Post
by djshiva » Sun Sep 28, 2008 6:53 pm
in response to those who have said that a good objective review of something someone dislikes is ok, i definitely agree.
i guess my point is that sometimes i read reviews (this one we are discussing being a PRIME example) where it seems that the reviewer's motives are less presenting an objective opinion and more releasing their own frustrations/failures upon someone else.
it all comes down to believing that people should ask themselves what their motives are behind reviewing music. i personally do it because i love music and i want to share what is good to other people (pretty much the same reason why i love to dj). i find it better to focus on the positive, and if i don't like something, i would rather say nothing at all, than slate it. i have my personal tastes, and i would rather focus on what i like, than review something and slate it because it is completely outside the realm of what i like. i find that in those cases, it's just too easy to let my own prejudices seep in, and i don't think that's a fair shake for the artist.
it's just stylistically more what i am interested in, but i cast no judgement on those who are honest and straightforward in expressing if something is NOT good. an objective and negative review can be good, if written well. i just find it less interesting PERSONALLY, as a writer/reviewer, to do negative reviews. if i think something is shite, i would rather not give it any press at all.
but again, that's just my personal philosophy (and applicable more to things like my own blog, where i tend to pick the tunes i review myself, as opposed to writing for other sites/publications, where i have to review what i am given). either way, i think it's important for a reviewer to ask themself their own motives for what they write, because it's all too easy for some to use their position as a means of wielding power and venting their own bullshit, rather than letting people know what's out there and how good/bad it really is. i think the flylo review in discussion is a perfect example of someone who either a) has a personal grudge, b) failed at music, or c) needs some fuckin' therapy.
