Best Ever Albums

Re: Listening to and reviewing music critically.

Anonymous — Fri, 5 Feb 2016 11:15:26 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 02/05/2016 16:15

Gowi wrote:

I have a problem with falling into this trap but with electronic music and textures/layering I'm not really "fluent" with, which basically means most of it which I'm unafraid to admit. I'm not sure if listening fluency is the only thing I need to get out of this trap I've created, so I'm curious to what I can do to remedy this as well.

I mean people have different approaches. Personally, I describe the specific loops and what they evoke, because very rarely (never?) is an atmosphere a monolith - there are little bits that make up the whole. I like to weave webs of artists I think loops are reminiscent of or do impressionistic writing for these more abstract albums. I think this is where the flavor of writing specifically comes in. I partially forgive Fantano because comparing ambient music to chirping crickets or whatever is already hard enough to pull off in black and white, let alone coming out of the mouth of a melon, but in my mind it just clarifies further the limitations of YouTube-style "casual dude talking to a camera" reviewing. But I largely avoid writing about ambient music because I feel like for whatever reason certain Resident Advisor and Tiny Mix Tapes critics are able to really sell me on their descriptions without coming off as cliched on the one hand or up their own asses on the other (moooost of the time). I think I was ruined by premature exposure to RYM's infamous "train station" comparisons where every single fucking album with cassette static has something to do with fucking train stations.

This isn't in the realm of ambient music, but I think the impressionistic writing in this article, combined with a working knowledge of the idiom the composers work in, helps to clarify what are really quite opaque releases. The best music reviews don't just describe - they reveal. I haven't quite gotten there, but I hope to at some point.

Re: Listening to and reviewing music critically.

RockyRaccoon — Fri, 5 Feb 2016 10:44:42 GMT

Author: RockyRaccoon

Posted: 02/05/2016 15:44

I would also say, whatever an album makes you feel, write that.

Like, if you think the mood of the album reminds you of a foggy city street, then write that, whatever you feel in the abstract about an album is your own interpretation, so it's not wrong. People may wonder what makes you think that way, but they can't say you're wrong or something. If a Cattle Decapitation record makes you feel calm and at peace, write that.

I personally try to balance both the "feel" of an album, and an attempt at analyzing it technically (the instruments, the composition, etc) though I do the latter because I come from a musical background, so theory and instrumental proficiency fascinate me more than they do others.

The biggest key is to just keep writing. Even if it's shit, just keep writing and you'll get better at it. It's like any skill, you practice, and you'll find that you get better at vocalizing your feelings. Read music publications, see how their writers write so you can get a feel for your own voice. I, for example, try to avoid writing like anybody at Pitchfork because nine times out of ten I come away from one of their reviews saying "Yea, your trip to Boston was cool and all but what the fuck does this record sound like?". They go more for the "feel" and social context of music than anything else, and that's fine, just not my style.

Basically, just you do you and everything else will fall into place.

Re: Listening to and reviewing music critically.

meccalecca — Fri, 5 Feb 2016 10:34:26 GMT

Author: meccalecca

Posted: 02/05/2016 15:34

Satie wrote:

Also try to read reviews of the styles you're presenting as you go through and do background research on bands to put them in context.

Yeah. I think beyond just gaining the knowledge of jargon, people don't quite appreciate the effect reading has on writing. Writing often reflects what we read. We have a natural habit of mimicry. So if we read a lot of piss poor writing, our own writing is more likely to reflect it. This is in no way saying that if you read the work of Dostoyevsky, you'll be able to write like Dostoyevsky, but you'll likely subconsciously mimic some of his style in your own work. Not sure if this makes any sense at all.

Re: Listening to and reviewing music critically.

mickilennial — Fri, 5 Feb 2016 10:32:57 GMT

Author: mickilennial

Posted: 02/05/2016 15:32

Satie wrote:

boyd94 wrote:

It helps to be a naturally good writer, but really you need a wide-ranging taste and understanding of many genres and the vocabulary of each one.

Just start thinking objectively about what exactly you like about a piece of music, without using any value judgments like "good", "great", "awesome" and vice versa if you don't like something.

Describe the characteristics of a song or album. If you're writing for an audience, people aren't looking for your personal rating of the songs so much as an idea of whether it suits their tastes or not.

These are all good points. Also try to read reviews of the styles you're presenting as you go through and do background research on bands to put them in context. These reviews will familiarize you with the jargon and general rhetorical approach of people who care most about the genre, as well as deepening your understanding of genres you might not be quite an expert on. One of the most enduring criticisms of someone like Anthony Fantano (at least from people like me) is how much fluency they lack in a range of genres that they insist on covering "professionally" anyway. It leads to every ambient album ever being "atmospheric" or "immersive," but these are basic descriptions of what ambient music even is (granted with a positive connotation). For Fantano in particular, every electronic album in the past few years that hasn't had a 4x4 beat has had "trap-influenced beats." Try to avoid just making shit up in your quest to describe things.

Re: Listening to and reviewing music critically.

Anonymous — Fri, 5 Feb 2016 10:12:06 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 02/05/2016 15:12

boyd94 wrote:

Re: Listening to and reviewing music critically.

boyd94 — Fri, 5 Feb 2016 06:32:20 GMT

Author: boyd94

Posted: 02/05/2016 11:32

It helps to be a naturally good writer, but really you need a wide-ranging taste and understanding of many genres and the vocabulary of each one.

Just start thinking objectively about what exactly you like about a piece of music, without using any value judgments like "good", "great", "awesome" and vice versa if you don't like something.

Describe the characteristics of a song or album. If you're writing for an audience, people aren't looking for your personal rating of the songs so much as an idea of whether it suits their tastes or not.

Re: Listening to and reviewing music critically.

TheWestIsTheBest — Wed, 3 Feb 2016 23:41:10 GMT

Author: TheWestIsTheBest

Posted: 02/04/2016 04:41

Satie wrote:

Maybe start a music diary over in the Music Diaries subforum! Just post a BEA link to the album so that the album artwork shows up (top right corner of the post box, in case you don't know) and start writing your impressions of things you listen to. You don't need to worry about number ratings or saying anything original, but just get used to focusing on what you're listening to, thinking about some of the things Anti mentioned, and articulating it. You only get better at writing by writing, and you'll only get better at thinking about music if you think about music. Encourage people to discuss what you're listening to with you so you can better identify what you like and dislike about the music.

That sounds like a really good thing to ease myself into reviewing, I will try that out. Thanks for the reply!

Re: Listening to and reviewing music critically.

TheWestIsTheBest — Wed, 3 Feb 2016 23:40:06 GMT

Author: TheWestIsTheBest

Posted: 02/04/2016 04:40

Anti wrote:

TheWestIsTheBest wrote:

I'm new to the forums and the site, so I'm not sure if this is the appropriate thread to be posting this, so I apologize.

I'm a huge music fan as all of you here are, and I want to start reviewing music just for my leisure. But I'm struggling to listen to music in a focused and critical way, and was hoping I could get some advice as to come to express my person views on a piece of music intelligently and critically.

Any replies are appreciated, I am aware that this could be an incredibly stupid question so feel free to tell me I'm a dumbass. Thanks everyone and good day.

Don't worry about it being stupid, we've all been there!

I've always believed it just comes with experience and numerous attempts and listens. Starting thinking about how the album is as a whole, how do the pieces and parts of the album compliment each other, try to word out what specifically do you like or hate about said album. If you have trouble putting some thoughts into words, like I do, try reading and/or watching reviews and read/hear some descriptions from other people. Build up your vocabulary and understand what sound goes with what genre and so on. Try reading lyrics before you jump into a song, then listen and read along and think of a deeper meaning if applicable. Also helps to do some research, even if it is light research, on the artist of background or the making of the album.

This is how I listen to music. Of course other people will have their own ways. You'll just have to try it out and see how it goes!

Thank you for your reply! And those are good ideas and I will definitely work on all of those things. And the idea of reading lyrics before you listen is brilliant! I never would have thought of it, I will do that from now on.

Re: Listening to and reviewing music critically.

RoundTheBend — Wed, 3 Feb 2016 22:45:59 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/04/2016 03:45

Anti wrote:

Try reading lyrics before you jump into a song, then listen and read along and think of a deeper meaning if applicable. Also helps to do some research, even if it is light research, on the artist of background or the making of the album.

Thanks for reminding about this. I stopped doing this in the early 2000s because I didn't have a CD to look at or the interest left me, but that totally is how I'd really get into an artist... read the lyrics, the liner notes, etc. I think I only cared enough to read about an artist I already knew somehow... you know as that geeky fanboy, but terribly helpful as well for things you aren't familiar with, like a new band. Honestly wikipedia does a pretty good job of this. Sometimes I even feel like wikipedia is a decent source for band news... I find out stuff from there better than the website of the band or just a simple google search in news.

Satie wrote:

I didn't really understand the music diaries until now, so thanks for clearing that up. Also discussing an album with others. I mean I know that we have the album of the day, possibly for that purpose, but never really thought of doing such a thing on this site. I have this group of friends that I have invited to listen to albums in the dark (helps with isolating senses, a trick a jazz teacher taught me) and discussing it afterwards is fun.

Also, awesome thread/post. I actually love it when things start simple. Keep it simple stupid, right? Sometimes that's way more productive.

Re: Listening to and reviewing music critically.

Anonymous — Wed, 3 Feb 2016 22:27:19 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 02/04/2016 03:27

Maybe start a music diary over in the Music Diaries subforum! Just post a BEA link to the album so that the album artwork shows up (top right corner of the post box, in case you don't know) and start writing your impressions of things you listen to. You don't need to worry about number ratings or saying anything original, but just get used to focusing on what you're listening to, thinking about some of the things Anti mentioned, and articulating it. You only get better at writing by writing, and you'll only get better at thinking about music if you think about music. Encourage people to discuss what you're listening to with you so you can better identify what you like and dislike about the music.

Re: Listening to and reviewing music critically.

benpaco — Wed, 3 Feb 2016 22:15:46 GMT

Author: benpaco

Posted: 02/04/2016 03:15

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

sorry stone

Re: Listening to and reviewing music critically.

Anti — Wed, 3 Feb 2016 22:15:07 GMT

Author: Anti

Posted: 02/04/2016 03:15

TheWestIsTheBest wrote:

Listening to and reviewing music critically.

TheWestIsTheBest — Wed, 3 Feb 2016 21:28:41 GMT

Author: TheWestIsTheBest

Posted: 02/04/2016 02:28

I'm new to the forums and the site, so I'm not sure if this is the appropriate thread to be posting this, so I apologize.

I'm a huge music fan as all of you here are, and I want to start reviewing music just for my leisure. But I'm struggling to listen to music in a focused and critical way, and was hoping I could get some advice as to come to express my person views on a piece of music intelligently and critically.

Any replies are appreciated, I am aware that this could be an incredibly stupid question so feel free to tell me I'm a dumbass. Thanks everyone and good day.