Enjoyed this interview! I’ve been digging into new releases via Flying Out record store’s weekly emails, plus they have good writeups. My fave new release this year was Mokotron’s album.
Oh come on, doesn't listen to jazz and country, no mention of music just lyrics - this doesn't seem to be a worthwhile endeavor from my perspective, and to avoid these genres as a reviewer is sacrilegious. I am not interested in reviews from people who only listen to music that they like. You have to expand your pallette and stop listening exclusively to generic mainstream music, we all do.
Kia ora! A couple of things here: There’s no way Chris can review every single thing - as he says, there’s just too much music coming out. It’s Chris’ newsletter, so he gets to set his own rules. It’s as simple as that.
Speaking of rules, can I politely request we don’t make comments personal? Being passionate is great and encouraged, but I want everyone I interview and everyone who reads this to feel safe and comfortable doing so. Negativity is going to put people off doing that, and then I don’t have a newsletter.
Chris takes a similarly reactionary position to the one that he claims he has overcome - it would seem that due to his self admitted prior metal music snobbery (aka not being familiar in general with music as people who have been listening to wide varieties of music for a long time) he is having to over correct, like many reviewers who focused on a single genre, transferring his music snobbery into a form of poptimism required to enjoy the languid and rude work of Kendrick Lamar, or to force yourself to listen multiple times to Dartz pro-alcoholism yelling and then say it is good because everyone else does.
However to be a metal fan and shit on jazz is just moronic. That's a stupid thing to say, man. You need to listen to Miles Davis immediately.
Hi d9! I hear what you’re saying - but I think your comments are a bit reactionary, like you’re purposely looking for things to criticise here.
I don’t generally call myself a reviewer; I’m not doing this to be a music reviewer, I’m doing it to hear some new music and stretch my writing muscles. I do avoid music I know I probably won’t like because, again, I’m not a reviewer; in the case of jazz or country music, there is stuff that I like, but it’s more likely I won’t. And even so, I did listen to some. (It also made me chuckle that you mentioned my aversion to jazz then suggested I listen to the most mainstream jazz musician there is 🤣 Personally, I enjoy Charles Mingus and, more recently, Wynton Marsalis. Davis is good tho; I like his jazz fusion work from Bitches Brew on through the 70s.)
To the point about not mentioning the music, just the lyrics, I try to write my stuff for regular people; most people don’t know about the nitty gritty of songwriting, they just like the beat and the lyrics. But if you had read my stuff, you’d know I do talk about the music quite frequently - composition, instrument layering, time signatures, dynamics. I’ve been playing in bands for over 30 years so I’ve picked up a thing or two.
Aside from all that though, thanks for reading - and happy new year!
Here's my take on Better Man, if that helps at all ... https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/atthemovies/audio/2018969689/movie-review-better-man
I have heard so many good things Dan! I just don’t think I can do it. It feels like a line I just can’t cross eh
Enjoyed this interview! I’ve been digging into new releases via Flying Out record store’s weekly emails, plus they have good writeups. My fave new release this year was Mokotron’s album.
I second all of this! Great emails from Flying Out and keep an eye out for an upcoming newsletter featuring the mighty Mokotron :)
So glad I found this post today, loved some tunes in the embedded clips and will check out the top 50 for sure. Top class 🤟👌
Thanks Kenny! Glad you enjoyed it :)
I loved that Chat Pile record; feels like an oversight that it didn’t end up in my Top 50.
Thanks for the kind words, Chris! (Great name.)
https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/21-05-2022/hear-me-out-too-many-people-are-called-chris
Oh come on, doesn't listen to jazz and country, no mention of music just lyrics - this doesn't seem to be a worthwhile endeavor from my perspective, and to avoid these genres as a reviewer is sacrilegious. I am not interested in reviews from people who only listen to music that they like. You have to expand your pallette and stop listening exclusively to generic mainstream music, we all do.
Kia ora! A couple of things here: There’s no way Chris can review every single thing - as he says, there’s just too much music coming out. It’s Chris’ newsletter, so he gets to set his own rules. It’s as simple as that.
Speaking of rules, can I politely request we don’t make comments personal? Being passionate is great and encouraged, but I want everyone I interview and everyone who reads this to feel safe and comfortable doing so. Negativity is going to put people off doing that, and then I don’t have a newsletter.
I have one rule: be kind, always.
Merry Christmas :)
Chris takes a similarly reactionary position to the one that he claims he has overcome - it would seem that due to his self admitted prior metal music snobbery (aka not being familiar in general with music as people who have been listening to wide varieties of music for a long time) he is having to over correct, like many reviewers who focused on a single genre, transferring his music snobbery into a form of poptimism required to enjoy the languid and rude work of Kendrick Lamar, or to force yourself to listen multiple times to Dartz pro-alcoholism yelling and then say it is good because everyone else does.
However to be a metal fan and shit on jazz is just moronic. That's a stupid thing to say, man. You need to listen to Miles Davis immediately.
Hi d9! I hear what you’re saying - but I think your comments are a bit reactionary, like you’re purposely looking for things to criticise here.
I don’t generally call myself a reviewer; I’m not doing this to be a music reviewer, I’m doing it to hear some new music and stretch my writing muscles. I do avoid music I know I probably won’t like because, again, I’m not a reviewer; in the case of jazz or country music, there is stuff that I like, but it’s more likely I won’t. And even so, I did listen to some. (It also made me chuckle that you mentioned my aversion to jazz then suggested I listen to the most mainstream jazz musician there is 🤣 Personally, I enjoy Charles Mingus and, more recently, Wynton Marsalis. Davis is good tho; I like his jazz fusion work from Bitches Brew on through the 70s.)
To the point about not mentioning the music, just the lyrics, I try to write my stuff for regular people; most people don’t know about the nitty gritty of songwriting, they just like the beat and the lyrics. But if you had read my stuff, you’d know I do talk about the music quite frequently - composition, instrument layering, time signatures, dynamics. I’ve been playing in bands for over 30 years so I’ve picked up a thing or two.
Aside from all that though, thanks for reading - and happy new year!