Sirota's opening paragraph to his 10 point review of 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot': However, that pales in comparison to Brent S. In the 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' review, writer Ryan Dombal talks at length about the build-up to the album. Oftentimes, I feel that they give reviews for the context of the albums other than the album itself. It has become so unreachable that the 10 is not just a review but a game-changer of sorts.Īnd it does seem like that for Pitchfork. The 10, now, is not if an album is 'perfect' or even near perfect but instead a grand statement of the time. This begs the question: has the '10' become more as a stunt than an actual review? If you look back, four albums released between 20 were given 10s, but only one since then has been awarded one? Either the best of best music has been diminished, or Pitchfork is giving us something. Speaking of which, the 10s are interesting, specifically with Pitchfork, as, in the past 13 years, they've only given out one 10 ('My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.' While some albums have been close, none have coveted that title since 2010. Despite this, I have seen a dichotomy not just on not just what scores are given in the reviews but the reviews themselves, and what I've found can be seen as a testament to critique, something that I think should be studied by prospective critics as much as the reviews themselves.Īgain, Anthony is independent of the hype, and, if a hypothetical 'best of' video coincided with his reviews at the time, Swans, Death Grips, and Kendrick Lamar would be given the top three spots, given that their the only albums to be given a 10 by Anthony.

As 'subjective' as many claim art to be, there is more evidence to back up some claims than others. For example, neither has reviewed a Taylor Swift album, but both have reviewed every Vampire Weekend album that has come out within each reviewer's respective existence (The Needle Drop has only existed since 2010.) Also, on a grand scale, there is probably a common thread as per which albums are given which score. These two music reviewers often go quality over hype, reviewing artists who are only critically favored, regardless of their popularity. light 8.) Fantano also has a channel called 'That Is The Plan' where he talks more in depth about music as well as other pop culture. He gives reviews as well on a 0 to 10 scale, but instead of decimals uses 'light,', 'decent' and 'strong' within the margins of the numbers (ex. He is a one-man show, although his wife and his alter ego Cal Chuchesta make appearances, along with other critics during reviews.

The Needle Drop is a YouTube channel run by Anthony Fantano.

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