Before I started writing, I remember thinking that writing album reviews wasa democratic process. Each publication would have a meeting, I imagined, a musically minded symposium of sorts, and collectively decide if the discdu joursank or swam. Then, one among theranks would be picked towrite the thing and snatch the byline. How else could Pitchfork definitively decide that Radiohead’s , (and not a 9.2 or a 9.4) while the Black Kids’ “Partie Traumatic” no explanation necessary?
Of course, thatap not the way it works. The editorial process varies from publication to publication, but on the whole, individual writers are trusted solely with deciding the fate of an album. That means The New York Times’ review of, say, Beyonce’s latest, is really the definitive Jon Pareles review, while Prince can thank the Rolling Stones’ —and no one else!— for raining on his comeback parade.
This is probably obvious to most of us. The reason it bears mention is because in my experience, people tend to vest their faith in the music reviews of a publication as a whole instead of the bylined critic. It isn’t an issue ofquality — you can trust that The Quietus, for example, has a high standard for their writers and editors, and doesn’t allow second-rate reviews slip onto their frontpage. Itap one of taste.
Namely, the tasteof the writer, not the publication. While magazines and newspapers hire critics they feel compliment their writing style and makecompelling arguments, they aren’t as concerned with what they may find repulsive or adore. This is anecdotal, of course — Pitchfork probably doesn’t take on writers who kow-tow to the whims of the Top 40 (with the exception of hip-hop). But speaking from my own experience, as a critic, you are free to like or dislike at will. Of course, this is a good thing.
But for the reader, it canbe confusing. I mean, Stereogum likes and ?! (Well, yeah. Stereogum likes everything.) It doesn’t follow. But again, one publication, different minds. Imagine that nerdy friend of yours that has good taste and is your source for music recommendations. Critics are essentially a network of those nerdy friends, each with their own beliefs about what sucks and what doesn’t—just like you.
Thatap why if you want better mileage from your album reviews, you should find the writers that you trust and follow them, not necessarily the publication. You’ve hated the big dance albums that have come out in the last year, but really want to know when the next landmark club LP comes out? Keep an eye out for a positive reviewfrom . Worship classic rock and its modern incarnations? . Hate Drake and don’t really care about album reviews? I give you .
While you’re here, you might as well check out and critics.
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Dylan Owens is Reverb’s all-purpose news blogger and album reviewer. You can read more from him in Relix magazineand the comment sections ofWORLDSTARHIPHOP.
