Pitchfork Lists 'The 200 Most Important Artists of Pitchfork’s First 25 Years'

Browse by:
Year
Browse by:
Publish date (field_publish_date)
Submitted by nonesuch on
Article Type
Publish date
Excerpt

Pitchfork, in celebration of its 25th anniversary, has published a list of 'The 200 Most Important Artists of Pitchfork’s First 25 Years,' including Wilco, The Magnetic Fields, Conor Oberst, Fleet Foxes, and Björk.

Copy

Pitchfork, in celebration of its 25th anniversary, has published a list of 'The 200 Most Important Artists of Pitchfork’s First 25 Years.' The list includes five artists familiar to readers of the Nonesuch Journal over the years as well: Wilco, The Magnetic Fields, Conor Oberst, Fleet Foxes, and Björk.

"Year in and year out the stolid Midwesterners do the work," Pitchfork says of Wilco and the importance of the "dignified longevity" it's achieved, "showing us that pomp and flash and shiny new things all have their place, but it’s survival that matters most of all." In a separate post, in a re-scoring of 19 album review scores, Wilco's 2007 Nonesuch album, Sky Blue Sky, is raised from 5.2 to 8.5, with Sam Sodomsky calling it "an essential album" (and proving prophetic the album track "Please Be Patient With Me").

"The Magnetic Fields redefined, if not single-handedly invented, dead-pan indie pop," says Pitchfork, throughout the band's 30 year career, not least in 1999's 69 Love Songs and its 2017 Nonesuch album, 50 Song Memoir. The site cites Sam Sodomsky's review of the latter release, which notes Stephin Merritt's "growing mastery as a songwriter. It suggests that our deepest wisdom can be located in our most personal thoughts."

"As he evolved from Omaha, Nebraska’s teenage emo wunderkind into one of America’s most respected songwriters, gracefully fulfilling the 'New Dylan' role that early critics placed on him," says Pitchfork, "Conor Oberst remained in constant motion ... His long career has set a benchmark for how to evolve while maintaining your integrity as an indie artist in the 21st century."

Noting Fleet Foxes' evolution over the years to creating albums that were "more adventurous, confrontational, and graceful," Pitchfork cites a profile by Amanda Petrusich around the release of the band's 2017 Nonesuch album, Crack-Up: "[Robin] Pecknold is gentle and intelligent, a hungry listener; talking with him, you get the sense that an antenna is always up and open, collecting new and better information about the world."

Björk, whose 2011 studio album Biophilia and 2009 live album Voltaic: Songs from the Volta Tour were released on Nonesuch in the US, "has united electronic innovation, audio-visual experiments, radical new performance modes, scientific investigation, and naked emotional expression in one dazzling catalog," says Pitchfork, "becoming one of the most uncompromising pop stars of our era in the process."

You can read more on all of the above and see the complete list of the 'The 200 Most Important Artists of Pitchfork’s First 25 Years' at pitchfork.com.

featuredimage
Pitchfork: 'The 200 Most Important Artists of Pitchfork’s First 25 Years,' October 2022
  • Tuesday, October 5, 2021
    Pitchfork Lists 'The 200 Most Important Artists of Pitchfork’s First 25 Years'

    Pitchfork, in celebration of its 25th anniversary, has published a list of 'The 200 Most Important Artists of Pitchfork’s First 25 Years.' The list includes five artists familiar to readers of the Nonesuch Journal over the years as well: Wilco, The Magnetic Fields, Conor Oberst, Fleet Foxes, and Björk.

    "Year in and year out the stolid Midwesterners do the work," Pitchfork says of Wilco and the importance of the "dignified longevity" it's achieved, "showing us that pomp and flash and shiny new things all have their place, but it’s survival that matters most of all." In a separate post, in a re-scoring of 19 album review scores, Wilco's 2007 Nonesuch album, Sky Blue Sky, is raised from 5.2 to 8.5, with Sam Sodomsky calling it "an essential album" (and proving prophetic the album track "Please Be Patient With Me").

    "The Magnetic Fields redefined, if not single-handedly invented, dead-pan indie pop," says Pitchfork, throughout the band's 30 year career, not least in 1999's 69 Love Songs and its 2017 Nonesuch album, 50 Song Memoir. The site cites Sam Sodomsky's review of the latter release, which notes Stephin Merritt's "growing mastery as a songwriter. It suggests that our deepest wisdom can be located in our most personal thoughts."

    "As he evolved from Omaha, Nebraska’s teenage emo wunderkind into one of America’s most respected songwriters, gracefully fulfilling the 'New Dylan' role that early critics placed on him," says Pitchfork, "Conor Oberst remained in constant motion ... His long career has set a benchmark for how to evolve while maintaining your integrity as an indie artist in the 21st century."

    Noting Fleet Foxes' evolution over the years to creating albums that were "more adventurous, confrontational, and graceful," Pitchfork cites a profile by Amanda Petrusich around the release of the band's 2017 Nonesuch album, Crack-Up: "[Robin] Pecknold is gentle and intelligent, a hungry listener; talking with him, you get the sense that an antenna is always up and open, collecting new and better information about the world."

    Björk, whose 2011 studio album Biophilia and 2009 live album Voltaic: Songs from the Volta Tour were released on Nonesuch in the US, "has united electronic innovation, audio-visual experiments, radical new performance modes, scientific investigation, and naked emotional expression in one dazzling catalog," says Pitchfork, "becoming one of the most uncompromising pop stars of our era in the process."

    You can read more on all of the above and see the complete list of the 'The 200 Most Important Artists of Pitchfork’s First 25 Years' at pitchfork.com.

    Journal Articles:Artist News

Enjoy This Post?

Get weekly updates right in your inbox.
terms

X By submitting my information, I agree to receive personalized updates and marketing messages about Nonesuch based on my information, interests, activities, website visits and device data and in accordance with the Privacy Policy. I understand that I can opt-out at any time by emailing privacypolicy@wmg.com.

Thank you!
x

Welcome to Nonesuch's mailing list!

Customize your notifications for tour dates near your hometown, birthday wishes, or special discounts in our online store!
terms

By submitting my information, I agree to receive personalized updates and marketing messages about Nonesuch based on my information, interests, activities, website visits and device data and in accordance with the Privacy Policy. I understand that I can opt-out at any time by emailing privacypolicy@wmg.com.

Related Posts

  • Wednesday, November 20, 2024
    Wednesday, November 20, 2024

    Nonesuch releases a deluxe edition of Wilco’s 2004 Grammy Award–winning album A Ghost Is Born on February 7, 2025. The box set comprises either nine vinyl LPs and four CDs or nine CDs—including the original album, alternates, outtakes, and demos, charting the making of A Ghost Is Born—plus the complete 2004 concert recording from Boston’s Wang Center and the band’s “fundamentals” workshop sessions. It includes sixty-five previously unreleased music tracks as well as a forty-eight-page hardcover book with previously unpublished photos and a new liner note by Grammy-winning writer Bob Mehr. An alternate version of “Handshake Drugs,” recorded during the studio sessions at New York’s Sear Sound, twenty-one years ago this month, is out now. There will also be a new vinyl pressing of the original album in a two-disc package, and a two-CD expanded version of the original album with bonus track highlights from the full deluxe edition repertoire. The two-CD version will also be available on streaming services worldwide.

    Journal Topics: Album ReleaseArtist News
  • Wednesday, November 20, 2024
    Wednesday, November 20, 2024

    Laurie Anderson was on BBC Radio 4's Loose Ends to talk with host Clive Anderson about her new piece ARK: United States V, the premiere performances of which continue at Factory International's Aviva Studios in Manchester through Sunday, and more. You can hear the conversation here. The Quietus highlights ten key tracks from her catalog, from "O Superman"—"her most definitive track"—to "Flying at Night" from her new album, Amelia, "a poignant, moving reflection on what our heroes reveal about ourselves."

    Journal Topics: Artist NewsRadio