For some reason, this is becoming an obsession for me. I should totally just let it go, let the people enjoy their band, because they don’t care what I think about it anyway, but I can’t. And now I think I might know why.*

This. It’s all right here, people. But let me especially draw your attention to this quote:

Craig Finn: No. That song, “Party Pit”, that was a weird song because it’s the only song where I wrote the lyrics first and just gave them to Franz and he came up with the music. I was trying to do, like a Blake Schwarzenbach, Jawbreaker, “Chesterfield King” kind of thing where he meets this down-and-out girl and they kill the afternoon by walking around hitting a bottle. That seemed like a tribute to Blake since I’m such a huge Jawbreaker fan. I love the romance in those songs.

One, didn’t I totally say that, earlier? And two, fuck you Pitchfork. Because here’s the thing. There are plenty of bands playing oh so familiar sounding songs with allusive, nostalgic, and yes, EMO, lyrics, many of which develop crazy followings, and some of which, like Jawbreaker, are really good. And yet, they get dissed by the indie crowd. And you know what? THS is no different. Not the least bit. But for some reason it’s ok to like these guys. Well, not me. Because if there’s one thing lamer than being a balls out, die hard fan of some nostalgia driven emo band, it’s being a balls out, die hard fan of some nostalgia driven emo band because it’s the cool thing to do. I mean, half the point of being into a band like this is reveling in the fact that you are not now, nor have you ever been, cool. So, apologies to all those who actually love THS because it just worked out that way, but these guys have to go. Otherwise, Pitchfork wins. I’m sorry, but you don’t get to go around ruining the careers of good bands who deserved to be loved, only to annoint some other group that’s plying the same trade, making it ok for Interpol fans everywhere to get just a little bit emo. That just. isn’t. fair. I won’t stand for it.

* It’s true that my distaste for THS, at an ideological level, comes from a feeling that Jawbreaker, who I loved, deserved better than what they got, and certainly better than what THS is getting. Musically, however, I can’t listen to them because Craig Finn? His voice. Is painful.