ILM's Top 77 Albums of 2025

'Ey up me ducks, it's only the blimmin' albums poll, innit?

I am going to be kicking off in about half an hour, and will be doing today's rollout from 77 to 61 - after that, we are expanding our poll team and welcoming Rob into the fold, who will be taking us all the way through to number one. Everyone be nice to him. Once again, big thanks to Moka and seandalai for the back-end work.

I'll add playlists to this post if/when they're offered up.

Youtube Music playlist

Spotify Playlist

Let’s gooooooo!

Hoping to beat my 5/77 in the tracks poll.

woohoo!!

i voted in last year’s albums poll and yet somehow totally managed to miss the rollout for it, not making that mistake this time around!

Dan, me too - but that’s what usually happens for me for these polls!

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77. Avalon Emerson - Perpetual Emotion Machine 157 points - 6 votes

Bandcamp

Review link

Avalon’s return with the Perpetual Emotion Machine EP is an easy switch back to those addicting dance beats she cut her teeth on… It’s a welcome return from her performances on & The Charm, mixing her club past with her vocal present.

what do we think of the Moby tracka?

I liked the Emerson track that placed in the tracks poll better than her more dance/electronic DJ stuff that I've heard. I guess this EP is more in the latter style.

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76. Logic1000 - DJ-Kicks 158 points - 5 votes

Bandcamp

Review link

DJ-Kicks: Logic1000 is a patient, slow-building hour that seeks the feeling of peaceful mornings at home rather than late nights out. The project dips into a startlingly intimate headspace, tracing subtle kinships through a wide variety of downtempo, including exclusives from loved ones and friends.

Dunno this one at all. Listening rn, its very chilled

Can't wait to listen to this. Not familiar but that description is extremely appealing to me.

Awesome image design as always, btw -- Moka? What a treat.

I'm always a bit torn on compilations appearing in these polls - it strikes me as a bit unimaginative? But I'd never want to stop people from voting for what they want to vote for, and honestly I'm sure I'd probably vote for one or two if I thought they were good enough...

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75. Clipse - Let God Sort Em Out 158 points - 7 votes

Apple Music

Review link

The subject matter varies, but Clipse delivers every bar with frigid, biting clarity. The brothers are just as contemplative as they are comedic (“Yellow diamonds look like peepee!”). “MTBTTF” (short for “Mike Tyson Blow to the Face”) proves Clipse is capable of performing old tricks and new tricks, too. The grizzled a capella verse opening, performed by both brothers in separate instances, and Pharrell’s spacious production bring back the feeling of golden-era hip-hop.

It didnt live up to the hype for me

yay, thanks for hosting today emil.y!

I haven't heard the Clipse album but its release did prompt me to listen to their older stuff, which came out when I wasn't at all engaged with rap, so that was cool

I loved three of its tracks.

I've no problem with DJ mixes placing but might feel differently about just a straightforward compilation, I'd be open to arguments either way though (xposts to emil.y).

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74. Sabrina Carpenter - Man's Best Friend 159 points - 7 votes

Apple Music

Review link

One of the coolest parts of Man’s Best Friend is that you don’t have to be a sheets merchant to be in on the joke. The gist isn’t just that people suck and we need them dearly, but that it feels good to talk shit on them, too. “You used to love my ass, now, baby, you won’t see it again” and all of that. Surely you can relate? These songs are a lot of fun. Listening to them, you won’t know whether to laugh, cry, or cum.

Seems surprisingly low!

Voted for 77 and 76 (I don't usually vote for comps but DJ Kicks mixes can often function much like the DJ's mixtape). Do like what I heard of the Clipse but didn't yet get round to the whole thing.

listening to the logic1000 mix now and really enjoying it - not sure why i didn’t get around to it last year, very much limns a certain kind of mood/sound i was receptive to in 2025

i agree with alfred that there are 3/4 great tracks on the clipse album, tho we might not think they're the same ones haha.

pharrell's production was the weak point for me, didn't have the bite of the classic clipse records and laid on the sentimentality way too thick on "the birds don't cry," which should be a powerful moment, not a skippable track.

"so be it" and "fico" are great tho

oof my weighted top spots are gonna get crushed here if the minimum is 7 votes

pharrell's production was the weak point for me, didn't have the bite of the classic clipse records and laid on the sentimentality way too thick on "the birds don't cry,"

My problem too. Pharrell's relative lack of ideas and Pusha's at this point expected DO YOU SEE obviousness sometimes annoyed me.

yes sabrina being this low has made me far less confident for any placements this year lol

Agree with you on "Birds," VC.

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73. Kate NV - Room for the Moon Live 160 points - 5 votes

Bandcamp

Review link

Recorded at one of the only three shows the group ever performed, its story is bittersweet: On one hand, it’s the consummate live album, encapsulating both the precision of the original project and the interplay of a band in peak form, improvising in perfect synchrony through extended jams. On the other hand, it reflects a reality that no longer exists.

I voted for this one - I'd normally be a bit iffy about voting for a live version of an album (see also my remarks about compilations), but this felt pretty different to me. Plus it was my go-to kitchen music for several months, so it felt stupid not to vote for it, it was a big part of my year!

I would not be surprised to see the Kelela live album rank, either

enjoying this, always got a lot of time and love for kate nv but this skipped my radar

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72. Joanne Robertson - Blurrr 161 points - 7 votes

Bandcamp

Review link

The sound of Blurrr might best be likened to the Cocteau Twins calling from inside the house: a lo-fi rendering of the band’s beautiful slurry. Like Elizabeth Fraser, Robertson makes a voice feel much larger than the words it carries, though she isn’t singing with an alien tongue so much as blurring words into tonal brushstrokes.

this is a fantastic record

first of my votes to place. if i'd weighted my ballot this would have been in my top 3 probably, loved spending so much time with it in the autumn

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71. feeo - Goodness 162 points - 4 votes, 1 #1 vote

Bandcamp

Review link

Her songs have gotten still quieter and more minimalist, even as her lyrical and conceptual horizons have ballooned outward. And while her voice remains as stunning as ever, some of the surface-level prettiness of her previous work has burned off, leaving a whiff of charred metal and plastic.

i've enjoyed joanna robinson's work with dean blunt but that album didn't leave much of an impression on me

Quietus Corner

Tbf I enjoyed what I heard from the Micaverse last year (the Lol K record mainly) so I'll give this a go, but I am expecting extremely Cafe Oto things

Man's Best Friend is not anywhere as good as Short and Sweet but very surprised that it only got to number 74. In other words, it almost didn't even make it, that part is shocking.

feeo's my second to place! incredible album

i think my ballot had four ad 93 albums on it and i have a feeling at least one of the other two will place also lol

xp that lol k is very good too tho i didn't hear it til this year

i've enjoyed joanna robinson's work with dean blunt but that album didn't leave much of an impression on me

haven't got round to the joanne robertson record yet but yes, Fuckboy Anthem 4 life

Wait, what's Micaverse? I'm assuming something to do with Micachu but I don't know the connection...

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70. Agriculture - The Spiritual Sound 162 points - 5 votes

Bandcamp

Review link

The Spiritual Sound, while its roots are deeply established in black metal, also encompasses elements of post-hardcore, sludge, shoegaze, thrash, prog, and more. There are riffs of seismic proportions, yet there is also a delicacy to be found among the intensity—both vocally and instrumentally.

feeo was my no. 1, so yeah uh way too low

i did try and like the Agriculture album but the vocals were a hard no from me

well i am either fucked or a lot of stuff i voted for will be included later on

Really happy that Agriculture made it :) The opening track is especially amazing, but the rest of the album is good too.

literally listening to this right now, it's great

Yeah, I think even people who don't care at all for black metal will think the chorus on the first song is cool. It's one of the musical moments of the year for me, and a really cool sound.

they seem like pretty cool people too

I'm still partial to the first Ghosted but I love them all, it really hits a sweet spot for me, and has incredible basslines that let everything else flutter around them.

makes sense, I actually cannot think of something more appropriate for a groovy panda

i think the mixing on this one was a step forward, the drums in particular sound great.

last one for today coming up

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41. caroline - caroline 2 220 points - 9 votes

Bandcamp

Review link

This feels like caroline’s ‘proper’ debut album. Since they emerged on the scene in 2017, they’ve stood out. Now they’re standing out again, but this time it’s because of the strength of 2 and not because there are eight of them.

Day 2 recap!

41 caroline - caroline 2
42 Oren Ambarchi/Johan Berthling/Andreas Werliin - Ghosted III
43 Orcutt Shelley Miller - s/t
44 Oneohtrix Point Never - Tranquilizer
45 Smerz - Big City Life
46 Titanic - HAGEN
47 Wolf Alice - The Clearing
48 Adrianne Lenker - Live at Revolution Hall
49 Call Super - A Rhythm Protects One
50 Bitchin Bajas - Totality
51 Wednesday - Bleeds
52 Darkside - Nothing
53 Nourished By Time - The Passionate Ones
54 Juana Molina - DOGA
55 Saint Etienne - International
56 Sofia Kourtesis - Volver
57 Cate Le Bon - Michelangelo Dying
58 Horsegirl - Phonetics On and On
59 keiyAa - hooke's law
60 Brìghde Chaimbeul - Sunwise

Day 1

61 Men I Trust - Equus Caballus
62 Maria Somerville - Luster
63 Ichiko Aoba - Luminescent Creatures
64 Kali Uchis - Sincerely,
65 Amaarae - Black Star
65 aya - hexed!
67 Neggy Gemmy - She Comes From Nowhere
68 Ex Libris - 001/002
69 Ela Minus - DÍA
70 Agriculture - The Spiritual Sound
71 feeo - Goodness
72 Joanne Robertson - Blurrr
73 Kate NV - Room for the Moon Live
74 Sabrina Carpenter - Man's Best Friend
75 Clipse - Let God Sort Em Out
76 Logic1000 - DJ-Kicks
77 Avalon Emerson - Perpetual Emotion Machine

couldn't get into caroline. perhaps my heart is too cold

almost certainly not placing but should be is the great grandpa album, they put out an amazing music video today and i'm like damn, that album deserved more

― ivy., Tuesday, February 3, 2026 3:06 PM (twenty-six minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

I voted for it -- and also nominated a song with the hope of introducing some more folks to them -- but assume there's no chance now.

I'm still partial to the first Ghosted but I love them all, it really hits a sweet spot for me, and has incredible basslines that let everything else flutter around them.

― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Tuesday, February 3, 2026 3:13 PM (twenty minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

I > III > II, for me. I may be misremembering but think a lot of people discovered the first one through the ILM EOY Albums poll. If we repolled that year now, I suspect it'd do really well.

Xpost Caroline was Not 4 Me. I like stuff that leans toward something with either more drive, clearer emotion or stronger melodies.

4/37, but have a feeling a number of mine will show up in the next few days. (they better lol)

Caroline was my #4. something about it just got into my head, i find it to be a very emotional, moving album.

caroline album has an astonishing opener but the rest I wasn't so into, hoping they make the bold step into widescreen weird-pop next time around...

only thing i've voted for so far has been the bijou badgers one, but i have A LOT of catching up to do

Two of my picks appeared so far. Im expecting around 7 more to show

I was like ‘there’s a band called bijou badgers now?! put them on the gizzard pile’ then I realised

I haven't listened to any of the noodly beardos that placed today but tbh I feel like I might be in the mood for some noodly beardo music this month.

i expect 4-5 more of mine to appear.

I should probably try again with this year's Oneohtrix Point Never album, so far I am not hearing what most of you are hearing, it just goes right by me. This after "Again" got me back to liking him again, for me that one was the "best thing he's done in a decade" one.

I voted for the Orcutt Shelley Miller album, discovered it in nominations, have played it a couple of times since then. The only thing from my ballot to place so far though I expect probably 3 others to place.

If I had heard this Ghosted earlier I would have voted for it. Totally forgot it came out last year. Loved the first two. Super immersive music.

OPN, Darkside and Sofia Kourtesis too low! All three high on my ballot.

The whole '70s vibe doesn't feel like a gimmick; it totally works for them

Voted for Wolf Alice -- phenomenal record; I hear more of a maturation than a pivot

Yes, I keep expecting Wolf Alice to be not much of anything and then each time they place in an ILM poll I give their latest a listen and it is invariably wonderful and exactly what I want from them and then I forget again. This one is radiant

That caroline album is probably my discovery of the tracks/albums poll so far. Really cool stuff, that track with Polachek is stunning.

I really thought Ghosted III would bring together different ILM interzones and be a consensus pick

"Chahar" was one of my favorite discoveries from the tracks poll, but this album/artist was entirely off my radar before that.

Juana Molina is my big discovery so far from this, thanks voters!

(I'm also freaked out how the Men I Trust guitar sounds EXACTLY like it came off a Faith b-side, way more than your average "get a JC-120" type effort)

Chahar is really great - by far the closest thing that project has to a "single".

I have turned into a singles person. When I was in my car going from here to there I had time for albums. Now I work from home and hardly ever drive even being in Southern California. I feel out of touch even though I'm on ILM a lot. I placed one album yesterday and one album today though I didn't even fill in 25 spots on this side.

keiyAa is the only one I voted for that appeared today. 3 in total so far.

23wa taking the top spot?

if it made the top 10 it would be hilarious, like the Minor Science track in the tracks poll lol

Smerz my only vote to make it today I think. I did love "White Horses" off the Wolf Alice album. And the Wednesday album I actually liked more than previous ones, I've always been kind of meh on them and now it's upgraded to hey-not-bad. Going to see them next month, maybe the live show will seal it for me.

i voted for keiyaa, adrianne lenker, and titanic from today.

the nourished by time album was ultimately fairly disappointing. it wasn't terrible but that i didn't connect at all in the same way that i had with their previous stuff

the keiyaa album really should be ilm catnip so i regret not making a thread for it, it's the best

live at revolution hall is maybe the very best thing lenker's done, the atmosphere in those recordings is really something special

wolf alice album wasn't bad but was quite a disappointment after blue weekend, it didn't hold together anywhere near as well and didn't come close to my ballot

i've never listened to juana molina before but this is promising so far, "la paradoja" is great

Of today's clutch I only voted for Ghosted III, though I am a big fan of a whole bunch of these - Titanic, keiyAa, Call Super, Darkside, several others. I only heard Smerz after the tracks poll because i'm stupid

For some reason I cannot get into keiyAa :/

it is really dense but i really really love filtering that sort of jazzy neo-soul through 90s breakbeat electronica, it's immense

it's a world to get lost in, it's hard to take everything in at once

i think that i am just not… made for jazzy neo-soul.

i find a lot of stuff in that particular realm hard to take

that's fair, if you don't already have a taste for that sort of thing then keiyaa isn't going to be an easy entry point

I like and voted for the Titanic album, though I enjoy the music of Titanic duo member Mabe Fratti better on albums under her own name. The Titanic album brings in more of the prog aspects that her musical and romantic partner Hector Tosta likes. But Fratti still sounds great. As Tosta told Philip Sherburne for Pitchfork- “She plays cello like a devil and she sings like an angel,”

I hadn't heard keiyaA, but this is cool. (I do like jazzy neo-soul so...) It is objectively busy and buzzy, but it still feels pretty chill. Good stuff. I see she's playing in New York this weekend, which I were there.

wish I ...

Brìghde Chaimbeul's Sunwise

and a bunch of other stuff

jk i like Sabrina and Keiyaa and Agriculture and Horsegirl

but damn this is a lot of whatever this other stuff is

wolf alice album wasn't bad but was quite a disappointment after blue weekend, it didn't hold together anywhere near as well and didn't come close to my ballot[

I felt the same but then after seeing them live the album really clicked and it ended up fairly high on my ballot

i liked it when it came out and then just didn't really come back to it much at all, it didn't stick with me. if the sequencing worked better it'd probably have ended up on my ballot idk

Didn't know Mabe Fratti had a duo and a release out this year. Bold and free spirited as expected, it sounded a little hard and disorienting on my ears at first, with strange popish moments coming from nowhere, but I think I appreciate it being rhythmic and intense, and not too high-conceptual. Her last solo albums kept me completely at bay.

I didn't realise there was a 2025 Titanic release until the nominations thread. I voted for the one from a couple years ago and... by Jove, this one too, it turned out. Cate le Bon received some of my unweighted points as well, I believe, plus one or two things from yesterday too, IIRC.