re: Pitchfork's 50 Best Albums of 2014

OT- Baloo, you really need to do that end of the year MB vote on our favorite albums of the year like you did in 2012.... thanks buddy

I find that pitchforks list suspect.

yes, they nail some stuff but they overhype a bunch of stuff. Sometimes I listen to their best new music and go - WTF? then others are omitted like TVOTR

No problem. I like stealing the AV Club method of balloting, but we'll get into that come January. I spent this year mining my back catalog more than listening to new music, so I'm a bit behind on this year's releases. I'll probably load up for Christmas.

To bring this back to Pitchfork, I think the music snob has lost the ability to call out pop music for being brainless, derivative shite. Bangs is long since dead and Christagau is a shell of his former self. I didn't always agree with those guys, but they had the ability to call out the mainstream with glorious venom. Now it's all "well, they are good at what they are trying to accomplish."

What a bunch of weak asses. Pop music has never been more boring, safe, and disposable. We need an angry voice on the periphery of the music press calling Taylor Swift and Beyonce out, instead of buying into their bullshite. It's expensive, well-produced drivel. But that still makes it drivel.

I've also noticed Pitchfork is almost 100% guaranteed to put the best reviewed hip-hop or R&B album 1 or 2 lately

Every year since like 2011, really look at the lists

One more complaint:

That Sun Kil Moon album sucks. That's #7 and Future Islands can't make top 20? lol

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4. Aphex Twin - Syro

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I like hip hop, but Pitchfork's continued praise of consensus choice hip hop albums reeks more of tokenism than any genuine criticism. They'd never sign off on the top consensus rock choices the way they do for hip hop. It's like they are afraid to call out Kanye for being a more interesting media figure than actual recording artist. In fact, I'd argue he does not have a single song as interesting as his "George Bush doesn't care about black people" moment. He's a performance artist, not a musician. His albums are actually kinda meh.

But you'd also never see The Source feel the need to cram on the Sturgill Simpson album in their top 50. Indie rock publications always seem ashamed of the genre they actually like and cover.

Though I have no problem with obscure choices on you Best Of list. In fact, I encourage it. It's better than a list of the same old, same old. And an ostensibly "indie" publication should probably champion the occasional artist who is actually, ya know, independent. I'm more likely to check out the albums I've never heard of rather than yet another Lykke Li album. Let's all pretend someone doing pop songs on Atlantic friggn' Records is some hidden gem.

Though after that rant, I should note that I think Run the Jewels is f'n awesome.

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I like hip hop, but Pitchfork's continued praise of consensus choice hip hop albums reeks more of tokenism than any genuine criticism.

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Before I read your post I read the little mini-reviews for the top 2 albums, both from black artists

Lots of quotes like "the themes of this myopically personal album echo social and cultural dramas that ran through the whole of 2014", "twigs is pleading the modern condition", "When institutions lacked authority and insurrection seemed permanently imminent, El-P and Killer Mike hurled 11 grenades, offering redemption through untrammeled rage"

That's just a small sample, that is like all they can say about RTJ

So basically the hardcore hipster, social justice warrior types that I assume fills Pitchfork's entire staff were just so mad about that Michael Brown that they put RTJ's number one, because Killer Mike is angry and black and Pitchfork is just so edgy and political

lol, what a joke

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318_Guy

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