Music Criticism in Video Form

Oh nice, I just discovered them (from the footer of an email organizing an interview with another band I like which is the weirdest way I've discovered a new band).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkqsexgTXYg&feature=youtu.be&t=97

https://youtu.be/LkqsexgTXYg?t=97

Jesus.

still better than the new Eminem record

that is one of the bleakest things I've ever seen

Copied across from this thread - Most Harmful Strand of Contemporary Music Criticism

Damn, I would have it included had I known it was a thing (I don't listen to podcasts).

Come to think of it, there should also be a 'Fantano' option.

― pomenitul, Monday, January 20, 2020 4:32 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

i was gonna say that what i described might not be considered "criticism," but... fantano's a "critic" so i think it should count

― american bradass (BradNelson), Monday, January 20, 2020 4:34 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

I don't remember what Fantano's approach is... how is it distinct?

― Evan, Monday, January 20, 2020 4:36 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

but i also may be overdoing it in even suggesting it's a "thing," i've only encountered it in one place, i hate it regardless!!!!! xp

― american bradass (BradNelson), Monday, January 20, 2020 4:37 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

no one remembers what fantano's approach is

― american bradass (BradNelson), Monday, January 20, 2020 4:37 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

Well then why do we insist on memeing about how terrible he is? Not setting up to defend him. I haven't watched his reviews so I'm curious.

― Evan, Monday, January 20, 2020 4:40 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

oh i thought you were familiar with him and yet his approach to reviewing is so unremarkable it just vaporized completely from your mind

anyway he just kinda reacts to a record without saying anything interesting about it

― american bradass (BradNelson), Monday, January 20, 2020 4:42 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

fantano's approach is to try to get me to hate-click his forever-yt-recommended videos by growing the most hideous moustache he can manage

― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, January 20, 2020 4:43 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

lmao

― american bradass (BradNelson), Monday, January 20, 2020 4:45 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

Here's a typically dismal sample:

Was there really no competition when he first started out?

― pomenitul, Monday, January 20, 2020 4:45 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

Fwiw it probably helps that he performatively embodies what most people conjure up in their minds when they think of a 'music nerd'. Still, I'm baffled by his overwhelming success – has anyone else even come close to the sheer of amount of views he's racked up over the years?

― pomenitul, Monday, January 20, 2020 4:52 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

See yeah I know a bit about who he is and who his audience is, but I've tried very hard to not click his videos even out of curiosity because at the very least I really don't want him popping up in recommended (as much), so his "style" of reviewing as would be classified by this poll is a mystery to me.

― Evan, Monday, January 20, 2020 4:56 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

I think his success has a lot to do with the fact that youtube and his target audience do go well together. And he is probably good at doing all the youtuber things that one must do to stand out (entertaining editing, length, SEO techniques for creation of thumbnail, titles, etc.).

― Evan, Monday, January 20, 2020 5:01 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

I actually watched a couple of his reviews. His style is to spread widely and not go into depth, make some jokes, say which tracks he likes / doesn't like. Under the memelord banter it's a very conservative old-fashioned approach really, as much as he calls himself a "music nerd" it's designed to be as easy to dip into as possible, so I can see why people watch his videos as much as I hate them. His taste in music is suspicious, I remember him slating Lil Peep while he was alive, then after the critical tide turned with his death he decided he decided he liked him after all, with no acknowledgement that he'd changed his view.

― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, January 20, 2020 5:04 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

are we gonna skip over his alt right bullshit

― Οὖτις, Monday, January 20, 2020 5:10 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

If we want to get into that there might be a better thread. I'm just talking about his music reviews and how they might relate to the poll options.

― Evan, Monday, January 20, 2020 5:12 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

xp yeah he has never apologised for that horrible "questions for sjws" video, but we do have a thread to discuss that. I do like to share it with people on twitter who like him and don't realise.

― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, January 20, 2020 5:16 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

Didn't his defence essentially consist of 'it's just a prank bro'?

― pomenitul, Monday, January 20, 2020 5:18 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

Fwiw it probably helps that he performatively embodies what most people conjure up in their minds when they think of a 'music nerd'. Still, I'm baffled by his overwhelming success – has anyone else even come close to the sheer of amount of views he's racked up over the years?

― pomenitul

he got famous the way most people get famous - impressing one or two powerful people, who then decided it would be a good idea to promote him. this is how youtube and social media work.

― revenge of the jawn (rushomancy), Monday, January 20, 2020 7:57 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

I don't really like Fantano either but I don't see how what he's doing is harmful. He reminds me of those old WRC guys like George Starostin or John McFerrin except he's reading his reviews instead of typing them. I know he's got a bad history pandering to the 4chan/reddit types who made him famous but he just seems more annoying than bad

― frogbs, Monday, January 20, 2020 11:43 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

Here's a random list of YT music critics I've never heard of aside from the ubiquitous no. 1:

https://www.thetoptens.com/youtube-music-critics/

Is anyone familiar with the others?

I know Spectrum Pulse because he also writes up his reviews on RYM. He's a good reviewer I think - his written review of Foxing's last album was a superb appraisal that made me return to it afresh

I correctly guessed who the top three would be, even though I'm barely familiar with #3.

Think I've seen a couple of Todd reviews too but he seems much more of the sniping-at-shitty-pop-culture type, which is a bit boring

I reckon I could do a good yt review channel but what's the point really

$$$

I mean

£££

I'd subscribe to your YT channel fwiw.

Would need to think of an original and interesting hook

Fantano, for all his faults, is regarded ecstatically by bands and artists he promotes - obviously they know it's a ticket to publicity but I think they regard him a little differently than we do. I guess ilx is full of salty current and former critics ;)

well that seems about right that he's respected by bands and artists for paraphrasing their one-sheets

i'm neither a current nor former critic and i still think he's a witless cunt

Does anybody know if a particular Fantano review really blew him up? Or was it steady growth?
I first became aware of him around 2010/2011 when he was posting links to his videos as reviews on RYM.

it's a real shame the fantano exposee article was such a hack job as there was some very concerning stuff which was never addressed. I think he's done an effective job of changing the subject and moving on, having an army of fans must help of course. also he seems to post a lot more positive reviews now and not many takedowns, guess this is probably a smart business move too.

fantano is big because people want facile, digestible music reviews from someone who has a similar taste to theirs (there are so many fantanos in the world) and because he got in early - started on youtube in the 00s - and is conscientious and dependably pushes out content.

having an army of fans must help of course

Look what it did for Pewdiepie. Or, God forbid, Logan Paul.

i first became aware of him in 2009 because he was one of the first search results for a free jazz record i was obsessed with at the time, throat by little women. imo his initial bump was just because he reviewed so many records

I guess his continued success is also a function of most listeners needing no more than one music critic.

btw a negative point for Spectrum Pulse: having dedicated time to the new Weyes Blood album, he only gave it 6/10, which demonstrates suspect hearing functionality. But as I say, good writer

I mean he's also filling a void that traditional journalism does not serve since there's a particular demo of ppl who find the idea of a rubber-faced man talking at them about King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizzard for 12 minutes appealing, and it can probably be traced to a lot of the same demo that made Joe Rogan and Jordan Peterson popular.

As well as the rise of ASMR and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVEdQJ7qtJw

you are correct but damn you for making me see that

That's not even the most upsetting link Whiney has posted itt (see https://youtu.be/LkqsexgTXYg?t=97).

i will not see!

I will make you see! Give in to your inner masochist.

i'll save you some time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk8LoHqHkGI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W2xrjMa_j8

feel like i know many dudes like this dude

I've learned fairly recently that Todd in the Shadows credits the All Music Guide -- and among others both myself and Stephen Thomas Erlewine by name -- with helping him get more interested in music in general as a teenager in the early 2000s. Which was kinda cool to learn, I admit! He's been a good follow on Twitter.

Todd in the Shadows is excellent and has been for many years.

yeah, I give him credit for being a lot more plugged into the music writing world than a lot of similar youtubers

(which sounds super pompous, maybe a better way of putting it is, he seems to give a shit)

'excellent' might be pushing it, unless he's leveled up to a large degree since i last saw some of his videos

He's better than Fantano that's for sure

https://twitter.com/theneedledrop

fantano is having a sincerely excellent 2020, both in terms of the artists he (and of major publications, only he) is boosting, and in terms of his response to what is happening in the US right now

great, be sure to let me know when he apologises for the video where he appears with alt-right shitheads and tells "sjws" to "drink bleach"

lol Fantan-no

the tone of his entire feed seems a p conclusive walkback from that. idk if there was an apology. people can change? idk

yeah, that's not nearly enough.

i wish he was dead

He doesn't exist in my world, but if he's come around, that's a start. Hard to be enthusiastic about an internet nerd who built his empire on alt-right ppl changing his tune, but surely it's better that this is his response instead of amplifying the other side (which a couple of years ago he probably would).

People can change. No it's not enough. But I do not wish he was dead I suppose.

change and improvement are always to be celebrated, and consistent new behaviour means more than apologies

fuck this particular clown-ass doofus obv, going from "alt-right burner account" to "performative wokeness" casts doubt on his sincerity, but y'know, general principles

consistent good new behaviour is fine, but unless he addresses the stuff he made before, we should all be deeply suspicious of his motives. the fact that he has not already apologised and explained his behaviour aside from what amounts to "it was just shitposting, u mad bro?" is very telling about the level of privilege he has been given.

look, among all the woke stuff, he liked this tweet just yesterday

Ezra Marcus wrote an expansive reported story on cult leader Larry Ray for NY Mag. His resume includes a sloppily reported story about @theneedledrop for the Fader filled w/ weird extrapolations/inferences w/o any basis. It got scrubbed from the publication because Anthony sued. pic.twitter.com/SVPtYjKHKI

— safy (@SafyHallanFarah) June 2, 2020

maybe we should ignore him and just listen to the new music he's been boosting. never too early in the morning for horrorcore, especially when it captures the moment so precisely