Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Thinking about Holistic Album Reviews
Choose either Ann Power's review of Daft Punk's Random Access Memories or Jim Derogatis's review of Simon & Garfunkel's Bookends. Take a few moments to skim over the review, then write a short response explaining what makes the review noteworthy (voice, tone, alliteration, research, lyrical readings, discussion of instrumentation, use of history, knowledge of band, knowledge of musical discussion, etc.). In your response, make sure to use examples from the text (summaries, paraphrases, quotes, textual references) to evidence your position.
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Jim Derogatis's review of Simon & Garfunkel's Bookends
ReplyDeleteThis review was really interesting for me as the reader primarily due to the use of history and knowledge of the band. I have listened to Simon & Garfunkel before, but I never knew their background or anything really about the duo so it was nice to have a little bit of history. For example, I had absolutely no idea that they were a duo back in the fifties but couldn't make it big and split up two more times before coming the hit that they are. Also, I thought it was really amazing that people thought they were pretentious back in the day. The seemingly calm duo that puts me to sleep singing "The Sound of Silence" made fun of Bob Dylan? Honestly that just made me consider Simon and Garfunkel more like badasses than my two elderly uncles. Derogatis simply shed a new light on the group after his history on them that made me appreciate Simon & Garfunkel even more.
What I really enjoyed about the review by Ann Powers on Daft Punk is her knowledge of this history of EDM. She has enough experience with the genre to know what listeners are usually into and looking for. Because of this, she is able to acknowledge the fact that this album may not appeal to anyone who loves the large beat drops that occur in popular EDM today. Instead, this album will appeal to anyone who is looking to reminisce. She believes that the beats in the album for several songs "celebrate a 1970s defined by hedonism and indulgence". Altogether, her knowledge of music from the past as well as of music that is current allows her to give insight that I believe not many other people would be able to provide.
ReplyDeleteAnn Powers on Daft Punk:
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy her overall positivity towards it. She even looks at what other reviewers may or have disliked about this and then explains her positive spin on them. This being said, she still leaves the audience open to make their own decision when it comes to their overall opinion. The end of the first paragraph is what really so well encapsulates this nice and positive tone.
"These 1970s luminaries define the sound and the substance of RAM." i think is the perfect way to go about thinking of this album review. Over and over again Powers talks about the notable figures that make an appearance in the over the course of the album. The review is a little bit more professional than i personally enjoy. if someone takes their job WAY too seriously i don't think they are truly enjoying it. as a side note, she mentions that the album should be from the 1970's eight different times.
ReplyDeleteI've always been a casual listener of Simon & Garfunkel, mostly having only heard their songs that would make their greatest hits album. What makes Derogatis's review of Bookends noteworthy is how much he focuses on not only the history of the duo, but also the history of the time when Simon & Garfunkel were first becoming popular. Derogates mentions a lot of notable events that were happening in the 60s, such as the political turmoil of the impending Vietnam War, mentioning, "With riots in the streets, the mounting toll of a bloody war and a flurry of assassinations filling the headlines, it seemed as if the center wasn't holding..." Another great thing that Derogatis does is gives the history of the recording process of Bookends and compares it to the work of the Beatles. I think comparison is the best way to reel readers in when reviewing music because it gives them some context, especially when they've never heard the music that is being reviewed before.
ReplyDeleteIn Ann Powers' review of Daft Punk's "Random Access Memories", the most noteworthy thing is Ann's shear knowledge in music. All music, not just Daft Punk or his genre. In the third and fourth paragraph, she takes us to the 1970s, that took me aback. This is Daft Punk we're talking about. But Ann is spouting off this knowledge and connection between Daft Punk and music from the 70s. She talks about certain albums in the 70s that had a huge effect at changing the game of pop (the "Saturday Night Fever" hit). Ann Powers takes us on a journey through 70s electronic, pop, and rock music while relating all of those hits and genres back to Daft Punk. I envy and applaud her passion and high music-IQ.
ReplyDeleteAnn Power's review is interesting. He tries to explain what he thinks Daft Punk is trying to accomplish with this album. He shows how they took a turn with this album. Instead of sticking with the current dance music styles of very fast passes buildups, he explains how they're trying to force a new sound for they band by celebrating a 1970's disco feel. I like how she explains what they're trying to accomplish with this album, but I feel like this review lacks any concrete descriptions of any of the actual songs. There are some here and there, but this review generally just covers topics that don't make me want to go listen to this album anymore than I wanted to originally.
ReplyDeleteAnn Power's view of RAM is very enlightening to Daft Punk Music. She often references the origins of their music and similar sounds. She talks about how they made a conservative move to go back to mild dance music. However she then makes the point that even though the sound is older, artists and producers featured are hip and relevant in modern music. Power's easily provides a deeper meaning to the album as a whole that i would have over looked.
ReplyDeleteJim DeRogatis' Review of Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends:
ReplyDeleteThe review is noteworthy because of DeRogatis' knowledge of the band, personal connection to the band, and his overall knowledge of music. His approach to writing reviews makes a lot of sense, "Give them something they didn't know they needed or wanted until they got it from YOU," says DeRogatis on the topic on getting published and his mindset is demonstrated through his review of Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends.
Jim Derogati uses a great deal of imagery of the time when the song came about. He describes the 60s with the popular use of drugs and the president's death. Derogati also gives a history on the band, when they broke up and what not, and how they worked together. He included interviews about the way the band sounded and the difficulties they faced. This gives the reader a better view on the band to understand why the album is such a good piece.
ReplyDeleteMy personal favorite thing about Ann Powers' review on Daft Punk is the extreme level of research that obviously went into this review. The sheer number of references to other bands she makes in a two-page review Is almost overwhelming. She mentions RAM and pharell as well as many other bands. I think the lines that she draws connecting Daft Punk to all these bands enables the readers to find new "ways to listen to the music because now they have new things to listen for. She also walks a line between being square and factual as opposed to talking about only her feelings.
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of Ann Powers' writing, she has a real knack of weaving subjective opinion with objective knowledge, and she has ample ammunition for both perspectives. Her imagery of the music is superb, for example "Daft Punk's choice to sink deeply into protoplasmic mud where contemporary dance music was born will strike some as less conservative than contrarian". She also really flexes her music history knowledge in the defense of Daft Punk's slinking away from EDM, to a more fundamentalist dico, elecronic prog rock. She made a point to look at production contributors and the new artists represented, which is a topic that is often overlooked by reviewers. She is a literary superstar.
ReplyDeleteJim Derogatis's review of Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends is very noteworthy, primarily because of his knowledge of band. Derogatis goes into detail about how Simon and Garfunkel came to be, and how Bookends was their last album before splitting up. This in itself is ironic, because of the album's name. Simon and Garfunkel were like bookends, and the stories in between these bookends flowed through their songs. Denogatis points this irony when he says, "The pair's rivalry and animosity has become legendary". This review gives a lot of meaning to the music, to show the climax before the dramatic downfall of Simon and Garfunkel.
ReplyDeleteAnn Power's review of Random Access Memory by Daft Punk gives off the exact same eclectic feel that she portrays the album as giving. Powers focuses on how different musical genres from the 70's, from disco to funk to pop, are woven together to create an album that takes dance music back to its roots and compares the past and the present. In doing this, Powers crafts a review that both analyzes the properties and intent of the album and accurately conveys the album's sound.
ReplyDeleteJim Derogatis's review of Simon & Garfunkel uses a lot of background information to do his review. I enjoy hearing about the artist behind the music and the first couple paragraphs of his review are just that. Also the language Derogatis' uses brings his writing to life, phrases like "intoxicating freedoms" and "psychedelic explosion" are part of his unique style. No one track is focused on too heavy either but I do like how Derogatis points out what the most popular tracks are.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy Ann Powers' review of Daft Punk because of the business-like point of view she writes it with. She sounds like a Music Producer / Business Executive more interested in sales than how the music sounds. Don't get me wrong, she has some insightful critique into the instrumentals, which she describes as 'robotic', but it sounds like her intended audience is people who already understand that, and what to hear about the album as more of a pass/fail work of art. She comments about the eight year marketing plan and about them being veterans are what really resound to me.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, I was raised on the Bangles. Hazy Shade of Winter was a classic jam song to me and my family that I didn't even know that it is a cover of a Simon and Garfunkel song. So, if you can tell, the initial reading of this was useless because I was contemplating how my entire life had been a lie. So the SECOND time I read it- and subsequently listened to S&G's version- I was actually able to concentrate on the review itself. So far, this was my favorite review. They way he set it up, the tone, the background that he gave, and the excerpts was phenomenal. My favorite part was how he started the review with what was currently going on in the time period. The description of "riots in the streets" and "bloody war" set up a grotesque but necessary picture to see where S&G were coming from. His later description of the odyssey through the changing music and how S&G reached their peak and ultimately collapsed was amazing through sharp detail like "rhythmically galloping" and "psychedelic experimentation." Even though I loved his review...the Bangles still nailed Hazy Shade of Winter 10x better.
ReplyDeleteWhat Made Jim Derogatis 's review of Simon & Garfunkel's Bookends is the origin stories he gave for the album and the songs. He explained how towards the end of the 60's America was wrecked with riots, assassinations, and a bloody war. Each Song he worte a little something about the song that developed it. I liked it and it helped me to understand the music a little better.
ReplyDeleteIn Ann Powers review "Random Access Memories" by Daft Punk I love how she really made the experience something that felt familiar through her rich descriptions like "Funk, too, played a major role taking cues from the civil rights movement to free the mind -- and as Funkadelic said, the ass followed.". She does a nice job or focusing on the strong points while also highlighting a major critique of the album. Her voice and tone kept me interested while also giving me vivid imagery.
ReplyDeleteJim Derogatis's review of Simon & Garfunkel's Bookends is heavily based on history and the knowledge of the band, which is impressive. Regarding the technology that emerges in the 1960s, Derogatis tells us, "Simon & Garfunkel certainly benefitted from this new, ambitious but playful attitude." I enjoy his references to the lyrics of different tracks because that is the way I enjoy writing my reviews. This review is very in depth with the time period and relating the lyrics to different events in history. Derogatis makes it clear that we will never know the next move of the band.
ReplyDelete