Pitchfork's P2k: The Decade in Music

Haha, apologies, I'm being deliberately outrageous here.

The Drift wont poll because, presumably, each ballot was 50 albums, and I bet that, while a lot of people ADMIRE this record a lot, and would have put it in their 51-100 section, probably not enough LOVE IT to include it in a top 50. I reckon it's a record that a lot of people played quite intensively for a few days / weeks to get their head round it, then never visited it again. it's hardly a jolly thing to play often, is it?

Kate Bush probably wont poll for similar reasons. Eccentric English people releasing records that everyone has to have an opinion on briefly but that few people revisit often for affection.

Which is kind of how I feel about Radiohead.

i.e. there are most certainly 50+ records from the last ten years that I love MORE.

I beg to differ Nick. It may not be "jolly", but for some people (like myself) it is a record to play often. Just don't expect something "jolly".

But I can see how by your argumentation it will not be placed. Which still is an outrage!

xp

I don't disagree that some people are gonna love it to bits and play it a lot; hell, my number 1 would probably be Codename:Dustsucker, which I doubt many other people even remember who are gonna be voting in polls like this. I just think you shouldn't be surprised if it's not in the poll because I wouldn't count on anyone else voting for it.

When we ran polls like this at Stylus, 00-05 poll, or the top 101-200 albums ever, or whatever, we always said "vote for what you love, even if you're not sure regarding eligibility etc; just don't expect anyone else to vote for it".

Oh I'm not surprised by it, just like you I don't expect Scott up there. Nor Bark Psychosis.

i mean in all seriousness, every pitchfork list you read is going to be comfortably predictable and any "surprise" that crops up occasionally is going to be of the safe and calculated variety. it's a classic case of groupthink. that said, i always enjoy reading what they have to say about the albums. i'm pretty detached about it all and never expect much balance or to be influenced particularly. this allows me to overlook the fact that they consistently leave out some of my favourites.

In my mind, The Drift definitely ought to be in there in place of dross like Source Tags & Codes, and Aerial in place of dross like Chutes Too Narrow. Sadly, though, it's unlikely that Scott or Kate would end up in a poll that also includes records like those two.

Charlie, that's very magnanimous of you. I agree, I guess. Doesn't mean it doesn't piss me off. maybe I ought to arrange my own poll.

Groupthink always results in boring choices.

I doubt very much that the Pitchfork editorial staff would massively gerrymander the list to get the result they wanted; but that doesn't mean that individual voters aren't subconsciously gerrymandering results

OK, here's where I make the same comment that I make on all the poll threads ... a lot of this depends on the scoring method for the poll, e.g. consider the ILM 80's poll, where #1 votes were worth 3x #2 votes, which led to dishonest voting where people underrank their actual favourites (which don't "need" the votes because many others are likely to vote for them too) and instead put their pet song/album at #1 to bump it up the chart.

I'm not sure how PF scored this, but if it's e.g 50, 49, ... 1 then there is more scoring emphasis on albums that get the most votes, or IOW, if there is only one point difference between the scores given to my #1 and #2 album, then I won't waste much time agonizing over which order to put them in because the effect on the final tally is minimal. But if there's a 10 point difference, then I'll think about it more carefully, and am probably more likely to give extra votes to my personal favourites that might otherwise be underrepresented.

I believe someone from Pitchfork noted on here that it's not 100% by the numbers, that there is a little editorial 'massaging'.

I didn't notice that, if true, then I take back some of what I said.

OTOH, maybe I'm the only person who gives a crap about poll scoring schemes. I personally think it matters a hell of a lot, but maybe that's because I tend to obsess a bit over the issue, self-fulfilling prophecy, etc.

i've probably only heard half the albums in the top 100 and i kinda feel like that's enough heh

'chutes too narrow' is an album i was hoping people would forget about completely as the years wore on. it's one of the best examples i can think of as far as boring choices go on this list.

the Uncut List via:

http://swearimnotpaul.blogspot.com/2009/09/list-uncuts-top-150-albums-of-00s.html

can some statto do the similarity count between the albums listed on both Pitchfork 200 and Uncut 150?

150 - Band of Horses Everything All the Time
149 - Ray Lamontagne Trouble
148 - Franz Ferdinand Franz Ferdinand
147 - The Acorn Glory Hope Mountain
146 - Richard Thompson Front Parlour Blues
145 - Iron & Wine Our Endless Numbered Days
144 - Robert Wyatt Comicopera
143 - Leonard Cohen Ten New Songs
142 - Yeah Yeah Yeahs Fever to Tell
141 - Rahel Unthank and the Winterset The Bairns

140 - Espers Espers II
139 - Outkast Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
138 - Wilco Sky Blue Sky
137 - Elliott Smith From a Basement on a Hill
136 - The Strokes Room on Fire
135 - Willard Grant Conspiracy Regard the End
134 - Radiohead Hail to the Thief
133 - Bruce Springsteen We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
132 - Drive-By Truckers Brighter Than Creation's Dark
131 - Coldplay A Rush of Blood to the Head

130 - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
129 - Yo La Tengo And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out
128 - Antony and the Johnsons I Am A Bird Now
127 - The Handsome Family In the Air
126 - Neil Young Prairie Wind
125 - The Hold Steady Stay Positive
124 - Brightback Morning Light Brightback Morning Light
123 - Doves The Last Broadcast
122 - Donald Fagen Morph the Cat
121 - Hot Chip The Warning

120 - MGMT Oracular Spectacular
119 - Scritti Politti White Bread, Black Beer
118 - Super Furry Animals Love Kraft
117 - At the Drive-In Relationship of Command
116 - Sufjan Stevens - Michigan
115 - Steven Malkmus & The Jicks Real Emotional Trash
114 - The Raconteurs Consolers of the Lonely
113 - The Shins Chutes Too Narrow
112 - Beirut The Flying Club Cup
111 - Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins Rabbit Furcoat

110 - Steely Dan Everything Must Go
109 - The White Stripes Icky Thump
108 - Comets on Fire Avatar
107 - Paul Westerberg Come Feel Me Tremble
106 - The Go-Betweens The Friends of Rachel Worth
105 - Steely Dan Two Against Nature
104 - Grizzly Bear Veckatimest
103 - Missy Elliott Miss E...So Addictive
102 - The Felice Brothers The Felice Brothers
101 - Neko Case Blacklisted

100 - Jim O'Rourke Insignificance
99 - Babyshambles Down in Albion
98 - The Avalanches Since I Left You
97 - Paul Weller 22 Dreams
96 - Rufus Wainwright Want One
95 - Grandaddy The Sophtware Slump
94 - Devendra Banhart Oh Me Oh My...
93 - The Streets A Grand Don't Come For Free
92 - Tom Waits Real Gone
91 - John Cale HoboSapiens

90 - Bright Eyes I'm Wide Awake, it's Morning
89 - Neil Young Living With War
88 - The White Stripes Get Behind Me Satan
87 - Queens of the Stone Age Rated R
86 - PJ Harvey White Chalk
85 - MIA Arular
84 - David Bowie Heathen
83 - Outkast Stankonia
82 - Drive-By Truckers The Dirty South
81 - Okkervil River The Stage Names

80 - Levon Helm Electric Dirt
79 - Kings of Leon Only By the Night
78 - Johnny Cash American III: Solitary Man
77 - Kanye West The College Dropout
76 - Beck Seachange
75 - Gorillaz Demon Days
74 - Elbow Asleep in the Black
73 - Elliott Smith Figure 8
72 - Emmylou Harris Red Dirt Girl
71 - TV on the Radio Dear Science

70 - The Good, The Bad & The Queen The Good, The Bad & The Queen
69 - Arctic Monkeys Favourite Worst Nightmare
68 - D'Angelo Voodoo
67 - Midlake The Trials of Van Occupanther
66 - Jay-Z The Blueprint
65 - Rufus Wainwright Poses
64 - Lift to Experience The Texas-Jerasulem Crossroads
63 - The Rolling Stones A Bigger Bang
62 - Ghostface Killah Fishscale
61 - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds The Lyre of Orpheus/Abbatoir Blues

60 - Loretta Lynn Van Lear Rose
59 - The White Stripes De Stijl
58 - Bob Dylan - Together Through Life
57 - Robert Wyatt Cukooland
56 - Sonic Youth Murray Street
55 - Bjork Vespertine
54 - Magnetic Fields 69 Love Songs
53 - Interpol Turn on the Bright Lights
52 - Dizzee Rascal Boy in Da Corner
51 - Warren Zevon The Wind

50 - Cat Power The Greatest
49 - PJ Harvey Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
48 - Ry Cooder Chavez Ravine
47 - The National Alligator
46 - Drive-By Truckers Souther Rock Opera
45 - Solomon Burke Don't Give Up on Me
44 - The Libertines Up the Bracket
43 - The Streets Original Pirate Material
42 - Richmond Fontaine Post to Wire
41 - Bruce Springsteen Magic

40 - Boards of Canada Geogaddi
39 - Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend
38 - Ryan Adams Gold
37 - The Raconteurs Broken Boy Soldiers
36 - Johnny Cash American IV: The Man Comes Around
35 - Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
34 - Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago
33 - Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion
32 - Calexico Feast of Wire
31 - My Morning Jacket It Still Moves

30 - Sufjan Stevens Illinois
29 - Neil Young Chrome Dreams II
28 - Queens of the Stone Age Songs for the Deaf
27 - The Hold Steady Boys and Girls in America
26 - Lambchop Nixonland
25 - Radiohead Kid A
24 - Arctic Monkeys Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
23 - Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man Out of Season
22 - Blur Think Thank
21 - Joanna Newsom Ys

20 - Amy Winehouse Back to Black
19 - Bruce Springsteen The Rising
18 - Kate Bush Aerial
17 - The White Stripes - Elephant
16 - LCD Soundsytem Sound of Silver
15 - Radiohead In Rainbows
14 - Primal Scream XTRMNTR
13 - Gillian Welch Time (The Revelator)
12 - Portishead Third
11 - The Flaming Lips Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

10 - Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes
9 - Ryan Adams Heartbreaker
8 - Bob Dylan Modern Times
7 - The Arcade Fire Funeral
6 - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss Raising Sand
5 - The Strokes Is This It
4 - Brian Wilson Smile
3 - Wilco A Ghost is Born
2 - Bob Dylan Love and Theft
1 - The White Stripes White Blood Cells

subconsciously gerrymandering
have no idea what this means really, but what a great phrase, 9.2

i can't be bothered going back over the pitchfork list - was there any tom waits?

26 - Lambchop Nixonland

is this some extended version of Nixon that INEEDRIGHTNOW or just a weird typo?

22 - Blur Think Tank

WTF

a blogger typo

the uncut thing reads like a reader's list.

I think the Pitchfork list does too, obviously with a slightly different demographic

agreed.

OTOH, maybe I'm the only person who gives a crap about poll scoring schemes. I personally think it matters a hell of a lot, but maybe that's because I tend to obsess a bit over the issue, self-fulfilling prophecy, etc.

― NoTimeBeforeTime, Thursday, 1 October 2009 11:20 (29 minutes ago) Bookmark

Feel free to obsess here Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeiit! It's the ILX Decade-End TV Poll!!!!!

2 - Bob Dylan Love and Theft
1 - The White Stripes White Blood Cells

Pfffft, (n.1) now that's an exciting list.

_________________________________
(n.1) Pffft: An expression of mild contempt or dismissal. Usually made in response upon seeing/hearing nonsense or bullshit. Urban Dictionary (last visited, Roctober 1, 2009).

Hail To The Thief will definitely reach the Top 20. That means all the four Radiohead albums will be in the top 50. Crazy, at least.

No, it won't.

There's a limit of three discs per artist on the list. Radiohead's three: Amnesiac; In Rainbows; and presumably, Kid A (tomorrow).

Oh, I didn't know about the limit. Still, 3 Radiohead albums in 50 is crazy, too.

and would you have 3 in the top 50 without one of them being top? feh

Would you have a 60s list and say "only 3 Beatles records"? I know I'm contradicting myself here, but as rules go, that's stupid.

Tempted to push the button that would create the Which is Worse: Radiohead or the Beatles? poll.

I'm not aware of any "massaging" for the poll. Though I didn't pay attention to how my 1-100 picks were weighted.

I voted Discovery as my number 1 but I would be surprised if it got there.

Mike Skinner isn't northern.

he is to us southern shandies

can some statto do the similarity count between the albums listed on both Pitchfork 200 and Uncut 150?

If I was a statto I would've found an easier way of working it out, but here's the album overlaps so far. (Uncut placings in first brackets, then P4Ks)

Antony and the Johnsons I Am A Bird Now (128) (49)
Arctic Monkeys Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (24) (183)
Band of Horses Everything All the Time (150) (109)
Beck Seachange (76) (82)
Bjork Vespertine (55) (92)
Boards of Canada Geogaddi (40) (30)
Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago (34) (29)
D'Angelo Voodoo (68) (44)
Dizzee Rascal Boy in Da Corner (52) (62)
Elliott Smith Figure 8 (73) (190)
Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes (10) (32)
Franz Ferdinand Franz Ferdinand (148) (101)
Ghostface Killah Fishscale (62) (75)
Grizzly Bear Veckatimest (104) (42)
Hot Chip The Warning (121) (81)
Jim O'Rourke Insignificance (100) (166)
Joanna Newsom Ys (21) (83)
Kanye West The College Dropout (77) (28)
Missy Elliott Miss E...So Addictive (103) (77)
Neko Case Blacklisted (101) (141)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds The Lyre of Orpheus/Abbatoir Blues (61) (180)
PJ Harvey Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (49) (124)
Portishead Third (12) (71)
Primal Scream XTRMNTR (14) (142)
Queens of the Stone Age Songs for the Deaf (28) (134)
Radiohead In Rainbows (15) (21)
Ryan Adams Heartbreaker (9) (122)
Sonic Youth Murray Street (56) (108)
Sufjan Stevens - Michigan (116) (70)
The Flaming Lips Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (11) (67)
The Hold Steady Boys and Girls in America (27) (64)
The Libertines Up the Bracket (44) (138)
The National Alligator (47) (40)
The Shins Chutes Too Narrow (113) (46)
The Streets A Grand Don't Come For Free (93) (129)
The Streets Original Pirate Material (43) (36)
The White Stripes - Elephant (17) (74)
TV on the Radio Dear Science (71) (140)
Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend (39) (51)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs Fever to Tell (142) (24)
Yo La Tengo And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out (129) (37)

That's possibly the most boring thing I've ever done. Until I do it again tomorrow.

some of 50-21 is pretty gd rough

Phoenix was their #50 album of 2006, and my #2 for that year.

Small thing: Without looking it up, I believe Phoenix was #12 that year.

wolfgang is the better album imo, but wouldn't haven expected either in the top 50

really don't get the love for INBLT or WAP over Alphabetical

Discovery didn't even beat Kid A in this board's albums poll IIRC so expecting it to win Pitchfork's is a stretch.

(I voted for it as my #1 tho)

can't believe this decade peaked in its first year

^ yea, seems like a lot of these are from 2000

well, actually not too many now that i'm browing through it. just some of the classics

*browsing

can't believe this decade peaked in its first year

2001 was pretty good too

I think the biggest surprise in 50-21 is that Kala landed at #22. I fully expected that album to place in the top ten.

I'm holding out hope for Kish Kash in the top 20 -- I would be thrilled.

I can actually see MPP being #1 if not Kid A. I'll be surprised if it's not one of the two.

The whole decade has been very good imo (overall). Somewhere in the introduction to the Top 200 discs feature Pitchfork says that the list from this decade stands up well against those lists it compiled for earlier decades, and I think that's right.

(xp)