GREAT site for reviews

Don't know how many of you enjoy reading album reviews (I can imagine the posts now, "I don't need to know what some hack from cincinnati thinks before I buy an album").

Well, I peruse reviews often to find out what a band's like if I don't know them, etc.

The greatest site is www.metacritic.com

They compile reviews from all kinds of places and then give an album an aggregate score of 1 - 100(which is good for highlighting albums getting universal good reviews; I first looked into Super Furry Animals when I saw the score for Rings Around the World was over 90).

What's so cool, though, is that you can link from metacritic to any review that's available online, and they cull from a varied range of sources (allmusicguide, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Mojo, Q, Spin, NME, Village Voice, Entertainment Weekly, Splendid, PopMatters, Alternative Press).

Plus, they review a lot of good non-mainstream albums. The site is easy to navigate and really cool to just carouse in….

Just an FYI.

wow, cool site, especially for a numbers guy like me.

it seems like often a lot of peoples tastes on this board are not consistent with critical opinion?

i searched the pernice brothers album, and it had an 88 average. pretty good compared to other new releases:

63 Alien Ant Farm
truANT

55 BT
Emotional Technology

xx Beulah
Yoko

72 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Take Them On, On Your Own

67 Frank Black & The Catholics
Show Me Your Tears

72 Mary J. Blige
Love & Life

xx David Bowie
Reality

76 Broadcast
Haha Sound

52 Client
Client

89 The Constantines
Shine A Light

71 Dandy Warhols
Welcome To The Monkey House

80 Dashboard Confessional
A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar

84 Dressy Bessy
Dressy Bessy

84 Elbow
Cast Of Thousands

77 Enon
Hocus Pocus

66 Michael Franti & Spearhead
Everyone Deserves Music

76 Guided By Voices
Earthquake Glue

78 Junior Senior
D-D-Don't Don't Stop the Beat

75 Killing Joke
Killing Joke [2003]

82 Kings Of Leon
Youth & Young Manhood

75 Kraftwerk
Tour de France Soundtracks

76 My Morning Jacket
It Still Moves

74 Nappy Roots
Wooden Leather

69 The Neptunes
The Neptunes Present… Clones

76 Beth Orton
The Other Side Of Daybreak

xx OutKast
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

68 Pretty Girls Make Graves
The New Romance

80 Quasi
Hot Shit

82 Rancid
Indestructible

77 The Raveonettes
Chain Gang Of Love

78 Josh Rouse
1972

45 Shaun William Ryder
Amateur Night In The Big Top

53 Smash Mouth
Get The Picture

74 Spiritualized
Amazing Grace

66 The Star Spangles
Bazooka!!!

76 Stars
Heart

48 Stereophonics
You Gotta Go There to Come Back

76 Andrew W.K.
The Wolf

71 Ween
Quebec

58 Neil Young
Greendale

91 Warren Zevon
The Wind

89 The Constantines
Shine A Light

this is a GREAT album….everyone needs to buy it :)

Yeah, Rhett, you'd probably like to go to the explanation section to see how they compile the scores, being a math guy and all.

But, I will say, I've noticed that sometimes the number they assign a particular review doesn't seem to match the review when you read it all. Still, it's a good barometer, and allows you to check for yourself on how different media entities charactarize and review the album.

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
wow, cool site, especially for a numbers guy like me.

it seems like often a lot of peoples tastes on this board are not consistent with critical opinion?

i searched the pernice brothers album, and it had an 88 average.

The Strokes got an 89, so they aren't any better than anyone who posts here.

The first Strokes album? Moon, don't want to burst any bubbles, but that album was roundly well-reviewed, no matter what you think of them. That's a score taken from 8, 10, 15 different magazines/ezines.

Originally posted by Moon Mullins:

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
wow, cool site, especially for a numbers guy like me.

it seems like often a lot of peoples tastes on this board are not consistent with critical opinion?

i searched the pernice brothers album, and it had an 88 average.

The Strokes got an 89, so they aren't any better than anyone who posts here.

Originally posted by Moon Mullins:

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
it seems like often a lot of peoples tastes on this board are not consistent with critical opinion?

i searched the pernice brothers album, and it had an 88 average.

The Strokes got an 89, so they aren't any better than anyone who posts here.

The Pernice Brothers are the new Strokes.

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
wow, cool site, especially for a numbers guy like me.

yeah, numbers guy alright,unless it's regarding gross profit and percentages! :D

Originally posted by sonickteam2:
89 The Constantines
Shine A Light

this is a GREAT album….everyone needs to buy it :)

Because they are Canadian? I have it by the way, and like it.

never said i was a businessman or a capitalist.

Originally posted by mankie:

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
wow, cool site, especially for a numbers guy like me.

yeah, numbers guy alright,unless it's regarding gross profit and percentages! :D

Yeah, I know. I only mentioned The Strokes score because they bested Rhett's beloved Pernice Brothers.

Highest score on that site was The White Stripes, btw.

Originally posted by bags:
The first Strokes album? Moon, don't want to burst any bubbles, but that album was roundly well-reviewed, no matter what you think of them. That's a score taken from 8, 10, 15 different magazines/ezines.

Originally posted by Moon Mullins:

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
wow, cool site, especially for a numbers guy like me.

it seems like often a lot of peoples tastes on this board are not consistent with critical opinion?

i searched the pernice brothers album, and it had an 88 average.

The Strokes got an 89, so they aren't any better than anyone who posts here.

Originally posted by Moon Mullins:
Yeah, I know. I only mentioned The Strokes score because they bested Rhett's beloved Pernice Brothers.

Highest score on that site was The White Stripes, btw.

Further proof that by this time next year, The Pernice Brothers will be playing college gymnasiums or arenas.

Of course, by then Rhett will have adopted his "I really only liked the early stuff and Joe's solo work" posture.

Originally posted by jadetree:

Originally posted by sonickteam2:
89 The Constantines
Shine A Light

this is a GREAT album….everyone needs to buy it :)

Because they are Canadian? I have it by the way, and like it.

maybe cause they're canadian. I will say that i check out Canadian bands whenever I can. I wouldnt say i like bands for those reasons but they definitely get a better chance at me listening to them.

I rarely ever trust reviews unless I know and trust a particular person's general outlook. I'll trust this board or other friends first but even then, it's based on their taste vs my taste in music. Too many publications and professional critics are either playing a selling game for the record companies or way too set in their "when I was in college and (so and so) was the greatest show ever" days and comparing everything to that or below.

So do you love Sloan? New Pornographers (I love how articles refer to them as a Canadian indie supergroup!)

Originally posted by sonickteam2:

Originally posted by jadetree:

Originally posted by sonickteam2:
89 The Constantines
Shine A Light

this is a GREAT album….everyone needs to buy it :)

Because they are Canadian? I have it by the way, and like it.

maybe cause they're canadian. I will say that i check out Canadian bands whenever I can. I wouldnt say i like bands for those reasons but they definitely get a better chance at me listening to them.

48 Stereophonics
You Gotta Go There to Come Back

this i also agree with…its horrible. poor guys, i used to like them.

and i dont think Pernice will be the next strokes…no ggw, i dont have facts, i just dont think they will.

Mostly I look for the review that I think is going to best describe the music and what the band sounds like, so I can kind of get a sense if they're something I'd be into. Then I solicit input from my rocker friends with taste similar to mine (or who know mine really well), or give a listen at Borders. That's my usual M.O.

Originally posted by Jaguär:
I rarely ever trust reviews unless I know and trust a particular person's general outlook. I'll trust this board or other friends first but even then, it's based on their taste vs my taste in music. Too many publications and professional critics are either playing a selling game for the record companies or way too set in their "when I was in college and (so and so) was the greatest show ever" days and comparing everything to that or below.

Originally posted by sonickteam2:
48 Stereophonics
You Gotta Go There to Come Back

this i also agree with…its horrible. poor guys, i used to like them.

and i dont think Pernice will be the next strokes…no ggw, i dont have facts, i just dont think they will.

since we agreed on the constantines, we were bound to disagree on something shortly after, the stereophonics album is not so bad

Unless they sign to a major label, that won't happen.

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:

Originally posted by Moon Mullins:
Yeah, I know. I only mentioned The Strokes score because they bested Rhett's beloved Pernice Brothers.

Highest score on that site was The White Stripes, btw.

Further proof that by this time next year, The Pernice Brothers will be playing college gymnasiums or arenas.

Of course, by then Rhett will have adopted his "I really only liked the early stuff and Joe's solo work" posture.

Originally posted by bags:
So do you love Sloan? New Pornographers (I love how articles refer to them as a Canadian indie supergroup!)

everyone loves Sloan no matter what….and their new CD is heavenely, i simply adore it.

New Pornos are ok, nothing to scream about.