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[gimmmick]

too bad it's probably going to be Kid A.

Funeral is more memorable imo.

 

[Corwood Rep]

The most ludicrous claim. Are 'songwriter qualities' only present when someone is sat with an acoustic guitar warbling about their tough life? There's as much songwriting craft and artistic vision in Umbrella as Warren bloody Zevon for shit's sake. Well, more, since Umbrella is greater than every track Zevon ever wrote.

Still, a pretty boring list when all is said and done.

Neither Waits, Strummer, nor Zevon ever sat with acoustic guitars warbling about their tough lives (except for Waits on the early albums, which were way before his artistic renaissance), which suggests to me that you've never actually listened to any of them and more likely than not only know Zevon for Werewolves or something, instead of the late-period albums. And saying Umbrella are better songwriters than Zevon, who was always considered one of the masters of the contemporary artform, is so straight-up ridiculous that I'm hoping you're trolling me.

 

[Fidelis Hodie]

lol @ that top 20. "We're not hipsters, look! We like black people music too!" I'm surprised Weezy didn't make it in there.

A Milli got a top 50 and is very well deserved.

Honestly, fuck pitchfork. There isn't another site on the internet that pushes their music opinion as fact as hard as dickfork.

I love how the "real hipsters" get so mad at a website. It's just as retarded as someone who tattoos pitchfork across their chest.

Agreed. Very odd, when Gnarls bloody Barkley is in there.

Not as dumb as excluding t.A.T.u, though.

Yuck. Barkley's "Crazy" deserves its spot. The song is fantastic.

 

[Diablos]

Here's some I'd like to comment on from the top 20.

20. The Walkmen "The Rat"
Good song, but not top 20. Not even top 100 or 200.

19. R. Kelly "Ignition (Remix)"
R. Kelly? :lol

17. Annie "Heartbeat"
I am a closet fan of this song, the driving bass beat that kicks in at about 1:00 is hypnotic and quite frankly genius... but it is still not top 20. Top 100, perhaps.

14. Jay-Z "99 Problems"
Jay-Z did a lot of cool shit this decade, so I agree with this one, he deserves credit.

12. OutKast "Hey Ya!"
I hated this song, but it was popular. Still not top 20.

11. Gnarls Barkley "Crazy"
One of the most overplayed songs of the past 10 years.

10. Arcade Fire "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)"
Arcade Fire is definitely worth being in the top 20, but why they picked this song makes no sense.

8. Radiohead "Idioteque"
Yes.

7. Missy Elliott "Get Ur Freak On"
Fuck no.

6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Maps"
I like the YYY's but seriously, this song was not that popular or important.

4. Beyoncé [ft. Jay-Z] "Crazy in Love"
It's not a bad single, but it isn't top 20. Maybe if this were a pop or R&B list.

3. M.I.A. [ft. Bun B and Rich Boy] "Paper Planes (Diplo Remix)"
Hell yeah, but it's should be somewhere in the top 10-20.

1. OutKast "B.O.B."
This song is cool, but #1? Really? This is what they consider the best single of the decade?

Come on, guys. This list is clearly rushed in the most obvious of places.

 

[DeathbyVolcano]

That was my biggest wtf: No single trace of Tom Waits. I thought they ADORED Orphans?

 

[SuperBonk]

The list was pretty good but had some weird choices, and I'm not even talking about obvious ones. I can sort of understand putting something like Since U Been Gone at #21, but I really don't understand how they could have Float On thirty or so spots above 3rd Planet.

Oh, and LCD Soundsystem got robbed again. All My Friends should have been number one, just like Sound of Silver should have been the best album of 2007.

Oh well, not like it matters all that much.

 

[Peru]

Neither Waits, Strummer, nor Zevon ever sat with acoustic guitars warbling about their tough lives, which suggests to me that you've never actually listened to any of them and more likely than not only know Zevon for Werewolves or something, instead of the late-period albums. And saying Umbrella are better songwriters than Zevon, who was always considered one of the masters of the contemporary artform, is so straight-up ridiculous that I'm hoping you're trolling me.

Umbrella isn't a songwriter, it's a song. The-Dream is definitely better than Zevon, though.

Well enough with the argument-mongering, I just reacted to your inexplicable idea of drawing the line between 'songwriting' and 'not songwriting' in the sand behind what you deem "basically pop songs". Sure, and 'God Only Knows' is basically a pop song and happens to be one of the best written songs, ever. "Basically pop songs" as a derogatory jab is downright offensive. Much more than any pointless, overlong and insignificant blob of ranked songs (p4k top 500).

 

[Fidelis Hodie]

Oh, and LCD Soundsystem got robbed again. All My Friends should have been number one, just like Sound of Silver should have been the best album of 2007.

Oh well, not like it matters all that much.

I don't think a number 2 pick, plus a ridiculous amount of other inclusions is by no means getting robbed.

And I think they deserved every spot on the list, I love LCD Soundsystem. I just don't think they got robbed is all.

 

[Corwood Rep]

That was my biggest wtf: No single trace of Tom Waits. I thought they ADORED Orphans?

Hoist That Rag, Day After Tomorrow, Alice, Rains on Me, Never Let Go, Dog Door, man, he's written some of his best songs this decade. I don't know why he's totally missing from this list, especially when they had the decency to acknowledge Nick Cave pretty regularly.

 

[Corwood Rep]

Umbrella isn't a songwriter, it's a song. The-Dream is definitely better than Zevon, though.

Well enough with the argument-mongering, I just reacted to your inexplicable idea of drawing the line between 'songwriting' and 'not songwriting' in the sand behind what you deem "basically pop songs". Sure, and 'God Only Knows' is basically a pop song and happens to be one of the best written songs, ever. "Basically pop songs" as a derogatory jab is downright offensive. Much more than any pointless, overlong and insignificant blob of ranked songs (p4k top 500).

haha, I was thinking of the band with that shitty Grey's Anatomy song.

I do make the distinction between being a lyricist in a poetic sense and being a lyricist in a "what sounds and vocal stylings work within X musical context," and while the latter dominates pitchfork's list, the former is really not very heavily represented. It is toward the beginning of the list, with your occasional Sleater-Kinney or Nick Cave song, but after that it disappears, pretty much.

P.S. Are you talking about the Rihanna song?

 

[SuperBonk]

I don't think a number 2 pick, plus a ridiculous amount of other inclusions is by no means getting robbed.

And I think they deserved every spot on the list, I love LCD Soundsystem. I just don't think they got robbed is all.

Robbed in the sense that all signs indicated that was going to be #1 (just as all signs indicated that Sound of Silver was going to be #1). I'm happy with its final position and it's definitely not something to whine about.

 

[Calcaneus]

If societal impact has much more weight to their song choices than anything else, then I don't see how they managed to not include a single Eminem song in the top 50. There was nobody quite like him that made as much of an impact in the hip-hop scene in the early 2000s. And not just him - no Dr. Dre either. TI is in the fucking top 50.

When Pitchfork decides an artist is now washed up, its like they refuse to acknowledge them in any retrospective lists after that point, no matter how influential the artist once was.

 

[DeathbyVolcano]

When Pitchfork decides an artist is now washed up, its like they refuse to acknowledge them in any retrospective lists after that point, no matter how influential the artist once was.

Haha yeah. They hardly ever talk about Weezer these days without doing a "yeah, but..."

 

[Teddman]

I hate Pitchfork elitism and rarely agree with them; however this list is pretty good.

 

[Skiptastic]

One More Time should have been #1.

 

[Peru]

haha, I was thinking of the band with that shitty Grey's Anatomy song.

I do make the distinction between being a lyricist in a poetic sense and being a lyricist in a "what sounds and vocal stylings work within X musical context," and while the latter dominates pitchfork's list, the former is really not very heavily represented. It is toward the beginning of the list, with your occasional Sleater-Kinney or Nick Cave song, but after that it disappears, pretty much.

That seems like a random and disorientating wall to put up, just like those dreary film conservatives who seperate 'form' and 'content'. It's all part of a great song. Are lyrics your one and only defining litmus test? The voice can be as much an instrument as anything else, and poetic lyrics won't fit every song, even the most artistically profound. Hell I love Nick Cave, but the poetry in Aaliyah's 'We Need a Resolution' is just as great. Whatever, though, I'm just here to announce that if anyone ever claims pop is of less value than any other genre I will stab them to death and cut their throat with an unsold copy of '99 Luftballons' in the most violent fashion imaginable.

P.S. Are you talking about the Rihanna song?

Yep.

 

[Kevtones]

What is with all the hate and misconception in this thread? The list is comprised of a vote/tally and is supposed to be comprehensive. You frigid internet folks need to learn to read and such. These people (wether you like it or not), represent the most definitive source of opinion on music on the internet (world?). They're not always right, and they may have issues, but fuck if they're not legit. Go bother to read the reasonings and you'll begin to understand the sources of this list and that having Amerie at 25 (fuck I think this should've been top 10) and Deerhunter at 86 (WTF WHERE IS WASH OFF?!) and some other banger in the 40s is a few points. Get over simpleton insecurities and hear some new music for fuck's sake. And if you've heard all 500 of these songs then you shouldn't be complaining but lauding it, otherwise LISTEN.

 

[Fidelis Hodie]

What is with all the hate and misconception in this thread? The list is comprised of a vote/tally and is supposed to be comprehensive. You frigid internet folks need to learn to read and such. These people (wether you like it or not), represent the most definitive source of opinion on music on the internet (world?). They're not always right, and they may have issues, but fuck if they're not legit. Go bother to read the reasonings and you'll begin to understand the sources of this list and that having Amerie at 25 (fuck I think this should've been top 10) and Deerhunter at 86 (WTF WHERE IS WASH OFF?!) and some other banger in the 40s is a few points. Get over simpleton insecurities and hear some new music for fuck's sake. And if you've heard all 500 of these songs then you shouldn't be complaining but lauding it, otherwise LISTEN.

It's a damn list for chrissakes.

 

[KingDirk]

One More Time should have been #1.

Man, I'm so in love with Discovery that any attempt I'd make to evaluate the albums of 2000 would be hopelessly flawed from the start.

(Though I'm more a "Digital Love"/"Face to Face" fan, m'self)

 

[Kevtones]

It's a damn list for chrissakes.

If Cryptograms isn't on their album list however, there will be hell to pay.

 

[DeathbyVolcano]

Don't feel the need to defend Pitchfork man. I wouldn't say they're a definitive anything, all I know is that they listen to good music and I align with their tastes for the most part. People can hate on them if they want. They are quite polarizing.

 

[Skiptastic]

(Though I'm more a "Digital Love"/"Face to Face" fan, m'self)

I am the same way! But I recognize the incredible dancability of One More Time and the fact that it is on this list to press me to say it should have been #1. Especially after the encore at the Alive 2007 show. Makes an already awesome dancing song an awesomer dancing song.

 

[Calcaneus]

What is with all the hate and misconception in this thread? The list is comprised of a vote/tally and is supposed to be comprehensive. You frigid internet folks need to learn to read and such. These people (wether you like it or not), represent the most definitive source of opinion on music on the internet (world?). They're not always right, and they may have issues, but fuck if they're not legit. Go bother to read the reasonings and you'll begin to understand the sources of this list and that having Amerie at 25 (fuck I think this should've been top 10) and Deerhunter at 86 (WTF WHERE IS WASH OFF?!) and some other banger in the 40s is a few points. Get over simpleton insecurities and hear some new music for fuck's sake. And if you've heard all 500 of these songs then you shouldn't be complaining but lauding it, otherwise LISTEN.

Can we get a new internet? Clearly this one is broken.

 

[KingDirk]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, c'mon dudes. The fact that P4k is so highly recognized makes their choices subject to scrutiny. Yeah, it's a consensus thing, which of course means some idiosyncratic songs aren't going to be heard. Maybe they could have structured their list differently. Maybe the site could afford a broader range of opinion.

And any top-50, top-500 whatever list is built around fostering discussion, not serving as some monolithic thing, so let's let people discuss and poke holes in it.

 

[Corwood Rep]

That seems like a random and disorientating wall to put up, just like those dreary film conservatives who seperate 'form' and 'content'. It's all part of a great song. Are lyrics your one and only defining litmus test? The voice can be as much an instrument as anything else, and poetic lyrics won't fit every song, even the most artistically profound. Hell I love Nick Cave, but the poetry in Aaliyah's 'We Need a Resolution' is just as great. Whatever, though, I'm just here to announce that if anyone ever claims pop is of less value than any other genre I will stab them to death and cut their throat with an unsold copy of '99 Luftballons' in the most violent fashion imaginable.



Yep.

I'm a rockist, myself, so there's kind of an ideological divide here, though I see where you're coming from and can appreciate pop. And no, lyrics aren't my only litmus test for a great songwriter; most of it is performance and conviction, e.g. Johnny Cash could turn really shitty songs (ex. If You Could Read My Mind) into great ones because he could give them a particular personality or thematic presence. But lyrically driven, socially conscious songwriting craft really is in short supply on pitchfork's list, and this decade had a good bit of it, so its absence is disappointing to me.

 

[KingDirk]

I'm a rockist, myself, so there's kind of an ideological divide here, though I see where you're coming from and can appreciate pop. And no, lyrics aren't my only litmus test for a great songwriter; most of it is performance and conviction, e.g. Johnny Cash could turn really shitty songs (ex. If You Could Read My Mind) into great ones because he could give them a particular personality or thematic presence. But lyrically driven, socially conscious songwriting craft really is in short supply on pitchfork's list, and this decade had a good bit of it, so its absence is disappointing to me.

I don't subscribe to the rockist/popist divide myself, but if forced to take sides I'm definitely a popist. That said, what are some examples of the music you're describing at the end of your post? So much of this decade, at least the latter half, seems to be a refocus on hedonistic and surface pleasures; on the one hand, I generally like the music that accompanies this focus, but the lack of lyrical content can often irk me.

 

[Peru]

I agree with all that, Aristotlekh, I just think pop and pop performers can do it as well (or better, at times). But no reason to keep on quarelling when we've reached the point where we understand where the other person's coming from. I guess I'm a poptimist upfront, but I'd like to think I participate on both sides without silly labels. I like every genre, but I don't like shit from any of 'em, is the obvious and simple bottom line. A good song is a good song is a good song. I think this decade has been ten times better for pop than for indie rock, where I'd be hard pushed to find 'defining' and important albums.

 

[DeathbyVolcano]

Sufjan I think is the best example of pure songwriter these days, and yet he didn't crack in the top 20

Hope to see Illinoise in the top ten albums.

 

[KingDirk]

I got so burnt out on Sufjan that I can't listen to him outside of small doses nowadays. Hoping BQE can help out with that, but I'm not optimistic.

Though I'm not gonna lie, my favorite contemporary songwriter is Dan Bejar, and I'm sure he can get on just as many, if not more, people's nerves.

 

[DeathbyVolcano]

Burnt out on Sufjan? That's sad :'(

 

[thestopsign]

Sufjan I think is the best example of pure songwriter these days, and yet he didn't crack in the top 20

Hope to see Illinoise in the top ten albums.

The genius of Illinois was the way Sufjan made grand, epic-scale orch-pop out of local-color minutia: Historical footnotes, backwater towns, serial killer biography. But "Chicago" is the moment where all that goes out the window, where eyes turn skyward. "Chicago" is Sufjan's "Clocks", his "Such Great Heights"-- the song that sounds custom-built to end up in the trailers for indie romantic comedies forevermore. The dizzying melody is all longing, and Stevens builds it up perfectly, piling on the horns and strings and choral voices before letting it repeat about 50 times because he knows we aren't getting sick of it anytime soon. It's not an indie pop song. It's a pop song, pure and simple, and a great one. --Tom Breihan

In their description of Chicago, they pretty much guaranteed a high place for Illinoise.

Anyways, I'm happy I found a good new band to tryout (LCD Soundsystem). I'm also looking into Phoenix and Grizzly Bear.

 

[Vox-Pop]

Digital Love should have been #1.

Fixed.

 

[KingDirk]

Burnt out on Sufjan? That's sad :'(

To be fair, my tastes have shifted away from the 'twee' side since Illinoise came out. I don't think Sufjan's that reducible, but the music I listen to lately is generally more propulsive.

Stopsign, Phoenix's release this year is supergreat. I'm afraid of overhyping it because it's really just a well-made guitar pop album, but it's still going to be on my end-of-year to be sure.

EDIT: High five, Vox-Pop.

 

[SuperBonk]

I got so burnt out on Sufjan that I can't listen to him outside of small doses nowadays. Hoping BQE can help out with that, but I'm not optimistic.

Though I'm not gonna lie, my favorite contemporary songwriter is Dan Bejar, and I'm sure he can get on just as many, if not more, people's nerves.

More of a Spencer Krug fan myself. Surprised no Sunset Rubdown and only one Wolf Parade song made it on the list.

 

[Peru]

Two albums I fear won't get their due, but should get their due, on the albums list:

Taylor Swift 'Fearless' (they've never mentioned her, once, on the site. Talk about a pure songwriter)
Autechre - Confield (the group has unjustly been labeled with a 'pretentious, overtly alienating' stamp lately, plus "that kind" of electronic music is tragically unhip at the moment, and it might influence them to scrap this from its righteous place in the top 10.)
Plus Burial was always wildly underrated on their site, so I don't expect too much from that list.

 

[Tokubetsu]

Yeah some of us tweeters are all a...twitter about this list. I thought they started strong, and the first 50 of the top 100 are pretty strong, but that top 10 is just sad. Should've been:

5) Idioteque
4) One More Time
3) Neighborhood #1
2) My Girls
1) Paper Planes

I give you ideoteque and paper planes but not so much on the rest of the list.

 

[PhoenixDark]

:lol


Not even a top 3 song on The Black Album.


:lol


/facepalm

Fuck this list.

Seems like you have a problem with non-whiter performers!

 

[KingDirk]

More of a Spencer Krug fan myself. Surprised no Sunset Rubdown and only one Wolf Parade song made it on the list.

Spencer Krug is also quite respectable. I still need to give Sunset Rubdown's latest a full spin...the songs I've heard off of it sounded great.

Also, that newest Swan Lake album flew way too under-the-radar. It was the tops.

 

[Dabanton]

I agree with it all.

same here. Pretty solid list.

Good choice for no 1 as well.

Seems like you have a problem with non-whiter performers!

Damm :lol

 

[Meliorism]

If Kid A is not #1 on their album list, feel free to axe my account.

Funeral wasn't even in their top 5 when they did their mid-decade list, if I recall correctly.

If MPP is in the top 5, I'll be disgusted but not surprised.

or:

Look at me, look at me, I have opinions!

 

[Peru]

If they wanted these lists to define anything they should've gone down a different route, altogether. Perhaps listing and evaluating a set of artists who marked the decade and left their fingerprints, for good or bad, and what these trendsetters meant. Much more interesting than deciding if a Sugababes track should be no. 347 or 421. What's the value and meaning attached to a ranking like that?

Still, their guest contributors are often great, so some of the articles could make up for all this.

 

[ViperVisor]

Where the fuck is Blackstreet - Deep ?

 

[SuperBonk]

Spencer Krug is also quite respectable. I still need to give Sunset Rubdown's latest a full spin...the songs I've heard off of it sounded great.

Also, that newest Swan Lake album flew way too under-the-radar. It was the tops.

New SR is pretty good. My favorites off of it are You Go On Ahead and Nightingale/December Song.

 

[DeathbyVolcano]

To be fair, my tastes have shifted away from the 'twee' side since Illinoise came out. I don't think Sufjan's that reducible, but the music I listen to lately is generally more propulsive.

Stopsign, Phoenix's release this year is supergreat. I'm afraid of overhyping it because it's really just a well-made guitar pop album, but it's still going to be on my end-of-year to be sure.

EDIT: High five, Vox-Pop.

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is one of the best albums of the year, for sure.

 

[Alucard]

Lists like these don't mean much, but I do think Pitchfork has a unique voice in music.

I have honestly been out of the loop when it comes to music. Just this past week I have tried catching up a little, and have obtained Jason Lytle's solo album (of Grandaddy fame), and albums by The Antlers, and The Rural Alberta Advantage. Pretty cool stuff.

I'm now looking for Phoenix's album.

 

[esbern]

what the fuck? all the indie rap they've been promoting of the years and they throw it all out the window in place of fucking r-kelly, jay-z, kanye and missy e?

 

[KingDirk]

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is one of the best albums of the year, for sure.

It's seriously, like, the best album to go running or biking to. Especially when "Lasso" pops on and you feel like you're experiencing a complete lack of abandon.

Edit: Oh man, Alucard, I'm glad you were able to appreciate that Antlers album. It got really old for me really fast...not a fan.

 

[Fidelis Hodie]

Two albums I fear won't get their due, but should get their due, on the albums list:

Taylor Swift 'Fearless' (they've never mentioned her, once, on the site. Talk about a pure songwriter)
Autechre - Confield (the group has unjustly been labeled with a 'pretentious, overtly alienating' stamp lately, plus "that kind" of electronic music is tragically unhip at the moment, and it might influence them to scrap this from its righteous place in the top 10.)
Plus Burial was always wildly underrated on their site, so I don't expect too much from that list.

:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

WHAT?

 

[Alucard]

It's seriously, like, the best album to go running or biking to. Especially when "Lasso" pops on and you feel like you're experiencing a complete lack of abandon.

Edit: Oh man, Alucard, I'm glad you were able to appreciate that Antlers album. It got really old for me really fast...not a fan.

I've only been listening to it for two days and haven't given it a close listen yet, so I haven't formed a final opinion on it yet. It sounded good in the background when I was cleaning up my condo, though. Same with The Rural Alberta Advantage.

Jason Lytle's album is lovely pop bliss.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc2M...E15CDB93&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=43

 

[Scribble]

There's a rockist/popist divide? Interesting. I just like music, tbqh.

Both categories can be equally substantial. Like Nickelback or whoever isn't the epitome of rock, Katy Perry or whoever isn't the epitome of pop.

Or am I misunderstanding something?