ILM's Top 77 Albums of 2014

Wasn't really into the Lewis until I caught this shot from the publicity campaign - after this I was on board

http://i.imgur.com/gx02Q7C.jpg

I think I put this at #2 on my ballot, mostly because on the day I voted I was sick at home and this was just the perfect music to listen to in that situation. So soothing.

I had it at #2 as well I think.

is that really lewis tho

Wasn't feeling Romantic Times, really.

L'amour very easily floats out the window in the wrong settings but there are a few songs on there I find gorgeous at all times.

i enjoyed l'amour quite a bit, though i wouldn't rush to include it among the year's very best. and the backstory isn't all that important, imo. the music's no less lovely and haunting without it.

The backstory put it in the spotlight but it didn't influence my opinion of the record, either.

Hearing the backstory vastly improves this for me. Nothing like a bit of nebulous memento mori to make an album sparkle.

Lewis seems like a very shy Bryan Ferry who doesn't know any drummers.

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

44 ONE DIRECTION Four [372 points, 12 votes, 1 first place vote]

Too low, but glad it beat Lewis.

<3

so is this their best album then? i still haven't listened to any of them in full

lol JF

so jack white lost some weight huh

i like how harry styles dresses just like todd trainer of shellac in 1991

xxxxxps
I am bit of a sucker for a backstory, I was listening to that Luciano Cilio re-issue and can't separate some of the fragile beauty of his music from the fact that he topped himself. Maybe it is purely cosmetic, but sometimes it does seem to add something.

is this for real

yesssss. One Direction was in my top 20 but if i made my ballot now it'd probably be in my top 10. the closing trio of non-bonus tracks is incredible, especially "Clouds."

why wouldn't it be? xp

gotta love the synchronicity of Four placing at 44

yay Young Marco!

nu-balearic crew represent

― gr8080, Tuesday, January 27, 2015 2:59 PM (46 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

woop woop

This is better than any indie or metal dinsdale.
Popism ftw

placing 44th in ILX's year-end poll is a real feather in One Direction's hat

per the modern country songwriting discussion in the tracks thread, I'm struck by how easy it would be to add a touch of twang to these 1D songs and score hits on country radio.

It's really hard to get over how much I hated them on X Factor but Fireproof is quite a nice tune. That's as positive as I can be right now.

woop woop

― karl...arlk...rlka...lkar..., Tuesday, January 27, 2015 8:46 PM

Fingers crossed that Horsebeach and Mark Barrott also make the cut

I've listened to "Fireproof," "No Control," "Girl Almighty," and "Stockholm Syndrome" every day since NOvember.

~Change Your Ticket~

What was the image selection process for this cover? It must be more symbolic than it lets on...

excellent journalism from our j0rdan on that front:

http://rankings.gawker.com/the-dumb-faces-of-one-directions-four-ranked-1661231846

never have four consistently gross-looking young dudes recorded such fine pop

it's sad – how do you kick FIVE dudes out of bed at the same time?

xpost

Haha perfect! Still looking to unlock some Lacanian deeper purpose to it all though...

never have four consistently gross-looking young dudes recorded such fine pop

solitary posts that effortlessly summarize the history of rock & roll

i can't get into these dudes (have tried), it just doesn't hit my specific pop music sweet spots

No Control, Change Your Ticket, and Steal My Girl alone make this worth your time. The whole album is great.

love it

xps to alfred seems difficult, could require assistance from hotel staff

They seem like okay kids, but they're definitely too far on the Ryan Tedder/OneRepublic end of pop music for me to embrace any of their songs.

they aren't bad looking imo

I bet that kid with the hat has early male pattern baldness.

clouds is my favourite here.

Here! We! Go again! Another go round for all our friends! Another non-stop will it ever end?

Oh hang on, I just got to "Stockholm Syndrome." It (most likely unintentionally) sounds like "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" imo.

very. with a little bit of that one Haim song too.

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

43 DJ Q Ineffable [374 points, 17 votes]

didn't vote for it but what a great moment in ilx history

classic pop/rock pastiche is a big part of the 1D brand. there are the singles that sound like "Baba O'Reilly," "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and "Faithfully," and one of the bonus tracks on Midnight Memories sounds like "Jessie's Girl." xp

one thing about the one direction album is that it's such a throwback to when an album meant something - a thematically well-strung together, well developed whole unit that does rigorous world building and echoing musical motifs

at different times through the year, i think i would've called Ineffable my fave album of the year. it's fucking great.