IMPORTANT - REVIEW REQUIREMENTS

In order to combat certain types of reviews, I've implemented a set of length requirements that will deter both short reviews and short sentences.

All single reviews MUST be at least 80 words in length.



All album reviews MUST be at least 150 words in length.



Please know that these new requirements are only for the better. They are not meant to discourage stans from writing reviews; they are meant to promote more thoughtful and detailed reviews.

About
Welcome to atrlcritic! Based on the popular entertainment review website metacritic, atrlcritic is a collaborative effort between members and moderators of ATRL to review and rate the latest releases. Members will be given the opportunity to share and discuss their opinions on new releases while working to form a cumulative score.

Rules
– Absolutely no trolling. We want you to have fun and be creative with your reviews, but the rules of ATRL still apply.
– Single reviews must be at least 80 words; album reviews must be at least 150 words.
– Reviews won't be counted once the final score is posted.
– Members can discuss past reviews and recommend upcoming releases to review.
– Criticism of reviews is allowed, but personal attacks of members for their opinions is prohibited. For example, saying "your review doesn't make sense because _____" is OK, but "you have bad taste in music" is not.

Scoring
– For songs/albums with a review period ending on or before November 9, 2014, there are two compiled scores—the member score and the modscore.
– For songs/albums with a review period ending after November 9, 2014, a Top Critic score is complied in lieu of a modscore.
– All reviews must include a score in order to be counted.
– All scores must be out of 4, out of 5, out of 10, or use the letter grade scale.
– At the end of the review period, final scores will be calculated and posted.
– Reviews will not be counted into the final score if they violate the rules.

The Review Process
– A single or album will be put up for review if there are at least three people requesting it to be reviewed. Under special circumstances, such as surprise release, this requirement may not apply and whether it is reviewed may be alexanderao's decision.
– Promotional singles will not be reviewed until they are released as official singles.
– The general amount of time for reviewing a single or album is 2 weeks.
– The maximum amount of things that will be reviewed at once is 5.
– Scores are only official if the song or album being reviewed receives more than 5 reviews.
– Review periods may be extended at the discretion of alexanderao.

Tips For Writing Reviews

The results of my atrlcritic survey showed that among those who completed the survey but have not written a review, approximately 78% said they had not written one because they do not feel like they can write good reviews.

To curb this problem, I've listed some of my tips for writing a review. These are just suggestions, and I don't care if you use them or not. I'm just trying to help out those who are struggling to write a "good" review.

1: Use as many adjectives as possible.
Instead of using vague words like "good," "bad," or "okay," try to describe your feelings towards the song in as much detail as possible. Was the chorus disappointing or irresistible and catchy? Was the beat bland and vapid or pleasant and addictive?

2: Don't censor yourself.
Don't worry what other people will think of your review, because as long as it meets the length requirements and justifies its score it will be counted. Pour out your thoughts on the song or album.

3: If you are reviewing an album, consider a track-by-track review.
Sometimes it's hard to sum up a full album in a paragraph or two, and I know that it works better for a lot of people (including me) to go through each track briefly before wrapping up a review with a quick closing paragraph.

4: Assign a score by using other songs as reference points.
If you have no idea where to start, I would suggest thinking about your favorite and least favorite songs of the year. Your favorites will be in the 8-10 range, and your least favorites (depending on how harshly you review) should be in the 0-5 range. Then, think of songs that are nothing special; neither good nor bad. For most people these fall in the 4-6 range. Find a place for the song you are reviewing along that spectrum.

5: Don't obsess over spelling and grammar.
Your review does not have to flow perfectly or be devoid of spelling errors. Care more about the content of the review, not the way it is presented. Of course, if you feel comfortable with the content you are free to polish up your review. But if you are struggling to even get some content down, don't even think about spelling and grammar.

6: Have a conclusion.
Whether it is with one sentence or two paragraphs, it's always a good idea to wrap up your review with a summary of your thoughts about the song or album, so that the tone of your review is evident. For example, if you pointed out some good things about a song as well as some bad things, a conclusion will help you determine whether the good outweighed the bad, or vice versa. Think of your conclusion as your overall opinion about the song or album. Oftentimes, I find my conclusion helpful in determining a score for my review.

If anybody has any other tips, feel free to share! I want everyone to feel comfortable writing reviews because they really are fun to do!

Previously Reviewed

Unofficial scores due to insufficient reviews

Under moderator management
– Sia - "1000 Forms of Fear"
– Drake - "0 to 100 / The Catch Up"
– La Roux - "Trouble in Paradise"
– Azealia Banks - "Heavy Metal and Reflective"
– Jessie J, Ariana Grande, & Nicki Minaj - "Bang Bang"
– Hilary Duff - "Chasing the Sun"
– Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga - "Anything Goes"
– Nicki Minaj - "Anaconda"
– Beyoncé f/Nicki Minaj - "***Flawless (Remix)"
– Pixie Lott - "Pixie Lott"
– Hilary Duff - "All About You"
– FKA twigs - "LP1"
– Taylor Swift - "Shake It Off"
– Charli XCX - "Break The Rules"
– Ariana Grande - "My Everything"
– Maroon 5 - "V"
– Banks - "Goddess" (final score of 76, 10 reviews)
– Jhené Aiko - "Souled Out" (final score of 87, 11 reviews)

Under alexanderao's management
– Calvin Harris f/John Newman - "Blame"
– U2 - "Songs Of Innocence"
– Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga - "Cheek To Cheek"
– Azealia Banks - "Chasing Time"
– Lorde - "Yellow Flicker Beat"
– Fergie - "L.A.LOVE (la la)"
– LIGHTS - "Little Machines"
– Carrie Underwood - "Something In The Water"
– One Direction - "Steal My Girl"
– Tove Lo - "Queen Of The Clouds"
*New review length requirements implemented*
– Hozier - "Hozier"
– Tokio Hotel - "Kings Of Suburbia"
– Marina & The Diamonds - "Froot"
– Jessie Ware - "Tough Love"
– Gwen Stefani - "Baby Don't Lie"
*Post-album release singles or other current hits that are not new releases declared reviewable*
– Kiesza - "Sound Of A Woman"
– Iggy Azalea f/MØ - "Beg For It"
– Taylor Swift - "1989"
– Imagine Dragons - "I Bet My Life"
*Modscore replaced by experimental Top Critic score*
– Calvin Harris - "Motion"
– Ariana Grande f/The Weeknd - "Love Me Harder"
– Selena Gomez - "The Heart Wants What It Wants"
– Azealia Banks - "Broke With Expensive Taste"
– iamamiwhoami - "BLUE"
– Nicki Minaj f/Skylar Grey - "Bed Of Lies"
– Lorde - "Pure Heroine" *throwback album #1*
– Kanye West - "Yeezus" *throwback album #2*
– Beyoncé - "7/11"
– Various Artists - "Mockingjay Part 1 Soundtrack"
– Mark Ronson f/Bruno Mars - "Uptown Funk!"
– Charli XCX - "Sucker"
– Nicki Minaj - "The Pinkprint"
– Nick Jonas - "Jealous"
– Meghan Trainor - "Title"
– Fall Out Boy - "American Beauty/American Psycho"
– Kelly Clarkson - "Heartbeat Song"'
– Rihanna, Kanye West, & Paul McCartney - "FourFiveSeconds"
– Maroon 5 - "Sugar"
– Björk - "Vulnicura"
– Taylor Swift - "Style"
– Carly Rae Jepsen - "I Really Like You"
– Drake - "If You're Reading This It's Too Late"
– Imagine Dragons - "Smoke + Mirrors"
– Kelly Clarkson - "Piece By Piece"
– Florence + The Machine - "What Kind Of Man"
– Madonna - "Rebel Heart"
– Kendrick Lamar - "To Pimp A Butterfly"
– Marina & The Diamonds - "Froot"
– Britney Spears & Iggy Azalea - "Pretty Girls"
– Selena Gomez f/A$AP Rocky - "Good For You"
– Hilary Duff - "Breathe In. Breathe Out."
– Demi Lovato - "Cool For The Summer"
– Miguel - "Wildheart"
– Carly Rae Jepsen - "E•MO•TION"
– Miley Cyrus - "Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz"
– Justin Bieber - "What Do You Mean?"
– Lana Del Rey - "Honeymoon"
– Selena Gomez - "Revival"
– Demi Lovato - "Confident"
– Adele - "Hello"
– Carrie Underwood - "Storyteller"
– Ellie Goulding - "Delirium"
– Little Mix - "Get Weird"
– Justin Bieber - "Purpose"
– Adele - "25"
– Grimes - "Art Angels"
– Troye Sivan - "Blue Neighbourhood"
– Rachel Platten - "Wildfire"
– Cam - "Untamed"
– Rihanna - "Anti"
– Sia - "This Is Acting"
– Charlie Puth - "Nine Track Mind"
– Beyonce - "Formation"
– Gwen Stefani - "This Is What The Truth Feels Like"
– ZAYN - "Mind Of Mine"
– M83 - "Junk"
– Kanye West - "The Life Of Pablo"
– Beyoncé - "Lemonade"
– Meghan Trainor - "Thank You"
– Ariana Grande - "Dangerous Woman"
– Fifth Harmony - "7/27"
– Nick Jonas - "Last Year Was Complicated"
– Tove Lo - "Cool Girl"
– Britney Spears - "Glory"
– Lady Gaga - "Joanne"

This is an awesome idea!

Love it!

so we have till sunday to review it? Awesome.

Random but I love it

Glad that this has been introduced!
Sad it's starting with that album!

Now we just need our own thesinglesjukebox!

omg great idea

This is a fantastic idea

Oh my

Can we add to the 'upcoming' list?
Shakira- Shakira
Bleachers- Strange Desire
Coldplay- Ghost Stories
Sam Smith- In The Lonely Hour
Ingrid Michaelson- Lights Out

Actually Doc made the layout and we all contributed to the idea of atrlcritic.

Make sure to read the rules, but have fun with this! We have been excited about doing this.

Sia's new album 1000 Forms Of Fear could be considered her selling out by some who think of her as that quirky 'Breathe Me' singer who has tasted success, but it is really her refining the poppier leanings which she first showed off with 2010's excellent We Are Born. Whilst no one song may be as good as a track like You've Changed, it's a far more consistent offering and worthy of all the praise it gets.

Most people will know the lead single Chandelier, and it's incredible vocal performance. Whilst the rest of the album may not feature anything as stunningly shocking, it doesn't have plenty of knockout moments - the glitchy Free The Animal, the Halo-esque Fire Meets Gasoline and the poppy Hostage chief amongst them. But what sets this album apart from her contemporaries is the lyrics - even at her poppiest they remain extremely personal, and often allude so serious issues such as depression which she has battled with over the years.

Overall, this album is a stunning effort from one of pop's most promising stars, and one if the highlights of the year thus far.

9/10

First one can someone confirm this is long enough?

Sam's album should have been the first

Really neat concept. I need to brush up my writing a bit more before I start to participate though.

we need Ultraviolence to be next

YAY!!! Finally!!!