SOUND TEAM, PITCHFORK REVIEW

[ShinsFan]

Bitchfork is to indie music as ESPN is to sports. Both were once relevant, irreverent, and smart. Now, both are self-serious brands with no passion for the very pursuits - sports and music - on which they were founded.

No one watches Chris Berman for sports information anymore - people now watch to see how oblivious he is to the caricature he has become. And no one reads Bitchfork for meaningful music criticism - people now read it to chuckle at the bloviations of writers who are ignorant of

[TheCombatFetus]

I don't care what Pitchfork says. This album is excellent, one of my favorites of all time. They give such great scores to shitty albums and others, it's just ridiculous. People should listen to music for themselves, not because someone else tells them that an album is "good".

I really wish they would have stayed together.. :(

[Wwhackk]

Pitchfork's writers are just loser fucking hipsters that think they control the 'indie scene.'

[MrActionproductions]

I wish I lived near a cliff like that....

[Karpify]

My biggest pet peeves about reviews by Pitchfork are that they seem to hold misguided grudges and also that they sometimes give positive feedback but a dismal score. They hated Sound Team because they had tangible, recognizable influences. God forbid. They disliked that THEY got to open for their fan boy Arcade Fire. Pitchfork tries to promote the music of the underground, but all they end up doing is destroying all that makes it good. Thank you, ST, for all your greatness.

[billhicks8]

I give Pitchfork 1.2/10

[riethc]

2. Pitchfork writers don't write as well as they think they do.

Everyone who's ever taken a writing class should know that using more words and choosing more obscure ones doesn't make you a better writer. So why do Pitchfork's reviewers seem to make a point of doing these things?

To seem better than they actually are! The more obscure the words, the longer the sentences, the more specialized the grammar, the better they, and people who value writing for these things, think they are.

[IshzillaKazim]

@riethc your right about that, but it seems the writers at pitchfork have a sort of hidden agenda, those bastards might be taking payola!!!! or you know it's internet-music equivalent...

[riethc]

@IshzillaKazim The music industry in general has a ("not-so") hidden agenda. One example: MTV has been and continues to promote Satanism.

[IshzillaKazim]

@riethc another axample: Pitchfork will delightedly hype up a horrible obscure artist, and totally smash a decent one....what they are trying to do is be the arbiters of taste, and control who makes it and who dosent

[riethc]

Why you shouldn't take Pitchfork seriously:

1. Pitchfork's rating system is arbitrary:

0.0 to 10.0? That means there are 100 places they can choose from when picking a rating. Who the has the ability to tell the difference between a 3.5 and a 4.0, never mind a 0.1 difference? Reviewing CDs isn't rocket science, it's not even long division. Clearly, they pick a 3.4 rather than a 3.5 to fake some sort of refinement of taste.

[interstate295]

Pitchfork is about as impressive as indie music. Those who review it are as overblown about what they're doing as those that play it. Look, Pitchfork, we're talking pop music here, let's not get silly. The album was great, no one thought a guitar and drums would reach heights like Beethoven in the first place - and nobody thought internet blogging was going to produce Kafka-like work either, so I should cut Pitchfag a break too.

[riethc]

I like what you said at first but why the paper tiger at the end there? You had a good analogy going but you gave up on it to be... nice?

[interstate295]

No niceness there. Pitchfag sucks, period. What I meant at the end is that Pitchfag isn't doing anything worth reading. It's nothing more than what I am doing now. Also, I like both of the points you've made (especially number 2).

[riethc]

Thanks. It was something I had to get off my chest. I could probably write more but I'm satisfied with my Pitchfork Media bashing... for the moment. ;)

[danny9138]

If i hadn't heard of you guys first and read the pitchfork review I can see how it might have tinted my feelings towards you the first time I heard the album. People have to take reviews with a pinch of salt, be your own reviewer.

Devasted you guys have broke up

Any chance of a reunion?

[motoslave]

Somehow I doubt you would've made a video response to a positive pitchfork review.

[mortonbairdiii]

i thought it was funny. that's why i did it.

[ollonelycat]

Ha ha ha.

Fucking critics.

[ligershea]

I totally agree with you guys. Most of Pitchfork's staff are cunts. I'm a huge elitist indie snob but I mean come on PM...

[ferrealzz]

Fuck pitchfork.

[somebird17]

I saw you guys in OKC a couple of nights ago and bought your album. (Remember the girl who couldn't get the plastic off her cd and you were the only one who signed it, Bill? that was me) I love it. By far one of the few albums I can listen to all the way through and just start from the beginning all over again. Who does Pitchfork think it is comparing you guys to Snakes on a Plane? That movie has nothing to do with you guys. Therefore: love the video.

[bmventi]

movie monster is a great record. sound team is a very good band.

[dharmajean]

Pitchfork sucks, the review was so misguided.

[cmerenuge]

no one from the band is "crying" about the review you idiot.

[redsatyr]

you guys are such crybabies. i don't care what pitchfork says, your music sucks. and quit crying about your free publicity. you want people to review your albums, don't you? "waaah! a reviewer didn't like our music!" cry more, noobs. lots of album reviews are negative, but bands usually just ignore them instead of crying like emo kids.

[mortonbairdiii]

the point of the video was not to cry about the bad review but to laugh about it.

[cclarkk]

Pitchfork is so self gratifying. They only trash bands like sound team to keep up their "holier than thou" image. Come on all you wannabe hipsters, scenesters, and indie kids... form your own opinion and quit being such sheep.

[DudeAsInCool]

Love the video!

[MikeyDDog]

Hey Bill---check out the following excerpt on the pitchfork. They have a picture of one next to a compost bin--presumably it's useful for spreading manure.

From Wikipedia

A pitchfork is a tool ... used to throw loose material, such as hay, leaves, grapes, or other agricultural products.

The pitchfork has also frequently been used as a weapon by those who couldn't afford...more expensive weapons...As a result, pitchforks are stereotypically carried by angry mobs or gangs of enraged peasants.

[nervousperson]

i agree the pitchfork review was silly-- i dont get when hipsters hate other hipsters as if they need to prove that theyre above trying to be cool unlike all those "other" insecure kids. but that just shows how much they still need to feel like theyre better and more-authentic or indier-than other people... which is exactly what makes these people assholes and pathetically insecure geeks

[facexplosion]

Good job guys.

Pitchfork

blows

[worldsfair]

haha this video is SO WORTHY!!! good job guys, this is not only incredibly hilarious but a propos - Pitchfork can totally make/break some bands these days... like our own Midlake, touring the US with you guys in a few weeks. Check 'em out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v­=P7YnE2Lv2Tw

[arifouk]

Although pitchfork gave a bad review, that is the oppinion of one person, if you would like to see the oppinion of many people google sound team and you will find that pitchfork is the only place that does not like sound team... If you would read up you could figure out how much work they have put in and DIY there has been. Pitchfork is worthless most of the time

[Elsmoothee]

sound team detroyes bitches, fuck pitchfork they also ripped youth group to shreds who are amazing...i love music that rocks, sound teams rocks the house morons

[bluepho]

Though I haven't heard the new album, I saw Sound Team live once and they were pretty fucking good. Pitchfork is not omniscient.

[redsatyr]

so it's like, all that music in the beginning of this decade where we were like, "hey, maybe rock is back" ...Sound Team is the point where it turns back into shit again?

[mortonbairdiii]

hmm. no. though never a stated aim, i'm pretty sure we're working on making music that doesn't "turn rock back into shit again."

[deadaluspark]

yeah, because no one ever writes mean reviews because albums actually suck. its just total spite.

oh wait.

no, sound teams album its a fucking pile of shit. i found that out the hard way by downloading it instead of reading a review on pitchfork.

good thing i hated it and deleted it.

im glad i didnt spend any fucking money on that worthless shit. because most records stores dont let you return albums because they are piles of shit.

[mortonbairdiii]

well, if you bought a "pile of shit," sorry bout that. we'll put a special sticker on our future releases.

[chrisq28]

That about sums it up.