Remember when Rolling Stone introduced us to “the coolest kid in America” ???
Living in a post-indie world is pretty hilarious, and awesome. You get to see the old powerhouse music publications/labels struggling to keep up/survive, and for the most part you can avoid the annoying mainstream music radio hits. I suppose the only downside is that Pitchfork holds more than 50% of the power now. But if Pitchork is Rolling Stone 2.0, then that’s not really so bad, is it?
Speaking of Rolling Stone, I just happened across their recent review of Animal Collective’s MWPV, and found it interesting:
“Our take on Merriweather Post Pavillion” (Ed. as if they HAVE to review it, but they don’t get why)
Like the Grateful Dead before them, the psychedelic heads of Animal Collective are evolving from raging sonic hallucinations into gentler, more melodic trips. The ninth disc from this Brooklyn/Baltimore crew tries balancing shameless beauty with ecstatic weirdness, and when they nail it, it’s breathtaking. “Summertime Clothes” is a swirling pastoral with dance-music thrust, while “Guys Eyes” is a cauldron of the Pet Sounds vocal fractals. “Lion in a Coma” and “No More Runnin” get lost in their own oddness. But the magic returns on “Brothersport,” a bacchanalian Brian Wilson-meets-Kraftwerk jam that repeats “open up your throat.” Whether it’s a celebration of singing, magic mushrooms or blow jobs is your call.
– Rolling Stone
It’s a song about Panda Bear’s brother! Gosh.
I have to wonder though, are all of Rolling Stone’s record reviews this short? It feels like this critique struggled to write even 110 words.
It figures that Rolling Stone would latch onto the “let’s compare Animal Collective to the Grateful Dead” trend. Sure, I see the parallels all these music critiques are trying to draw… but I’m pretty convinced the comparison is a far fetched stretch. Was it Mark Richardson who was responsible for starting this AC vs GD trend?
You know what is really hilarious though? Rolling Stone’s Top 50 Album List for 2008. On the bright side, it’s arguably the most eclectic album list I’ve ever come across, with Santogold, Metallica, Lil Wayne, Vampire Weekend, and John Mellencamp all in the Top 10. I guess they have to please all their demographics… gosh it must suck to be an old school Rolling Stone writer trying to stay sane in the new music world.
Really not sure why people are still trying to decide what the twenty double oh’s will be remembered for in the music industry; clearly it’s the rise of the independent record label/DIY music recording/DIY music journalism. What else could it be about? Bob Dylan receiving countless praise for his bootleg album series? Nickelback?
la ¡Cinta! 