12/29/08 09:24 PM
Although basic hints of frustration showed over the course of the past few years, it was during the last six to nine months that I realized writing music reviews on my site had often become more of a chore than a joy. I started writing them on a whim in my first (very tiny) apartment many, many years ago, with no set time period for how long I would continue. Now a decade has passed along with several large life changes (almost all for the good, fortunately), and I feel like I’ve reached a good point to slow my output.
I didn’t come to this decision easily. I wrangled with it for a couple months, going back and forth between wondering how I would continue to discover music on the margins and even how my weekly schedule would change. Looking back, I can’t even really come up with some sort of way to quantify how much time I’ve spent doing music reviews, and if I could, it would probably just make me a bit depressed. In Malcom Gladwell’s new book Outliers, he makes the generalization that 10,000 hours spent practicing a skill will likely make someone a master at that skill. Over ten years, that averages out to only about 1000 hours a year (which I have easily reached if I include time spent listening critically to music), and I’m certainly no master, so perhaps that’s another sign it’s time to hang things up…
Because my brain is wired a certain way, it seems like I always go back to numbers, and in looking through the basic data on my review site, it makes me realize that I’ve been more than a little obsessive over the course of the past decade or so.
I dropped my first music review onto the internet back in late 1997, and since that time I’ve written over 2350 more. A couple years back, I started doing podcasts for my featured review each week, and have now done well over 200 of them. I’ve reviewed CDs by over 1535 different artists (not including various artist compilations) and very nearly 800 different record labels. The labels that I’ve written the most reviews for are Matador (68), Kranky (64), and Warp (60). The artist that I’ve reviewed the most is Squarepusher (9), with The Orb and Autechre coming in a close second (with 8 apiece).
Of course, this sheer quantity led to what I felt was a general degradation in the quality of my writing over the course of the past year or so, although some could certainly argue that it’s been lacking from the start. What I’ve come to realize is that it isn’t the simple act of writing reviews that has ground me down, it’s simply the quantity. I still love music and love writing about it, but to pour out 4-5, 500 word missives a week turns what originally seems like clever lines into cliches at a quick rate and unique adjectives into descriptors that wear out their potency from overuse. A thesaurus comes in handy for awhile, but at some point you feel like you’re saying the same thing over and over again about a CD that has some fine moments but doesn’t really move you as a whole. In fact, I think I’ve used that very line a couple times now. Sigh…
And that’s really where the burnout comes in. I still hear music on a fairly consistent basis that manages to really move me, and there’s no denying that (or even holding back my praise for it). At the same time, when a person listens to sometimes 10-20 different “new” releases a week, a fair majority of those are simply going to filter into a pile that’s either “good” or even worse. Heck, I’ve been in several bands now, and I’m completely used to being ignored. It’s good for your soul (or at least very humbling, or something) to find a CD you spent months (and in some cases, years) writing and recording selling for only a dollar online. As a writer, I don’t feel any particular joy in saying any of the aforementioned about someone’s hard work.
That latter sentence actually ties back into something that I’ve gotten a lot of good-natured (mostly, I think) ribbing about from friends. That is, of course, that my reviews tend to skew to the positive side of things. Going back to the numbers thing again, I even did up a little chart to show how the 2350 reviews on this site break down in terms of numerical rating…
Looking back at my output over the years, there are definitely releases that I would have to go back and change the rating based on not only changes in my music listening patterns, but also on how my level of critique has evolved. Essentially, I was even more of a softie when I started out, and that’s probably saying something considering I very, very rarely give anything under a 5 or so rating even nowadays. I think it’s safe to say that you can be even-handed and even somewhat nice in the review business, but the reviewers who get to be well-known are the ones who aren’t afraid to absolutely shred something.
Over the course of the years, I have done just that a couple times, but again it brings me no real joy, so there is that.
In the end, I just feel like I need a bit of a small change. I’m still going to continue to write, but now the focus will be only on things that I really enjoy. That may mean that I write one thing a week, and it may mean that I still write more, but instead of having to write about things that I don’t feel excited about, I’m just going to pour out the words over things that really do it for me. In addition to writing about music, I’ll write about books (occasionally) and other stuff if it strikes my fancy. I’ll also have commenting open and the reviews themselves will tend to be a bit more on the personal (and in-depth) side.
I’m also excited that I’ll finally have a little more time to start going back through my collection and re-listen to a lot of things that I haven’t heard in awhile, since I’ve been known to fret about that sort of thing.
If you’ve been a reader of my site, I thank you a ton for your patronage. Remember to swing by the new site, I think it will be fun.
December 30th, 2008 at 1:00 am
obviously this is just a new beginning for you. and more information does not necessarily lead to more informed people, so it’s best you enjoy what you do and keep away from facebook (and lol).
cheers
December 30th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
I really like the chart. All the 2350+ reviews do add up quite nicely in that graph.
Will we ever get to see a photo of your entire CD-collection alongside the stereo you use?
Best regards and good luck with the new site project!
December 31st, 2008 at 6:37 am
Perhaps a little pathetically I’ve been dreading this moment. This site has been an amazing musical crutch for me for about eight years. I started reading in 2001 when a friend presented me with a pile of cardboard-sleeved CDs of which I’d never heard, on a label which I’d never come across (Constellation), forcing me to do some research on the internet to find out just what these amazing discs were, since they didn’t fit onto my then narrow idea of the musical landscape. This site was the one that I found most helpful, where the successive releases of Do Make Say Think, Silver Mt Zion et al had been reviewed with the impassioned but sober excitement that I came to relish the site for. Since these were my years at university, and I’d never really got that excited about the internet while still at school, this was the time of my first proper exposure to the web, and Almostcool was the first website to which I developed any kind of allegiance, and it remains the website above all others which I’ve cherished reading.
Of course, by keeping to my regular Friday morning routine of reading the site over breakfast or once I hit the office, my horizons were soon expanded way beyond Constellation and post-rock. As I was guided to all those great early-noughties laptop artists (mum, The Notwist, DNTEL) that didn’t seem to get much press over here in the UK I felt like I was secretly getting privy to the most exciting music in the world at that time. Based on the site’s enthusiasm for Autechre and Aphex I went back and rediscovered all the great Warp music of the 90s that I’d been oblivious to in my Britpop days. One day, a review of Music for 18 Musicians blew my mind, as I’d never heard of Reich and the description of it here sounded incredible; when I got hold of a copy, an enduring love of American Minimalism began. Less seismic, but still notable, it was picking up Gui Boratto’s Chromophobia after reading a review of it here last year that persuaded me that I’d been missing a trick in the world of contemporary techno; I went scurrying back into the Kompakt catalogue and then beyond. Similarly, I picked up about twenty Kranky releases straight-off after hearing the amazing ‘I’ by Labradford on one of AC’s mixes.
Sooner or later I’d noticed that certain labels were pretty dependable and following them could be a great way to find out about brand new artists. But I still feel there’s too much for me personally to keep tracks on, and I don’t have the money to simply buy up everything, so this site was always a surefire way of slimming down my must-hear list. I read lots of other blogs and sites that have helped me to discover great stuff too, but none seems to have the balance quite right for my tastes. Some sites lean too far towards the obvious, privileging guitars and beats over more experimental stuff. There are some great ones out there that cater solely for what’s best in the world of drone, glitch and ambient (and this is an area I’ve delved into loads in the past couple of years), but the tastes therein sometimes seem too austere for pop music. With drone and ambient music the very abstractedness of the sonic drift can become a blank slate for the listener to read beauty into it; thus it becomes easy for people to be hyperbolic about an ambient release just because it touched them for a moment sitting in the dark. Almostcool always seemed enchanted by ambient music, but sceptical enough to pull the plug when familiar tropes were being employed.
Caught midway between the hipster indie sites and the downtempo-obsessed blogs, I love the slightly bemused conclusion that seems to come from reading AC that pop music rules – but only the most eccentric, unhinged variety, that mixes sonic experimentation with a sort of untrammelled glee in music and life. That’s a pretty reductive explanation of the kind of music that gets highlighted in AC, but time and again reading the site has led me to some deranged, alternate-universe version of the bright and breezy pop song – whether it’s Animal Collective stomping through ‘We Tigers’, Andrew Bird belting out ‘Fake Palindromes’ or some other amazing, life-affirming track that should really have charted in a just world.
Anyway, I just wanted to salute ten years of incredibly consistent reviews – I hope the above goes someway to explaining the massive influence on my tastes that this site has had. I’ll really miss reading the site, but am looking forward to getting into Something Excellent and secretly hoping you’ll continue listing your favourites of the year over there. All the best for 2009. R.I.P. Almost Cool. Long live Something Excellent!
January 3rd, 2009 at 3:21 pm
sad i’m commenting now at the end, but you were/will be a great resource. I’ve valued your reviews very highly. thanks, and good luck in the future.
January 4th, 2009 at 11:45 am
I agree with Josh, as I am leaving a comment at the end of almostcool, you have been a great resource and I have followed this site for many years since I went back to school in spring of 2002 and afte. Almostcool has been under my favorites for a long time. I would look forward to Fridays and checked every Friday. It was a schedule especially when I was sitting at work. I wish you all the best and will miss my Friday fix. Good luck and take care.
January 5th, 2009 at 11:28 am
Congrats on ten great years of reviews. You’ve shown me all kinds of new music and really helped to expand my horizons. You’ve done a much better job than I expect you realize. A heartfelt thanks seems pretty insufficient. I’m glad you’re moving on to another project that excites you. I’d actually rather just hear about the few things you’re stoked about – that makes it quicker to find the good stuff. Good luck with the new blog – I’ll be reading along!
January 7th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Perhaps a little pathetically I’ve been dreading this moment. This site has been an amazing musical crutch for me for about eight years. I started reading in 2001 when a friend presented me with a pile of cardboard-sleeved CDs of which I’d never heard, on a label which I’d never come across (Constellation), forcing me to do some research on the internet to find out just what these amazing discs were, since they didn’t fit onto my then narrow idea of the musical landscape. This site was the one that I found most helpful, where the successive releases of Do Make Say Think, Silver Mt Zion et al had been reviewed with the impassioned but sober excitement that I came to relish the site for. Since these were my years at university, and I’d never really got that excited about the internet while still at school, this was the time of my first proper exposure to the web, and Almostcool was the first website to which I developed any kind of allegiance, and it remains the website above all others which I’ve cherished reading.
Of course, by keeping to my regular Friday morning routine of reading the site over breakfast or once I hit the office, my horizons were soon expanded way beyond Constellation and post-rock. As I was guided to all those great early-noughties laptop artists (mum, The Notwist, DNTEL) that didn’t seem to get much press over here in the UK I felt like I was secretly getting privy to the most exciting music in the world at that time. Based on the site’s enthusiasm for Autechre and Aphex I went back and rediscovered all the great Warp music of the 90s that I’d been oblivious to in my Britpop days. One day, a review of Music for 18 Musicians blew my mind, as I’d never heard of Reich and the description of it here sounded incredible; when I got hold of a copy, an enduring love of American Minimalism began. Less seismic, but still notable, it was picking up Gui Boratto’s Chromophobia after reading a review of it here last year that persuaded me that I’d been missing a trick in the world of contemporary techno; I went scurrying back into the Kompakt catalogue and then beyond. Similarly, I picked up about twenty Kranky releases straight-off after hearing the amazing ‘I’ by Labradford on one of AC’s mixes.
Sooner or later I’d noticed that certain labels were pretty dependable and following them could be a great way to find out about brand new artists. But I still feel there’s too much for me personally to keep tracks on, and I don’t have the money to simply buy up everything, so this site was always a surefire way of slimming down my must-hear list. I read lots of other blogs and sites that have helped me to discover great stuff too, but none seems to have the balance quite right for my tastes. Some sites lean too far towards the obvious, privileging guitars and beats over more experimental stuff. There are some great ones out there that cater solely for what’s best in the world of drone, glitch and ambient (and this is an area I’ve delved into loads in the past couple of years), but the tastes therein sometimes seem too austere for pop music. With drone and ambient music the very abstractedness of the sonic drift can become a blank slate for the listener to read beauty into it; thus it becomes easy for people to be hyperbolic about an ambient release just because it touched them for a moment sitting in the dark. Almostcool always seemed enchanted by ambient music, but sceptical enough to pull the plug when familiar tropes were being employed.
Caught midway between the hipster indie sites and the downtempo-obsessed blogs, I love the slightly bemused conclusion that seems to come from reading AC that pop music rules – but only the most eccentric, unhinged variety, that mixes sonic experimentation with a sort of untrammelled glee in music and life. That’s a pretty reductive explanation of the kind of music that gets highlighted in AC, but time and again reading the site has led me to some deranged, alternate-universe version of the bright and breezy pop song – whether it’s Animal Collective stomping through ‘We Tigers’, Andrew Bird belting out ‘Fake Palindromes’ or some other amazing, life-affirming track that should really have charted in a just world.
Anyway, I just wanted to salute ten years of incredibly consistent reviews – I hope the above goes someway to explaining the massive influence on my tastes that this site has had. I’ll really miss reading the site, but am looking forward to getting into Something Excellent and secretly hoping you’ll continue listing your favourites of the year over there. All the best for 2009. R.I.P. Almost Cool. Long live Something Excellent!
January 11th, 2009 at 7:47 am
You’re one of the most thorough self-analysers I know. I love to read how you evaluate your life and work. It’s inspiring!
Keep up the joy and work!
Thanks for all those reviews!
And as a side note. I think when you recognize someones style in terms of cliche’s and familiarities, it doesn’t really mean that is a bad thing. It’s getting to know the person and getting to rely on those characteristics.
Almost Cool was one of the few good review sites, where you had a great consistency in reviews because it was one man’s view.
Sometimes I think the prolifice review sites are all over the place.
kind regards Elwin
January 29th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
I just wanted to say that almost cool has been a great source of music for me over the years and its really sad to see it go.
ill keep checking the new site but keep listening to and writing about great music!
interesting choice for top album of 08 btw!
February 4th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
I’m going to miss my Fridays … but I’m sure it’s for the best. As long as you keep posting about music, of course. You made me discover so many great records and bands, that I would have been devastated if you had taken all of that away !
I wish you the best for your new site and I hope you’ll enjoy updating it !
(by the way, there is nothing on your old music reviews RSS feed announcing the end of reviews there. Maybe you should add a new item in the feed ? Just to make sure everyone is aware of the existence of your new site !)