What's The Point Of Criticism?

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― Tom, Wednesday, 24 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

To make you feel better about yourself.

― JM, Wednesday, 24 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

To help other people decide if something is worth their time.

― Ally, Wednesday, 24 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

To complete and extend the aesthetic vision of a work/producer.

― Sterling Clover, Wednesday, 24 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

To make sense out of our reactions to the things we consume (among other things).

― Josh, Wednesday, 24 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

Is there actually a point? Now seriously, the good critics are people with a very special endowment: the ability to describe sounds. So they can turn out to be helpful when you are looking for a new record... the bad ones are a bunch of morons who think that they are cool just because they own the three separate EPs of the Beta Band while most people don't...

― Simone Oltolina, Wednesday, 24 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

It's fun. And easy. It makes me you feel better about yourself and you feel witty and sexy.

Perfect for insecure people like me.

― Phil Paterson, Wednesday, 24 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

Not convinced by Simone's answer - the ability to describe sounds is a relatively easy one. "Bang", "Whoosh", "Pik Pik Pik" (and that's just Smokebelch II by The Sabres Of Paradise). As far as I'm concerned the beauty of good criticism is to take someone elses work and use it as a springboard to create your own. Rarely will good criticism ever try to tell you if a record is actually any good or not.

― Pete, Thursday, 25 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

To swear lots.

For example a perfect criticism of this very question and thread would be: "That's a fucking stupid question, followed by a butch of even more arse answers. There are para-military commando groups assembling even as we speak with a hitlist derived from the respondants of this very question alone. Hopefully they massacre in list order so I get a chance to a) Watch b) Nick off down the pub before they notice my name is on the bottom. Just call me DJ Martian in that case"

― Tanya Headon, Thursday, 25 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

To do exactly what you want to do and define your own vision. That's all.

― Robin Carmody, Monday, 29 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

I'm gonna have to go with Tanya on this one, swearing is key. That's why UK music mags are infinitely better than most American ones, because if a record is utter shit in America, they don't usually waste their time writing a review. On the other hand, UK mags have more reviews, and they are typically shorter as well. Thus, the writer gets to work out their abandonment issues by ripping the new S Club 7 single to teeny tiny shreds and stomping on them with big motherfucker jackboots, and then they write a paragraph about how much fun it was.

― Dave M., Monday, 29 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

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