Smash Notes

Back to 49: Beyoncé.

Why Was Preacher's Daughter's 6.4 So Far From Metacritic?

Mike calls Ethel Cain's Preacher's Daughter a fascinating new take on pop and a liked album. He believes the average on Metacritic is 8.8, and he puts the reception near a 9.4. He says Pitchfork scored it 6.4.

Only Pitchfork and the Guardian rated it under a nine, Mike says, and the album has just ten reviews, so the total is not a huge stack. He still finds the gap interesting: Pitchfork normally sits in the Metacritic range and does not land so far outside it. Mack says the score is unexpected, even with Pitchfork's flashpoint deviances.

The 6.4 is the break they dwell on. A small review pile still leaves Pitchfork and the Guardian alone under a nine, which is why Mack and Mike treat the number as out of step with the rest of the early scores.

Grokipedia·Pitchfork·Metacritic

Transcript

49: Beyoncé ·

Best New Podcast

More from this episode

  1. How Did Pharrell Williams Say Yes Without a Word?Mack steered listeners to the walk-on song Cash In, Cash Out, featuring 21 Savage and Tyler, the Creator, by Pharrell Williams, the man behind an ancient…
  2. Why Did Pitchfork Publish 39 Best Albums?Duffy says Pitchfork has paused the mid-year list, the click bucket he looks forward to at Stereogum.
  3. Did Duffy Try to Cancel Animal Collective?Mike says Duffy started the effort to cancel Animal Collective.
  4. Why Does Duffy Pick Big Thief for Album of the Year?Duffy's pick for the number one or two spot is Big Thief.
  5. Why Did Pitchfork Skip Best New Music for Soccer Mommy?Pitchfork scored Soccer Mommy an 8.0 and skipped Best New Music. Mike recaps the last deep dive on Soccer Mommy.
  6. What Score Did Perfume Genius Get for Ugly Season?Mike says the actual retail pitch for Perfume Genius and the album Ugly Season was an 8.6 BNM.
  7. Who Leads the Best New Podcast Scoreboard?Mike reads the Best New Podcast statistics board out loud. He is in last place with 20.8 points.
  8. Why Does Mack Call B'Day a Bidet?Duffy reads Beyoncé's 2006 album title as Bidet, and Mike says that reading is correct. Mack says Beyoncé intends the name to be B-Day, as in Beyoncé Day.
  9. Why Did Sasha Fierce Only Score a 5.7?Duffy puts I Am... Sasha Fierce at a 5.7. Mike says the album contains If I Were a Boy, Halo, and Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).
  10. Why Is Beyoncé's Self-titled Album Number Three?Duffy walks the Beyoncé scores forward from 2011. Four got a 7.8. The 2013 album, Beyoncé, got an 8.8 and Best New Music.
  11. Why Did Lemonade Score an 8.5?Duffy reaches 2016 and names Lemonade. Mike supplies the Pitchfork score, an 8.5.
  12. Why Did Pitchfork Score Homecoming a 9.3?Duffy reaches 2019's Homecoming and states the score, a 9.3 and Best New Music. Mike does not want a long debate.
  13. Where Did Formation Land on the Decade List?Duffy counts Beyoncé on Pitchfork's best songs of the decade. Formation is number 4. Countdown is number 28.
  14. Why Did Pitchfork Say Beyoncé Sounded Too Real?Pitchfork faulted Beyoncé for sounding too real. Mack reads the line straight from the review: most of all, Beyoncé just sounds too real.
  15. How Did Kanye West Change Pitchfork in 2010?Pitchfork gave Beyoncé's I Am Sasha Fierce a 5.7. Mike says a three year gap sat between the album and Four.
  16. Why Score Renaissance 8.8 After One Song?Mack says a turn against the record would already have shown up as cracks in the website text.
  17. Why Did Mike Hate Saying Beabadoobee?Mike hits beabadoobee's album Beatopia in the lightning round and says he hates all of it.
  18. Did Mike and Duffy Match on Black Midi's Hellfire?Mike scored Black Midi's album Hellfire an 8.3 and called a B&M. Duffy had already landed on the same 8.3 and the same B&M, and he was pissed they matched.

More answers like this

Plays from this note through the rest of the episode.

Weekly highlights

One letter a week.

The notes worth hearing, with the minute they were said.