Okay, lets talk about this list for a little while. This list is anything but pretentious, if anything it's a list filled with safe picks with just enough variance in the rankings to generate buzz worthy talk and page views for Pitchfork. This year it was Vampire Weekends turn to win, last year it was Kendrick and Frank Oceans turn to shine. With only a few exceptions these were all huge releases for the "Indie" realm this year (Haim's Days are Gone LP was released on Columbia Records for god sakes). Look at that top 10. There's something there to please everyone, and enough controversy to get some people going (I'm looking at you Yeezus and everyone who can't stand that album). This discussion on Reddit is a perfect analysis of the situation. Pitchfork still has the power and presence to propel bands to new levels of popularity, or to justify why people dislike a certain band. But their top 50 albums of this year is...well, nothing significant really. Vampire Weekend at #1 is easily the safest pick they could have made, it's an "Indie" darling record that is inoffensive and universally acclaimed. I disagree with a lot of their rankings. I'll be putting together a list soon that I'm sure people will disagree with, but that's a digression. Okay, so lets take a look at something interesting that was brought up in the previously linked to discussion. Out of their top 10, five (5) have been making music in their current incarnation for 10 years or longer (Arcade Fire, Daft Punk, Danny Brown, My Bloody Valentine, Kanye West). For a website that is supposedly the cutting edge of indie (perhaps this is just me perpetuating this view point onto them), that is not a good track record to have for this year. Here's why that is an issue: it's the slow transformation into a Rolling Stones-esque publication that is going to happen if they continue rankings and album reviews like this. I'm not saying these albums aren't great, but what I am saying is that to make picks that are from established artists and putting them that high is the safe pick. Sooner or later we're all going to be flocking to other places like Gorilla vs. Bear and calling the scene some other name.
Too be fair, I don't think Pitchfork aims to be a cutting edge publication. I would agree this list is far too predictable though.
They aren't the cutting edge of indie, they're the RS of the internet. I was reading a discussion the other day about how a top 50 year end list should have some jazz, some Middle Eastern, some neo-r&b, an indie album or two, Daft Punk, ambient, etc. Pitchfork just has 43 indie albums, two sort of metal efforts, something from Danny Brown (?!), and various things with French titles.
That's exactly what a top 50 list should be like. Now, my list isn't going to have all of those because I'm only one person who doesn't spend 8 hours a day listening to music, but for something like Pitchfork or NPR that would be optimal year end list. Some things don't sound as good on the internet as they do in my head. I know that Pitchfork isn't the cutting edge of indie, and you know that they aren't as well. But to people who have a casual interest in this type of music that is exactly what they are, and it's to that demographic that this list and their reviews hold their weight.
True...? I guess I know a few people like that, now that I think about it. But if you have a casual interest in this type of music, pitchfork provides you with everything you need. You can talk about Arcade Fire or if you're feeling extra daring Deerhunter at parties and you'll never know about all the music you're missing, or care. For the rest of us, there's the internet.But to people who have a casual interest in this type of music that is exactly what they are, and it's to that demographic that this list and their reviews hold their weight.
i was frantically refreshing the page yesterday at 10:00 waiting for this list to go up.
I'M SO HAPPY THAT MODERN VAMPIRES IS THE ALBUM OF THE YEAR. vampire weekend deserved the hell out of it.
i've seen some people criticize the choice because it's "too pretentious" or "too safe", but i don't agree with that. it's the band's most mature release to date, and it was beautifully produced and assembled. it was clearly made with a ton of labor, effort, and love. that said, i can't understand why majical cloudz, chvrches, and haim made it onto the list, but albums of tim hecker quality didn't.
I'm just happy it wasn't fucking Yeezus. I'm sick of high-end critics labelling that album as a classic or a masterpiece. I'm not a Kanye hater. I thought My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was damn-near perfect. But Yeezus was garbage throughout (except for New Slaves and maybe Blood on the Leaves). Also, I liked the CHVRCHES album!I'M SO HAPPY THAT MODERN VAMPIRES IS THE ALBUM OF THE YEAR.