The Rating Thread

[EagleMoon]

I'm looking at them but to be honest it seems like a goofy way to rate something. Instead of assigning numbers, which is kind of pointless, it would make more sense to just write out a paragraph about each song. But then it's all personal opinion anyway. :)

There are some albums where the album is easier to write about than the songs themselves without going into too much detail, and there will also inevitably be some songs where it's too tricky to expand or compress your thoughts about them into a paragraph. Also, ratings are quite effective at setting the "mood" for a review, as well as giving a quick outlook on songs that the reviewer may not have gone into too much detail on.

 

Assigning numbers is a bit simplistic and arbitrary because it's just the opinion of the reviewer themselves which is based on no particular fixed scale. If someone writes out their thoughts about a particular track at least the reader has a bit more of an idea of "why" the reviewer likes or dislikes a piece of music. Then they can decide for themselves whether they agree/disagree Lord even want to check out that piece of music. But then that takes more thought and time to do it that way.

[Segue Myles]

The whole point of reviewing is sharing opinions. We want to hear peoples thoughts on the music they love!

[len(songs)]

I'm looking at them but to be honest it seems like a goofy way to rate something. Instead of assigning numbers, which is kind of pointless, it would make more sense to just write out a paragraph about each song. But then it's all personal opinion anyway. :)

There are some albums where the album is easier to write about than the songs themselves without going into too much detail, and there will also inevitably be some songs where it's too tricky to expand or compress your thoughts about them into a paragraph. Also, ratings are quite effective at setting the "mood" for a review, as well as giving a quick outlook on songs that the reviewer may not have gone into too much detail on.

 

Assigning numbers is a bit simplistic and arbitrary because it's just the opinion of the reviewer themselves which is based on no particular fixed scale. If someone writes out their thoughts about a particular track at least the reader has a bit more of an idea of "why" the reviewer likes or dislikes a piece of music. Then they can decide for themselves whether they agree/disagree Lord even want to check out that piece of music. But then that takes more thought and time to do it that way.

I did post my song scale (which each of us has adopted) at the beginning of the thread, so if someone sees, say, my review of SEBTP, they'll see that I consider Dancing With The Moonlit Knight "flawless", while I rated The Cinema Show as "great" and More Fool Me as "good". It's not really that ambiguous, and most of us are writing reviews anyway, so even if there's an album that we didn't write a review for there will probably be a point of reference in a previous review anyway.

Edited December 29, 2014 by len(songs)

[EagleMoon]

I'm looking at them but to be honest it seems like a goofy way to rate something. Instead of assigning numbers, which is kind of pointless, it would make more sense to just write out a paragraph about each song. But then it's all personal opinion anyway. :)

There are some albums where the album is easier to write about than the songs themselves without going into too much detail, and there will also inevitably be some songs where it's too tricky to expand or compress your thoughts about them into a paragraph. Also, ratings are quite effective at setting the "mood" for a review, as well as giving a quick outlook on songs that the reviewer may not have gone into too much detail on.

 

Assigning numbers is a bit simplistic and arbitrary because it's just the opinion of the reviewer themselves which is based on no particular fixed scale. If someone writes out their thoughts about a particular track at least the reader has a bit more of an idea of "why" the reviewer likes or dislikes a piece of music. Then they can decide for themselves whether they agree/disagree Lord even want to check out that piece of music. But then that takes more thought and time to do it that way.

I did post my song scale (which each of us has adopted) at the beginning of the thread, so if someone sees, say, my review of SEBTP, they'll see that I consider Dancing With The Moonlit Knight "flawless", while I rated The Cinema Show as "great" and More Fool Me as "good". It's not really that ambiguous, and most of us are writing reviews anyway, so even if there's an album that we didn't write a review for there will probably be a point of reference in a previous review anyway.

Saying something is great or good doesn't explain why it is or why "you" think it is and why. That doesn't really tell me anything if I'm reading a review. I'm just saying I think the ratings should be more detailed and go into an explanation why.

[Segue Myles]

I'm looking at them but to be honest it seems like a goofy way to rate something. Instead of assigning numbers, which is kind of pointless, it would make more sense to just write out a paragraph about each song. But then it's all personal opinion anyway. :)

There are some albums where the album is easier to write about than the songs themselves without going into too much detail, and there will also inevitably be some songs where it's too tricky to expand or compress your thoughts about them into a paragraph. Also, ratings are quite effective at setting the "mood" for a review, as well as giving a quick outlook on songs that the reviewer may not have gone into too much detail on.

 

Assigning numbers is a bit simplistic and arbitrary because it's just the opinion of the reviewer themselves which is based on no particular fixed scale. If someone writes out their thoughts about a particular track at least the reader has a bit more of an idea of "why" the reviewer likes or dislikes a piece of music. Then they can decide for themselves whether they agree/disagree Lord even want to check out that piece of music. But then that takes more thought and time to do it that way.

I did post my song scale (which each of us has adopted) at the beginning of the thread, so if someone sees, say, my review of SEBTP, they'll see that I consider Dancing With The Moonlit Knight "flawless", while I rated The Cinema Show as "great" and More Fool Me as "good". It's not really that ambiguous, and most of us are writing reviews anyway, so even if there's an album that we didn't write a review for there will probably be a point of reference in a previous review anyway.

Saying something is great or good doesn't explain why it is or why "you" think it is and why. That doesn't really tell me anything if I'm reading a review. I'm just saying I think the ratings should be more detailed and go into an explanation why.

 

Post an example then!

 

But reviews on this forum are not by "expert journalists", but music fans. We don't all have the ability to write our thoughts so eloquently, but the reviews here more than justify why we love, like or dislike something.

Edited December 29, 2014 by Segue Myles

[PolarizeMe]

Porcupine Tree - Up The Downstair (1993)

 

What You're Listening To: [ ]/15

Synesthesia: 12/15

Monuments Burn Into Monuments: [ ]/15

Always Never: 13/15

Up The Downstair: 14/15

<Not Beautiful Anymore>: 12/15

Siren: [ ]/15

Small Fish: 13/15

Burning Sky: 14/15

*Fadeaway*: 15/15

 

Overall Rating: C (Very good)

 

If you were to listen to these songs individually it can be a hit or miss for me personally. I don't have an inclination to want to listen to Synesthesia or Not Beautiful Anymore individually. However, as an album I think it's pretty strong considering this is from PT's jurassic period (1987-1993). The word salad almost psychedelic drug influenced lyrics are still present especially in Always Never and Small Fish as they were written by Alan Duffy (who had fallen out with Wilson prior to the release of On The Sunday Of Life). Fadeaway however, is an early classic PT song (like Radioactive Toy) IMO.

[Mr. Not]

I comment on the album in general, a few songs from it, or even do a track by track review in one case.. I don't rate any albums if I lack the confidence too which is why I started with TMV's simple Octahedron and then moved through the rest of their discography (except for Noctourniquet ) some days later.

 

Or - I don't comment on the album at all, because I feel nothing I have to say is interesting enough!

 

I'm most interested in the numbers personally.

Edited December 29, 2014 by Mr. Not

[len(songs)]

I comment on the album in general, a few songs from it, or even do a track by track review in one case.. I don't rate any albums if I lack the confidence too which is why I started with TMV's simple Octahedron and then moved through the rest of their discography (except for Noctourniquet ) some days later.

 

Or - I don't comment on the album at all, because I feel nothing I have to say is interesting enough!

 

I'm most interested in the numbers personally.

Same here... occasionally I find that how I think I think about an album is very different from how I actually think about it

[EagleMoon]

I'm looking at them but to be honest it seems like a goofy way to rate something. Instead of assigning numbers, which is kind of pointless, it would make more sense to just write out a paragraph about each song. But then it's all personal opinion anyway. :)

There are some albums where the album is easier to write about than the songs themselves without going into too much detail, and there will also inevitably be some songs where it's too tricky to expand or compress your thoughts about them into a paragraph. Also, ratings are quite effective at setting the "mood" for a review, as well as giving a quick outlook on songs that the reviewer may not have gone into too much detail on.

 

Assigning numbers is a bit simplistic and arbitrary because it's just the opinion of the reviewer themselves which is based on no particular fixed scale. If someone writes out their thoughts about a particular track at least the reader has a bit more of an idea of "why" the reviewer likes or dislikes a piece of music. Then they can decide for themselves whether they agree/disagree Lord even want to check out that piece of music. But then that takes more thought and time to do it that way.

I did post my song scale (which each of us has adopted) at the beginning of the thread, so if someone sees, say, my review of SEBTP, they'll see that I consider Dancing With The Moonlit Knight "flawless", while I rated The Cinema Show as "great" and More Fool Me as "good". It's not really that ambiguous, and most of us are writing reviews anyway, so even if there's an album that we didn't write a review for there will probably be a point of reference in a previous review anyway.

Saying something is great or good doesn't explain why it is or why "you" think it is and why. That doesn't really tell me anything if I'm reading a review. I'm just saying I think the ratings should be more detailed and go into an explanation why.

 

Post an example then!

 

But reviews on this forum are not by "expert journalists", but music fans. We don't all have the ability to write our thoughts so eloquently, but the reviews here more than justify why we love, like or dislike something.

 

I think you're cutting yourself short. With only a few rare exceptions I think most of the people here are pretty good at expressing themselves. But like I said it takes a little more mind power to actually think why you like or dislike something. I'm not really interested in doing it myself, but I just think it would be a lot more helpful to other people who are reading the reviews if there were more detailed explanations.

[PolarizeMe]

Dir En Grey - Uroboros (2008)

 

Sa Bir: 13/15

*Vinushka*: 15/15

Red Soil: 13/15

<Doukoku To Sarinu>: 12/15

Toguro: 14/15

Glass Skin: 14/15

Stuck Man: 13/15

Reiketsu Nariseba: 15/15

Ware, Yami Tote...: 14/15

Bugaboo: 13/15

Gaika, Chinmoku Ga Nemuru Koro: 14/15

Dozing Green: 15/15

Inconvenient Ideal: 14/15

 

Overall score: F/Borderline 10

Edited December 29, 2014 by PolarizeMe

[PolarizeMe]

A re-rating of an older album I rated earlier.

 

Isis - Oceanic (2002)

 

*The Beginning And The End*: 15/15

The Other: 13/15

False Light: 13/15

Carry: 14/15

-: [ ]/15

Maritime: [ ]/15

Weight: 15/15

From Sinking: 15/15

Hym: 13/15

 

Overall Rating: F (All time great)

[PolarizeMe]

I think I gave this album enough listens to warrant a rating...

 

Yes - Close To The Edge (1972)

 

*Close To The Edge*: 15/15

And You And I: 14/15

Siberian Khatru: 14/15

 

Overall rating: 10 (Olympian)

Edited December 29, 2014 by PolarizeMe

[PolarizeMe]

And another re-rating to an album which I though deserved it as I didn't use the hexadecimal rating for this one originally.

 

Isis - Panopticon (2004)

 

So Did We: 15/15

Backlit: 15/15

*In Fiction*: 15/15

Wills Dissolve: 14/15

Syndic Cells: 14/15

Altered Course: 14/15

Grinning Mouths: 14/15

 

Overall rating: 10 (Olympian)

[Segue Myles]

PolarizeMe, I am so glad you love Dir en Grey.

 

I knew you would adore them! I just did...love your reviews. I don't like them as much as I did at one time, but I love your passion!

[Mr. Not]

Porcupine Tree - Deadwing (2005)

10/15 Deadwing

12/15 Shallow

11/15 Lazarus

08/15 <Halo>

13/15 Arriving Somewhere But Not Here

15/15 *Mellotron Scratch*

12/15 Open Car

11/15 Start of Something Beautiful

13/15 Glass Arm Shattering

 

Rating: A

 

track by track:

• Deadwing (the title track) suffers from a longer-than-should-be-length, and an interesting mellow bridge which is soon ruined by generic metal riffing and then a guitar solo by Adrian f*cking Belew with his impossible pedal. The intro for this song is great though, and you'd be crazy if you didn't think it hadn't any potential based on the first four minutes... I hate to admit I skip songs or just listen to songs for certain parts, but I do end up skipping this song nearly 6 minutes in.
  
• Shallow is great rock song with relateable lyrics but I don't think Wilson intended for the listener to be proud of relating if they did. This song is in a couple of ways a great precursor for Fear of a Blank Planet
  
• Lazarus was a good choice for a single.
  
• I really liked this song and found it very catchy for the first few times I listened to it... Now I never want to listen to it again, really. It's an earworm and serves temporary listening satisfaction. The solo section here is quite good though... Yes, I'm throwing Belew a bone here :P
  
• A great extended piece by PT, although it doesn't feel like one like Russia on Ice or Anesthetize do... In any case, it's a great song and proves a repetitious riff during the verses can really pay off when done correctly. The lyrics are fine too... Really nice.
  
• Mellotron Scratch is one of favorite Porcupine Tree songs, if not then it's my absolute favorite... The outro is outstanding and completes it.
  
• Open Car features: Wilson singing along with the guitar! Wow, how incredibly boring! This song is saved however by the pre-chorus, which is absolutely beautiful. The chorus itself is give or take. The acoustic guitar for the end is a nice touch.
  
• Start of Something Beautiful & Glass Arm Shattering are perfect songs if you're in the mood for them... The addition of them together at the end of the album seal the deal and guarantee Deadwing as a better album than In Absentia ;)
  

My last review

Edited December 29, 2014 by Mr. Not

[PolarizeMe]

PolarizeMe, I am so glad you love Dir en Grey.

 

I knew you would adore them! I just did...love your reviews. I don't like them as much as I did at one time, but I love your passion!

 

They're the one band that defies my taste in metal music in a good way. I dunno, it's been like 10 months since I started listening to them and I still can't figure out why I like them as much as I do.

[Mr. Not]

Fear of a Blank Planet (2007)

12/15 Fear of a Blank Planet

11/15 My Ashes

13/15 *Anesthetize*

12/15 Sentimental

12/15 Way Out of Here

10/15 <Sleep Together>

 

Rating: B

[PolarizeMe]

Dir En Grey - Arche (2014)

 

Un Deux: 14/15

Soshaku: 14/15

Uroko: 13/15

Phenomenon: 14/15

Cause Of Fickleness: 13/15

Tōsei: 15/15

Rinkaku: 15/15

Chain Repulsion: 13/15

Midwife: 14/15

Magayasō: 13/15

Kaishun: 14/15

Beyond A Vacant Image: 13/15

Sustain The Untruth: 13/15

*Kūkoku no Kyōon*: 15/15

<The Inferno>: 11/15

Revelation of Mankind: 12/15

 

Bonus songs:

And Zero: 14/15

Tefu Tefu: 13/15

 

Overall rating: D (Great)

[PolarizeMe]

Porcupine Tree - Fear Of A Blank Planet (2007)

 

Fear Of A Blank Planet: 13/15

My Ashes: 14/15

*Anesthetize*: 15/15

Sentimental: 14/15

Way Out Of Here: 13/15

Sleep Together: 13/15

 

Overal rating: 10 (Olympian)

[PolarizeMe]

The Devin Townsend Project - Addicted (2009)

 

Addicted!: 13/15

Universe In A Ball!: 12/15

Bend It Like Bender!: 13/15

*Supercrush!*: 15/15

Hyperdrive!: 15/15

Resolve: 12/15

Ih-Ah!: 14/15

<The Way Home!>: 11/15

Numbered!: 14/15

Awake!!: 13/15

 

Overall rating: E (Great)

Edited December 29, 2014 by PolarizeMe

[Mr. Not]

Porcupine Tree - The Incident (2009)

07/15 Occam's Razor

12/15 The Blind House

10/15 Great Expectations

13/15 Kneel and Disconnect

09/15 Drawing the Line

14/15 *The Incident*

11/15 Your Unpleasant Family

13/15 The Yellow Windows of the Evening Train

06/15 <Time Flies>

08/15 Degree Zero of Liberty

13/15 Octane Twisted

'--'/15 The Seance

 

Rating: 9

[PolarizeMe]

I've rated albums I like so far...I think it's time for me to rate an album which I don't like (or at least I don't like considerably more so than every other album I rated so far)

 

Rush - Roll The Bones (1991)

 

Dreamline: 12/15

Bravado: 13/15

Roll The Bones: 11/15

<Face Up>: 5/15

Where's My Thing?: 13/15

The Big Wheel: 11/15

Heresy: 9/15

*Ghost Of A Chance*: 14/15

Neurotica: 5/15

You Bet Your Life: 8/15

 

Overall rating: 6 (Mediocre)

Edited December 29, 2014 by PolarizeMe

[Mr. Not]

Rush - Rush (1974)

10/15 Finding My Way

08/15 Need Some Love

04/15 Take a Friend

09/15 Here Again

05/15 What You're Doing

03/15 <In the Mood>

11/15 *Before and After*

09/15 Working Man

 

Rating: 5 (not terrible, but doesn't necessarily deserve to exist, either)

 

...I really just shouldn't have touched this one at all, though.

Edited December 29, 2014 by Mr. Not

[PolarizeMe]

Rush - Test For Echo (1996)

 

Test For Echo: 13/15

Driven: 13/15

Half The World: 9/15

The Color Of Right: 11/15

Time And Motion: 10/15

Totem: 13/15

<Dog Years>: 3/15

Virtuality: 6/15

*Resist*: 14/15

Limbo: 12/15

The Color Of Right: 10/15

 

Overall rating: 8 (Good, bordering on mediocre)

Edited December 29, 2014 by PolarizeMe

[PolarizeMe]

Rush - Fly By Night (1975)

 

Anthem: 13/15

Best I Can: 10/15

Beneath, Between and Behind: 12/15

*By-Tor And The Snow Dog*: 14/15

Fly By Night: 14/15

Making Memories: 9/15

<Rivendell>: 8/15

In The End: 14/15

 

Overall rating: B (Good)