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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Firstly a bit of background information (in all probability if you're looking at this review you're already well aware of Pitchfork's origins and status, so feel free to skip to the next paragraph). Pitchfork is a Chicago-based daily web-zine devoted to music reviews, interviews and news. Its focus is on independent music but also includes electronic, rap, dance, folk, metal, and more left field music. Pitchfork's influence and approach seems to produce some fairly lively and at times deeply divided opinion; they have been credited for helping to `break' acts such as Arcade Fire and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! and more recently Animal Collective and Fleet Foxes, whilst others criticize their alleged obscurist tendencies and pretentious reviewing style.
Amongst their most popular articles are the "best-of" lists; best albums of the 1970s, best songs of 2003 and so on, so it's not altogether surprising that Scott Plagenhoef (Pitchfork editor-in-chief) and Ryan Schreiber (Pitchfork founder) have decided to put together the Pitchfork 500; an attempt, in Schreiber's own words to "dig into the 500 best songs of the past three decades, starting with the year that changed everything: 1977". The content is then divided into nine chapters, each documenting a three year period, so Chapter One covers 1977-1979, for example. There are also frequent page long sections that focus on a particular genre, Italo disco or twee pop, for example.
The standard of the writing and research is unsurprisingly, consistently excellent. The selections will please many and frustrate others; many would agree that Radiohead, Outkast and the Strokes deserve a place, whilst others may scratch their heads at the inclusion of Brainiac, Unrest and Archers of Loaf (not me I hasten to add; Archers Of Loaf's Web In Front is a post grunge classic). Despite Pitchfork's somewhat po-faced reputation, there is wit here too; the inclusion of a brief "Nanofads: From Grebo to Glitch" section, for example (cow punk or digital hardcore anyone?). Of course any work like this is an exercise in being contentious to a degree, but I have thoroughly enjoyed dipping into this, and reminding myself of some forgotten gems (Yo La Tengo's "From A Motel 6") and picking up a whole set of new additions for the Amazon Wish List (how the heck did I miss out on Built To Spill for all these years?).
So perhaps not a text for the casual music fan, but there's hours of pleasure to be gained for a certain type of musical obsessive; and if you recognized all or most of the bands above, that probably includes you.
Amongst their most popular articles are the "best-of" lists; best albums of the 1970s, best songs of 2003 and so on, so it's not altogether surprising that Scott Plagenhoef (Pitchfork editor-in-chief) and Ryan Schreiber (Pitchfork founder) have decided to put together the Pitchfork 500; an attempt, in Schreiber's own words to "dig into the 500 best songs of the past three decades, starting with the year that changed everything: 1977". The content is then divided into nine chapters, each documenting a three year period, so Chapter One covers 1977-1979, for example. There are also frequent page long sections that focus on a particular genre, Italo disco or twee pop, for example.
The standard of the writing and research is unsurprisingly, consistently excellent. The selections will please many and frustrate others; many would agree that Radiohead, Outkast and the Strokes deserve a place, whilst others may scratch their heads at the inclusion of Brainiac, Unrest and Archers of Loaf (not me I hasten to add; Archers Of Loaf's Web In Front is a post grunge classic). Despite Pitchfork's somewhat po-faced reputation, there is wit here too; the inclusion of a brief "Nanofads: From Grebo to Glitch" section, for example (cow punk or digital hardcore anyone?). Of course any work like this is an exercise in being contentious to a degree, but I have thoroughly enjoyed dipping into this, and reminding myself of some forgotten gems (Yo La Tengo's "From A Motel 6") and picking up a whole set of new additions for the Amazon Wish List (how the heck did I miss out on Built To Spill for all these years?).
So perhaps not a text for the casual music fan, but there's hours of pleasure to be gained for a certain type of musical obsessive; and if you recognized all or most of the bands above, that probably includes you.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Howdy there!
Us music fans can be a bit hard to please can't we? We all think we know it all, so does Pitchfork, that's why they have wrote this book. (So they can tell us how much they know it all). Do they know it all you ask? Well they know a bit. Let me tell you about it.
First things first. This book comes from a Brain Trust! That sounds like something very pretencious, and a phrase cooked up somewhere in California or New York. What the hell is a Brain Trust and whats that got to do with music? I don't know and I don't care. They also reckon they a sharp witted (it says all these things on the back). Trust me this is not funny. You will not laugh. Once. One amazon star so far!
Okay now lets get down to the tunes. Thankfully this book has plenty of tunes to recommend. And thats what I bought it for. As somebody who loves everything from Slayer to Aphex Twin to Public Enemy to The Cure. This book made me discover a lot of cool tunes that I never would of. And for that reason it's brilliant. Red House Painters? Yo La Tengo? I wouldn't of bothered myself but thanks to Pitchfork 500 I found them. Perhaps you might have a small liking for techno, but you can't be bothered to go and find them. This book can save you that headache and recommend something (Fizzcardo?) which you will love.
Either way this is worth having if you love finding out and listening to music.
Us music fans can be a bit hard to please can't we? We all think we know it all, so does Pitchfork, that's why they have wrote this book. (So they can tell us how much they know it all). Do they know it all you ask? Well they know a bit. Let me tell you about it.
First things first. This book comes from a Brain Trust! That sounds like something very pretencious, and a phrase cooked up somewhere in California or New York. What the hell is a Brain Trust and whats that got to do with music? I don't know and I don't care. They also reckon they a sharp witted (it says all these things on the back). Trust me this is not funny. You will not laugh. Once. One amazon star so far!
Okay now lets get down to the tunes. Thankfully this book has plenty of tunes to recommend. And thats what I bought it for. As somebody who loves everything from Slayer to Aphex Twin to Public Enemy to The Cure. This book made me discover a lot of cool tunes that I never would of. And for that reason it's brilliant. Red House Painters? Yo La Tengo? I wouldn't of bothered myself but thanks to Pitchfork 500 I found them. Perhaps you might have a small liking for techno, but you can't be bothered to go and find them. This book can save you that headache and recommend something (Fizzcardo?) which you will love.
Either way this is worth having if you love finding out and listening to music.
5 of 70 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As if those terrible Best of Decade lists weren't innacurate enough, RichDork now decide that it's time for the world to know what they say are the best songs from the past 30 years or so. In book form.
I don't think I'd have had as big a problem with this had they just published it on their site. I don't own it -- it's easily viewable on the net -- but I'm well aware that there are hipsters out there gullible enough to buy what is essentially nothing more than one great big mass self-indulgent by a group of obsessive rock and pop fans with severe ego problems.
The one thing that earns this its one star is its eclectism. Talk Talk, The Pop Group, Dizzee Rascal and Autechre each make appearances on here, among many others. However, the list is formulaic to the point that I could have guessed at least 10% of their picks before reading, had I the thought or effort to do so. What's worse is that the list is primarily made up of artists who made it onto the 70s/80/90s decade lists previously. This means that not only are the lists obnoxious on Pitchfork's part, but any use that they may have served ignorant music fans looking to delve a bit further into rock music is eliminated.
Not recommended by any means, but the sites worth checking out if you're tired of the current British mainstream, choc-full indie-pop, post-punk rehash guitar bands; dull, disco-never-died rn'b and whoever it is that won X Factor -- or whatever it's called as of your reading this -- most recently. Compared to that, this is a damn masterwork.
I don't think I'd have had as big a problem with this had they just published it on their site. I don't own it -- it's easily viewable on the net -- but I'm well aware that there are hipsters out there gullible enough to buy what is essentially nothing more than one great big mass self-indulgent by a group of obsessive rock and pop fans with severe ego problems.
The one thing that earns this its one star is its eclectism. Talk Talk, The Pop Group, Dizzee Rascal and Autechre each make appearances on here, among many others. However, the list is formulaic to the point that I could have guessed at least 10% of their picks before reading, had I the thought or effort to do so. What's worse is that the list is primarily made up of artists who made it onto the 70s/80/90s decade lists previously. This means that not only are the lists obnoxious on Pitchfork's part, but any use that they may have served ignorant music fans looking to delve a bit further into rock music is eliminated.
Not recommended by any means, but the sites worth checking out if you're tired of the current British mainstream, choc-full indie-pop, post-punk rehash guitar bands; dull, disco-never-died rn'b and whoever it is that won X Factor -- or whatever it's called as of your reading this -- most recently. Compared to that, this is a damn masterwork.
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