How to review a CD

[hybridofsound]

I've been surfing through the forums tonight and there are a few shocking reviews so in the hope that some people may come to this thread before writing a review I am making a guide on how to review a CD.

Step 1: Checking the review
Go to the [URL=http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=139438]Reviewed List[/url] and check if the CD you want to review has been previously review. If so click the link of the review and POST YOUR REVIEW IN THAT THREAD!

If your review hasn't been done before also check this [URL=http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=164699]thread.[/url] Your review may be one of the albums on the Rolling Stones 'Top 500 Albums of All Time'. If so put a note like this at the top of the review.

*This album is #237 on the Rolling Stone top 500 Albums.

Step 2: The Title
A title consists of three important things. They are;

• Genre
• Name of the artist
• Name of the album, if self titled state 'Self Titled'

Sometimes it can be hard to get the genre of an album. Often this can lead to constant debate over the genre of the album and take away discussion from the actual review (See Glassjaw - Worship and Tribute). If you do not know the genre, generalise (E.g. The Used could be classified as hard rock, emo, post-hardcore so it's easiest to just state it as Rock). Then in the top of your review put a note in how you're not 100% sure about the genre.

So your title should look something like this;
(Funk-Metal) Incubus - S.C.I.E.N.C.E.

Step 3: Album and Band information

Before you get to the review you should have a few things about the album. The things that should be included are;

• Another title in the review (E.g. Incubus - S.C.I.E.N.C.E.)
• The members of the band
• The year the album was released
• Background info on the band. Doesn't have to be long just so people get a gist of the band

These next things aren't essential but are nice things to add to the review

• The record label that the album was released on (E.g. Victory, Sony)
• A tracklist with timing of the tracks
• Personal favourite songs
• A picture of the album cover. This can be done by inserting the code {IMG}URL of the image here{/IMG} (Replacing the { } brackets with [ ].

Now your review should be looking somewhat like this;

Incubus - S.C.I.E.N.C.E

Released: 1997 (Sony)



Band:
Brandon Boyd - Vocals
Mike Einziger - Guitar
Dirk Lance - Bass
José Pasillas - Drums
Gavin Koppel (Dj Lyfe) - Turntables

Tracklist:
1) Redefine
2) Vitamin
3) New Skin
4) Idiot Box
5) Glass
6) Magic Medicine
7) A Certain Shade of Green
8) Favourite Things
9) Summer Romance (Anti-Gravity love song)
10) Nebula
11) Deep Inside
12) Calonge

Background Info:
After releasing 'Fungus Amongus' in 1995 and 'Enjoy Incubus' earlier in 1997 Incubus hit the studio with a major label to record their first full-length album. An album which still stands different to all their others. Inspired with elements of funk, rock and hip-hop this was a nu-metal album which showed the other nu-metal bands how to integrate genres. This is by far the fastest Incubus album and one of the best.

Tips:
A few things you can do to make the review look neat and tidy;

• Bold your titles
• Centre the review title
• Use different sizes for the review title and review headings

Step 4: The Review

Needless to say your review should NOT be plagerised from any other site. It should be all your own work. If it is found to be from another site you will most likely be banned.

Now make a choice. Do you want to do your review track by track, as an album overall or as the positives and negatives? I personally enjoy reading reviews as an album overall more and tend to do my reviews in this style but it is your choice.

Track By Track
When you go about a review track by track you can do it in many ways. Most people choose to do a heading for each track and give the track a rating out of 5 or 10. If you this here's a handy tip. Bold the track title to make it standout. It makes your review look more appealing.

Idiot Box: 4/5
This track is a little slower. The bass playing on this song is a highlight. Dirk is at his best on this album. The mixing on this song is done well as Brandon’s vocals really work with the vocals. It's a good song but a little weaker than the previous songs. The lyrics are pretty well written here aswell.

The other way you can go about track by track reviews is to include the title within the track review. I prefer this because it makes the review flow more in my opinion.

'Idiot Box' is a little slower. The bass playing on this song is a highlight. Dirk is at his best on this album. The mixing on this song is done well as Brandon’s vocals really work with the vocals. It's a good song but a little weaker than the previous songs. The lyrics are pretty well written here aswell.

Overall Review
It's harder to write a good overall review than a track by track review. To do an overall review here's a few tips on what you can talk about in different paragraphs:

• Talk about the musicianship of the band on the album in a paragraph
• Talk about the highlight songs
• Talk about the positives or negatives of the album
• Talk about the bands lyrics
• Compare the album to previous or following releases. Say what's different about this album in terms of all the above.

A highlight of the album S.C.I.E.N.C.E. is the bands musicianship. Throughout the CD they display high levels of musicianship and confidence. Mike utilises his guitar in unique ways with high harmonic riffs and full-blown choruses. Dirks bass playing has a great funk feel to it and there are some notable pieces of slap bass in 'A Certain Shade Of Green'.

Positives and Negatives
This is the least used method of review on the forums but can be very effective and easy to do. This review is simply divided into positive and negative. However try to extend your comments and give examples from the album too add depth.

Positives

• A high level of musicianship is displayed throughout the album. Notable bass playing in the song 'A Certain Shade of Green' and drumming is constantly at a high standard in all songs on the CD.
• Brandon’s vocal delivery is fantastic. In 'Nebula' he goes from lightning fast rapping to melodic singing and into screaming. He has a unique style of singing and it makes the album very enjoyable.

Negatives

• Turntables are slightly overused in some tracks for example in 'Redefine' in the intro the word 'Go' is constantly scratched over the music. It can get a bit annoying and doesn't always flow.

Analysing the tracks
When doing track by track the analysis of the track is vital. To do this properly you should;

• Talk about the flow of the song (E.g. Intro, Chorus, Verse)
• Notable pieces of musicianship or standout parts of the song
• The lyrics. What is the song about and are the lyrics well written
• The vocals. What's the singing like? Is it in tune? Is it amazing? Describe!

Step 5: Conclusion and Rating

You've done the hard work. You've ripped into the CD. Pointed out the good points and the bad points. Talked about vocals, musicianship, the band and everything else to do with the album. Now it's time to convince the reader that you’re right. The conclusion should:

• Analyse the good and bad parts of the album
• Tell you whether you should buy the album, give it a listen or stay away
• Wrap up what the album essentially is.

Overall S.C.I.E.N.C.E. is a album of fast paced funk metal. There's some really standout songs along with a few blander songs. It's an album any fan of the modern Incubus should give a listen. This album is definitely worth your money though. Being old you should be able to pick it up pretty cheaply at any music store and it's still as good an album today as it was 6 years ago.

Rating
Sometimes the easiest part of the review, sometimes the hardest. At mx CDs should be rated out of 5. Now when you rate really think about this. Criteria a rating should apply too

• 5: The album is fantastic. You keep listening to it constantly, the songs are catchy and enjoyable. Something within the album directly appeals to the listener. This is an album you should be listening to in 5 years still.
• 4: Strong album. Alot of good points to the album. A track or two may bring it to this level or it may not have great lasting appeal. Should still have something that directly appeals to most music fans.
• 3: Ok in its backyard. An album which won't appeal to someone that doesn't like the genre. It has good points but also has alot of bad points. Might compare to the mainstream of the genre.
• 2: Pretty pathetic. Maybe one or two standout tracks but very monotonous. Nothing stands out and grabs the listener. Many bland and boring tracks.
• 1: Crud. It's boring, it's uninspired. There's nothing unique about it and it's a waste of money. No songs should standout for a rating like this. Musicianship and lyrics may be awful aswell.

Give it a rating and put it at the end of your review.

Rating: 4/5

And.. Walla you’re finished. If this seems like too much work for a review, then don't bother reviewing.

[brycey]

Walla = Voila.

This was a great guide. All n00bs should follow this. This should get stickied.

[Damrod]

I double that. Awesome guid to write reviews. And obviously needed.

Excellent work hybrid. Hope it helps to improve future reviews.

[el doctor]

Amazing job on that. Is the rating system based on the one in the original thread? Because a lot of people have a misconception as to what a 4 really is.

[The JoZ]

Good job

But I think we really need to switch to a 10/10 system...I think only 5 rating choices is kind of....I dunno...weak?

Some albums are so good in the eyes of some, that a 10 needs to be given...(Lateralus comes to mind in my case) and some that are so bad, or not appealing enough (Reanimation) that a 3 or 2 really does suffice

*Shrug*

[classic_rock_n_punk]

Good job

But I think we really need to switch to a 10/10 system...I think only 5 rating choices is kind of....I dunno...weak?

Some albums are so good in the eyes of some, that a 10 needs to be given...(Lateralus comes to mind in my case) and some that are so bad, or not appealing enough (Reanimation) that a 3 or 2 really does suffice

*Shrug*

Excellent guide, but I think The Joz is right, we should change to the 10/10 system,it gives a bigger statement on horrible and Excellent cd's, 1/10 sounds more in depth than 1/5. but still a great guide, good job

[Badmoon]

Good job, hopefully atleast one or two of them will read this.

[ZEROthirtythree]

You forgot that you have to make a note about if the album makes the 500 best cds list or not.

[Badmoon]

If you plagiarize...

I will break my foot in yo ass!!!!!

[YDload]

This is a great guide, from one of our best reviewers. Hybrid, you've listened to and reviewed shitty albums in a way that cannot be surpassed, like a movie critic who writes a ten-page glowing analysis of Pootie Tang.

[br3ad_man]

Originally Posted by The JoZ

Good job

But I think we really need to switch to a 10/10 system...I think only 5 rating choices is kind of....I dunno...weak?

Some albums are so good in the eyes of some, that a 10 needs to be given...(Lateralus comes to mind in my case) and some that are so bad, or not appealing enough (Reanimation) that a 3 or 2 really does suffice

*Shrug*

The rating out of 5 doesn't have to be integers. You can have .5s in there as well, which, if you think about it, is just as accurate as a /10 system. Also, in your review, you could put a .5 and then in brackets state what it is out of ten.

Great job hybrid, u r teh man!

[hybridofsound]

Cheers for the ups guys. I'll add in a note about plagerism and the rolling stone 500 soon. On the rating system I generally rate my reviews out of 10 and just half them (E.g. 3.75/5 or 7.5/10). It does look messy though. I just think it would be weird if we changed the review system now with every current review out of 5.

Originally Posted by YDload

This is a great guide, from one of our best reviewers. Hybrid, you've listened to and reviewed shitty albums in a way that cannot be surpassed, like a movie critic who writes a ten-page glowing analysis of Pootie Tang.

Good albums i've reviewed..
Deftones - White Pony
Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American
Beastie Boys - Anthology
Incubus - Make Yourself
RATM - Live ATOGA DVD
Placebo - Without You I'm Nothing
Thursday - War All The Time
Thursday - Full Collapse
Deftones - Around The Fur
Deftones - Deftones
Incubus - Morning View
The Streets - Original Pirate Material
Incubus - S.C.I.E.N.C.E.
Lostprophets - The Fake Sound Of Progress

Those outweigh the number of crap albums i've reviewed.

[YDload]

I had no idea how many albums you had actually reviewed. Good job.

[Badmoon]

I or someone else should make a thread about this, but...How many have you reviewed total?

[hybridofsound]

I added in comments about plagerism and the top 500. To my knowledge i've done about 25+ reviews I think. I haven't done many lately because i've had alot on my plate.

[skatrpunk]

Originally Posted by badmoon349

I will break my foot in yo ass!!!!!

if i had a nickel everytime i heard that

[YDload]

If I may be so bold, I will try to give an example of each album rating:

5
Led Zeppelin- IV
Beatles- Sgt. Pepper's...
Soundgarden- Superunknown (as per my review of said album)
Tool- Aenima

4
Green Day- Dookie
Sublime-Sublime
System of a Down- Toxicity
Iron Maiden- The Number of the Beast

3
Metallica- Load
Green Day- Nimrod
Incubus- Make Yourself
Beck- Mellow Gold

2
Korn- Follow the Leader
Chevelle- whatever their new album is
Accept- Balls to the Wall
Creed- Human Clay

1
Limp Bizkit- Results May Vary
Hoobastank- The Reason
Milli Vanilli- Girl You Know It's True
Anything by Adema


...And that's my opinion. Give your own, actually. I wanna see how close we can come to a general agreement on "good" music.

[robnathanson]

I pretty much agree with you on that YDLoad, except I'd move SOAD to 3/5 rather than 4/5

[br3ad_man]

Originally Posted by YDload

Chevelle- whatever their new album is

Just out of curiosity, have you actually heard the full thing? Or have you only heard "The Red". They may not be the best band, but they sure deserve more than a 2/5.

[br3ad_man]

This is the albums I'd say

5
Radiohead - OK Computer
Jeff Buckley - Grace
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Moby - Play

4
Queens Of The Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf
Weezer - Blue Album
Metallica - Ride The Lightning
Zwan - Mary Star Of The Sea


3
Radiohead - Pablo Honey
Red Hot Chili Peppers - One Hot Minute
The Strokes - Room On Fire


2
Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory
Korn - The Untouchables
Creed - Human Clay

1
Limp Bizkit- Results May Vary
Hoobastank- The Reason
The Rasmus - Dead Letters
28 Days - Stealing Chairs