Well, We Wanted To Highlight Our Favorite “End Of The Year” Lists, But We Got Burnt Out About Ten Minutes Into It
Every year at this time, lists recapping the previous 365 days are as inevitable as a coffee stain on your interview suit. When I was a music writer years ago, my editor would always ask me to contribute my top ten albums, which I did, happily. I’d give careful consideration to my picks, mentally scrolling over which albums truly provided the soundtrack to my life. I’d think about which songs I screeched along to in the shower and in my car with the windows rolled down. My number one pick was an album that I felt I had truly absorbed and, for lack of a better word, bonded with. But, when I saw the other writers’ choices, I was always surprised at how unrisky their picks were. It was like they picked the albums that they feel they should put on the list, not the ones they actually enjoyed listening to. As a result, some boring shit floated to the top, newly christened the “Album of the Year.” All of these lists are clearly subjective and it makes me feel old that I haven’t even heard of roughly 65% of the bands on Pitchfork’s Best Album of the Year list. Well, what do you guys think? Do these end of the year lists influence you? Are they useful? Do you think that they get it right and truly represent the best music out there? Have you seen an end of the year list that you feel really nailed it?
December 23rd, 2008 at 2:50 pm
David Rees’ (http://www.mnftiu.cc/) top tens have been pretty dead-on.
http://www.mnftiu.cc/2008/12/18/best-of-2008-transplants/
http://www.mnftiu.cc/2008/12/18/best-of-2008-magazines/
http://www.mnftiu.cc/2008/12/18/best-of-2008-technology/
http://www.mnftiu.cc/2008/12/17/best-of-2008-music/
http://www.mnftiu.cc/2008/12/19/best-of-2008-catchphrases/
http://www.mnftiu.cc/2008/12/18/best-of-2008-film/
And many other topics.
December 23rd, 2008 at 2:54 pm
I think a general group of the best of the year is OK, but I don’t like numeric lists, especially when they have the top 50 or 100. I mean, what distinguishes #56 from #57?
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:11 pm
I know! Totally, right?
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:13 pm
the pitchfork readers poll was way better [and more accurate IMHO] than their own “best of”
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/148094-2008-pitchfork-readers-poll
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Ghostrocket, good point.
As a former music critic, I can say that music critics are very weird. Most of ‘em aren’t too much fun to kick it with because they take themselves waaaaay too seriously.
As far as my favorite “best of” lists go, my favorite has always been the Village Voice’s Pazz and Jop, where individual critics list their fave records. They’ve been known to throw some curveballs in there.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:35 pm
I refuse to lend credence to any list that includes Lil Wayne anywhere in the top 50 albums of the year. Needless to say, that doesn’t leave me with many options. I will never understand how that shit has become critically acclaimed, and that’s how I know that I’m now an old man. Fuck it though, I’ll embrace it. I’m more than happy to spin Exile again and again as these aging hipster doofuses prattle away, pretending to analyze the genius of Lil Wayne.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:41 pm
One of my least favorite tasks (among many) as a rock critic is/was the dreaded end-of-the year list. Numbers can’t capture my passion, and I live in the moment with music. I can barely remember what I listened to this morning much less last January. This year, I ended up list-less and it was oddly freeing. Anna, who did you write for?
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:42 pm
RIL, I’m totally with you on that one. After reading Spin’s, Blender’s, Rolling Stone’s, and Pitchfork’s top lists, I’m happy to just go back to listening to my dorky mallpunk. I just cannot concede that some of the records tha they picked were the best.
Oh, and any list that mentions any new-school Beck as a top album immediately disqualifies their opinion in my book. Is that crazy?
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:43 pm
I think there are people who just vote for Beck, no matter what he does, year after year. I am like that with Holly Golightly, but most lists don’t reflect that.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:56 pm
It’s probably good to keep in mind that Pitchfork’s list is done via some sort of voting system amongst their contributors. Unclear if there’s any editorial tampering.
I’ll admit to thinking that Beck’s latest actually was pretty good and that Dangermouse had a lot to do with that. Though I’ll agree that both Guero and The Information were nothing short of unlistenable.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Hey Sara!
I mainly wrote for a rag called Mean Street, which is based out of LA. I also wrote for a handful of zines. I also did freelance for Heckler, Thrasher, and Philly’s own Rockpile. Additionally, I wrote for Paper magazine, as I also worked there right after undergrad. There’s probably a few more places that I’m forgetting!
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Paper Mag seems like a fun place to work. Or at least their party pics seem fun.
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:32 pm
The only fun thing about working at Paper was that my desk was right next to, what I called, the crummy bin; where all the promo swag was tossed for the lesser staff members to sort through.
I scored a constant stream of top-of-the-line-cosmetics, even though usually the shades were a bit mismatched for my skin tone. Whatevs! It was freeee!
I was part of the impoverished elite: making less than $24,000 a year, living paycheck to paycheck, having zero dollars in savings, but wearing $120 moisturizer and $60 lipstick. Kinda ridic.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:55 pm
People still make rock albums? How quaint.
December 24th, 2008 at 10:13 am
Onion AV Club tends to have a good end of year writeup. Actually, overall, it has some of the better music reviews on the net.
December 30th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
I will say that I listened to M83’s “Saturdays = Youth” more than any record in a very long time. It would be my #1 – other than that record, P-fork’s list is total miss for me. Usually the top 10 have been so overplayed and hyped that I don’t give a rat’s ass by the time the list comes out. Fleet Foxes certainly falls into that category for me. They may be good, but by the time 2009 gets here, I’d rather not hear another one of their songs.