3, 2, 1: Listdown

With 2006 only a couple weeks away, Pitchfork has begun the count down to its massive, culture-defining, year-end list with, well, more lists! So far, the site has posted -- count 'em -- 1, 2, 3, 4 sections with a "2005 Comments and Lists" heading, but you can expect several more before the biggie. These features prove, once again, that Pitchfork has the ambition, if not the talent, to put pop music in proper perspective. Commentary is precisely what I've been calling for -- more insight into the list's intentions and analysis of its various aesthetic assertions (no doubt 'fork writers have been visiting my blog daily and taking scrupulous notes). The problem is, these "Comments and Lists" don't cut it (write this down, guys). So far, only the second installment has much in the way of actual commentary and none of this commentary has anything to do with the lists in the other three sections or the year-end Top 50 lists to which they are a prelude. I don't want more loudmouthed opinions -- Pitchfork has plenty of that already -- I want insight. Pitchfork would better serve us by creating only one list (or possibly two -- one for albums, one for singles) and then allowing each of its writers the opportunity to reflect on that list. What trends does it evince? What does it suggest about the direction of the music heading into 2006? How does it compare to last year's list, and what does this suggest about broader cultural changes? The truth is only available to those who seek it out.

While I'm at it, here's a few guesses as to the groups that will be responsible for the fork's Top 20 albums: M.I.A., Wolf Parade, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Sufjan Stevens, Animal Collective, Deerhoof, Antony & the Johnsons, Bloc Party, New Pornographers, Broken Social Scene, Hold Steady. That's eleven. What do you think? Who will be among the remaining nine? The Game? Kanye West? Jens Lekman? Devendra Banhart? LCD Soundsystem? [Hint: Check out Pitchfork's Best New Music section.]