DOUBLE BINARY

The newspaper critics had their letter grades and their star ratings. The blogs had their decimalized scores. The gimmick of my music review blog is a lot simpler, a lot less granular, but very powerful.

Albums can be good, or bad.

Independent of their quality, I can like them or dislike them.

On the right hand, is this a good record?

Are the players skilled? Are the lyrics evocative? Does the mix support the song? Are the edits and tuning subtle and non-intrusive? Is it handsomely packaged? Do the cover art or liner notes enhance the music? Are stylistic conventions either established, well reinforced, or played with in interesting ways? Does this record make me feel the emotions that the artist wants me to feel while listening to their music?

On the left hand, did I like this record?

Do the sounds tickle my brain? Does the record make me laugh, or think? Does it try something new, on purpose or by accident? Has it inspired my own songwriting? If I lost the album in a move, would I buy it again?

I like a lot of “bad music”, and I also like a lot of “failed music”. There’s a great deal of beauty in an ambition that reaches beyond the skills of the ambitious.

I hope that one of my reviews helps you think about the records you like in a different way, or inspires you to check out something new.