Question for reviewers

Mosh I didn’t say music (or film in your case) HAD TO reach us. I simply said it does or it doesn’t. That’s up to the listener. My point being that reviews and ratings will reflect that. Music is a free spirit that goes where it’s wanted and appreciated. If it’s not wanted we don’t play it again. The longevity of the 70s prog bands songs, proves permanence for that music.

Valdez wrote: Have to agree with Mosh, in that much art (music) has no other goal than to simply be entertaining. A concept or storyline of course has another goal to be met in the storytelling realm. Much music is simply music, nothing more. A lot of it reaches us, a lot of it doesn’t.

Edited by moshkito - March 02 2025 at 16:20

Have to agree with Mosh, in that much art (music) has no other goal than to simply be entertaining. A concept or storyline of course has another goal to be met in the storytelling realm. Much music is simply music, nothing more. A lot of it reaches us, a lot of it doesn’t.

Edited by Valdez - March 02 2025 at 16:00

Valdez wrote: I think the Number one goal of most music is to be entertaining , Right? What other goals would a band work to achieve ?   Storytelling? Virtuosity? Any others?

I think the Number one GOAL of most music is to be entertaining , Right?

What other goals would a band work to achieve ?   Storytelling? Virtuosity?

Any others?

If the goal is to make a tense, unsettling, hard hitting album, and the reviewer prefers a gentle flower of symphonic woo. Then it’s a fail in most cases.

If the listener hates woo and likes it tense and unsettling then often it’s a win.

There are many who enjoy both styles of music. I like to think that I am capable of this, especially since I’m older and have heard it all. And enjoyed it all, depending on whether or not it Entertained me. And Logan’s point about a full album needing time to digest is exactly right, although I admit I’ve rated albums after a first listen… probably not wise.Goal

Edited by Valdez - March 02 2025 at 15:53

Logan wrote: One thing I feel is that an album needs time, space and proper place to properly digest often.

There's also one's listening experience and age.   Music can get better or worse as both it, and the listener, get older.

^ I'd tend to agree. Review content is much more important.

Psychedelic Paul wrote: I honestly don't take much notice of PA's ratings, even though I appear to be obsessed by them.

Haha… you seem to be more of a YouTube fan.   

Logan wrote: ... Like Pedro, I have at times wished that there were no ratings, but I have to appreciate that cumulative ratings are a useful tool for me in finding music that might appeal. So I appreciate. I want honesty from the rater, and I hope that the ratings are not just coming from some herd mentality. I know sometimes people do rate higher or lower because of what they think others think of the album or how others will think of the album. Generally I want people to be true to themselves and express a rating that reflects on how the album affects them. Ideally there is a review, or even some fairly short description, to go with it. ...

One thing I feel is that an album needs time, space and proper place to properly digest often. Often someone will listen to something once, and not even very attentively, and rate the music. To me 5 stars means "I adore this" basically, and it is and has been a very important album to me. Those "five star feels" can drop to four stars fairly quickly with repeat listenings, and four stars can drop. With many of the strongest for me, my passion for the album gets stronger over repeated listenings. I have had albums that seemde fairly mediocre to me at first that grew on my greatly with subsequent spins. Sometimes it's about being in the right head-space and maybe having got into similar music avenues so you were primed for it. If rating AND reviewing one is likely to be more pickier -- even too picky and too questioning of its worth in my own experience of reviewing. The reviewing process can easily kill my enjoyment of art as I overthink it and question my feelings instead of just moving and being moved with the music and it can lead to cognitive dissonance with me. I'd rather be that shallow "I love it" guy than the trying for deep analysis person when it comes to art that brings me joy or is very meaningful to me commonly.

There is lots and lots of great music out there and some of it does not catch or get much attention. My thing might be, "Does it stand the test of time with me? Does it stand up to repeated listenings."

By the way, I have seen complaints that reviews are so four and five star heavy, but, and I have not reviewed music much or other stuff in years, but I would want to review that which is special to me. Mediocre-to-me albums are not likely to get reviewed, nor are bad ones to me. I know thousands of albums that I could give four or five stars, or strong threes, to happily enough.

Like Pedro, I have at times wished that there were no ratings, but I have to appreciate that cumulative ratings are a useful tool for me in finding music that might appeal. So I appreciate. I want honesty from the rater, and I hope that the ratings are not just coming from some herd mentality. I know sometimes people do rate higher or lower because of what they think others think of the album or how others will think of the album. Generally I want people to be true to themselves and express a rating that reflects on how the album affects them. Ideally there is a review, or even some fairly short description, to go with it.

Sometimes writers write reviews that come across as knee-jerk reactions and like those "lame" youtube reaction videos and can be insulting and I get that the artists can be really bothered by it. I think as long as it's a thoughtful/ well thought out and accurate review and not just one of those first-impression type things one should be very accepting. And it is good be able to take on and even appreciate criticism. And it it is good to be corrected. There are some very thin-skinned people out there who cannot take any critiques or even questioning... Artists do get some nasty and unfair reviews and reviewers get some very nasty and unfair comments from artists. Unfortunately there are very many nasty and unfair people out there, and generally good people have bad days too.