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Just the other day I was actually thinking about how excited I was for the inevitable Best of 2000s coverage. While I am certainly a child of the 80s and 90s, the 2000s is the first decade where I was fully culturally aware from the beginning all the way through. I was almost going to post something about how we should start thinking about it and submitting "For your considerations," but then realized, neh-- it's only the beginning of August. Looks like I wasn't being so premature because Pitchfork is about to start the party:
http://pitchfork.com/news/36153-presenting-p2k-the-decade-in-music/
Get pumped.
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13 comments:
Should we take bets on which Radiohead song will be the #1 song of the 2000's?
To help me contemplate that question, I just threw on Kid A, and for some reason was immediately brought back to that time in college where I'd inadvisedly engaged in some substance abuse in the middle of the day, and had to read transcripts of Adolph Hitler speeches to study for an upcoming German history test; in my foggy state of mind I decided that Kid A would be the perfect studying music, and before Everything in its Right Place was half over, Hitler's terrifying vision for a new world order had me literally hiding under my bed. So in honor of that, I'd probably nominate Everything in its Right Place as the greatest song of the 2000s.
On the other hand, when you listen to Kid A while watching Apocalypse Now, it's when Idioteque comes on during the animal sacrifice scene that your mind REALLY gets blown, so maybe I'd have to nominate Idioteque instead. Ice age comin', y'all!
Aw, who'm I kidding? It'll be Pyramid Song.
OK, one more comment: I really love Like Spinning Plates. Would anyone else agree with me that it's an extremely underrated song? If Pitchfork wanted to throw a real curveball they could do that one and I wouldn't be sad.
OK, ALSO, I promise I won't pick apart Pitchfork's inevitably highly subjective list beyond the following observation:
Wilco's "Poor Places" comes in at 147, which I obviously disagree with to begin with. But I find it insulting that that stupid "1234" Feist song then comes in just ahead at 143. REALLY? C'MON!
There are several songs that are criminally underrated (Fake Palindromes, for one thing- that's probably in my top ten of the decade)-- at this point, having scanned through what they've included I'm genuinely curious what's going to make up the top part of the list. Clearly Radiohead; I would think "Hey Ya" would be high up there (and "Umbrella"); maybe some Animal Collective (I'm betting "Winter Love"); Kanye, certainly; they've already listed Grizzly Bear's two best songs, so they're out; something by Wilco will probably be high up, but they've already used the two best songs from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, so maybe "I am Trying to Break Your Heart" or "Spiders (Kidsmoke)." It's also possible that it's going to be contrarian/obscurantist as hell. But I feel like they'll do that more with their albums list-- the song list strikes me as being more populist (or at least indie populist).
Oh the joys of the Apocalypse Now/Kid A connection. They will never tire...
Agreed that it's silly to get too nitpicky on their list, but yeah, Poor Places really stuck out to me as being way, way too low. Especially consdering Jesus Etc was so much higher. I've got nothing against Jesus Etc, but come on, Poor Places.
Meanwhile, Everything In It's Right Place is out, along with some insane write up where they pity (yes "pity") the poor fans who bought Kid A and were so traumatized by the absence of guitar. Hey, you know what Pitchfork? I bought Kid A and distintly remember listening to it in a sparsely furnished Bed-Stuy apartment with Dr. Kittybrains and being completely blown away by it. I have no need for your "pity" thank you very much.
And I'm with Eric. They love going super populist with their singles. #1 is totally going to be, like, Sexyback or something along those lines.
See #21 for a perfect example.
After a discussion with my brother, based on what's already been listed, my predictions for the top 20 (not in any order):
All My Friends - LCD Soundsystem
Hey Ya
Crazy in Love
Single Ladies, maybe
99 Problems
Kanye- at least two of the following: Stronger, Gold Digger, Through the Wire
B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad) (for symbolic value, as much as because it's awesome)
Paper Planes
My Girls (Animal Collective)
Winter Love (Animal Collective)
Something else by Annie and/or Robyn, neither of whom I have heard.
I think we've seen the last of Wilco and Radiohead (which actually makes sense, since they're such album bands). I genuinely have no idea what they're going to pick as number one. I like that I care though.
I'm also a bit annoyed with their predictable hip-hop coverage. After throwing a bone to a few indie/under the radar rappers in #'s500-200 (Cannibal Ox, MF Doom, Lupe Fiasco etc) the higher you get up the list the more it's almost completely dominated by Jay-Z, Cam'rom, Clipse, TI etc. It's hard to even call it "populist" exactly, it's just a very specific list of rappers who, with a few exceptions like Kanye, are defined largely by rapping incessantly about drugs and guns. And it's not like I even have a problem with many of the rappers listed per se, it's just that Pitchfork hypes them so exclusively, and it seems to jar so much with everything non-hip-hop on the list. How do you go so quickly from 50 Cent to Panda Bear?
Even some of the song choices are bizarre: I like some Jay-Z stuff myself, but why in the world do you put a repugnant song like "Big Pimpin'" so high up on the list, when you have such a wealth of other material to choose from?
The major exception is that they seem to really love Dizee Rascal and The Streets...maybe because they're English, they're left field enough to make the list?
I think your list will prove to be pretty right-on Eric, though I'd be surprised not to see one more song from Kid A.
Also, despite (or maybe because of) the fact that his career before and since has always suffered in comparison to this one album, I will be very disappointed if Mr. Lif's "I Phantom" doesn't make it somewhere on either the singles or albums lists.
I think Hey Ya is #1, no question. bet on it.
Weirdest/stupidest/WTFiest Pitchfork quote I've seen in awhile:
"Riding the wave of Barack Obama's outsider popularity, "Paper Planes" felt unusually relevant for pop music in the age of "American Idol"."
okay, so i guess i was HALF right - Outkast wins the prize, but Pitchfork hilariously picks a dark horse...
Called it above!
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