#music critic

[yourdailyqueer]

Claude Rajotte

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Gay

DOB: 3 July 1955  

Ethnicity: White - Canadian

Occupation: Radio DJ, music critic

[opera-ghosts]

Today I remember the French Composer Adolphe Adam (1803-1856). He was born July 24, 1803 in Paris. Until today a lot of his music is being played. My favorite is the Ballet “Giselle” and the Opera “Le postillon de Lonjumeau”. Here we see the portrait on a antique Postcard.

[the-contemporary-critic]

Reviewing Conan Gray’s Never Ending Song

The Lyrics

Like many of his songs, the lyrics deal with a relationship that isn’t working out. Like the title suggests, the relationship is never-ending.

Before I go into if I like the lyrics, let’s go over my interpretation. The most obvious point is that this relationship won’t give up. Even if Conan tries to “turn the page” the relationship goes on and on and on.

Although Conan mentioned trying to end the relationship, there also seems to be a need for it to continue. The relationship took so much out of and from him, like his adolescence, that giving up would be a waste. It’s almost like they’re already in too deep and this cycle has trapped them. And to be honest, I love it.

The lyrics are great. I’ve said it before, but lyrics are what sell a song to me and I’m sold. They’re relatable and well-written lyrics. Like many of his songs, the lyrics make the song ten times better for me.

Favorite Lyric(s): “Tried to turn the page, but our story wasn’t stoppin’”

The Aura

Conan went for a new feel with this song. The stars are the most iconic part, I would say. It almost gives a vintage rockstar kind of feel.

In terms of the music video, I loved the theme. The dancing in the grocery store at night just added to the vintage feeling I was getting. That might not be the intended feeling to be felt, but it was there.

Overall, the aesthetic and vibe of the music video was a lot of fun to watch and cute.

I have to say, the deeper, almost-British voice isn’t my favorite, but it doesn’t ruin the song at all.

Compare & Contrast

The song is new for Conan, mainly because of the lower voice. I would say the aesthetic of it is pretty new too, with the stars, yellow, and black. Regardless, there’s still that iconic Conan Gray flair to it.

The lyricism is typical Conan. I can imagine them being sung the way his other songs are. I can imagine hearing these lyrics on the Kid Krow album or Superache album. They’re great.

One song it reminded me of while listening was Telepath. They both have a retro feel to them and some similarities in meanings, too. I would say that’s the most similar past song.

My official rating for the song is:

✬✬✬✬½. This song is going to be never-ending on my playlist these next few weeks.

[thetaeprint]

A music critic Kim Youngdae talked about Kim Taehyung’s upcoming album : I listened to a few songs from V's solo album months ago. You'll be totally surprised and be able to hear more of his natural vocals and also something different from the bts vocalist V.

KTH1 IS COMING… be sure to stream on all major platforms Spotify, you tube, pandora, join streaming parties, donate if you can.

Thank you all !!!

#방탄소년단뷔 #뷔 #BTSV #V #KimTaehyung

[thisaintascenereviews]

Don't Listen To Critics: Why Music Criticism Is (Almost) Pointless

Give or take a decade ago, I was what you would call a "music critic." I was always really into music, and after awhile, I found myself really analyzing it and dissecting the stuff I listened to. I would read Alternative Press when it was relevant, and I would visit Absolute Punk when it was around, which would inspire me to want to write my own after seeing people publish theirs. I started by writing on Facebook, and then after awhile, I got the opportunity to write for a couple of sites, but I also posted them on a relatively popular Facebook page I ran with my best friend around a decade ago. I had a lot of fun doing that, but within the last few years, I got very tired, jaded, and bored with writing reviews. I just lost all of my passion for it. Eventually, I would come back to writing in late 2021 and early 2022, but it took me a few years to get back the inspiration and motivation to write anything. I wasn't going to write as much as I used to, because if you remember, I would listen to ten albums in any given week and write about all of them. It was way too much to keep up with, and I just got so burnt out, I quit. Being removed from the "music critic sphere," and ultimately just writing about stuff whenever I see fit, even if it's once a week or once every other week, has opened my eyes and been very freeing over the last year, but I've thought a lot about my days as being apart of that community, and I've come to the conclusion that critics don't really matter.

There's nothing adherently wrong with music critics, and if you yourself are one, or you follow them on YouTube or other platforms, that's fine, but what is their purpose? When I used to write reviews, I always felt as though a review was like a persuasive essay; I was to persuade the reader to feel the same way as I do about an album, whether I liked it, loved it, or hated it. Nowadays, though, that thinking is all wrong, because I don't care if someone feels the same way I do, nor do I want to change peoples' minds. I noticed that a lot of critics tend to want people to feel the same way they do, almost to get their readers or viewers to validate their opinions. The opposite is true as well, because a lot of fans will only watch or read a certain critic, because they like and/or dislike the same things, but if they disagree, they feel betrayed and invalidated. Most people understand that opinions are something we all share, and they're all different, but certain music fans are very fickle and defensive over things they like, almost like they take an obsession or ownership of that band or artist. People take their fandoms way too personally nowadays, regardless if you're a critic or fan, and validation is something that both sides seem to really crave.

As a writer now (I wouldn't even call myself a critic, honestly), I just write about what I want, whether I enjoy it or not. If I have enough to say about an album, I'll talk about it. Critics, especially when I was writing a lot more, tend to listen to anything and everything, especially things that are in the conversation, versus what they really care about. That's why a lot of sites have specific writers for specific genres, because not everyone wants to listen to everything. I couldn't explore what I wanted, because I had a sense of FOMO in terms of the new releases of the week, and I felt as though if I missed out on those, I'd be missing out on what people might have to say, or how people will react to what I think. I felt as though I had to act a certain way, let alone dislike or like certain things, because I wanted to seem "cool" or accepted by people. Critics have a certain reputation to uphold, and if your taste isn't great (taste is subjective, anyway), people aren't going to take you seriously. I was always afraid of that, but these days, I don't care, because I just want to talk about what I want to talk about, regardless of what it is, or what genre it is.

The title of this short little essay is misleading, because critics are important in some respect; they can offer nuanced and interesting takes on things, or they can introduce people to things they otherwise wouldn't hear or see. Validation is still a big part of criticism, I think, because people just want their tastes validated, but at the same time, critics are just people. They're not any more special than you. I'm just a guy, and so is your favorite critic. I think there's a fine line between being a fan and being a critic, because I always wondered if I could be a fan before a critic. Well, I know these days that I definitely am a fan before a critic. I listen to what I enjoy, or I forget about things I don't, and just focus on what I enjoy. I won't only be positive to everything I talk about, because I might have thoughts one way or another, but I don't feel pressured to listen to things I don't otherwise care about. It's a very freeing feeling. I felt so exhausted by having to keep up with everything, versus what I wanted to, and that's what burnt me out. Feeling like I needed to hear everything, and that's impossible. By having only a few albums that I'm listening to in any given week, versus ten or fifteen, I can spend much more time with them and have more to say, versus only spending a couple of listens with a lot of things.

If you watch or read reviews, or you're a critic yourself, I hope I didn't offend you in any way, and if I did, I'd look a little deeper as to why you're offended, because I'm not saying just merely talking about music is bad. It's the constant validation that both critics and their fans tend to have towards one another, as music fans want to be accepted by their favorite critics, but critics also want to be accepted by their fans, and it's how much a lot of critics tend to listen to, especially if they want to keep up with the zeitgeist. It's almost impossible to do just that. There's more of a nuanced conversation to have, I'm sure, but these are just some quick thoughts on the subject. I wanted the title to be a more provocative, even though I don't totally feel that way (although I do to an extent, since I don't take critics as seriously as I used to, being that I don't let them dictate my tastes, nor would I want anyone to dictate their taste based on what I have to say). I love writing about music, and I love the way that I do now, because I don't feel burnt out anymore. I wouldn't call myself a critic anymore, I'm just a writer that talks about music.

[the-last-hipopotamovolador]

I can understand critics about gorillaz writing, lore and damon's and jamie's way of acting in the resent years, but critics about their music? I have seen people saying that the quality of the music has dropped since plastic beach/ humanz and i couldnt disagree more, like come on!!! Strange timez? The pink phantom? Aries? Desolé? Opium? With love to an ex? Im just listing my top favourite songs from song machine but honestly i though all of them were good (except for friday 13) and fucking lots of master pieces had come from humanz and the now now , like even if i dont like everything that happens under the name of gorillaz i cant deny that their music was and IS top tier. Yeah the style has changed since phase 1 but it has happend 20 years in between! Honestly what i like most in gorillaz its their diversity in music, and that doesnt mean i like every song they make , there are songs witch i hate (like friday 13) but i still prefer a band that is very experimental with their music and makes such diverse songs that sometimes you couldnt even guess that its made by the same artist (even if that means that there would be songs that i dont like at all), that a band that stays only between a couple of styles and music genders for 2 decades.

[ponderlyapp]

🎶 Is Taylor Swift “proof that how we critique music is broken?” Bloomberg claimed critics don’t take enough time to review music, mull it over, and create an opinion. Others say the fan base creates this kind of hasty judgment. Thoughts?

We’re debating both sides over here at @ponderlyapp 💫 Come join in the discussion

[crysmunth]

evermore does not get the appreciation she deserves

between themes of time, forgiveness, and acceptance, taylor touches every type of grief and loneliness within understanding monologues. yes, each song is lyrically beautiful and i love all the production. but the way the songs compliment each other with extended metaphors, create a story, create different, sympathetic sides of a story, tells a tale in a traditional sense but with a renewed tone and take. she tells an old story of lovers, but reminds us of how it repeats.

we start with willow, a declaration of commitment and romance. from the beginning, emotions are running high for love. in the first verse "rough on the surface but you cut through like a knife," resembles past burdens and treacherous loves, but that the right kind of love pushes beyond the walls one may put up. the theme of water and ships continues throughout the album, beginning in this song, representing the ineffective obstacle between the subject and their love. willow is a time capsule of love: as nature itself agrees with the object of attention, our subject follows and strays even more. this type of love, which embraces a comeback akin to the resurgence of 90's trends, is everlasting and unconditional, or even, evermore.

i want to jump to evermore (feat. bon iver) because of the continuation of the ship/water metaphor. this song, being the last on the album while willow is the first, has a similar declaration of love, but through a completely different angle, coming from a place so low and recognizing their love as a way to push oneself through rough patches. while bon iver sings his verse for the second time, she sings over, "and when i was shipwrecked, i thought of you/in the cracks of light, i dreamed of you/and it was real enough to get me through/and i swear, you were there." the two singing over each other audibly create a sense of urgency, of fighting, of the need to get your voice heard within a timely manner, something which resonates throughout the album as well. while he sings "can we just get a pause" or slow down, to keep their selves and their love together, she recognizes that while she was low, it was the idea of their love, of dreaming of their love, and it felt so real to her, almost as if he were there. this is what kept her alive through the trenches, through the difficulties of life. this is the healed version of "this is me trying," where she looks back and realizes it was this everlasting and unconditional love that kept her from herself, from the waves that refused to settle.

both the songs recognize that loneliness is temporary, because love is waiting for you on the other side. evermore digs into the darkness a little deeper, really recognizing how hard and painful it can be. both songs also pull us into taylor's folklorian forest that bore these tales, on the wintery landscape that heals. i think evermore exentuates the cold, remembering however that it wouldn't be forevermore, so it's okay to sit in it, because it won't last forever. the winter doesn't last forever, but the love does.

i'll have to do more song parallels in the future. thanks:)

[thejamesrf]

OUROBOROS MUSIC - Top 4 Songs of the Week: (2023/06/04)

Hey everyone, New Top 4 tracks this week! Dive into the vibes of Evren Ulusoy, Roisin Murphy, London Grammar, and Howle. Head to the blog, crank up the volume, and enjoy! Stay tuned, James

Hi friends, Hope everyone had a great week. This week, I was doing a lot of deep work, focusing on some great songs on repeat. I added and explored a lot of new releases and new music, but nothing fresh off the press (or out of the circuits) this week. Still, some long-time favorites on here that got some heavy listens, along with one newer addition. Here’s what I was jamming. 1. Evren Ulosoy –…

[basswhoisalsoellie]

If I see one more fucking music critic online telling that an album I enjoy is actually trash and spend 10 minutes explaining how bad it is, I will steal the master recordings of Aeroplane Over The Sea and burn it as they are all watching it.

[vinylburns]

Otaki Airforce - Another Review

“I recently had the pleasure of listening to the music of Otaki Airforce and I have to say, I was thoroughly impressed. This artist has a unique and captivating sound that blends elements of hip hop, electronic, and pop in a way that is both fresh and exciting. One of the things that really stands out about Otaki Airforce’s music is the production quality. The beats are tight and polished, and…

[opera-ghosts]

OTD in Music History: Cesar Cui (1835 - 1913) is born in what was then the Russian Empire (now Lithuania) into a Roman Catholic family of French and Polish–Lithuanian descent. (The original French spelling of his family surname had been "Queuille".) An engineer and an academic military fortifications expert by training and profession -- he eventually attained the academic rank of "professor" in 1880, and the military rank of "general" in 1906 -- Cui is remembered today as a member of "The Five" or "The Mighty Handful," a historically important group of self-taught Russian Nationalist composers who studied and worked (and sometimes even lived) together from ~1856 - 1870. Other members of that group included Mily Balakirev (1837 - 1910), Alexander Borodin (1833 – 1887), Modest Mussorgsky (1839 - 1881), and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844 - 1908). Frequently disparaged as the least musically gifted member of “The Five” (admittedly very little of his music is still heard today), Cui was unquestionably the most influential member of the group when it came to propagandizing their philosophy via the more dubious art of music criticism. As a prolific writer and polemicist on musical matters, between 1864 and 1918 he contributed almost 800 articles to various newspapers and other publications throughout Russia and Europe. This wide and frequently scathing coverage included reviewing concerts, recitals, musical life, new publications of music, and even prominent personalities. PICTURED: An 1895 autograph musical quotation written out by and signed by Cui to a fan, taken from his 1894 operatic comedy, "Le flibustier" ("The Pirate"). Although Cui was particularly proud of this work, it no longer holds the stage today.

[thecakeisnotalie]

Anthony Fantano called this playlist (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX5qmTk3PVatJ?si=da138f8cae004efb) "rough", so, i made a "better" one - obviously this is just a first draft, but, take a peek anyhow if you wish, hope you're well

[electronic-space-city-music]

Weekend Mixtape | More Than 250 Songs That Are Top Dog (Side 5) | Tinnitist | Page 14

https://tinnitist.com/2023/01/27/weekend-mixtape-more-than-250-songs-that-are-top-dog-side-5/14/

【Tinnitist Darryl Sterdan(CANADA)】

Thanks

Canad's Most-Followed Music Critic

Tinnitist Darryl Sterdan(CANADA)

Weekend Mixtape 

ELECTRONICA, REMIXES + MORE SYNTHINESS

No.14

Ayane Yamazaki (山﨑彩音)

Phase-Extended Version

[robthepensioner]

A small child gives frank criticism of a passing band at Tram Sunday in Fleetwood in 2022.