St. Vincent - MASSEDUCTION (October 13, 2017) Album • Page 9

7.6 is a great score though

 

i don't think them panning this is really that surprising

7.6 is a good score but it is definitely a pan for her

 

7.6 is a good score. That being said, as I have listened to a lot of albums this year, and this being my favorite of everything I’ve heard I too think the score is a pan. And no BNM for this record is a snub.

 

I do find it a little surprising tbh. There seemed to be an excitement over the record on the site. Obviously she’s a big draw so it’s clicks, but this record is phenomenal. But I feel like P4K has missed the make more and more frequently anyway.

 

definitely not a pan.

 

I'm having a hard time really getting into this one. I like it a lot, but it's easily the least immediate of her three most recent records for me.

 

Yeah I think the score is pretty spot on. I like this album, but am pretty positive I will never like it as much as Actor, Strange Mercy, or the self titled.

 

Interesting. I think this is far and away her best record, and it's not even really close. So the score surprised me.

 

A 7.6 is a fine score. However relative to the other scores her records have received and with the quality of material here.....it’s a little low. Nbd. It’s the AoTY.

 

I think it’s a little early to say that this is easily her best, I like it a lot but let’s not forget how spectacular her discography is

 

Agreed. It’s probably early to claim best. It’s her most immediate record I think. Her disco is so impressive. Can’t wait to see the tour next month

 

in the context of her on pitchfork it is definitely one

 

pitchfork did something "shocking" again? so surprising

 

it's not shocking it makes sense

 

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because it’s scored lower than her other albums? that doesn’t constitute a pan imo. maybe if they gave it a 6, or a way lower 7, but 7.6 for such an established artist is hardly a pan. I haven’t read the review though. Is it hypercritical or is it just the score that’s making everyone feel this way?

 

no the review is relatively positive

it's a pan because she's a pitchfork darling that every one of her last three records was BNM. this is a pan in the same way that the national and grizzly bear are pans by pitchfork this year.

 

It “making sense” is completely subjective based on how you feel about the album.

 

not really, i don't think you need to feel any such way about the album to understand how and why pitchfork gives certain scores to certain albums

 

I think it "makes sense" for pitchfork. regardless of what the album actually sounds like, scoring it the lowest of her albums after all the praise it is getting, "makes sense" for a publication that relies on shock value and differing opinions to get clicks

 

Ok this makes more sense. I see what you’re saying now.

I think they are making a point this year to distance themselves from some mainstays of the 00’s and early 10’s. The new BSS is one of my favorites of the year but I was shocked that got a BNM tag. I guess I just kind of though that they maybe hadn’t spent all their BNMs on her yet.

 

i disagree completely. based on the people who know who have been st vincent fans throughout time and the progression of her scores over time this score makes total sense.

do you think that they gave grizzly bear and the national and arcade fire lower scores than usual for "shock value"? no, it's because these albums don't fit their agenda as much anymore and hence why they won't be BNM'd

 

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that hasn’t even described pitchfork in like 10 years

but yeah i think this is all subjective and silly to begin with. if I loved this album more I guess I’d be upset (?). I just don’t see it as a pan because I personally don’t like this any more or any less than her previous work, it feels relatively unsurprising to me. And in the case of The National, my favorite band of all time, I think SWB - while I adore it - is their weakest in like four albums so the P4K score didn’t bother me at all. Not like it’s a bad score to begin with. P4K doesn’t have an obligation to continue giving BNM to bands they’ve effusively lauded in the past

 

especially when based on their own trends the scores for all of these aren't surprising. pitchfork has rarely been giving "indie rock" records by older bands BNM, they're focusing more on the more "hip" acts like mitski, big thief, julien baker, pinegrove, etc.

all this stuff is actually really fascinating to me, i never get tired of talking about this even if everyone else is, hah. publication and overall critic agendas (because there is always an agenda) is so interesting