everyone pretty much liked it - it's a vg album - but more not wanting to see it become the default token hip-hop pick. personally i don't even think it was that inconsistent, there are only a couple of songs i really dislike on it, but it's all so senselessly arranged that it winds up less than the sum of its parts, like the janet jackson and lil' mama albums. and obv it's somewhat in the shadow of tha carter ii. (i still voted for it.)

hey Alex Moulton was my #1.....didn't my ballot get included? :(((

that would prob explain why like none of my tracks showed up in the other poll too right? :(((

― unaustralian (jabba hands)

actually, it got 2 #1 votes, I have been missing distinguishing #1 votes because I haven't been highlighting them in excel. i'll have the mods add it. i started after yesterdays's batch so everything following should be accurate.

40 - Paavoharju - Laulu Laakson Kukista
88.5 points, 8 votes
731 in P&J

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/584/69070126cs6.jpg

i will be in meetings tomorrow so i am afraid that i won't be able to post during the day. i was thinking about skipping tomorrow completely and doing the top 10 on monday?

That's cool. We can wait.

i like paavoharju but it's hard for me to say how much because my attention always drifts after a while. i think i've listened to this all the way through, but i honestly couldn't swear to it.

xpost: awesome, a full weekend of speculation.

yeah i like tha idea too musically xxpost

for the people who have no idea what that record is, anyone want to sell it?

also, yeah, musically - i think everyone is just incredibly happy that you've done it and are cool with you doing it on your own time.

It's Finnish folk-psych or something, right? I've learned to be scared of things that come from Finland.

Paavoharjusundae.jpg

Awesome!

finnish psych-folk rules

I'd be kind of dissapointed if TVotR didn't place. I didn't vote for them, but I like the more upbeat half of the album a lot, much more than the sludge they've pedaled in the past.

I'm banging the fuck outta "Red Dress" right now haha.

"Shout Me Out" is the secret jam on that TVotR album. No one seems to talk about it besides me.

Awesome album! It's like Gang Gang Dance's hippie parent

Paavoharju that is

i always have this issue with "shout me out" in that the second half kind of sounds like a jig to me.

"Shout Me Out" is the secret jam on that TVotR album. No one seems to talk about it besides me.

― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, 10 February 2009 17:36 (17 minutes ago) Bookmark

I have said numerous times that this and Halfway Home are the only two songs on the album I genuinely like

39 - Hold Steady, The - Stay Positive
89.5 points, 9 votes
13 in P&J, 29 in p4k

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/6472/15779482co7.jpg

Full album streaming: http://www.last.fm/music/The+Hold+Steady/Stay+Positive

Stay Positive holds up to the expectations. it's a more "mature" record, songs with somewhat lower tempos than Boys and Girls, more serious and contemplative, and the production is richer.

love it.

― Zeno

wow! how low can you go?

Disappointed that isn't higher.

it's good but... it's a 4th hold steady album.

i am cool with a fourth hold steady album, and look forward to the fifth. i recently listened to franz nicolay's (debut?) record, and it was really awful, i couldn't even get through it. it's like the hold steady stripped of everything that makes them interesting: craig finn. it really goes to show you how important personality (and duh, songwriting) is

although i think they do some good, interesting things on Stay Positive, the Hold Steady is certainly not a band that gets by on their music.

i iike the first 2 hold steady records, bought the third and barely listened to it, never bothered with this one. dont think they did anything wrong, i just dont need any more of it.

There is no way that the fucking Hold Steady should be higher than Paavoharju. And it is all my fault that they are, too. Someone kick me in the face.

It's just by 1 point. That's really close to a tie.

does the mister like them too?
x-post

paavoharju are on spotify and i intend to try them out when i've finished rinsing beyoncé

i intend to go nowhere near the hold steady :/

Yeah, my vote would probably have bumped them up at least three places. The mister does like them but he *chose* not to vote (not sure why, possibly because he only really lurks here, posts even less than I do), whereas I didn't vote because the deadline day was a complete write-off for me.

Okay where have I heard the tinkly opening to that first track on the Paavoharju album before? Is it a sample from a film or TV programme or something?

I hate myself for not having ordered my ballot and put Paavoharju at the top spot where it belongs.

This is sounding really nice but is it supposed to sound this muddy or is it a poor Spotify stream? Production aside I think you'd like it btw Lex, the second track is sort of... Finnish Kate Bush gone electronic.

(Haha okay maybe not, this probably qualifies under 'pastoral overload'. I like it though)

http://www.last.fm/music/Paavoharju

38 - D. Lissvik - 7 Trx + Intermission
93 points, 7 votes

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/5908/41qcgb8dpflss500ix3.jpg

the whole album is so fantastic. sounds like a peyote-fueled jam session with himself

-psychgawsple

Another one I need to finish listening to.

Okay, I have no idea at all what that is. Looks intriguing though.

That's one of the dudes from Studio - keep meaning to check it out.

wow i wonder if yearbook 2 is going to show up. i think i voted for that one instead, actually

7 trx + intermission is still a fantastic record though

i really like the Lissvik but it's fairly unremarkable just v pleasant ambient grooves

What's the Intermission bit all about?

especially bcz the album is 9 trx

on the trax poll, i'd heard most, and was aware of all of the top 50. here, there are at least two artists i'd never heard of before.

surely you know of studio though, right?

oh yeah, didn't see the post saying it was one of them. which one? not the singer, i hope.

no vocals on this one at all actually

:D

i shall track it down! it may be my dream studio album

i am liking this poll a lot - so much to check out already

weird, just realised that solange's album placed but her singles didn't. and beyoncé's singles placed, but tbh i don't expect her album to. that seems oddly...backwards to how it should be.

lex you're the only person i can recall that's really ridden hard for the beyonce album

kevin too, i think? yeah i know, which seems weird cuz i still can't stop listening to it. i just don't think this is how beyoncé would have planned it.

How about SASHA FIERCE?

yeah you're probably right - tho i am surprised that "sandcastle disco" didn't place

sasha fierce plans nothing. sasha fierce has people plan for her. i don't think she'd be happy either though.

i wonder if paper trail will place. didn't vote for it but it's really grown on me of late.

re: Paavoharju

for the people who have no idea what that record is, anyone want to sell it?

I don't know if this helps, but it really reminds me of the Legendary Pink Dots' stranger moments. For me that is an automatic A++, but if that's also unfamiliar I could compare it to a strange, dreamy radio broadcast that keeps changing and doing unpredictable things. Doesn't rock at all, no beats to speak of, but it gets under your skin in this half-awake twilight fashion. Especially after a few listens.

Fonal, their label, has put out some of my favorite stuff this decade.

Fonal Records

it had better.

xp

i dont even know what rap's going to place... jeezy and wayne for sure, but after that i really don't know. i don't think t.i. will, and i dont think ringtone will be able to push a.b.n or something thru. was wale even nominated in this poll?

lol who would vote for wale.

am guessing the combined efforts of rev, whiney and myself will not be enough to get nappy roots a showing - the failure of hood headlinaz to place in the trax poll was probably evidence that ringtone crew repping alone is not enough :(

Kanye will make it for sure (does that count as rap?). T.I., too.

808s isnt rap nah

doesn't matter, it's still great.

agreed, just saying

what's really weird about it is that i hated it at first, loved it soon after, shortchanged it for this poll, and now i'm back to thinking it's one of the year's very best. go figure.

Has anything been decided on the top 10 being announced monday or will there be 15 albums listed thurs and friday?

I say we wait until Monday for the top 10.

I don't mind either way. Whatever is best for musically.

yep.

I think I will just post it on Monday, don't want to rush a day and not give an album its discussion time.

You can just tease people on friday by saying there's shock entries in the top 10 and surprising albums left out and make everyone wait til Monday ;)

Also re: Paavoharju, I think "hippie parents" is about right. The voices sound like they came out of Eastern
Europe in the 60's. I agree with sleeve, the Fonal label is great. My favorite recording on the label is by
Es ("Kaikkeuden Kauneus"). It's a great late-night album of strange meditative forest-folk.

I'm quite happy for the album's poll to move more slowly, it gives us time to check things out.

Fonal rules

37 - Gas - Nah und Fern
93.5 points, 7 votes
397 in P&J

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/3663/nahundferngr5.jpg

Okay, this list finally stumped me. Never even heard of this.

ok, i have only heard 3 things here, voted for 2 and know a couple others but i am loving this list. some cool covers, and way too much to try and listen to. :)

hm

Looks like the ILM rockist coalition forgot to vote this year.

I totally missed the Gas albums when they first came out, so it was nice to get them all for cheap in that reissue. They're kinda like the first Pole records when they came out, something that follows logically from previous electronic music yet is also totally novel and inimitable. Like a complement aesthetic statement that needs no followup.

Still think voting for reissues is cheating.

Considering Nah und Fern is actually four albums the most recent of which was released nine years ago, it really shouldn't qualify. But unless Musically individually checked every single album on the list I think she can be forgiven for not knowing that.

No, reissues which received a lot of attention like this one qualify, I just don't think they should.

Oh, that explains why is passed under my radar. Reissue of old coma-inducing minimalist stuff?

No, it is actually brilliant though.

It was stated in the original thread that "significant reissues" are applicable for the vote. The Gas albums were all out of print, Nah un Fern includes a couple of new tracks, and the four albums clearly make up an aesthetic whole, so to me it made sense to vote Nah und Fern as a 2008 release. It certainly was among the top 5 best records I heard last year.

(xxx-post)

I love Gas, but I am surprised reissues were allowed. But yay for something really good I didn't expect.

So far, I've only heard Solange, Tellier, and Girl Talk. Several things I haven't heard of. List looks good so far, though!

If it was on Mille Plateaux close to a decade ago, it's gonna make me want to rip my ears off.

Johnny Fever, Gas probably isn't the sort of "coma-inducing minimalist stuff" you're thinking of. It might be minimalist in melody/progression, but it's actually maximalist in harmony/sound.

(x-post)

Ahh, Gas is the first exciting discovery of the album-list for me. Thanks, you 7 voters!

I'm getting more and more hivemind about music : (

really don't think any reissues should be allowed but whatever...this poll is a lot more esoteric so far than i expected. so far i've heard 5, like 4, voted for 2, which is good going. and there are a couple i want to try to check out. oh i tried the jay reatard thing on spotify but couldn't get more than 20 seconds in, sorry :/

If things like this are charting then maybe some of the stuff I voted for with no expectation of anyone else liking may chart.

I always said the lower end of polls tend to be more interesting. But maybe the top end will be too!

I'd give Gas a whirl if the Kompakt site didn't keep crashing my browser.

haha you listened to jay reatard. lex you need a youtube channel where you film yourself listening to trendy indie music, would be like all the "2 girls 1 cup" reaction videos.

All the people who like Gas should check out Las Vegas, the 1996 album by Burger/Ink (aka Jörg Burger and Mike Ink, the guy behind Gas). It has kinda similar feel to Gas but it's more rooted in house/techno/trance, and it's probably easier to approach too. (It isn't artsy in the Mille Plateaux style at all.)

Only 1 "metal" album so far but I'm beginning to think Torche might scrape the top 20, and Harvey Milk & Earth might make the poll if these results are anything to go by.

(since those 3 finished ahead of Boris in the ILX METAL ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2008 RESULTS (NOW COUNTING DOWN THE TOP TEN, BTW) )

As a lot of their votes didn't just come from rolling metal regulars.

I attempted to listen to a couple Boris songs last night. Can anyone (Kerr?) explain to a layperson such as myself why Boris is "metal" rather than metal?

incidentally where, if anywhere, did people talk about the gas album on ilm when it came out?

Johnny, if you really hate the Mille Plateaux sound of the 90s, I'm not sure if you'll appreciate Gas either, it's not like it's totally different from other MP stuff. Though to me it kinda exemplifies all the good things about that particular sound and leaves out bad and boring bits.

haha you listened to jay reatard. lex you need a youtube channel where you film yourself listening to trendy indie music, would be like all the "2 girls 1 cup" reaction videos.

― nascar jesus (J0rdan S.), Tuesday, February 10, 2009 3:55 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

^^yes

Lex, the Gas reissue was mostly discussed in this poll thread:

Wolfgang Voigt's GAS Project: the Poll

Rev>
Well it's not metal in the traditional sense. Boris have some different types of stuff they do. BORIS tends to be sludgy more rawk while albums in lowercase boris tend to be more experimental and dronish.
BORIS stuff is still Melvins meets Stooges/MC5 rather than Judas Priest or Iron Maiden. And Pink & Smile albums has won them new fans from the pitchfork set, so real metal fans get sniffy about that and consider it false metal. But fuck that attitude.

Recent BORIS that is.

aha! for some reason i feel more comfortable knowing it was discussed somewhere and i just missed the thread.

what, dare i ask, is "2 girls 1 cup".

don't ask

you dont wanna know, lex. I avoided it and I know you want to as well

lex do the research it's worth it!

hah

and by research i mean google "2 girls 1 cup video"

i googled it and had pretty much exactly the same reaction as i had to jay reatard. AAGH HUMANITY

I know what 2 girls 1 cup is, which is WHY I've never seen it.

(thankfully i only got the wikipedia link for the 2 girls thing, not...any video)

aagh CLOSE TAB

im pretty happy to have made the 2 girls 1 cup : world :: indie : lex analogy - works so well

i told you not to Lex! If I had said it's the equivalent of The Ting Tings, would you have still googled it?

i googled it before your warning. it sounded so innocuous. now i'm just disturbed at how the hell you all seem to know about it.

It was an internet phenomenon; VH-1 featured the reaction clips on its "Best Week Ever" show.

you're the only person who hadn't I think. You need to know about it so you can avoid ever seeing it. Thankfully I have never seen it.
x-post

Yeah, just knowing it's out there gives me the shakes.

there's not any chance Gaslight Anthem is gonna place on this, is there? as much as it placed on critic/magazine lists it never seemed to generate much chatter on ILM and only a handful of people seemed really positive about it.

i am pretty sure this next one came out in 2007? dunno for sure.

36 - Glass Candy - B/E/A/T/B/O/X
96.5 points, 9 votes

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/6716/54892774tz3.jpg

Full album stream:http://www.last.fm/music/Glass+Candy/Beat+Box

Gaslight Anthem was no2 in the Kerrang end of year list and made the NME list. I have never heard them but I don't fancy their chances of making this poll judging by that knowledge.

2007, maybe. IDIB release dates are about as firm as Jell-o.

herman you actually might like them - basically blue collar bar rock about living in a small town.

And you think I might like it? Just because I like The Hold Steady?

i havent heard gaslight, but the comparison gets thrown around a lot

from last fm

The Gaslight Anthem’s music embraces many elements of the Jersey Shore sound. The band has described their sound as “Bruce Springsteen singing for a Cure cover band, with a tinge more aggression.” The group’s fondness for Springsteen, a significant influence on their music, is a fact celebrated by fans and critics alike. Representative of such views, one critic wrote, “The Gaslight Anthem are like something out of speculative fiction: this is what pop music would be if Springsteen hadn’t listened to his producer, let The Ramones record ‘PlayHungry Heart,’ and launched the C.B.G.B.’ers into megastardom.”

btw i have no idea what kind of music you like

lol

fwiw i like GA and think Hold Steady are the pits

basically blue collar bar rock about living in a small town

The Hold Steady, for me, is a diamond in the rough considering the general uselessness of this genre to me. As most would agree, it's something in Craig Finn's delivery that makes the band special. He knows his way around a lyric, phonetically -- like a good hip hop artist, in a sense, his words "flow" memorably.

Which is to say, I'm much more interested in Finn's delivery than what he's actually saying, or even the music behind it.

i like the glass candy album a lot. i almost forgot to vote for it because i somehow thought of it as an '07 album (i guess because of after dark). i understand the objections to it -- anemic, distant, tuneless, whatever -- but i dig its west-coast lassitude. and "rolling down the hills" is late-night radio manna.

I like the hold steady as I was already a Lifter Puller fan. But it's not typical of my listening.

Craig Finn is the most offensive thing about Hold Steady for a lot of people too. I can't listen to the records. It's only when I see them perform on tv (or live, I guess) that I kind of "get" the appeal.

Ay, thanks Kerr.

I can understand why some people don't like Craig Finn's voice. But it fits the music.

Gaslight Anthem was no2 in the Kerrang end of year list and made the NME list. I have never heard them but I don't fancy their chances of making this poll judging by that knowledge.

― Boring Sign In Name (Herman G. Neuname), Tuesday, February 10, 2009 4:14 PM (7 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

yeah but i mean, they placed #24 in Pazz & Jop, I think their appeal w/r/t to different critics and publications has been pretty broad.

Maybe, but I don't think P&J reflects my tastes either

Anyway, Glass Candy. I like the whole IDIB "thing." B/E/A/T/B/O/X moves the right way, but it's not necessarily inviting everyone in.

Still, I shouldn't just dismiss them offhand,it's just there's other stuff out there I want to hear more.

i understand the objections to it -- anemic, distant, tuneless, whatever

i was about to crank up the hate again when i saw glass candy but it's nice to see that their own fans can do it for me!

i think it was the only gig of 2008 i hated so much that i - along with half the people i was there with - walked out midway through. so inert and bloodless, it's almost like an insult to the spirit of disco.

(nb - i usually LIKE distant post-electroclash fashiony takes on disco, but glass candy were just not interesting enough.)

Gaslight sound more like the Constantines than Hold Steady. All bands w/ Springsteen fetish...

The best Italians do it better type release of last year was the Carl Craig remix of Part of Me. Still I love that noiry disco sound, lots of the Chromatics album reminds me of Torn Curtain (the Television song)

I like the whole IDIB "thing."

me too, even though it baffles me a little. trying to trace the lineage of the various bands is confusing, and as far as i can tell the whole scene is basically johnny jewel + whoever is around. i actually like the chromatics record a little better, but that one was '07, or least i think so.

it's almost like an insult to the spirit of disco.

i don't think it's meant as an insult, but i can see it coming off like that. i think it's more like a seance with disco ghosts or something.

IDIB is a spinoff from a hardcore punk label so I'm not surprised if the lex doesnt care for it

there's not any chance Gaslight Anthem is gonna place on this, is there

That was my #6 album here. Doubt it'll make the top 50 though. As a New Jersey resident, I tend to get irritated by bands who package themselves as a bunch of "regular blue collar guys from Jersey," (Smithereens, etc) But they write good songs and despite the corniness, they manage to pull it off.

The band they remind me of the most is Against Me, responsible for one of the best records of 2007. Yet another band ignored by ILM, who instead lavishes praise on pretentious #$@ like Stars On The Lid.

A seance with disco ghosts sort of sums it up.

I'd take any newer Chromatics or Glass Candy record over their older ones (though I like Chrome Rats a lot in its own way).

Stars Of The Lid are boring but I don't care for Against Me either.

^^^

Stars of the Lid are boring but gr8

On paper they tick all the right boxes for me, but in actual listening I was bored by them.

I voted for BEATBOX last year.

35 - Half Man Half Biscuit - CSI: Ambleside
97 points, 6 votes

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/3971/amblesidefrontte3.jpg

^^^ had the highest average vote (Boris - Smile had the lowest)

i have never knowingly heard half man half biscuit. it's one of those english things, i guess.

i would like to distance myself from england, english things, and specifically those 6 english voters, please. UK indie is EVEN WORSE than US indie.

big lou

ugh even the name "half man half biscuit" makes me feel like i'm suffering an allergic reaction

Lex, this is that incompatible taste thing I was going on about. Live and let live :)

This was only my #6 anyhow ;)

UK indie is EVEN WORSE than US indie.

Lex surprisingly OTM on the topic of indie.

if we mean Pitchfork>>>NME then yes

Lex knows his indie.

HMHB bear absolutely no relation to a) NME "indie", b) landfill "indie", or c) crap toss guitar "indie". They are, as Dom keeps saying, a folk band. With indie instrumentation. ;)

They're fundamentally English, and understand this country, its foibles and follies, better than anyone else out there.

i'm pretty certain no-one who reads/writes the NME know who hmhb are. xpost

YEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH

Tiarnan did you vote for the Growing album? If HMHB can make it then maybe some other unexpected stuff can make it (unless there's an HMHB bloc vote from somewhere)

I forgot to vote, but I would have. My album vote would have been very different from my track vote which was dancepop all the way. With the exception of Kelley Polar (probably my #1) I woulda put Growing pretty high though. Also Carlos Giffoni (can't rep for adult life enuff btw).

I suppose Exclusive (Forever Edition) would have been eligible.

btw i've been listening to the paavoharju album and i'm definitely feeling it...this is gorgeous stuff. i love it when her voice weaves abstractedly in and out of it all. she sounds bizarrely like some sort of bollywood singer lost in the finnish forest.

lhasa springs to mind.

have you listened to Fursaxa then?

I like this stuff a lot more in theory than in practice where it seems a bit... toothless?

Damn you T, there goes any hope then.

Yeah Lex check out Fursaxa. And Grouper!

it is toothless, you'd only play it when you didn't want teeth. can't imagine obsessing over it, but can def see myself returning abstractedly to it late at night or when hungover, and it being perfect for those situations.

It sounds great driving at night

I think everything sounds great driving at night though.

Even Slipknot?

probably!

Driving at night is the only time I'd ever consider Slipknot.

listening now, surprised at how wussy this sounds.

Didn't realise they were so nu-metal

on youtube obv

34 - Max Tundra - Parallax Error Beheads You
97.5 points, 8 votes, 1 #1 vote
142 in P&J, 27 in p4k

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/3135/108en80vx5.jpg

The perfect pop of "The Entertainment", the manic chopping on "Orphaned", the heavy bends on "Number Our Days", the overall Buggles-worthy gloss on the vocal lines, the clever but ouch-worthy personal risk of the lyrics vs. the clean room OCD production, I could go on but the whole thing is jawdropping.

― Neotropical pygmy squirrel

this coulda been higher, really great album. I think the poppier opening stuff is better though.

I heard Max Tundra years ago and hated it. Has it changed much since then?

yeah what's dude like (feel like a douche but can't listen right now?) like is it... kelly polar style?

like mental polyphonic ringtones

nothing like kelley polar. Tighter claustrophobic artificial thick, very XTC Scritti Politti vein of British hyper-pop

mental polyphonic ringtones sounds pretty dope

Mastered By Guy at the Exchange is probably a better entryway, its a bit more varied.

I could see you totally liking this btw Jordan

perfect pop

Can I put in that there's probably no phrase that so greatly turns me off of wanting to hear something as this one?

Haha, mental polyphonic ringtones is a gr8 (and accurate) description.

that song was okay until the vocals kicked in

this list is really bad so far

(no offense musically)

`i don't know why I posted that one, its a really bad first impression really.

That hairy freckle character looks like Peter Gabriel dressed as a flower.

ehhhh yeah the list has gone from "interestingly esoteric and bemusing" to just plain bad now. still, we're fairly low down, and the top half pretty much has to be better right now. heads will roll if jazmine doesn't get in though.

that video was dreadful. even more annoying than the stuff i heard years ago. and that was fucking annoying.

I have managed to vote for precisely none of these albumens so far. There's a couple I wouldn't mind checking out properly though.

I think "Which Song" is my favorite off that record, and not quite as abrasive as will get fooled again (though still quite abrasive).

only one thing i voted for so far has charted (glass candy)

omg that max tundra track is TERRIBLE :o

expected it to be the same ol' same ol' senseless bleep blip blip idm as it was years ago but that was some rancid indiepop there. the opening line...i cannot bring myself to even type it out again but WTF no.

(was referring to 'will get fooled again')

Yeah, none of my votes have made it yet either, still don't think this is too bad a bottom of the list though. madxposts

what a bizarre sentence fragment.

anyway, i hope the top end of the list is filled with art-damaged electronics

xxp to myself

Only 2 of my chosen albums hae made it yet. Boris and Paavoharju .

i am definitely finding things that i would like to check out based on the list so far, but it just seems weird and not like ilm at all, which is probably a good thing

either that or i don't pay attention to enough of ilm (closer to the actual truth)

I won't be investigating the Max Tundra. That's for sure.

There are def a few things here (Moulton and Lissvik) that I wouldn't have even heard of if not for ILM threads this year. xpost

yup i heard of both of those because of ilm as well. i am def going to check the lissvik.

i like this list so far. very esoteric compared to the trax one, the only thing to actively dislike here are the p4k picks (hold steady, max tundra)

is tundra like crystal castles?

God no

ok cool

Also Carlos Giffoni (can't rep for adult life enuff btw).

Agreed, it's his best stuff so far.

weird, just realised that solange's album placed but her singles didn't. and beyoncé's singles placed, but tbh i don't expect her album to. that seems oddly...backwards to how it should be.

― lex pretend, Tuesday, February 10, 2009 2:24 PM (4 hours ago)

i was thinking this same thing! i was glad when solange placed but i thought 'uh, where was sandcastle disco?!'

and ya i'll stan for sasha fierce, as you and j0rdan said

solange's album is defintely better than beyonce's

and "Single Ladies" is better than "Sandcastle Disco"

haha you listened to jay reatard. lex you need a youtube channel where you film yourself listening to trendy indie music, would be like all the "2 girls 1 cup" reaction videos.

― nascar jesus (J0rdan S.), Tuesday, February 10, 2009 3:55 PM (3 hours ago)

haha i know right! im proud of lex for giving it a shot, but it's really not at all for him.

(that sounds a bit patronizing, like he doesnt 'get' it...that's not what i mean)

Yes it was :P

the opening line...i cannot bring myself to even type it out again but WTF no.

I found the girl on Google Image Search
She was in the background of a picture of a church
I knew if we should get along as we were able
I shouldn't really bring her to the Seder table

I found the girl on eBay
She was bidding on Halfway To A Threeway
I wrote the words "a grain of sand" upon a grain of rice
She baked a pie of very shy laboratory mice

I found the girl on MySpace
In her profile there was my face
I went into a corner shop and bought myself an edge
Another shiny vector to add to my cortege

I found the girl on Friendster
Where her taste in cinema defends her
She rescued me from vagary and indecision
By telling me our future was the new religion

Na na na na na na na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na

Then I found you

o_O

O_o

>:@

i found the girl on ilx
she was really funky and fresh
with fashion sense and argyle socks
then i discovered she liked indie rock

That's brilliant lyrics. Any guy who writes about a girl bidding on 'Halfway to a Threeway' deserves to be listened to.

Not when it sounds like shit it doesn't.

Real talk.

Any more tonight?

yes:

33 - Earth - The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull
99 points, 9 votes, 1 #1 vote
167 in P&J

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/4229/folder1ww7.jpg

Full album streaming: http://www.last.fm/music/Earth/The+Bees+Made+Honey+In+The+Lion%27s+Skull

Hurrah!!!!! Earth!!!!!!!!!!
Also on the metal list but is absolutely not a metal album.

EARTH - "THE BEES MADE HONEY IN THE LION'S SKULL"
sunn90 CD&2XLP

Earth's latest incarnation will be available FEBRUARY 2008. After refaceting some old gems for greater illumination on "Hibernaculum". The band returns once again to it's continuing evolution. Where "Hex" reveled in dark satanic twang and austere american beauty, "The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull" finds Dylan Carlson and the band growing into a harder, more rock, american Gospel and impovisitory direction framed by truly psychedelic production and blazing guitar sounds.

Earth shows it's affinity with a nod to the best elements of the more adventurous San Francisco bands of the late 60's and 70's, and the more spiritually aware and exciting forms of Jazz-Rock from the same era. This is no nostalgia trip but a thoroughly inspired and original metamorphosis. Earth is also very honored to be joined on this record for three songs by legendary and virtuoso guitarist BILL FRISELL (doing some of his most fuzzed out playing in years!) .

Bill Frisell adds a brilliant texture and counterpoint to the scintillating and inspired riffs of Dylan Carlson and the band. Adrienne Davies joins again on drums lending a classic and steady feel to the proceedings. Steve Moore also returns adding heavy hammond organ and his intense jazz inspired piano playing. Live Bassist Don McGreevy also makes his full length Earth debut on this record.

Earth will begin touring throughout the world when the album is released, Australia, Europe and a full US campaign and on from there. The new songs are equally compelling live where EARTH takes the vehicles and expand and explore them for further musical and meditative exploration. Enjoy "The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull".

"From Strength, sweetness. From darkness, Light, The bees made honey in the Lion's Skull"

1. Omens And Portents I : The Driver (mp3)
2. Rise To Glory
3. Miami Morning Coming Down II (Shine)
4. Engine Of Ruin
5. Omens And Portents II: Carrion Crow
6. Hung From The Moon
7. The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull

Dylan Carlson: Electric Guitars and Amplifiers Adrienne Davies: Drums and Percussion Steve Moore: Acoustic Grand Piano and Wurlitzer Electric Piano, Hammond Organ Don Mcgreevy: Electric Bass and Acoustic Upright Bass

Songs One, Four, Five Featuring: Bill Frisell: Electric Guitar and Amplifier

Further Information:

www.myspace.com/earthofficial
www.thronesanddominions.com
www.billfrisell.com

Those songs were even better live btw.

I'm listening to some of the songs on Youtube and they are not bad. I could definitely chill to this. Unforgivable album name though.

Free mp3 of "Omens and Portents 1: The Driver" from the label's site via p4k: http://www.southernlord.com/mp3/12%20Earth_The%20Driver.mp3

It's very laidback. You really need to see them live though. Everyone just standing entranced.
There's DOOM TROMBONE! and the keyboard guy gets some really good jazzy solos.(Not Steve Moore of Zombi btw) There's 2 official live eps of them playing the songs which I have. If you can track them down its well worth it.
The 2nd time I saw them was last april, they were touring this album and Sir Richard Bishop was support.

this list is really bad so far

― Pregnant M.I.A. (The Brainwasher), Tuesday, 10 February 2009 23:27 (Yesterday) Permalink

now THIS is who lj should properly be directing his wrath towards. yeah, I suppose this list could be considered "bad by someone who seems to only rep for ghastly prefab autotuned poptart crap.

Oh and finally, get the vinyl version. It's called the Deluxe Bible Version. It's a terrific package
x-post

now THIS is who lj should properly be directing his wrath towards. yeah, I suppose this list could be considered "bad by someone who seems to only rep for ghastly prefab autotuned poptart crap.

― sleeve, Wednesday, February 11, 2009 1:42 AM (1 minute ago)

lol you sound mad

I'd rather some people listened to Earth and gave their opinions on it.

btw thank you for the new display name

the earth cover is my favorite so far. i have been meaning to check out KTL for awhile. i think that's an earth-related project.

really like the paavoharju artwork as well though it's a bit too boards of canada-esque.

I'm cautiously optimistic so far...my #4 album already placed....I'll bet the only other album I voted for that will place will be Fourth World War...so now all I'm doing is hoping that it gets #1.

That Earth was definitely a grower for me. Fairly unimpressed with it initially, but after stepping away for a couple months I started really enjoying it. Helped that I wasn't approaching it as a "new Earth album" at that point, if that makes sense.

earth in its various permutations has been on my should-really-get-to-that list for a while now. i like what i've heard, including off this album.

From Wikipedia

KTL is a group consisting of Stephen O'Malley (Sunn O)))) and Peter Rehberg (Pita), originally formed to create the music for a theatre production entitled Kindertotenlieder by Gisèle Vienne and Dennis Cooper. The production was premiered in Brest, France in March 2007. The duo have also played other shows not associated with the Kindertotenlieder production. In late 2008 it was announced, via Stepehen O'Malleys website, that KTLs fourth album would be released January 2009 through Editions Mego and February 2009 through Daymare Records with a vinyl release on Inoxia. In addition to the announcement two song titles were mentioned for the upcoming album, "Paratrooper" and "Natural Trouble".

x-posts

ha, i went to wikipedia to check out earth (after discogs failed to load). wikipedia rules.

i am listening to "the driver" now and it alternately reminds me of gus van sandt's long-form films, the idea of an inland empire and david lynch (spooky western America voids), bohren and der club of gore and 70s butt rock

If you are going to check out KTL, my favourite one was KTL 2.

Earth was #4 on my ballot so I'm glad to see it place. I think having nearly a year with it before these polls raised it in my esteem; it is a slow grower, though not without initial charm.

32 - Luomo - Convivial
99 points, 10 votes
594 in P&J

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/7430/333lw1.jpg

Track by track review by Tim F: Luomo

Full streaming link: http://www.last.fm/music/Luomo/Convivial

If you like this album then check out the previous one Hex (Or Printing in the Infernal Method)
http://www.thronesanddominions.com/images/records/Earth_hex.jpg

If you want the earlier drone metal stuff that influenced Sunn o))) then get Earth 2 which is on Sub Pop
http://www.thronesanddominions.com/images/records/earth2.gif

If yiu want one a bit louder and inbetween the 2 that's a bit more musical then get
Pentastar: In the Style of Demons
http://www.thronesanddominions.com/images/records/earth_pentastar.gif
Which is my personal favourite.

I kept trying to like that Luomo, but it still kind of just runs together for me.

I'm cautiously optimistic so far...my #4 album already placed....I'll bet the only other album I voted for that will place will be Fourth World War...so now all I'm doing is hoping that it gets #1.

― The Uncanny X-Men ft. Keith Levene & Jah Wobble (Drugs A. Money), Tuesday, February 10, 2009 8:53 PM (25 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

yeah i ain't fuck with a single thing on this list so far, at this point i'm resigned to Erykah and Wayne being the only things from my ballot, kinda giving up hope on Jeezy.

I have 3 in so far and definitely expect another 4 now.

I'll be really bummed if Jeezy doesn't make it. Still 0 for me, but I'm def expecting a few.

ahhhh i totally meant to check the Luomo out but never did.

i gotta say this list has been pretty surprising so far. i voted for the Dan Lissvik but never expected it to place (despite big Studio contingent on ILM) so that's nice. and then there's stuff i've plain never heard of like Gas. prob should go back to the Paavorhaju and Stephen Malkmus records too, both of which came out around the time when i wasn't in the mood for either.

xxxp oh yeah that's right i voted for Weezy too

some dude ur prolley way cooler than me...a lot of my albums ballot was indie-dinosaur acts like The Fall and The Breeders...looking thru it tho, I did vote for Vampire Weekend, Nine Inch Nails, Sigur Ros, M-83, and Gnarls Barkley, so my bait-n-bitch maneuver was pretty much uncalled for...

...this was the year I gave/caved in to the Death of the Album hype...

here's the last one for today, I'm taking tomorrow off and your regularly scheduled programming will resume on Thursday.

31 - El Guincho - Alegranza
105.5 points, 12 votes
148 in P&J

Full streaming link: http://www.last.fm/music/El+Guincho/Alegranza

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/9626/smalbumcoversj6.jpg

same beach-y feel but way better "songs." this feels way more authentic to me (in the sense that southall talked about person pitch as being thin and impenetrable). even the most panda bear sounding ones are cut through by killer melodies (either vocal or otherwise) (i.e. the spiraling keyboards on "fata morgana" or the verses on "palmitos park" or the guitar chords on "antillas").

the inherent distance of person pitch really kept me from loving it and this feels way more warm and enveloping mostly cuz its way more communal (the samples are from like fiestas and crowded beaches-- this may be me working out my own shit but it's a big reason why i like this).

― J0rdan S.

That macaw with all the eyeballs gives me the creeps.

Also, I liked this album for about two weeks, but can't remember the last time I listened to it.

good night musically and thank you!

Craig Finn is the most offensive thing about Hold Steady for a lot of people too. I can't listen to the records. It's only when I see them perform on tv (or live, I guess) that I kind of "get" the appeal.

― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, February 10, 2009 4:21 PM (5 hours ago)

this kinda bugged me. this is definitely a total strawman, but it bugs me that there are people who think the hold steady would be a better group without finn, or that he somehow is the worst part of them. (and i'm not directing this at you, johnny, as you were just commenting on what people were saying above you.)
for me, finn is easily the best part of the band; without his personality and character and voice, they're really just an average power-chord band imo. and what's getting to me seems to be this practice of rejecting what's different and unabashedly chrimatic and instead embracing what's mediocre and safe, which i'm seeing more and more. i completely *get* why people don't like finn, too--again, strawman etc, and i'm just venting here, really.

Finn is the only thing upfront on the records, though. As a band, The Hold Steady is pretty indistinguishable. But it all gels in a visual medium, Finn becomes far less the central focus and, in turn, becomes less obtrusive.

guys craig finn is the hold steady.

and this list is blowing me away so far.

i like the eclecticism of these lists. always plenty of stuff for me to catch up on.

charismatic* obvs

I genuinely liked that Hold Steady album, and the fact it got 12 points off me probably ensured it made the ballot. I may bray about "innovation" but there's an awful lot to be said about an album that makes solid rather than spectacular artistic choices, but pulls them off with genuine showmanship, elan and drama.

never did quite see the charm of the hold steady, having given 'boys and girls in america' an unusually persistent plug a couple o years back on the back of all the raves. haven't heard the latest one, but it's probably about time i thought of listening to it.

i like the eclecticism of these lists. always plenty of stuff for me to catch up on.

It'll get really good when the poll's over and the top 50 to 100 albums are published, too.

when the delirious enthusiasms of six people get you half man half biscuit in the #35 slot, "eclecticism" is pretty much a given

el guincho's nice. was toward the bottom of my ballot. i can't think of anything interesting to say about it.

This list has had a disappointing amount of that type of post-Avalanches sampledelic indie-pop that does nothing for me.

This list has had a disappointing amount of that type of post-Avalanches sampledelic basically consists of electronic indie-pop that does nothing for me.

except i do sometimes like it

This list has had a disappointing amount of that type of post-Avalanches sampledelic indie-pop that does nothing for me.

it has? what besides girl talk and guincho? (i don't know all these albums, maybe some of the ones i don't know are like that.)

and i agree with you on the genre for the most part, but i like el guincho's source material more than most of that kind of thing.

Actually Contenderizer is probably more otm than myself.

i wanted to edit it to "indie-friendly electrodribble" or somesuch, but figured i'd done enough damage already.

ennyway, glass candy is cool, though max tundra, horrid. ilm is all about the balance.

i'd never heard max tundra and i'm just pretending that's still true.

if this list consists of indie pop of *any* stripe clearly i'm not into indie pop anymore

I'm looking for the abundance of indie pop so far...Arthur Russell? nope. The Hold Steady? nope. Paavoharju? hardly. Earth? no way.

Again, it's a pretty balanced list. I won't vouch for a lot of it, but I appreciate its diversity.

Also, I liked this album for about two weeks, but can't remember the last time I listened to it.

― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, February 10, 2009 6:57 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

same is true for me; i thought it was so fun and summery at first, but then you realize that the dude just kinda repeats the same exact damn melodies for way too long

i kind of like the loose "wtf let's include reissues/archival, etc."-ness
to this poll; kinda fun getting to vote for the st etienne box

plz tell me someone else voted for scarlett

Also, I liked this album for about two weeks, but can't remember the last time I listened to it.

― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, February 10, 2009 8:57 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

esto^^

plz tell me someone else voted for scarlett

listened to it 3 times and couldn't decide whether I liked it or not. instead of investigating further, I decided to file it away as a mystery that just should never be solved.

i like 'Number Our Days' off the Tundra LP

but the best thing he's done imo is the remix of Tunng's 'Bullets' (not on YT annoyingly)

never heard Earth before (not a doom metal kinda guy), but that rundown above made me interested.
that track is great.
ta.

i think people should stop posting max tundra youtubes b/c i am trying to FORGET he exists

hey, luomo. rinsed that album non-stop for two weeks and then just stopped...i think it benefits from having probably such a gorgeous one-two opener, 'have you ever' and 'love you all' are so beautiful that they cast a spell over the rest of the album. but really there's only one other track which matches up to them and it's not a patch on the present lover. still, happy to see it place.

still never figured out whether i should check out el guincho.

you know i'm usually the first to complain about indie-friendly electrodribble but i think this list is too eclectic for that...it only really applies to max tundra and girl talk (and i assume el guincho). elsewhere you've got drone metal, dead-eyed disco revivalism, odd finnish folk, epic scifi techno, shoegaze, balearica etc etc.

and i still think at least 10 of my votes will place - even more sure now i see these niche interests placing. re: jeezy, i'm certain he'll be at least top 20 if not higher.

I really disagree with you about the Luomo album - Slow Dying Places, Gets Along Fine, the last track whose name escapes me, all gorgeous. Admittedly the one with Apparat is head and shoulders above all of them though.

A list for myself trying to crack through these albums on spotify and don't want to have to go into the undisplayed messages everytime aka the list so far:

50 - Boris - Smile
49 - Arthur Russell - Love Is Overtaking Me
48 - School Of Seven Bells - Alpinisms
47 - Sébastien Tellier - Sexuality
46 - Fall, The - Imperial Wax Solvent
45 - Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
44 - Jay Reatard - Matador Singles 08
43 - Alex Moulton - Exodus
42 - Stephen Malkmus and Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
41 - Solange - Sol Angel & The Hadley Street Dreams
40 - Paavoharju - Laulu Laakson Kukista
39 - Hold Steady, The - Stay Positive
38 - D. Lissvik - 7 Trx + Intermission
37 - Gas - Nah und Fern
36 - Glass Candy - B/E/A/T/B/O/X
35 - Half Man Half Biscuit - CSI: Ambleside
34 - Max Tundra - Parallax Error Beheads You
33 - Earth - The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull
32 - Luomo - Convivial
31 - El Guincho - Alegranza

jeezy will place. i'd even go as far as betting my bank account (the one that isn't the overdraft! the one with £3 in it!) on it being top 20, maybe even top 10.

i'd be interested in whether anyone checks out solange who wouldn't have otherwise, and what they think.

i'll def be checking that out, lex--also really liked the Beyonce album, tho i haven't heard it enough to rep for it just yet. interesting list so far overall; only two of my picks have shown up.

lex stop this line of thought and report to the funky house thread immediately.

I voted for the Solange album, it's one of the handful I actually know on the list.

and i assume el guincho

ha, no - here's 'Palmtios Park'

yeah, that's one of the two i voted for, and gr8!

two songs into the fall and i'm giving up. don't get it.

the thing about that fall album is that you can't help but get the feeling when you listen to it that it's a retread of something done much better about 20 times by the same band. doesn't help having an 11-minute track at number 3 either.

did the HMHB album do well on this same 'fan alleigance charity vote' basis or is it actually one of their better LPs?

Glad to read that people like the Earth album. It doesnt matter if you dont like metal or drone as it really is neither. So check it out, it's terrific!

I had no idea so many people hated Max Tundra! Although I suppose that's understandable. I think he's great, with an uncommon knack for catchy, unpredictable melodies.

I found the girl on eBay
She was bidding on Halfway To A Threeway
I wrote the words "a grain of sand" upon a grain of rice
She baked a pie of very shy laboratory mice

Like, wtf? I don't think I can hate on someone I suspect to be retarded. That's just mean.

but the best thing he's done imo is the remix of Tunng's 'Bullets' (not on YT annoyingly)

He also did a great remix of the Futureheads' "Decent Days and Nights."

yeh i like that too altho ended up preferring the original tbh

I must have missed all the ILM Jeezy love, probably because I don't get it. Dude has some great singles, but he's a horrible albums guy. This was probably the least mediocre of the bunch, but I can't believe it even come close to the top 20.

did the HMHB album do well on this same 'fan alleigance charity vote' basis or is it actually one of their better LPs?

― O Supermanchiros (blueski), Wednesday, 11 February 2009 13:28 (32 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I didn't vote, and it prob wouldn't have been on my list anyway, but it is really excellent; no charity needed, unlike that Fall LP.

Paavoharju - Laulu Laakson Kukista

This is on Spotify - I streamed it last night and enjoyed it.

Well, I was very excited about the Gas based on sample-browsing, and spent a lot of time downloading the whole thing, but what you don't realize from listening to very short segments is that the short segments are repeated over and over again. Fine if you like that sort of thing, but for me it's almost instantly headache-inducing. For me part of the appeal of ambient music is expanse, and this to me is methodically claustrophobic. And I have a lot of old Aube records I could be listening to again instead.

what you don't realize from listening to very short segments is that the short segments are repeated over and over again

You don't have to like Gas, but I don't think it should come as a surprise that there's a lot of repetition and little progression on an ambient record... That's almost like the definition of ambient: sound and atmosphere over progression. However, I wouldn't say Gas isn't expansive, to me it sounds quite large and widescreen compared to many other, sonically more minimal ambient records. Sure, the repetition gives some of the tunes a creepy quality, but that's probably intentional.

But like I said, I can understand some people wouldn't be impressed by Gas. To me it's like an ultimate, highly refined example of a certain type of ambient music, and if that kind of ambient isn't your thing, Gas is hardly gonna turn your head.

I must have missed all the ILM Jeezy love, probably because I don't get it. Dude has some great singles, but he's a horrible albums guy. This was probably the least mediocre of the bunch, but I can't believe it even come close to the top 20.

I get the love, I enjoy the singles, I haven't yet heard the album (need to)... but I'm gonna go out on a limb, and guess that the album didn't make the top 50. It would be a big surprise for some, but is entirely plausible to me.

Own, LOVE LOVE LOVE (and voted for):

50 - Boris - Smile
48 - School Of Seven Bells - Alpinisms
37 - Gas - Nah und Fern
33 - Earth - The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull

Own, enjoy, don't love:

47 - Sébastien Tellier - Sexuality
42 - Stephen Malkmus and Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
39 - Hold Steady, The - Stay Positive

HATE HATE HATE:

45 - Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
35 - Half Man Half Biscuit - CSI: Ambleside
34 - Max Tundra - Parallax Error Beheads You

Not really intrigued by:

49 - Arthur Russell - Love Is Overtaking Me
44 - Jay Reatard - Matador Singles 08
43 - Alex Moulton - Exodus
41 - Solange - Sol Angel & The Hadley Street Dreams
32 - Luomo - Convivial

Would like to hear more of:

46 - Fall, The - Imperial Wax Solvent
40 - Paavoharju - Laulu Laakson Kukista
38 - D. Lissvik - 7 Trx + Intermission
36 - Glass Candy - B/E/A/T/B/O/X
31 - El Guincho - Alegranza

One other thing I'll say about Max Tundra is that whether you like him may have something to do with how much you genuinely enjoy action-news themes and/or the pre-installed demo song on Casio keyboards.

plus he does it all on an Amiga so love for that at least

2 of mine have showed up so far (Boris, Earth) which is cool, but if i had payed any attention to that el guincho album, it would have been on my list (also really enjoying School Of Seven Bells in some bizarro 4ad nostalgia moment, but prob wouldn't have voted for it).

Nothing on the remainder of the list can be as annoying as Max Tundra

i don't think anyone posted any glass candy tunes before, so

More Earth. Hung From The Moon Live

Engine Of Ruin

ilxor's ranking is similar to mine, tho i quickly grew tired of smile, and am on the fence about alpinisms. plus LOVE the glass candy & arthur russell, and like the jay reatard (JR's good stuff is great, but the record's uneven). curious about paavoharju & d lissivik...

i will also join the crowd lamenting the fact that they failed to vote for paavoharju (although looking at my ballot i did vote for them on the track poll, so i think i just got confused somewhere along the way).

I've decided to work my way through all the top 50 here in an effort to pull myself away from listening to same old same old all the time. So far I've found something to like in every album I've played (Boris, Arthur Russell, School of Seven Bells, Jay Reatard, The Fall).

Good work all you people who paid attention to 2008 so I didn't have to :)

For some reason I can't find the tracks poll--can someone link to it? Thanks.

//////////////shawty got poll poll poll poll poll poll poll (part I: 2008 TRAX)\\\\\\\

Nothing on the remainder of the list can be as annoying as Max Tundra

― Boring Sign In Name (Herman G. Neuname), Wednesday, February 11, 2009 8:52 PM (27 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

^this x 1000.

45 - Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
39 - Hold Steady, The - Stay Positive
34 - Max Tundra - Parallax Error Beheads You

^^^these suck

32 - Luomo - Convivial

^^^i'm over delay's luomo thing

not to join in on the max tundra stomping bandwagon, but it reminds me of a dumbed down Calvin Harris, if that is possible

From the album
Paavoharju - Kevätrumpu

Thanks, a hoy hoy.

i'm listening to that el guincho track now and JESUS CHRIST THIS IS REALLY REALLY DREADFUL, what is it that people like about this? it's totally inept. it sounds so ramshackle, and falling apart at the seams. he sounds like a tramp who's too bored to even try hitting the notes. aural equivalent of falling down the stairs and landing face first in a boozy mess. ugh why must terrible music make its way into my life like this :(

I just await Lex's reaction to the Earth vids

please people check out the recent 2 Paavoharju vids i posted. 2 really great tracks there

agree w lex that massive guinch love is a little baffling, though for different reasons

Not feeling it it either

it sounds so ramshackle, and falling apart at the seams.

this describes lots of music i like, including music i like a lot more than el guincho. i just find guincho breezily pleasant.

A LA LA AY A LA LA OH A LA LA AY A LA LA OH A LA LA AY A LA LA OH A LA LA AY A LA LA OH A LA LA AY A LA LA OH A LA LA AY A LA LA OH A LA LA AY A LA LA OH A LA LA AY A LA LA OH A LA LA AY A LA LA OH A LA LA AY A LA LA OH A LA LA AY A LA LA OH A LA LA AY A LA LA OH A LA LA AY A LA LA OH A LA LA AY A LA LA OH A LA LA AY A LA LA OH A LA LA AY A LA LA OH

hahahaha OTM

I loooooooove El Guincho. The falling-apart-at-the-seams thing is part of it, I think, although I've never really had that as a conscious reason before. It is joyous and lovely.

I was looking forward to El Guincho based on Lex's description but was left a little disappointed at how mundane it sounds, if anything it's not ramshackle enough.

Note that the El Guincho track posted is fairly atypical - it's the only time he goes out of his way to make what sounds like (a travel-stained fascimile of) a full-blown pop song. The other stuff is more chant/loop based.

that's his idea of a full-blown pop song? oh dear.

ha ha.

I actually think you'd probably dislike the other stuff less Lex because I suspect a big part of your hate would be spurred by the indie tinge to his half-arsed evocation of old "classic" pop on that song ("Palmitos Park" reminds me of Richie Valens a bit).

Like how lots of Animal Collective/Panda Bear haters would be mildly mollified by the prohibition of Panda's Beach Boys harmonies.

sigh, go on then, what should i hear which is better than that.

preferably without his voice on it. also anything done as half-assed and ramshackle as that is a turn-off, whether it tries to evoke old pop or not

No I don't think you'd like it, I think you'd dislike it less. I wouldn't actually check it out though.

Hah!

By the way, for all the Max Tundra haters in this thread (myself included)... looks like he's just announced a joint tour with perennial ILM faves Junior Boys (via Pfork). That'll be fun, a total love/hate experience all in one night.