Nothing to do with the Tennis situation directly, but it’s made me think of the review where Pitchfork trashed Silversun Pickups over the quality of specific lyrics, which would have been fair, except they’d entirely misheard them and were getting mad at something they’d invented in their own heads.
Personally I can’t imagine being a reviewer forced to actually listen to lyrics. Sounds awful. I’d give everything a 2 most likely.
Although I don’t get as annoyed as I used to about mediocre P4K reviews for albums I like…I can still feel a gnawing in my gut for the lukewarm Model/Actriz score. I absolutely know I shouldn’t care, not least because Pitchfork’s reach is not what it once was (I suspect a bad needle drop rating would be far more damaging in 2025). I guess I just don’t like the idea that some people, who would really enjoy the album, may be discouraged from hearing it now. However, if you’re opinion is fragile enough to be warped by a single music website then maybe you’re not the audience the band is seeking out, anyway.
TL:DR, Pitchfork did a classic lukewarm review for the new Model/Actriz album which I feel is a step up from their debut (which got BNM).
Thought it was one of those reviews where the text sort implied a higher score than they actually gave it
Yeah that’s true also. I’ve mentioned up thread that tastemaking remains the primary focus of Pitchfork…even to the point where they will avoid giving high scores/BNMs to albums that have already received praise in other reviews. They feel the need to get in there first, otherwise why bother, and I think that’s happened here tbh.
Also it is a little unfair on listeners to want them to engage on a level where they read interviews, understand the backstory etc. This is always going to be a small % of listeners.
Ultimately a song is heard on the radio or streaming rather than needing a Marvel-esque homework exercise and more conscious decison to engage with it in that manner.
Next to an 8.0 for PinkPantheress too. Nice.
if I were Meshuggah, I would be so irked at the idea of having ‘pioneered’ every shit band who ripped them off with none of the tunes/wit/etc
Deftones too
Heard this album about five times in a day at work. Hated it at first. By the end of the day I was begrudgingly humming along.
Only heard a couple of their songs and don’t have very strong feelings on them, but ouch 
No idea what the forum consensus is on Sleep Token, don’t seem a particularly DiStastic band, but your own ratings for this album?
I kinda don’t want to listen because of this…
The band begins every Instagram caption with “behold,” refers to its singles as “offerings,” and calls live shows “rituals.”
Don’t mind this - more bands should do world-building and lore.
tbf loads of bands that people actually like do this shit as well, wearing antlers on their heads doing some kind of fake folk music “rituals” zZzZz
I suppose if your music is as shit as theirs supposedly is, you need the accoutrements to distract people with
Not many bands that have an obvious Meshuggah influence are very good.
