[Ronaldista]

Originally posted by lakersfan44

My first review... I'd like some feedback!l

I can't read the yellow font of the score and it hurts my eyes

[Su-Barbie-A]

Originally posted by Stevie

LP1 is obviously not for everyone, and honestly, it has yet to fully click with me too. But if you don't really understand the album at all or have a good grasp on it, then why bother reviewing it? It's frustrating to see.

For real, it might sound rude bust most users on this site aren't qualified to review an album that's not 100% pop.
How can you review something and say "I give this 1/10 because the concept is weird and I don't get it".

[Superpower]

Originally posted by Almighty Gaga

The we-have-a-better-music-taste-than-everyone-else-in-the-whole-universe police will be coming for you.

Every stanbase on ATRL does this. The Monsters are the worst actually. They are still in the Pitchfork threads calling the publication crap because they didn't include Gaga.
Let me bookmark your post for when the next Gaga single gets a bad review and Monsters start attacking the reviewer.

[Luminary]

Originally posted by Dragonfly

This is one of my first reviews. But I would like to do it more often.
So if anyone wants to give me feedback, I would appreciate it

Great first review imo but make sure to get the songs right.. It's Preface not Prelude

But I like you stanning for Closer and Kicks

[alexanderao]

I'm not really liking BTR

And everyone should remember, this is atrlcritic not atrlmembercritic.

[Dragonfly]

Originally posted by Luminary

Great first review imo but make sure to get the songs right.. It's Preface not Prelude

Oh no, that's like the worst mistake a beginner can make
I guess I combined 'preface' and 'pendulum' in my head, and 'prelude' came out.

Thanks for pointing that out

[Melvin]

I have never really been a fan of Taylor Swift.
I never listened to her music, or really knew what she was about.
I just happened to tune into the Yahoo live stream right around when she was getting ready
to play the video, and after I heard the song I said to myself, "This is what I've been missing?"
I never really planned on giving the song the time of day after I had heard she had a surprise
coming on the 18th of August, but I'm really glad I did. I remember telling my friend about it,
and he was like, "No, It's gonna flop and I don't like it." Literally the next day, I FaceTime'd him,
and that's what he was listening to, and he was talking about no matter what he did, he couldn't
get the song out of his head. I love this song. It's fun, and has an amazing beat.
I'm also loving the lyrics and meaning to the song, If you got some haters that are doing too
much, hey, just shake em' off!

[Su-Barbie-A]

Originally posted by Lucas32

I see your point but I think it is nearly impossible to be objective when it comes to music.
And I don't think you need to "know" a genre to post a review about an album.
He just posted how he felt about the album just like everyone should and does .

You don't need to but if you want to post a solid review then you have to be familiar with the genre, that's like expecting a pop fan to review a rap album and love it.
Not everything is verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus and a Dr. Luke production.

[Maiko]

  SINGLE REVIEW

I'm Shaking, Turn it Off.
A Shake it Off Review

 
 
 
 
 

---

     Taylor Swift's RED album produced three of the best and most balanced pop records of the past 10 years: "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", "22", and "I Knew You Were Trouble". The lead from her latest album 1989, is a conglomerate of radio trends that have been on their way out for a bout a year now (ex. Power Chorus, Anthemic, Hip-Pop).

     Shake it Off is predictably infectious, but that isn't a good thing. I feel like I've heard all of the melodies and each of the cadences in this record before, if not in a song, a nursery rhyme. There isn't anything impressive poetically about it's lyrics either, especially the bridge break which begins with Swift talking in some urban white girl twang before a thin and unbelievable vocal delivery.

     But ultimately, If you play anything this repetitive over and over again (and I'm positive that American radio will) you are bound to get it stuck in your head and at the very least like it. Let's just hope that Taylor can shake off the negative critical response to this record, as gracefully as she says she can in the song.

---

VERDICT

   2
 
   Score out of 10.
 

[Luminary]

Originally posted by alexanderao

I'm not really liking BTR

And everyone should remember, this is atrlcritic not atrlmembercritic.

I don't really know what you're trying to say? You mean people shouldn't comment on the members their reviews? I think it adds a nice twist to it tbh and it can be helpful.. sometimes

Originally posted by Dragonfly

Oh no, that's like the worst mistake a beginner can make
I guess I combined 'preface' and 'pendulum' in my head, and 'prelude' came out.

Thanks for pointing that out

I get it, it's a bit confusing and no problem.. The rest of your review is very well written, it has a good introduction and ending. I think that's very important, I like to elaborate a bit more on the songs but your message and arguments are clear, that's what matters.

[Syňth]

Album Review: LP1 - FKA twigs

My interest in FKA twigs harks back to just under a year ago, when I came across her freshly released video for Papi Pacify. The visuals, stuttering electronics and rumbling bass blew me away. Then I discovered Water Me, sonically one of the most confronting songs of 2013. Twigs’ fondness of jarring tempos and staccato deliveries was and is, truly unique. The prospect of a full length album was an exciting one.

My interest in LP1 harks back to just under a couple of days ago, when Pendulum started feeling more like emotion and less like a robotized Water Me. EP1 and EP2 specialized in sexual tension and ambiguity of their artist, contrasted to sparse and haunting arrangements. It’s telling then that LP1 is a notably more personal record, weighed down by beats that shroud her like a thorny forest. It begins with Twigs (also known as Tahlia) cooing alone, waiting to be salvaged in destructive crashes and a computerized vocal sample. ‘I love another, and thus I hate myself’ is the key lyric here, chanted over and over.

The first third of LP1 dwells on Tahlia’s sexual politics and vulnerability. Lead single Two Weeks is an easy highlight and one of the best songs on the record. The pitched down, rumbling intro is an absolute knockout and the sexual tension of EP2 returns in new form. With grown confidence, no longer is Tahlia uncertain of her own choices- ‘You say you want me, I say I’ll think about it’. The focus here is exposure, as detailed in previous track Lights On. Physical intimacy is Tahlia’s power, and emotional intimacy is her crux. These two forces come head to head in Pendulum, the other highlight of the record. ‘So lonely trying to be yours’ she laments on the chorus, and her pain eventually bleeds through. Such is often the case with LP1- when you’re ready to dismiss the brittle beats and easily come and gone songs, an emotional charge shines just that little bit brighter. In Video Girl, it’s the wordless singing at 2:30 and confessional last line. In Numbers, it’s the unsettling shriek in the chorus. Even when the beats are at their worst (Closer, Numbers) Tahlia ensures that there’s always something worthwhile to introspect on.

LP1 is a lesson in self-conflict, the tugging of affection and despair. The friction of vulnerability and expression. FKA twigs’ choice of instrumentals is a conscious one, a mechanism that draws the ears and mind away from what’s lying underneath. This notion travels right into the cover art, where Tahlia is plainly seen yet distorted in harsh but somewhat cooling colours and disproportionate features. LP1 is an album that I’ll likely keep developing my opinion of for the next 6 months. It’s this prospect that keeps me optimistic and ultimately utilizes FKA twigs’ talents in a skilful and satisfying way.

8/10

[Su-Barbie-A]

Charli XCX - Break the Rules (Single)

I've been listening to Charli since True Romance dropped, back then people used to compare her with Marina and the Diamonds but drunker. Her music used to have more alternative electronic elements but with'Break the Rules' she takes a dip in a more laid-back/fun music.

I have mixed feelings for this song, I like it because it's super catchy and (hopefully) a soon-to-be hit (even though Taylor will block her), what I don't like is that it sounds a bit... basic for Charli, I know she is all about being a popstar but this just sounds like something any pop girl would release, nothing really special, I'm worried that the rest of the album will be as pop-ish as this song but that's just me.

If you are into fun, catchy, "I'm a rebel" type of pop, you will like this song.
My final score is:

[Eeveelution]

Originally posted by Superpower

Every stanbase on ATRL does this. The Monsters are the worst actually. They are still in the Pitchfork threads calling the publication crap because they didn't include Gaga.
Let me bookmark your post for when the next Gaga single gets a bad review and Monsters start attacking the reviewer.

Welp. You didn't lie.

[Bloomers]

Originally posted by lakersfan44

My first review... I'd like some feedback!

Shake It Off - Taylor Swift



If I had to describe Shake It Off in as few words as possible, I would say instantly catchy, and instantly forgettable. Shake is the lead single off of Taylor Swift's upcoming album 1989. With this album, Swift has decided to swing away from country and go full on pop. Shake is that declaration of genre change.

Whereas previous single We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together combined country and pop elements, what with it still being guided by a guitar melody, Shake is a full on embrace of the pop trends of 2014. Everything about this single, from the horns, to the basic percussion, screams pop. Bubblegum pop.
Unfortunately for Swift, this song is just not that good. It's basic. It's been done before. The horns have been done already by both Jason Derulo (in Talk Drity) and Ariana Grande (in Problem). Shake is also reminiscent of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' Thrift Shop, which isn't a very favorable comparison for Swift. The song is catchy, no doubt about that, but the minute the song ended, I already forgot how it went. There was no highlight moment of the song that made it stick in my head.

Also lacking here are the lyrics. While Swift is known for her incredibly specific lyrics, which lend a sense of personality to her songs, Shake is incredibly rudimentary in its lyricism. It's just a basic "I don't give a **** what you think, I'm gonna live my life" type of song, but it doesn't dive any deeper than that. There are no references to specific incidents that make the song seem as incredibly personal as her other songs.

Shake It Off is an incredibly catchy pop song, and it will probably become a highlight of 2014. But it's not on the same level of complexity with Swift's other songs. While her other songs are a little more complex, with layers, this song is a fairly shallow song. I hope the next single finds Swift being a little more courageous, and taking some more risks, because I think Swift has a lot of opportunities with deciding to go pop. She just needs to stop following trends and to start creating her own.

(The video is a whole different story, but let's not let that ruin this review.)

5/10

Good first review! I think you did a great job of explaining what you thought about the song and why you thought that way. Your review was very fair and I liked how you compared it to her previous work and the work of other pop songs. I also liked how you stated what you want to hear in her future music and said that she could should take advantage of her opportunities with deciding to go pop by taking risks.

If I have one criticism it's that you overused the word catchy, but other than that, awesome review.

[Jack. Bauer]

Taylor Swift
Shake It Off



I'd rather keep this short and sweet because I don't necessarily think this song deserves a whole essay devoted to it.
~
Basically this song had a lot of potential, for starters I'm all here for "**** you" Taylor - it's a new colour for her and I like that she's giving no *****. But whatever, the execution of that concept was poor as hell, ranging from the strained vocals that are the worst I've ever heard from her to the production of the song which is fundamentally boring to the fact that there's barely a discernible chorus in the song. I mean the entire thing is one huge anticlimax and I'm not sure a refrain of shake it off, sh-sh-shake it off is enough to make the song memorable. Yeah it's kind of fun, but given Taylor manages to serve high end production and true boppiness with her most generic songs makes this one even more underwhelming. Compared to her other singles, Shake It Off is basically trash. I'm beyond disappointed when Taylor even managed to do generic perfectly with the likes of 22 yet failed so spectacularly with this one.
~
Keeping with the short and sweet theme I bolded the main points as to why I think this song deserves its score. Call it pretentious or whatever, salutations on learning a new word.

1/10

Summed up:

[minho]

I'm assuming we can still review FKA Twigs?


-

FKA Twigs - LP1 ....... 9.7 / 10
Every now and then there comes an album that screams instant classic the second you listen to it. LP1 is one of those albums.

On first listen I was hooked on the beautiful electronic production complimented greatly by FKA Twigs' constantly changing vocals. A second listen made me appreciate the amount of work that went into this album even more. Each piece feels fundamental to the album at large, each second hand-crafted to highlight the most intricate details making each listen feel like a refreshingly new experience. Of course the production is nothing short of flawless. Each component of the album is just so fluidly produced, each track feeling like a separate work of art yet also a part of the bigger picture. Referring back to her vocals, its amazing how she can alternate between raw, intense emotion to hauntingly angelic whispers. Each track once again is carefully done with several vocal techniques - essential to carry the atmosphere the album sets up.

Aside from the clear frontrunner for SOTY "Two Weeks" the album is filled to the brim with highlights. In fact it's basically impossible for me to pick and choose a favourite song. Really the entire album is as close to perfection as I've probably ever heard. "Lights On", "Video Girl", "Closer", the ever complex and beautiful masterpiece "Pendulum", each and every track on the album is just...leaving me speechless.

At just 10 tracks I initially worried it would be far too short and yet that is the complete opposite of how I felt. Despite the rather short track-length the album is extremely fulfilling. Each of the 10 tracks feels like an essential component into the album. It somehow intertwines into a beautifully crafted work that alternates between full-throttle intensity and subdued emotion. In short - its a whirlwind, but definitely the good kind.

[Maiko]

SLAY Lovesong with that unbiased review

[minho]

Originally posted by maiko

SLAY Lovesong with that unbiased review

AOTY for sure (so far)

Seriously I rarely give out that high of a score for an album.

-

Might as well do my girl Taylor too.

Taylor Swift - "Shake It Off" ... 8 / 10
I admit I was scared about what Taylor would serve.

It was painfully clear that she was done with country (a move I fully support) but of course, a radical genre change comes with a great risk. The word that she was working extensively with Max Martin had me even more worried (I Knew You Were Trouble remains holy but the other two...).

I was SO pleasantly surprised when the lead single finally came out. The infectious anthemic style of the single coupled with 'I don't care' lyrics is perfect for an album's lead. I'll be honest. Its not anything amazingly innovative or anything, and yet it still.. works? There is something to be said for an artist to completely change their style and yet maintain what makes them such a good artist. There isn't one part of this song where I doubt that this is all her. And that's what makes me love it so much. The amount of sheer confidence she has with this era has already got me so excited for upcoming 1989. She's at the best place in her life, full of happiness, full of confidence, and ready to basically take on the world.

Edit: OMG at me calling it Shake It Up

[Maiko]

consider having a sitdown with the rest of the taylor stans that posted here

[Penk]

FKA Twigs- LP1

After releasing a few underwhelming EP's, I wasn't terribly excited for the new release by singer/dancer FKA Twigs. Besides the hypnotic "Water Me", none of her material enticed me. However, when the lead single Two Weeks came out, my opinion on her changed 180. Everything about it was spot on: The incredible shimmering production, the beautiful breathy vocals, the super sexual lyrics. When the album finally came out, my new expectations were met, and more. From the stunning album centerpiece "Pendulum" to the beautiful "Closer" and the more boppable songs like "Give Up" or "Kicks", there is not a single miss. The details in the songs is what makes it even better, especially when you notice certain things on the 5th listen you never even realized was there before. Even a song like "Hours" which may seem a bit underwhelming compared to the rest of the album, it's still an incredibly solid song on its own. Overall, this is just an incredibly satisfying listening experience, and so far my album of the year. I'm short a few sentences so let me just say how amazing this album is. Once again, this album is SO good, listen to it now if you haven't!

9.8/10

HIGHLIGHTS: Two Weeks, Pendulum, Video Girl, Kicks, Lights On

LOWLIGHTS: (If I had to choose..) Hours