reviews.. oh reviews!
The mad manager is on the loose!
So guys. It’s the little man behind the scene that is popping out again. This time, to take a look at the reviews that we have received for The Collibro.
Just to create an overview, we started out by getting slammed with words like “masterpiece” and “album of the year”.. in our little “not fitting into the conventions” world.. that is kinda of teenagers wet dream/worst nightmare. Of cause it didn’t last. Who was silly enough to think so anyway…
The reviews, and the subsequent ratings are (so far) as follows:
Diskant.dk 10/10
fyns stiftstidne 4/6
jyllandsposten 3/6
soundvenue.com 3/6
undertoner.dk 2,5/6
Gaffa.dk 2/6
politiken 2/6
So much for numbers. we only miss 2 grades: 1/6 and 5/6, and we would have covered the whole board. 10/10 is the same as 6/6 right? That could have been soooo cool! Then we could claim to have made an album that defied the boxes of reviews.
What I for one really like is, that there is a big, a very big span in the reviews. that we are splitting waters, that some people think the production suck and that some think it is a class A job, that some people think our name and former band-members are still more important to address, then what Lis has become and that very few topics it repeated through the reviews. It makes me wonder… and then I started to wonder, what a good review really is, for the bands and ultimately for you guys, who are the ones who are buying records, and for who, the review is some kind of “buying guide” if the reviewer writes that an album suck master cock.. then my thesis is that some will be more reluctant to buy it.
SO! in that perspective..
What do we need to know, when we read a review? Lets start with the ratings: the stars, the hearts or what you get. The dreaded grading! I too me, it is worth very little, unless you know the reviewer, what music he likes and dislikes, however they work well and are simple and easy-peacy to understand. 10 is better then one.
Then comes the content, and here, friends, is where I will try and not get too fired up. You see:
I will not discuss specific reviews, because, well, in the end it is not up to us to dictate what we are satisfied with or not. We are happy that people who we do not know will listen and write what they think… and really: I dont care if a review is “good” or “bad”, but i really care if the review is respectful and takes the music seriously.
What I regret, is that so few reviews takes their time to let us know, what it is they like or dislike. I mean.. How much does “masterpiece” or “bad production” really say? In the end.. it could be a master piece, yet, if you are a big fan of lady gaga and the sound she has, I’m pretty sure you will still think that The Collibro’s production suck.
Today I stumbled upon a review made by Jyllandsposten, a free translation would be like this:
The band name “Lis Er Stille” is still a joke, because the Århus based band is far from quiet. Dizzy, bombastic prog-rock, that seem in love with Genesis, Mogwai, Muse and Sigur Rós. large gestures, small sensations”.
That is about 3 lines.. again: I don’t really care if the reviewer likes or dislikes the album, but i deeply regret that he gives 3 years work of 5-6 people 3 lines. I do not think that a review like that is taking anyone seriously. Not the band, not the reader, and in the end not even the reviewer himself.
Why the even bother writing it, when it is absolutely meaningless and holds no real value?
It is a red rag in front of my eyes, that some one have made something, from their hearts, something they want to pass on, and it is served on a silver tray to be dissected, and this person don’t even care enough to give the work some respect. i pray and hope, that all bands, singers and so on who make and put out albums, feel and believe that they are sharing some part of them self and that it is their blood they offer up for highest bidder.
of cause there are also the great ones:
For instance I am really happy about the review posted on Undertoner.dk, even though it gives a hard judgement. The reviewer takes his time, goes into what he personally likes and dislikes. and to me that is what we want, and also what I want to read when I am about to buy new albums. reviews are subjective as hell, and should never try and make out to be anything else. There is no greater truce, only personal opinion, especially when it comes to art. All I ask, is for the reviews to be open to this fact, and to act upon it.
finally, i would like to invite you to take part in the discussion.
- What is YOUR review of The Collibro.. and don’t give me one line.. and Ill kill you ;0)
If you feel like it, I would love to invite you to write a good review of it and let us know exactly and gloves off what you think.
What is a good review to you? what do you want to know
Cheers and much love, Anders.
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I have theories about Lis’ lack of break through:
1) THE BRAINWASHED MAINSTREAM
Reviews at commercial music sites are pretty much like music in the radio these days. The majority want a chorus they can remember and sing along to in their Fiat Punto, and they rarely care for anything in a review besides the rating. If you consider the amount of reviews written in a week at those sites, you don’t have to be a mathematician to figure out the reviewers probably aren’t listening to the albums more than 3-4 times.
- Lis suffers because of this. Lis doesn’t have hooky choruses, you can’t sing along to Lis, because of the difficult vocal work. And most importantly you CAN not judge or describe an album like Collibro on anything less than 10 whole listenings in my opinion.
If we move a tat away from the commercial reviews we are left with Undetoner and Diskant’s reviews, which are mighty fine in my opinion. What Undertoner’s review simply states is he likes the “apathobvious”-lis better. The article itself presents the album with respect. Diskant’s reviews is just plain well written. Thumbs up to them.
I argued with a few people on Gaffa because I for one think that a review should present the album through a fairly objective desriction, and then bring in the personal opinion followed by an actual argument backing up the opinion. I don’t really care for the “storytelling” about when the band released their last album, which members left and what the members ate for lunch last Tuesday. I think Gaffa’s reviewer had no more than some nonsense storytelling and a personal opinion. Without any arguments the review is simply an assertion which is pretty much useless reading. Sometimes I’m afraid that people make these music sites and rating an authority in their minds, which is a disturbing. After all its just one opinion. YOU, Lis, of all the people in the world should remember this. They’re just single opinions those review. Let them never take you down, because you are truly unique.
2)JANTE LOVEN
I’ve been thinking a lot about this. It seems Danish reviewers these days like to do this who-do-you-think-you-are thing towards people with great ambitions. It is really sad. Like; Don’t think you can make something original when you’re Danish people. My theory is that its also here the reviewers draw their comparisons to bands like Muse, Sigur Rós etc.
They are bands with ambitions, and skilled musicians – but they do not sound like Lis. They do not! I will never agree with the reviews upon this.
Why are Danish people not allowed to be original and big? I really don’t know, but Danish critics have to get rid of this thing, if we want to reach across borders. Danish music will not be able to do that, if they don’t let the original music we have come across with good reviews. No one really wants to touch a band if the band has a luggage with bad reviews at home. And the other way around no other country really cares for an unoriginal band with good ratings from home (Kashmir, anyone?).
3) BLAME THE SOUND!
It seems to me these days reviewers has become crazy with hi-fi Carpark North sound and it annoys me. Music is so much more than that. Of course its part of how we experience the music, but it is not all in my opinion. These days I actually enjoy lo-fi textured stuff. Lo-fi is not bad. Its a different feel (You must check out this free-give-away label http://tavern-eightieth.net/ and lovely Finish Paavoharju).
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying Lis is either Hi-fi or Lo-fi. My point just is that its too easy for Gaffa example to blame the sound instead of the music when they give bad ratings. They did it with Construction of the AmpTrain and they did it with Gaffa.
Stop being hi-fi-audiophiles for the sake of being hi-fi-audiophiles. Collibro has a fine production. Its human, its organic, its well balanced … its about the music, without being to polished.
And finally;
Anders if you get Lis to play at a Nordic festival I’ll be reviewing Collibro herE: http://www.nordicfestivals.com/
and it most likely won’t be a bad review
well well… this discussion was not, in no way what so ever intended to be about the collibro or why LES gets strange reviews, and my reasons for writing my post in the first place was, that all I want is for reviews to take us seriously. Therefore it is not important if reviewers like or dislike what we do. It is a free country with freedom of speach and belief. Thank god for that.
By the way… your link is not so informative as I could have wished for, or I am a complete internet noobie, that cannot find the menu/info/…
I’m sorry thats not what you wanted, but it is a free country with freedom of speech and belief
The website is up and running now btw:
http://www.nordicfestivals.com/