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P2K: Pitchfork's top tracks & albums of the 2000s


AlexH.
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but i think that main thing people have against sites like pitchfork is that it exposes this giant hole in their "musical knowledge armor". its easy to be that one guy who knows all about music when your friends dont know shit, but when you run into to someone who blows your knowledge out of the water, its just easier to sit back and call them pretentious.

still dont get how talking about obscure music could ever be a bad thing.

I think you're right.

But I don't dislike Pitchfork for that reason. I simply don't like the vast majority of the music they cover. A lot of "new music" is getting a little over the top for me -- like it's purposefully trying to be arty. Pitchfork seems to gobble this stuff up. Like every "band" from Montreal that shits on a xylophone and calls it music while parading around stage in elaborate costume. If that's art, fine. If it's music, great. I just don't like it.

As for obscurity, I posted a while back about some missing artwork from my iTunes library.

http://vinylcollective.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=34790&start=0

The overwhelming consensus was that nobody had even heard of any of these bands, save a few. And I wouldn't even consider a lot of the bands on that list all that obscure. Tamiroff? Come on, PBC fans -- know your roots!

I could easily rattle off dozens of post-rock, math-rock, and screamo bands from all over the world that maybe only a handful of people recognize, but couldn't name but 3 or 4 Fat releases. Why? Because those are the scenes I'm into, so I delve deep to find new things that turn my crank. The "obscurity" that is Pitchfork is, frankly, just not appealing to me.

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And the pretentious remarks that are being made, I find it's easy for me to avoid that since I don't even read the damn reviews. I look at a score, see if its above 4-5 and then play a track off the little player on the side or youtube some. It's a pretty good system and it's turned me on to some interesting albums.

Didn't The National's Alligator only get a 3.5 or something the first time around? Then didn't they re-do it later that year once the album caught fire and gave it a 9 or something? Kind of lame.

I think the numbers are more bullshit than anything else.

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So yeah Flicker, I know you gotsta defend your homies but there is a lot of obscure for the sake of being obscure on here, and thats coming from a fellow fan of the site and the site's taste. We'll see how the next few rounds go before I make up my mind.

dude, this list is not obscure. there are only a couple bands/tracks on there i have never heard of. its obscure the same way Death Cab for Cutie was obscure to the kids at my high school. I actually think their list is a little too poppy, but they still got 100 songs to go.

but i think that main thing people have against sites like pitchfork is that it exposes this giant hole in their "musical knowledge armor". its easy to be that one guy who knows all about music when your friends dont know shit, but when you run into to someone who blows your knowledge out of the water, its just easier to sit back and call them pretentious.

still dont get how talking about obscure music could ever be a bad thing.

Even when they pick pop tracks they like to find the unheard of reggae remix. I didn't say obscure was bad. Just that these guys like to be the dude at the party who says "yeah but have you ever heard of..." every four minutes. Again I'm a fan of the site and agree with them on a lot of shit. My music tastes are closer to you and Kirbs than anyone else around these parts. It isn't the holes in the musical armor that people resent. It's the writing off of things other people enjoy as worthless while acting as if someone is a musical moron for not knowing they should have owned an obscure african drum project from the 60's the just got reissued.

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I find it funny people make fun of the list considering on the first page alone there's Weezer, Fucked Up, Jesu, Bonnie Prince Billy, Jay Reatard, and the Strokes. Specifically those bands have been mentioned around here AND people really are in to a good many of them, plus, the Strokes and Weezer's inclusion hints at the list being pretty even-handed. And that's just the first page.

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dude, this list is not obscure. there are only a couple bands/tracks on there i have never heard of. its obscure the same way Death Cab for Cutie was obscure to the kids at my high school. I actually think their list is a little too poppy, but they still got 100 songs to go.

but i think that main thing people have against sites like pitchfork is that it exposes this giant hole in their "musical knowledge armor". its easy to be that one guy who knows all about music when your friends dont know shit, but when you run into to someone who blows your knowledge out of the water, its just easier to sit back and call them pretentious.

still dont get how talking about obscure music could ever be a bad thing.

Even when they pick pop tracks they like to find the unheard of reggae remix. I didn't say obscure was bad. Just that these guys like to be the dude at the party who says "yeah but have you ever heard of..." every four minutes. Again I'm a fan of the site and agree with them on a lot of shit. My music tastes are closer to you and Kirbs than anyone else around these parts. It isn't the holes in the musical armor that people resent. It's the writing off of things other people enjoy as worthless while acting as if someone is a musical moron for not knowing they should have owned an obscure african drum project from the 60's the just got reissued.

The last bolded section above is all I was talking about. The last criticism/thing to point out I have, although I understand no one seems to give a shit about it anymore, is the complete lack of anything that necessitates the use of the word jazz in the review. Do a search for jazz and see what you get. Either way, there have been some good choices since the first batch...I look forward to seeing/hearing what the last hundred turn out to be.

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I think Pitchfork decides numeric scores by rolling two d10s, then writes an accompanying review.

I think I could have picked a better song for every band I know of on this list so far. Some selections are downright awful, but whatever, I didn't make this list.

If I come out of there with a few new artists to check out, then I think the list served its purpose.

Though most of those bands are probably composed of arty twits who suck either Jeff Tweedy's or Will Oldham's respective dick.

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#1 = Outkast - "Bombs Over Bahgdad"...I agree with that. Not too sure about the rest of the top 5, but I can live with it. It was a fair list, even though I don't feel it was diverse enough, if that makes sense. They should do a list where only one song per artist is allowed to make the cut...that would be a fun list to read.

http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7693-the-top-500-tracks-of-the-2000s-20-1/1/

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Animal Collective is all over the list. I'm not sure how I feel about B.O.B. being the best track of the entire decade but I figure any of the top 10 could be #1 when you're picking 500 songs. Being not a huge fan of the current incarnation of Radiohead I'm not sure they deserve nearly the praise they get but hey, whatever. All-in-all I'd say a pretty inclusive, decent list of songs.

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I have a few Animal Collective albums on my iPod and solo stuff from Panda Bear, but I've never quite "got" Animal Collective. I know that Merriweather Post Pavilion is their "pop" album and maybe I'm just jumping on the bandwagon, but when I hear "My Girls" I almost get chills. That song is amazing.

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You need to come to the durty souf and do some clubbing. ;D

Did you used to go to the Green Room, Santiago? They used to play Milkshake like 15 times a night.

No, but I believe it. Between that, "Boom Boom Pow" (glad that one didn't make the list, unless I missed it...I am sooooo sick of that song), and "I'm So Hood", the clubs around here will be in business forever (meaning constantly closing/opening/changing formats). ::)

I think AC deserve to be on the list as many times as they are, as they have such a great range of tunes to pick from. I would rather see more artists overall on the list over AC a bunch of times, but I am not complainig...that much.

No Gaslight though...tsk tsk. ;D

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I agree w/ B.O.B. being #1. Also agree that I don't know how to feel about AC being all over it. They write good albums, but not good songs.

see im the totalt opposite with AC. i think they can do great songs, but i kind of get tired of them after a whole album.

But yeah, My Girls is fucking amazing.

but i still think Fireworks is their best song.

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