Criticism

So I was laying in bed last night and I started thinking about music reviews. There seems to be a lot wrong with them. So, while not sleeping in some seriously muggy June humidity, I brainstormed a few points that you can find below this picture of a sea turtle:

1. Someone's working: Perhaps the most resounding point that popped into my head is the fact that there is a lot of time and effort put into albums that doesn't seem to be given any attention in record reviews. Musicians are focusing months and years on these albums writing songs, rehearsing, recording and mixing. Music critics are spending from an hour to an afternoon writing a few paragraphs and dumping them online.

2. Anyone can do it: Take me for example. I listen to music, like music, and know how to write. Therefor I possess all credentials to criticize and rate musicians on a website. People reading the site don't necessarily know how under-qualified my opinions are or if I even listened to the CD for that matter. I have a blog though, and maybe I can think of a relevant Swedish pop band to unfairly compare the music with.


3. Comparisons: So I'm going to go ahead and call out PitchforkMedia here. What's the deal with their reviews always needing to compare one band with a ridiculous run of 3 to 12 other bands. Sentences read something like, "the sophomore release of the Wang Danglers upholds the complexities of Mars Volta with the pop sensibilities of Franz Ferdinand and the hipness of mid nineties Smash Mouth." What? So if I like all these bands should I like the Wang Danglers sophomore release? How do you even think up a sentence like that from listening to anyone's album? It's ridiculous and needs to stop.


Well, I think before I fell asleep I had a few more points to make. oh well. So as I try to write here and there about music, I'll also try to make some post-modern-posts in attempt to keep me from being like this guy.