Pitchfork MTAE score prediction thread

[Trotskilicious]

it's definitely NME

[Trotskilicious]

this is kerrang's style

[Araneae]

Yeah, definitely seems like it was NME. I just googled NME and Arctic Monkeys and they've had them on the cover at least a dozen times.

[The exploding boy]

goddamit i really want to read this interview. I googled with nme and came up with nothing. Well not that interview anyway.

[chotchkiss]

Other reviews are starting to be aggregated at Metacritic.

*so far* it has 77/100 which is higher than any other Pumpkins album on Metacritic after MCIS.

http://www.metacritic.com/person/smashing-pumpkins

[Araneae]

Originally Posted by The exploding boy

goddamit i really want to read this interview. I googled with nme and came up with nothing. Well not that interview anyway.

I'm really not sure but I don't think the story was ever actually featured in NME. I believe Morrissey just clarified, for another magazine, what happened with that since rumors started to swirl.

[strange_one]

6.0 confirmed

[amoergosum]

Pitchfork review:
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/...s-to-an-elegy/


"Just a few months ago, it wasn’t particularly clear why Corgan would serve as an executive producer for sync-core opportunists Ex Cops. In retrospect, it may have been method acting, or at least a fact-finding mission to determine how the Pumpkins could sound modern without being desperate for relevancy."

"He simply does what most de facto “alt-rock” bands do in 2014—he tries to blend in, making Smashing Pumpkins songs that aren’t exactly aiming for spins in Target, H&M, or car commercials but wouldn’t be out of place if those did come to pass."

"Lee’s excessive tastes are even more downplayed than Corgan’s here, as his impact is most Crüe-like on the funk-metal stomp “Anaïse!” It is also the worst song on the album."

"Once the bubbly “Anti-Hero” pops, there’s a relief in hearing the record end with Corgan having not fucked up for his longest stretch of time in two decades. But it’s ultimately nowhere near as rewarding as his best work because it took no risks."

"As with Oceania, “not bad” doesn’t translate to “great” and the easiest and perhaps only way to have an emotional investment in these songs is to consider what they mean to the Smashing Pumpkins brand. Which is why “Drum and Fife” is the most resonant thing here."

[Araneae]

That was a quite good review by them. I'm surprised by their astuteness.

[Trotskilicious]

they are very often on point it's all the other bullshit

that's unusual for ian cohen to have a 1000 word review that isn't mostly wanking himself off

i once saw a video of him reviewing gobstoppers in the pitchfork style, it was as smug and ironic as you expect

[Lucky Day Spa]

Originally Posted by Lucky Day Spa

5.7–6.1

anyone get closer than this?

[amoergosum]

Originally Posted by Grox

5.9

...very nice.

[Araneae]

I thought these comments about the lyrics were also interesting and amusing:

"As a result, the songs on Monument are SP concentrate, engineered for instant impact, vestigial songwriting parts around an uplifting chorus that could really be about anything. The lyrics are stupefyingly vague, but the songs about new love sound like they could just as easily be about lost love and vice versa, while the ones about staying true to yourself could be either."

"Dear lord, is the title of “Being Beige” asking for it"

"Corgan has an emotional investment in this, but he seems stuck with some of the best music in years and absolutely nothing to say about it."

"But a glance at the titles foreshadows the songs of Monuments as empty vessels, whether it’s phrases repeated in the hopes of giving them heft and meaning (“Run2me”, “One and All”) or placeholder names of people that Billy Corgan probably hasn’t met yet (“Anaïse!”, “Dorian”). As for sweet nothings like, “I’ve never been kissed by a girl like you before” or “cherry blossom, this is goodbye,” well, you can’t pretend it’s someone other than a 47-year old Billy Corgan singing them to you."

[fuzzyroes]

"Tommy Lee, best known as the frontman for the rap-metal latecomers Methods of Mayhem and skinsman for a popular hair metal concern. "

What kinda garbage is that? Best known for Methods of Mayhem?

[Cool As Ice Cream]

learn to read, fuzzy.

[Gossamer]

cant believe it

[SpFission]

I was goin to say.if it was Ian Cohen he'd give it a fair shake

[houseofglass11]

I forwarded the link to this thread to Ian Cohen last week. Lol

[ninsp]

Surprisingly, a good review from them. On the Pitchfork scale (if it's not Radiohead or super-hipster-indie-rock it gets below a 7), it's probably actually a 7 which is about right in the grand scheme of things. Cohen pretty much nailed Corgan's current state of mind too, for better or worse.

[The exploding boy]

I'd thought about 6 but siad it would make more sense if they gave it slightly higher than oceania (which would have been like 6.6)

Also this:

"the end result is what might have been a state-of-the-art record in 2005 that would’ve done wonders for his reputation had it replaced TheFutureEmbrace."


Is something i've also mentioned somewhere. Well, i said it should have replaced Zeitgeist.

[Araneae]

The Guardian also gave the album an equivalent 6/10 rating, so pitchfork isn't alone. NME gave it a 7/10 but their review wasn't exactly singing his praises either: http://www.nme.com/reviews/smashing-pumpkins/15834

"It all smacks of Corgan being no longer sure of what it is that he or his audience want. While he’s presenting this album as the central part of his ‘Teargarden By Kaleidyscope’ sequence – the first was 2012’s ‘Oceania’ – he seems to have lost that wild, headstrong attitude that once made him great. It’s no surprise that this is half the length of ‘Oceania’ (which makes it a quarter of the length of 1995 opus ‘Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness’). The final part of the trilogy, ‘Day For Night’, is promised for next year. His master plan needs a good tweak before then."

Though it is interesting to see that none of the reviewers seem to agree as to what the best songs on the album are. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

[Caine Walker]

well this just seemed meanspirited

"If you didn’t know any better, you’d think Monuments for an Elegy was a promising debut from a band that hasn’t found its focus yet and would sound just fine opening up for the Silversun Pickups."

[ninsp]

Originally Posted by Caine Walker

well this just seemed meanspirited

"If you didn’t know any better, you’d think Monuments for an Elegy was a promising debut from a band that hasn’t found its focus yet and would sound just fine opening up for the Silversun Pickups."

Well, I would agree with them but someone on here would get mad that I enjoy SSPU. SSPU now plays better Smashing Pumpkins than the current Smashing Pumpkins do.

[Araneae]

I thought the same when I first heard the album (not the silversun pickups bit). I thought it sounded like a band that still hasn't outgrown their influences and doesn't know what they want to get across with the songs. The new wave power pop influences are very obvious on this album. NME's comment seems to corroborate PF stance too: "It all smacks of Corgan being no longer sure of what it is that he or his audience want."

It also doesn't help that the content of the songs doesn't make a lot of sense and the song structures are all quite similar. I lean towards the songs being about lost love mainly because of the album title and photographs. But then Billy says shit like "I don't know where it came from, it just came to me," which just highlights how little thought he puts into his work at times.

[Order 66]

what is "sync-core opportunists Ex Cops"?

[Caine Walker]

Originally Posted by ninsp

Well, I would agree with them but someone on here would get mad that I enjoy SSPU. SSPU now plays better Smashing Pumpkins than the current Smashing Pumpkins do.

mad? I'm pissed.

[ninsp]

Originally Posted by Caine Walker

mad? I'm pissed.

Well, years ago I started WW3 on a thread over liking Muse, so I'd prefer to just keep my other musical preferences to myself.

[bye june]

I like SSPU too so you're not alone.

[jalora]

He accurately named "Drum + Fife" as the best song on the album.

[SpFission]

Sonic Highways got 5.7

Take that Grohl