Criticism on Criticism

Thanks y'all for the wise and witty words on criticism. It’s unsettling to play both sides of the fence when endeavoring to be an “artist” but now I have these blog postings to fall back on. It is all great food for thought and, actually, book-worthy stuff. In fact, I call dibs on the publishing rights for the future hit book, THE BEST OF THE COMMENTARY AND CRITICISM OF THE ‘DOWN OUR NOSE’ COLLECTIVE. Seriously, everyone’s input was a huge help to me.

Thanks again,
“The Mong”

Feel Good June

Radiohead

Some will say this is the beginning, I always thought it was an end. It is with this cd that one can see how they went from a creative guitar rock band to one of the most creative studio bands. Problem I liked the songs they wrote better when they wrote around guitars. And on the Bends there is some truly creative guitar moments wrapped around some truly classic songs. Fake Plastic Trees is a song that deserves to be compared to all rock classics. But the Bends, High and Dry and Iron Lung are just a few of the many songs that stay with you long after the listening is over. Yes Radiohead have created some interesting music in their careers, I just miss them as they once were. 4.5

Built to Spill

Love the music, can do with out the voice. Some great songs on this disc, but as I play them over the voice seems more a distraction than the driving force I think the band intends it to be. It’s a shame because the songs are quite good. Strong guitar parts with some catchy riffs. Followed by a strong bass and drums throughout the cd. I think this will become one of those cd’s where I will take the songs individually and in small doses. enjoyable. 3.0

Foxboro Hot Tubs

Why do bands feel this need to hide behind false names when they feel the need to flex their creative fingers? So what if this isn’t the great answer to American Idiot, truthfully what will be? Instead Green Day has created a great pop album that strongly owes a lot to Garage and British bands of the late sixties. Just think how much airplay Mother Mary, Broadway and actually every song on this cd would have received if it was released under the Green Day moniker. And it’s a shame because the songs deserve it. On this cd you find some of their best playing by all three members accompanied by fine moments of organ in the background. This cd will probably in time get its just reward in the Green Day catalog but until then I will file it next to my Soft White Underbelly, Bent Back Tulips and Dukes of the Statosphear cd’s. 4.0

Heavy

Why do musicians feel this need to distort their vocals through technology? What is this need to make it distorted scratchy and old style radio. Just sing the songs. You have a decent voice use it. Heavy do this far too much. Why I don’t know. Maybe it’s the fact that the songs are not that strong and that the only way to distinguish them is to change the sound of the voice track. So what we are left with is a forgettable cd with nothing that truly stands out as a great track. 1.5

Elton John

Why is it certain artists need certain people around them in order to maintain their own standards. Elton John is like that for me. As long as Nigel Olsen was in the band he seemed to really put out quality work. While discussing which songs belong on an Elton John’s greatest hits cd will be left to my brother, as he is far more a fan than I, I was pleased that Mike chose only songs from the Nigel Olsen era. I probably would have chosen differently, (Levon, Take Me to The Pilot, Empty Garden, Someone Saved My Life) but it was a nice mix.

Everyone one is critic. Whether we buy, burn or just decide to listen are all forms of criticism. What makes music so hard to review is that it is the one form of media that actually impacts us on all aspects senses. Many a memory is formed around what music was playing at the time. Sentimental yes but sentimentality goes long and deep. It is why at times it is painful to hear something you treasure torn apart in the name of witty banter.

It is far easier to be negative than positive. Too often we are ready to pounce on our preconceived notions on what a piece of music should sound like, not what it actually does sound like. If you go onto the blog words like retro, genre are thrown about as catch alls. Is this really reviewing the music, or just another way to create pigeonholes for a piece of music to fit what you want it to sound like?

And in reading the blogs, there are at times some truly nasty reviews. True some music may not stand up well or last in time, but does the music or the person who submits the cd deserve to be attacked. Why so much anger? It’s probably because music is so personal and when something interrupts what should be ideal, well then it needs to go away.

So how do we correct this? I find the best reviews that I find are the one written by people who are willing to review the music with a clean slate. Judge it as a piece of music that stands on its own. Use reference points to help those who do not understand who is being judged. Not as an excuse to make a quick jab in what the music ought to be.

Get rid of humor? Please don’t. There are plenty of opportunities that all types of writing can be used to describe what you have listened to. After all comedy is a lot harder to write than anything else, and if one can incorporate it into a balanced review more the better for us readers.

So if we are to write better reviews than it will be up to us to be better reviewers. Go in with an open mind, and then judge it fairly. We rate records for a reason, and not every cd deserves a five. However an honest opinion on why it’s a one to the reviewer is truly a good review.

Notes from Generally Inclement Connecticut

The Mong
Music Group Commentary
June 2008

BUILT TO SPILL – “KEEP IT LIKE A SECRET” = 5 STARS
Seminal guitar rock. Easily one of the greatest guitar albums of all time.

FOXBORO HOT TUBS – “STOP DROP AND ROLL!!!” = 3.5 STARS
Fun Rockabilly-Punk Pop via “Green Day” by way of Stiff Little Fingers with Zombies-esque ballads thrown in for good measure. I predict score revisions up after more listenings by year’s end.

THE HEAVY – “GREAT VENGEANCE AND FURIOUS FIRE” = 2 STARS
If I find myself in the mood for semi-ironic cool meets faux-funk, this’ll be my first stop.

RADIOHEAD. – “THE BENDS” = 5 STARS
“The Bends” and “OK Computer” are the ones where Radiohead put as much effort into songwriting as being groundbreaking. “The Bends,” already thirteen years old, is a superb release that stands the test of time.

G’HITS – Elton John a.k.a. Captain Fantastic
You all have the recent D’Arcy topic question, “What was the first song that you remember really liking?” to thank for this G’hits. My answer was, “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting,” which helped me remember that E. J. was my all-time-favorite artist from my earliest memories until about 1976, when I discovered KISS. I got hold of Mr. John’s ’69-’76 re-issued/re-masters and was amazed that it’s taken me this long to revisit this stuff. Say what you will about how his music became a Corporate Rock cornerstone or the direction his music went after his celebrity became (apparently) more important than the music, this early stuff has the scope and integrity that I’d put on par with the Beatles and the Who (e.g.: “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” and “Pinball Wizard” covers, which are included as bonus tracks on these re-issues). End of the day, if you’d argue that David Bowie is cool and relevant (and I would too), can you really dismiss Captain Fantastic?

My Topic Question:
When I watched the “children’s” animated movie RATATOUILLE I was struck by the truth of the following quote (for - perhaps - obvious reasons) from the critic character, Anton Ego, which is clearly the artist/filmmakers’ voice as much as it is the character’s words: “In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations: the new needs friends.” So, keeping that in mind, the question is: How can we criticize more responsibly with less self-indulgence, perhaps even more kindly, “in the discovery and defense of the new,” or should we even bother trying?

The Question’s Context/“Answer”:
Awhile back, I stepped away from music group for a lot of reasons and, pondering over things, the above quote definitely encapsulates a good part of my desire to no longer participate. Hanging out with fun people and drinking beer won but these thoughts (encapsulated in that quote) still occur because I had previously crossed this threshold in the 90s when I was in a “band to watch” band and also writing film criticism (for the since defunct “Hartford Planet”), comic book criticism (for “Strictly Independent”), and music criticism (for America Online/AOL). Back then I decided to no longer write criticism – even though being published with some regularity was a small but nice supplement to my less-than-consistent monthly income – because, well (like now), I was feeling like a walking contradiction and big time hypocrite, complaining openly about unfavorable spoken and published criticism of my own work and then publicly criticizing others’ artistic efforts. And now here I am: again a “critic” and without even a sorely needed supplemental income to weigh and balance. With all this in mind, from my first music group posting, I have semantically classified my writing as “commentary.” But, end of the day, it is indeed criticism, often mean-spirited but, not to crucify myself too much, often in the “defense of the new,” too. So, clearly the topic this month is as much a request for you to contribute to my peace of mind (or shatter it more so) as it is a question. I don’t really have an answer to my own question. That’s why I asked.

This Months More Responsible and Sensitive to One's Feelings Synapsis

It was lovefest Music Club style as the boyz from the suburban hood gathered to respectfully review each other's discs. All recordings received an average score better than 3 with Radiohead rocketing to the number 2 spot all time. Ignorance award goes to yours truly for not knowing FHTs (initials are for you D'Arcy) was in fact Green Day. So join me in giving myself a big DUH (not initials for D'Arcy). I am also a proud co-recipient of the Meanie award for totally dissing Elton John. I share this with Monsta who basically stated in his topic response "I will continue to be the prick the world knows" in my reviews. We also learned that Jay's daughter unequivocally thinks we are his 'loser music friends'. Can't wait to meet her in a dark elementary school alley....

After disposing of a few pitchers of beer, discussing movies- all while holding hands- we adjourned where we gang beat the nearest homeless guy. This helped us keep our kinder-gentler reviewing mood more responsible.

Next Month;
OLD- D'Arcy/Mike M
NEW- Greg/Jen
Host, Ghits, Topic- Jay

Meeting Date- July 22nd.

June Based on Genre and Personal Tastes

Foxboro Hot Tubs- Stop Drop and Roll

Another garage-y-rock band. Must be the new fad- not that I am complaining mind you. The FHTs strive to go backwards to year 1966. There are Zombies and Monkees musical references and a polished raw sound from practice and rehearsing to sound that way. The supposed single “Mother Mary” is the weakest song and side II (songs 7 on) being the best at nailing their desired aura. It’s Green Day if they decided to do their throwback 60s disc. (3)

The Heavy- Great Vengeance and Furious Fire

Another semi-blind pull after hearing one song. Great Vengeance is an afro-centric, heavy thumpin’, Fishbone meets Sly Stone romp. Sweaty and boozy, where the feel outweighs getting it just right. Songs vary without being hodge-podge and many songs take on a life of their own. Took until the second listen to get it and then I had it good. (4.0)

Built to Spill- Keep it Like a Secret

BTS’s music is loopy, strange and sound like they haven’t rehearsed, which is the appeal to me. Sure Martsch sounds like Neil Young. He can’t help it genetically, but musically they are completely their own sound. The guitar work is impossible characterize with the riffs and melodies being whiny and not straight forward. “The Plan” makes a dramatic opening statement which is continued throughout. (3.5)

Radiohead- The Bends

Historically I have never jumped on the Radiohead band wagon. At one point I reviled them. Okay I was harsh. Now 13 years old I have come to appreciate this release. It is a tad on the slow side but it has some beautiful songs, “High and Dry” and “Fake Plastic Trees” (though Yorke hates the former). Being force fed The Bends has forced me to go and get Pablo Honey and OK Computer. I still think the rest since is shite. (3)

Elton John

My favorite memory of Elton is sitting in a Parkersburg hotel parking lot drinking god knows what at about 3 am with Jay Valigorsky. We decided then that Elton John was the 70s. Since then Elton has fallen precipitously in my hierarchy of rock/music gods and in my opinion has become a caricature of himself. I even find the majority of his old greats boring and self-indulgent (except Yellow Brick Rd which I still like except for that awful song “Bennie and the Jets”). That said I did not enjoy the Elton John mix.

Topic

How can we criticize more responsibly….

I remember getting an earful when I use to rate discs within their genre, which I feel critics should be actually comparing a release to – their genre. Can’t compare Black Sabbath (Ozzie years) to Carole King’s Tapestry. This brings in a critic’s own personal tastes. If I like metal and not adult contemporary well guess which one gets a better review. I read a review of a show my daughter went to (Aaron Carter) and the reviewer trashed it. My wife was there and 12,000 girls were screaming having the time of their life, dancing, singing…etc. Who is more right? The 40 year old reviewer or the tween who the show is catered to.

I think critics can fill a valuable role but it is only valuable if there is other information about the critic disclosed. I created Music Club based on a premise I had for a review magazine. Have multiple people review a disc but the critics would make public what their favorite artists, styles were. This way the reader can make a determination as to how valid the review is. A Sinatra fanatic panning a Dylan release makes sense, but if a Dylan fanatic pans a Dylan disc, that holds water. Or, if the Sinatra fan loves the Dylan disc and I am a Sinatra fan, well maybe I’ll try that Dylan disc.

In summary, a critic to be more responsible needs to cite how the reviewed item falls within the genre and the critics personal taste affects their opinion.

Boring June Post

Radiohead – Thought I had it but didn’t. Didn’t listen. Got the latest one and thought it was un-listenable. Sometimes I think these guy’s reputation oversteps their actual musical accomplishments. I know Bends is one of their best, so I’ll find it and listen.


Heavy – Since I never pay attention to what’s new and what’s old, this was interesting to listen to and wonder for a time. Until it mysteriously became an Art Brut record for two songs towards the end. But that’s not a bad thing, just a weird thing. Not particularly my cup of tea, but much of it has a certain vibe to it that is irresistible. It sometimes comes off as sort of a weird cross between Jon Spencer and just about any 60’s soul artist. I could do without the processed vocals (I hate that on any artist – even my heroes Sonic Youth and Guided By Voices) and the retro scratchy vinyl sound is unnecessary. So overall interesting, so it gets a 3.


Built to Spill – I love the sound of this record. Noisy guitar stuff usually works for me but, and this may sound contradictory or simply stupid, too often this just isn’t as good as it sounds. Certain noisy parts, riffs and certainly the solos sound great, but they are not framed by great or in some cases even good songs. Decent, but not great. Still, Built to Spill is a great, usually interesting, guitar band band. I’m generally not on the Doug Martsch bandwagon to the extent that many are, including Mike here, but I’ll listen to this more. 3.5


Foxboro Hot Tubs – This whole thing is great, from the overall concept to the packaging to the sound of the songs to…well, at first, I really didn’t think the songs were that strong and had originally thought this was way overrated. Further listens – more than my usual two – revealed it to be a sneaky good record. Often, songs that are so derivative sound familiar on first listen and therefore not new or interesting. This one just took a couple extra listens to hit home with me. 3.5

Question

The question is - are we trying to be real critics or are we just offering up opinions based on our somewhat limited exposure and inherent prejudices. Here's briefly where I'm coming from. I get to listen to music I want to about 10 hours a week if I’m lucky and I’m not going to spend a lot of that time listening to something I don’t find instantly appealing because I want to enjoy as much of that 10 hours as possible. Plus I buy 10 things a month. Hard to fit it all in. If I got paid for this and spent 50 hours a week listening and writing, my tastes would broaden, and I would be more accepting of things I hadn’t heard before. And if I listen to something enough, it’s really easy for me to find something good about it. That’s why I generally don’t listen to anything more than two or three times. My opinions are based on my immediate reaction to that particular CD. That being said, the record will show that I’m am the most lenient reviewer of all of us, so despite my advanced age and clear prejudices toward 70s punk and all things Neil, I think I try to give everything at least a small chance. But in the long run, I’m not a critic, I’m just critical and I’m writing what I feel based on my tastes. And occasionally, I try to be entertaining. And I don't feel bad when others don't like my selections. I just consider it a character (not to mention taste) flaw on your part, not mine, for christsake. (note to the group - those that didn't like Somerdale were in lock step with Neil Noseforbeer on that one - 'nuff said!)

I got your more responsible reviews right here....

Foxboro Hot Tubs – Must say that Green Day’s last two made me reevaluate my opinion of them. “American Idiot” was an important, mature, punk record that seemed to come from nowhere. This one is an off the cuff, 180-degree turnaround. Its a blast from start to finish, full of stolen riffs (“Alligator”), cheesy Farfisa organ fills (“Ruby Room”) and all-out garage rock (“Pieces of Truth”). Clever of them to release it under another name and take the “American Idiot” follow-up pressure off themselves. 4 stars

The Heavy – I had no idea what to expect and was pleasantly surprised. Nice mix of funk and rock Good vocals, great horn section, well-written songs. Sort of a mix of the Black Keys, Sly, Prince and Fishbone. One beef: can we all agree that the under-production thing has been overdone, especially the vocal distortion and faux-vinyl sound? We can? Great. That said, it’s an enjoyable disc, “Dignity” and “Girl” are the two standouts. 3.5 stars

Built to Spill –Fearless Leader sent me a bunch of discs by these guys last year. This one is not my favorite. However, it is a solid album owing to the very nice guitar grooves that are on each track. The lyrics and vocals are suspect, but in the end it’s all about the noise with this band, and they deliver more often than not. 3 stars

Radiohead – For a long time, I’ve believed that Radiohead is one of the most over-rated bands ever. Though it pains me to say it, I was wrong. It seems every time I hear them, I like what I hear, and this disc is a good example. Very U2-ish, particularly “High and Dry” and “Fake Plastic Trees”. The highlight for me is “Black Star”, which is perfect. A few lesser tracks drag this one down a little, but the guitar work, production and sound throughout is all top-notch. 3.5 stars

Elton Ghits – A single disc Elton g-hits is an exercise in futility. To put it in perspective, this CD only covers 5 years of EJ’s career, ignores most of the hits, and leaves out several songs from those years that to me are career highlights (“Harmony”, “Funeral for a Friend”, “Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters”). Not trying to pooh-pooh Mike’s disc, it’s very good, but there’s just too much to chose from. A true EJ G-hits is a 4 disc set minimum. One of the true greats whose “celebrity-ness “ too often overshadows his excellent work.

Discussion Question

I disagree with the premises laid out in the question’s preface, particularly the statement that intimates the only way to take a risk as a critic is “in discovery and defense of the new”. It is equally risky to take a stand against something others are fawning over. I also believe that while a piece of art is needed for a criticism to be written , the criticism itself is no less of an artistic expression.

How we can criticize more responsibly and with less self-indulgence? There’s always the beloved Ken Boucher genre card, where we accept we have biases against certain types of music and as such can’t judge it fairly. It isn’t always applicable, and sometimes its just plain lazy to fall back on that. We could also write reviews that start with “well, I don’t have the ability to create this myself, and I respect the time and effort that went into it, blah, blah, blah”. But, this reeks of a handholding “Kumbaya”-singing mentality where everybody is ok, and lets not keep score because the members of Somerdale and Mike Patton are people just like Ray Davies and Joe Strummer, and we don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.

I am not capable of creating anything half as good as the worse piece of crap we’ve listened to (Matisyahu). I am also not qualified to be president, but I still voice my opinion as to who is. I’m not a chef, but I know a good meal when I’ve had one. Self-indulgent? Sure. Could I be “less critical” in my criticism? Sure. Will I bother trying? Unlikely. It IS fun to write scathing reviews every now and then, and if this little group isn’t fun, why bother?

And by the way, I thought “Ratatouille” was lame

Greg's June Stuff

Foxboro Hottubs – Stop, Drop & Roll - 3

The rockabilly sound caught me off guard. I was half expecting a variation of Green Day, but was pleasantly surprised with what I got. I like Billy Jo Armstrong, and I had no idea that the rest of the band was here too. Although it didn’t take very long to get through the entire disk I still really enjoyed it, it was just enough that I didn’t get sick of it. Okay, I get it, let’s make a cd that sounds really familiar to the older crowd and one that is really catchy to the younger crowd by borrowing everybody else’s riffs, was this something about the album that I missed? They had “My Generation”, “Summertime Blues”, even the Fratellis and many more, it’s a cool idea, but it only made me want to listen to the originals.

Heavy – Great Vengeance and Furious Fire - 4

This was a really good cd. Dignity is a kick ass song. Although, again, what's with the stealing riff (sample) thing. This song was clearly “Gimme some lovin” by The Spencer Davis Group. Good stuff though, I really liked the raw feel of the disk, it reminded me of what The Cult was trying to accomplish with Electric. All in all I thought that this was one of my favorite cds of the past few months. It’s not Amy Winehouse or Pygmy Love Circus, but it’s good.

Elton John - Greatest Hits

Love him or hate him he’s been a tremendous factor in modern music. I wish that he’d write more with Bernie Taupin, but he seems to be doing pretty well on his own. If I here Benny and the Jets live one more time I will probably punch my radio. That is probably the only song that I can’t tolerate by Sir John. The sad thing was that I liked The Lion King soundtrack, but that's because it reminds me of when my boys were young.

Built to Spill – Keep it like a Secret - 3

I’ll admit that after Mike’s question I listened to this month’s selections very differently. I am a much kinder gentler critic now. I thought that this disk was listenable, but I really couldn’t get it to click for me. It was actually good and I have nothing bad to say about it but it might be one of those cds that I appreciate more when it gets randomly played on my iPod.

Radiohead – The Bends – 5

These guys are genius. Maybe there is another band out there that started the sound that Radiohead has, but I can’t imagine one doing it as well. Tom York might be the oddest looking guy with the voice voted to least likely be a successful singer, after Mick Jagger, but it works.

Question: I lost the original question, so here’s my answer from what I remember to be the question.

It is much easier to criticize than it is to look for the positive in something. I have made a conscious effort to look for the good in everything. I’m not there yet, but I am certainly more aware when I do critique something. Critics job is to be critical and give the consumer a “non-biased” view of what they might consider buying. Unfortunately, they don’t know the consumer’s taste so they’ll base it on their own or generalize. Some of my favorite bands and movies were panned. If listen to anything long enough and it becomes familiar enough, you’ll learn to enjoy it. That’s average looking girls at work become more attractive after you work with them for a while. Anyway, I lost Mike’s original paper copy of this month’s question, so I hope I was at least in the right direction with my response. Great question, Mike.