Comments on: Well, We Wanted To Highlight Our Favorite “End Of The Year” Lists, But We Got Burnt Out About Ten Minutes Into It

By: in a cave

in a cave — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 03:16:30 +0000

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.

By: John Lightstone

John Lightstone — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 14:13:15 +0000

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.

By: lord_whimsy

lord_whimsy — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:55:10 +0000

People still make rock albums? How quaint.

By: Anna

Anna — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:32:53 +0000

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.

By: Sugar Town

Sugar Town — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:22:08 +0000

Paper Mag seems like a fun place to work. Or at least their party pics seem fun.

By: Anna

Anna — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:58:03 +0000

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!

By: tsarstruck

tsarstruck — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:56:27 +0000

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.

By: Sugar Town

Sugar Town — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:43:21 +0000

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.

By: Anna

Anna — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:42:14 +0000

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?

By: Sugar Town

Sugar Town — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:41:54 +0000

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?