Pimp Your Reviews!

[murlough23]

OK, so I was realizing that with Tru no longer at CMC and Josh no longer Xanga-ing, I don't have a convenient way to be automatically notified when somebody here writes a new music review. Some of you who don't have an account at Epinions (that's probably most of you) don't have a way of knowing when I've posted something, unless you're continually watching my Music Journal for new links to appear (in which case, get a life). So I thought we should have a thread where we can post links to reviews that we've written, for those of us who do this. Normally I'd just post in the thread for the artist/album I'm reviewing, but I don't always feel like starting a new thread for each one.

With that in mind, here's what I've reviewed in the last month or so:

Copeland - Eat, Sleep, Repeat
John Reuben - Word of Mouth
Meg & Dia - Something Real
Skillet - Comatose
Robert Randolph & the Family Band - Colorblind

And now it's your turn.

[Brenden]

My most recent review have been over at The Josher.

Live From Nowhere Vol. 2 - Over The Rhine
http://www.thejosher.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=257

Work To Be Done EP - Steven Delopoulos
http://www.thejosher.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=312

Drums And Guns - Low
http://www.thejosher.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=322

[Wildcatblue7]

I have really bad writer's block at the moment, but I'll be using this thread later on.

[bdg13disciple]

you mean to say that you still read my reviews? 

i plan on writing an rss generator for theTRu, but in the meantime...
i reviewed The Ringing Bell (Derek Webb) and Iris to Iris (B429) last week...

this week, i'm shooting for Sound of New Breed, Neon Horse, Rush of Fools, and Article One...

peace... love... bdg...

[Josh Powell]

Can't wait to see what you'll think of Neon Horse

And I've said elsewhere that I liked your DW review. Good job, as usual.

[murlough23]

Thanks for posting those, guys. I guess I should go over to Josh H's site and check his latest stuff out since he hasn't posted here, but I always seem to forget to check that site on a regular basis.

NP: "Beggar's Heart", Bethany Dillon

[murlough23]

I decided that I'm going to try and write at least one "nostalgia review" (generally an album that I love but haven't reviewed yet from 2001 or earlier) per month, just to motivate myself to keep writing even when nothing that's new is really begging to be written about. So this month I've reviewed Sixpence None the Richer's self-titled album.

http://www.epinions.com/content_358874058372

[danny316]

Some of you who don't have an account at Epinions (that's probably most of you) don't have a way of knowing when I've posted something, unless you're continually watching my Music Journal for new links to appear (in which case, get a life).

Some of us know how to use RSS readers to stalk Epinions. They have feeds available for each item and each author.

[murlough23]

Some of us know how to use RSS readers to stalk Epinions. They have feeds available for each item and each author.

I had to learn how RSS works for my job, so that I could design an RSS feed, but I have yet to actually use it for Epinions or any other site, 'cause I'm kind of a creature of habit when it comes to the Web.

[murlough23]

Responding to an Epinions stalker:

1. Which band is thanked for "friendship and inspiration" by Matt Slocum?

I don't know because I don't memorize the "thank you" sections of bands' liner notes.

2. One song makes use of bells and a mellotron. Which song?

Possibly "Moving On", but I don't recall hearing bells in any song, so they must be farther back in the mix.

3. How many songs include noticeable appearances by John Mark Painter - and which one has a buhl buhl solo?

Probably most of the ones with strings, and "Easy to Ignore" for the second part - I did see the buhl buhl mentioned in the liner notes, but didn't want to mention it knowing that nobody would know what it was, and because its sound was hard to describe and I'd already described quite a bit about the song anyway.

4. What does Steve Taylor have to do with this recording?

Aside from being their label boss, I don't recall. I don't remember whether he was in the producer's chair for this one. I mention Steve Taylor almost everytime I mention anything on the Squint label, so I was trying not to be redundant.

5. Which song features guest drumming by Leigh's husband?

I'd have to guess either "Puedo Escribir" or "Love", and if I actually credited Dale for either, then I was mistaken.

I think you get the point - I would have preferred if you checked on things you thought you heard before writing the review, and it's worthwhile to look at where the more bizarre instruments come in and try to listen for them.

Most of your nitpicks have to do with things I didn't mention rather than factual errors. I list a lot of details as it is; I don't feel the need to be totally exhaustive in listing trivial factoids.

[T-Bone]

Yeah, btw murlough, what was Leigh Nash's aunt's cousin's mother's maiden name.  I'm fairly certain that's vital information left out of your review *shakes head*.  Shameful. 

[worldofcm]

Gosh Mur - how dare you not mention every intricate detail of that recording?

And you call yourself a reviewer...

 

[murlough23]

Thanks for the sarcastic show of support, guys.

[Brenden]

At a friend's request, I reviewed The Good, The Bad, And The Queen.

http://www.epinions.com/content_362226617988

[starhawk]

Skillet - Comatose

I think you nailed this one.  Regarding whom to blame for the step back they have taken - I think at least some of it can be placed on John Cooper's cowriting with producers from their mainstream Lava label.  "Open Wounds", that bonus song from the rerelease of Collide, was cowritten with a Lava producer, but it is easily the weakest of the harder rockers on that album.  The sad part is, with how much success Comatose is seeing (I think it was their fastest selling yet), I don't see them changing path again anytime soon...

[murlough23]

I think you nailed this one.  Regarding whom to blame for the step back they have taken - I think at least some of it can be placed on John Cooper's cowriting with producers from their mainstream Lava label.  "Open Wounds", that bonus song from the rerelease of Collide, was cowritten with a Lava producer, but it is easily the weakest of the harder rockers on that album.  The sad part is, with how much success Comatose is seeing (I think it was their fastest selling yet), I don't see them changing path again anytime soon...

"Open Wounds" was at least a fairly aggressive rock song. But let's face it, the more accessible and less "hard" stuff is almost always going to sell faster, simply because there are more people out there who are not already part of the fanbase than the ones who are. Honestly, if you look at Skillet's catalogue, Collide is the anomaly (along with maybe the first record) in terms of sound. I wished that anomaly had become a trend, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.

I'm still so-so about Collide, but the songs they chose to play from it live were, for the most part, the stronger ones (the big exception being "Better than Drugs", which, in a concert setting where you can't understand the lyrics as well, was still fun).

[murlough23]

I forced myself to evaluate Thom Yorke's album a little more carefully. I'm still not terribly thrilled with it, but I found a few more standout tracks, and a few little things to like about even the worst tracks on the "album".

http://www.epinions.com/content_365287476868

[Brenden]

So, because of my morbid musement with bad music I reviewed Fergie's solo album.

http://www.epinions.com/content_365415796356

[Brenden]

A guy I used to think well of from another forum launched a fanboy assult on me personally because of my Fergie review. I thought he was a decent person, but now he seems like a whiny little jerk.

I want to rip him a new one, but that would be mean, so I'll refrain.

[murlough23]

I want to rip him a new one, but that would be mean, so I'll refrain.

Sounds to me like he's already got two of 'em anyway.

[dgp11776]

Sounds to me like he's already got two of 'em anyway.

  How anybody can defend that horrible album is beyond me.

[murlough23]

  How anybody can defend that horrible album is beyond me.

I can see three possible reasons why someone would feel compelled to defend Fergie. Two on the front and one on the back. I believe the Black Eyed Peas wrote a song about 'em.

[danny316]

Responding to an Epinions stalker:

Which I'm assuming you know is me :-)

I don't know because I don't memorize the "thank you" sections of bands' liner notes.

Over the Rhine. You were spot on about hearing that influence.

Possibly "Moving On", but I don't recall hearing bells in any song, so they must be farther back in the mix.

That would be "The Waiting Room", and it was also noted fairly clearly in the liner notes. By the way, did you ever correct your mmhmm review? - those liner notes said it was a John Davis appearance and not a duet with the drummer (I've been stalking you for awhile, mwahahahaha).

Probably most of the ones with strings, and "Easy to Ignore" for the second part - I did see the buhl buhl mentioned in the liner notes, but didn't want to mention it knowing that nobody would know what it was, and because its sound was hard to describe and I'd already described quite a bit about the song anyway.

He's on nearly every track (although IIRC he did arrange strings too).

...and figuring out what instruments make the bizarre sounds is part of the fun of that album, if you ask me.

Aside from being their label boss, I don't recall. I don't remember whether he was in the producer's chair for this one. I mention Steve Taylor almost everytime I mention anything on the Squint label, so I was trying not to be redundant.

Yeah, producer.

I'd have to guess either "Puedo Escribir" or "Love", and if I actually credited Dale for either, then I was mistaken.

"Love" was the one with both Dale and Mark drumming.

Most of your nitpicks have to do with things I didn't mention rather than factual errors. I list a lot of details as it is; I don't feel the need to be totally exhaustive in listing trivial factoids.

Maybe it's just me, but I think that the musical details about the instruments used and such are just as important as the lyrical details. Sometimes I get the impression that you focus on the lyrics and never bother to look at the rest of the liner notes.

[murlough23]

Over the Rhine. You were spot on about hearing that influence.

Well, nice to know I wasn't just making things up.

By the way, did you ever correct your mmhmm review?

No. When things like that get pointed out to me I'll usually correct them, but I don't go over the liner notes with a fine tooth comb before writing the reviews.

...and figuring out what instruments make the bizarre sounds is part of the fun of that album, if you ask me.

Sure it is. In that particular case, I just didn't feel like bringing it up.

Maybe it's just me, but I think that the musical details about the instruments used and such are just as important as the lyrical details. Sometimes I get the impression that you focus on the lyrics and never bother to look at the rest of the liner notes.

I try to cover both for every song. There's always something that I'm going to miss, and if I stopped and checked the liner notes to make sure I included every single detail of every single song, it would take longer to write each review than it already does, which is longer than it takes most other people, and anyway, when's the last time you saw a professional review that went into nearly as much detail as someone on Epinions who writes half as much about an album as I do?

Sometimes I get the impression that you're just being anal retentive for the fun of it. I do this review thing for fun, and while I appreciate the feedback, you act like you've got some sort of expectation that I will be omniscient and remember every little thing that happens to be important to you.

[danny316]

I try to cover both for every song. There's always something that I'm going to miss, and if I stopped and checked the liner notes to make sure I included every single detail of every single song, it would take longer to write each review than it already does, which is longer than it takes most other people, and anyway, when's the last time you saw a professional review that went into nearly as much detail as someone on Epinions who writes half as much about an album as I do?

Sometimes I get the impression that you're just being anal retentive for the fun of it. I do this review thing for fun, and while I appreciate the feedback, you act like you've got some sort of expectation that I will be omniscient and remember every little thing that happens to be important to you.

True, you are more thorough than most people. You're really not that far from being as thorough as I'd like, though (and I do usually find your reviews to be worthwhile anyway). To some extent, I think it's a matter of "if you're going to be that thorough, why not just go the rest of the way?"

...but for the record, part of the reason why my reviews always took forever and have been extremely infrequent is because I do go over every word of the liner notes with a fine tooth comb. I've found that to be pretty useful, actually, since it usually gives me a better idea of what to listen for and keeps me from missing things worth mentioning, but of it does take more time than I can afford to spend on these things these days.

[murlough23]

True, you are more thorough than most people. You're really not that far from being as thorough as I'd like, though (and I do usually find your reviews to be worthwhile anyway). To some extent, I think it's a matter of "if you're going to be that thorough, why not just go the rest of the way?"

The answer is because I write the type of reviews that I would like to read. I want to know some details about every song - I don't necessarily need to know what it's all about, but I would like to get a feel for the type of lyrics that appear in the song and the mood being conveyed. I want to know what the music sounds like and which songs deviate, but I don't necessarily need a play-by-play. To be quite honest, it might be nice to still have some surprises when I listen for myself that maybe were things the reviewer didn't think to point out. We all notice different things.

For the most part, I started doing thing because I got sick of reviews in magazines that would rave about an album and call out standout tracks with a one-sentence description (usually of just the subject matter, maybe there'd be one detail of the sound of it mentioned if anything at all), and never mention that there were a number of filler tracks in the back half or whatever. I figured that if I went over every track, it would give people a better idea of whether they were getting their money's worth, or just buying an album of phoned-in fluff that tailgated off of one or two good singles.

My intent was never to be so "thorough" that there was no detail left undescribed. That approach, is quite, frankly, ridiculous. (Lots of folks already think the amount that  write is ridiculous, actually.)

And to be blunt, you're generally not the type of person I write these things for. You already go over things with a fine tooth comb, and I totally appreciate that and wish there were more music aficionados in the world who did that. But I'm trying to hook in the person who maybe doesn't listen as carefully, and say, "Here's some of the stuff you're missing; you should pay more attention." Of course I want people who listen more carefully like we do to get something useful out of it, too, but honestly, those folks are more likely to just listen and not need some review to tell them all the details... they just need to know that an album or artist is generally recommended by other listeners who do pay attention to detail, and they'll go off exploring on their own.

...but for the record, part of the reason why my reviews always took forever and have been extremely infrequent is because I do go over every word of the liner notes with a fine tooth comb. I've found that to be pretty useful, actually, since it usually gives me a better idea of what to listen for and keeps me from missing things worth mentioning, but of it does take more time than I can afford to spend on these things these days.

That's the main issue: time. I'm already looking to streamline my review writing process rather than lengthen it, because the way I've chosen to do it can already be a bit of a chore, and hobbies that become chores tend to get neglected. So I'm leaning towards finding a way to call out the highlights and discuss each track, but still be a tad more concise. I think it's clear from the way you did it that it became a chore and that's why you stopped doing it.

If I were getting paid for this (I mean, as an actual employee, not the meager income share that Epinions hands out, and I'd still write even if they didn't do that), it would be another story - but if I were writing reviews that appeared in any official publication, they'd probably be a lot shorter and a lot less fun for me to write, which is why I never pursued it professionally.

[murlough23]

Here's my Linkin Park review. I struggled to even find reasons to give it three stars, but it just barely made it.

http://www.epinions.com/content_367900331652

[murlough23]

This one was hard to write because there was just too much for me to accurately describe, and my interpretations of the lyrics are shoddy at best. But I fell in love with Anathallo's Floating World and wanted to let people know about it, so here it is.

http://www.epinions.com/content_373096353412

[Brenden]

http://www.epinions.com/content_375241150084

Had some downtime and wrote up a shorter review of Sun Kil Moon's Modest Mouse cover album, Tiny Cities.

[murlough23]

Here's a review of Lost Ocean's self-titled. It was a particularly tough one to write because while I like it and listen to it quite a bit, I couldn't find a whole lot to say about it from a critical perspective that would make it sound exciting to someone else. So it'll probably sound like my rating contradicts what I actually have to say about the album.

http://www.epinions.com/content_377795350148

[Aaron]

Some of us know how to use RSS readers to stalk Epinions. They have feeds available for each item and each author.

Some of us actually have lives.

[spacebrat311]

http://thecornerdorm.blogspot.com/2007/06/go-team-well-goes.html

Embarrasingly short, but I hit the ending I wrote and just didn't have anything else to say. I decided not to try to drag it out. I'm usually much more detailed.

[Brenden]

Reviewed Lifehouse's new album.

http://www.epinions.com/content_379774013060

[murlough23]

Reviewed Lifehouse's new album.

http://www.epinions.com/content_379774013060

I'm warming up to that one much more easily than I did the self-titled, but I can totally understand your reasons for rating it so low.

I reviewed a classic today - Caedmon's Call's self-titled album. Hard to believe the thing is 10 years old already.

http://www.epinions.com/content_387220147844

[murlough23]

Here's a review of Barenaked Ladies Are Men by the Barenaked Ladies, which is a not-so-brilliant follow-up to the brilliant first part of this collection that came out last year.

http://www.epinions.com/content_391707201156

[Wildcatblue7]

http://www.epinions.com/content_391926222468

Project 86--Rival Factions

[dgp11776]

http://www.epinions.com/content_391926222468

Project 86--Rival Factions

I'll buy that review. 

[murlough23]

http://www.epinions.com/content_391926222468

Project 86--Rival Factions

OK, you have officially piqued my interest. Congratulations.

NP: "My, Oh My", The Wreckers

[murlough23]

Here's a review of Bjork's Volta. Go easy on me, I'm a Bjork newbie.

http://www.epinions.com/content_399207075460

[bloop]

Other than the odd comparison to and criticism of a track that you're still wrong about, decent review.       

Overall, fair look at the album, though.  While maybe tossing out the odd number a bit hastily, I think you picked out the stronger tracks which, in this case, are those that make good on the more light-hearted pop album promise behind the album's marketing campaign.