Pitchfork sucks a lot, and I'll tell you why

Jeffrey Lewis, if you read a couple posts back, is one of the best songwriters of this generation. That's just my opinion.

I think he's developed a lot as a songwriter. His first album had some great songs that took weird twists, but also had lyrics that should have been cut down a lot, as they tended to drag.

Each album has improved upon the one before it, with the exception of the new album "12 Crass Songs". That isn't to say the new album is bad, it's just kind of a side-step. Given that Jeffrey Lewis albums are mainly listened to for their lyrical content, clearly a covers album should be taken for what it is.

Pitchfork Media, in their infinite wisdom, waited until the album had already been out 4 months, to review it as a 2.3 out of 10.

It shouldn't shock me anymore, but I just wanted to point out what a bunch of fucking idiots run that site. The only reason I continue to go there, and probably always will, is that they review 5 albums per day. It is essentially a tool for finding out what new things to download. I've long since given up reading, or even checking the scores, of any of their reviews.

Eddie Argos, lead singer of Art Brut, claims that Jeffrey Lewis is one of his 5 favourite songwriters. John Peel thought enough of Lewis to give him a Peel Session. Still, Pitchfork won't buy into the hype. That is, if there were any hype to buy into. They create all "indie-centric" opinion to be re-hashed by all the people who say "music is my life", and STILL Jeffrey Lewis succeeds by putting out these great records.

It's just a fucking shame that all the suckers who still take P-fork seriously will never listen to a weird little album, that rests somewhere between interesting and great, because the almighty tastemaker has deemed it to be worthy of 2.3 imaginary units of goodness.

Here's a quote from the review:

"The formal disconnect between source and style actually sort of works once, on the anarchist manifesto "Big A Little A"... twelve songs is eleven too many, but that song, by itself, would've been a clever gesture."

They can't even pick the best song on the album.

I hope this whole "indie" craze dies sometime soon, and we can all go back to REAL corporations controlling our musical taste.

Sounds like Winning!

Ok, so this is going to be my 4th consecutive post not dedicated to girls. Shocking, I know.

This post is about Winning. Possibly the best band you've never heard.

Captain Beefheart changed my life, or at least the way I listen to music. I think that the new Winning album is possibly better than Beefheart's opus, "Trout Mask Replica". (The history behind Trout Mask Replica is long, and insane, and way too much to get into here. Suffice to say that it pops up on many critics all-time best of lists, including Lester Bangs, John Peel, and Rolling Stone magazine's lists before they became the rag they are today...)

Winning are my friends. Andy Dixon. Greg Adams. Paul Patko.

I've always had friends in bands. Some good, some not so good, some bordering on great (I wouldn't know any of these 3 guys if it weren't for my obsession with The Winks).

I've listened to the new Winning album approximately 40 times now. I don't do that often. Maybe twice a year.

That No Age album that everyone loved last year wishes it were as good as this album (if that boring No Age album took human form and started listening to records, that is).

This is the album that Radiohead would make if they had 1/1000th of the balls this album does, and if the drumming for Radiohead wasn't as robotic as fucking Johnny 5 (cultural references are good, kids).

This is the album that Pitchfork, the Gods of all that is right and good in music, should be giving a 9-point-something rating to, and lauding as "the next great noiseniks for the post-whatever generation."

This is the album that should be played front to back in its entirety at the ATP festival in Germany, or England, or wherever those things take place, 15-20 years from now.

I think I like it more than my favourite Sonic Youth album.

I definitely like it more than my favourite The Fall album.

I know that every album is a part of you after you've heard it. I think this album is all the best parts of me. The part that used to spin in circles to stumble around in a field, before I'd ever gotten drunk or cared to. The part that would light matches just to watch them burn. The part that used to not step on cracks, ever.

This album might just change my life.