3. Pitchfork’s primary function is to review new
albums, and serve as a library of past reviews
Five new reviews are released a day, most are
between 500 and 800 words
Genres are diverse, but emphasize indie and
underground (with some exceptions)
Included in each review is a score from 0.0-10.0,
the album cover, reviewer’s name, date of the
review, and the label and date album was released
under
Reviews section:
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/
5. Pitchfork also has a News section and an op-ed
section called “The Pitch”
Both sections revolve around music, and also tend to
focus on indie and underground artists
News covers topics ranging from a band playing on
late-night television, to a stabbing at a concert, to
tour announcements
News section: http://pitchfork.com/news/
The Pitch includes reviews of books and film, non-
fiction and fictional stories, advice, photos, artwork,
and interviews
The Pitch: http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/
7. Pitchfork has a contemporary visual feel.
Much of this has to do with the modernist
design on the page, a commonplace theme in
today’s web pages. This focuses mostly on
vertical and horizontal elements, much
inspired by the painter Piet Mondrian.
The website adheres to a three-column
format much like a magazine would, but the
text and articles are broken up and vary in
arrangement. By having the site generally
divided into thirds it provides logical structure
to the website, but by contradicting it in
places the site doesn’t look too static,
traditional, or dull.
9. Because the website is basically a music forum,
there are lots of album covers and band art. Most of
this art is done by artists who know the band or
even band members themselves. These art elements
provide a lot of the visual interest and identity for
the website. Much of the art is colorful and/or
interesting to look at, i.e. photographic processes,
digital alteration, etc.
The logo for pitchfork is three upward facing
arrows. This also adds to the initial visual appeal in
that they seem to emulate music charts and sales
graphs.
The web design is a fairly simple one, letting the
musician’s art do most of the visual work for them.
11. Due to the contemporary web design and overall look of the website, it can be
assumed that they want to appeal to younger audiences.
That being said, they feature a wide variety of music and articles, which could
appeal to just about anyone who is enthusiastic about music.
By not just limiting themselves to the newest music, they manage to hold the
attention of practically any age group.
They follow the latest news in the music industry, which keeps the website
plugged into the mainstream world of music, as well as their other audiences.
They have reviews of both new and old music, which creates hype and gives
them enough overlap of new and older audiences to keep their fan base more
broad.
13. The News section mostly serves up
small blurbs about artist activity. The
articles usually focus more on photos,
videos, and links than they do on writing
News tries to stay unbiased and
objective
The Pitch often does not
The Pitch contains articles focusing on
a particular artist, topic, or piece
These articles often contain a thesis or
argument, from something as simple as
“Robert Christgau’s new album is good, you
should read it,” to the struggle of a disabled
person going to a concert, trying to show
what an ordeal it is
Robert Christgau Memoir article:
http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/695-on-robert-
christgaus-new-memoir/
Disability article:
http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/693-going-to-
shows-when-you-have-a-disability/
15. The reviews are completely subjective (of course)
and range from complete delight (Pitchfork has given
out scores of 10.0), to outright hatred (they have also
given out 0.0s)
Many, if not most, of the reviewers want artists to be
doing something new, or experimental, or (in
particular) different
Artists are often criticized for an album being just an
extension of another album, the artist not having
changed (progressed, regressed, in some way from
one to the next
Despite an overall emphasis on indie/underground,
some popular albums are very well-reviewed
Jay-Z, Daft Punk, Kanye West, and OutKast
all have albums in the top 20 “Albums of the
2000s” list
http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-
lists/7710-the-top-200-albums-of-the-
2000s-20-1/
Reviews are written by one reviewer, and it
does not specify on the site how the numeric
scores are arrived at
17. Method Man Interview
http://pitchfork.com/news/58822-method-man-walks-back-once-upon-a-time-in-
shaolin-criticism-says-he-cant-stand-cilvaringz/
This article is somewhat secondhand as far as the information. It is based on an
interview that the Huffington Post did with Method Man from the Wu Tang Clan. The
article is in the news section of the Pitchfork site. The article does a good job of
summing up what happened in the video, and it was released about an hour before I
read it. That is probably the strongest element of the article, and the news section in
general, because having news that is so up to date it is posted an hour before I
looked at it is amazing. For true music enthusiasts and people who want to be well
informed about their favorite musicians that is somewhat of a godsend. Having a link
to the video at the end of the page is a smart idea as well because for those people
who have time to watch it helps illustrate what the article is about. This particular
article was about the album “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.” Only one copy of the
album was made, in the hopes of creating a “true work of art.” Method Man
somewhat discredits the idea as being a good one, and thinks that no one hearing the
album commercially for 88 years is ridiculous. In his words, “F*** that album.”
18. Sufjan Stevens Interview
http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/9595-true-myth-a-conversation-with-sufjan-stevens/
From The Pitch Features
Interview is of Sufjan Stevens, a veteran indie folk-rock-concept artist who is well regarded on Pitchfork
and other sites
Images throughout the article seem to fit Stevens’ understated theme: from black and white to matte and
traditional, almost like they are trying to show Stevens is actually from another era
The interview only briefly covers Stevens’ new album in particular, instead it focuses on the underlying
motivations behind the album.
o The album is entitled Carrie & Lowell, for his mother and stepfather.
o His mother was a drug-addict who he didn’t know very well growing up; her death serves as the
primary inspiration for the article
This article is for enthusiasts because of the depth and background it provides. It would not appeal to
somebody who wants a simple answer to the question: should I listen to Sufjan Stevens’ new album? Rather,
it provides the framework for Stevens’ new album in particular, but also places this album into his musical
career in general. The questions cover religion and his relationship with his mother, and are almost
uncomfortably deep and intimate. In short, this article will appeal to those who want to know more about the
why and how music is made, rather than what music to listen to.
19. Review on Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack U
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20326-skrillex-and-diplo-present-jack-u/
This is a pretty harsh review on the collaboration of EDM artists Skrillex and Diplo
and their newest album. The author explains that the previous album put out by
Skrillex was promising in the sense that it seemed he was going “deeper” than just
strong norms known to EDM music. However this album did not meet up with
these standards in the eyes of the author. It was obvious the author was an
enthusiast for music that had some sort validation with deeper meaning either
through lyrics or being artistic, not someone who enjoyed popular music. At one
point he made fun of the album saying he would not be surprised if Justin Beiber
used a part of it for a bridge. This would be an effective review if the audience has
the same enthusiasms for musical aesthetics as the author. However for someone
like me who is somewhat of an enthusiast for the loud annoying party music this
review portrays, the extreme bias is a bit of a turn off to read.
20. All outside works referenced appear on
the Pitchfork.com website. Any
individual articles, authors, or artists
mentioned are linked appropriately on
the respective slide.
