The Internet eats itself and likes it: Pitchfork Reviews Reviews

I was a bit nonplussed to discover that there’s a reviews site set up to review reviews on another site – the famous indie music blog Pitchfork.

The new site is called Pitchfork Reviews Reviews – and it’s postmodern, perhaps too postmodern.

The original Pitchfork is now the biggest name in online music journalism — averaging 30 million page views a month, add in its distinctive stream of consciousness style and I suppose it’s ripe for some satire. Tumblr blogger David, the author of Pitchfork Reviews Reviews gives it some it by posting a parody of each review every morning, just after the official reviews have gone up.

Apparently he does it on the way into work.

The logo for the Pitchfork site is three red arrows pointing up, the logo for Pitchfork Reviews Reviews is three arrows pointing down. Pitchfork Reviews Reviews has already got mentions on the New York Times and the Washington Post

PRR describes itself as “100% accurate/undeniable coverage of pitchfork reviews”.
it’s a tumblr blog of course, but done in a very stripped down way: no pictures and, hell, no capital letters either.

Here’s the beginning of the review of the new Arcade Fire album on Pitchfork…
“Arcade Fire never aim for anything less than grand statements. That quality has played a huge role in making them very, very popular; it’s also their greatest weakness. Funeral was wracked with agony and grief, but what made it one of the transcendent records of the 2000s was that it avoided easy answers.”

And the start of the same thing on Pitchfork Reviews Reviews:
“i am a sucker for lyrics, you might have figured that out by now because i write a lot about being frustrated that right now, lyricism in independent music is either secondary or maybe there is just a dearth of worthwhile lyricists? generally i am a sucker for interesting lyrics but right now i’ll take what i can get, you know? or what i can HEAR.”

As usual the only thing to say is yes, THE INTERNET EATS ITSELF. But it sort of likes eating itself and it doesn’t really seem to do anyone any harm. It’s only going to bolster the Pitchfork myth and while the parody may prick a few egos over in the main Pitchfork site, well, they must be used to it from the comment boards anyway.

Any thoughts readers of the interwebz?