For Tuesday: Reviews

Here are the articles that you should read before you get to class on TUESDAY.

Chuck Klosterman "Injustice for All: The Lou Reed/Metallica Album"

Andrew Noz "Frank Ocean: Smart and Subtle"

Cameron Crowe: "Joni Mitchell - Dreamland"

QUESTIONS (One Paragraph Each and must be signed before you leave today)

1) Describe how Crowe, Noz, and Klosterman give you their opinion about the album.  How do they let you know they like something?  How do you know they dislike something?  Where do they let you know their attitude towards this work?  Who is the most effective in letting you know their opinion and why?

2) How do each of the music reviewers describe the music in the album?  How important are the background materials (i.e. the artist, the production of the album, the type of genre the music represents) to the music review?  Do the reviewers give too much or too little background details in their review?  Why or why not (give examples)?

3) Discuss each of the music reviews as a typical reader of this music review.  Did the music reviews meet your expectations as a reader?  Were there any aspects of the music review that did not address your needs as someone who is interested in buying the album? Were there any aspects of these music reviews that surprised you as a reader?  Were there any aspects that confused you as a reader?  Give specific examples.

4) Give a review of each of the music reviewers, regardless of the music that they are currently talking about.  Who would you read again if you saw them on a website?  Who would you skip over?   Discuss your choices and give specific examples.