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

Apple Music 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!

https://i.ibb.co/VfbNpmd/77.png

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.

https://i.ibb.co/4RsHmmLx/76.png

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...

https://i.ibb.co/W4W3yPbV/75.png

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).

https://i.ibb.co/4nxnf5fZ/74.png

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.

https://i.ibb.co/fYY0ydhh/73.png

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

https://i.ibb.co/d09wJgrJ/72.png

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

https://i.ibb.co/8nnPBJDc/71.png

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...

https://i.ibb.co/zHWPbZWj/70.png

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

Oh I know. Just being snarky. YHWH Nailgun is not classic rock exactly. But it is probably the hardest rocking thing on the countdown, barring maybe Agriculture and (arguably) Geese.

those interested should check the Real Lies Instagram page— they posted a funny meme about our little poll :-)

omg

link?

It's on their stories lol

https://www.instagram.com/real_lies_?igsh=Z3pja2ljNm11Y2l2

I think the one time I tried to put on ICONOCLASTS I didn't make it past "The Beast," because "Facing Atlas" is incredible. "Stardust," too. Loving how huge these tracks are.

Lol this Lux is some heinously corny Hans Zimmer nonsense ffs

thank you!!!

we got a shout out from them on Instagram in 2023 for our poll results too!

amazing

I can't find it - do I have to be signed in and following them to see it?

i gave up tbh, i'm too old for this shit

https://i.ibb.co/zH560Wf2/Screenshot-2026-02-06-215923.jpg

ahahaha

it's a photo a fat kid in sunglasses wearing a t-shirt that says 'i'm #1 so why try harder" captioned "ILXOR 🫡" xp there we go

its a fat boy slim record cover btw map

I'm too old for this shit, but the Billy Woods album has blew me sideways

Haha, awww. I think that pic was a Fatboy Slim album/single cover, right?

xxp

hehe

Yep xp

90s synth pop

Apple music playlist of albums 77-1 (except Los Thuthanaka):

https://music.apple.com/ca/playlist/ilm-albums-2025/pl.u-WabZpjGFvvXWxV

I'll add a voice to say I am also baffled by the massive love for Real Lies on ILM. I have no issue with their sound, synthpop, or his voice, but I find them very one-note. Nostalgia, introspectiveness, that British seriousness that is a little ridiculous

i love how posts by ppl hating on real lies are indiscernible from posts by hyper-fans. i read this and was like otm, love the nostalgia, introspectiveness, and that British seriousness that is a little ridiculous

listened to the pinkpantheress like four times yesterday, mea culpa, front to back classic

still don’t get djrum and barker

I listened to Real Lies yesterday and was non-plussed by the production but think the dude is a really good and unique lyricist— not so interesting on the page but it sounds great when he’s talking you through it. As I was listening I was thinking “it’s like Harmony Korine reimagining the verses of West End Girls”

yeah that tracks lol

i love that

Two thumbs in the upright and locked position

DjRum was a strange case of having it on in the background and thinking "Wow this is amazing, I must check ot out properly". Then being a bit less whelmed when I tried to give it a closer listen. I'll give it a third short

x-post

I never actively choose to listen to Bad Bunny but the stuff I've come across in the wild seems okay to me. Decent pop.

― emil.y, Wednesday, February 4, 2026 4:22 PM (five days ago)

Thanks for hosting and glad you like his decent pop (that on his latest album and in his Super Bowl halftime show also included musical bits of salsa, bomba, plena, and lyrical references to Puerto Rican history and culture and activism).

Tití me preguntó
(shortened)

Yo perreo sola
(with "Safaera", "VOY A LLeVARTE PA PR" and "Party" ending; shortened)

EoO
(shortened; with "Pa que se lo gozen", "Dale don dale", "Noche de travesuras" and “Gasolina" intro)

Die With a Smile
(Lady Gaga cover) (with Lady Gaga) (with "MONACO" intro; shortened; salsa version)

BAILE INoLVIDABLE
(shortened)

NUEVAYoL
(shortened)

El apagón
(with Ricky Martin) (with "LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii" intro sung by Ricky Martin; shortened)

DtMF
(with "CAFé CON RON" intro; shortened)

Xpost: there’s the setlist. I’d recommend giving a full listen to his latest album and “un verano sin ti”. They’re both peaks of his career in slightly different styles.

Oh duh wrong thread

glad you like his decent pop (that on his latest album and in his Super Bowl halftime show also included musical bits of salsa, bomba, plena, and lyrical references to Puerto Rican history and culture and activism)

I wasn't intending to sound patronising, I just don't know much of his work and have only encountered it in passing - it seemed alright to me, hence... 'decent'. I will also say that to me 'pop' can absolutely include all of those genres you listed and more, it is by its nature an inclusive stable. Plus, I'm not American so why the fuck would I pay attention to the bloody Super Bowl?

Because it's the only interesting thing to watch during the Super Bowl, it's only fifteen mins, and it's usually a master class by a big artist. It's a zeitgeist thing.

Might see a nipple too

Noted non-Americans like U2 and Coldplay have preformed at the Superbowl, so that may be an enticement.

The Blues Brothers played once. I think were from Canada.

they

Noted non-Americans like U2 and Coldplay have preformed at the Superbowl, so that may be an enticement.

lol

I appreciated the Bad Bunny performance this year, but I usually skip the halftime show because I just don't care about big pop productions

Noted non-Americans like U2 and Coldplay have preformed at the Superbowl, so that may be an enticement.

― "Bengla Desh" LP Deliveries To Meet Santa's Deadline (President Keyes)

looooool

Because it's the only interesting thing to watch during the Super Bowl, it's only fifteen mins, and it's usually a master class by a big artist. It's a zeitgeist thing.

I would rather have my eyes clawed out than watch the super bowl. Who fucking cares.

Hey, nobody is forcing you. I'm just saying you can be interested in watching the half-time show even if American Football is the last thing on your mind - also my case.

no interest in the game but loved BB's show tho I'm not too familiar with the music either...actually recognised a couple of things just because I think they were nominated

If ever there was as a time to lean into popular music I would have thought Bad Bunny standing up against a fascist regime on a world stage would be it, but cool cool cool if that ain’t people’s thing

me watching it at all is leaning far enough in for me

tbf It's the same event where fighter jets buzz past as Charlie Puth sings the National Anthem

The NFL declared that Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist.

He already has his own Air Force

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kdxXYC7v8uQoDvooxfPlnhvIrCCdUrrZE

i want to puth you a-round

If ever there was as a time to lean into popular music I would have thought Bad Bunny standing up against a fascist regime on a world stage would be it, but cool cool cool if that ain’t people’s thing

I have nothing against BB’s music. A guy I used to sleep with is in his newest video, too. I just hate football and everything it’s about. Contemporary gladiatorial nonsense.