Bright Eyes – Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was • Page 3

I didn't review it, Drew did.

 

Drew - what are your thoughts on Razia's Shadow in 2020? Saw that it was dropped from the reworked 2008 best of list.

 

Finally a review that gets a lot of comments. Now this reminds me of Ap.net days.

 

It's not a command or a decree, it's an opinion. It basically says, "If you're asking me - which, if you're reading this review you kind of are - I would recommend staying away from this album. It's not worth your time. If you want to know more about why I think that, read the 6 paragraphs below."

 

Stay away from this album? Pshhhh, more like stay away from this review! Ayyyyyyyy

 

I loved it on my first listen but It also gets better with every listen which makes me think the reviewer just hasn't spent enough time with it.

 

I understand that it’s a proprietary aggregation process. I was under the impression that they generally factored in reviews from the same general pool of reviews. That is the only site I know of that does that, so that’s what I used. I wasn’t implying that Metacritic is the Supreme Court of review aggregators. I suppose if they left out all the poor reviews, then it wasn’t a good example. The spirit of what I was saying is the the general consensus wasn’t to avoid the album, and I used that site as a convenient example that people would know about. You really didn’t get what I was saying? I was using it as a passing reference.

Anyway, I do always love reading your reviews man.

 

It seems crazy to me to think that just because you enjoy something more every time you experience it, that someone with a differing opinion simply must not have experienced it enough to know how they feel about it

 

It's pretty obvious considering he didn't even understand the lyrics of Dance & Sing but hey, to each their own right?

 

I guess my issue is more that you were wielding the consensus to write off this review (just one person's opinion!), while citing a site that, IMO, does a very bad job at offering any sort of valuable insight into a record, the discourse around it, or even the consensus (since Metacritic pulls in so few reviews). This review isn't the be-all-end-all, and I agree that people should check out the record to decide for themselves, but I think that could be a jumping off point for substantive conversations about why people like/dislike the record instead of people getting mad that the review isn't in line with the consensus and is therefore wrong.

And thanks, I appreciate that! I hope you didn't feel as if I was attacking you; I mostly just hate Metacritic and wanted to rant about it!

 

What a silly and elitist way to end your two post rant.

 

Lol. I love these “long time listener” comments.

how dare this 40 year old man not make the same kind of music he was making when he was 17.

 

I’m not Drew, but I fucking love Razia’s Shadow. I saw Forgive Durden perform most of it at Bamboozle way back, and that fucking ruled. :)

 

Yeah I’ve been listening since fevers and love the record so I don’t get that argument at all.

 

I mean, there are people in here baselessly claiming the writer didn't spend enough time with the album, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

Actually I based that on the fact the dude didn’t understand the lyrics of the song he spent a chunk of the review talking about but keep trying...

I think we can all agree Conor said it best, “I do not read the reviews. I am not singing for you.”

 

I like this album but don’t feel drawn back to it. Great review!

 

I loved it too! That’s why I was surprised to not see it on that list!

 

The world needs more well-written “Stay Away” reviews, not less.

 

Are you clear on what I'm calling elitist, Aaron?

 

Also not a single mention of the amazing rhythm section on this record in the review. Flea & Jon Theodore.

 

Can’t believe there are so many “this take is wrong/bad” comments from people who, in other contexts, would most likely argue that art is subjective — or who might even think truth as a whole to be subjective. Ironic.

This is an OPINION — and a very thoughtfully articulated one, moreso than any single comment in this thread.

 

As someone who has dished out multiple two-star reviews for a music website, I’m quite pleased when the feedback on those reviews ranges from people who completely disagree to people who are thanking me for not just handing good reviews to everyone.

Why would opinions matter if we didn’t all have different ones?

 

Finally checked this out last night. It's super Bright Eyesy.

 

Congrats, you finally got me to stop lurking and make an account! Honestly the site needs more reviews like this... ones that are completely wrong in their assessment but are so inflammatory they get people like me to sign up. I used to post here way back in the AP days btw.

Anyway, the main issue with this review is that it operates solely in the "this album isn't like his prior albums vein." News flash: Lifted came out in 2002. Don't be surprised when "Dance and Sing" doesn't sound like "Method Acting." Don't expect 40 year old artists to operate with the same type of intensity as when they were 22. That being said, the album is still very emotional and intense and characteristically Bright Eyes, so I'm not sure if it just didn't click or what. I think if this reviewer looked more at this album at its own merits, they might find more to enjoy.

Some of the lyrics here are absolutely Conor's best. The last few lines of "Comet Song" are bar none the best lyrics he's ever written. "Stairwell Song," "To Death's Heart" and "Pan and Broom" are up there with songs from the old days. I do think there are some clunkers here ("Just Once in the World" isn't great and "Mariana Trench" is very "first half of Cassadaga" as this reviewer puts it).

Tl'dr: people are entitled to their opinions, but a reviewer's gotta do more than just compare new albums to stone cold classics. If you're reviewing Western Stars you don't complain that it doesn't sound like Darkness on the Edge of Town.

Edited to revise some repetitive phrasing.