Trolls scare a band from PA

[QUOTE=Battlestations]Hi all,

That's funny, I noticed your name among the one-star-raters, in fact as the first one! I wondered why, and checked out your name and it appeared that you are also on ProgArchives with albums - I checked out the music and there was not one single similarity with the music of Life Line Project.

Whistler wrote: [QUOTE=Battlestations]Hi all, Since we were directly mentioned in the first post, we'd like to specify that we didn't have anything to do with the ratings abuse and manipulation that took place over the last week or so. Just so that's clear. Cheers That's funny, I noticed your name among the one-star-raters, in fact as the first one! I wondered why, and checked out your name and it appeared that you are also on ProgArchives with albums - I checked out the music and there was not one single similarity with the music of Life Line Project. In fact, I thought your music a bit boring! So I wondered why you should rate an album of a band like Life Line Project.   I also noticed that you had given yourself a five star rating. Always nice when a person loves his own music.   Whistler.

Hmm. So:

-You've got to help yourself. Simple as that. (your comment on our own self-rating).

-As for our rating of your music, let us specify what is going on when we rate anything in here: it is never a judgement on the music quality itself. The only criteria we have (those who come here anyway) is, whether it touches us or not. Nothing more, but also nothing less. It just happens that your music does not invoke a specific emotional connection, as far as we're concerned. It's not a veiled comment on your musicianship quality, or compositional skill. It's simply whether we can relate to it or not. In this case, not.

There were two albums this year that we rated at 1 star: yours, and Anglagard's. So you were in good company

More seriously, since then we read the guidelines more carefully, and would not rate 1 star again. Simply because, even if we don't feel anything for it, any album IS hard work, and for that only deserves more than 1 star.
Mea culpas.

And no hard feelings


Edited by Battlestations - November 13 2012 at 11:03

Whistler wrote: [QUOTE=Battlestations]Hi all, Since we were directly mentioned in the first post, we'd like to specify that we didn't have anything to do with the ratings abuse and manipulation that took place over the last week or so. Just so that's clear. Cheers That's funny, I noticed your name among the one-star-raters, in fact as the first one! I wondered why, and checked out your name and it appeared that you are also on ProgArchives with albums - I checked out the music and there was not one single similarity with the music of Life Line Project. In fact, I thought your music a bit boring! So I wondered why you should rate an album of a band like Life Line Project.   I also noticed that you had given yourself a five star rating. Always nice when a person loves his own music.   Whistler.

That's silly Ivan.  A band can be objective enough to make a good album without "having to believe" it is a 5-star masterpiece, right up there with Revolver and Dark Side (or whatever one thinks is masterpiece).  Given our definition of 5-stars (that it be used sparingly, so as to have some meaning), the vast majority of releases are not 1s and 5s.   Bands needn't give their own album 5 stars automatically, but only if they feel it is right up there with the greatest albums of all time.  If they believe that, then fine.   

UMUR wrote: ^Caio! The point is that Scott is not giving 1 star ratings to artists that he knows beforehand that he won´t like. And yeah I question his reasons for not liking artists like that, but that was more a provocation on my part because I felt provoked by his description of an artist that I greatly respect.

I would never believe in a band which rated themselves 4 stars. What about a band which did not rate themselves, gee whiz, I ain't  listening to that stuff.

Iván has a very valid point - if a band does not think their lastest album is a masterpiece then why bother releasing it? I recall making a point similar to this in a blog about self-released albums - if a band cannot make an effort to do the best they can then why should I expend any energy in listening to it.

Dean wrote: Iván has a very valid point - if a band does not think their lastest album is a masterpiece then why bother releasing it? I recall making a point similar to this in a blog about self-released albums - if a band cannot make an effort to do the best they can then why should I expend any energy in listening to it.   Anyway, we allow artists to rate their own albums and they can give themselves any rating they like.

Because we still want to hear and enjoy the three and four star albums? 

Most bands do their very best but don't produce masterpieces.  Nothing at all wrong with that.

I'm a purely average musician....if I ever got a chance to make an album with some guys, I would do my best, and it would be special to me.  I wouldn't presume to believe and rate it as highly as I would Quadrophenia or Animals.  With luck and good fortune, I might be able to make a "good" 3 star album and that would be a nice thing. 

The idea that I would have to rate that album 5 stars because I was on it, is just bizarre.  The idea that it would have no value unless I believed it was 5 stars is even stranger.  I truly enjoy lots of 3 star albums.   I would never reject an album because the musician, if asked, felt his album was a 3 or 4 star album.  Those are fine ratings!

Very bizarre. 




Edited by Finnforest - November 13 2012 at 17:44

Every artist who releases an album says in the press "This is the best thing we've ever done." And I believe they mean that - of course several years (or even months) down the line they'll change their mind (usually just before they release the next one).