ILM's Top 77 Tracks of 2025: Ballots/Stats/Recriminations Thread

The tracks poll rollout is over: ILM's Top 77 Tracks of 2025

And now? Now it's time to post up your ballots and check your fuxx0r quotient, while finding out how few people voted for your special favourite that fell outside of the 77 (they're all fools and your ballot was best, my friend).

Full results
Voter stats

Mine - 9 of these made it (might be a record for me?)
Bold = did not place

8485 & Danny Brown - G.I.R.L.
No Peeling - Can I Pet That Dog?
Marie Davidson - Demolition
Ninajirachi - Fuck My Computer
The New Eves - Cow Song
Yasmine Hamdan - Shmaali شمالي Tarweeda (Nicolas Jaar Remix)
Rosalia - Berghain
Gelli Haha - Bounce House
the tubs - narcissist
Connexion Man - The Plough
Castle Rat - Wizard
Cannelle - FILLE
Prolapse - The Fall of Cashline
Girls Rituals - Das Dicke End Kommt Noch!
Juana Molina - Siestas ahí
Water From Your Eyes - Playing Classics
Sudan Archives - DEAD
Blawan - WTF
Minor Science - Mortals
Lucrecia Dalt ft. David Sylvian - cosa rara
Kate Nash - GERM
Florence Adooni - A.E.I.O.U.
HUNTR/X - Golden
LSDXOXO, Boys Noize & VTSS - RED
Kedr Livanskiy - Night Trains

My stats are sadly boring, I'm pretty much in the middle of everything. My closest neighbour was seandalai, which I swear was not some kind of poll-runners' plot.

Forgot to save my ballot once again, looks like I had 5 place and it's unsurprising that nxd and I are mutual neighbors

12/77 placed, my top 7 all placed which was nice for once.

Real Lies- Wild Sign I Choose You
Amaarae - S.M.O.
Real Lies - Down and Out (Where E-Girls Dare)
Minor Science- Mortals
caroline & Caroline Polachek - Tell me I never knew that
Blawan- WTF
Blood Orange - The Field
James K- Play
Cory Hanson- Bird on a Swing
Barker- Reframing
Burial- Imaginary Festival
James K- Days Go By
Geese- Au Pays Du Cocaine
Hodge - Trent (Knee Jerk Mix)
DjRUM- A Tune for Us
Annahstasia- Villain
Real Lies- Shulgin
1-800 GIRLS - there 4 u
Amaarae- Fineshyt
Nation of Language- Inept Apollo
Oklou ft. Bladee - take me by the hand
Baths- Eden
Geese - 100 Horses

I am most surprised that Au Pays du Cocaine didn’t place, tbh! closest to ufo, which is unsurprising

Bold placed

Rosalía – Dios es un Stalker
Addison Rae – Headphones On
Shallipopi - Laho
Bad Bunny – Baile Inolvidable
Mawhoo, GL_Ceejay & Thukuthela – Bengicela
Erika de Casier – Miss
Juana Molina – Siestas ahí
Tropical Fuck Storm – Bye Bye Snake Eyes
Focalistic, Ch'cco & Sims Noreng – Beyoncé Baby
Sudan Archives – My Type
Darkside – S.N.C.
CIZA, Jazzworx & Thukuthela – Isaka (6am)
S.G. Goodman – Snapping Turtle
Annahstasia – Believer
Moliy & Silent Addy - Shake It to the Max (FLY)
Blood Orange – The Field
Sofia Kourtesis & Daphni – Unidos
Ayra Starr – Hot Body
Marie Davidson - Unknowing
Babalwa M ft. JAZZWRLD, Thukuthela & GL_Ceejay - Amaphutha
Uncle Waffles ft. Royal MusiQ, Uncool MC, Xduppy & CowBoii - Zenzele
Jenny Hval - To be a rose
Amaarae – S.M.O.

Oh look, I did vote for number 1 after all, tucked it in last minute at the end of my ballot and forgot about it

I'm doing bold=placed and you can't stop me

Pulp - Slow Jam #295
Pinkpantheress - Illegal #6
Kate Nash - GERM #140
Badger - Canva (Why?) #359
Real Lies - Wild Sign I Choose You #15
xiangyu ft. Sawa Angstrom - とか言って #206
Canelle - Fille #25
Sudan Archives - My Type #22
Cameo Blush - One Chance #454
Saint Etienne - Glad #64
Tracey ft. Riko Dan - Sex Life #65
Ninajirachi - Fuck My Computer #76
Charli XCX ft. John Cale - House #131
Amaarae - S.M.O. #1
Model/Actriz - Cinderella #64
Nia Archives & Clipz - Maia Maia #223
deBasement - Aperol Spritz #350
CMAT - Jamie Oliver Petrol Station #47
The Dare - Tambourine #350
Coen - Headbanger #161
Fred Again, Plaqueboymax & Skepta - Victory Lap #170
Miimii KDS & DJ Skycee - SéMiimii #217
Moliy & Silent Addy ft. Skillibeng & Shenseea - Shake It To The Max (FLY) (Remix) #12
Loula Yorke – Time is a Succession of Such Shapes #393
Lola Young - Messy #783

5 of mine placed:

Alex G - Afterlife
Beach Bunny - Chasm
Chappell Roan - The Subway
Darkside - S.N.C
Destroyer - Bologna
Eddie Chacon ft. John Carroll Kirby - Empire
FKA Twigs - Perfect Stranger
FKA Twigs - Room of Fools
Haim - Down to Be Wrong
Jay Som ft. Soft Glas - What You Need
jim legxacy - 06 wayne rooney
Lindstrom - Cirkl
Madison McFerrin - Ain't It Nice
Mogwai - God Gets You Back
Nao - Wildflowers
Pinkpantheress - Tonight
Sabrina Carpenter - Tears
Sam Prekop - Open Close
SML - Taking Out the Trash
Sofia Kourtesis - Corazon
Stereolab - Melodie is a Wound
Taylor Swift - Ruin the Friendship
Tortoise - Oganesson
Water From Your Eyes - Playing Classics
Wednesday - Elderberry Wine

Great job, poll runners. Thank you!

Bold - placed, weighted:

Slayyyter - Beat Up Chanel$
Canelle - Fille
CMAT - Euro-Country
Chase Icon - Bands On Me
Ch111oe - Road
Wednesday - Bitter Everyday
Addison Rae - Headphones On
d.silvestre - Ela Trava
Debby Friday - All I Wanna Do Is Party
Grimes - Artificial Angels
Judeline - Chica de Cristal
Sigrid - Jellyfish
S1rena - Oxytoc1n
The New Eves - Cow Song
Anna von Hausswolff - Stardust
Momma - I Want You (Fever)
Ethel Cain - Nettles
Clipse - So Be It
esdeekid - 4 raws
Isabella Lovestory - Puchica
Megan Thee Stallion - Bigger In Texas
Smerz - You got time and I got money
fakemink - Easter Pink
Avalon Emerson - Eden
Miley Cyrus - The End Of The World

xpost (unweighted ballot, so it's alphabetical)

weighted, only 2 placed but they were both in the top 3

Patrick Wolf - Jupiter
Ezra Furman - Grand Mal
Harmony - Where Strangers Go
Spellling - Ammunition
Water From Your Eyes - Playing Classics
Jane Remover ft. Danny Brown - Psychoboost
Amaarae - S.M.O.
Stereolab - Transmuted Matter
Cate Le Bon - Body as a River
Sherelle - XTC
IE - Simplify
Real Lies - Arielle
Ale Hop & Titi Bakorta - Nitaangaza
Cleo Reed - Wash All Over Me
Maria Somerville - Violet
Sword II - Sentry
Naemi - Puer Aeturnus
Products Band - You Bend the Light
Jim Legxacy - SOS
The Convenience - Vanity Shapes
Sarah McLachlan - Better Broken
Swervedriver - The World's Fair
Jenevieve - Head Over Heels
Double Virgo - Red Card
Frankie Cosmos - Vanity

Miimii KDS & DJ Skycee - SéMiimii #217

oh noooo how did I miss this on the noms list, I love this song ;_;

bold dnp.
** = sole voter

Justin Bieber - DAISIES
Rosalia - Divinize
Alex G - Afterlife
FKA Twigs - Room of Fools
Yeule - Dudu**
Darkside - S.N.C
Avalon Emerson - Eden
Geese - Taxes
Wolf Alice - Bloom Baby Bloom
Chappell Roan - The Subway
Erika de Casier - Delusional
Justin Bieber - Speed Demon**
Great Grandpa - Task**
Annahstasia - Villain
Water From Your Eyes - Playing Classics
Coen - Headbanger
Tracey ft. Riko Dan - Sex Life
Titantic - Te tragaste el chicle
Guitarricadelafuente - Port Pelegri**
Blawan - WTF
Taylor Swift - Ruin the Friendship
Haim - Relationships
Wet Leg - mangetout
James McMurtry - Sons of the Second Sons**
DjRUM - A Tune for Us

mixed ballot innit:

D. Tiffany - Heaven Tomorrow
A Sagittariun - Microdreaming
Neggy Gemmy - Mysterious Girl
Elaine Howley - Hold Me In A New Way
Water From Your Eyes - Playing Classics
Keanu Nelson - Place Where I Go

Acolyte - The Blue Dark (Eyes Of Others Remix)
Ana CMP - Onegai
Bibi Club - Amaro
Braga Circuit - DOML
Decius - I Gave Birth 2 U
Delores Galore - The Veil
DJ Subaru ft. Chopper Johnson - Dog
Fleet Dreams - Secret Of The Golden Flower
Ground - IkoIkoIko
Johnny Sais Quoi - Love On Ice
Liquid Earth - Supersonic Madonna
Lover's Touch - Thinking About You
Pangaea - Mania
Real Lies - Towards Horses
Shanti Celeste - Thinking About You
Tony Morris & Isa Gordon - Wake Up Baby
Tony Price - Gone
Yaleesa Hall - Voices
Yetsuby - FLY

I'm doing bold=placed and you can't stop me
― Dance Yourself Dizzy To The Music of Time (Camaraderie at Arms Length)

God damn it, not even when I'm running the damn thing. I just like to highlight the ones that *didn't* get love.

Ha, just going by feels, sorry, bold seems like more important.

Just done a quick calculation and if the Pulp votes were combined then they would be at #10, however clearly we could not agree on which song that would be so this is purely theoretical, only surprised Tina did so well as it's maybe the 6th best song on the album imo.

wow, 'Abracadabra' and 'Pussy Palace' in particular I thought would be much higher.

would like to know who made one of my nominations, Ha Vay's 'Spellbound' their #1

Bold placed
Italic sole voter
* did not nominate
** did not nominate and new to me in the playlist

MIXED

Sudan Archives - DEAD
Daniel Avery, Cecile Believe - Rapture In Blue
Future Utopia, Lava La Rue - The Pleasure Trap
Ha Vay - Spellbound
Perfume Genius - Full On
God's Mom - La Luna Su Milano (Moon King Remix)
Getdown Services, Mumble Tide - Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
Propaganda, Thunder Bae - They Call Me Nocebo (Tangerine Dream Remix)
Salute, Peter Xan - Gbesoke
Girl Talk ft. T-Pain & Yaeji - Believe In Ya (Max Tundra Remix)
Helen Island - Hot Zone, Regular Day
Miso Extra - Certified
Sofia Kourtesis & Daphni - Unidos

Farhot, Siriusmo - Hooyoo
Ivy Lab - Daily Star
Matt Berry - Wedding Photo Stranger (Tennis Remix)
Lucy Rose - Pale Blue Eyes
Sophia Kennedy - Rodeo
St. Vincent - DOA (from 'Death Of A Unicorn')
Gelli Haha - Bounce House**
Kelly Lee Owens - Sunshine (Miso Extra Remix)
Nilüfer Yanya - Cold Heart*
Minor Science - Mortals**
Miguel - The Killing**
Domenique Dumont - Visages Visages*

unweighted, bold ones placed

Annahstasia - Villain
Baths - Sea of Men
C.A.R. - Shyana
deBasement - Aperol Spritz
Decius ft. Liad Saoudi - Queen of 14th St.
Deradoorian - No No Yes Yes
Elaine Howley - Hold Me in a New Way
Erika de Casier - You Can't Always Get What You Want
Eva - Take Me...Mr. Love (Luca dell'Orso Remix)
Helen Island - Hot Zone, Regular Day
Hydroplane - Incident at Westall
Ivan & Johnny - Balance No Bass
James K - Days Go By
Joanne Robertson ft. Oliver Coates - Always Were
Joseph Shabason, Nicholas Krgovich, Tenniscoats - Lose My Breath
Klon Dump - Dame, Vo Regars
Marie Davidson - Fun Times
Model/Actriz - Cinderella
Pleasure Systems - Diet Pepsi
Real Lies - Wild Sign I Choose You
Smerz - Feisty
Snapped Ankles - Pay the Rent
The Lewers - I Can't Sleep (But I've Been Trying)
These New Puritans ft. Caroline Polachek - Industrial Love Song
Water from Your Eyes - Nights in Armor

my top neighbor is table :)

:-)

Ichiko Aoba - Luciferine
Bitchin Bajas - Graut
DjRUM - A Tune for Us
HUNTR/X - Golden
Rosalia - Divinize
Oklou ft. Bladee - take me by the hand
Sudan Archives - A Bug's Life
Stereolab - Melodie is a Wound
Geese - 100 Horses
Rosalia - Mio Cristo Piange Diamanti
Orcutt Shelley Miller - A Long Island Wedding
Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling and Andreas Werliin - Chahar
Cameron Winter - Love Takes Miles
Kehlani - Folded
deftones - my mind is a mountain
Circuit des Yeux - Truth
Men I Trust - To Ease You
oklou - obvious
Horsegirl - Well I Know You're Shy
Saja Boys - Soda Pop
Tortoise - Vexations
Deradoorian - No No Yes Yes
Burial - Comafields
Floating Points - Corner of my eye
westerman - nevermind

weighted

Cocojoey - Trust In Events
Stereolab - Melodie is a Wound
Water From Your Eyes - Playing Classics
katseye - gnarly
Spellling - Ammunition
caroline - Total Euphoria
Model/Actriz - Cinderella
23wa - Atto, Alto
Sans Beanstalk - Producdivvity

maybe I'll nominate some next year but I am enjoying this hit-rate lol

I realise I'm an ILM-lifer when I feel such a warm rush of affection looking at who I'm neighbours with on these polls.

My ballot, bold DNP:

uh - nostos
Min Taka - Pyramid
Water From Your Eyes - Playing Classics
Kelly Lee Owens - Rise (Or:la Remix)
Imperieux - Kala
Debby Friday - 1/17
Bjarki - Rave Daddy (Ploy's absent father mix)
Jane Paknia - The Dream Is This
Elaine Howley - Hold Me In A New Way
Falle Nioke - Heaviness (Hagop Tchaparian Remix)
Oxis - Papaoutai
Oldboy - Maximum
mpeg - Bad Intel
George Riley - Slow
Alps 2 - Yeses
Amaarae - S.M.O.
MÖRDA ft. Mnqobi Yazo - Izigi
Jennifer Walton - Born Again Backwards
Demi Riquisimo + The Trip - On A Roll
SoFTT - Cerca Al Cielo
sam goku - x-plor 01
Nourished By Time - When The War Is Over
Leon Vynehall ft. Beau Nox - Cruel Love
Justin Bieber - DAISIES
Avalon Emerson - Eden

mixed ballot, bold placed, italic sole voter

Peter Van Hoesen - Prime Directive
Minor Science - Mortals
Cleyra - There's Nothing Happening Between Us
Coen - Headbanger
Imperieux - Kala
Rivet - Sacrosanct
upsammy - Open Catalyst
Loula Yorke – Time is a Succession of Such Shapes
The Body - Empty Hearth
Rian Treanor - Another Future Is Impossible
Ichiko Aoba - Luciferine
Bibi Club - Amaro

Jlin - B12
Crooked Man - Don't Leave Me This Way (Extended Mix)
Destroyer - Hydroplaning Off The Edge Of The World
Extrawelt - Mindwear
Marie Davidson - Unknowing
Olof Dreijer - Iris
sherelle - speed (endurance)
Aitch - BOUNCE
Nia Archives & Clipz - Maia Maia
Extrawelt - Mindwear
HUNTR/X - Golden
Nilüfer Yanya - Cold Heart

Weirdly one of my sole voter tracks is for a track I didn't even nominate (Crooked Man - Don't Leave Me This Way (Extended Mix))

also, through some copy-paste error I accidentally put a track twice on my ballot

about a quarter of my ballot is stuff I first heard while listening to the tracks nominations

wait i'm second in hivemind? lmao shit i better nominate some next time

we all noticed that imago

faintly embarrassed by my half-baked ballot. I promise to do better next year.

AJ Tracey & Jorja Smith - Crush
Armanii - JUMP (BOUNCE)
Ayetian, Govana & Nvtzz - Wah Yo Deh Pan
Ayo Maff - Lazy Baby
Barker - Reframing
Dijon - Baby!
Ela Minus - UPWARDS
Falle Nioke - Say Say Say
Florence Adooni - A.E.I.O.U.
Jim Legxacy - SOS
Kehlani - Folded
Kieran Hebden & William Tyler - Spider Ballad
Koffee - Koffee
laurie torres - intérieurs (jeremiah chiu remix)
Moliy & Silent Addy ft. Skillibeng & Shenseea - Shake It To The Max (FLY) (Remix)
Nilüfer Yanya - Cold Heart
Nilüfer Yanya - Kneel
Rema - Baby (Is It a Crime)
Say She She - Cut & Rewind
Shallipopi - Laho
Skippa - WYFL
Sofia Kourtesis - Canela Pura
Sofia Kourtesis & Daphni - Unidos
Tems - Big Daddy
Yasmine Hamdan - Shmaali شمالي Tarweeda (Nicolas Jaar Remix)

mixed ballot, bold placed

Amaarae – S.M.O.
anaiis – Deus Deus
FKA Twigs – Striptease
Kehlani - Folded
Laura Groves - Deep Blue

Dawuna - Love Jaunt
Erika de Casier - You Can't Always Get What You Want
oklou - obvious
Model/Actriz - Cinderella
Summer Walker - Spend It
Lucrecia Dalt ft. David Sylvian - cosa rara
Space Ghost & Teddy Bryant - Majestic Fantasies
Elujay - Circles
Tems - Big Daddy
Odeal ft. Leon Thomas - Miami
Say She She - Cut & Rewind
keiyAa - i h8 u
Nick Hakim & Roy Nathanson - Waiting
gabriel jacoby - baby
DjRUM - A Tune for Us
THEY. - diamonds and pearls
Tyla - CHANEL
Zara Larsson - Midnight Sun
Tate McRae - Sports Car
Dry Cleaning - Hit My Head All Day

Unweighted ballot, bold placed:

Addison Rae - Headphones On
Amaarae - S.M.O.
Ayo Maff - Lazy Baby
Beach Bunny - Chasm
Canelle - Fille
CIZA, Jazzwrld & Thukuthela – Isaka (6am)
Cocojoey - Trust In Events
Cristale, Toddla T - Vogue
DJ Seinfeld and Confidence Man - The Right
Esdeekid - LV Sandals
Falle Nioke - Say Say Say
FKA twigs - HARD
George Riley - Slow
Jade - Unconditional
jae stephens - smh
Momma - I Want You (Fever)
Myaap - Fairy
Opal Sunn - Elastic (Phase I)
Oscar Mbo and Jazzworx (aka Jazzwrld) ft. Thukuthela - Vuka
Ratboys - Light Night Mountains All That
Sabrina Carpenter - Manchild
Shanti Celeste - Thinking About You
Sharp Pins - Popafangout
Sofia Kourtesis - Canela Pura
The Beths - Take

top neighbour Tim F. Sounds about right!

the bold ones placed:

SoFTT - Cerca Al Cielo
Zara Larsson - Midnight Sun
Mallrat - Pavement
George Riley - Slow
underscores - Do It

Alps 2 - Yeses
Cami - POSEÍDA
Charli XCX - Chains Of Love
Debby Friday - 1/17
Demi Riquisimo + The Trip - On A Roll
Fernette - Lowlands
Grace Ives - Dance With Me
Haim - Relationships
Kelly Lee Owens - ASCEND
Malla - Toista tilaisuutta ei ehkä tuu
Naomi Sharon - The Only Love We Know
Oklou - dance 2
Pangaea - Mania
Pinkpantheress - Tonight
Pom Femme - Buy Your Love
Shanti Celeste - Thinking About You
Silly Silky - Sweat, Sweaty
Sophia Stel - Everyone Falls Asleep In Their Own Time
Sudan Archives - DEAD
Sofia Kourtesis & Daphni - Unidos

Unranked ballot - bold DNP, bold+italics sole voter (was away during nomination season)

Amamelia - Summerlong
Avalon Emerson & the Charm - Eden
CHUU - Back In Town
DJ Subaru - Dog feat. Chopper Johnson
Dry Cleaning - Hit My Head All Day
Elaine Howley - Hold Me In A New Way
Ethel Cain - Waco, Texas
Ex-Vöid - Swansea
Hydroplane - Incident at Westall
Jonathan Bree - Live To Dance ft Princess Chelsea
Kelly Lee Owens - Rise (Or:la Remix)
khadija al hanafi - always treat u rite
Min Taka - Pyramid
Minor Science - Mortals
Moin - See (feat. Sophia Al-Maria and Ben Vince)
the Native Cats - Lose Count
No Peeling - Can I Pet That Dog?
These New Puritans - Bells
Tropical Fuck Storm - Joe Meek Will Inherit The Earth
the Tubs - Strange
Viagra Boys - The Bog Body
Water From Your Eyes - Driving Classics, Playing Cars
Yasmine Hamdan - Shmaali شمالي Tarweeda (Nicolas Jaar Remix)
YoSoyValentina - Arena
Zuchu feat Spice - Amanda Remix

weighted, bold placed

Opal Sunn - Elastic (Phase I)
Barker - Reframing
these new puritans - bells
Domenique Dumont - Visages Visages
Call Super - Waterways
Wally Badarou - You can't hide always
Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling and Andreas Werliin - Chahar
Real Lies - Shulgin
Alex Kassian X Spooky - Orange Coloured Liquid (Placid Angles Remix)
gyrofield - Vegetation Grows Thick
Roman Flügel - Flowers
Burial - Comafields
Pinkpantheress - Illegal
Nightdubbing - Nightdubbing (Manu Archeo Remix)
Masalo - Arcade Heartbeat
Floating Points - Corner of my eye
Jump Source ft. Martyn Bootyspoon – On
Vakula - Quantum Voyage
Douglas Greed - Everything Is Stupid I Wanna Go Home! (John Tejada Remix)
Cousin & Priori - Fly In Amber
Binary Digit - Ale By The Sea
Siinai - Kirjokansi
Shook & Legowelt - Zeitverwarpung
μ-ziq - Houzz 14
PARAMIDA & E-Talking - On Process (Mathew Jonson Remix)

unweighted, bolded placed

Moliy & Silent Addy ft. Skillibeng & Shenseea - Shake It To The Max (FLY) (Remix)
Bad Bunny - DtMF
Metro Boomin ft. YKNIECE, BreSkii, DJ Spinz & Quavo - Take Me Thru Dere
803 Fresh - Boots on the Ground (Where Them Fans At)
Oscar Mbo and Jazzworx (aka Jazzwrld) ft. Thukuthela - Vuka
Playboi Carti & The Weeknd - Rather Lie
Mike Clark, Jr. - Keep on Steppin
Horsegirl - Switch Over
Cate Le Bon - About Time
The Beths - Metal
Earl Sweatshirt - Tourmaline
Dlala Thukzin - Indaba
Tems - Big Daddy
Rosalia - La Perla
Tyler, The Creator ft. GloRilla, Sexyy Red & Lil Wayne - Sticky
Shallipopi - Laho
Kendrick Lamar ft. SZA - Luther
Jeff Tweedy - Feel Free
Clipse – Chains & Whips
Addison Rae - Headphones On
Wet Leg - Catch These Fists
Kali Uchis ft. Ravyn Lenae - Cry About It!
Rauw Alejandro & Romeo Santos - Khé?
Amadou & Mariam ft. Fally Ipupa - Sonfo
Alex G - Afterlife

I did not remember to copy and save my ballot, but my #1 and #2 were both Nashville songs that resonated for me in Tennessee this year — Ego Death at a Bachelor Party (Hayley Williams) and Don't Let the Bastards Get You Down (Margo Price). They sound like what life feels like here.

Bachelorette Party!

my ballot. usual mix of lone votes and hivemind-y picks haha. shout out to my closest neighbor, ivy

bold placed, italics lone vote

mixed ballot
Pinkpantheress - Illegal
panda bear - anywhere but here
Nourished By Time - When The War Is Over
sherelle - speed (endurance)
thirteendegreesº - da problem solva
Dijon - Yamaha
Stereolab - Transmuted Matter
these new puritans - bells
S.G. Goodman – Snapping Turtle
cameron winter - drinking age
laurie torres - intérieurs (jeremiah chiu remix)
verraco - sobe sobe ft. mc yallah
Myaap - Fairy

the new eves - rivers run red
neko case - wreck
rauw alejandro - caribeño ft. saso
snuggle - driving me crazy
ringlets - i was on that roof once
nba youngboy - shot callin
Shallipopi - Laho
deer park & ivy knight - pharmacy
mexiko dro - no date
westerman - nevermind
khadija el hanafi - always treat u rite
defcee & parallel thought - graduation picture

i cast a single vote ballot, and it was for blood orange's "the field" which placed respectably. tons of other stuff i could've voted for, but it all got repped for in the anyway.

poll runners and contributors all to be commended for another year of greatness. thank you everyone!☮️

Vexations by Tortoise was my #1

If dog latin should wonder why some rando Norwegian is his nearest neighbour, a contribution may be that during days and nights I was walking around listening the noms playlist on shuffle, there was a handful of tunes that made me go "hang on!", and prominent amongst those was Soundkraft's "1by1", which ended high in my ballot and made me check out other dl nominations, leading to I believe at least one more vote.

i threw this together at the last minute. i wasn't paying attention to things anywhere near as much as previous years and didn't keep track of standout singles this year

mixed ballot:

these new puritans - bells
Dijon - Yamaha
Justin Bieber - 405
Anna von Hausswolff - Struggle with the Beast
keiyaA - take it
Stereolab - Melodie is a Wound
George Riley - Slow
Amaarae - S.M.O.
Addison Rae - Headphones On
Sofia Kourtesis - Corazon

Avalon Emerson - Eden
Bad Bunny - DtMF
caroline & Caroline Polachek - Tell me I never knew that
Factory Floor - Between You
Geese - Taxes
James K - Play
Jim Legxacy - SOS
Leon Vynehall ft. Beau Nox - Cruel Love
MÖRDA - Izigi ft Mnqobi Yazo
Oklou ft. Bladee - take me by the hand
Real Lies - Down and Out (Where E-Girls Dare)
Rema - KELEBU
Sudan Archives - DEAD
Tems - Big Daddy
the tubs - narcissist

Mixed
*placed

*Laura Groves - Deep Blue
Oklou & FKA Twigs - Viscus
*Elaine Howley - Hold Me In A New Way
Herbert & Momoko - Babystar
Dj Python - Marry Me Maia
*Dijon - Yamaha
Joseph Shabason & Dawn Richard - Broken Hearted Sade
*Neggy Gemmy - Mysterious Girl
Saya Gray - Lie Down..
Snuggle - Dust

*Addison Rae - Headphones On
*Avalon Emerson - Eden
*Barker - Reframing
Dean Blunt, Elias Rønnenfelt - lucre 2
*DjRUM - A Tune for Us
*Erika de Casier - You Can't Always Get What You Want
*James K - Play
Mallrat - Pavement
Maria Somerville - Garden
Moin Sophia Al-Maria and Ben Vince - See
*Moliy & Silent Addy ft. Skillibeng & Shenseea - Shake It To The Max (FLY) (Remix)
Nilüfer Yanya - Treason
Rosalía - Dios es un Stalker
*Smerz - You got time and I got money
Sophia Stel - Everyone Falls Asleep In Their Own Time

Yikes, second loneliest voter this year (the mysterious Paul with his 4 track ballot aside). I was sole voter for 15 of the following. Nonetheless I was reasonably happy with the 77, quite a few artists placed where I voted for the album instead.

Anyway, here's my fairly dance-heavy ballot. Weighted, and *placed:

Pangaea - Mania
Princess Nokia - Drop Dead Gorgeous
*JENNIE - like JENNIE
*Tracey ft. Riko Dan - Sex Life
Danny L Harle ft. Caroline Polachek - Azimuth
Breaka - Are We There
Phonolab, Flowdan - Ganja Provides The Answer (Gaudi Remix)
Mall Grab - The Way I'm Feeling
Shermanology & Champion - Badder
Slayyyter - Beat Up Chanel$
Cheetah & Nia Archives - Get Loose
Clark - Janus Modal
Local & Example - Head's Gone
Orbital & Confidence Man - Re-Lush
Marvellous Cain & DJ Choppah - Geno
BSearl & Ca$par - Believe Me
Jaguar - Flowers
DJ Seinfeld and Confidence Man - The Right
*Elaine Howley - Hold Me In A New Way
IVE - 삐빅 (♥beats)
DMX Krew, DVDE & Robert Owens - Set Free
*Debby Friday - 1/17
Modeselektor - Mega Mega Mega
Efdemin - Lost Somewhere in The Day
gyrofield - Vegetation Grows Thick

my ballot, bold DNP - 4 in the top 77 is I think the least hivemindy I've ever been

Yasmine Hamdan - Shmaali شمالي Tarweeda (Nicolas Jaar Remix)
Halima - eau de vie
Laura Groves - Deep Blue
Florence Adooni - A.E.I.O.U.
IU ft. Balming Tiger - A Beautiful Person
CHUU - Back in Town

Haim - Lucky Stars
Chaeyoung ft. Gliiico - Avocado
Jens Lekman ft. Matilda Sargren - On a Pier, on the Hudson
Jenny Hval - To Be A Rose
Sudan Archives - DEAD
Laura Cannell - Apparitions
Floating Points - Corner of my eye
Kali Uchis ft. Ravyn Lenae - Cry About It!
H1-KEY - Summer Was You
Kedr Livanskiy - Night Trains
Maria Somerville - Garden
Sofia Kourtesis - Canela Pura
Avalon Emerson ft. Anunaku - Sort of Like a Dream
IVE - 삐빅 (♥beats)
pôt-pot - 22° Halo
Just Mustard - WE WERE JUST HERE
NMIXX - High Horse
Call Super - Waterways

anybody lost their ballot and want me to post it here?

Oh sure!

Hey anatol_merklich! Nice to be neighbours

1by1 is definitely a great track

Thanks emil.y, Moka, seandalai, and everyone else! Weighted, bold placed:

Sophia Stel - Everyone Falls Asleep In Their Own Time
Erika de Casier - You Can't Always Get What You Want
Erika de Casier - Miss
vayda - laffy taffy
Pinkpantheress - Tonight
oklou - obvious
4batz - act xv: could we last 4ever?
Men I Trust - To Ease You
Real Lies - Wild Sign I Choose You
khadija el hanafi - always treat u rite
Dijon - Yamaha
Joanne Robertson ft. Oliver Coates - Always Were
Miley Cyrus ft. Lindsey Buckingham & Mick Fleetwood - Secrets
snuggle - driving me crazy
Neggy Gemmy - Mysterious Girl
100%Wet - Ether
B from E - Yum!
B from E - Relax
B from E - The Pop
Ethel Cain - Fuck Me Eyes
James K - Hypersoft Lovejinx Junkdream
deWaal - Surface Desire
Blondshell - T&A
The Belair Lip Bombs - Hey You
Jacy - Feel the G

tipsy's ballot

Hayley Williams - Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party
Sofia Kourtesis & Daphni - Unidos
Wet Leg - Davina McCall
Margo Price - Don't Let the Bastards Get You Down
Dijon - Yamaha
Horsegirl - Switch Over
Disclosure & Anderson .Paak - NO CAP
Sabrina Carpenter - Nobody's Son
OKlou - family and friends
Clipse - So Be It
Smerz - You got time and I got money
Max Dean, Luke Dean, Locky - Can't Decide
Snocaps - Heathcliff
YHWH Nailgun - Castrato Raw (Fullback)
Chip - Grime Scene Saviours
Cain Culto - KFC Santeria
Ethel Cain - Fuck Me Eyes
Tyler, the Creator - Stop Playing With Me
YoSoyValentina - Arena
Jaylann - Ha Wlidi
Total Fucking Darkness - Desolation Boys
Oklou & FKA Twigs - Viscus
CMAT - Euro-Country
Sudan Archives - My Type
Golomb - The Beat Goes On

weighted, did not place, sole voter

Kehlani - Folded
PinkPantheress - Illegal
Beéle - No Tiene Sentido
Gunna ft. Burna Boy - WGFT
Moliy, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea - Shake It To The Max (Fly)
Real Lies - Shulgin
Rauw Alejandro - Tú Con Él
Justin Bieber - Yukon
803Fresh - Boots On The Ground
Kendrick Lamar & SZA - Luther
Lil Tecca - Owa Owa
Tate McRae - Tit For Tat
Ciara & Diamond Platnumz - Low
Bad Bunny - Baile Inolvidable
Ravyn Lenae - Love Me Not
Tame Impala - End Of Summer
Ella Langley - Weren't For The Wind
Bad Bunny & RaiNao - Perfumito Nuevo
Fallon - Hate You
Justin Bieber - Daisies
Tyla - Bliss
SZA & Kendrick Lamar - 30 For 30
Ayra Starr - Hot Body
Lola Young - Messy
Chappell Roan - The Giver

in the past few years i have become like PROFOUNDLY unadventurous w/ next to no effort going into exploration hence my ballots being mostly major label'd shite that i just encounter by accident. so no need to feel bad if anyone else felt like theirs was just slapped together! that said i am now less busy than i was the past couple of years so i should probably make something resembling an effort again, esp since the mainstream is drying up horribly with no end in sight

fav rollout discovery was "1/17" which i would have easily voted highly for had i known it prior. so thanks to everyone who voted for it :) and voted in general, provided fun rollout commentary, and ran the poll!!

("perfumito nuevo" was a write-in for me as i forgot to nominate it and no one else did either lol)

xp thx seandalai! I had fewer place than I thought, I guess there were songs I considered but didn't make the list. So only 7 made it, which is I think less than usual. Of nominee discoveries I loved Disclosure/Anderson.Paak, that Max Dean and Locky song, and "Grime Scene Saviours" — which really does bang like it's 2002.

Electrospy - Electrobum
4:32am - Speaking in Silence
Kyle Gordon - Selekta
deWaal - Surface Desire
Little House Hippie - Groovah
Jacy- Feel The G
Metro Boomin ft. YKNIECE, BreSkii, DJ Spinz & Quavo Take Me Thru Dere

I thought about Shake It To The Max or The Fate of Ophelia for the last spot but I was already running out of space

saer briefly in danger of placing 25% of his ballot and instantly losing his rep :p

I was honeslty expecting a few more of these to place. As it happens only three did. Fully expected "When The War Is Over" to be top ten

(Bold placed)

Chimpo ft. Stanner Banner - Cheeky (DJ Polo Remix)
MÖRDA ft. Mnqobi Yazo - Izigi
Nourished By Time - When The War Is Over
Sir Hiss ft. Logan_olm - Don Gorgon
Boy Sayso ft. Emarvellous & MAXOO - Rice & Peas
Amaarae - S.M.O.
Tourist - Embrace
Raz & Afla - Windowlicker
Lvbel C5 - HAVHAVHAV
F!C!O! - MAKAIMURA
DJ MASS - Baila Riddim
Neon Pumps - Gallop (Jonesy Wales Remix)
Zuchu - Amanda
Amy Dabbs ft. Alfie Fraser - Style & Pattern
JENNIE - like JENNIE
LE SSERAFIM - SPAGHETTI
BAMBII ft. JELEEL! - Thunder
PARAMIDA & E-Talking - On Process (Mathew Jonson Remix)
Mavis Staples - Beautiful Strangers
DJ Q, K Dot - Bassline
Simiran Kaur Dhadli - Putt Jatt Da
rusowsky ft. Las Ketchup - Johnny Glamour
Rema - KELEBU
Soundkraft - 1by1
X CLUB. - Frankie Knuckles

My normcore weighted ballot:

Tortoise - Vexations
Stereolab - Melodie is a Wound
Clipse - So Be It Pt. II
Spoon - Chateau Blues
Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist - Mar-A-Lago
Burial - Comafields
Plague Girl - Miasma
Danny Brown - Starburst
Erykah Badu & The Alchemist - Next to You
Sam Prekop - Open Close
8485 & Danny Brown - G.I.R.L.
Animal Collective - Love On The Big Screen
Brian Eno - The Dawn of Everything
Tortoise - Oganesson
Leslie Keffer - Yarrow
Niacinamide - Abandoned in Their Panic
SZA ft. Kendrick Lamar - 30 for 30
Orcutt Shelley Miller - A Long Island Wedding
Rafael Toral - Layers
Stereolab - Fed Up With Your Job
The Hard Quartet - Coreopsis Trail
Taylor Swift - The Fate of Ophelia

Weighted, Bold DNP, ** Sole Voter

Avalon Emerson - Eden
Darkside - S.N.C
Pinkpantheress - Illegal
Momma - I Want You (Fever)
Minor Science - Mortals
UFOs - UFO **
Wolf Alice - White Horses
Neggy Gemmy - Mysterious Girl
bar italia - cowbella **
Garrett Jr. - So High (Your Love) (DJ Sofa Remix) **
Joseph Shabason & Dawn Richard - Broken Hearted Sade
Debby Friday - 1/17
Zara Larsson - Midnight Sun
Amaarae - Fineshyt
Headache - His Story **

Acolyte - The Blue Dark (Eyes Of Others Remix)
Alex G - Afterlife
Beth McCarthy - Drama At The Disco **
clipping - Dominator
Cristale, Toddla T - Vogue
KETTAMA - It Gets Better (Forever Mix) **
Miami Nights 1984 - Golden Hour
Raz & Afla - Windowlicker
The Cure - Endsong (Orbital remix)
Tourist - Embrace

Mixed even

To note that only two songs garnered more than #1 vote (Illegal + Shake it to the max). The #1s are split so: 8 in the top10, 21 in the top77, and a majority of the voters (36) have theirs outside.

more than one*

Yeah, I noticed that - I think it adds credence to the "more divided than ever" thing I was suggesting on the main thread. Second place didn't get ANY number ones, and first only got one. If someone fancies checking previous years that'd be great, but I'm sure first place usually gets at least 5?

yeah not gonna look it up, but in years past the top few usually have lots of #1s. that said, I wonder if people did more unweighted this year? I went that way for the first time since my first-ever EOY poll due to laziness + less strong feelings about individual songs

Man, US R'n'B is really not a style I generally follow but "Folded" is easily one of the best things I've heard in weeks. Had it on repeat since yesterday

My unweighted ballot (bold=placed):

Blawan - WTF
Cameron Winter - Love Takes Miles
Cate Le Bon - About Time
Circuit des Yeux - Truth
Cory Hanson - Bird on a Swing
Dear Seattle - Cut My Hair
DjRUM - A Tune for Us
Doechii - Nosebleeds
Drugdealer & Weyes Blood - Real Thing
Gorillaz, Sparks - The Happy Dictator
Hand Habits - Jasmine Blossoms
Horsegirl - Well I Know You're Shy
Jeff Tweedy - Feel Free
Master Peace - There's No More Underground
Mayflies USA - Kickless Kids
Moon Panda - Space Elevator
Prolapse - The Fall of Cashline
Real Lies - Wild Sign I Choose You
Say She She - Cut & Rewind
Snocaps - Heathcliff
Snõõper - company car
St. Vincent - DOA (from 'Death Of A Unicorn')
The Body - Empty Hearth
YHWH Nailgun - Castrato Raw (Fullback)
the new eves - rivers run red

Full disclosure: I didn't nominate anything and most of these were discovered by listening through the spotify playlist.

From the Bad Bunny thread in response to my comment over there-

if you look at the results he got badly vote split - 7 votes across 2 tracks. i voted for "dtmf"

― ufo, Friday, January 30, 2026 9:43 AM (seven hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

Anyone else always read "DTMF" as "Dump the Motherfucker" (as in Dan Savage's acronym DTMFA = Dump the Motherfucker Already)?

Myaap - Fairy

Amaarae - S.M.O.
ariel pink - why
bruce - the price
Cameron Winter - Love Takes Miles
Chappell Roan - The Giver
Debby Friday - All I Wanna Do Is Party
ebk jayboo - f*ck everybody (free maxx)
Geese - Taxes
Justin Bieber - Yukon
Kehlani - Folded
Minor Science - Mortals
oklou - obvious
Pinkpantheress - Illegal
regularfantasy - honesty, honestly
Sabrina Carpenter - Manchild
sam goku - x-plor 01
seiji oda - mobby miyazaki
the tubs - narcissist
vayda - laffy taffy
whitney k - heaven
karneef - cyber criminal
water from your eyes - life signs
katseye - gnarly
morgan wallen - love somebody

in the past few years i have become like PROFOUNDLY unadventurous w/ next to no effort going into exploration hence my ballots being mostly major label'd shite that i just encounter by accident

― dyl, Thursday, January 29, 2026 11:10 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

Name      Ballot Type  #Votes   In Top 77   Hivemind    Fuxxor    Antifuxxor Ratio   Loneliness   Top Neighbour
flopson	  mixed	       25       10          117.80	0.09      1,312.63           0.36         dyl (0.09)

Yeah, I noticed that - I think it adds credence to the "more divided than ever" thing I was suggesting on the main thread. Second place didn't get ANY number ones, and first only got one. If someone fancies checking previous years that'd be great, but I'm sure first place usually gets at least 5?

― emil.y, Friday, January 30, 2026 8:44 AM (four hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

Do we think this is a reflection of the voters here, or rather, the year itself? There really wasn't a consensus SOTY across other publications that I saw.

Took a look at the last four years:

Last year we had "Good Luck Babe" (3 #1s) and "Not Like Us" (2): ILM's Top 77 Tracks of 2024

In 2023, we had four tracks with 2 #1s, including the #1 overall "SuperShy": ILM's Top 77 Tracks of 2023

2022 looked a lot like this year -- no consensus, with each of the top 2 only garnering a single #1 vote and none with more than 1: ILM's Top 77 Tracks of 2022: 17th Anniversary Edition

In 2021, we had four tracks with 2 #1s, including our top track "Chaise Longue," but our #2 track "You Could Be" garnered four #1s: ILM's Top 77 Tracks of 2021

too long to put on the thread but a nicely apt username / post

Yeah, I noticed that - I think it adds credence to the "more divided than ever" thing I was suggesting on the main thread. Second place didn't get ANY number ones, and first only got one. If someone fancies checking previous years that'd be great, but I'm sure first place usually gets at least 5?

― emil.y, Friday, January 30, 2026 8:44 AM (four hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

more freedom to allocate points would help with this i think. right now the difference between #1 and #2 in a ranked ballot is 2 points. even if you do a mixed ballot where you rank #1 but leave #2-25 unranked, the #1 still only gets 50. we'd get less lowest-common-denominator if you could sacrifice giving more points to your #1-2-3 for fewer overall points. quadratic voting is a way simple way to do this automatically

Thanks for looking those up, Indexed. I guess I was just wrong and this year isn't so anomalous - maybe I was thinking of early 2010s when we had a whole lot more users, I'm sure there were some years when the #1s had loads of #1s.

iirc the inspector norse / call me maybe year was big for that

Dancing On My Own came 6th in 2010 with 5 #1 votes but that was more than any other track had that year

Wut in first place had 3 #1s

Call Me Maybe (2) - 6 #1 votes

Inspector Norse (1) - 7 #1 votes xp

on my part, I think I was probably getting mixed up with album results, which are naturally more likely to have lots of #1s

High-five to those above listing these non-placers where I was the 'other' vote. (Though Moin and Lindstrom had further unidentified 'others'.)

Nia Archives & Clipz - Maia Maia
Lindstrom - Cirkl
Sharp Pins - Popafangout
Moin - See (feat. Sophia Al-Maria and Ben Vince)
Rafael Toral - Layers
Earl Sweatshirt - Tourmaline
Danny Brown - Starburst
Miami Nights 1984 - Golden Hour

My perennial favourite stat: this year I was the lone vote for three tracks nominated by others. :)

High five, I voted for “Starburst” too

And also:

8485 & Danny Brown - G.I.R.L.

High five NNN! I nominated Maia Maia but didn't end up voting for it and was also sole voter for two tracks nominated by others lol

And I did vote for Miami Nights 1984 which was a playlist discovery, so thanks for nominating that one (if it was you)

Bwahaha. Nope, apparently *checks thread* soref nominated the latter. Thanks for nominating the former -- that was also a playlist discovery!

all-time winners with most #1s (from about 2x the overall number of voters)

Album: Destroyer - Kaputt [2011], 1355 points, 36 votes, 12 #1s
Track: Grimes - Realiti (Demo) [2015], 1357 points, 37 votes, 9 #1s

https://files.catbox.moe/4vkmis.png

(slightly) more voters this year than 2023/2024

i think this might be the first time i was not in the bottom 5% of the hivemind score!

my (weighted) ballot (placed in bold):

Water From Your Eyes - Playing Classics
Perfume Genius - No Front Teeth
Viagra Boys - Bog Body
The Beths - Straight Line Was A Lie
Clipse – Chains & Whips
Geese - 100 Horses
Wet Leg - Catch These Fists
Pulp - Spike Island
Tyler, the Creator - Sugar on My Tongue
Perfume Genius - It's A Mirror
CMAT - Jamie Oliver Petrol Station
Beirut - Ghost Train
Open Mike Eagle - Almost Broke My Nucleus Accumbens
Cass McCombs - Peace
Quiet Houses - buttercup
Tyler, the Creator - Stop Playing With Me
Horsegirl - Switch Over
Nine Inch Nails - Init
Water From Your Eyes - Nights in Armor
Benjamin Booker – Black OPPS
Sofia Kourtesis & Daphni - Unidos
Wet Leg – Pond Song
Anthony Naples – Lifetimes
Clipse - So Be It
Akasha System - Purity Vector

Had the poll happened earlier in the year, I would have voted it #1. It was my favourite for so long, byt by the end of the year I'd become a bit fatigued by it, and a couple of things nudged it out of the way

Cameron Winter - Nausicaä (Love Will Be Revealed)
Sabrina Carpenter – Manchild
Wet Leg – mangetout
Justin Bieber - DAISIES
Nation of Language - Inept Apollo
Ratboys - Light Night Mountains All That
Geese -Taxes
Big Thief - Los Angeles
Pulp - Spike Island

Addison Rae - Headphones On
Alex G - Afterlife
Blondshell - What's Fair
Bon Iver - Everything Is Peaceful Love
Cameron Winter - Love Takes Miles
Chappell Roan - The Subway
Dijon - Baby!
Florence + The Machine - One of the Greats
Geese - Cobra
Lana Del Rey - Henry, come on
Nine Inch Nails - As Alive As You Need Me to Be
Sabrina Carpenter - Such a Funny Way
Sharon Van Etten - Idiot Box
Spoon - Guess I'm Falling in Love
Tame Impala - End of Summer
Wednesday - Elderberry Wine

I believe I first voted in 2018, clearly precipitating that slide into sub-100-participants territory. Sorry about that folks!

Xps by "it" i meant S.M.O. upthread

i was wondering… i had also gotten a little tired of it, but listened to a it a few times due to the playlists (my own EOY as well as ILM’s), and was once again drawn in

Soon, ALBUMS

Do we think this is a reflection of the voters here, or rather, the year itself? There really wasn't a consensus SOTY across other publications that I saw.
― Indexed, vendredi 30 janvier 2026 19:44 (three days ago) bookmarkflaglink

My take is that our voters are pretty independent-minded and will not necessarily use the forum to hype / discuss new releases, instead maybe only sharing among users they know personally. Mid-year threads and reactions to year-end publications seem to be the main factors in building consensus and drawing attention to certain releases. The campaigning thread is generally dead, people already have their list ready anyway. There are generally few active artist threads in a given year, and even remarkable releases will sometimes only attract 5-6 reactions, usually in the first days and often by the same users. Ditto for genre threads where there can be surprisingly little public discussion or exchanges, and someone casually lurking would not necessarily identify what got the community excited.

I feel like a portion of voters are happy to use the track poll to send a more personal list, and the album list is their place to reflect on the year's major albums.

The demographics are pulling in different directions. You know there are a few spots for pop superstars, indie and synth pop will get approx. X number of songs, outsider dance music and pop-rap Y, indie rock Z etc. Those numbers do not change too much, and are built around strong loyalties for certain artists, making the poll partially predictable.

So among suggestions I'd consider:
- Starting the campaigning thread earlier in the year or making it year-round
- Making it a collective habit to update threads when there's a new release. Or potentially start a new thread, but personally I like having all the discussion in one place.
- Reduce the number of nominations for tracks. Or other constraints like putting a cap of nominations per artist.

I feel like the Listening Club threads the last two years have tried to do some of this in terms of facilitating ongoing discoveries, enthusiasms and conversation. But they maybe haven't gotten enough participation to fully serve the purpose.

I did look back at last year's Listening Club thread post poll results and a large number of tracks posted in there made the 77

Huh, I got the impression from these results that there *was* a lot of discussion and campaigning because I didn't how some of these songs placed so high without it. Point taken on the lack of #1 votes for some of the songs at the top, though I feel like a big part of that is that there aren't as many voters as there were 10+ years ago.

I mean, I don't think lack of consensus is actually a problem - my comments were more analysis than concern. I have a very visceral reaction to the idea of changing the way we do polls in order to up consensus levels, and not a good one. I like that we have weird and disparate groups! I like that people vote for whatever they want!

On the other hand, I would absolutely love for there to be more discussion, more threads etc. But that's not really a thing you can MAKE happen, it's organic and tied to the ebb and flow of the life of the board.

i kinda gave up on the listening club thread when it just felt like it was getting spammed all the time. its good that people are enthusiastic about new releases but sometimes it was all a bit too much for me. maybe try again this year.

also emil.y raises a good point there. guess it's worth asking what consensus is for on a forum such as this?

I tried to be a little more disciplined in my listening of new music in 2025 because in previous years I felt like I was always struggling to keep up.

So I made a goal of listening to an average of 30 new albums per quarter. Then at the end of the year I listened to another 30 albums that I'd missed. These 150 albums were largely albums by artists I knew and liked, along with some that Pitchfork named Best New Music or that appeared high in aggregator rankings. If I knew that an album was getting a good reaction on ILM, that motivated me to prioritize it, though I can only think of one (Real Lies) that I wouldn't have heard without ILM.

To complete my 2025 listening, I am also listening to individual tracks that appeared on the year-end lists of a few select publications (Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Stereogum, NPR) and tracks that got 7 or higher on The Singles Jukebox. But I'm still in the midst of that, so most of the tracks I voted for in the poll were ones I encountered on albums.

So personally, I am not looking for more recommendations necessarily, but I could probably start/participate in more discussions about the new music I like.

My take is that our voters are pretty independent-minded and will not necessarily use the forum to hype / discuss new releases, instead maybe only sharing among users they know personally. Mid-year threads and reactions to year-end publications seem to be the main factors in building consensus and drawing attention to certain releases. The campaigning thread is generally dead, people already have their list ready anyway. There are generally few active artist threads in a given year, and even remarkable releases will sometimes only attract 5-6 reactions, usually in the first days and often by the same users. Ditto for genre threads where there can be surprisingly little public discussion or exchanges, and someone casually lurking would not necessarily identify what got the community excited.

― Naledi, Monday, February 2, 2026 7:27 AM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

Yeah, I feel this. I greatly appreciate when someone posts a simple "New album is great" in an artist's thread (s/o ivy). Those comments often get me to check out new releases from artists I already know/love. And even if I don't catch it on release, if I discover an album later in the year, I'll typically search for the artist to see what's been said about it here.

The genre threads are hugely helpful to staying on top of trends and new releases, too.

I greatly appreciate when someone posts a simple "New album is great" in an artist's thread

yeah, same. I should do it more often myself. I feel like I often don't have anything to add beyond some variation of "this track or album is amazing" so often just don't bother posting about it, but just pointing towards something without saying anything particularly interesting or good is worthwhile by itself I think.

While there's not much discussion going around in the Listening Club thread, I did find some of my favorite songs of the year via your recommendations in there - and it must have had a hivemind effect in some of us as several obscure songs with almost no streams and mentions on other eoy lists did end up in the top 77 (eg. Elaine Howley, Cocojoey, Laura Groves...)