Let's not kid ourselves, we check Pitchfork everyday. And even though they have the most biased, elitist reviews on the net, we still trust them to an extent. List the albums that you would've never listened to if you had listened to Pitchfork. Those albums that recieve anything under a 7.0

1. The Most Serene Republic - Underwater Cinematographer
2. Anything by Matt Pond PA
3. Joseph Arthur - Nuclear Daydream
4. All Time Quarterback - All Time Quarterback
5. Built to Spill - You in Reverse
6. Final Fantasy - Has a Good Home
7. Fruit Bats - Spelled in Bones
8. Helio Sequence - Love and Distance
9. Modest Mouse - This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About
10. Softlightes - Say No to Being Cool - Say Yes to Being Happy

Those are just a couple. List the ones that you wouldn't have listened to if you had listened to Pitchfork. The good ones that is.

youth young and manhood by kings of leon
our love to admire by interpol
this is a long drive for someone with nothing to think about by modest mouse

I'm still sour about their review for The Historical Conquests of... Josh Ritter. I love pitchfork but there are tons of others that I just can't think of right now. You really have to take their opinions with a grain of salt. They don't speak for everyone's tastes and ideas.

Just this year alone, Bjork and Wilco got terrible scores. They're not necessarily brilliant albums, but definitely worth having.

i know. im not a bjork listener, but i really liked sky blue sky.

Belle and Sebastian-The Boy With The Arab Strap

They gave that a really crap score I think.

quote:

Originally posted by Shadrach:
I'm still sour about their review for The Historical Conquests of... Josh Ritter. I love pitchfork but there are tons of others that I just can't think of right now. You really have to take their opinions with a grain of salt. They don't speak for everyone's tastes and ideas.

A lot of the albums I end up really liking, got terrible scores.. I enjoyed Cold War Kid's Robbers & Cowards. Historical conquests is excellent .

I picked up John Vanderslice's Emerald City which I found absolutely wonderful. Another review with P4K WAY OFF.

With P4K I think the problem is that they act as if they are speaking for everyone. I think a more passive tone would help them. Unfortunately for a lot of artists a lot of their success has to do with getting a good score from them.

Staying on topic:
Albums on my computer recommended by P4k: Zero. Most of them have been deleted after repeated listens. A lot of the albums I have on my comp got great scores but I they were recommended by more trusting sources.

I did just start listening to A Place To Bury Strangers due to P4K's review though..

Elephant!
I still hate them for that 6.9.

And Death From Above 1979's Romance Bloody Romance didn't deserve a 1.5, it was seriously not that bad. I enjoyed it...

More recently, White Chalk also deserved better.

I've always treasured the Owls s/t (from Tim Kinsella of Cap'n Jazz fame) which got a pretty average score from Pfork back in the day.

Honestly I don't really pay attention to the scores in reviews because it seems so arbitrary and subjective. I would prefer to read an articulate (but not overly verbose) description of an album and choose for myself.

quote:

Originally posted by modestaretaloger:
Let's not kid ourselves, we check Pitchfork everyday.

Not everyone checks or needs Pitchfork. Looked in twice, was bored twice, and never returned.

I think cokemachineglow is snobbier than pitchfork, but thats just me.

quote:

Originally posted by Failureninja:
I think cokemachineglow is snobbier than pitchfork, but thats just me.

I would agree with that actually. At least Pfork can sometimes poke fun at themselves.

quote:

3. Joseph Arthur - Nuclear Daydream

I hate to say it, but they were right about this one. I should have listened to them. And, I love Joseph Arthur.

quote:

Originally posted by modestaretaloger:
Let's not kid ourselves, we check Pitchfork everyday. And even though they have the most biased, elitist reviews on the net, we still trust them to an extent. List the albums that you would've never listened to if you had listened to Pitchfork. Those albums that recieve anything under a 7.0

Yeah, you're bang on man. At least their reviews don't sound like uneducated guesses, a la Rolling Stone these days. eww.... I hate it when a great album comes out (that isn't Radiohead) and they can feel the buzz from their peers so they give it a crap review just to maintain their elitist status.(Because if it's not Radiohead it's fair game right?) Like every White Stripes album since they became a big name act. They were all over them on their early albums, and as soon as the songs got bigger they trashed them. (actually it was mainly "Elephant" but whatever). I love Radiohead as much as anyone, but their perpetual orgasms over anything Thom Yorke farts out start to make one of all-time favorite bands seem less cool.

the new Laura Veirs album. They gave it a 4.something, which is wayyy too low.

Both Travis Morrison albums. The first one wasn't spectacular but the second one I think is actually quite good.

Silversun Pickups
Early Blonde Redhead
Ryan Adams (though they're right to be critical of most of it)
Also, I think that The Shins' latest album deserved at least an 8.0.

bjork's volta for sure - but she is bjork i would have checkd her out anyways

some rilo kiley and kings of convenience
bat for lashes - fur and gold - solid record
husky rescue - ghost is not real - pretty good
OOIOO - Taiga - sickness
Nouvelle Vague - Bande A Part - great covers on this one
Spank Rock - YoYoYoYoYo
they were way off on this one, great record, one of my favs from last year.

One band I would have missed for sure if it was not for pitchfork is Boredoms. I have bearely seen them mentioned anywhere else. I now have two albums of theirs.

Super AE
Vision Created Newsun(?)

quote:

One band I would have missed for sure if it was not for pitchfork is Boredoms

very true...i give credit for p4k for super AE and turning me to the boredoms and a lot of other bands.

i guess u gotta read what the reviews say and decide for yourself

They totally ragged on Because of the Times by Kings of Leon earlier this year, and I think it's a very solid album with some good songs and very successful experiments.

I could see someone not thinking it's amazing, but they gave it a 54. that's extremely low. It's worth a decent 80 or so.