p4k doesn't like giving things low scores.
― Arctic Noon Auk, Tuesday, March 31, 2015 3:44 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
i do miss the days of frequent pans (i suspect my 30 or so reviews would probably have the lowest average score of any writer in PF history), but the funny thing about them so rarely dipping below like 7.6 for well regarded artists is that people now get REALLY up in arms about a 7.5 as if it's the cruelest poison pen letter review ever.
― some dude, Tuesday, 31 March 2015 14:12 (eight years ago) link
Sometimes a score like a 6.5 or something is even worse than a notably low one because it generates no discussion at all! In the PF universe an album with that score just kind of dissipates from the consciousness of readers without really anyone having even noticed.
― Evan, Tuesday, 31 March 2015 14:21 (eight years ago) link
after some googling, seeing that they gave scores in the 2 range to both of the latest pixies releases (justified), 3 to gaslight anthem (kinda strange to see ian cohen of all fucking people rip a band that's more or less emo), 3.9 to dillon francis (entirely justified that shit is trash), 3.9 to a terrible/disappointing nachmystium album, and a bunch of stuff i havent listened to beyond that
― are... are you saying you fucked a gazelle? (slothroprhymes), Tuesday, 31 March 2015 14:38 (eight years ago) link
but most of those are, in one way or another, #onbrand targets for pitchfork - like you won't see anyone breaking ranks to trash the latest pile of body fluids and sounds known as ariel pink's pom pom
― are... are you saying you fucked a gazelle? (slothroprhymes), Tuesday, 31 March 2015 14:40 (eight years ago) link
i miss these days http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/9464-shine-on/
― billstevejim, Tuesday, 31 March 2015 14:51 (eight years ago) link
In some UK magazines grade inflation for big acts is so established that a three-star translates as a hatchet job. Likewise any Pitchfork grade below 7 I guess.
― Continue your brooding monologue (Re-Make/Re-Model), Tuesday, 31 March 2015 14:56 (eight years ago) link
and video games reviews, where anything under 80% is a vicious pan
― IHeartMedia, the giant broadcaster formerly known as Clear Channel, (stevie), Tuesday, 31 March 2015 15:04 (eight years ago) link
there's also a lot more than 25 albums that get released every week. reviewers frequently want to write about bands that they like. if they had 10 reviews a day instead of 5, they would probably get stuck reviewing more records that they actively dislike, and the average score would likely drop.
― billstevejim, Tuesday, 31 March 2015 15:17 (eight years ago) link
El-P Shares Run The Jewels 2 Clean Version
How is this a top news story?
In other news, new Sufjan album has front and back cover art
― Jimmywine Dyspeptic, Tuesday, 31 March 2015 15:36 (eight years ago) link
Because they are concerned with keeping the artists they helped break in the front of your mind and tied in with PF in the process. So anytime you think of the most successful artists in the indie world you think of pitchfork.
― Evan, Tuesday, 31 March 2015 15:41 (eight years ago) link
Perhaps the conversation has shifted, but I wanted to step up and defend ratings. Not Pitchfork's per se, but ratings in general. (It seems the problem with ratings, for me anyway, is a lack of dissent, but that's another argument).As a consumer I find them a very useful starting point for discovering new music, especially when I'm doing some type of genre and/or catalog deep dive of music/band with which I'm unfamiliar.
― campreverb, Tuesday, 31 March 2015 16:18 (eight years ago) link
Pitchfork was more fun when it gave 0.0s to Zaireeka and Boy with the Arab Strap.
― Mr. Snrub, Tuesday, 31 March 2015 19:47 (eight years ago) link
It's amazing how fast backlash used to be. Arab Strap came out only two years after Sinister, and yet the pfork review talked about how belle and sebastian like they were this venerable institution that was letting down their fans with a "mediocre" record that "parodied" themselves. What was the expectation? I don't think disappointing sophomore albums are discussed this way anymore, especially if they follow fast on the heels of a classic. It's like time has sped up or something
― primal, intuitive, and relatively unmediated (Treeship), Tuesday, 31 March 2015 20:25 (eight years ago) link
arab strap was actually 0.8; i remember because it is the funniest pitchfork rating ever, to me. so close to a 1! but not quite 1-caliber.
― difficult listening hour, Tuesday, 31 March 2015 20:27 (eight years ago) link
I don't think disappointing sophomore albums are discussed this way anymore, especially if they follow fast on the heels of a classic.
i thought it was still the classic pfork move to laud the debut and shrug at the follow-up.
It's like time has sped up or something
unless it's a rapper who gets constant coverage on the basis of mixtapes and then gets their album panned, but that's more of a general issue.
― lil urbane (Jordan), Tuesday, 31 March 2015 20:35 (eight years ago) link
Have to respect the algorithms of the software they use. The results are scientific and objective.
xp
― Evan, Tuesday, 31 March 2015 20:36 (eight years ago) link
So were those tweets from the author of that "unbearable whiteness" article ranting about white people real?
― SurfaceKrystal, Tuesday, 31 March 2015 20:43 (eight years ago) link
Twitter isnt real its just words
― primal, intuitive, and relatively unmediated (Treeship), Tuesday, 31 March 2015 20:49 (eight years ago) link
Are you a YT? xp
― 龜, Tuesday, 31 March 2015 20:53 (eight years ago) link
read that as "Are you a YouTube"
― kriss akabusi cleaner (seandalai), Tuesday, 31 March 2015 20:59 (eight years ago) link
wait, did 龜 really mean "are you a YouTube"?
So did I
― SurfaceKrystal, Tuesday, 31 March 2015 21:01 (eight years ago) link
Seriously though, https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CBDsRdxWsAAnEb9.jpg
― SurfaceKrystal, Tuesday, 31 March 2015 21:16 (eight years ago) link
tell me more
― deej loaf (D-40), Tuesday, 31 March 2015 21:46 (eight years ago) link
More what, context? That Twitter is the author of the article mention previously on the thread.
― SurfaceKrystal, Tuesday, 31 March 2015 21:50 (eight years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xctuMC9jCBk
― how's life, Tuesday, 31 March 2015 21:50 (eight years ago) link
please elaborate on why those tweets are notable, SurfaceKrystal
― Whiney G. Weingarten, Tuesday, 31 March 2015 21:55 (eight years ago) link
poor wites they never had a chance against this yung south asian writer, rip wites
― are... are you saying you fucked a gazelle? (slothroprhymes), Tuesday, 31 March 2015 21:55 (eight years ago) link
all of those tweets otm
― The Reverend, Tuesday, 31 March 2015 21:58 (eight years ago) link
pitchfork is like the only place on earth that ever cared about deerhoof
― J0rdan S., Monday, March 30, 2015 4:06 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Deerhoof has been a consistant live draw for over a decade
― kurt kobaïan (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, 31 March 2015 22:00 (eight years ago) link
"white people sure are excited about unbreakable kimmy schmidt"
lol
― deej loaf (D-40), Tuesday, 31 March 2015 22:01 (eight years ago) link
xpost well, she wasn't really done with white people in 2012
― Is It Any Wonder I'm Not the (President Keyes), Tuesday, 31 March 2015 22:01 (eight years ago) link
Notable? Oh I just thought it was quite funny
― SurfaceKrystal, Tuesday, 31 March 2015 22:02 (eight years ago) link
why
― deej loaf (D-40), Tuesday, 31 March 2015 22:04 (eight years ago) link
lol wolves circling
― badg, Tuesday, 31 March 2015 22:20 (eight years ago) link
@ campreverb, I love ratings, but when they're fun and at the service of a good reading and listening experience, not "look at us scale the entire world of music and music writing on this metric of objectivity". My ideal rating system has always been Vice's music section tbh
― got a long list of ilxors (fgti), Tuesday, 31 March 2015 23:25 (eight years ago) link
my ideal rating system has always been dos and don'ts
― difficult listening hour, Tuesday, 31 March 2015 23:27 (eight years ago) link
xxp agreed, there just seemed to be a case being made earlier that ratings/listicles/best of's serve no purpose, and I while I think that point could be made for the latter 2, throwing ratings out with them is throwing the baby with the bathwater to me.
ideal system: CMJ's old RIYL.
― campreverb, Tuesday, 31 March 2015 23:44 (eight years ago) link
finger paintings tweet otm
― swae lee is the sremmurd for rae dad (crüt), Tuesday, 31 March 2015 23:51 (eight years ago) link
Kimmy Schmidt was great! I'm white btw
― kurt kobaïan (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, 31 March 2015 23:58 (eight years ago) link
i don't see how she ever expects to get cast in a belle and sebastian movie with tweets like those
― een, Wednesday, 1 April 2015 00:04 (eight years ago) link
Yeah so Jenny Death gets 8.1 but not BNM... perfect example of PF walking their top-down branding tightrope. Gotta appease the kids who align their indie identity with DG image marketing, but not unnerve the Pomplamoose set.
― Adam J Duncan, Wednesday, 1 April 2015 00:24 (eight years ago) link
http://www.big-t-shirts.com/ProdImages/big/792.jpg
― Whiney G. Weingarten, Wednesday, 1 April 2015 00:42 (eight years ago) link
unnerve the pomplamoose and pomplamoose the unnerved
― difficult listening hour, Wednesday, 1 April 2015 01:07 (eight years ago) link
is what they should be doing
I just want to post a comment below the review, goddammit!
― And let’s say a new Hozier comes along, and Spotify outbids you (Sufjan Grafton), Wednesday, 1 April 2015 01:11 (eight years ago) link
open commenting on pitchfork is not a great idea.
― billstevejim, Wednesday, 1 April 2015 01:13 (eight years ago) link
well ok, but i just have one really important comment
― And let’s say a new Hozier comes along, and Spotify outbids you (Sufjan Grafton), Wednesday, 1 April 2015 01:14 (eight years ago) link
for one review in particular
it's about how i make a living while working from the comfort of my home