The Cult of Pitchfork
Pitchforkmedia.com has established a reputation for being the “go to” site for all things indie. The reputation, to my mind, is well deserved. They have done a great job covering the indie scene and it has been a useful resource for fans who want to find out about their favorite bands. It has also been instrumental in bringing attention to more obscure bands.
Having said that, I have to say that I am bothered about the cult that is surrounding Pitchfork. Devoted fans of the website have completely bought into the Pitchfork philosophy and taste. These fans blindly follow the so-called taste makers of that website. Any band they declare as good are immediately considered as great bands by these fans. Alternatively, any album that gets a poor review from the website is largely ignored, or worse, branded as bad records. Individual critical thinking has been thrown out the window and replaced with a hive mind collective.
Pitchfork has its benefits but it is not the sole authority on what is considered “cool”. It should be up to the listener to ultimately decide what he likes.
September 15th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/4/4/954613/Red%20Hot%20Chili%20Peppers%20-%20Can%27t%20Stop.mp3
September 15th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
http://www.fileden.com/files/2006/8/15/169509/xzibit%20-%20concentrate.mp3
September 15th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Indie lemmings, I call ‘em.
In fairness, I admire Pitchfork for being brave (that is uncool) enough , on several occasions, to give the Michael Jackson Greatest Hits compilation a glowing review and run an interview with Daryl Hall recently. They’re a lot more looser than their cult, I think.
September 16th, 2007 at 3:59 am
http://www.fileden.com/files/2006/12/16/517124/01%20foxtrot%20uniform%20charlie%20kilo.mp3
September 16th, 2007 at 4:22 am
http://www.gordonswebpages.com/~haloflic/transfer/myspace-mp3/1/thezephyrsong.mp3
September 16th, 2007 at 4:25 am
http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/1/19/665426/LongIslandMixTape/TheresNoIInTeam.mp3
September 16th, 2007 at 4:27 am
http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/6/29/1223976/Slick%20Rick%20-%2003%20-%20Children%27s%20Story.mp3
September 16th, 2007 at 4:29 am
http://thebelfry.net/mp3/Ozone%20-%20Dragostea%20Din%20Tei.mp3
September 16th, 2007 at 4:35 am
http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/3/29/938164/2Pac%20-%20until%20the%20end%20of%20time%20rp%20remix%28www.rap.dir.bg%29.mp3
September 16th, 2007 at 4:39 am
http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/4/14/984376/eminem%20-%20fight%20music.mp3
September 16th, 2007 at 4:39 am
http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/6/15/1180956/Fight%20Music.mp3