Why many people dislike The Flower Kings

The Miracle wrote: Bluesaga wrote: Well I liked the Can and Neu! samples (forget what I thought of Faust), but it just wasn't enough to persuade me to buy anything.  You really can't call me close-minded because I'm not crazy about electronic music.  At least I don't claim to hate it all (like some people say with punk ) I have some Faust and Can and it's all orgasmic... I have a very high avant tolerance level. Ambient Electronic stuff is actually some of the most avant garde music out there, with no structure, no melody, just harmony and inner beauty. Certainly not to everyone's taste. I don't claim to hate any prog sub genre either, in fact I claim that I like them all. I'm talking about open mindness towards prog

There is plenty of prog I'm not so crazy about (Neo, Metal, Electronic, some Avant), but that's because of preference, not close-mindedness.  I'm not 100% open-minded though, and thank god for that!

Bluesaga wrote: There is plenty of prog I'm not so crazy about (Neo, Metal, Electronic, some Avant), but that's because of preference, not close-mindedness.  I'm not 100% open-minded though, and thank god for that!

I am (towards prog) and thank Bern for that!

The Miracle wrote: Bluesaga wrote: There is plenty of prog I'm not so crazy about (Neo, Metal, Electronic, some Avant), but that's because of preference, not close-mindedness.  I'm not 100% open-minded though, and thank god for that! I am (towards prog) and thank Bern for that!

If you have any preference whatsoever, you are not 100% open-minded.

Bluesaga wrote: The Miracle wrote: Bluesaga wrote: There is plenty of prog I'm not so crazy about (Neo, Metal, Electronic, some Avant), but that's because of preference, not close-mindedness.  I'm not 100% open-minded though, and thank god for that! I am (towards prog) and thank Bern for that! If you have any preference whatsoever, you are not 100% open-minded.

It's impossible not to have any preference I'm very close though

Bluesaga wrote: The Miracle wrote: Bluesaga wrote: The Miracle wrote: Bluesaga wrote: There is plenty of prog I'm not so crazy about (Neo, Metal, Electronic, some Avant), but that's because of preference, not close-mindedness.  I'm not 100% open-minded though, and thank god for that! I am (towards prog) and thank Bern for that! If you have any preference whatsoever, you are not 100% open-minded. It's impossible not to have any preference I'm very close though Which is why it's impossible to be 100% open-minded.  But I would say I'm more open-minded than at least 95% of other students in my grade.

Same here... maybe 100% if we're talking strictly prog rock, as there aren't any prog fans at my school.

The Wizard wrote: progismylife wrote: The Wizard wrote: stonebeard wrote: About TFK being all about copying (or being highly influenced at least) byt the likes of Yes, KC, and GG, one thing that seperates TFK from these bands (not so much GG, but most symphonic prog bands in general) is their sense of playfulness. Come on, "Minor Giant Steps," while not groundbreaking, is a fun, spirited song. If you look at my last.fm chart, you can see TFK doesn't even break my top 10 bands, but I can at least respect them for what they are. I want to ask a question: if Yes released an album exactly like Paradox Hotel with Jon Anderson singing instead of Roine, would it still be so bad? Yes.   The thing I'm trying to say in my review is that once again, I don't dislike the album for it's like classic prog. I dislike it becuase it's poorly made. I think a lot of you are having trouble understanding that.       If it is like classic prog, which you don't mind, why did you give it 1 star? I sense a paradox.   Read my review to find out. I dislike it for many other reasons.

I did read it. Multiple times. I got nothing else from this review. Nothing.
    

^ It's not a matter of proving him wrong, or proving that I'm right. I'm just trying to say that the rating will be considered to be wrong by most people who see it or read the review ... that doesn't mean that he should change it, or that I (or these people) have a problem with it.

BTW: Of course there are also worse prog albums out there ... but I know that the limited rating scale of the archives makes it hard to put them into proper relation. So I guess 1 star can mean good or bad, depending on who you ask.

Of course if you introduce more steps another problem arises: The agony of choice. Have a try on my website if you like.

Visitor13 wrote: I've just given The Wizard's review a read and I don't see a problem with it.

though i couldn't know if he is right or wrong, there is plenty of "how not to review" there. for example, instead of "Unfortunately Paradox Hotel does not offer that." i'd say "Unfortunately I don't find that in Paradox Hotel." The same goes for:

- The album is bland, uninspired, and just plain weak / I find the album bland, uninspired, and just plain weak
- It does nothing to really provoke any emotional reaction or even inspire any thought. / It does nothing for me to really provoke any emotional reaction or even inspire any thought.
- The music won't make you feel or think or anything of the sort. / The music didn't make me feel or think or anything of the sort.
- There's really nothing to listen for. As a fact, there are other listeners that have certified (by reviewing) that they found something to listen for.
- There's no thing offered by this album. Well, if The Wizard says so...I guess The Wizard is the referee of taste and albums are made directly for his evaluation. If he doesn't find anything in there, we, the rest, shouldn't even try.

.........

beyond being less useful for those who consider approaching the respective album and thus looking for elaborate opinions, this kind of reviewing is first of all un-ethical, especially in the case of democratic (user-reviews) forum. one can not just say "my opinion is the truth, the true knowledge". as i said somewhere else, one's subjectivity can be managed objectively, aka fairly.

Visitor13 wrote: While I kinda agree with you, Andu, I don't think much of 'hedging' in reviews. To me it's a given that however you phrase your opinion, it's going to remain just that - an opinion.