8.18.2009 | 9:48 am

What Will Be Pitchfork’s Song of the Decade?

lcdsoundsssMaking this list in August seems li’l premature (“Too soon! Reconsider!” — Andre 3000), but Pitchfork has a decade of critical domination to put a definitive stamp on before Rolling Stone does, so they’re off and running with their top 500 yesterday. But what’ll be No. 1? Thinking about it, the choices seem pretty obvious:

1) It won’t be an indie rock song, at least not one with guitars. God forbid!
2) It won’t be a song from 2000-2004 because they already made that list, and correctly topped it with “Hey Ya” and “B.O.B.” which won’t be that high twice.
3) That leaves us with hip-hop/dance/pop songs that were both a) possible radio jams but b) hipster friendly. Thus, my best guesses:

Amerie – “1 Thing,” Kelly Clarkson – “Since U Been Gone,” Justice – “D.A.N.C.E.,” M.I.A. – “Paper Planes” and the longshots, LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends” and Panda Bear – “Bros.” Won’t be Justin Timberlake (he’s been out of the game too long) or Kanye (out of favor) but OutKast’s guest-verses on UGK’s “International Player’s Anthem” could see them take it, too. (Weirdly, numbers 500-200 are largely B-grade songs from bands that will have better, obvious top 200 songs — the Decemberists’ “O Valencia?” Cut Copy’s “Out There On The Ice?” Uh, Destiny’s Child’s “Jumpin’, Jumpin’?” These aren’t anybody’s favorites by these bands. Why recognize them? Also, criminally low placement for “Since K Got Over Me,” but I digress.)

What do you think will take the spot? And more importantly, what should? Leave your favorites (No. 1′s only, dudes) in the comments.

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  • James Ryan

    I think LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends” will take the top spot. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them beat out “B.O.B.” at #2.

  • atticus

    All My Friends. Not even close.

  • http://www.classicalgeektheatre.com Mouse

    It might not be the best track on Crane Wife, but “O Valencia” was the song from that record that got stuck in my head the most.

    I think D.A.N.C.E. is a good bet.

    The list *should* have about five Ted Leo songs, about five Hold Steady songs, a couple under-appreciated Hives jams (seriously!), every track on Sumday (“People Who Couldn’t Say” might be my personal #1), “Ball and Biscuit” from the White Stripes (plus a few others), a couple tracks off that first Strokes record, American Gigolo from Weezer #4 (serious again! go re-listen, it rocks!), a few songs from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Franz Ferdinand… all that quasi-mainstream “indie” rock was, in fact, really good. It’s easy to revisit and has legs. I can’t imagine listening to Justice or Girl Talk in five years. And most of the best songs were from the same 20 or so artists.

    Pitchfork’s list so far has most all of those things, but in the bottom 300 instead of the top 100.

    The funny thing about the 2000s is that while the garage rock revival early in the decade was popular, it was also invented; there was no real organic “movement” or epicenter of activity. The newer indie dance garbage of the second half of the decade IS organic, distinctly reflects the times, and has an epicenter. (Brooklyn) I think Pitchfork often mistakes the legitimacy of a movement for its quality of work. No doubt the indie rock of the early 2000s, if less organic, produced better songs. Yet Pitchfork prefers the music of the second half.

  • David Greenwald

    The point is that The Crane Wife is like, the fourth best album the band put out this decade and no Decembs fan would ever pick “O Valencia” over, say, “Grace Cathedral Hill” or “The Tain” or “The Sporting Life” or “July July.” To name a few.

    This is basically the case for 90% of the bands in 500-101.

  • Campbell

    ‘idioteque’ – radiohead

  • http://crappyindiemusic.blogspot.com Goldie Davich

    I don’t read Pitchfork and I don’t know any of these song. My favorite song of the decade is: Smell Yo Dick by Riskay

  • http://www.lephilistine.com Nikolai

    The editors of Pitchfork, like most of us, are dying to appear on “Colbert.” They’ll pick Movits. Possibly Feist. Or, at the very least, an inbred folkie who dabbles in hip-hype and once dated Maggie Gyllenhal.