I’ve been doing these lists for years. My site has lasted longer than most sites who have tried to follow suit. Making a good list with quality choices is difficult…and I get my fair share of hate mail. More people probably tell me I suck then tell me I know what I’m doing. It’s a very unrewarding past time, but I persevere…and now I have my own book...so I guess I win?
Moving on, I have noticed in the past few months the upswing in music-based “click bait” lists. These are lists made to purposely drive traffic to your site. Here’s the details on a “click bait” list. A news site or blog might come up with a topic like “most overrated bands” then they create a list with mostly popular bands. They put the names of the popular bands (which really translates to bands that get searched the most online) onto said list. Then every time someone searches for the band, they get the list. They call the bands on the list overrated because (and this is true) negative lists do better than positive ones. LA Weekly might be the biggest culprit of this sleazy past time. I won’t link to any of their lists because I don’t want to support them. This may work in the interim and get an upswing in traffic to your site…but all you do is bottom out your credibility. LA Weekly used to be the bomb in LA. They were cooler than the LA Times. But desperation is ugly and you can smell it all over them. My prediction: LA Weekly will crash and burn within two years…and I’ll still be here. Because in the end…slow and steady wins the race.
Here are the 11 Best Songs By The New Pornographers:
- It’s Only Divine Right (Electric Version)
- The New Face Of Zero and One (The Electric Version)
- The Slow Descent Into Alcoholism (Mass Romantic)
- All The Things That Go To Make Heaven And Earth (Challengers)
- Adventures In Solitude (Challengers)
- Hey, Snow White (Dark Was The Night)
- Your Hands (Together)
- The Body Says No (Mass Romantic)
- The Fake Headlines (Mass Romantic)
- High Art Local News (Twin Cinema)
- The End Of Medicine (The Electric Version)
Buy The New Pornographers new album, Brill Bruisers…now!
Don’t forget to check out our blog’s awesome new book The 111 Best Lists of the 2000s. Available now! (can you find The New Pornographers in the book?)
