Great Reviews


Earlier today, someone forwarded me this very blunt, to the point review of the new Nine Inch Nails record. Brilliant. It reminded me of a recent pitchfork review of the latest Jet album. The entire review was simply "NSFW".

Sometimes I'll be reading an article in MOJO magazine, and it's so colorful, that I'll find myself wanting to buy a record by some band I never even liked in the first place! Seriously. I could care less about Dexy's Midnight Runners.



Reading a great, passionate, well-written review can totally move me. It can remind me why I love music in the first place. Reading Lester Bangs writing about TB Sheets can bring a tear to your eye. With that said, encapsulating all your thoughts about a record in a mere sentence is surely a gift as well.








Who can forget the scene in Spinal Tap, where the band is read their reviews and given a chance to respond? Sure it's made up, but can there be a more on the nose review for the album "Shark Sandwich" than "Shit Sandwich"? (Actually the review of "Intravenus de Milo" was pretty damn good: "The musical growth rate of the band cannot even be charted---they are treading water in a sea of retarded sexuality and bad poetry."

One of my all-time favorite reviews was in a local zine - probably about 15 years ago. The band Tender Fury had just released an album (horribly) called "If Anger Were Soul, I'd Be James Brown". The review: "If shit were money, Tender Fury would be rich."