🚨🎷🎸ILM's 2023 End of Year Tracks & Albums Poll / VOTING THREAD🎸🎷🚨 - LAST CHANCE TO VOTE 19/01/24!!!

Hi people! It's time to vote!

Here's the link: https://forms.gle/4Yf1NCK1nrrQ34or8

Voting ends at MIDNIGHT PST on Friday, January 19th, 2022.

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

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

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

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

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

TRACK NOMINATIONS
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1g1nagCFsVt5x97s4L5_RMpkthxixRD3aQrLSwlMd078/edit?usp=sharing

ALBUM NOMINATIONS
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kfm-xPZ_zGcbLDYx7Ivc1GZKzPwYwhpvN4qhJ-uAOq0/edit?usp=sharing

PLAYLISTS
Tracks - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3rZMvbO83mQlRcwx8VUWoa
Albums - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3cK8YxdCt7EGCOUPRUtumR

Is this also the "hype"/promotion thread(?)

yes! hype away

I'd like to promote these two lush, beautiful tracks that I'm really happy I discovered (and which I think others will dig):

Tamera ft. CKay - 40 Days
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dGGqMmlnZg

Ayra Starr - Rhythm & Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o74CEUC-Lw4

Also, I've hyped this elsewhere – an amazing indie rock / pop track with a killer riff:

Blondshell x Samia - Charm You (Blondshell Version)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccs65_gxIBg

Also, while I know anything involving Billie Eilish probably doesn't need "promotion," this was my first fave track of the year, and I don't think it got the attn it deserves:

Labrinth ft. Billie Eilish - Never Felt So Alone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVCNgOi4kFg

Sorry, but I'm gonna have to write this one in. I could have swore it was nominated but I was mistaken.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2cF9o7FuU4

These playlists are crazy. After an hour on shuffle, here are some standouts that I'm gonna go back to (ie stuff I hadn't heard already):

Roge - Curyman
Amen Seat - Deathbomb Arc
John Carroll Kirby - Blowout (somehow missed this, or forgot?)
Carlene - Looking Out My Window
Holy Tongue - Deliverance and Spiritual Warfare (though I heard Valentina Magaletti's contributions to that Senegalese remix record, the Moin record, the Phil Selway record, etc)
Sam Goku - Things We See When We Look Closer
David Murray / Questlove / Ray Angry (didn't know this was streaming! Thought everything on this label was a vinyl exclusive)

Kind thrilling when one of my selections comes up on shuffle, lol.

Not sure where to even start with hype, but here's the drum solo of the year

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RgnjhKCXeY

So many good tracks… voting will be painful when I eventually get to it. I didn’t nom this one (but would’ve have tbh) and will surely vote for it. It was my most played track in a bittersweet summer of a bittersweet year.

Freak Heat Waves feat. Cindy Lee - in a moment divine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayEgs1U0Ggk

Here’s a blurb taken from RA on their “songs of 2023”:

Earlier this year, I called "In A Moment Divine" the "finest song ever released on Mood Hut," and I stand by it. Pulling on the thread first unravelled by Jack J with his languid vocal house, funk band Freak Heat Waves make the ultimate melancholy, summer-is-over breakbeat torch song. The understated vocal from Cindy Lee, the former frontperson of indie band Women, is framed by a sequencer lead straight out of "Temptation"-era New Order and a delightfully rusty string section to underline the song's ramshackle charm. But it's when everything falls apart for an almost prog house-style breakdown that its genius truly comes through, capturing both the urgency and emptiness of leaving some place (or someone) that once meant a lot to you. -Andrew Ryce

I say this year but 25 votes feels like not enough. I'm doing a preliminar list and I'm at the letter "f" and already have 40 on my shortlist :/

oh hey no "bar italia" noms on the tracks... thought they were popular in here considering their thread seemed to get revived a lot thru the year.

also no "george clanton" tracks... he seemed pretty popular on other eoy lists.

Hi Moka and Sean - thanks for coordinating. I've spotted a handful of duplicates on the album doc, as follows:

Tara Clerkin Trio - On the Turning Ground
Titanic - Vidrio
Tzusing - Green Hat
Prairiewolf- S/T

Thank you!

Also a duplicate on the tracks

vayda - prima donna

You should obviously vote for everything I nominated, but if not at least check these out which I wholeheartedly endorse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut6Y13Zi5Kg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeKcNx5FL90

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

mostly i just want to advocate for lamp - dusk to dawn. the shibuya-kei greats put out a double album and it's perhaps the coziest album i have ever heard? they have fantastic melodic instincts, the arrangements are gorgeous and lush, and cover so much stylistic ground, it's so wonderful. riyl: 'city pop', the sort of jazz that ends up in mario soundtracks, court & spark, steve mcqueen

if anyone hasn't heard jim legxacy's emo-afrobeats yet they really should change that too.

two singles i love:

max tundra - lights 2023: tundra reworks a 20-year old track of his into hyperpop bloc party

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x9CggWVsiA

cruel santino feat. s-smart - ftr: rage synths with mbalax drums is the sound of the future

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGhEzL3e72o

Sorry, but I'm gonna have to write this one in. I could have swore it was nominated but I was mistaken.

A travesty, but hopefully the album does quite well.

Have spent about 5 hours driving today with the tracks playlist on shuffle and in all that time can honestly say I only skipped two tracks.

Stellar selections everyone 🙂

And xp to Jordan: it's definitely thrilling when one of your own nominations comes up lol

oh hey no "bar italia" noms on the tracks... thought they were popular in here considering their thread seemed to get revived a lot thru the year.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Tuesday, January 2, 2024 7:37 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

the tracey denim album will make it

for those using Tidal, I made a Tidal version of both playlists here:

Tracks: https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/44136f81-6f77-49f1-88d7-14e432e21de0
Albums: https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/851a1d70-f07e-4971-b6a0-5bfffe7414b9

And I'm just going to take a minute to praise this fairly unique musical achievement:

Oneohtrix Point Never - Memories of Music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkky_GnDKIQ

This track has all these various sections it goes through, never really repeating anything but somehow flows beautifully from one thing to the next. When I first started listening to it I kept thinking that this part or another reminds of various stuff I've listened to in the past (mostly prog-ish 70s stuff but not just that I think) but could never definitively place anything and then I notice that the track is called "Memories of Music".

Thanks silverfish, saved me a job

I was asked who would "do a Ruger" this year from my noms. I strongly encourage you to consider these:

DJ Cleo - J'ai Vu Le Loup
It's just a huge, huge slammer of an South African dance anthem based, incongruently, around a traditional French folk song. Big in every way; especially in the way it builds. My number one so far as it never fails to grab people's attentions when I play it out in my sets:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdVCaZH9NrE

Buni Garlin - Hard Fete
Best late entry of the century: "I'm not going no small fete / Let me extend my apologies / Only big fete with big flag going overhead like canopies". Bunji is NOT messing about with this heavyweight piece of a power soca party anthem. ALL SOCA LOVERS DO THIS!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97bq9Kjmr3E

Sho Madjozi - Chale
Another staple of my DJ sets. Sho Madjozi is an undeniable talent who's been ploughing her own specific furrow in the Afro-dance scene for years but always seems to top herself. I'd be surprised if this doesn't make Top 77 at least. It's just so good. I also wanted to shout about another Sho Madjozi track in conjunction with CTT Beats, "Balotelli", which I think is equally as good but perhaps less well known.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut3lDyGoqVU

96 Back - Laco
Discovered via the bobbins thread. There's nothing subtle or restrained about this utter divebomb of a dance track. C'MON!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uPnCjKlPaQ

Mika Singh, Neha Kakkar & Sachin-Jigar - Bijili
We don't talk about Bollywood enough on ILM, no no no; and I've been guilty of ignoring what happens in South Asian and Desi-adjacent music until this year. But I tell you if I'm in the middle of a diverse set and I drop this sort of thing, people just go BANAAAANAS. Fully intend to start a dedicated rolling thread for sub-continental music soon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhKqa0qJoLM

Young Marco - What You Say?
This is exactly the kind of stuff that makes it to EOY number 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_8EpT4Qxxk

Jux - Nice (Kiss)
Amapiano is now safely out the bottle and safely spreading throughout the world. Jux's Tanazanian take on the genre is one of my favourites of the year. It's just *chef's kiss* MWAH!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsuWIa1vTJ0

seen both of these bands live, both amazing and very underrated even on ILM

North Americans - Long Cool World album
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgfD359c1yU

Behold The Arctopus -Interstellar Overtrove album
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y9gP1FMapA

Durand Jones's Wait Til I Get Over deserved more love from the EOY lists, earning a #2 spot on Pop Matters's list but otherwise flying under the radar despite an 88 on Metacritic.

A super personal classic soul, gospel, and R&B record that lovingly paints a picture of Southern Black life via imagery and poetry about his hometown of Hillaryville, Louisiana, named for ex-slave Hillary Rice: "Most visitors are still greeted by the tall, sprite green, green sugar cane basking in the presence of the sun," the same sugar cane depicted on the album's cover. Beyond geography and history, Jones sings stirringly about queer love ("That Feeling") and civil rights ("Someday We'll All Be Free"). He is the star -- I'm reminded of the confidence of Marvin Gaye, the exuberance of Stevie Wonder -- but the gritty production is a triumph, too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1Eq7tpGTjc

Bumped into this one on the noms playlist. Really slick. Saved it for listening again later and then watched the really cool music video and it made me like it even more. Definitely voting for this one.

METTE - mama’s eyes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi9OBRzbMNI

thanks folks for reporting duplicates above - I'm cleaning those up as I go

I think “Chale” will make it, considering throwing a vote her way.

Also on the afropop section want to give a shout out to Victony. I think it’s a Nabozo nom and I’ve been loving everything I’ve heard from him, very warm production.

Researching “Mette” and it seems she’s been on Pharrell’s dance troupe for years which explains her physical confidence both live and on the music video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTCtSOlzNV0

Don't know if this was asked but were reissue compilations allowed? I love Dream Dolphin - Gaia: Selected Ambient & Downtempo Works (1996-2003) but I'd realized these sorta things were allowed I'd have nominated the Hydroplane singles compilation for instance... dang!

but if*

Oh look, The Necks album is streaming now too. I had to stop my shuffling and listen to all 17 minutes of 'Imprinting'.

A few more recs from my list:

Nikki Nair & Hudson Mohawke - Set the Roof (dance single of the year contender?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LJs80e87iM

Dave Easley - Ballads (jazz from an incredible pedal steel player with Jeff Parker on second guitar)

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

Ambrose Akinmusire (w/Bill Frisell & Herlin Riley) - Owl Song (super beautiful & delicate trumpet/guitar/drums trio record with the masters)

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

Rasmus Oppenhagen Krogh - Until Then (restrained, minimal 'nordic noir' Danish jazz)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9x7pdWgMG4

Holly Waxwing - Meridians (gossamer thin hyperpop?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5Lou-dIvok

Moka: Mama's Eyes has been on the 2023 Listening Club playlist you maintain most of the year lol xps

Yeah! I was aware of it! Gorilla vs Bear also had it on his mid-2023 list iirc. I liked it when I heard it in the past but didn’t really click on me enough to add it to my own favorites. It clicked hard a couple nights ago.

Ironically songs that I suggested myself to the ongoing playlist did the opposite thing and have fell out of favor for me lol

i nommed two Kylie tracks including Padam Padam but I'm probably going to give far, far more points to Tension, which is great imo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-aEr4WRPYk

Noticed this post & form say 2022 still - hopefully this doesn't cause any confusion on the admin side of things.

Also - voted! This year was probably my most disconnected from music in a while, with only a few things really worthy of being on my list, but was still able to put together 25 albums.

If you check out one album, please check this one out:
https://rancapduoi.bandcamp.com/album/1

Last year Tove Lo released arguably her best album Dirt Femme and it seemed like the cycle was done. Then in January she dropped this magnificent song for 2023. She then released two other songs to make a deluxe set of that album. I only went to one show in 2023 and this was it. When she did this song I was screaming and dancing my ass off, as I think it's a Pop gem. I only saw this song on the Rolling Stones EOY list though I didn't scan every list this year. Anyways, for your consideration as this was just some bonus song from her that she released.

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

yall gotta start doing this earlier in the year. hard to get excited about eoy lists in february

it's confusing Tove Lo now has a Borderline (which I wasn't aware of, so thanks for that) when that is also the name of Tove Styrke's arguably biggest hit, at least in the US, from way back in 2015.

submitted a ballot. trax only, mixed w/ 22 unweighted bc once again my exposure to current music was pathetic this year. i failed to do nominations before the deadline so about half the ballot was not nominated. as my 'campaigning' i will just... post them here

SZA - Snooze
Coco Jones - ICU
Doechii feat. Kodak Black - What It Is (Block Boy)
Doja Cat - Agora Hills
Drake feat. Sexyy Red & SZA - Rich Baby Daddy
Ivan Cornejo - Aquí Te Espero
Kaliii - Area Codes
Lola Brooke feat. Latto & Yung Miami - Don't Play With It
Rod Wave - Boyz Don't Cry
Rylo Rodriguez feat. NoCap - Thang For You
That Mexican OT, Paul Wall & DRODI - Johnny Dang
Troye Sivan - Got Me Started
Victoria Monét - On My Mama

snooze is my #1, yes ik it's from an album that many if not most of us heard when it released last year but some songs grow even more special to me w/ public exposure/reaction, even when it's as sleeperish as it was for this song

Enjoying Rasmus Oppenhagen Krogh, Jordan. Love this sort of thing

yall gotta start doing this earlier in the year. hard to get excited about eoy lists in february

― flopson, Wednesday, January 3, 2024 9:14 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

hard disagree

Yup. I like the amount of time I have to properly reflect on the year, listen to nominations, and hell, even listen up to the end of the year. It's weird seeing other EOY lists coming out three-quarters of the way through the year itself, and I always feel sorry for releases that come in that interim Nov/Dec period

I also relish being able to add to my favorites until the end of the year— the EOY lists and noms here are often wildly fruitful in providing new sounds to listen to. exhibit a: like others, i came into the end of the year thinking it wasn’t that great for music, but now am convinced that i just wasn’t looking in the right places!

Glad you like it DL - if you want here's the playlist I have going for this vibe, mostly Scandinavian jazz and Bill Frisell (ideally both)
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7AYLYgDPQ0S6nsiBBm1Rjb?si=f63af073d6e44d31

I agree that it's really nice to look forward to this in Jan/Feb after the dust has settled with all the other EOY shit, in the depths of winter when there's not much going on otherwise.

Thanks! (and here's mine, but it needs updating so I'll maybe crib a few from yours! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3ygoq0yNv96a5z2fPlocJV?si=9823c3b3f2314f28 )

it's gonna take a lot of work for me to put a tracks ballot together but if i do i'm putting the following song on it:

Ratboys - Black Earth, WI

Will do another post praising discoveries once I'm further through the tracks playlist. Some good stuff for sure.

In the meantime, here are the nominations of mine I'm particularly interested in others hearing:

The motivational pop smash of 2023! Going straight to the hyperpop source (Scritti Politti) and creating this immortal banger
(Hannah Diamond - Affirmations)
Triumphantly terrifying synth-folk ceremony that isn't quite of this dimension
(MXLX - Kitab Siriyun)
the real ultrapop
(katie dey - never falter hero girl)
the other real ultrapop (new age version) (WARNING HARSH VOX!!!)
(Fire-Toolz - Everything And Everywhere Is A Divine Mirror)
3 minutes and 20 seconds of what can only be described as 'the most imago songwriting possible', by everyone's favourite 66 year-old furry <3
(Bob Drake - The Belua Bell)

There has also been an uptick in me nominating things by my talented friends, but you'll be hearing a lot more about them over the following year...

it's gonna take a lot of work for me to put a tracks ballot together but if i do i'm putting the following song on it:

Ratboys - Black Earth, WI

― ivy., Thursday, January 4, 2024

I nominated this and will be voting for it as well. One of my favorite December discoveries.

Voted! Forgot any campaigning so probably some solo votes for some NZ/Chinese stuff, ah well.

would like to see your ballot after rollout

I VOTED(albums)

going to close in ~8 hours

voted

voted y'day

voted

voted

I am trying to persuade one more (my usual sidekick) to get something together in the next hour. Her late-night Magic The Gathering getting in the way of duty

only had time to do a tracks ballot this year but I'm glad I made it

Only managed albums, but voted!

How long we got?

how long do you need?

Eek, despite imago's incessant pestering I am only just on this. If there can be ten more generous minutes I will throw something together

Phew!

ok unless anyone shouts very soon I'll wrap it up

Voting has been closed! Rollout for mmm tracks on Monday!

Whoop!

Exciting. How does the turnout compare to other years?

https://i.imgur.com/p8zvWNd.png

oh boy a new low!

Wow, half as many track voters as 10 years ago!

friends, we are the actual 77

It's still a decent number, imo. The internet has changed a lot over a decade and we don't really get that much new blood in, so I imagine the decline will continue (unless the splintering of social media somehow pushes youngsters to old-school boards??). Having ~75 people on a message board who are passionate enough about music to submit a ballot, well, to me that seems pretty good.

makes a more interesting start to the rollout too

oops forgot to vote

Am I the only one who thinks there are two giant frontrunners this year? Caroline Polachek and Super Shy seems like ILX catnip to me.

I only managed an album ballot this year. Partly a true reflection of my changed listening habits (and busyness) in '23, partly just not having the time or will to sort out a tracks ballot

Am I the only one who thinks there are two giant frontrunners this year? Caroline Polachek and Super Shy seems like ILX catnip to me.

― Frederik B, Saturday, January 20, 2024 1:36 PM (one minute ago)

ILM is so quiet now I have little sense what people are enthused about en masse. I didn't try very hard with the search, but there seem to be like 3 posts about Super Shy? CP probably a strong contender, but I have no clue really

Polachek should be my catnip but somehow isn't. Still will do well?

I actually threw "Super Shy" on the very end of my Tracks ballot... I don't even love it enough for my own year-end playlist, but it's a cool track I felt like mixing things up

so... I always forget how many tracks to do per day... 77/5 is 15.4 tracks per day... so...

I was thinking

Mon 15
Tu 16
Wed 16
Thu 15
Fri 15

In case I see my schedule a bit busy one of those days I might move a couple songs more per day and end up Friday with the top 10... suggestions are welcome.

I think it has been:

Mon 17
Tues 20
Wed 20
Thur 20

Am I the only one who thinks there are two giant frontrunners this year? Caroline Polachek and Super Shy seems like ILX catnip to me.

i think both will be top 10 but i have no expectations beyond that

I think it has been:

Mon 17
Tues 20
Wed 20
Thur 20

― Bee OK

Oh this works better for me!

broke my 10+ year streak of voting this year as I haven't purposely listened to any music since around March. will happily read the rollout and try to imagine what stuff sounds like :)

All I have to say is that it’s a pretty diverse list compared to other eoy lists and y’all like some pretty weird pop things.

thank goodness.

yay

i'd be disappointed if that wasn't the case

hee hee

it’s a pretty diverse list compared to other eoy lists and y’all like some pretty weird pop things.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka)

Excellent!

Also, I'm down with more results per day and a Thursday end. I think it's varied a few times over the years but seems good to me.

i had a shortlist of 150 then 50 and then made some tough choices to whittle it down

― omar little, Friday, January 19, 2024 10:07 PM (two days ago) bookmarkflaglink

exact same quandary and process

Apologies for not voting. Expert Witness ballot due at the very same moment, and I simply spaced this. But ILM noms and results are always intriguing, look forward to the rollout.

Well, I made up for you. A gazillion years on this site and I finally voted in my first end-of-year poll

Good for you!

A handful of friends shared our Uproxx ballots with each other via email in late November; three of us voted "Chalé." So I excitedly turned to the Uproxx results in mid December, and saw that "Chalé" got... 3 votes. Still, will be surprised if it doesn't make the top 77 here. Just so bright and dramatic and ghostly and danceable.

It's a lock for the countdown and a strong top 10 contender (I think, I hope).

That's excellent Vinnie and I hope you make it an annual event.

Wish I'd voted for more tracks, but I'm glad I got a ballot in!

I always feel unqualified to vote, I tend to get my recommendations from our eoy polls! But I listened to about 25 albums from 2023 and that's more than usual, so I threw in my short ballot

Big thanks to whoever nominated Say She She. Submitted my ballot before randomly shuffling across it in the album noms playlist. Def would've been top 5.