Episode 199 - The Pitchfork Effect Mixtape (Side B)
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Pitchfork do get it wrong from time to time. That is why we’ve just dedicated two full episodes to how often they, and music journalists as a whole, get it wrong. This week we’re discussion three albums that we think they it got it the most wrong with:
Futures by Jimmy Eat World
Lateralus by Tool
Wishville by The Catherine Wheel
With the exception of The Catherine Wheel, who broke up shortly after Wishville came out, and whose break up had nothing to do with how they were received in the press, both Tool’ and Jimmy Eat World’s careers were unfazed by their poor Pitchfork reviews.
Indeed, Pitchfork were very much the outlier when it came to these albums, both receiving much acclaim in pretty much every other big music publication.
The point of this deep dive into Pitchfork and music journalism in general is not to definitively say if Pitchfork is bad (although a good case could probably be made, and has been made, for that) but to say that they did (maybe still do?) wield incredible power. Bad reviews don’t seem to be particularly common on big sites these days - but between the early 00s and mid 10s, they sure did help make and break so many bands.
The question is, then, which of these three albums did they get it most wrong with in their review? Vote below.