dumbest music journalist term

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I prefer music that comes from the liver. The spleen is so last millenium.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 11 February 2003 23:20 (twenty-one years ago) link

frenetic?
i think splenetic is that red website with all those reviews every day...

― ben sterling (frozen in time), Tuesday, 11 February 2003 23:20 (twenty-one years ago) link

"compelling"

― Nick Mirov (nick), Tuesday, 11 February 2003 23:21 (twenty-one years ago) link

"felching"

― Jerry (Jerry), Tuesday, 11 February 2003 23:22 (twenty-one years ago) link

(I don't think anyone who uses the term actually knows the word's rather unappetising origin in gay San Francisco slang)

― Jerry (Jerry), Tuesday, 11 February 2003 23:23 (twenty-one years ago) link

"aw, bless" (or variations thereof)

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 11 February 2003 23:24 (twenty-one years ago) link

ILX

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Tuesday, 11 February 2003 23:25 (twenty-one years ago) link

everything that Mark Beaumont writes

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Tuesday, 11 February 2003 23:33 (twenty-one years ago) link

I think I've used just about all of these at one point or another (except maybe felching).

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 11 February 2003 23:35 (twenty-one years ago) link

off-kilter dynamics

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Tuesday, 11 February 2003 23:40 (twenty-one years ago) link

There's nothing wrong with "post-punk." It describes a rather specific sound and period....

― Patrick South (Patrick South), Tuesday, 11 February 2003 23:40 (twenty-one years ago) link

Someone should text search all these on robertchristgau.com and tally up the results.

― mark p (Mark P), Tuesday, 11 February 2003 23:42 (twenty-one years ago) link

cultural tourism

― robin (robin), Tuesday, 11 February 2003 23:46 (twenty-one years ago) link

"Ear Candy" and "SEMINAL"

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 11 February 2003 23:55 (twenty-one years ago) link

ew seminal ear candy

come to think of it "singer/songwriter" might become useful again eventually, it just isn't right now (heh except as in "nah, [x*] sucks; i'm into introspective singer/songwriters like eminem etc")

(*makes most sense if [x] = eg.destiny's child, but has greater potential if [x] = eg.wilco)

actually if it's meant derisively "s/s" is useful for exactly the reasons it sticks in my craw

― jones (actual), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 00:03 (twenty-one years ago) link

what about "the seminal 'is it all over my face'" from the disco not disco sleeve?

― zemko (bob), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 00:04 (twenty-one years ago) link

I'm with Ned on this one, guilty as charged.

Jerry, felching involves shit & clingfilm, right? I've never used that in a review! Got fairly close when writing about Simian once though..."I'd rather take a shit than hear any more of this. So that's what I did".

― Charlie (Charlie), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 00:04 (twenty-one years ago) link

oh oh!

"...and X is no exception"

― zemko (bob), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 00:06 (twenty-one years ago) link

ok that's not music but it's still terrible. my pet hate is still prob 'sonic'

― zemko (bob), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 00:07 (twenty-one years ago) link

charlie you sound like a really good music journalist

― zemko (bob), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 00:07 (twenty-one years ago) link

Who uses 'felching'?!

― mark p (Mark P), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 00:09 (twenty-one years ago) link

haha i wanted googlism to say "felching is safe" so i could say "tomas!!", but it didn't

― jones (actual), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 00:14 (twenty-one years ago) link

It's used when people mean "farting"... similar (well, in the same area) but rather fundamentally different usage of air. God, we editors are pedants.

― Jerry (Jerry), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 00:23 (twenty-one years ago) link

Or not. Thinking about it, farting isn't usually a sexual act

― Jerry (Jerry), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 00:24 (twenty-one years ago) link

Jones, Tomas stopped doing CD reviews! I was gutted when I found out.

― mark p (Mark P), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 00:25 (twenty-one years ago) link

― jones (actual), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 00:28 (twenty-one years ago) link

I don't know what you're eating, Jerry, but ...

― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 00:28 (twenty-one years ago) link

"life affirming"

― james devon, Wednesday, 12 February 2003 00:34 (twenty-one years ago) link

New Rock Revolution.

End of thread.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 00:48 (twenty-one years ago) link

"the new wave of new wave" (nice one NME)
"the scene that celebrates itself" - what in fucks name was that even meant to mean? I know it was bands like Lush and Moose... but it was so dumb.

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 01:02 (twenty-one years ago) link

there was a bit of a ruckus caused in ireland when an irish times writer described the irish "underground" scene as "the scene that celebrates itself"
so where does the expression come from?
who are lush and moose?

― robin (robin), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 01:09 (twenty-one years ago) link

Like Ned, I'm guilty on a whole pile of 'em. Oh well.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 01:41 (twenty-one years ago) link

any review that models itself after a culinary recipe.

strawmen of all kinds, but especially those that begin, "All electronic music is cold/boring/austere/etc., but [artist X] isn't." believe it or not, you still see this trope disturbingly often, at least in the US.

the very idea of "electronic music," though i've failed to come up with any better umbrella concept.

"genre-defying." though you see that more often in press-releases than actual rockcrit, thank god.

― philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 01:46 (twenty-one years ago) link

"Boy-Howdy"

― Dave Loewenstein (Davlo), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 03:02 (twenty-one years ago) link

"anthemic" - is this even a word? It gets red-lined every time I use it (which is way too often).

I also cringe & sieze up whenever I see "[X]pop" used, especially when the writer's trying to avoid the old [X]pop cliches.

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 03:15 (twenty-one years ago) link

In a compelling return to form, Radiohead's latest outing was recorded in only 8 splenetic weeks. The nu effort promises an etheral soundscape, velvets-esque in scope. It would appear that the band has absorbed a large dose of roots music as the old school pop sensibility exhibited is like Bob Marley meets Muslimgauze while listening to top 40 in a post-punk cathedral of sound. Its a pomo dose of sonic ear candy whose luscious pouting is genre-defying cultural tourism at its best. Natch it may seem surprising that Radiohead have eschewed the new rock revolution that their seminal OK Computer helped spawn (which I thought was pretentious and overrated); furthermore, the new record may dissapoint fans familiar with the cinematic experimental quasi-IDM of Kid A. Instead these adenoidal avant-garde heroes have manufactured a stellar and sure to be underrated document that proves that even after the felching terrorist attacks, the 00's are back and here to stay. Thom Yorke's signature plaintative yowl dwarfs the current crop of singer-songwriters, and even the off-kilter dynamics of his brief forrays into yodeling are nothing if not life-affirming. Lacking the padding used as filler by most other albums, the spontenaity of this new record is sure to satisfy those who require emo-cred with the price of admission. Boy-howdy, we can only hope that programmers are open-minded enough to play the anthemic new single on the radio!

[encompassing as many of your pet-peeves as possible as well as mine, this should prove to be the perfect review]

― Ryan McKay (Ryan McKay), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 03:20 (twenty-one years ago) link

sometimes though, shorthand

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 03:30 (twenty-one years ago) link

Ryan, you forgot "bucolic".

charlie you sound like a really good music journalist

dammit, where's that sarcasm font when you need it eh?

― Charlie (Charlie), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 04:03 (twenty-one years ago) link

The sarcastic font is: Wingdings

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 04:06 (twenty-one years ago) link

Ryan, the only problem is with "tone" and placement of natch. It's a rhetorical and snotty way of saying naturally. Like, "Kenny Lay got out of the SEC hearings with a warning, natch."

― bflaska, Wednesday, 12 February 2003 04:12 (twenty-one years ago) link

Ryan, you forgot "authentic." But the only word that ever got me feedback was using "deliquiscent" in a GVSB preview.

― j.lu (j.lu), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 04:30 (twenty-one years ago) link

Kudos to Philip's statements..there seems to be complete lack of fair and intelligent criticism of electronic music.

― --fook (Hayden), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 09:01 (twenty-one years ago) link

Felching is only acceptible when it is used in the phrase "bass-felching bombshell" and then it is the Best! Thing! Ever!

More gay slang should work its way into music journalism. "Give the microphone the dirty sanchez" surely has resonance and meaning...

― kate, Wednesday, 12 February 2003 09:51 (twenty-one years ago) link

"complete with"

"everything from ___ to ___"

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 10:05 (twenty-one years ago) link

"let's face it"
"admit it"
"___should break up" (except as applied to Bruce Springsteen)

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 10:23 (twenty-one years ago) link

when i usedta write music reviews my most overused phrase was "i dunno".

― duane, Wednesday, 12 February 2003 10:31 (twenty-one years ago) link

Isnt "felching" when they suck shit up though a straw? i'm being literal. or is it a type of fisting?

okay, u guys have left out these self-indulgent adjectives: "self-indulgent," "hooky," "crisp," "jangly," "ballsy," "fresh," "summery," "smooth," "silky"

even worse, as I've read reviews of so many vastly disparate albums with these same adjectives or phrases used to describe them: "off-kilter arrangements," "eclectic rhthyms" "genre-defying", "irresistable" ("irresistable grooves" aargh) and the most overused, even though i know its necessary sometimes: "melodic" - it's just so err..generic!! Don't ask me what you can use in its place, just find more than one subtitute, if you do.

also STOP all the food adjectives please: "sugar-coated," "delicious," "tangy," "tasty," "sugary confection," "sweet melodies," "spicy beats," I DON'T WANT A MENU AND PLEASE STOP MAKING ME HUNGRY

― Vic (Vic), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 12:32 (twenty-one years ago) link

nice work ryan

― charlie va (charlie va), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 13:44 (twenty-one years ago) link

"Trip-hop", surely.

― Orange, Wednesday, 12 February 2003 14:22 (twenty-one years ago) link

"outfit" to describe a band.

i always picture a bright orange department of corrections jumpsuit.

― otto midnight, Wednesday, 12 February 2003 14:41 (twenty-one years ago) link

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I'll be in the cold, cold ground before I stop using 'keybs.'

― Zwan (miccio), Monday, 3 July 2006 00:00 (seventeen years ago) link

xpost yeah, but "Surpassing all others, preeminent or supreme" how often does that happen; using it that way in a damn record review usually seems grandiose, not even carried away by enthusiasm for the music, but more like "This has to be important, because I'm reviewing it!" But also just sort of standard-yet-inflationary. And really the non-hype use , judging by context, really comes down to something like, "this album's not perfect, but more bad than good," or "succeeds in spite of itself," which is often the most interesting kind of thing to write and read about and maybe even listen to, I think! But I'm not saying it's not the mot juste sometimes, not trying to *ban* anything mentioned on here, really,that's why I mentioned the Rationing Board. (dammit, some things are "crisp," etc.; texture can very appropriate to mention, long as you don't leave it at that, or use that or any other term too often or too predictably.)

― don (dow), Monday, 3 July 2006 01:26 (seventeen years ago) link

four weeks pass...

there's so many threads about overused words/phrases on here, but i somehow didn't see anyone mention my biggest pet peeve in music criticism (maybe i missed it?): the word "unlistenable." how can sound be unlistenable?

here's an excerpt of a review on stylus today:

While searching for information regarding Camille's Le Fil, the most frequent description you’ll run into is that the album is "the French pop equivalent to Björk's Medúlla." A bit troubling, considering that the Matthew Barney stroke-a-thon is one of the most pretentious, unlistenable albums of the last five years.

ooh, the pretentious/unlistenable double whammy! i've heard medulla plenty of times now and i can't say it's ever occured to me to describe 45 minutes of sound as "unlistenable."

― spastic heritage (spastic heritage), Monday, 31 July 2006 16:09 (seventeen years ago) link

"fetid underbelly"

― shookout (shookout), Monday, 31 July 2006 16:53 (seventeen years ago) link

six months pass...

Is it still okay to say 'Cut to July 2006...' or whatever in a music feature, or has that been murdered through overuse?

― Nedpoleon (NedBeauman), Friday, 9 February 2007 21:18 (seventeen years ago) link

using that once is murdering it

― exayve (xave), Friday, 9 February 2007 21:25 (seventeen years ago) link

"Blog-ready" "blog-friendly" "blog-driven" etc.

Obviously it's forgivable to discuss blogs if you're talking about the marketing of a band, (which itself is quite overdone as a story these days), but it doesn't say one thing about the music, and it's always used to seem *in-the-know* but blase while avoiding actually saying anything new about the artist.

― A-ron Hubbard (Hurting), Friday, 9 February 2007 22:31 (seventeen years ago) link

Our radio station advisor sent out the weekly DJ playlist email describing Lily Allen as a "breakthrough blog-pop act". I suppose the right way for him to have said it is "MySpace-pop" but again that really doesn't lend any insight either.

― musically (musically), Friday, 9 February 2007 22:40 (seventeen years ago) link

BOXCAR

― senator second p. newcastle (a_p), Friday, 9 February 2007 22:43 (seventeen years ago) link

Our radio station advisor sent out the weekly DJ playlist email describing Lily Allen as a "breakthrough blog-pop act".

It's like calling a band "e-mail blastcore"

― A-ron Hubbard (Hurting), Friday, 9 February 2007 22:47 (seventeen years ago) link

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