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[Dreams-Visions]

Worst year for music in a long time. (opinion)

Sounds like a great opportunity for you to find some new bands and genres and learn to like them. Too much good music came out for anyone to say this was a bad year. Check out that NPR thread. Lots of music you can preview.

And not just quality and quantity, but variety. Action Bronson, WTT, Shabaz, ASAP Rocky, The Roots, Kendrick Lamar, Doomtree, Elzhi, Raekwon, Cunninlynguists, Danny Brown. None of those dudes put out an album similar to one another's.

concur.

 

[overcast]

In fairness, this year sucked for hiphop.

The hell are you even talking about? As great as this year was for other genres, Hip-hop was easily the best.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

I don't get Julianna Barwick. You think it's gonna be pretty for a second - maybe even the perfect backing for a forest shrine in a video game?-, and then you're crawling across the floor holding your ears to turn it off as the music just compounds and compounds into horrible choral noise.

I think that's beautiful.

 

[kitchenmotors]

One album that I think might be looked over for this year is Radical Face's The Family Tree: The Roots. Pitchfork didn't even review the album when it was released. It is definitely in my top five and if you haven't checked it out you should give it a shot.

 

[Cosmic Bus]

I don't get Julianna Barwick. You think it's gonna be pretty for a second - maybe even the perfect backing for a forest shrine in a video game?-, and then you're crawling across the floor holding your ears to turn it off as the music just compounds and compounds into horrible choral noise.

I can't even comprehend that Barwick's music could be perceived as horrible and unlistenable, but hey, dif'rent strokes. To me, there weren't many releases this year as good as hers.

 

[gimmmick]

The cults made it on the list! One of my favorite releases this year.

 

[Ravager61]

The cults made it on the list! One of my favorite releases this year.

It's just Cults, not The Cults. *adjusts glasses*

 

[kingocfs]

Shabaz, A$AP Rocky, Wye Oak. The only three records I thought really stood out this year. My favorites dropped some forgettable stuff, like Beirut and Fleet Foxes, and the rest kind of just blurs together.

And I agree that music reviews are more often than not awful to read. AV Club does them right, they should never be longer than 200 words.

 

[Dartastic]

Off to a decent start.

I have a feeling M83 is going to get grossly overrated.

It's possible. That album has been charting at or close to number 1 on CMJ for a while. People really dig that record, but in no way is it top ten of the year.

 

[John Rabbit]

is zonoscope on that list because they couldn't think of 50 good albums? that shit sucks.

no.1 should be ex-military by death grips.

 

[Zionyx]

Top10 will include Bon Iver and M83

 

[mr. puppy]

fuck that website.


is it popular music by a black artist? uhhhh lets give it a 7-8.5 and put a couple in our top 50 for no reason so we seem cool.

 

[MorisUkunRasik]

fuck that website.


is it popular music by a black artist? uhhhh lets give it a 7-8.5 and put a couple in our top 50 for no reason so we seem cool.

....what?

 

[Peru]

fuck that website.


is it popular music by a black artist? uhhhh lets give it a 7-8.5 and put a couple in our top 50 for no reason so we seem cool.

Uhhh.

Yeah let's complain about those reasonable inclusions and not the 30 actually shitty records on that list.

 

[mr. puppy]

Uhhh.

Yeah let's complain about those reasonable inclusions and not the 30 actually shitty records on that list.

beyonce's album wasn't delayed for a year and constantly remixed b/c it was good

 

[Treefingers]

Uhhh.

Yeah let's complain about those reasonable inclusions and not the 30 actually shitty records on that list.

What are these 30 shitty records?

 

[Mutagenic]

fuck that website.


is it popular music by a black artist? uhhhh lets give it a 7-8.5 and put a couple in our top 50 for no reason so we seem cool.

You must have really hated the #1 pick last year.

 

[Mutagenic]

Updated.

 

[K.Sabot]

I don't get why Pitchfork likes EMA. They're not very good.

Edit: whoops, answered my own question. Also tune-yards.

 

[hateradio]

I don't get why Pitchfork likes anything. They're not very good.

Fixed.

 

[brianjones]

bon iver is the suburbs of this year

bleh

 

[TangMeng]

Glad to see the Weeknd in the top 10. Definitely one of the best albums of the year and it deserves more recognition!

 

[K.Sabot]

I'm honestly surprised that they left James Blake so far back, considering how high they placed his EPs last year.

Must not have been "buzzworthy" enough to survive for 10 months.

 

[braves01]

I don't get why Pitchfork likes EMA. They're not very good.

Edit: whoops, answered my own question. Also tune-yards.

 

[GremlinFool]

The top 10 of that list is odious. Like, egregiously bad. Bon Iver is musical valium. Literally half of the albums in the top 10 are abominable. Hurry Up, We're Dreaming is by far the worst M83 record ever produced, and they had the GALL to put it at #3?! Baffling.

I mean, I can partially excuse Pitchfork's continual negligence of proper electronic music, but even in the spectrum of indie rock, the order was almost entirely out of sorts.

 

[billy beane]

Wow, Danny Brown in the Top 20? That's a surprise. It's a good record, but I don't think it's better than Section.80, the ASAP Rocky tape, or even Watch the Throne and Weekend at Burnie's.

Also, why is Clams Casino's Instrumental mixtape in the Top 20?

 

[Eric Hall]

Oh Bon Iver is #1?

Pitchfork with a shocker

 

[Midas]

Haha. So predictable. Drake #8? :lol I guess they missed a zero or two there.

 

[K.Sabot]

At least he tries. That entire album is pretty dismal, they sound even more sloppy live.

 

[Discotheque]

Is that Ron Weasley?

 

[PBY]

Wow, Danny Brown in the Top 20? That's a surprise. It's a good record, but I don't think it's better than Section.80, the ASAP Rocky tape, or even Watch the Throne and Weekend at Burnie's.

Also, why is Clams Casino's Instrumental mixtape in the Top 20?

Did you just implicitly say that Weekend at Burnies > Covert Coup?

 

[ThisWreckage]

I'm shocked that Feist's new album isn't on that list of great albums. It's probably the most overlooked album that's been released in the past three months.

 

[StriKeVillain]

Era Extraña snubbed? Really!?

 

[billy beane]

Did you just implicitly say that Weekend at Burnies > Covert Coup?

Out of the 1 million Curren$y releases of the year, Weekend at Burnie's was my favorite.

EDIT: I also haven't listened to Jet World Order yet. Just putting that out there.

 

[braves01]

At least he tries. That entire album is pretty dismal, they sound even more sloppy live.

Ema's? Because I don't really care for them either. I just think it's funny that, in light of your earlier comments, the first place I heard about King Krule was Pitchfork a couple months ago and what do you know he's not that good.

 

[wenis]

pitchfork continuing to prove they know nothing by putting Bon Iver in the number one spot...jesus christ these guys have their heads up their assholes way too far to hear any music.

And seriously, fucking putting Clams Casino's album ahead of his EP is a travesty. His EP is leaps and bounds the strongest thing he has in his tiny discography and shits all over a lot of full album releases in 5 tracks just in production.

 

[Blooper]

I don't get why Pitchfork likes EMA. They're not very good.

Edit: whoops, answered my own question. Also tune-yards.

shit just got REAL! lol

I'd be bitching about this list with you guys, but Destroyer is at number 2 and it's kinda just making me ignore all the gripes I have with it. Luhhh me some Destroyer. OPN placing at 6 is rad too even if I think everything before Replica is more fun to listen to.

 

[K.Sabot]

Ema's? Because I don't really care for them either. I just think it's funny that, in light of your earlier comments, the first place I heard about King Krule was Pitchfork a couple months ago and what do you know he's not that good.

He's 17 and has only released 10-20 minutes of music, yet he's already garnered a lot of attention. Too early to judge someone who has so much growth to go through, he's definitely one to watch. Also, that EP is pretty damn good, if a bit short.

 

[Cyan]

Where's Agent Whiskers on this list, huh?

 

[Vanillalite]

What I dislike about Pitchfork are their reviews of pop, electronic and other things outside of their area of "expertise". With these things they can be well off the mark, and totally skip many of the years best releases.

This has always been my #1 criticism of pitchfork. They are pretty good for their "wheel house" so to speak (I disagree with them sometimes and we differ on taste but I get where they are coming from most of the time). They always try and review some random pop/rap/electronica etc... and it just seems so out of place. Plus since they don't review enough you have no idea their standards for the genre or what else has come out.

 

[Dan]

I've only bought, and for what matter listened to, a whopping two of the albums from that list. That'd be the LPs from James Blake and M83.

 

[DominoKid]

16/50

my range of taste got a bit smaller this year.

 

[McNei1y]

Am I blind or did Torches by Foster the People not even make the Honorable Mention? Sheesh.

 

[K.Sabot]

Am I blind or did Torches by Foster the People not even make the Honorable Mention? Sheesh.

Not to hate, but to pitchfork and its target denomination, it's just another indie rock album.

 

[Mutagenic]

I'm surprised Pitchfork of all sites doesn't have Radiohead on their list.

 

[mescalineeyes]

Any year with 2 releases by The Weeknd could never be the worst year for music in a long time. (opinion)

I love you.

Also, this thread will end just as well as the monthly Edge-review threads over in Gaming. I personally can't complain, really. The Weeknd on 10 and Drake on 8? Yay!

I've been listening to their Top 100 Tracks playlist on Spotify for the last few days. There's some good stuff in there.

I'm shocked that Feist's new album isn't on that list of great albums. It's probably the most overlooked album that's been released in the past three months.

She might as well have not made that record. It's like a re-imagination of The Reminder without hooks. Don't get me wrong, I like it, it just feels a bit redundant.

 

[hateradio]

bon iver is the suburbs of this year

bleh

Is that an original quote? If so, +10 Int to you.

And seriously, fucking putting Clams Casino's album ahead of his EP is a travesty. His EP is leaps and bounds the strongest thing he has in his tiny discography and shits all over a lot of full album releases in 5 tracks just in production.

What can you do? It's Pitchfork.

 

[overcast]

Fucking Lol at Take Care being the best rap album. Also, Bon Iver is a terrible choice for #1.

 

[Papa]

Drake? Haha, oh man, hahahaha.

 

[Krev]

I'm surprised Pitchfork of all sites doesn't have Radiohead on their list.

Even Pitchfork couldn't muster up much enthusiasm for The King of Limbs.