At first glance, Built to Spill seems like it'd be a great, very Stereogum-ish choice for a 20-year think piece. But as I think about it, these pieces are often as much about what was going on with music culture at that time as they are about the album that's being discussed. Put otherwise, they're nostalgia trips, or at least in part. So with that being said, are there many Stereogum readers who are even of age to remember what music culture was like in 1994 (pretty much 30+) who listened to Built to Spill at age 10-15? I'm not sure, but I'd venture a "no." I myself am 30 and I didn't discover BtS until I was 16, so that'd be around 2000. But I sure did love shit like Live at age 10.
If we've got people over 40, it's very possible that they were into Built to Spill in 1994. But I just don't know how many of them we've got.
That band has a seriously solid discography, more consistently good than the vast majority of what I listen to. Them and Oasis are my favorites of the Britpop era, although I'd probably go Supergrass over Oasis. Life on Other Planets is perfect.
If we're gonna dig this deep into the idea, then I guess you can't really have it either way. To define "best of" in terms of the objective only (# of weeks on the charts, radio play data, other indicators of pop culture significance)... that's not really a "best of" list to me; that's a "best-known." Such a list would probably rank Last Night as the "best" Strokes song, which is ridiculous to me, because I think it's one of their worst. But, on the contrary, you're right - an author's purely subjective list, by definition, isn't truly a "best of" either. The clunky title you've suggested would better describe that type of list, but I don't think it's realistic - nor particularly fair - to actually expect Stereogum to do that.
It's virtually impossible to make these lists and not ruffle a few feathers (my Nirvana list, for the record, would look quite different than Toth's). Personally, I'd rather not read a list that only panders to pop culture sensibilities - that's what I consider poor journalism, and it's why I gave up on Rolling Stone a long time ago. I guess Toth could throw out a bone and give Smells Like Teen Spirit an arbitrary spot on the list, because yeah, it's impact on music is undeniable... but at the same time that's kind of a cop-out.
I dunno, man. I just like reading good writing. I don't necessarily need to agree with the author.
Haha, that is a bit sad, although 18-year-old me would be pretty psyched on that. If that's your #1 and it's a conflict with Haim, go #1, man. But if Haim plays during a lull in the day for you, I would urge you to go see them over, say, getting a burrito and watching one of the tiny-print bands on a small stage.
It seems like every time there's a best songs or albums list on Stereogum, people immediately claim trolling if the most popular song/album isn't among the top 3 - not because it's the "best," but for pop culture-based reasons. Isn't that kind of a disingenuous approach for people who consider themselves true music fans to have? Why are we pushing for these lists to play out like an episode of "I Love the 90s?"
I loved the exclusion. Couldn't agree more with Toth, and I'm not even trying to be hip. That song, Come As Your Are, and Stay Away are the weakest on the album for me; Drain You, On A Plain, and In Bloom are light years better. I've been having this argument with people for a long time now, no troll.
The "10 Best-Known Nirvana Songs" this isn't.
Don't do that. They are an awesome, repeat, *awesome* live band. Awesome enough that you very well may change your mind after seeing them play. I saw them at a smaller festival last year and they stole the show; they were up there with Atoms for Peace as the best sets of the weekend in my book. And like you, I wasn't really sold on them before that.
Unless there's something you're dying to see going on at the same time, check out Haim. Do it for me, underscore.
Jon Theodore is the Mars Volta guy. The paragon of "balls to the wall."
And yeah, Dave Grohl. Just listened to Songs for the Deaf a couple of days ago and the drumming just blows your face.
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