Critics...
 

Well I have several friends that only listen to music that gets great reviews from critics.This got me thinking on how many of you let the critics affect your audio purchases or listening to new bands/or older bands?

i don't let critics dictate what i listen to, but sometimes i check out reviews just to see what they say. most of the time i disagree with what critics say, especially if it's a pitchfork review.

Well we can agree pitchfork sucks anyways.

reviews come in handy to make a rough selection,
you just can't listen to all music that's released

Critics do affect me for sure ( the unprofessional one too).
Years ago , I used to buy records from bands I've never heard of or read about .

There have been a few critics whose tastes I grew to know and trust who turned me on to quite a few bands and extended band family trees I would never have found out about otherwise.

I love critics, and pitchfork and reviews and such. a good critic can describe the musi contained in an album and, whether they like it or not, I can tell whether I would find the band interesting enough to listen to.

pitchfork never said they were GOD or anything, it is just dudes reviewing music. I do not understand the pitchfork hate. they keep up to date news about bands we like. the review all new stuff. they interview cool artists. I think what people hate are the posers that use pitchfork as their "bible" on all things cool. that should not be aimed ta the good folks of pitchfork though.

there's nothing wrong with reading reviews, the wrong thing is reading only one review or just one critic. that's very dumb if you ask me.

rob's right, a good critic let's you know what the album sounds like and his evaluation of the quality depends on his/her tastes or in more concrete terms, depending on the argument. of course, 80% of critics are into herd mentality...

I like critics. I think anyone who has even the most cursory of awarenesses of the mechanics of writing should be able to see through (or endorse, if needs be) journalese or 'house-styles'.

Actually, the journalists I've met have been utter, utter cunts, but that's not the point.

they're just opinions. sometimes they affect me, sometimes they dont.

if those friends of yours only listen to music that gets great reviews, they are idiots, let me tell you this.

WTF actually reads music reviews?

I just listen to a lot of stuff and stick with what I like.

I read music reviews all the time, and movie reviews as well.

this is how I stay informed as to what is out there.

I only buy albums that get five stars on Amazon. Needless to say I own a helluva lot of Green Day albums.

I dont hate pitchfork becuz some people take it as their bible, its the fact that pitchfork is very arrogant and snobbish in its reviews.They gave NYC Ghosts and Flowers 0, need i say more....

i don't give a fuck what any of them say. what right does some fat pencil pusher in a cubicle at rolling stone have to tell me what i should and should not be listening to?

i read reviews on amazon and pitchfork, but only to see what they say. pitchfork reviews would be better if the reviews were short and sweet. i don't see the point to write what seems like a college paper for a review. i read reviews in maximumrocknroll, but most of the records they review are pretty horrible, but sometimes i find a gem.

on a different note, i think maximumrocknroll need to go back to being assholes. i miss that.

Reviews like this.

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/articl...mes-the-indian

I was in England at the time and SY also got pretty bad reviews in the press there.

that's just one guys opinion though.

i don;t know anyone besides hardcore sonic youth fanatics that listens to NYC ghosts and flowers.