Pitchfork fulfills obvious Kanye West “best album of 2010” overture

But, somehow, West managed to transcend the preposterous talk show appearances, the too-good-to-be-true Twitter account, the live breakdowns, the Horus chain, the free-MP3 stunt(ing), the press blitz, the breakups, the make-ups, the dick pics, the furniture pornography, the Rosewood movement, the NO NEGATIVE BLOG VIEWING, the living paintings, the short film, and the rest of the lot. Through all that noise, we obsessed first and most deeply over the eye of the storm: the album.
Pitchfork writer Sean Fennessey • Revealing what’s been a straight-up given for the last month – Kanye West has Pitchfork’s top album of 2010. Considering it got a 10.0 from the site, it would have been a shocker if it wasn’t really. Past Kanye, perhaps the biggest surprise of the top twenty is Janelle Monae’s relatively low number twelve showing. The question is, who would’ve let her in the top ten? From Titus Andronicus to LCD Soundsystem to Deerhunter, the top ten overall is pretty solid, complete with James Blake’s numerous EP releases this year. Actually, we have a thought – Vampire Weekend’s “Contra” doesn’t belong there, thanks to this ad. Put Janelle Monae in its spot and give a girl with some awesome ideas her due, Pitchfork. source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 6 Comments • Permalink

1. Lou Reed is a badass because he managed to make a song like “Pale Blue Eyes” – an exercise in emotional nudity which few artists of his stature are willing to try – seem brave, not pansyish. It worked to strong effect in this year’s “Adventureland,” by the way.
2. Marc Bolan is a badass because he lived fast, died young, and still managed to have a career full of badass moves. From his start as an off-kilter folkie (Tyrannosaurus Rex) to his peak as a glam god (T. Rex) who directly inspired the previous badass, his badassness set a pretty high bar.
3. Paul Westerberg is a badass because he never gave into the mainstream when he was creating his greatest work. “Bastards of Young” is perhaps The Replacements’ catchiest tune, but instead of actively trying to push it on MTV, they made this video to go with it. That’s badass.
4. Josh Homme is a badass because he released this song as a single. And then his band, Queens of the Stone Age, played it at a drug rehab center last year. It really is the feel-good hit of the summer. Or any year, really.
5. James Murphy is a badass because he knows how to get down even though he’s getting old. Really, we could’ve picked any song Murphy did as LCD Soundsystem over the last five years and nailed it as evidence. But “Daft Punk is Playing at My House” works as both a sneering homage to Daft Punk and a homage to being a badass. So it wins. source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

LCD Soundsystem never sounded so … regal. “Someone Great” is one of LCD Soundsystem’s best songs, and experimental cellist Andrew Carter brings it into a realm of beauty that not even the original reaches. We’re impressed. source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

Pitchfork just spent a week going through the list of the top 500 songs of the decade, and its winner was a song which came out in late 2000, didn’t crack the Bilboard 100 (despite the fact that the act had multiple number one hits), and topped the site’s mid-decade list, too. But, as the site argues, Outkast’s “B.O.B.” is a killer song loaded with prophecy of what was to come in the ensuing decade. Other songs in the top ten include some of the decade’s best and brightest (though we say that Animal Collective’s “Fireworks,” which still ranked high, was better than “My Girls”) and LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends” would’ve made a killer best-song-of-the-decade if Outkast hadn’t gotten there first. source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 7 Comments • Permalink

17 Dec 2010 02:07