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#92773 by IzzyFunderburke
Tue Dec 01, 2009 2:49 pm
Hey guys this week I’m doing two reviews one for metalheads, and one for everyone else. The first review (by request of Ryan) is
COLORS By Between the Buried and Me
Let me first start off by saying this album is NOT for everyone. The vocals in some of these songs are screaming, and some of the sudden changes in musical style may not be appealing to you. Second off let me say, if you can open up your mind to it this album is AMAZING! They blend progressive, scremo, melodic death metal, pop, alternative rock, and hair metal, into an INSANE mix, with great results. As you may know between the buried and me was influenced by Dream Theater and many other progressive metal bands. That being said this is there most technical album to date. Remember Selkies? Good song. Remember the sweeps at the end. Well you will find those all over this album. So much that it can feel like a huge guitar solo at times! It’s awesome. The album starts out with a nice piano solo strange and relaxing, but somehow awesome at the same time. Then leads into a full out metal militia. The strangest parts are the sudden genera changes like the country breakdown in ants in the sky. It’s funny but awesome! But my favorite track the one I recommend the most Prequel to the Sequel. A story about a TREE? Yeah, featuring awesome guitar and amazing drums this song has won the award in my book.
So overall this album is definitely not for everyone, but if you go into it with an open mind you will find greatness. 8 out of 10
Next review will come later today


what should the next review be?

ha

#92781 by IzzyFunderburke
Tue Dec 01, 2009 3:24 pm
yeah, i guess your right. But i dont want to start off my reviews with a ten out of ten.
#92785 by Ryan_Strain
Tue Dec 01, 2009 4:51 pm
Andrewawsome wrote:yeah, i guess your right. But i dont want to start off my reviews with a ten out of ten.


Yeah, save your 10/10 for The Great Misdirect

#92805 by Chippy
Tue Dec 01, 2009 8:19 pm
AA.
I've found you online a few times. Quite a following you have there. So you are a Music Critique?
#92806 by IzzyFunderburke
Tue Dec 01, 2009 8:20 pm
Ryan_Strain wrote:
Andrewawsome wrote:Yeah, save your 10/10 for The Great Misdirect
:P you read my mind
#92807 by IzzyFunderburke
Tue Dec 01, 2009 8:22 pm
Chippy wrote:AA.
I've found you online a few times. Quite a following you have there. So you are a Music Critique?
8) yeah, i love music
#92810 by Chippy
Tue Dec 01, 2009 8:24 pm
No doubt you do and I've read some of the things you have said too.
What do you base this on? I mean your critique?

What I am trying to say is this. What is your aim in critique?

Andrewawsome wrote:
Chippy wrote:AA.
I've found you online a few times. Quite a following you have there. So you are a Music Critique?
8) yeah, i love music
#92814 by IzzyFunderburke
Tue Dec 01, 2009 9:25 pm
i base it off three things 1. do I like it? 2. will the reader like it? and 3 mass apeal. will mainstream audiences like it.

#92815 by ColorsFade
Tue Dec 01, 2009 9:34 pm
I love this bit from Roger Ebert, discussing the job of the film critic, and reader reaction to said film criticism:

“But am I out of touch? It’s not a critic’s job to reflect box office taste. The job is to describe my reaction to a film, to account for it, and evoke it for others. The job of the reader is not to find his opinion applauded or seconded, but to evaluate another opinion against his own. But you know that. We’ve been over that ground many times. What disturbs me is when I’m specifically told that I know too much about movies, have “studied” them, go into them “too deep,” am always looking for things the average person doesn’t care about, am always mentioning things like editing or cinematography, and am forever comparing films to other films.”

“It’s true that many Americans have an active suspicion and dislike of the “educated.” They ask, “what makes you an expert?” when they’re really asking, “what gives you the right to disagree with me?” The term “college graduate” has become in some circles a negative. Hostility is especially focused on the “Eastern Elite,” to the chagrin of we Midwestern Elitists. To describe someone as a “Harvard student” is to dismiss them as beneath consideration. You can often hear the words “so-called” in front of words like scientist, educator, philosopher. I don’t believe this is intended to imply that the person involved is not a scientist, etc., but to suggest that no one calling himself such a thing is to be trusted–because he is no doubt many other undesirable things.”

“So let’s focus on those who seriously believe “Transformers (Transformers reviews)” is one of the year’s best films. Are these people wrong? Yes. They are wrong. I am fond of the story I tell about Gene Siskel. When a so-called film critic defended a questionable review by saying, “after all, it’s opinion,” Gene told him: “There is a point when a personal opinion shades off into an error of fact. When you say ‘The Valachi Papers’ is a better film than ‘The Godfather (The Godfather reviews),’ you are wrong.” Quite true. We should respect differing opinions up to certain point, and then it’s time for the wise to blow the whistle.”

“Those who think “Transformers” is a great or even a good film are, may I tactfully suggest, not sufficiently evolved. Film by film, I hope they climb a personal ladder into the realm of better films, until their standards improve. Those people contain multitudes. They deserve films that refresh the parts others do not reach. They don’t need to spend a lifetime with the water only up to their toes.”



Writing a review using the criteria of "do I like it?" isn't a review - it's an opinion. They're not quite the same thing.

The criteria of "will the reader like it?" is an exercise (futile thought it may be) in clairvoyance.


Sentences like, "if you can open up your mind to it this album is AMAZING! " scream of total amateur review writing. You're essentially just popping off the same way you would to your friends. "Transformers was awesome dude!" Then steps in your more evolved friend who looks you in the eyes with a questioning glare, as if to suggest you can't possibly be serious, and responds by saying, "Um, no, actually it sucked..."


If you want to be a critic, learn the art of (a) writing and (b) critiquing. Because just blathering on about "awesome!" and "sucks!" does not make you a music critic.
#92817 by IzzyFunderburke
Tue Dec 01, 2009 10:03 pm
well im still learning but ill take your advice.

#92820 by ColorsFade
Tue Dec 01, 2009 10:41 pm
Learning is great :-)

I do not, in any way, wish to discourage you from doing this. Don't take my post the wrong way.


Stephen King has some great advice in his "On Writing" book: "Read a lot and write a lot".

If you want to be a music critic (even in an non-professional manner) I strongly recommend reading a lot of reviews. Figure out what the paid professionals are saying and more importantly WHY they are saying it.

I consider myself an amateur film critic. I love good filmmaking; I write reviews on my blog. I read a lot of movie reviews. After a time, it gets easier to figure out who the really good writers are. I read more of them and less of the trash.


Being a critic of something - easy. Conveying your experience to a reader: hard. Writing is your tool, it's the craft.


A couple pointers on specific things:

"Let me first start off by saying this album is NOT for everyone."


Never write anything like that. It's not your job to determine that. It's your job to convey what the music *IS* and what it *IS NOT* and then let the reader decided.

Think about why you read a movie review or a music review: you're hoping that the critic has accurately portrayed the film or the music and that they've done a substantial job with the details so that you can then compare their experience against your own likes and dislikes -then you can make an informed purchasing decision.

When I read Roger Ebert's review of a film and he talks about poor dialog, bad writing, contrived or cliched plot devices, or poor cinematography, then I know that's probably not a film I want to see.


Likewise, with the particular album you reviewed - I am not quite sure what I'd be listening to. You spend too much time talking about "awesome" - but not enough time describing details.

How are the songs constructed? Are they long, short, a mix? Do they tend toward progressive elements or are they structured more in the standard forms? Time signature changes? Is the musicianship good, or merely average? Is the production and mixing helping poor musicians sound better than they really are? Do the songs have "hooks" or are they more thematic in nature? How many band members are there? What instruments do they play? What are the lyrics like? (most music reviews I read almost always quote a line or two of some lyrics that are particularly representative of the writing on the album). What is the song content like?( You mentioned Trees - is this a song about actual trees, or is is a metaphor like Rush's "The Trees"?). What other bands do they sound like, or draw influence from?

These are all questions that you, as a reviewer, can answer, thus giving the reader a really good idea of what they might be purchasing.

Paint a picture with words.

k

#92832 by IzzyFunderburke
Wed Dec 02, 2009 12:01 am
:o sounds good to me. Ill foucuse more on the music next time.

hey

#93023 by IzzyFunderburke
Thu Dec 03, 2009 6:55 pm
new post is up

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