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An objective review of an album you don't like? |
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Grumpyprogfan 
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Joined: July 09 2019 Location: Kansas City Status: Offline Points: 11629 |
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 Posted: February 09 2024 at 07:52 |
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Everything is subjective - musicianship, production, song crafting, etc. The only objective thing a review could state is, the time signature, the key its in, and maybe if the vocalist is pitchy.
And that Echolyn album is awesome, so maybe you should pass on a review. 
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moshkito
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Joined: January 04 2007 Location: Grok City Status: Offline Points: 17524 |
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Posted: February 09 2024 at 07:49 |
Hi, In my book, a "review" is not about "like" or "not like". It is a chance for you to look at the music with different eyes, than others. The main issue these days, is that too many reviews are slanted so bad, that we have lost the ability to be objective, and appreciating of someone else's creativity. Look, you may not like Picasso, or he doesn't do a thing for you, but sitting here and write a review of this or that as bad and ridiculous, will make you look very bad and in the wrong place. In the arts, there is no right or wrong ... and you have to accept that and get off the idea of "favorites" altogether, because as a reviewer, in the end, it is ALL about the differences that make the art. I was not, at the start, a lover of Gentle Giant at all ... it didn't click in my head, and one day, somehow, it was like ... this is neat ... and good ... and one thing you can NEVER DENY is that their musicianship was out of this world. I had a very similar reaction to Henry Cow and the family of those musicians. At first they sound way too academic for my tastes ... change this note on the staff ... there you do ... dissonance to show musically or sing! It may not be for you, however, if you can not even find the outstanding musicianship and the clever and far out creativity in Gentle Giant, then their music is not for you and you have to go back to the simplistic 4/4 and methodology of the same thing with various formulas for 85% of all rock music out there ... maybe in that beach of sand, you will find a grain that is a different color to write about ... at which point GG would be a much more attractive decision. There are reviews (check out those Ebert movie things) where the guys don't agree, BUT THEY TELL YOU WHY, and that makes the whole thing more objective. But, one thing ... YOU HAVE TO BE HONEST.
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Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
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wiz_d_kidd
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Joined: January 13 2018 Location: EllicottCityMD Status: Offline Points: 1423 |
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Posted: February 09 2024 at 07:17 |
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Imagine yourself as a producer and/or mixing engineer charged with sculpting the overall sound of this album. You listen to the first few takes and, being unhappy with it, you decide to make some changes that you think would make the album stand out. What is it you would change to make it more enjoyable to you and, presumably, others? The vocals? Are they too sappy? Too many runs? What? What about the music, the composition, the execution? How would you change it to give it more punch (or relaxation if that's what you want)? Does it lack dynamics? Is it mixed to flat? What? Is the composition too simple and trite? Too repetitive? What?
Then, knowing specifically what it is about the album that fails to move you, you should be in a position to write about that. Telling people "This album failed to move me BECAUSE..." is a fair criticism, rather than just saying "This album sucks", which everyone agrees is unfair. So, you're the producer and the mixing engineer... What would you change to make it more enjoyable (to you)? I did this once for the album Grimspound, by Big Big Train -- an album which failed to move me. You can read the review here: http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=1940239. |
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“I don’t like country music, but I don’t mean to denigrate those who do. And for those who like country music, denigrate means to ‘put down.'” – Bob Newhart
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SteveG
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Joined: April 11 2014 Location: Kyiv In Spirit Status: Offline Points: 20609 |
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Posted: February 09 2024 at 06:43 |
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Back in the 90s, I obtained Echolyn's album "Suffocating The Bloom". As an American neo prog band, I was excited to see what they were about. I was less excited after listening to it. The album had too many references to Gentle Giant's musical motifs for my taste. And I never cared for Gentle Giant, despite their originality. So, all these years later, I gave "Suffocating The Bloom" another listen hoping to write an objective review but I'm struggling. Any suggestions on writing one for this or any other album that doesn't move you?
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SteveG wrote: