Scandinavian Indie Digest Mon, 26 Jan 1998 Volume 98 : Issue 10 Today's Topics: SV: I am a journalist, i seek to understand me... SV: I am a journalist, i seek to understand me... Re: I am a journalist, i seek to understand me... SV: I am a journalist, i seek to understand me... Re: SV: I am a journalist, i seek to understand me... Re: I am a journalist, i seek to understand me... Re: Gbg record shops Gigs at GBG film festival Re: Gbg record shops Re: I am a journalist, i seek to understand me... Re: I am a journalist, i seek to understand me... Re: The Merrymakers Hooray Skivhugget! Re: I am a journalist, i seek to understand me... Re: I am a journalist, i seek to understand me... SV: The Merrymakers Music Journalism Administrivia: To unsubscribe from the Scandinavian Indie Digest mailing list: * send e-mail to: scan-indie-d-request@lysator.liu.se * with the Subject: unsubscribe To post to the Scandinavian Indie mailing list: * use the address: scan-indie@lysator.liu.se Digest back issues can be found in the [SID] section at the Scan-Indie website: http://www.lysator.liu.se/~chief/scan.html () Please take care not to include the entire digest in your () reply, only the message(s) you are replying to. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Jan 1998 12:50:13 +0100 From: "Micke Rehnstrom" Subject: SV: I am a journalist, i seek to understand me... Per Langstrom wrote: > seriously, isn't objectivism what you should be trying to aim at? i mean, > you might be the only person in the world liking/disliking that certain > band/record, still a lot of people take your opinions seriously enough to > actually check out bands and records based solely on your subjective opin- > ions. wouldn't a more general, less subjective, review be of more use to > a greater number of people, as you might be the only one who can't stand > that certain band because that's what you and your former girlfriend from > a couple of years back used to listen to? Like I said before - I think that a reviewer should try to make an "as close to objective as possible (because being totally objective is impossible)" description of how the record sounds. But when it comes to tell whether he/she likes it or not objectivity cannot exist any longer. Perhaps an honest reviewer should tell whether there is any particular reason, as the one you mention, for him/her to like/dislike the band, but that is about it. Besides, I truly hope that there are no people who buy their records purely based on reviews. At least not just one review. Do not _ever_ believe in 100% of what you read. And do _always_ try to get a second opinion (preferrably your own) before buying anything. Like I said, a review can only work as a guideline. /Micke ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Jan 1998 13:03:19 +0100 From: "Micke Rehnstrom" Subject: SV: I am a journalist, i seek to understand me... Erik Soderstrom wrote: > Seriously though - if reviews weren't > subjective, the papers/magazines could just copy the info from the > release note and print that. Are you trying to say that those release notes are _not_ subjective? Naah, would not think so, would we ;-). I think the readers would prefer anything, subjective or objective, a reviewer writes to some commercial ads from the record companies. Besides, if the record companies could write their own reviews (the release notes), they would probably think there was less need for advertising about their releases: "Hell, we can advertise for free on the review pages". God knows how many fanzines/magazines would cease to exist because of diminishing advertising revenues. Of course, the fanzines/magazines could make the record companies pay for having the release notes published. But what would the readers think about the zines publishing ads instead of reviews (which it actually would be like)? I think this would leave their credibility right on Anders Nunstedts spaghetti plate. /Micke ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Jan 1998 13:16:23 +0100 From: "Micke Rehnstrom" Subject: Re: I am a journalist, i seek to understand me... (Because of my mistake, Daniels reply on my message of last night did not reach the list. I have his permission to redirect his reply to the list. Here it comes. /Micke Rehnstrom) Micke Rehnstrom wrote: > Amazing to see how many journalists there seem to be on the list :-). And I > suspect there are many others lurking around in the shadows. Well, I am not > a journalist. It is true that I contribute to a few fanzines: reviewing > records and sometimes writing articles about bands I like and think deserve > more attention. But that does not make me a journalist, because it is not > my proffession (well, nothing is my proffession at the moment). > > It is true that it would be stupid to consider a review to be "the truth", > it is (and should be) based on the reviewers personal opinion (except for > the name of the band and the record - not much space for different opinions > there!). Therefore, when I read reviews, I find the "is it good or bad" > part to be quite uninteresting. My primary interest is about how the record > sounds - what kind of music, comparisons to other artists, comparisons to > the artists previous records etc. Whether the reviewer likes or dislikes > the record and why he likes/dislikes it is of secondary importance to me. > Of course, after a while, I get to know the reviewers taste and if it > completely corresponds/not corresponds with my taste it becomes easier to > use his/her reviews as some kind of guidelines (but not as the "truth"). EXactly. Exactly what I wanted to say. > It is different with articles - they are not, primarily, meant to display > the writers opinion. They are either a) describing facts, ie the "truth" or > b) telling what someone else thinks, most of the time based on interviews > with this "someone else". And then the reader must be able to rely on that > the writer actually writes the "truth" or that he gives an accurate picture > of what the one being interviewed actually said. Even if this did not > happen in an article, I would have severe problems trusting someone who > cannot keep CARPET PEOPLE and CARPE WADE apart (and, it should be said, I > am also suspicious against that Sound Affects guy who claimed that the > latest HIM KEROSENE album was their debut album). Yes, of course. And I as well have to say that I think some of the persons in the musicpress are a bit unreliable. The Carpet People/Carpe Wade-thing you'll have to say was a mistake that just might happen. And Nunstedt (who, I agree, isn't really the best of journalists) made an apology in Saturdays paper. > Perhaps there is no real difference in the task of writing/telling it. But > if we talk about writing articles I think there is a huge difference in the > _value_ of doing it. Even if we disregard my opinion about OASIS I would > have problems seeing any point in me writing anything about them. They have > already been everywhere in every type of media, even people who hate their > music know what they eat for breakfast and think about BLUR, and the > probability that I would be able to tell anything that people did not > already know would be extremely close to zero. _I_ rather write about > unknown bands, not because I necessarily think they are better (but mostly > I think they are) but because I think they deserve attention too. Perhaps I > may upset someone who actually has written about OASIS but, to be frank, to > write about them without coming up with anything that millions of people > does not already know sounds like a terrible waste of time! Maybe the > things I write about unknown bands are not new to their fans but there is a > much bigger probability, than in the case of the Gallagher brothers, that > someone formerly uninitiated reads it and becomes interested in the band. > That is, to me, much more valuable than to just repeat what everyone > already knows. > > /Micke, apologizing for this _long_ message OK, Oasis might not be a very good example. But what I wanted to say was that it's quite understandable that the biggest newspapers write about Oasis. Just because it it what "people" want to read about. In fact, I think it's pretty remarkable that the Expressen Fredag do reviews of bands like Carpet People. Small, unknown bands that don't sell much records. In the biggest evening paper in Sweden.It's actually not all Aqua, is it? DANIEL - apologizing for making this message even longer. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Jan 1998 13:25:05 +0100 From: "Micke Rehnstrom" Subject: SV: I am a journalist, i seek to understand me... And after this short reply to Daniels messagen I will stop spamming the list for now. Promise! > it's quite understandable that the biggest newspapers write about Oasis. > Just because it it what "people" want to read about. In fact, I think it's > pretty remarkable that the Expressen Fredag do reviews of bands like Carpet > People. Small, unknown bands that don't sell much records. In the biggest > evening paper in Sweden.It's actually not all Aqua, is it? Yes it is kind of remarkable. Even more remarkable is, perhaps, that they did _not_ review the CLOUDBERRY JAM album which was released on the same record company on the same day. But like you say - the big papers write what the people wants to read. So what we should really try to figure out, if anything, is why people actually want to read what is in those papers. But I think I leave that to someone who has studied psychology or sociology or something like that. /Micke ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Jan 1998 15:13:23 +0100 From: Erik Soderstrom Subject: Re: SV: I am a journalist, i seek to understand me... >> Seriously though - if reviews weren't subjective, the papers/magazines >> could just copy the info from the release note and print that. > > Are you trying to say that those release notes are _not_ subjective? Naah, > would not think so, would we ;-). I think the readers would prefer > anything, subjective or objective, a reviewer writes to some commercial ads > from the record companies. No, I was merely talking about the information the release notes usually contain. Ie. "Three guys from Eskilstuna playing hardcore using xylophones, marimbas and a bass." Not the "The best street version of Nick Cave and the sad seeds since Elvis walked round the corner" parts of it. //Erik ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Jan 1998 15:20:57 +0100 From: Erik Soderstrom Subject: Re: I am a journalist, i seek to understand me... > Yes, of course. And I as well have to say that I think some of the persons > in the musicpress are a bit unreliable. The Carpet People/Carpe Wade-thing > you'll have to say was a mistake that just might happen. And Nunstedt (who, > I agree, isn't really the best of journalists) made an apology in Saturdays > paper. I hope that's not something he'll continue to do, or the saturday paper will be thick as a bible. Though I wish he had admitted to the fact that he a) never listened to the "The Charlatans" album and b) never went to see the Charlatans at the Stockholm Water Festival in 95 (was 95 right?) but still went ahead and wrote reviews of them both. That really removed all the cred he might once have had in my eyes. //Erik ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Jan 1998 18:23:25 +0100 (MET) From: Ola Lundkvist Subject: Re: Gbg record shops On Tue, 20 Jan 1998, Jan Sundstrom wrote: > Are you putting it online?! When/If I get time to do it. Though I think it would be even better if Erik could gather a guide for all Scandinavia and put it on the scan-indie pages. > I'm really tempted to do the works for stockholm, which really is the > best record city in Sweden, whatever Gothenburg says ;-) You could probably get hold of records more easily in Stockholm. Well, I include prices in my list as well, because I doubt that record prices are lower in Stockholm... :-) > Us Stockholmers really should do a FAQ too. We can't let Gothenburg get > away with the victory! ;-) Yes, someone please feel provoked to make a Stockholm guide too! One never knows when one needs to visit Stockholm. And then all those in other places, that actually do have good record stores, please provide us with info... /Ola - incurable record collector, vinyl freak etc. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Jan 1998 18:40:57 +0100 (MET) From: Ola Lundkvist Subject: Gigs at GBG film festival The Gothenburg film festival (30/1 - 9/2) is reason enough to visit gbg. Besides a lot of films, there are also some gigs at Kinski bar: Sat 31/1 Grovjobb Sun 1/2 Lee Harvey Oswald-Ensemble Mon 2/2 Chutzpah Tue 3/2 Mody Prudence Wed 4/2 Svarta Safirer Thu 5/2 Shallow Soundwave Fri 6/2 Rotten Beak Sat 7/2 Tyson As I always say: Don't miss a opportunity to see Shallow Soundwave! I have to quote the line describing them in the film festival program: "Slayer meets Kate Bush meets Autechre" /Ola ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Jan 1998 18:52:09 +0100 From: Erik Soderstrom Subject: Re: Gbg record shops >> Are you putting it online?! > > When/If I get time to do it. Though I think it would be even better if > Erik could gather a guide for all Scandinavia and put it on the > scan-indie pages. I did save your guide and the addition posted by Joris just in case, so if someone wants to do guides for other towns and cities - I'd be happy to put them all up on the web. One can of course also use the "Gula Sidorna" or "Rosa Sidorna" phone book website to get the information needed - and in some cases they have linked a map and placed the store/whatever on it as well there. Pet Sounds in Stockholm is an example where you can both find the information and where it is on the map. Perhaps a guide on the Scan-Indie site could make use of this as well? >> Us Stockholmers really should do a FAQ too. We can't let Gothenburg get >> away with the victory! ;-) > > Yes, someone please feel provoked to make a Stockholm guide too! One > never knows when one needs to visit Stockholm. And then all those in > other places, that actually do have good record stores, please provide > us with info... I have looked for the one I received from Ludde years ago, but it seems I have deleted it. I guess did it because I learned where to find the stores and where to go. :-/ //Erik ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Jan 1998 22:00:15 +0100 (MET) From: per langstrom Subject: Re: I am a journalist, i seek to understand me... At 11.30 1998-01-25 +0000, daniel wrote: > per langstrom wrote: > >> ever read a magazine called "pop"? no matter what they say, i can't help >> _but_ getting the impression that they are indeed trying to teach me, as >> the reader, what's right and wrong. not only do i find it dogmatic and >> ignorant, i also find it pretty damn offensive - like i wouldn't be able >> to figure out what i like and don't like on my own. (and, honestly, how >> often do you see journalists state that their opinion is only their very >> own and might not match with anybody else's? journalists assume that >> everybody knows that their reviews and such are totally subjective, still >> the journalists themselves never _ever_ say it! and why is that? well, >> deep inside i think a lot of them want to be the "god of the tastes" and >> be able to set the standards and dictate what's good and what's not, and >> by doing so, reach the highest possible level of "coolness" and be adored >> by the, obviously easily deluded, masses.) > > yes, I agree with you on that. some journos must wake up every morning with > an urge to start a new cool movement. and that is bad journalism. exactly. >> btw, i totally agree with timo, reviews are a fucking joke and should be >> taken with the biggest grain of salt. > > OK, great. don't even read them. don't even care about them. great. i can't help but caring about them. reviews have become too im- portant and influential not to be cared about, and that's what so bizarre considering it just the opinions of one single person. btw, i _do_ read reviews (even though it's to a lot lesser extent than what it used to be), and i still haven't quite figured out why. > no, objectivism would totally kill the business (and maybe that is what > everyone wants). who wants to read a boring report on a record like "this > record is 43 minutes of rockmusic with a singer and som guitars. Perhaps > you'll like it". and with objective reviews, new unknown bands would never > get any chance to come through, because sadly enough, most of these bands > careers start of with a good review or nice article in a big paper. what you are saying is true. i just think music journalism should be more focused on articles about what the actual bands have to say, and not what band this and this journalist is hyping this month. by getting rid of the importance of reviews, journalist would, i hope, loose a lot of the influence they have on getting a certain band signed. today, it seems like if you as a band get a good review by a certin group of journalists you are halfway to getting a record deal or breaking big- time, just because of that. i find that nothing but absurd, where in the world did all that power come from (and on exactly what basis was it given to these people)? per ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Jan 1998 21:59:53 +0100 (MET) From: per langstrom Subject: Re: I am a journalist, i seek to understand me... >>> seriously, isn't objectivism what you should be trying to aim at? i mean, >>> you might be the only person in the world liking/disliking that certain >>> band/record, still a lot of people take your opinions seriously enough to >>> actually check out bands and records based solely on your subjective opin- >>> ions. wouldn't a more general, less subjective, review be of more use to >>> a greater number of people, as you might be the only one who can't stand >>> that certain band because that's what you and your former girlfriend from >>> a couple of years back used to listen to? >> >> I'm not even going to touch this discussion without gloves on, but I have >> to say that it is impossible to write an objective review of something >> unless you leave out what you actually thought of it. And then there's >> really no point in writing the review, because it'll be more of a >> presentation of whatever is "reviewed". The result - no one would ever >> receive a bad or good review. ;) Seriously though - if reviews weren't >> subjective, the papers/magazines could just copy the info from the >> release note and print that. > > Good points Chief! > > The thing is that the subjective view of a reviewer is one (maybe the only) > fundamental cornerstone wich holds up the whole idea of a review. There is no > such thing as objectivity in arts. There are facts, but no objective likes > and dislikes. ok. notice my use of "aim at" and "less subjective". i am not saying reviews should be 100% objective - not only is that an impossibility for us as humans to reach out of ourselves, beyond the subject - what i want to get across is that reviews should be a objective as possible considering the conditions. that way, the reader him/herself would hopefully be able to interpret the review from whatever point of view he/she is reading it - not only be left passively reading another person's interpretation of the same record, as is the case in most reviews. to me, a reviewer should be more of a person who informs people that this and this band has a record out, and in comparison to the band's previous records or other band's records (in the somewhat same vein) or whatever, it sounds like this and this. what the reviewer per- sonally thinks about the record is rather insignificant, if he/she must say something he/she should, as informative as possible, try describe what the band sounds like. sure, if the reviewer thinks the band has an exceptionally good sound, but is lacking songs with ear- catching melodies, he could mention that. but, as such an opinion may apply to him/her _only_, it shouldn't be the emphasis of the review. per ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 00:20:33 +0100 From: Erik Soderstrom Subject: Re: The Merrymakers Just wanted to say that I saw a Merrymakers video (for "Saltwater Drinks") on TV8 a few minutes ago, and it was great. Funny stuff - cool and weird effects, and loads and loads of guitar-filled happy summer pop. Leslies mixed with HappyDeadMen and Andreas Mattsson (Popsicle) mixed with Janne Kask (Brainpool) with soothing backing vocals. The new album "Bubblegun" is out tomorrow and I'm going to buy it. Just what I need to stay sane 'til summer. ;) //Erik ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 08:34:09 +0100 From: "Barczinski, Reiner, WAC" Subject: Hooray Skivhugget! How is this possible? Why do german mailorders need more than a week for national orders, when I can order in Sweden on wed. 6 pm and get hold the ordered CDs in my hands on sat. 10 am?! Oh, it's great! So I got 2 pcs Hedningarna (which I already knw and for that I am happy with), 1 piece of Garmarna (thanks for the hint, they're what I've expected), and last, but of course not least, Bob Hund (2). I can't say "Brilliant" or so already, because I just listened to it once, but I can say, that I really like them, and they sound ver nice at first listening ... yes! Not more to do than to visit them in DK, eh ? And, no, I'm no journalist, as you can see ... ;) Reiner ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 10:47:14 +0000 From: "johanna.hillgren" Subject: Re: I am a journalist, i seek to understand me... >>>> seriously, isn't objectivism what you should be trying to aim at? i mean, >>>> you might be the only person in the world liking/disliking that certain >>>> band/record, still a lot of people take your opinions seriously enough to >>>> actually check out bands and records based solely on your subjective opin- >>>> ions. wouldn't a more general, less subjective, review be of more use to >>>> a greater number of people, as you might be the only one who can't stand >>>> that certain band because that's what you and your former girlfriend from >>>> a couple of years back used to listen to? >>> >>> I'm not even going to touch this discussion without gloves on, but I have >>> to say that it is impossible to write an objective review of something >>> unless you leave out what you actually thought of it. And then there's >>> really no point in writing the review, because it'll be more of a >>> presentation of whatever is "reviewed". The result - no one would ever >>> receive a bad or good review. ;) Seriously though - if reviews weren't >>> subjective, the papers/magazines could just copy the info from the >>> release note and print that. >> >> Good points Chief! >> >> The thing is that the subjective view of a reviewer is one (maybe the only) >> fundamental cornerstone wich holds up the whole idea of a review. There is >> no such thing as objectivity in arts. There are facts, but no objective >> likes and dislikes. > > ok. notice my use of "aim at" and "less subjective". i am not saying > reviews should be 100% objective - not only is that an impossibility > for us as humans to reach out of ourselves, beyond the subject - what > i want to get across is that reviews should be a objective as possible > considering the conditions. that way, the reader him/herself would > hopefully be able to interpret the review from whatever point of view > he/she is reading it - not only be left passively reading another > person's interpretation of the same record, as is the case in most > reviews. > > to me, a reviewer should be more of a person who informs people that > this and this band has a record out, and in comparison to the band's > previous records or other band's records (in the somewhat same vein) > or whatever, it sounds like this and this. what the reviewer per- > sonally thinks about the record is rather insignificant, if he/she > must say something he/she should, as informative as possible, try > describe what the band sounds like. sure, if the reviewer thinks the > band has an exceptionally good sound, but is lacking songs with ear- > catching melodies, he could mention that. but, as such an opinion > may apply to him/her _only_, it shouldn't be the emphasis of the > review. > > per Sorry, but then it wouldn't be a review and in my eyes something very unimportant and meaningless. A review is someone telling you whether he likes or dislikes something. Then it's up to you to decide whether you like or dislike what he's writing. But I could agree on you on one thing. Throwing in some information on how the record sounds, who's produced it and stuff like that, is sometimes pretty important. That together with an opinion makes a review a job well done. Daniel ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 10:58:31 +0000 From: "johanna.hillgren" Subject: Re: I am a journalist, i seek to understand me... >> no, objectivism would totally kill the business (and maybe that is what >> everyone wants). who wants to read a boring report on a record like "this >> record is 43 minutes of rockmusic with a singer and som guitars. Perhaps >> you'll like it". and with objective reviews, new unknown bands would never >> get any chance to come through, because sadly enough, most of these bands >> careers start of with a good review or nice article in a big paper. > > what you are saying is true. i just think music journalism should be > more focused on articles about what the actual bands have to say, and > not what band this and this journalist is hyping this month. by getting > rid of the importance of reviews, journalist would, i hope, loose a lot > of the influence they have on getting a certain band signed. today, it > seems like if you as a band get a good review by a certin group of > journalists you are halfway to getting a record deal or breaking big- > time, just because of that. i find that nothing but absurd, where in the > world did all that power come from (and on exactly what basis was it > given to these people)? yes, I agree. that power is absurd, and I for one don't have a clue where it's come from. I play in a band called fidget and to a certain extent I think we've experienced this scenario two years ago, when suddenly everyone started to write nice things about us. and we had just done a demo with four song. ok, I still think the demo was good, and that we deserved a bit of attention, but the circus around at the time was quite bizarre. the media exposure led to a buzz about our showcase in stokholm, where all record companies was to see us for the first time. and there was twelve companies... why the heck was there twelve companies. just so that they could watch each others back, and have a look at this band everyone writes about and therefor has to be good. we felt strange and never really thought they were there for us. they were there just for the sake of it, and just because Expressen told them to. and that is kinda bizarre, isn't it? daniel ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 12:47:39 +0100 From: "Micke Rehnstrom" Subject: SV: The Merrymakers Erik Soderstrom wrote: > Just wanted to say that I saw a Merrymakers video (for "Saltwater Drinks") > on TV8 a few minutes ago, and it was great. Funny stuff - cool and weird > effects, and loads and loads of guitar-filled happy summer pop. Leslies > mixed with HappyDeadMen and Andreas Mattsson (Popsicle) mixed with > Janne Kask (Brainpool) with soothing backing vocals. And if we are to mention some more "international" references THE BEATLES and JELLYFISH seem to be the most popular ones. I have still not heard any of their new material myself but these are the names that are brought up in every review of the record. And I guess that would also be a good way of describing how they sounded 4-5 years ago, I guess (especially their "hit" - "Andrews store", was it?). The vocalist from JELLYFISH has helped produce and play drums on the album. So it seems as if they are still the same band? Like I said, I do not have an opinion about their new material yet. But what I can remember from having seen them live a couple of times some years ago "Andrews store" (correct title?) was well above the standard of their other, quite lame, songs. Quite embarrassing to see them live too, many rock n roll cliches. I particularly remember once when the vocalist/guitarist were standing with his back towards the audience and then turned around to run to the edge of the stage and suddenly realized that the edge were about 1.5 metres away (I was quite amazed that he managed to remain standing, though :) . /Micke ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 13:45:00 +-100 From: Mikael Fant Subject: Music Journalism Regarding the debate on music journalism. I think I'd like to put another angle on the debate by asking "What can we demand from a music journalist". And I think the crucial point is whether they're amateurs (doing it for the fun of it or doing it as a missionary, to make other people discover this and that great music which it would be a sin to keep to oneself), or professionals (possibly doing it for the above mentioned reasons, but also getting paid/earning a livelihood from it). My point is that an amateur can write whatever he bloody well wants, be utterly incompetent, or totally niched (f.x. in the indie-genre) and whatnot, and CAN'T BE CRITICIZED for it. You can maybe pity him/her, if they're really off the mark, but they can't be criticized. They're just stating an opinion. Reading an amateur-text is like talking music with a friend. Non-committal. But as soon as a person is doing a job and getting paid for it, you can demand that he should do a GOOD job, and music journalists aren't an exception. The consumer should always crave a good product, whether it's a frying pan or a pop magazine he is buying. With this in mind I think you can demand the following from a professional music journalist: 1. HUMILITY. A music journalist (in fact all critics, art, film, etc) should always remember where his job is coming from. Weren't it for the bands/musicians he would be out of a job. Criticism is a spin-off effect. Creation comes first. Music (art, film) criticism is not an independent artform in itself, as many critics seem to think, overrating their own value and importance. 2. RESPECT. With humility in mind a music journalist should treat the object of his criticism (i.e. the band/record) with respect. For instance I think you can't review a record without listening to all of it AT LEAST five times. The critic must give his work a sound base to lean on, and must give the bands, etc a lot of chances. A lot of music doesn't give itself away at the first hearing. (In my youth it took me a year before I could appreciate Joy Division, but they're still on my top ten all time favourites.) This makes me a bit suspicious towards critics that churn out loads of reviews every week. I think the maximum should be about 5, possibly 10 reviews a week. And sometimes it's bleeding obvious that the critic hasn't listened to the record hardly at all, f.x. a reviewer slagging off the latest Frente! album on account of it being too PSYCHEDELIC? Another example of lack of respect is the absence of corrections in papers/magazines. It's OK to make mistakes, everybody does it, but how to handle it? If a daily paper makes a mistake in facts or in spelling names, etc. the day after there is a little notice saying "Excuse us so very much, but this and this were wrong, it should be that and that." This very rarely happens when the fault in question is concerning music. (e.g. Carpe Wade/Carpet People). Being right about facts (or in any case correcting oneself) is really the most fundamental form of respect towards the objects of criticizm. 3. AN OPEN MIND. If you can't approach a record/band with an open mind, you shouldn't review it. I wouldn't review the latest Ace of Base-album or whatever, because I would do too poor a job about it. And any music journalist with any self respect should know when NOT to review something. I mean if you don't like playful/utflippad/experimental music you shouldn't review Mercury Rev, OK. This is why oneliner reviews such as "This sucks bigtime" about the latest Van Halen are crap. And you really shouldn't review demo-tapes if you're not really interested, haven't got an enthusiasm about what's happening out in the rehearsal rooms, it isn't fair towards the bands. 4. COMPETENCE. If you criticize something you should know about it. A lot! You can't like Eva Kvanta review a Sugar record and start off by saying "Bob Mould once was in a band called Husker Du, which I've never heard". She and a lot of other critics are even snobbish about NOT KNOWING ANYTHING. Another horrid example is a review of a late Pere Ubu album (post-reunion), where they were described as "Influenced by the Pixies". Yeah, and the Beatles were very influenced by Oasis as well, eh? Also, a music review should be 10% stating your opinion, and 90% describing the music, not the other way around (Sadly forgotten by most critics overvaluing the importance of their opinion). And in describing music, there, sadly, is no other way than with comparison. So you're a poor music journalist if you're too niched, and can't hear similarities and influences from out of the niche/genre in question. Because the musicians themselves are often far more open than the critics. Even if you're a hip-hop critic, you should be able to hear when listening to Afrika Bambaata, "hey, he's borrowed that from Kraftwerk". I've even seen a review of Bob Hund's Ett fall..., the reviewer complaining that it didn't sound really like a Bob hund song (Him not knowing it was a cover). You're not worth your salary if you don't know A LOT about music. A football player should know alot about football, shouldn't he/she. A lawyer should know a lot about the law. This is in my opinion what you can demand from a professional music journalist. There are a couple that meet with these standards, but they aren't very many. The sad truth being that the amateurs are often much more "professional" in their attitudes than the tired, cynic and uniterested professionals. Sorry for the dry tone and length of my letter, but I feel a lot about this... And you journalists can pin up the above list in your offices and read it every morning...;-) Micke Fant ------------------------------ End of Scandinavian Indie Digest Vol.98 #10 ********************************************