I'm not anti-american but when I read the Pitchfork review of the last Ed Harcourt record (wake up assholes ! This record has been released 2 years ago ! Do you know "imports" ?), I'm really angry.
They haven't understood anything. Millions of miles separated us bastards. Go back to your Hold Steady crap Pitchfork.

Thank God Pitchwork is not America
It is just the American version of Les Inrockuptibles, maybe even more snobbish (if such a thing is imaginable)

As you says Nicolas, Pitchfork is not America.
And I hope that any American people here feel offended by what I've said.
I'm just a little angry when I read some reviews like this one. Ed Harcourt is one of my favourite artist, one of the greatest pop craftsman of current decade and while I have no problem with people who don't think like me, I think that a rating of 1.9/10 is really unjustified, it's just hate and misunderstanding.
But I must admit that this looks like an echo to the recent Scott Walker thread that pointed out some notable differences between american and european way of feeling things.
The guy talked about "melodrama"... What's the problem ? There's no melodrama, there are just good songs and there are bad songs. That's all.

I haven't read what I've written before having posted
I meant "And I hope that NO American people here feel offended by what I've said."

I haven't heard the album but as I said in the Scott Walker thread that you mentioned, there seems to be a huge divide when it comes to a certain kind of music between Euros and Americans. That divide tends to happen with soft, "beautiful" music. I think most of the divide begins with the 90's. European and American music was very different and I think a good portion of us grew up listening to that music and today's critics are very influenced by 90's music. So, an American critic is going to be coming from a completely different place, quite literally. I still can't pin down the Scott Walker thing though.

Next time we do a poll (maybe we could try it with the artists poll) there should be a demographic chart made that tells us who's voting for what in each country and continent. With each entry everyone should write down what country their from. That would be really interesting to see.

What's the problem ? There's no melodrama, there are just good songs and there are bad songs. That's all.


I'm Yuropean like you. I know what I'm talking about.

I agree Pitchfork's review is unfair.

But I don't think it's anti-European. Just, there's this current trend in America called 'Emo' where a lot of people pretend to be sensitive and emotional as part of some fashion trend.

As a result, Americans who are not 'emo' label all expression of emotional angst as emo, pigeonholing anybody who will confess to experiencing human emotions not stereotypically male as part of some annoying trend.

This is the same phenomenon that results in Carlos Mencia getting good ratings. It has to do with insecurity about heterosexuality, and wanting to show off one's apathy about political correctness.

I don't suppose anyone would call - say - Samuel Beckett emo by that, eh?

Pitchfork doesn't stoop that low, Bill.

Good analyze, BillAdama
But I find stupid to label an artist as "emo". That word doesn't mean anything. Every kind of music is supposed to give emotions to his listeners.
And to give emotions, an artist has to put in his music a part of his own emotion and personality.
If not, music woudn't have any reason to exist.
To conclude, someone who can make the difference between Ed Harcourt and James Blunt has a serious problem, and should visit a psychanalist !

can'T make, you mean ..

Yes Netjade !
Of course !
If I try to demonstrate by A+B that Ed Harcourt is a great artist and if I conclude by saying Ed Harcourt = James Blunt then it's me who have a serious problem !

in defense of pitchfork...they're the best at what they do...we all know they have particular taste, which is sometimes good and sometimes bad...i just kind of shrug my shoulders when they're getting all ecstatic over crap like animal collective/panda bear, but when you look at all the crappy fledgling websites that have sprung up in their wake, some of the writing is just pitiful and their tastes are even more narrow-minded...and you realize that pitchfork, for all their snobbery and nerdiness...well at least they're somewhat intelligent and reliable (if also predictable)...come on though, we all love to hate pitchfork...they've given reviews in the past that have had me complaining (to people who couldn't give a shit) for weeks after, and they'd be like, well why do you read it then?, and i was always, well, uhh, cuz...cuz...

i actually haven't read any of their reviews in a while (i decided to stop reading record reviews in general) and i haven't read the ed harcourt one but i do remember buying the album when it came out, not liking it, and selling it later that week...i can't really remember what i didn't like about it, sorry...i think from every sphere and here be monsters are solid albums and i occasionally find songs like "hanging with the wrong crowd" and "the birds will sing for us" popping into my head for no reason...still, 1.9 is pretty harsh though

Is that the album with "Born in the 70s"? One of my favorite songs of the 00s. As chorus to that song goes "I Don't Give a Fuck About You"...Pitchfork.

No, Tim. "Born in the '70s" is on the album "Strangers" (another great record).
"The Beautiful lie" is the last Ed Harcourt record, the album released in 2006 (or in 2008 for people who don't know what an "import" is)where you can find such highlights as "Until tomorrow then", "Scatterbraine", 'Whirlwind in d minor", "Rain on the pretty ones" or "You only call me when you're drunk". As usual with Ed, it's all pure gold.

Dumbangel, I got the album and listened to it, just to see if you were right.

It's a horrible mixture of Muse meets drunkard on the street at 4 a.m. It's so... I don't even have words for it, and I always words.

Pitchfork aren't idiots. No, not this time.

And their rating has merit. I'd rather listen to grandmas hanging themselves than listen to that album again.

And remember, I'm saying this as an Euro. Heck, I'm an Euro who has moments of ridiculous melodrama. I love Elliott Smith. I've listened to Damien Rice's O a lot. When I go really bad, I can even stoop as low as having Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" on loop.

But "The Beautiful Lie" is... just bad.

And "You Can Call Me Only When You're Drunk"? WTF is that? That one song was so bad I started laughing out loud.

That said, it's an alright album, but I can see why Pitchfork could hate it.

So yeah. If Pitchfork had, like me, been patient and actually taken the time to warm up to the record, they'd have realized it was actually pretty good.

Thanks for recommending it, Dumbangel. It's wonderful!

I hate perception.

Quick, help me boycott Pitchfork, before I lose it again.

Dude.

There you go. I have scientifically proven that everything you like is merely what you open up to.

This goes for all albums. Ever.

So, more precisely, not only have I compromised all music, but I have compromised all art, and human existence itself.

Let's see you get out of that one.

Kevin Federline.

I take on your challenge........

i just kind of shrug my shoulders when they're getting all ecstatic over crap like animal collective/panda bear
yiiine... haha... NOW i know what made yeahyeah blue GOTCHA!!