Where did Philly factor into the Pitchfork People’s List?
Philadelphia voters, just like voters nationwide, thought OK Computer was the best album of Pitchfork's first 15 years
This morning, tastemaking music criticism website Pitchfork released its much-anticipated People’s List, a crowd-sourced ranking of the top 200 albums from 1996 to 2011 – the first 15 years the blog has been in business. Running away with top marks was Radiohead, whose album OK Computer ranked number one, with Kid A and In Rainbows shortly behind in the top ten. Other perennial favorites of the era also ranked high – Neutral Milk Hotel’s In The Aeroplane Over the Sea at 4, Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot at number 7, Sufjan Stevens’ Illinois at number 10.
Of musicians from the Philadelphia area, Kurt Vile’s 2011 record Smoke Ring For My Halo came in at 178. Higher up, The Walkmen’s Bows and Arrows sat at 150 and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s 2003 self-titled record at 126. Members of both of those bands currently call Philadelphia home – Clap Your Hands’ main man Alec Ounsworth is actually a Philadelphia native – but technically, both albums were recorded and released while the bands were based in the various boroughs of New York City. But whatever, we’ll chalk that up as two victories for the home team.
What do you think about the list? Is anything missing? Is anything ridiculous?