CrimsonSquall
Member
How am I supposed to taks u seriously if u say Views is his worst album with no good songs and FHD is not good? You have kaka taste if you can't find anything good as a hiphop fan on Views plain and simple
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Pitchfork's 50 Best Albums of 2016
- Thread starter Bronx-Man
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I agree that it has become more of a populist site but I think it's easier to argue that the quality of pop music, including r&b has gotten better in the last few years. Rap music was well represented even going back 10 years. I saw de la soul play after the new pornographers at pitchfork fest one year. Also critical acceptance of mainstream rap music shifted around the time college dropout and black album came out. Even before that artists like madlib and mf doom nearly always got recognized.
Blueingreen
Member
Out of curiosity what was you're favourite album of the year, and is they're any record on the list you would give a listen.
I mean I agree with you, but I truly despise this term which is essentially a code word for 'black'.
Views was his worst album since Thank me Later, it seems to suffer from the same problem that TLOP and Untitled do in the sense that it's sounds unfocused unfinished and filled with half assed rnb tracks, half assed trap songs and half assed watered down dancehall songs, the album is like a stale box of donuts, sure there's variety what does it matter if it's not very appetising. Drake never had much range as artist but here his life story and choice of topics is becomming redundant, and it's become apparent that he really is the jack of all trades.
CrimsonSquall
Member
Lists by relevant websites and magazines typically cater to the most popular genres that generate the most buzz or revenue. It should be no surprise at this point
Camper Van Beethoven
Banned
It's heavily biased towards what middle class white college kids like. The same as pitchfork has always been.
I must of been living under a rock if this got a top 10 song and 200 million views.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8m9zhNAgKs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8m9zhNAgKs
CrimsonSquall
Member
You certainly were. You ever hear of the mannequin challenge?
Solange really came out of nowhere with A Seat At The Table. Losing You is a incredible jam, but I don't think anyone could've predicted that she would level up so much with this album. My AOTY too.
Frank Ocean, I don't get the hype over Blonde. It's a massive step down from Channel Orange for me.
Anderson Paak should be higher!
Frank Ocean, I don't get the hype over Blonde. It's a massive step down from Channel Orange for me.
Anderson Paak should be higher!
uncelestial
Member
Genres make sense depending on what you use them for. They're essentially just shorthand for a sound, now. If you were refusing to use genres like they were some kinda anathema to meaningful discussion, I suppose you could answer the question "what kind of music is Blonde by Frank Ocean?" with a mini-review: "Trippy, delicate, experimental, minimalist R&B with avant-garde-inspired arrangements." But it's not only shorter to refer people to the Alt R&B page on Wikipedia, but condensing these descriptors into a tag confers meaning to the history of that music, lifts up other artists who take on the same banner, and creates momentum around good ideas.
For example, here is Big Freedia talking about being an ambassador for bounce -- in which she educates the interviewer on how bounce music rose up from New Orleans. I think that's beautiful. That's not the only interview where she does that, either.
I'm a musician myself, I get what you're saying regarding the prickliness musicians feel when asked to label themselves or respond to being labeled. But to be honest, micro-genres are so prevalent now you can pretty much call yourselves by any label you want, embrace it, talk about where it's coming from and what it means to you, and never be put in a "box" in the process.
I'm sure you have a lot more to add to the discussion that will explain why what I just said was crazy and why people like Big Freedia should shut up; it's a shame you forgot to post it, tho.
Also, I'll say it again, regarding Grimes: In the age of Black Lives Matter and the post-Trump resistance, soft-as-hell white pop music holds no interest for me. I want artists to have melanin and/or anger about the state of the world and/or challenging, novel musical ideas. If you are zero for three, as Grimes was on her last album (I have always granted her that Visions at least had a cool DIY/solo auteur aesthetic), then I have no use for you and your shit is not revelatory or necessary. Grimes makes "I haven't had an overdraft fee in 5 years" pop music. Pitchfork's sweet tooth is on display both on this pop-overloaded list and their lifting of Grimes to, literally, "song of the decade." I mean, really? If we're all just going to hang out pleasuring ourselves to pale-ass, wispy pop music, then I don't know what it will take for music to rise up and be part of the zeitgeist again. When fucking Green Day has more to say about the world than you do, you are not the artist of the decade.
To be fair, that collection of B-Sides is better than 90% of the pop music out this year.
mariachi507
Member
Damn, this Solange album is fucking great so far. I had no idea.
Ravensmash
Member
One of the few albums that I've truly returned to this year.
Its been a bit dull otherwise in all honesty.
I feel like 2015 was a better year in terms of overall volume of quality.
HungOverOnATues
Member
Radiohead and ATCQ albums are great. ANOHNI's Hopelessness is alright. Need to listen to Cohen and Danny Brown again and I haven't heard Bowie's album yet. Meh to the rest of the top 20. Need to check out a few more from 30-50.
Ravensmash
Member
I did check out Solange's album (not had a full listen through) and liked what I heard.
I think I avoided it because I just viewed it as "pop album from Beyonce's sister"
I think I avoided it because I just viewed it as "pop album from Beyonce's sister"
Every year has an overwhelming volume of good albums. I've listened to hundreds of good ones are there are tons more I won't have time to listen to. What differentiates years for me is whether it has the 1 or 2 albums that really stand out as something I could listen to forever, a personal lifetime classic. 2016 didn't have that for me.
rayjonnavi
Neo Member
Shallow as hell, especially considering almost every critics out there put the Beyoncé album in their top 5.
Camper Van Beethoven
Banned
Because poptimism is a thing we are all condemned to.
uncelestial
Member
Poptimism is exactly the opposite of what we need right now, both culturally and musically.
CrimsonSquall
Member
Another trash opinion. Gaf is killing me. Now untitled is bad? Thank Me Later was mad decent as a first album. Drizzys flows and production is 10 times better than his freshman album tho, so u can pause with that bull. Feel No Ways, Weston Road Flows, 9, Hype, U With Me?, Childs Play. All those are good ass songs. Stop hating on his versatility man he's damn good
"Poptimism" is such a shitty term
Pop music is great on its own merits, I don't need a cutesy term that some indie asshole came up with to justify enjoying music that honestly shits all over most of the music the p4k crowd consumes.
torre_avenue
Banned
And even then, the Popcaan version is >>>>>>>>> what we got.
I'd say "9" is good, but the awful bars on it ruin it every time. Same with "Child's Play."
I'd say "One Dance", but that song got overplayed to hell and back.
I like "Too Good", but it's just an inferior version of "Work" and worse than "Take Care" or even "What's My Name".
If all you listen to are pop albums or "indie" albums then I'm not sure you make up the majority of pitchfork audience. It's safe to say the new pitchfork audience and the old pitchfork audience listened to a lot of music across a wide range of genres. If you go to festivals and see the crowds, a lot of people will get to a stage early so they can hear Grimes - Tame Impala - Kendrick Lamar. If you don't like Carly Rae Jepsen then I don't know what the fuck you are doing with your life.
equippedwithtowel
Member
Art Angels is plenty applicable to the world 2016, I'm sorry if you don't see that. Even if that's not true I feel like female fronted trangressive pop is something we could always use more of in the face of cultural turmoil.
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