Poetic Memory: The Moviegoers (List)
In the 1960s the average band enjoyed fame for a couple of months, if that, before people’s attention shifted to the next rising (and soon to be falling) stars. Being a one-hit wonder wasn’t a failure, it was the norm, and accomplishments by bands like The Beatles and The Kinks were rendered all the more impressive by the fact that any kind of longevity was exceptional, and enjoyed by only a small percentage of groups.
Not much has changed since then: nowadays most bands—particularly in the realm of indie rock—still amount to little more than passing fads, soaking up their proverbial fifteen minutes of fame before succumbing to irrelevance. But one thing that has been accelerated by the internet is that entire genres seem to rise and fall in the space of a few months, leaving up-and-coming groups scrambling to tap into the next sound du jour and ride the Wavves waves of recognition before they fizzle out.
Then there are bands who are content to just create great music. Unfazed by meaningless trends, they place emphasis on great songwriting, captivating melodies, and a distinctive but inviting sound. They may not get drooled over by Pitchfork (and if they do, it’s only so long until P4K’s drool runs dry and the inevitable backlash begins), but they do create a body of work that speaks for itself, and will outlast the one-MP3 wonders that permeate the blogosphere. San Diego’s The Moviegoers are one of those bands, and though they may not auto-tune their vocals or mangle their guitars with lo-fi crunch, they do create moving and memorable songs accented by rich harmonies and understated confidence. And that never goes out of style. (more…)
No ‘Funeral’ for Califone: New Record Gets an 8.1 on Pitchfork
Pitchfork is known for swinging wide. It’s not uncommon for the taste-making website to build up a band’s reputation with a glowing review of one record, only to single-handedly destroy the group on their follow-up. (more…)
Crashing Wavves
Many bands toil for years, chasing a fame that, for most of them, will never come. But what of the bands who achieve instant recognition, without all the years of honing their talents? San Diego’s Wavves is just such a band.
After being plucked from obscurity by a “Best New Music” review from the music gods at Pitchfork, the band has found itself traveling Europe, playing for throngs of adoring fans. Prompted by the band’s success, Rolling Stone is reportedly planning a feature on the San Diego music scene, despite the fact that most San Diegans had never heard of the band before they won the P4K lottery.
Now, it appears that Wavves could have used a little more time to perfect their routine before striking it big. According to Pitchfork, the band recently “self-destructed” during a performance at Barcelona’s Primavera Sound Festival.
The transition from playing essentially no shows at all in San Diego to facing down thousands of screaming Spaniards can’t be an easy one, and no one can blame the band for cashing in on their newfound internet fame. But maybe people shouldn’t put so much stock in the cold, fickle hype machine that is Pitchfork, especially when it propels overrated bands into a realm of stardom they are unprepared for. There are easily twenty bands in San Diego more talented, professional, and seasoned than Wavves, all of them worthy of large-scale recognition. But, until the Pitchfork gods shine down on them, the world probably won’t care.
UPDATE: Wavves have since canceled their European tour, but are still on the bill for San Diego’s Street Scene festival.
Breaking: Pitchfork to Give Wilco’s New Album a 5.8
Yesterday, we received a disturbing email from a Pitchfork Media staffer, detailing how senior management re-shaped his review of Wilco (The Album), which is set to be released on June 30, 2009.
The distressed staffer writes, ”With high profile releases like this one, management will tell writers what an album’s rating will be. You have to write your review around the predetermined rating, which is partly why our reviews often contain weird metaphors and seem so hackneyed.”
He goes on to write that Pitchfork goons threatened to remove him from their staff—and office—if he didn’t comply with their wishes; he quotes one manager as saying “As you know, Pitchfork is so over Wilco, and the rest of the world should be too, whether it’s right or not. Actual merit is irrelevant. Look how much attention we got from our review of the Black Kids album. If you care about quality, you can go write somewhere else.”
According to the writer, here’s a breakdown of what should’ve been vs. what is. (more…)
An Open Letter to Douglas Wolk and Pitchfork, RE: Bob Dylan’s ‘Together Through Life’
Dear Douglas,
Your review of Together Through Life is really bad. You dismiss the album as derivative, yet your review reads more like an amateurish “pastiche” (in your case, of bad Pitchfork reviews) than Dylan’s work ever will, even considering his efforts to compile music of the past and be a “one-man preservation society.”
“He might have something good in him sometime. He’s worth keeping an eye on.” You accuse Dylan of the sin of “lazy” writing, yet that was the best closing you could come up with?
It’s also pretty hilarious how you pretend that you’re an expert on old time music by name-dropping Willie Dixon and making like you’re remotely familiar with “Nadine” and “Lucille.” I agree, Dylan’s “Jolene” sucks (so does Dolly Parton’s, kind of), but your argument against it only makes you look like a pretentious ass.
Maybe I should congratulate you for not trying to conceal the fact that your review is just an attention grab, but I’m more inclined to say that you (and Pitchfork) should be embarrassed. A bad Dylan review can be be done well but this wasn’t the way; your sloppiness made your motives all-too-apparent.
Pitchfork overshot greatly by giving Dylan’s previous album, Modern Times, an 8.3, but giving the comparably much better Together Through Life a 5.4 isn’t going to make up for past bad judgment. In this case, it only serves to hurt Pitchfork’s dwindling credibility. Better luck next time; Pitchfork is now 0 for 2 on the last two Dylan albums.
I hereby give your review a 2.8, and Bob Dylan’s album a 7.7.
Best regards,
Harry
