Pitchforkmedia.com Music Dudes Dictate Culture From Chicago
by Hillary Frey
"Who are these people?" asks Michael Klausman, 29, a manager and buyerat Other Music, the tiny East Village record store frequented by musicobsessives of the hipster order. "These unknown writers have morelegitimacy in terms of making or breaking a record than writers fromThe Village Voice, Spin or Rolling Stone."
Mr. Klausman is talking about the kids behind Pitchforkmedia.com, theonline music magazine, and he's not alone in his curiosity. The siteis read, debated, demonized and lionized by dutiful hipsters from EastFourth Street to Bedford Avenue, but no one in New York seems to knowwho's running the show. Pitchfork reads like it comes straight out ofWilliamsburg, with its snarky attitude and unabiding devotion to indierock. But—surprise!—Pitchfork comes to us via a basement in Chicago.
Despite its far-flung location, a glowing Pitchfork review sells CD'sat the Virgin Megastore in Union Square and fills up shows at theBowery Ballroom. A negative review can stall sales and, sincePitchfork is nearly always the first to review a record, inspire othercritics to gang up on a new album. Indie labels from Matador to Misra,and a handful of majors including Interscope and Capitol, are pipingmoney into Pitchfork as they buy up the site's ad space to market toits coveted readership. Capitalizing on the momentum generated thisyear, Pitchfork will relaunch in early 2005, replete with a new designas well as fresh features.
As Dan Hougland, 29, a floor manager at Other Music, puts it:"Pitchfork is totally defining a cottage industry." In thepre-Internet era, music zealots (who typically turn their noses up atmainstream music mags) had to comb through mail-order record catalogsand handmade zines to find out about the next big thing. ButPitchfork, with its trove of reviews and guides to the best records,has made it possible for band-dudes-cum-young-professionals to stayconnected to music in their post-collegiate life. Other online reviewsites exist, of course, but Pitchfork seems to have captivated NewYorkers more than any other.
And though the site is still too small to have much influence on majorlabels, the fact that it publishes daily has given it a huge edge inthe world of music media. (Chances are that the hoodie-wearing techguy in your office scans the site during his morning Internet-readingrituals.) Pitchfork is a popular blogosphere reference point. Themedia gossip site Gawker name-checks it frequently, and Time Out NewYork references Pitchfork in its listings.
Pitchfork is still largely associated with indie rock, but the sitehas given an increasing amount of coverage to pop, dance, hip-hop, rapand Britpop in the last year or so. The willingness of its young andlargely unknown writers to slay the sacred cows of the indie scene, orto call out a bad idea in the mainstream—recently, the song "CollisonCourse," a mash-up of Linkin Park and Jay-Z, was named as a contenderfor "Worst Cash-In Hybrid of 2004"—has conferred upon it a credibilitythat no one seems to assign anymore to print music magazines.
Jonathan Galkin, 32, of Manhattan-based DFA records (home to the likesof downtown favorites Black Dice and the Rapture), explains the site'spopularity among purists this way: "A Lester Bangs–type critic doesn'texist anymore in America, because magazines don't really trash recordsanymore—they're way too dependent on that label's advertising dollars.Everything out there in print is sugar-coated, where I find thatPitchfork is just way more honest." In addition to its five dailyreviews, Pitchfork's news items are a big draw for the site. Plenty ofreaders skip the criticism but find it hard to resist the gossip—aboutthe latest indie band to jump to a major label, newly announced tourdates, the breakup of a favorite group or, in a recent example, therevelation that a member of the Vines has autism.
One might wonder: If a major music tastemaker is coming out ofChicago, is New York losing its grip on hip? Of course, nothing seemsdifferent. In fact, the ubiquity of the "hipster" has never been quitethis intense. You know the one: He's riding the L train, wearing asnug striped sweater, plugged into his iPod, with some band you'venever heard of—Animal Collective, the Books, Death from Above1979—piping into his ears. His girlfriend dons a mixture of texturedfabrics, has multi-tinted hair (though in natural shades—no pinks) andis listening to the Futureheads. (Make no mistake: This reporter,minus the hair style, might on certain days be mistaken for half ofthis pair.) These kids used to be the arbiters of edgy taste, their CDcollections a guide to what must be purchased, owned and fetishized inorder to be part of the vanguard of culture.
But with the increasing respectability of Web journalism, a tastemakercan come from anywhere. All a person really needs is a sprinkling ofambition, a computer, a rudimentary knowledge of HTML and an Internetconnection. At least that's all 28-year-old Ryan Schreiber had when hestarted Pitchfork back in 1995. In nine years, the site has gone froma fan page largely written by Mr. Schreiber with a few hundred readersto a full-fledged magazine drawing 115,000 visitors on an averageweekday. Mr. Schreiber is only beginning to realize the power thatcomes with such a loyal following.
Tipping the Scales
"Pitchfork is certainly a place that other writers and people in theindustry look to as one of the barometers of what people are thinkingis cool," says Tracks magazine former editor in chief and co-founderAlan Light, who has also stood at the helm of Vibe and Spin. "It's adifferent kind of writing than print—it's kind of shoot-from-the-hip,for better or for worse."
Mr. Hougland of Other Music explained: "The writer for Spin makes moremoney, but the Pitchfork dude has way more power. If you look at themedia and the blogs, it's the music version of that."
Nothing illustrates the point better than two recent records: Funeral,by the new Canadian band the Arcade Fire, and Travistan, by indiedarling Travis Morrison. About two months ago, Pitchfork reviewedFuneral and gave it a rave. Writer David Moore emoted, with thepersonal intensity and creative hyperbole that's a hallmark of PFscribes: "Their search for salvation in the midst of real chaos isours; their eventual catharsis is part of our continualenlightenment." Funeral earned the high mark of 9.7 on the site'snumerical rating system, where 10.0 is the top and 0.0 the bottom.Almost immediately, it became impossible to find Funeral in a New YorkCity record store.
"Without Pitchfork, I can't imagine that all the hype around theArcade Fire would have happened," says Mr. Hougland. "It's totallyPitchfork; it's not even worth speculating about. It's possible thatthey would have gotten that popular, but it would have taken a lotlonger." Merge Records, the North Carolina–based indie label that putout Funeral, sold out their initial printing of the record and nowhave pressed an additional 60,000 to fill demand. Tickets for theband's November show at the Bowery Ballroom sold out weeks before theevent, a rare occurrence for a group with one hard-to-find record onits first headlining tour.
On the flip side is the dreaded 0.0, most recently awarded to TravisMorrison's Travistan. Mr. Morrison had formerly found favor withPitchfork as frontman of the D.C. art-rock quartet the DismembermentPlan; in 1999, the D-Plan's Emergency and I was voted Pitchfork's No.1 record of the year. The review of Travistan was so spiteful, it wasalmost as if Mr. Morrison had been trashed simply for going solo.Chris Dahlen wrote: "I've never heard a record more angry, frustrated,and even defensive about its own weaknesses, or more determined toslug those flaws right down your throat." In the wake of the piece, askepticism about Travistan took hold, with some college-radioprogrammers—who normally would have been pushing a much-anticipatedsolo record from someone like Mr. Morrison—making excuses for why itwasn't in heavy rotation. At least one record-store owner initiallydeclined to stock the record (he later changed his mind). Othercritics followed Pitchfork's suit; a number of pieces about the recorddiscussed the 0.0 before even engaging with it.
Josh Rosenfeld of Seattle-based Barsuk Records, which put outTravistan, says that although the Pitchfork pan may have stalledinterest in the record, he doesn't think the damage will be permanent."But what is interesting is what the difference is between thesituation we're in now and the situation we would be in now ifPitchfork had said, `9.8! Travis has pushed the boundaries again!' A`boy, we love art in pop music!' type of review. We can only speculateabout things like that: would his record be enjoying the receptionthat people are now giving to the Arcade Fire record?"
When asked about his magazine's ability to make or break a record, Mr.Schreiber (officially Pitchfork's editor in chief and publisher) is abit tongue-tied. "It's unbelievably cool to have any kind ofinfluence," he says. "But I'm totally taken aback by it, and I'm tornby it. You want to be careful, because you know that if you have areally positive response, you are going to do this great thing forbands. And it's the greatest thing in the world to see that band goingaround playing for 50 people and the next night, because of a goodreview, it's sold out." Mr. Schreiber paused. "But you have to keep ithonest," he continued. "And that's why we have any impact, becausepeople know that they're going to get a straight answer from us. Wewould never trash a band that's putting out its first record, just tokill it. Though, with something like the Travis Morrison record, Iknow that I would give it the same ranking no matter what."
A 0.0? This reporter thinks that rating is grossly unfair (and, forthe record, is a big fan of Travistan). Mr. Schreiber feels otherwise."I think that a record can be so unlistenable and so terrible that itdeserves that rating," he said. "It's totally subjective. So is itdevoid of worth to me personally? Yes."
The Nice Guys?
"Obviously, I never foresaw that it would get quite this big," saidMr. Schreiber, who waxes rhapsodic about record shopping the way onlya kid who came of age before the Internet could. "I was sort ofambitious about it, but it's obviously gone so far beyond myexpectations that it's hard for me to believe that this is my job."
Mr. Schreiber had the foresight to start Pitchfork in the pre-dawn ofthe Internet era. He was just 19 years old, living with his parentsoutside the Twin Cities in Minnesota, collecting records like everyother kid with not much else to do. He didn't go to college, andinstead focused on Pitchfork while working various part-time jobs,honing his tech skills and cranking out review after review of hisfavorite bands. He moved the site to Chicago in 1999 and today has thewhiff of the ex-nerd about him—one who has grown into himself a littlelater in life. His creamy, lightly freckled skin, glinting brown eyesand quick, affable smile brand him immediately as a Midwesterner, andhis surprise at Pitchfork's good fortune is genuine and disarming.
"We never did any advertising or anything—it was all just word ofmouth," Mr. Schreiber explained, leaning back in his desk chair andtaking long swigs of Diet Dr. Pepper between remarks. His is a storyof a music fan with a good idea—one that any number of young wannabemusic/writer geeks could have conceived and pursued, if only theyhadn't been busy with college, keg parties, skateboarding competitionsor whatever else we were doing in the mid-90's.
When Mr. Schreiber started Pitchfork, all he really wanted to do wastell other people about his favorite bands. "I wanted to meet bands—Ithought that would be really cool. So I thought it would be kind offun to start a magazine on the Web and write about my favorite bandsand get to meet them," he explains. "And once I heard about thepromos, I was like, `Oh my God, unbelievable! Unbelievable!'"
Mr. Schreiber is no longer just a kid enamored of free CD's.Presently, Pitchfork's office consists of two cramped but tidycement-floored rooms in the basement of Mr. Schreiber's three-floorflat at the edge of Wicker Park, where he lives with his wife,Elizabeth, and two cats. Plastic mail bins of CD's are stackedeverywhere; Pitchfork receives about 300 CD's a week forconsideration. Mr. Schreiber leaves the door to his office open whilebeing interviewed, either because he is unself-conscious or verynervous—it's impossible to tell which.
Although he supervises a geographically scattered staff of about 50via instant-messaging, e-mail, an online message board and thetelephone, only the three guys on payroll (plus a few interns) work inthe actual office. In addition to Mr. Schreiber, there's managingeditor Scott Plagenhoef, 31, who comes off like the wise and patientbig brother; where Mr. Schreiber is quick to answer or throw out anidea, Mr. Plagenhoef is pensive and sarcastic, shaking his head at hiscorner computer in silent disagreement with words flying betweenothers. Chris Kaskie, 24, is Pitchfork's new advertising director, aswell as the threesome's resident cutie.
These guys aren't your typical indie kids—they are all well-groomed,two of the three are married, and they don't smoke. When Mr. Schreibertalks of his first trip to New York City this past October, it's withthe wonderment of an 8-year-old in F.A.O. Schwarz. (Nick Sylvester,22, a regular Pitchfork writer who also interns at The Village Voice,hung out with Mr. Schreiber on that visit. "Ryan spent a whole day inTimes Square, and he was so happy," Mr. Sylvester recalled, in a tonethat betrayed how bizarre that notion was.) That's the irony of thePitchfork enterprise: The site has a reputation as a haven for snotty,brutish—and frequently solid and original—writing, but its creator isa sweet, optimistic guy unprepared for and unnerved by his own success.
Growing Pains
While ever-increasing advertising revenue is clearly a boon to thesite, it has also created tensions among struggling freelancers andadded to Pitchfork's growing pains. To be sure, a sense of power isthe true payoff for any Pitchfork contributor. Says Mr. Sylvester:"You know if you drop an 8.0 on a record, 1,000 people will buy it ordownload it." For the last few years, writers brought on staff wouldabide by a grueling schedule, filing twice a week for six months withno pay at all; after that initiation, they would earn what is truly apittance—$10 or $20 for a review, and $40 for a feature. These days,writers are promised pay as soon as they start writing for the site,and slightly more money per piece. In the new year, with the redesign,Mr. Schreiber is planning to pay writers "a more competitive rate,"and hopes to woo back some of those who have left out of frustrationor for more lucrative ventures.
Writers complaining about low or lack of pay is nothing new, even forcritics working in print journalism. And just as it is at smallerindependent publications, it's the sense of toiling together, broke,in the service of a project people believe in that keeps Pitchfork'sstaff glued together. But tension over money reached a fever pitchamong Pitchforkers when the site's billing schedule—which charted paidadvertising revenue for the site—was swiped and posted last month onhipinion.com, a message board frequented by Pitchfork detractors. Itbecame clear that Mr. Schreiber was bringing in far more money fromadvertising than most, if not all, of the staff suspected. Rumorsabout where the money was going—into Mr. Schreiber's pocket, or hisapartment—began to fly.
However, Mr. Schreiber's frugality in terms of writers' pay seems lessmalicious than a case of bad management—one that he's trying to get ahandle on. There's great hope among staffers that managing editorPlagenhoef, who has experience in the print media, will helpprofessionalize the whole operation and keep writers happier. He isobviously widely respected—everyone this reporter talked to spokehighly of him as a writer, editor and music fan—and Mr. Schreiber actsas if he were sent from the heavens above.
Pitchfork's relaunch early next year will be a big moment for thesite, which appears to be at a crossroads: Will it risk its hipstercredibility and keep growing and growing? Will it topple on itself? Orwill it be snatched up by some conglomerate and morphed into yetanother extension of a multimedia venture?
At this point, Mr. Schreiber scoffs at the idea that he could bebought out. "People come back to us again and again because they knowwe're not corrupted," he said. "If someone offered us tons of money tocommercialize the site, it would change into the antithesis of thereason I started it. This is something I am so in love with—this is myentire adult life's work." He pauses, concluding with a statement thathe may have to re-evaluate if Pitchfork continues its rise: "Therearen't any circumstances under which I would give it up."
You may reach Hillary Frey via email at: hfrey@observer.com.
― Sam Hunt (robosam), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 15:14 (nineteen years ago) link
― Sam Hunt (robosam), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 15:15 (nineteen years ago) link
― Nick Sylvester, Wednesday, 24 November 2004 15:34 (nineteen years ago) link
― Dominique (dleone), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 15:37 (nineteen years ago) link
Maybe it's just me getting older, but I'm getting tired of using the word "kids" to mean anyone into their late twenties. I mean, Spencer Owen isn't writing for PFM anymore.
with some band you've never heard of -- Animal Collective, the Books, Death from Above 1979
But rest assured I, the journalist, have heard of them and will name-drop accordingly! (Actually, this reminds me of an article I wrote for my high-school newspaper in 1995 on "lesser-known bands" that began something like "Tindersticks. Red Red Meat. Sound familiar? No?")
― Sanjay McDougal (jaymc), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 15:39 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 15:46 (nineteen years ago) link
― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 15:48 (nineteen years ago) link
― Sanjay McDougal (jaymc), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 15:48 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 15:49 (nineteen years ago) link
― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 15:50 (nineteen years ago) link
I now hunt and slay.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 15:51 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 15:51 (nineteen years ago) link
― David Allen (David Allen), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 15:54 (nineteen years ago) link
― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 15:56 (nineteen years ago) link
― miccio (miccio), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 16:02 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ian Moraine (Eastern Mantra), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 16:03 (nineteen years ago) link
― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 16:04 (nineteen years ago) link
YANC3Y OTM ABOUT MARK R. (For a long time, he was my favorite PFM writer. He's still great, but now he's got some competition. ;-))
― Sanjay McDougal (jaymc), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 16:05 (nineteen years ago) link
― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 16:12 (nineteen years ago) link
― Marcel Post (Marcel Post), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 16:24 (nineteen years ago) link
ha ha! only needs a couple more question marks and an exclamation mark or two.
― john'n'chicago, Wednesday, 24 November 2004 16:29 (nineteen years ago) link
THIS close to getting referenced! Dagnabbit.
― miccio (miccio), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 16:32 (nineteen years ago) link
Alex was joking about the pimping, but unless Alex is mistaken DanH and JonG both post here and neither write for PFork. But it was more me just reading an article (that happened to be about PFork) and being surprised at how many names I recognized from day-to-day interaction on this board.
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 16:33 (nineteen years ago) link
"And on the 73rd day, the children of Israel heard The Unicorns, and lo, it was proclaimed that they were alright if you like that sort of thing."
― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 16:34 (nineteen years ago) link
You may be right; I don't recognize the names.
― Sanjay McDougal (jaymc), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 16:36 (nineteen years ago) link
― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 16:42 (nineteen years ago) link
Ew, was this really necessary? It reads like bad fan fic. And Pitchfork fanfic is a scary proposition indeed.
― RickyT (RickyT), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 16:54 (nineteen years ago) link
― Patrick South (Patrick South), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 16:54 (nineteen years ago) link
― Drew Daniel (Drew Daniel), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 16:57 (nineteen years ago) link
― Melissa W (Melissa W), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 17:04 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 17:05 (nineteen years ago) link
she makes it sound as if Ryan dispatches Pitchfork by polar bear courier from Nome, Alaska
― raj, Wednesday, 24 November 2004 17:05 (nineteen years ago) link
I've run into this, too. PFM has some really good reviews, and some that I just can't relate to at all. Which is fine, until I run into people at the record store who just echo those opinions. It's just what happens when people get all of their info from one source, but since pitchfork seems to be that source right now, they're a pretty easy target.
I think I'm somehow missing the hidden "novelty" tag on some of their reviews. I think the criteria is if it's pop, rap, or a band that pitchfork writers used to like a decade ago, then it's actually a novelty review. There's some sort of hidden signals to the readership on this.
― mike h. (mike h.), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 17:11 (nineteen years ago) link
Before a year or two ago, I'd have agreed with you on this point. But the TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN'. Did you read the Annimal review?
― Sanjay McDougal (jaymc), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 17:15 (nineteen years ago) link
― Al (sitcom), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 17:21 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 17:24 (nineteen years ago) link
oh come on.
― scott pl. (scott pl.), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 17:28 (nineteen years ago) link
― Magic City (ano ano), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 17:55 (nineteen years ago) link
― Magic City (ano ano), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 17:56 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 17:56 (nineteen years ago) link
― Magic City (ano ano), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 17:57 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 18:00 (nineteen years ago) link
― Magic City (ano ano), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 18:00 (nineteen years ago) link
That was probably the most in-and-of-itself readable article about Pitchfork that I've seen: stuff like the Times Square thing, these are nice touches.
― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 18:03 (nineteen years ago) link
he has lost a lot of weight - I think he's given some of it to me...
― scott pl. (scott pl.), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 18:06 (nineteen years ago) link
asshattery aside, i enjoyed reading that piece. thanks sam!
― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 18:09 (nineteen years ago) link
I have to admit, I was taken aback when I saw him in NYC last month -- I'd only met him once before, three years ago, but he seemed much leaner (even taller??) this time around.
― Sanjay McDougal (jaymc), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 18:13 (nineteen years ago) link
― Sanjay McDougal (jaymc), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 18:15 (nineteen years ago) link
Ha ha ha, most of that space is taken up by the murky brown water of the East River! I hope those dutiful hipsters can swim as well as demonize / lionize! (By the way, notice how 'demonize / lionize' is a coded reference to Dominique Leone?)
― Momus (Momus), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 18:21 (nineteen years ago) link
― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 19:32 (nineteen years ago) link
― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 19:35 (nineteen years ago) link
― rectal jones, Wednesday, 1 December 2004 16:07 (nineteen years ago) link
― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 18:40 (nineteen years ago) link
― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 18:59 (nineteen years ago) link
― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 19:00 (nineteen years ago) link
― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 19:06 (nineteen years ago) link
― Dennis Scanland, Wednesday, 1 December 2004 22:05 (nineteen years ago) link
― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 22:38 (nineteen years ago) link
Yeah, who has time to read these days? In fact, I think Pitchfork would be even better if they just dispensed with the review altogether and just slapped on the score and were done with it.
― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 23:02 (nineteen years ago) link
I would definitely have to seek help if I read "Spencer Chow is the next Radiohead" in Pitchfork.
― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 23:28 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 23:48 (nineteen years ago) link
― stevie (stevie), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 23:52 (nineteen years ago) link
haha, lol...
I generally like Pitchfork, but two things in particular increasingly annoy me:a) the ratings system - come on, those decimals are just plain sillyb) their propensity for slating albums only for the lyrics; this isn't a book club, is it? The already (in)famous Travis Morrison review did not devote a single syllable to the music - can lyrics alone be so crap as to warrant a 0.0 rating? I think not.
― Robbert (Robbert), Thursday, 2 December 2004 20:07 (nineteen years ago) link
Nabisco, I'm guessing you mean the one AFTER this Slowdive thing?
― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 2 December 2004 20:13 (nineteen years ago) link
― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 2 December 2004 20:17 (nineteen years ago) link
― nabiscothingy, Thursday, 2 December 2004 21:07 (nineteen years ago) link
Believe it. It happened to me!
(/dramatic)
― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Thursday, 2 December 2004 21:09 (nineteen years ago) link
The decimal points are the best part of the rating system. Single digits are for wimps. There's a major difference between, say, a 7.4 and a 7.6. Everything between 1.0 and 3.5 is kind of a blur though.
The already (in)famous Travis Morrison review did not devote a single syllable to the music
Not true.
― savetherobot, Friday, 3 December 2004 03:29 (nineteen years ago) link
― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Friday, 3 December 2004 04:32 (nineteen years ago) link
― ubaka, Tuesday, 1 November 2005 00:41 (eighteen years ago) link
― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 01:02 (eighteen years ago) link
― cutty (mcutt), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 01:03 (eighteen years ago) link
geek!= punk
― Cunga (Cunga), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 01:10 (eighteen years ago) link
people who ONLY use pitchfork to learn of new music
― cutty (mcutt), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 01:12 (eighteen years ago) link
― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 01:41 (eighteen years ago) link
― cutty (mcutt), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 01:56 (eighteen years ago) link
― gear (gear), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 01:58 (eighteen years ago) link
RECOMMENDATIONS BY OTHERS MAKE MUSIC SOUND WORSE
― HOW EDGY? SO EDGY, Tuesday, 1 November 2005 02:37 (eighteen years ago) link
― cutty (mcutt), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 03:05 (eighteen years ago) link
― nancyboy (nancyboy), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 03:16 (eighteen years ago) link
― cutty (mcutt), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 03:23 (eighteen years ago) link
Pitchfork Bashers: Classic or Dud?
― nancyboy (nancyboy), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 03:23 (eighteen years ago) link
― cutty (mcutt), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 03:25 (eighteen years ago) link
RESEARCH IS THE KEY
YOU WILL REACH OTHER, MORE ACCEPTABLE CONCLUSIONS
TRUST ME: I'VE DONE MY HOMEWORK
― SO-CALLED MUSIC JOURNALISM, Tuesday, 1 November 2005 05:13 (eighteen years ago) link
― gear (gear), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 05:15 (eighteen years ago) link
― login name (fandango), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 05:49 (eighteen years ago) link
Was this the much-trumpeted redesign that barely changed anything except to make it UNUSABLE on dial-up?
My only beef with Pitchfork really is how the Pitchforkiness seems to run so deep through the site, that with some reviews it turns a lot of (potentially) good writing bad-to-unreadable.
Most of the individual staffers and correspondents are okay-to-great, some even recognise the Pitchforkiness and manage to negotiate it well, whilst implicitly acknowledging it's stupidity.
I can pretty much deal with it's taste bias, annoying as it can sometimes be. Most sites have one.
― login name (fandango), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 08:11 (eighteen years ago) link
― Mofrackie, Tuesday, 1 November 2005 12:45 (eighteen years ago) link
― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!, Tuesday, 1 November 2005 12:51 (eighteen years ago) link
pitchfork: annie and RADIOHEADstylus: girls aloud and ELO
― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!, Tuesday, 1 November 2005 12:52 (eighteen years ago) link
― sean gramophone (Sean M), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 15:15 (eighteen years ago) link
― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 15:17 (eighteen years ago) link
― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 15:22 (eighteen years ago) link
― sean gramophone (Sean M), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 15:23 (eighteen years ago) link
― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 15:27 (eighteen years ago) link
― blackmail.is.my.life (blackmail.is.my.life), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 15:30 (eighteen years ago) link
― sean gramophone (Sean M), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 15:30 (eighteen years ago) link
― scott pl. (scott pl.), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 15:34 (eighteen years ago) link
― scenester, Tuesday, 13 December 2005 16:39 (eighteen years ago) link