For the sake of time and civility...

MUSIC COMMENTARY by The Mong

NEW
Eureka Machines – “Remain in Hope” = 2.0
Skillfully played and produced yet ultimately forgettable Prog-ish Pop.

Sky Ferreira – “Night Time, My Time” = 2.0
Insert Eureka Machines commentary here except swap “Pro-ish” for tween-ish.

OLD
Van Morrison – “Moondance” = 4.5
A beautiful classic. Minus one-half point for a little too much flute. “Jazz flute is for little fairy boys.”

Velvet Underground – “Loaded” = 3.0
Overrated (just like the band) even for its day, but “Loaded” has got its share of standouts (“Sweet Jane,” “Rock & Roll,” “New Age,” “Oh! Sweet Nuthin'”) that hold up better than VG’s other materials.

G’HITS
The Capstan Shafts
Good stuff. Comparisons to Robert Pollard (online) are not accurate; more like Tobin Sprout (both of Guided by Voices fame).

TOPIC
1. The automatic purchases- Name artists/bands that you will buy their new release without hearing it first.  Of those, which will buy unheard knowing that they probably will stink (the completest theory).

Hello, my name is Michael, and I’m a completest. It’s been three years since my last completest spree, but with the help of my sponsor, my friends who are still completests, and through embracing the power of Rhapsody, I no longer do any automatic purchasing, regardless of how much I love the artist.

2. Assumption- we all love a good guitar solo. So name songs that you feel the guitar solo is so perfect it should NEVER be altered. Even live.

Where to begin...? I’ll do a few off the top of my head:
“Side with the Seeds” – Wilco
“La Villa Strangiato” – Rush
“Taxman” – Beatles
“Good Golly Miss Molly” – Creedence Clearwater Revival
“Gold Top” – Supersuckers
“Carry the Zero” – Built to Spill
“Pearl Necklace” (closing solo) – ZZ Top
“Couldn’t Stand the Weather” – Stevie Ray Vaughn
“Grain of Salt” – John Doe
“Candy-O” – The Cars
“Mod Lang” – Big Star

3. Thicken your skin all. Provide one/two sentences that best describes each of our DYN reviewers' taste and expected review criterion for submissions.

For the sake of time and civility, I am going with review style over criteria:
Alan: Taste: Everyday / Review Style: Thorough and Intelligent
D’Arcy: Taste: Myopic / Review Style: Uncompromising
Greg: Taste: Narrow / Review Style: Honest
Jay: Taste: Unpredictable / Review Style: Scholarly yet Aggressive
Ken: Taste: Adventurous / Review Style: Knowledgeable and Clever
Mike: Taste: Inflexible / Review Style: Rough and Hilarious
Sandor: Taste: Kind / Review Style: Respectful and Dignified