Year-End Critics' Polls '08

It's weird to say that the pfork list looks like all the others; that's really not the case. Still there aren't too many things blowing me away as I go through it. I guess it's just that since they're less indie-centric than ever the kneejerk indie haters sound particularly retarded.

i did notice that two writers listed "can't believe it" #1 but it didn't make the top 100 ~*~*curious*~*~

the pop songs on the list puzzled me too - "love in this club", "single ladies" and "live your life"?

yah i found that really sorta random! esp love in this club -- single ladies is more understandable i think

those songs are awesome.

The 11-20 on the Pfork list is much better than the top 10.

xp: "Live Your Life" is great. I thought most, if not all, of us agreed on this.

Single Ladies is super great.

love in this club is not that awesome

i like single ladies and live your life a lot but i didn't expect pitchfork writers to be rallying around either to be quite honest - "love in this club" is lazy/borderline reprehensible and has aged so awfully that it's not even funny

I CAN BREAK THESE CUFFS

also lolwtf @ "flashing lights" - was that a single in february or something? even so it feels 2 years old

i can break these cuffs is top 10 of the decade xp

I still can't tell Crystal Castles and Cut Copy apart

Yeah, I basically agree with that except the part for it being weird for them to rally around the first two. I mean, both are huge songs that are at least pretty good. It makes sense that a certain amount of PF writers have heard and like them. Why wouldn't it?

xxxxp

"Flashing Lights" had its chart peak and video release around Jan/Feb, although honestly it was so popular as an album track in '07 that I'm surprised they didn't list it last year already. I was happy to see it, though, especially since it took the big Kanye spot on the list instead of something from 808s. I was scrolling down with dread convinced I would see "Love Lockdown" in the top 5 til I absolutely knew it wasn't there.

I still can't tell Crystal Castles and Cut Copy apart

Then you haven't listened to them.

"Love Lockdown" was #39

haha o i missed that

i was kinda surprised that an 808s album track like "street lights" or "paranoid" didn't chart

I may be wrong, but I don't think they listed more than 2 tracks by any given artist.

Still confused by love for "single ladies"--the random background synths are as annoying as fuck.

I still can't tell Crystal Castles and Cut Copy apart

Then you haven't listened to them.

― Matt DC, Tuesday, December 16, 2008 1:56 PM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Well, I've LISTENED to them (i even relistened to the four songs they rank on the Pfork list) but they're both so incredibly boring and completely incapable of leaving any impression on me that I'm never left thinking anything beyond "I hate this music" and "people that listen to Belle And Sebastien dance to this"

Still confused by love for "single ladies"--the random background synths are as annoying sick as fuck.

odd that "time to pretend" makes p4k's list again!

Yr all still crazy about "Love in This Club" it's #1 the best.

AY!

I don't get Crystal Castles, but Cut Copy is a fantastic synth-pop band.

based on the singles list fleet foxes are probably winning it all - maybe cut copy or portishead

btw were "flashing lights" and "no matter what" the two highest rated rap tracks? weird

yeah it's pretty easy to see why "belle & sebastian fans" like cut copy - 80s babies digging indie dudes doing 80s dance pop with huge choruses. seems like a no brainer

btw i <3 them

"Love In the Club" is the most boringly repetitive song of the year. The hook consists the exact same 2 bars of music over and over again without even the slightest variation.

xpost on high-rated rap tracks--and A Milli, and the Wiley song.

"A Milli" is higher than "no matter what" (xxxp)

Yeah, but what an amazing two bars they are! (xp)

And today is the first time I've listened to Cut Copy--not making an impression.

I'm surprised "A Milli" wasn't rated even higher

Vocals aside, most of this stuff seems more connected to Martin's previous work/collaborators than anything else.

― Alex in SF, Tuesday, December 16, 2008 11:04 AM Bookmark

You do you, umma do me

whoops, whatever I copied didn't copy

I may be wrong, but I don't think they listed more than 2 tracks by any given artist.

― beggin-ass keith (The Reverend), Tuesday, December 16, 2008 2:05 PM (9 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

well, kanye's on it 4 times if you count "american boy" and "put on", but as main artists i think you're right.

You do you, umma do me

Suggest Ban Permalink
― beggin-ass keith (The Reverend), Tuesday, December 16, 2008 11:15 AM Bookmark

was supposed to be in response to

Yeah, but what an amazing two bars they are! (xp)

― Maciej (maciej recognizing trill), Tuesday, December 16, 2008 11:14 AM Bookmark

yeah, I just meant main artists xp

yeah it's pretty easy to see why "belle & sebastian fans" like cut copy - 80s babies digging indie dudes doing 80s dance pop with huge choruses. seems like a no brainer

btw i <3 them

― the usic man from the hilarious ilx message boards (J0rdan S.), Tuesday, December 16, 2008 1:13 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

this doesnt make sense -- these two artists are totally unrelated -- more like ppl who are into 80s nites and new order and shit like that would like cut copy (i like cut copy)

and yeah whiney's post about them v crystal castles makes even less sense

ppl using b&s as strawman "indie" fan shocka

cut copy makes me think of new wave thursdays at neo in chicago, even if it is objectively not like that

Not nearly enough "No Air" love on these lists, btw.

A cynic would suggest the only reason Whiney made that point was because they are both broadly speaking electro and have alliterative C names.

Surely the guy making lazy comps to B&S fans would never pull something like THAT!

that was j0rdan s

Well, I've LISTENED to them (i even relistened to the four songs they rank on the Pfork list) but they're both so incredibly boring and completely incapable of leaving any impression on me that I'm never left thinking anything beyond "I hate this music" and "people that listen to Belle And Sebastien dance to this"

― Whiney G. Weingarten, Tuesday, December 16, 2008 2:06 PM (35 minutes ago) Bookmark

oh lol

Itt: Mean mugging ringtone dudes protecting lame electro bands from lazy zings

I mean you guys are right in that I was lazy and strawmanning, but seriously, given the subject matter, that's like getting up in arms when someone lumps Slipknot and Mudvayne in with "evil clown bands"