Well you have to read the text if you want to see them describe music :crazy:.

What I'm saying is that I don't want to read their descriptions of the music because I find that they usually suck at getting across the essence of the music they're talking about. Like I said, it gives me nothing to go on, with which I mean I don't feel compelled to check the music out based on the way they describe it. If review texts can't make me interested in music, then what's their use for me.

I was joking with my last post, but the usefulness of reviews is that they provide perspective on music to help you better understand it.

I suppose I agree with that in theory, but I've kind of stopped reading. I still watch documentaries about music now and then, so it's not like I'm completely disinterested in the wider context.

Thinking about it, I think the one thing that I do appreciate is to know what motivated the creation of an album. That is often best heard directly from the artist, when possible at least. If I could have my way, all albums would have detailed liner notes talking about the ideas behind every single track.

Are there any specific writers you feel do a very good job of providing some any particular degree of insight into whatever kind of music they tackle?

I just peruse rym reviews. I like Scaruffi has great taste and provides awesome historical context on a lot of music, but his description of music and why he likes it is kind of subpar.

I mostly just like someone who has a strong opinion on an album and expresses their viewpoint adequately. And hopefully entertainingly. I honestly just like watching people be passionate about music. I'll take the recs, but it's just fun watching people have fun with music. Anthony Fantano clearly is having fun, so he's fun to watch and even gives me things to think about.

I think I agree with this. I'd rather watch/read someone who is burning with passion (or hate) for the album they're talking about. That's probably why I tend to read comments on albums, while ignoring reviews. I do watch Fantano a rare time, but mostly when there's an album I actually care about. Or his Y U No Review videos. Those are entertaining to me.

The youtube channel Deep Cuts is an excellent example of by all means intelligent, well made, well spoken, profesionally filmed music reviews that I find unbearable dull and uninteresting.

I'll drop Dead End Hip Hop in here because their discussions are great, there's a spread of opinions, and they're all clearly very passionate about the music.

Bomb the Music Industry's Jeff Rosenstuck's vocals sound as drunk as he likely is.

I've heard members of Radiohead talk about how when they first started playing Paranoid Android live, before they recorded it, the song had two long organ solos and everyone looked at them like they were crazy when they dragged the organ out and played it. Removing the solos reduced the song's length from 14 to six and a half minutes. I think that's a funny story and sums up some of their excesses.