Music Writing Question. Fellow Nerds, Please Read & Respond.

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I used to believe that critics should be specialists - be a metal critic, or a jazz critic, or a hip-hop critic, but don't be a generalist. I think I mostly held onto that belief because I felt sorry for bands chosen as that year's token genre-representative (Outkast, Mastodon) and then prattled about by a bunch of uninformed douchebags. These days, mostly because of the amount of time I've spent on various Internet fora talking to hyper-tuned-in and generally as-pretentious-as-they-are-defensive scene types, I've decided that total ignorance of the surrounding cult can in fact help a critic hear something new in a record. Plus, it's fun to piss people off by pointing out the goofiest aspects of the thing they're most passionate about.

pdf (Phil Freeman), Sunday, 7 January 2007 03:31 (6 years ago) Permalink

HOW DARE YOU IMPLY GOTHY SHOEGAZE TYPES ARE RETICENT oh wait.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 7 January 2007 03:33 (6 years ago) Permalink

is the question about critic's musical knowledge or or about being acquainted w/the musicians being criticized?

I read the latter. And mounting my hobby-horse, or one of them, this is traditional a huge problem/limitation of pop music journalism from glossy magazine writers to plugged-in indie scenesters.

Cameron asks good follow-up questions too. I'd say it's possible to be immersed in a cultural scene and still maintain a critical distance. Not only possible, but necessary. And I don't think critics shouldn't write feature stories, quite the contrary it broadens your perspective and keeps you HUMBLE. Where tje distance comes in is on the personal level, when a journalist starts developing extra-professional relationships the conflicts begin.

Not saying writers should be dis-courteous pricks in the name of integrity, but in my experience this issue is blithely ignored.

m coleman (lovebug starski), Sunday, 7 January 2007 12:56 (6 years ago) Permalink

there's nothing in the wiki piece nate quotes that wouldn't be explained in a quite small (classical) music-theory textbook -- which is sort of the problem, seeing as it REALLY doesn't give anything much away that's unique to rollins: it describes elements which schuller -- who is good on classical-esque analysis -- has discerned as being structurally significant in blue 7, but it doesn't get us very far with why YOU might think they're significant (unless you just absorb schuller's value-system without question) (which would be a bit of an un-jazz thing to do)

(to be fair i haven't read thr rest of the wiki piece, let alone schuller's original -- but i have read a lot of schuller down the years, and he is much better at providing a classical-style MAP to non-classical performance and composition than he is at explaining to outsiders which places on the map they might want to visit, and what they will get out of it when they do)

(my main issue with quasi-academic musicology is that -- to me -- it's only STEP ONE, with the all-important step two being the interweave of the music thus analysed with the writer's and/or the reader's life -- ie stepo one = "this is what's going on" and step two = "this is why it matters to know this", but it's such a MONUMENTAL step one in terms of time and study invested, and lots if not most of the folks who do that investing don't ever seem to move beyond it)

mark s (mark s), Sunday, 7 January 2007 18:18 (6 years ago) Permalink

Basicailly what I wound up taking away from that record is that Rollins makes improvising sound easy, can turn just about anything into bop (not even talking about Way Out West yet) and probably would've been a better choice than Tom Scott for the Taxi Driver score.

rock and roll for the rock and roll soul (nate_patrin), Sunday, 7 January 2007 18:24 (6 years ago) Permalink

5 years pass...

"drum & bass" vs "drum and bass" vs "drum&bass" vs "DnB"

which seat can i take??

also:

"track listing" vs "tracklisting" vs "track list" vs "tracklist"

TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 22 May 2012 10:27 (1 year ago) Permalink

drum and bass

tracklist

title track

long player

TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 22 May 2012 11:42 (1 year ago) Permalink

I say drum'n'bass.

Scary Move 4 (dog latin), Tuesday, 22 May 2012 11:51 (1 year ago) Permalink

Rhythm section.

Manfred Mann meets Man Parrish (ithappens), Tuesday, 22 May 2012 12:10 (1 year ago) Permalink

"I would suggest an archive search but I'm not sure of the best way to begin."

OH SNAP

scott seward, Tuesday, 22 May 2012 13:06 (1 year ago) Permalink

BOOYA!

scott seward, Tuesday, 22 May 2012 13:06 (1 year ago) Permalink

scott seward, Tuesday, 22 May 2012 13:07 (1 year ago) Permalink

CAMERON OCTIGAN,

scott seward, Tuesday, 22 May 2012 13:08 (1 year ago) Permalink

hoo boy i have fun in the morning. okay back to work.

scott seward, Tuesday, 22 May 2012 13:09 (1 year ago) Permalink

drümmandbaß

remy bean, Tuesday, 22 May 2012 13:10 (1 year ago) Permalink

to the original question "How much do you feel that knowing the artist effects your ability to be critical?" I recently wrote a review of an artist that i like and think is a good person. i didn't bash the new album at all, but i did include some criticisms of how it was executed / how well it did the things it seemed to be trying to do / how good the songwriting is / etc. anyway, the review ran but i still haven't linked to it from my fb wall bc i'm fb friends with the musician in question and i know logically that she'll eventually see it, but i feel kinda bad. obv the tension here is between doing right by ppl you like and being totally honest. probably the best thing to do is to stop liking ppl who make music so you never feel conflicted.

Mordy, Tuesday, 22 May 2012 14:54 (1 year ago) Permalink

how about "EP" vs "E.P."

40oz of tears (Jordan), Tuesday, 22 May 2012 15:13 (1 year ago) Permalink

Why not C.D. too?

the fey monster (ledge), Tuesday, 22 May 2012 15:15 (1 year ago) Permalink

D&B c'mon

fauxmarc, Tuesday, 22 May 2012 15:16 (1 year ago) Permalink

yet another reason to leave drum'n'bass firmly in the '90s where it belongs

liberté, égalité, beyoncé (lex pretend), Tuesday, 22 May 2012 15:23 (1 year ago) Permalink

I sure can't think of any other genres which follow the same problematic form.

the fey monster (ledge), Tuesday, 22 May 2012 15:24 (1 year ago) Permalink

what about the argument over whether or not you can put the X in HXC if it isn't specifically straight-edge hardcore

(which i'd argue is more 90's belonging - i mean psh whatev i still buy new d+b and mix it in)

fauxmarc, Tuesday, 22 May 2012 15:36 (1 year ago) Permalink

OH GOD D+B THERE'S ANOTHER ONE

fauxmarc, Tuesday, 22 May 2012 15:36 (1 year ago) Permalink

drum plus bass

40oz of tears (Jordan), Tuesday, 22 May 2012 15:38 (1 year ago) Permalink

i go by ebay:


1980s(6)

1990s(7)

Pop Vocals(11)

Africa: Sub-Saharan(1)

Alternative & Indie(56)

Ambient & Downtempo(4,321)

Asia: Eastern(9)

Bass(2)

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scott seward, Tuesday, 22 May 2012 16:36 (1 year ago) Permalink

@Mordy Less important to the artist in my experience is whether you liked it or not, and whether you wrote 'well' about it. If you're proud of the writing you should post it.

Kit and bass guitar fwiw

poxen, Tuesday, 22 May 2012 16:49 (1 year ago) Permalink

That has not been my experience. Artists can be very temperamental!

Mordy, Tuesday, 22 May 2012 17:15 (1 year ago) Permalink

To the original question. I don't think writers should write about people they know well. It's a conflict of interest. I have done it myself, but declared the conflict of interest to the commissioning editor, who didn't care. I think, unless your friend only ever makes impeccable music, it's impossible to be completely honest.

Manfred Mann meets Man Parrish (ithappens), Tuesday, 22 May 2012 18:07 (1 year ago) Permalink


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