People Get Ready

I agree with a recent reply by Mr. Pete B, please read it. The last post I had was written in a fit of frustration at two things: 1) Pitchfork is annoying me a bit because it holds so much influence over the music world; and 2) the Morrison album really isn't that good after all. Oh well.

So I'd be lying if I said I didn't read Pitchfork. Every day. It's a great source for knowing what's out there, what might be good, and what things might sound like -- I don't live in a vacuum. I agree that comparing a review with another is the way to go, the way to make a smart purchase. I would be lying if I said that half of my collection isn't from Pitchfork: it is. I just get disgusted by Pitchfork sometimes when it seems that an artist progresses or evolves in a direction Pitchfork will deem uncool or dissimilar from their previous output. And it is getting out of control sometimes. The Barsuk website had to counter the "0" Travis got for Travistan...that just doesn't usually happen from a bad review in Spin. Pitchfork welds crazy power over the indie world.

That being said, Pitchfork will continue to influence the way I look at music whether I like it or not. No other magazine or website is as comprehensive and complete as Pitchfork. And the articles from Dominique Leone alone are worth visiting the site every single day.

For those of you that don't want to visit the site, here are some alternatives:

Stylus Magazine
Dusted Magazine
Last Plane to Jakarta
Aquarius Records (it's a store, but they do a good job and there are sound clips)
Perfect Sound Forever (jury's still out on this one)
AllMusic
PopMatters

If anyone reading this has any other sites to view, I'd love to hear of them. Drop me a line at the end of this article.

ALSO!!! I will soon be posting my top 20-25 albums of 2005 list. (Hypocrite, yes. But, Brett how can you rank albums when you don't like a number system...) I am a huge fan of most listened to, most influental, best of lists and I, along with every other chinstroker/bore in the universe will be putting art in a numerical order to feel like I did something with my favorite albums of 2005. If there is something you think I should listen to, please post it in the comments section below. Thanks!

I always hated you

I really don't like the idea of PitchforkMedia anymore. They are undoubtedly becoming more anal-retentive with their increased popularity, directly a result of their new tastemaking position in the Rock Proper world. An album championed by Pitchfork will usually go on to be championed by countless others. An album detested by them will become trash elsewhere.

For example, two great albums have come out this year have recieved poor ratings. One was Pedro the Lion's Achilles Heel. Pitchfork gave it a 4.7. Why? What does a 4.7 sound like, anyways? Sure, I agree, like anyone, that there are good albums and bad albums, good art and bad art. But an album that genuinely captures daily frustration, ethical dilemma, and mental anguish as precisely and plainly as Achilles Heel is not a 4.7.

The other example is more glaring. It is Travis Morrison's Travistan. Now don't get me wrong, I was a HUGE Dismemberment Plan fan. I was expecting greatness. I got an album full of great relevance in today's political, social and personal enviornment. It wasn't perfect by any stretch, but what is? (Blueberry Boat, 9.6? I don't know...)

Pitchfork gave the album a 0.0.

What?

According to Pitchfork this album has no relevance whatsoever. This album holds no artistic merit. This album is UNLISTENABLE. This album is worse than Helmet's new one.

Sure you can take the lyrics out of context, as Chris Dalhen does in the review, and they'll sound cheesy. Travis Morrison's lyrics have always sounded cheesy by themselves. Just because Morrison isn't stringing post-modern non-sequiters together, doesn't mean he hasn't succeeded. His lyrics are more simple then ever but not worse for it.

I can't help but think that because this is from "that guy from the Dismemberment Plan" Dalhen gave this a horrible score. He wanted a Plan record and he got a relatively mainstream dance-pop record. Indie police to the rescue!

In essence I really see something dangerous going on. Pitchfork are finding it easier to blast relatively popular artists and bands than praise them. (See: Wilco, Pedro the Lion, Ted Leo). It's truly boils down to a frustrated writer with a national outlet and a fucking rating system for records. What is that?

The hype-machine that Pitchfork has become is reaching monolithic levels. Let's hope they use their power wisely.

[For a better, much more well-informed article about this same subject, please click here. It is written by former Pitchforker Chris Ott.]