I think that it's due to the fact that albums like "Madvillian" and "Sung Tongs" are, what's the word....

innovative

No disrespect to Arcade Fire, but they aren't turning heads with the level of their musicianship, or their originality. People who declaired that "Funeral" was their #1-5 album of last year would probably pop obners for at least a dozen other bands (and all of their albums released in the last 5 years) before even thinking of that album.

People who had been waiting for Madvillian (for the most part) were not dissapointed in that album, and LOVED it - same with the hardcore Animal Collective fans and "Sung Tongs". "Funeral", at least for now, is a flavor-of-the-month type album - it'll take a second (and/or third) album for people to turn into true Arcade Fire fans, a la MMouse Fans, Shins Fans, Radiohead Fans, etc....

Plus, their taste in hip-hop is SUSPECT. They big up Jigga, and that is all fine and good, but aside from Whiney, who knows as much about good hip-hop as Chase and cotton (sorry guys, but the bus is comin through), WHO THE FUCK LIKE MISSY ELLIOT? Fuck, I'd put the new TI up against almost every rap album on that list, and it would win strictly for Bring Em Out. I like the fact that Ghost and Kanye get props, too, but if listened to Madvillain, Prefuse, or anything connected with asshats like Def Jux, I'd have to kill myself.

That is all.

[loogar]i only like mainstream hiphop and ill destroy you[/loogar]

how can you fuc k with missy.....??

Meh beats + terrible rhymes + horrid personality and nothing to say = AWFUL.

Spinningplates is funny, though, yo!

You made me check out T.I., which is a good thing, but I'm gonna have to call strike on this one. There's just a kinetic feeling you get from SOME (not all) of her songs that's contagious. "Under Construction" is one of the few 21st century hip-hop albums I can listen to all the way through and not get bored. Sure, a lot of it is rapping about rapping (which generally turns me right off) but she and Tim put it together in a way that's not only palatable but revelatory at turns. If Whiney can like Lil Jon and not get called out by the boo birds, certainly we can allow Missy.

As for the 'Fork's overall rap coverage, yeah, it's craven opportunism but that shouldn't be a surprise. The entertainment industry as a whole does the same thing. But it makes sense for Hollywood and New York to do it to put asses in the seats. I don't a 10.0 rating on Kanye's next album is gonna drive any Source readers over to their site, though.

Hell, L'il John is fine with me-- I can remember when him and the Eastside boyz were a complete joke, and now they rule the world.

There's just something about Missy that I can't abide. I've hated her since her first single, and have heard nothing to make me think I'm wrong. It's probably my latent mysogyny, cos I can't think of a female rapper that I can stand, much less like.

ever heard of evolution, senator?

Fuck dude where is any Badly Drawn Boy!!

I think about a boy (ost) deserves to be on this liszt

I don't like that list very much, and I don't get why they put it up now.

Does anybody know if this was compiled like their year end lists or some other way?

Under Construction > Miss E... Period.

And, yes, I buy Missy records mostly for the beats - she's never done much for me lyrically - but Under is so much fun it's hard to put that album down...

I know what I should've loaded onto my ipod last night...

I like Missy. Fun party records. Not a fan of the required nasty sex song on each album though.

If I want to listen to rap with content on top of Timbaland beats I will listen to Bubba Sparxxx!

shut the fuck up. you guys are idiots.

sigh

miss e was so ahead of its time, ppl din't know what they were dealing with then, and even now

its like a slick futuristic smart cunt to under constructions 'old skool' retardwreck

one more vote for Guitar Romantic here.

KPH

I agree, that list leaves a lot to be desired and a big overlap with Stylus’ list. It does make sense to make this list because the decade is officially at the half waypoint. Speaking of lists, isn’t it about time we start thinking about Listmania 2 Albums for 2005? I think WhineyCMJ rolled it out around this time last year. So Christopher, are you going to be in charge of it again this year?

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Stolen from ilx:

re: Arcade Fire. For the 2004 list we alotted points to each record, as with Pazz n Jop. But we did the 2000-2004 list the old fashioned way. So any discrepancies may be due to the different systems, not just indie backlash.

For the record, though, I didn't place The Rapture.

-- marc h. @ pitchforkmedia.com

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Misc:

"old fashioned way" = 100 points for #1, 99 points for #2 ... 1 point for #100?

i was a little disappointed i guess, mainly because they chose not to use the points system used in the 2004 poll. when the editors can divide their points and give more to the albums they want to champion, the list ends up being more representative of the staff's personal tastes... did you know that without the points system, Devendra Banhart would have been
PF's no.1 album of 2004? talk about an upset.

Have I told you lately that I love you?

That would've been RAD.... not that I'm a big Devendra fan, but I think it might've been more representative to do it without the "individual points" system... Lists with #1, #2, #2, ect. being worth an equal amount across the board is the most fair way to do it, not "I like these about equally"...