Wednesday, November 24, 2004
I didn't know about Pitchfork, but now I do, a way into the rock'n'roll that I've known is out there, but have had to rely on EGA to find out about.
Since I don't play, and I can't sing, rock crit looked like in was the only path available to me, and 'till there were blogs I didn't know where the path was. By then it was too late. "A Lester Bangs–type critic doesn’t exist anymore in America, because magazines don’t really trash records anymore—they’re way too dependent on that label’s advertising dollars. Everything out there in print is sugar-coated...."
Not Pitchfork. Sample capsule: "Okay, wait. Jimmy Eat world have released a new song and called it... "Pain"? This is actually great. I hope this monosyllabic truth-in-advertising extends to singles from other artists. Look out for the Rolling Stones' "Old", Linkin Park's "Angst", R.E.M.'s "Dull", and "Dead" from Nirvana's upcoming box set. Under-thought title aside, this track is at best holding status quo for the band. It's simply a minor-key inversion of the same simple but lovable power-chord hooks and incidental electronics that made "The Middle" an unfortunate smash, but with a less persistent chorus. I'll grant them that they've kept their sound and their place on the radio dial intact, which is nothing to sneeze at, but on the other hand-- well, just replace the word "pain" from the frathouse shouting that precedes each chorus with, say, "thirst," and you've got yourself a damn fine beverage commercial."
I'm coming back to this site.
Since I don't play, and I can't sing, rock crit looked like in was the only path available to me, and 'till there were blogs I didn't know where the path was. By then it was too late. "A Lester Bangs–type critic doesn’t exist anymore in America, because magazines don’t really trash records anymore—they’re way too dependent on that label’s advertising dollars. Everything out there in print is sugar-coated...."
Not Pitchfork. Sample capsule: "Okay, wait. Jimmy Eat world have released a new song and called it... "Pain"? This is actually great. I hope this monosyllabic truth-in-advertising extends to singles from other artists. Look out for the Rolling Stones' "Old", Linkin Park's "Angst", R.E.M.'s "Dull", and "Dead" from Nirvana's upcoming box set. Under-thought title aside, this track is at best holding status quo for the band. It's simply a minor-key inversion of the same simple but lovable power-chord hooks and incidental electronics that made "The Middle" an unfortunate smash, but with a less persistent chorus. I'll grant them that they've kept their sound and their place on the radio dial intact, which is nothing to sneeze at, but on the other hand-- well, just replace the word "pain" from the frathouse shouting that precedes each chorus with, say, "thirst," and you've got yourself a damn fine beverage commercial."
I'm coming back to this site.
// posted by Bill @ 4:39 PM 
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