Reviews 6
Approval 79%

Album Ratings 262
Objectivity 95%

Last Active 12-28-14 2:23 pm
Joined 07-16-12

Forum Posts 89
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Since it came up yesterday, I thought I'll just try to explain my ratings a little bit.
25 brokeNCYDE
I'm Not A Fan, But The Kids Like It!

1 - abominable, atrocious, unbearable, call it what you want. But those pretty rare species of albums isn't just bad, uninspired or a huge misstep, it is potentially harmful for your ears. Tracks, at times so bad you want them to end after only 10 seconds, pile up in an unhealthy amount and even if you find something that could be considered good or at least ok, it's hardly noticeable in between all the crap. Also there's neither imagination, talent or artistical value to find here (I look at you Kevin Federline), which makes for some tiring minutes, even if they aren't simply horrible.
The Path Of Totality

certainly it doesn't help either, if the LP comes from a band known for quite good music. That makes it even more surprising, how bad it is. Still, it's about those tracks where you not just say: 'Turn it off, it's crap.' It's more like 'God dammit, what's happening here.'
23The Black Eyed Peas

1.5 - Less unbearable, more unnerving. Especially since such albums appear to be completely brainless from the first minute and it doesn't get better that much. So, if it lacks energy, is crappy produced and hardly ever deserves to be called entertaining, what's left? Maybe one, if you're lucky two, worthwhile songs, definitely not more.
22Puddle Of Mudd
Come Clean

or it is even more boring and unlikeable in a remarkable way. Maybe, because it completely misses the point it should be making, maybe, because of laughable production or it's just that you constantly think, what you hear has to be a bad joke.
The Fall

or it's an experiment by an otherwise respectable artist gone wrong big time. Makes for an awkward listen and more than one disturbing minute, but can also contain something that could be labeled as great, even if it doesn't really help on the whole, because the rest is somewhere between 'Yeah, ok' and 'Why did you have to do that?'
20Linkin Park
A Thousand Suns

2 - here we are again with a little misled experimenting or a very unfavourable reinvention. Yet, it's even more mysterious, since we have more material worth listening, more good ideas, simply better music. But this gets leveled down by the high error rate and therefore you get a strange album, where you could only pick out single stand-out tracks, but have a very unwieldy record overall.
The Green Album

it can be a let down by a once great artist too. Mostly because the spark that was there once, has been lost almost completely. With that you get: Boredom. And pretty much nothing else. Which means that the tracks aren't really bad, there's just no real reason to get back to them. Still, it gets some credit for the occasional reminder of the artists former quality.
18Angels And Airwaves
Love Pt 2

or it is a re-hash of older material. That's bad especially if the band wasn't that brilliant to begin with, but it isn't thrilling either way. It leads to a lack of excitement and surprise, not because the music is particularly bad (mostly), but because it simply feels forced and a bit tired. Still, if you're hung up on the band, not the worst thing. Also there will be at least something that's new and somehow worth your time.
17Bloodhound Gang
Hooray For Boobies

2.5 - the good, the bad and the ugly. An album where you can't just say it's average. Actually this part of it is rather small since the tracks pile up on both ends of the scale and in the end you have some stand-outs, but also those shitty tracks that make you wonder, why the hell these minutes exist. If you just do the math, the positive moments outweigh the negative ones just enough, so you don't have to dislike it.
16Avril Lavigne
The Best Damn Thing

or it's a bit of a Jekyll & Hide thing. It's rather entertaining musically, but falls apart when it comes to attitude/lyrics. Or it's the other way 'round. Either way, it get's quite difficult, because you get something that's wortwhile only if you can leave aside the disturbing part of the album. If you're capable of that, it's quite good, otherwise it's a difficult ride.
15Papa Roach
Getting Away With Murder

or it's the very definition of average. Which means it's an album or even a band as a whole that seems condemned to be stuck in mediocrity. This, of course, has the merit of lacking disturbing minutes, yet it only delivers once or twice over the course of the record and is therefore just another piece in what could once be a good best-of.
14The Fray
How To Save A Life

3 - somewhat touching, some artistical value, just not enough to produce thrilling minutes. At least for most of the time, since you can almost certainly find that one brilliant track, but really just that one. Besides that it's good work and does disappoint not often. On the other hand, the limitations of the LP are fairly obvious, regardless of whether it's the music, the lyrics or just a general monotony.
13Two Door Cinema Club
Tourist History

in this case it's even more cohesive, which means you get a bunch of pretty good tracks, but at the very outmost you get one songs the shines above the others. The rest melts together into something that can be pleasant at times, but it's nothing there that could really draw you into the music. Perfect background music though.
Hail To The Thief

or it's a to some extent excellent piece, which has just too many faulty minutes as a quite big handicap. Therefore you get a bunch of really great material, on the other hand you still find boring or even confusing tracks thrown in here and there. Great if you're usually listening to single tracks only, not so great, if you take the whole record.
Back In Black

3.5 - neither fish nor fowl. There's no denial such albums are really good work and possess character, enjoyable minutes and appeal on some level. Yet, something isn't right and what exactly is mysterious to some extent. Could be the production, could be the voice, actually it could be everything. But just like the first moon landing or the monster of Loch Ness we will probably never find out what the truth is.
Take Off Your Pants And Jacket

or it's that kind of 'same procedure as every year'-thing. So, you have a good band and get an album that isn't surprising, it isn't ground-breaking, it's just pretty much what you got from them in the past done right generally. Hardly ever thrilling (unless you're a big fan), but a nice addition to an already good discography.
9Manu Chao
Proxima Estacion: Esperanza

or it is one of those very varied records that never even get close to bore you. That's really great and you can bet that you'll find some damn good work here. Still, the more directions you take, the more chances you get to screw up and at times such records fall flat somehow or get a little weird moments here and there.
8Damien Rice

4 - one-sided to some extent, because the quality is mostly based on either the emotion and lyrical content or the music. Although that can be a bit of a let down at times, especially if the record gets too monotonous, it's strenghts are overwhelming at times. This lets you forget that there could be something wrong on one side of the medal and concentrate almost universally on the brilliant one. Just if you take a step back and look at it "objectively", you see it's little flaws.
7 Arctic Monkeys
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What...

or it could just be a perfectly balanced record, both great musically and lyrically. Energetic, rich in variety (not always) and with a very good performance from everyone involved. There's still some reservedness left, when it comes to the general direction it takes or some minor part of the sound, but no denial it's excellent work overall.
Kid A

a stunning concept, executed in a stunning way. Pretty much. Because even if there's no denial such albums are great, something stands between the album and a perfect rating. Either it's the overall musical direction or it's a little misstep here, another one there. On the whole it makes for a great listen, but it just doesn't get to the top, at least if you look at the big picture.
5Bad Religion

4.5 - Cohesiveness, that's the word. A bunch of excellent tracks that stand together as a powerful force (Not necessarily powerful sonically). So you get this record that never disappoints, never bores, never ceases to deliver. It's only small problem is that it misses out to provide this all-time favourite song, even if there are enough that are just oh so close.
Automatic For The People

Pretty much the same, but with more diversity and therefore with a higher chance of a weak spot somewhere. Still, even if there is one, it stands alone. And on the other hand you get some amazing tunes you just can't get tired to hear.
3Joy Division

Just the tiniest bit missing for a 5 (could get one soon though). I don't know exactly what it is, but such records are mesmerising in some way. You start listening and you get sucked into the songs immediately and this only ends after you've had the honor to hear the closer.

5 - most people would say those are classics and that they are flawless. I don't. Such records can have their rather weak tracks and I'm certain that there isn't one album out there, where I would say every song is perfect. It's standing in music history or among critics is even less important, since especially the relevance and influence of an album has nothing to do with it's "quality", simply meaning how much people like to listen to it. So if you get an album, whose atmosphere you find perfect, where you just have to pick out which songs you consider all-time favourites, you're pretty much at the peak, I think.
1Soap And Skin
Lovetune For Vacuum
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