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[arts&crafts]

Can we use this thread to talk about something else. I was going to make a thread about how pointless music reviews are.

Firstly, music is entirely subjective. Secondly, ALL music gets good or "average" reviews.

Just look at this link http://www.metacritic.com/browse/albums/release-date/new-releases/date?page=0

The last 3 months of releases. I am guessing about 300 or so albums on that list with about 7 yellows (Average) and 0 red (bad) albums reviewed.

 

[CloudWolf]

What? Rostam left Vampire Weekend?! Noooooooooo

 

[belvedere]

Rostam and Hamilton Leithauser put out some brilliant material this year.

 

[Inferno313]

Can we use this thread to talk about something else. I was going to make a thread about how pointless music reviews are.

Firstly, music is entirely subjective. Secondly, ALL music gets good or "average" reviews.

Just look at this link http://www.metacritic.com/browse/albums/release-date/new-releases/date?page=0

The last 3 months of releases. I am guessing about 300 or so albums on that list with about 7 yellows (Average) and 0 red (bad) albums reviewed.

Art is subjective by it's very nature. This applies to games, to films, to TV, and of course, to music. That doesn't mean there's no value in criticism. Good criticism, of any medium, will serve to both guide readers to interesting works they might not have otherwise discovered on their own, and to provide analysis and insight on the art itself.

Your premise that music reviews are pointless only seems to view criticism as consumer report-style: "Is album good/bad", with the focus being on the score at the end of the review. There's a lot more to reading and engaging with criticism then scrolling to the bottom of the page and reading the score.

 

[omgkitty]

How about Pitchfork's obvious push to becoming a more clickbait site through social media. Ever since their acquisition by Condé Nast, their twitter feed and news section on the site has been full of the most inane bullshit that's clearly trying to push people to visit their site more. I visit the site for reviews and noteworthy news, not to hear what some idiot said about another idiot on twitter.

 

[jorgeton]

Can we use this thread to talk about something else. I was going to make a thread about how pointless music reviews are.

Firstly, music is entirely subjective. Secondly, ALL music gets good or "average" reviews.

Just look at this link http://www.metacritic.com/browse/albums/release-date/new-releases/date?page=0

The last 3 months of releases. I am guessing about 300 or so albums on that list with about 7 yellows (Average) and 0 red (bad) albums reviewed.

And music reviews are doubly pointless nowadays because you can stream most new releases for free and make up your own mind. Back in olden days you had to drop $12 on a CD and hope the single wasn't the only good track.

 

[arts&crafts]

Art is subjective by it's very nature. This applies to games, to films, to TV, and of course, to music. That doesn't mean there's no value in criticism. Good criticism, of any medium, will serve to both guide readers to interesting works they might not have otherwise discovered on their own, and to provide analysis and insight on the art itself.
Your premise that music reviews are pointless only seems to view criticism as consumer report-style: "Is album good/bad", with the focus being on the score at the end of the review. There's a lot more to reading and engaging with criticism then scrolling to the bottom of the page and reading the score.

Yes, but publications go out of their way to give games/music/movies a score so they are rating the album/game/movie on a scale. Most of the time, consumers will just look at the score from a few publications or they may read their favorite publication's review. Maybe this problem has more to do with media as a whole and not just music media.

 

[Galang]

Lol. I thought this was going to be their most disappointing albums of 2016. This is certainly not as mean as I was expecting so kudos. I guess they're not always douchey

 

[Futureman]

What? Rostam left Vampire Weekend?! Noooooooooo

I think they said they would still collaborate together on a new VW record. Can't believe it's been 3+ years since the last one came out.

 

[Sarcastic Poster]

Lol. I thought this was going to be their most disappointing albums of 2016. This is certainly not as mean as I was expecting so kudos. I guess they're not always douchey

If they did that they'd have to justify dealing out 8.5+ scores to albums they'd later tear down.

 

[chaislip3]

What? Rostam left Vampire Weekend?! Noooooooooo

He's still having a heavy hand in the making of LP4, but he's just not touring with them.

 

[Androidsleeps]

Am I the only one who thinks Kendrick Lamar is corny and overhyped?

 

[MrS]

I was about to post the same thing. It's basically the same song with her vocals instead of the original... and it's good. I still prefer the Currents version, but it's fine.

Her vocals are the problem.

Am I the only one who thinks Kendrick Lamar is corny and overhyped?

Nope

 

[collige]

If they did that they'd have to justify dealing out 8.5+ scores to albums they'd later tear down.

The "reverse Daft Punk"

 

[johnsmith]

Because it's good music?

Was good music.

 

[AHA-Lambda]

I don't know who most of those people are.

Same.

I feel so out of touch; I don't really get this list =/

 

[dantevsninjas]

lol that Joyce Manor burn. I love the record but yeah, I can see it.

Everclear wouldn't have been my first thought, but listening to Last You Heard of Me, yeah, I can hear it.

Cody is definitely their weakest record, but still a good one.

No matter how garbage and disappointing 2016 was, we still got Jeff Rosenstock's Worry out of it, so there's that.

 

[reelbigtink]

I just listened to Joyce Manor for the first time and I prefer Everclear. Didn't realize being compared to that band was a slam? But OK

 

[see5harp]

Everclear is, by all accounts, better than Smash Mouth. I'll give you that.

 

[Conciliator]

that le tigre hillary song is like the worst fuckin thing. on the internet. I say as a big bikini kill fan that voted for hillary clinton.

 

[big ander]

the only one of these that should be causing any vehement reaction on is the Eno "I'm Set Free" one, even as a joke it's indefensible cause that cover is stunning especially in the context of that Fickle Sun suite

Only listened to one song on the last Joyce Manor album and thought it was bland so the Everclear dig that I assume is meant to imply they got blander doesn't inspire me to check them out. however—everclear had 3 or 4 legit good albums. So Much for the Afterglow and Songs from an American Movie 1 were two of the first albums I obsessed over

Anyway the overall discussion of pitchfork over this article specifically is weird because it's a tongue-in-cheek shitpost in their section devoted to random one-off articles and stuff. they are an atrocious site now but not because of jokey pieces like this. they're atrocious because they primarily post clickbait with intentionally misleading headlines and irresponsibly shallow reporting to gin up controversy all largely centered around exploiting artists' mental health and personalities and pitting people against each other. Plus they redesigned the site to focus on that garbage tabloid news and bury reviews. and their reviews are all in the 6.5-8.5 range now anyway, too cowardly to take any actual editorial stance on a release or artist.

toilet bowl site. pretty much stick to the fader, passionweiss, christgau, marcus, spin. idk

 

[bjork]

I... figured she just disappeared into some tattoo parlor and called it quits. Will listen as I love the stupid songs that came out like 4 years ago. Blasting all those basic bitches was really fun for a while.

Gucci Gucci Louis Louis Fendi Fendi Prada...

She was doing some mixes here and there on her soundcloud, and DJing every so often. At one point she was getting ready to do a kickstarter, then got cold feet and didn't do it. So I'm not sure what her plan is for the next little while.

 

[Layell]

I think they said they would still collaborate together on a new VW record. Can't believe it's been 3+ years since the last one came out.

They're going to need two people to fill Rostam's talent, still won't be the same. Dude has the right to do whatever he wants now though.