pitchfork is dumb (#34985859340293849494 in a series.)

Maybe 3 years ago I looked at ILM every day when I woke up and I used to say to myself that any day when this thread was not bumped + I did not have blood in my urine was a good day.

― Mark, Friday, November 22, 2013 12:54 AM (1 month ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

the entire thread would read differently if the subject line was just changed to "pitchfork wisdom (#34985859340293849494 in a series.)"

― some dude, Friday, November 22, 2013 1:01 AM (1 month ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yes, and I would probably live about four months longer

― Mark, Friday, November 22, 2013 1:05 AM (1 month ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this thread makes me sad now because of this exchange. maybe we should just cave and have the 'Rolling Pitchfork Thread' that ILM has silently crying out for for a decade?

i don't really get shitting on the anticipated albums feature--this isn't 10 years ago when everyone was on a label that had a nice release schedule for us to read.

like, in a world where one of the five biggest artists on the planet released an album completely unannounced, i think it's ok to have some fun speculating.

Outside of a Beats by Dre commercial, there’s not a lot on the record to suggest Kendrick Lamar will embark on the unenviable task of topping Pitchfork's favorite album of 2012, good kid, m.A.A.d. City. But, you do get the sense that Lamar’s competitive nature will get the best of him in 2014, as well as a sense of opportunity—speculation suggests that the rapper's label TDE will release as many as six albums this year, so prime yourselves for the takeover.

just watched that commercial for the first time and it made me worried for Kendrick's future

i'm sure kendrick is dropping an album this year

because he has a competitive nature?

like, in a world where one of the five biggest artists on the planet released an album completely unannounced, i think it's ok to have some fun speculating.

Now now. Lil B isn't THAT big.

Macklemore Says Kendrick Deserved Grammy for Best Rap Album
In a dramatic text to Kendrick Lamar, screencapped and posted on Instagram

Dramatic text

maybe he put out his own eyes with sewing needles while sending it

Way to stay ahead of the curve. Next, can we get a primer on other obscure musicians like Miles Davis?

http://pitchfork.com/features/starter/9314-john-fahey/

oh please, dude

seconded, do fuck off with stuff like this

they should do jandek

Fruit Covered Nails: A Hipster's Guide to Pavement

oh please, dude

― Whiney G. Weingarten, Tuesday, January 28, 2014 10:56 AM (19 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

seconded, do fuck off with stuff like this

― wilful brony (DJ Mencap), Tuesday, January 28, 2014 11:09 AM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Wait--so you both think Pitchfork's 'key demo' really needs another (hideously written) John Fahey primer at this point?

Serious question. Maybe I'm missing something. It doesn't help that Jas0n He!!er is, imo, consistently the weakest Pfork writer by some stretch.

you act as though we're running out of college kids who want to get into shit like john fahey.

i don't know, i'm sure that there are plenty of people in the key demo who have no idea who Fahey is. he might not seem obscure to a certain kind of music fan, but he's plenty obscure. i didn't think the write up was that bad, aside from using Sonic Youth and Sufjan in the sub hed and the "steampunk" reference.
xp

Compare this piece today with M1ke Powell's piece on new age earlier this week. P0well's piece, which sheds light on a subject that actually didn't have a star-studded documentary released about it last year, was informative, well-written, and managed to shed light on the subject in a way that appealed to both new age newjacks (guilty as charged) and deep diggers (like, who the hell is Enno Valthuys? I don't know, but now I wanna know) alike. This piece on Fahey, otoh, brings absolutely nothing new to the discussion whatsoever.

Why would you think a Fahey primer on Pitchfork would have anything new for "deep diggers" anyway? Same for anything designated as a primer? Just leave it alone, it's for those who need it.

#neckbeardproblems

i just try to imagine myself as a musically curious 15-year-old with this kinda thing -- you gotta find out about it somewhere, right?

they can learn about it on the streets same as i did

those tough suburban street

"pssst, kid, wanna learn about robbie basho?"

lol lagoon

Jack Rose is the new meth, kids.

i just try to imagine myself as a musically curious 15-year-old with this kinda thing -- you gotta find out about it somewhere, right?

― tylerw, Tuesday, January 28, 2014 10:57 AM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

for sure---aside from one or two older buds in HS, and my parents, most of my musical interests were stoked by reading stuff in RS and, for a time, pitchfork. like, for real, discovering p4k as a freshman in college was kind of eye-opening

i think i first read about fahey in the spin alternative music guide! i think these starter things are basically pfork's version of that.

Wait--so you both think Pitchfork's 'key demo' really needs another (hideously written) John Fahey primer at this point?

― Jimmywine Dyspeptic, Tuesday, January 28, 2014 11:20 AM (39 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i think Pitchfork's key demo of "twentysomethings who won't laugh out loud at the idea that Perfect Pussy is an intriguing and interesting band" could stand to learn a little something about John Fahey, yes.

Compare this piece today with M1ke Powell's piece on new age earlier this week. P0well's piece, which sheds light on a subject that actually didn't have a star-studded documentary released about it last year, was informative, well-written, and managed to shed light on the subject in a way that appealed to both new age newjacks (guilty as charged) and deep diggers (like, who the hell is Enno Valthuys? I don't know, but now I wanna know) alike. This piece on Fahey, otoh, brings absolutely nothing new to the discussion whatsoever.

― Jimmywine Dyspeptic, Tuesday, January 28, 2014 4:51 PM (12 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

right, well why not say that in the first place instead of posting something that makes you look like a toffee-nosed Music Scholar dbag

i think Pitchfork's key demo of "twentysomethings who won't laugh out loud at the idea that Perfect Pussy is an intriguing and interesting band" could stand to learn a little something about John Fahey, yes.

― Whiney G. Weingarten, Tuesday, January 28, 2014 12:05 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Can't believe I'm saying this, but I think you're underestimating Pitchfork a bit here. A daily (or close enough) reader of Pitchfork is likely aware of the Tompkins Square label, recent Basho reissues, Glenn Jones, etc; the idea that such a person would be ignorant of Fahey - arguably the architect of this entire scene - seems unlikely, no?

I think you're overestimating a daily (or close enough) reader of Pitchfork, there.

Which is not to slag a daily (or close enough) reader of Pitchfork, I just think the world of Fahey and his descendants is not one most Pitchfork readers have already explored on their own. Obviously, some have.

Yeah, gonna go down to the FOXYGEN show and ask some kids about Leo Kottke right now, brb

leo kottke was a household name for growing up (my mom called him leo cupcake, good joke mom!) but neither of my parents had heard of john fahey when i asked about him a few years ago

thanksgiving is a dour affair at the gbx household

xp Well, by that logic, how many of those kids are gonna click on the link anyway?

"on their own", JD

That article could be the push they need.

can't believe pitchfork is running articles that might have a limited audience now. might have to cancel my Vanity Fair feature on L.I.E.S.

o shut up

xp Like, the imaginary Foxygen fan you reference here isn't likely to open Pitchfork today and go "ooh, look, a balding fat guy I've never heard of, let's see what that's all about."

is there a pixies feature today?

Jimmy, I'm just saying P4k isn't making millions of dollars by catering exclusively to know-it-alls.

Fair enough. But I maintain that this piece is particularly both gatecrash-y and unnecessary, where other recent primers (like Powell's) are not.

xp yea, but conversely: everyone knows straw men hate nerd shit

do nerd men hate straw shit?

shit men hate nerd straw

Jimmywine, how do you think people who love music learn about more music? My whole life has essentially been "oh look, here's something that looks intriguing (whether I've heard *of* it or not) presented to me in a place (record store, zine, website, whatever) that already interests me, let's see what it's all about" and then following that as far as I can or until I lose interest or whatever.