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#3 - Coffins on Io, reviews and other astronomical anomalies
Daily Disclaimer: 

You have to know that Io is one of Jupiter's moons and one of the most hell-like places in our solar system, topped only by Venus (not sure about that).  We all know now after all, so no reason to stop you from reading the following mini-essay. Enjoy.

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I've been listening to the latest album by Kayo Dot for a week now (it was streamed legally before release, no worries), and I must say that it's... great. Review's on the way, what I am about to write here about is not one. Just some thoughts on the album and other stories that concern it to some extent. I hope.

One thing have been bogging me lately. If you went through my first essay about rating works of art, you know that my approach have evolved quite a bit. Or maybe not evolved, I just realized how futile some attempts at being rational were. I realized that saying that "it's good but not perfect" or that "I don't think it's as good as the previous album" doesn't really make sense. And you know what? I love Hubardo, the previous Dot, and I was even tempted to say that I don't think Coffins on Io is as good. But I decided I won't. It's different. And it's genuinely good, like swimming in a remote lake in the middle of the forest with the night sky above. 

I think writing an objective and detailed review with arguments backing every observation with profound knowledge is not, or shouldn't be the goal in itself, yet just one of the means to accomplish something much more important. These days a good reviewer is the one who's impersonal and objective but let's be honest, it's much harder to give yourself on a plate to the reader and then make him follow you with your writing without embarrassing yourself. That's why we don't do it. We don't do it because being emotional is not cool. Before we go any further, I want to say that I don't consider my reviews to be a good example of that approach. I try to follow this path, but I most often fail. I try to let myself go and try to capture the soul of the album apart from describing it with cold blood. Let's face it, though I'm not really that well versed in music and English is still a foreign language to me. I'm also pretentious which can potentially be repelling for some readers.

I remember reading a review by one of our most prominent reviewers here on MMA, a review of Gnaw Their Tongues' debut. I loved how in this particular review he crossed the line, broke the fourth wall and spoke for himself, exposed the thoughts that the album evoked in him. That leads me to an obvious observation that you don't have to be that deeply open every time, just don't stop yourself when you feel something. It makes of your review a work of art in itself, and there's nothing better than that.

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Edited by bartosso - 16 Oct 2014 at 9:55am