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Wow. And I thought the Northern State review was stomach-turning.

Hmmm....Living in America deserves the "mediocre" rating not because there's anything in particular wrong with the music but because some kids apparently think it's punk (whatever that means) and Pitchfork has officially decreed it is not; and the title track's *gasp* not political (what were they expecting? Rage Against the Machine?! the Coup?!).

The review's final line actually manages to make all the preceding condescension seem relatively rational in comparison:

"I think the general arbitrary consensus is that if you're at that age where you just discovered pop music, go for it; this is exactly the type of album you should be constantly enjoying; if you're not going to Cub Scouts this summer, you really should have found something a little more sophisticated by now."

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/s/sounds/living-in-america.shtml

― Josh Timmermann (Josh Timmermann), Friday, 26 September 2003 02:27 (twenty-two years ago)

BASTA!

― cinniblount (James Blount), Friday, 26 September 2003 02:39 (twenty-two years ago)

here we go again....

― Matt Helgeson (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 26 September 2003 02:43 (twenty-two years ago)

I think it's safe to say that Alexander Lloyd Linhardt is not one of Pitchfork's more distinguished writers, as his oeuvre shows.

― Nick Mirov (nick), Friday, 26 September 2003 03:02 (twenty-two years ago)

The most complimentary sentiment I can muster is that this album has horrific production. Even then, however, many albums have worse. I realize this was a particularly ostentatious review, written by some haughty upstart who thinks he knows about music, but I honestly think I could make a better album than this, even though I currently suffer from poor eyesight, bronchitis, and a sizeable gash that precludes the use of my right hand.*

*Taken from Mr. "Linhardt"'s Country Teasers review, probably the worst paragraph on the site (with stiff competition from any Jim O'Rourke review).

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 26 September 2003 03:19 (twenty-two years ago)

I've heard this record and it's not very good

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Friday, 26 September 2003 04:03 (twenty-two years ago)

It's not Merzbow, though, that's for sure

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Friday, 26 September 2003 04:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Wait........the writers at Pitchfork hate another fun pop album?

That's unbelievable!

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Friday, 26 September 2003 12:39 (twenty-two years ago)

This album isn't that fun.

― dleone (dleone), Friday, 26 September 2003 13:30 (twenty-two years ago)

The Country Teasers love that review. They were so confused by it that they've decided it's genius in its ignorance.

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Friday, 26 September 2003 13:33 (twenty-two years ago)

After reading it, I am confused, too.

― scott m (mcd), Friday, 26 September 2003 13:44 (twenty-two years ago)

the sounds suck. bad. really.

― mrjackhandey (mrjackhandey), Friday, 26 September 2003 14:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Nuh uh. "Seven Days A Week" = instant powerpop classic.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Friday, 26 September 2003 17:28 (twenty-two years ago)

For someone who likes coffee in his sugar, I gotta second "Seven Days a Week" as being an excellent, addictive, fun song.

― alex in montreal, Saturday, 27 September 2003 18:19 (twenty-two years ago)

What happened to the review archive? It's now two times the fun

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Saturday, 27 September 2003 18:29 (twenty-two years ago)

The Sounds are not bad.

I mean, it's no classic or best of the year or something.

It's just a fun album.

― Andrzej B. (Andrzej B.), Saturday, 27 September 2003 23:04 (twenty-two years ago)

"Even then, however, many albums have worse."

Ouch.

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Sunday, 28 September 2003 04:44 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm on the way to cracking his penname:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0141310693.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

― Chris Dahlen (Chris Dahlen), Sunday, 28 September 2003 15:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Lloyd Alexander deserves much better book cover art than THAT.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 28 September 2003 15:39 (twenty-two years ago)

never trust books where the authors name is in a bigger font than the title

― Bob Shaw (Bob Shaw), Sunday, 28 September 2003 15:49 (twenty-two years ago)

http://64.95.118.51/images/opti/35/c7/0517092948-resized200.jpg

― s1utsky (slutsky), Sunday, 28 September 2003 15:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Well that figures, Shakespeare was a coke-snorting pig.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 28 September 2003 15:55 (twenty-two years ago)

and he looks better with a soulpatch than with the full beard

― Bob Shaw (Bob Shaw), Sunday, 28 September 2003 15:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Nevertheless The Sounds are still pure shit. The album is not fun at all.

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Monday, 29 September 2003 09:58 (twenty-two years ago)

seven months pass...

...although that said I happened to hear "Living in America" the other night and figured that the vaguely Kim Wilde-style vocals were meant to make for a "Kids of America" kind of connection above and beyond the title.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 23 May 2004 21:52 (twenty-one years ago)

three months pass...

Holy fucking shit, but leave those kids alone.
This is the best Swedish band I've heard since Ace of Bass... This band is good; maybe not Violent Femmes good, or Bad Religion good, but they're still pretty good. And since when did music have to be something AMAZING? I enjoy listening to it, and that's all that matters.

For further hate-mail, check my LJ:

OldBoneClaws on Livejournal.com

― Josh Cox, Wednesday, 1 September 2004 16:14 (twenty-one years ago)

"Violent Femmes good"

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 16:47 (twenty-one years ago)

six years pass...

These guys have always managed to crank out a decent song or two per album, but the dance turn on the latest is NAGL.

― 'what are you, the Hymen Protection League of America?' (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Saturday, 2 April 2011 05:09 (fourteen years ago)

I love "Living In America."

― Loud guitars shit all over "Bette Davis Eyes" (NYCNative), Saturday, 2 April 2011 08:31 (fourteen years ago)

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Pitchfork on the Sounds

BASTA!