How Do I Review Albums?
As of October 31st, 2020, I’ve written 118 reviews and I also have a little piece on awards. This would be my 121st post, and I wanted to take a different direction today. I always get recommendations on what I should listen to, and I also keep a list of older albums that I’d want to review, new or old. Along with that, some of my reviews have gained some criticism because, well, I have opinions and some might differ from others. The most recent example of this is my thoughts on the new Ariana Grande album, positions. Lil Uzi Vert’s Eternal Atake is also an example of this. So, instead of writing a review on this incredibly drab November morning, I’ve decided to write about what I do while listening to albums specifically for reviewing purposes. I know how other people and more relevant names in the music scene have done it, and it might be the same as me, but I think it’s a pretty good thing to talk about it. Let’s just get right into it.
First, there’s usually a discovery period. I tend to review new music because that’s where that discovery period comes in. There’s a lot of listening involved from many different genres mainly because of how much I listen to. I always try to keep myself in the music scene, but no one’s perfect, and some really good releases just slip through the cracks. For example, redveil’s recent album Niagara is great, but I just haven’t had any time in my schedule to sit down and write that yet. Who knows, maybe I’ll get it done next weekend? I digress, though. I listen to the releases that catch my eye as I see them on Spotify or Bandcamp or even Twitter sometimes, and I listen to some tracks off of it. Then, out of what I’ve heard, I pick out a crop of 4-5 albums that I feel has enough to write about, whether it warrants a positive or negative reaction. Of course, there are exceptions like the new clipping. album and Ariana Grande’s new record that I had early access to that album. When I listen to these albums, I tend to just have it as casual listening. I do college work or go on a walk while I listen, simple things like that.
Next is the listening phase. Since I think the best way to describe this is through an actual album, let’s use an example. Say that I’m going to review Please Excuse Me For Being Anti-Social by Roddy Ricch. After hearing some singles like “The Box” or “Tip Toe,” I’ve decided that ‘This Roddy Ricch guy has something here,’ and that’s pretty much saying that I plan on reviewing this album. This is the time where I don’t have any distractions at all. It’s me, the album, and (most likely) Genius to look at the lyrics. I also don’t have headphones on during this phase to let it get in the room and stay active while listening to the album. If possible, I even jot down some notes like ‘Wow, Roddy really knows how to make a catchy song’ or ‘The beat on “High Fashion” is addictive.’ It’s basically the surface level stuff like Roddy’s performance on the tracks, the beats, and even the cover art can be a good way to describe the album, mainly because I sometimes go off of how the album cover looks and if it’s done well, that’s a good way to set an expectation or vibe of an album.
Next is the biggest and most important section of the process, and that is the in-depth writing portion. While listening, I got a nice pair of headphones to try and see if I caught anything else. There aren’t any other distractions happening, and this is also where I’m listening to the music the most. Along with that, this is also where I’ve figured out where my general opinion lies with the album. If it’s a masterpiece, what makes it a masterpiece? What’s driving me to think this way about it? If it’s hot garbage, what makes it hot garbage? There’s just as much writing for an awful album as there is a great album. I also think of how the album runs as a whole. Is there or isn’t there a concept? Do all the songs sound the same? As I said earlier, though, opinions change. I could think one thing about an album, but when I sit down to write about it and listen to it again, the narrative could completely flip. As you look past the vibe and aesthetic of an album, what are the lyrics like? I know that lyrics don’t really apply to every single album, but it’s still a very vital part of listening. It’s basically a very deep dive into what makes this unique, or what doesn’t make it unique, depending on my reaction.
That pretty much covers what I do on here. It’s actually not that bad if you listen to a lot of music, but it just depends on how much you’re dedicated to what you wanna do. That’s it for now, reviews will start back up on Monday. Stay safe! <3
First, there’s usually a discovery period. I tend to review new music because that’s where that discovery period comes in. There’s a lot of listening involved from many different genres mainly because of how much I listen to. I always try to keep myself in the music scene, but no one’s perfect, and some really good releases just slip through the cracks. For example, redveil’s recent album Niagara is great, but I just haven’t had any time in my schedule to sit down and write that yet. Who knows, maybe I’ll get it done next weekend? I digress, though. I listen to the releases that catch my eye as I see them on Spotify or Bandcamp or even Twitter sometimes, and I listen to some tracks off of it. Then, out of what I’ve heard, I pick out a crop of 4-5 albums that I feel has enough to write about, whether it warrants a positive or negative reaction. Of course, there are exceptions like the new clipping. album and Ariana Grande’s new record that I had early access to that album. When I listen to these albums, I tend to just have it as casual listening. I do college work or go on a walk while I listen, simple things like that.
Next is the listening phase. Since I think the best way to describe this is through an actual album, let’s use an example. Say that I’m going to review Please Excuse Me For Being Anti-Social by Roddy Ricch. After hearing some singles like “The Box” or “Tip Toe,” I’ve decided that ‘This Roddy Ricch guy has something here,’ and that’s pretty much saying that I plan on reviewing this album. This is the time where I don’t have any distractions at all. It’s me, the album, and (most likely) Genius to look at the lyrics. I also don’t have headphones on during this phase to let it get in the room and stay active while listening to the album. If possible, I even jot down some notes like ‘Wow, Roddy really knows how to make a catchy song’ or ‘The beat on “High Fashion” is addictive.’ It’s basically the surface level stuff like Roddy’s performance on the tracks, the beats, and even the cover art can be a good way to describe the album, mainly because I sometimes go off of how the album cover looks and if it’s done well, that’s a good way to set an expectation or vibe of an album.
Next is the biggest and most important section of the process, and that is the in-depth writing portion. While listening, I got a nice pair of headphones to try and see if I caught anything else. There aren’t any other distractions happening, and this is also where I’m listening to the music the most. Along with that, this is also where I’ve figured out where my general opinion lies with the album. If it’s a masterpiece, what makes it a masterpiece? What’s driving me to think this way about it? If it’s hot garbage, what makes it hot garbage? There’s just as much writing for an awful album as there is a great album. I also think of how the album runs as a whole. Is there or isn’t there a concept? Do all the songs sound the same? As I said earlier, though, opinions change. I could think one thing about an album, but when I sit down to write about it and listen to it again, the narrative could completely flip. As you look past the vibe and aesthetic of an album, what are the lyrics like? I know that lyrics don’t really apply to every single album, but it’s still a very vital part of listening. It’s basically a very deep dive into what makes this unique, or what doesn’t make it unique, depending on my reaction.
That pretty much covers what I do on here. It’s actually not that bad if you listen to a lot of music, but it just depends on how much you’re dedicated to what you wanna do. That’s it for now, reviews will start back up on Monday. Stay safe! <3
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