The Pitchfork People's List - top albums 1996-2012

I wrote about this on my blog

http://www.ci.desoto.tx.us/index.aspx?NID=61

no write-in votes placed afaict

apparently people who like pop/hip hop the most still prefer radiohead over outkast.

top ten write-ins

PAVEMENT BRIGHTEN THE CORNERS
REFUSED THE SHAPE OF PUNK TO COME
LAURYN HILL THE MISEDUCATION OF LAURYN HILL
BRAND NEW THE DEVIL AND GOD ARE RAGING INSIDE ME
PULP THIS IS HARDCORE
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE RATED R
DEFTONES WHITE PONY
JAY-Z REASONABLE DOUBT
BEASTIE BOYS HELLO NASTY
PAVEMENT TERROR TWILIGHT

There's not much to say about this list, is there? 10 of my picks were in the top 200, pretty much the ones I expected.

Their 'experimental' list is ridiculous

Boring list, but between this and that cat power article they've been slipping in some really good design on p4k..

The country distribution is weird. There are more artists from Oxford than the entire country of Ireland? Really?

(am trying not to bristle that Aphex Twin has clearly been called English.)

i'd characterise him as English

Hang on, how can the same artist/album be in both the "experimental" category and the "pop/r&b" category. How does that work, then?

I suppose there can be experimental R&B, but there is no universe in which Radiohead are R&B. (Tho I don't think there's much of an argument for anything in the "experimental" section actually being experimental, more like.)

Were Pavement too mainstream for p4k back in the 90s?

isn't that just what people who categorised themselves as 'pop/hip hop' or 'rnb' voted for. rather than the genre of the albums themselves. i may be misunderstanding tho'

xp

Oh wait, I have read that section completely wrong. Duh. Radiohead as "global" would have been pretty funny, though.

nah, the Brighten the Corners review was removed cos it was one of Ryan's more embarassing early efforts

haha, i guess i didn't read the big blurb next to the genre lists either oops

so people who are 'experimental' really rate Fennesz. Are they any good?

35ish of my top 100 are in their top 200.

Fennesz is one dude, and is very good, yes; blissed out digital decaying guitar noise with hidden melodies.

fuckin hell the 10-15 yr olds are mad for last years strokes album

thank you Scik Mouthy!

Looking at this list now... I mean, woah! It took a year to find out something that could have been estimated within about 5 minutes. I'm actually surprised at how unsurprising this is.

i think Fennesz became the go-to experimental guy for sites like Pitchfork a few years back because you could talk about the Beach Boys and stuff when writing about him. He is good though, yes

I still don't understand what 'global' is supposed to be

Still hate that Neutral Milk Hotel record.

I'm trying to work out what "Pop/R&B" means. (Apart from "will actually rate women.")

Old fennesz review I wrote - http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/fennesz/venice.htm

Accidentally closed the tab now can't get back into the site. Just as well.

No Four Tet. Sadface.

I only like one record that is among the top 20 heavily favoured by my age group.

Radiohead seem to be on every genre list including Americana, Metal and Rap/Hiphop - WTF?

OIC, ignore me.

People in my age group must be trying to euthanise themselves through listening to boring music

ohhhhh I get it, it was a Converse ad.

Not a single tMG album. Outrage!

the distinction index for ages 16-20 is horrifying and hilarious

LOL at the 4 R&B albums to scrape the top 200:

The Weeknd at 108
Frank Ocean at 172
Janelle Monae at 177
Drake at 199

don't lol at Janelle Monae

The Distinction Index for Electronic is pretty good!

% DISTINCTION INDEX
52.52% MICHAEL MAYER IMMER
52.32% BOOKA SHADE MOVEMENTS
48.25% VARIOUS ARTISTS 5: FIVE YEARS OF HYPERDUB
46.58% SEPALCURE SEPALCURE
45.97% ACTRESS SPLAZSH
43.44% ZOMBY WHERE WERE U IN '92?
43.13% RUSTIE GLASS SWORDS
42.05% ELLEN ALLIEN BERLINETTE
41.32% RICARDO VILLALOBOS ALCACHOFA
39.99% ELLEN ALLIEN & APPARAT ORCHESTRA OF BUBBLES
39.62% BURIAL BURIAL
38.96% LUOMO VOCALCITY
38.64% ISOLÉE WE ARE MONSTER
38.41% AFRICA HITECH 93 MILLION MILES
37.78% MADONNA CONFESSIONS ON A DANCE FLOOR
36.73% VITALIC OK COWBOY
36.18% MOUNT KIMBIE CROOKS & LOVERS
35.56% APHEX TWIN COME TO DADDY EP
35.1% ALAN BRAXE & FRIENDS THE UPPER CUTS
34.98% GOLDFRAPP BLACK CHERRY

DJP you gotta admit that's verging on self-parody.

Likewise the Distinction Index for Pop/R&B:

POP/R&B:
TOP ALBUMS VOTED BY PEOPLE WHO SELECTED POP/R&B AS THE GENRE THEY LISTENED TO MOST
# POINTS
KANYE WEST MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY
RADIOHEAD KID A
RADIOHEAD OK COMPUTER
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE FUTURESEX/LOVESOUNDS
DAFT PUNK DISCOVERY
ARCADE FIRE FUNERAL
THE STROKES IS THIS IT
KANYE WEST THE COLLEGE DROPOUT
THE XX THE XX
M.I.A. KALA
OUTKAST STANKONIA
ROBYN BODY TALK
JAY-Z THE BLUEPRINT
NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL IN THE AEROPLANE OVER THE SEA
BJÖRK HOMOGENIC
KANYE WEST LATE REGISTRATION
BEYONCÉ 4
OUTKAST SPEAKERBOXXX/THE LOVE BELOW
LCD SOUNDSYSTEM SOUND OF SILVER
THE WHITE STRIPES ELEPHANT
% DISTINCTION INDEX
40.84% BEYONCÉ B'DAY
30.95% KYLIE MINOGUE FEVER
27.74% AALIYAH AALIYAH
27.22% MADONNA RAY OF LIGHT
25.26% MADONNA CONFESSIONS ON A DANCE FLOOR
23.21% LILY ALLEN IT'S NOT ME, IT'S YOU
21.85% LADY GAGA THE FAME MONSTER
21.31% MAXWELL BLACKSUMMERS'NIGHT
19.55% BEYONCÉ 4
17.81% ADELE 21
17.26% ERYKAH BADU MAMA'S GUN
16.98% KATY B ON A MISSION
15.98% SALLY SHAPIRO DISCO ROMANCE
15.37% THE-DREAM LOVE VS. MONEY
15.08% MISSY ELLIOTT MISS E: SO ADDICTIVE
14.36% ROBYN ROBYN
13.71% RÓISÍN MURPHY RUBY BLUE
12.97% AMY WINEHOUSE BACK TO BLACK
12.94% MISSY ELLIOTT UNDER CONSTRUCTION
12.49% ALAN BRAXE & FRIENDS THE UPPER CUTS

Argh. Look at the second half of that.

when does p4k NOT verge on self-parody and was there even the tiniest chance these results would not be the most self-parodic of all

distinction for 26-30 (i.e. my age group) makes for sad reading, stuff that was hip when we were in our late teens / early 20s that's now more or less forgotten.

are my reviews self-parody?

is there a single album in the top 200 that wasn't in their awards database

also old people really like drive-by truckers and apparently fountains of wayne

somewhat surprised by all that stuff ahead of tigermilk on the 1996 list. soundtracks for the blind!

Yeah, the Electronic and Pop/R&B distinction indexes are pretty good, i.e. I'd listen to them.

But it's just weird to me that the Pop/R&B one slants as heavily female (90%?) as the general list slants male? There is definitely something going on there.

you ever notice that the genres of pop and R&B slant more heavily female than indie rock? amazing, huh

it's almost...it's almost like what i was saying over and over upthread about what genres you listen to having a big impact on the gender makeup of your record collection has some merit to it