ILM's Top 77 Albums of 2014

For those seeking to get closer to the roots here (without the flanged guitar and drum kit) seek out: Khalifa Ould Eide & Dimi Mint Abba - Moorish Music from Mauritania (1990).
I'd love to discover Noura is one of Dimi's daughters on that cover, but I doubt it.

SHE IS! Dimi Mint Abba is her step-mother.

http://petattack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/talented_mice_10.jpg

Mordy pressed this onto me n let's say I was quite IMpressed

this is terrific so far

So is this a rockier version of traditional Mauritanian music then?

The psych-funk version, yes.

This poll is exceeding expectations after the (relatively) narrow remit of the tracks poll. Already we've had Japanese idol/metal crossover, ambient soundtrack music, UK pop and outernationalism and we've only just started. Brill!

http://i.imgur.com/9neQ0lu.jpg

lol

yay seymali

http://i.imgur.com/WHq5fdg.jpg

73 REAL ESTATE Atlas [254 points, 9 votes]

INDIE

Alt-ass, morelike

Mica! My #1. When Jonny Trunk played the whole s/t on his Resonance fm show near the start of the year was a transcendent 2014 moment for me. After that, what was going to top my albums list was NID. Works really well in the context of the movie too.

is this just an audiobook of real estate listings or what

lol gr80 beat me to it

Aaww sweet little indie album. Talking Backwards is quite lovely!

The Noura Mint Seymali is spectacularly great imo! My #2. Best non-metal guitar rock album I've heard in ages.

I really liked the Under the Skin score in the context of the movie but have not yet listened to the score on its own.

This feels like I was listening to it longer ago than this year.

Real Estate are like WoD, but at least not hyped beyond their worth. They make for pleasant background listening; almost ambient indie music. Great for summer days, breezy afternoon picnics in the grass, melty plastic watchstraps, ant infestations, oily-looking ham slices...

damn if this is placing this low i p much have no hope of seeing Horsebeach place.

If you feel like a gothy balearic Real Estate sounds nice check out Horsebeach

don't you mean Beach Horse?

;-)

Ohh so nice that Under the Skin placed! Love hearing that while driving at night.

Indie that i like! Love Real Estate. Loving the poll so far

"well, we were sort of going for the vibe of an oily-looking ham slice."

"more than one. like slices, actually. oily-looking ham slices.

"yeah, slices. i should have said slices."

babymetal is really interesting because it's 100% legitimate j-pop vocals over commensurably legitimate metal. getting that to work as well as it does is probably pretty challenging.

re: real estate, "They make for pleasant background listening; almost ambient indie music" – OTM. i can't really remember this album but i know i didn't mind it, and their first one still has an alluring haze to it (and the end of "beach comber" is a double rainbow).

also i love this gradual result rollout, if it weren't 2am in seoul i'd be here all day

i do like this album tho, pretty good album. didn't vote for it.

I cut it off my ballot I think to make 25 so im really pleased it made it.

((and to clarify, by 'j-pop vocals' i don't mean poppy vocals sung in japanese, i'm referring to the composition of the melody lines as much as their performance/production))

preferred Ducktails to Real Estate, but I don't mind this at all

I have to say, nothing makes me more interested in checking out a band than finding out they make music for the contemplation of oily ham

re: Mica Levi - why does it always always has to be: psychotic blah blah = pull out yer neighbourhood avant-classical type moves out of the bag. Probably the weakest part of that film.

this noura mint seymali is great, thanks to whoever voted for it!

Mauritanian psych-funk sounds fun. As does ambient indie to be fair. Will give them both a go.

"fake blues" from some early real estate single is still one of my very favorite 3-4 min of chillout indie ever. have opined elsewhere that it seems to be ripping off mark knopfler's local hero sndtrk (in a good way). experienced diminishing returns with the band tho.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHx8ZhYsigQ

^ album version not quite as good

sorry, meant for that to be a link :(

digging the Real Estate. thanks ILM!

i didn't vote this year but i am going to follow thread because these results are more promising than the singles for me
love under the skin sdtk, big fave in my house
love noura too -- she makes it sound so easy and this reminds me that i wanted to hear the album

the last real estate album is one of my fav indie rock records ever but i couldn't get into this one at all

Xyzzz__: why not? Those sounds work well to bring out that atmosphere. At least it's more interesting than minor-key piano arpeggios or something.

uh, whether or not there were any actual mice involved, this noura mint seymali album is fantastic

Nooo, I missed the moment Babymetal hit, I was praying for this. It feels weird finally having a vote place right inside the top 77 and not outside. This is definitely the best Babymetal song, here performed in front of 60k people.. in England! http://youtu.be/jKs7JnAWI9s

Love the Real Estate album, and it was quite high up on my ballot. It's everything I want from an "indie" album right now - clear, chiming, blissful. I think they just keep getting better.

Loving this Noura Mint Seymali album too.

I agree they do Sund4r. I suppose I'd like to hear those sounds in more surprising contexts these days. A bit of an easy option to take. xps

http://i.imgur.com/bQyox4f.jpg

72 CALL SUPER Suzi Ecto [255 points, 11 votes]

looks like an abstract magen dovid on the cover

yay call super!

I agree they do Sund4r. I suppose I'd like to hear those sounds in more surprising contexts these days. A bit of an easy option to take. xps

― xyzzzz__, Monday, January 26, 2015 9:06 AM (3 seconds ago)

oh pooh. everything's an easy option. the execution's what counts. impeccably well constructed soundtrack, both as a functional component of the film and as a stand-alone listen. it sound more "surprising" a kristen wiig comedy sure, but i'm not that desperate for novelty thrills.