Applications for Staff Writer Position

[Jom]

To get geared up for the impending fall release calendar, we may be adding at least one more staff writer position to our site. Do you feel that you are qualified to be a staff writer? Read on for our informal two-part application:

Part I

In 2-3 paragraphs (roughly... you can write more or less if you feel it's necessary), outline why you should be considered for a promotion to a staff writing position. What makes you stand out amongst the other contributors? Do you cover new releases? Do you specialize in specific genre(s)? Do you plagiarize (if so, you will not be considered)? Do you consistently contribute to the site other than reviewing records (adding albums and bands to the database, commenting, suggesting listening parties, etc.)?

These are all basic ideas, but you get the point: sell yourself to Dave and I (and mx)!

Part II

Submit 3-5 links to what you feel are your best reviews, and write a quick sentence or two explaining why you are adding it to your application (e.g. "I added this review because it was a new release and it has over 200 comments and 30,000 views").

Deadline: Sunday, August 24th, 23:59 EST

Please informally submit your application in a post here.

*A position may not be awarded if there are no outstanding applications.

[Thor]

Kit Brown (Thor) Staff Application

Part 1:
I feel that I am qualified for the staff writer position because I have been a regular writer and contributor to the sputnik music website since 2005. I have been a news mod, submitted over 180 news articles, 79 reviews, and many sound offs. I have done band edits for well over a hundred bands, as well as add new albums to the database quite regularly. In short, you’ll find me all over the site.
In case you haven’t read any of my reviews, I specialize in metal reviews, and most recently I have been reviewing new metal releases.
THOR DOES NOT PLAGARIZE!


Part 2:
My three best reviews:

Opeth’s Deliverance (http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=7351)
Why: It’s excruciatingly detailed, provides a band history, and thorough descriptions of each band member and song.

Arsis’ We Are The Nightmare (http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=25578)
Why: References other bands to make review very approachable, mentions how album compares to previous releases. Also, I feel it’s very easy to read and flows well.

Slayer’s Christ Illusion (http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=8827)
Why: I tried something a little different and I think it worked out pretty well. I feel like all the questions about the album that needed to be asked were answered in my review, and with plenty of support.

THOR FOR STAFF! CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN!

[Meatplow]

I shall apply.

Meatplow

I've been posting reviews here before Sputnik was up and running (well only one, but I remember the paltry reviews subforum from way back :p) and whilst I only consistently post new additions every couple of months or so I do use the site constantly. I add news whenever I come across something of interest and any albums I find are missing. I read any reviews of interest, and I enjoy the place.

I am fairly well known amongst the community, and my reviews are generally quite well received. Some of my earliest are extremely rough but I hit my stride later on as I veered away from the track-by-track format and learned to objectively criticize and back up points formulating my own style. It is very rare I will harshly criticise an album unless I feel I have a good case against it and I never resort to fanboyism.

I have a wide taste in music and I can cover many styles effectively, Sputnik my training ground for this. Reviewing albums that haven't been beaten to death here and digging up relatively obscure gems in music history as opposed to new releases is really more where I am at, though I am planning to focus more on newer stuff (making staff might just give me an incentive to do so).

I have not always been a model user, but I am a fair reviewer and i'd be happy to help around the site.

As for some choice reviews, this has always been my most popular -

Arnold Schwarzenegger's Total Body Workout -
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=22215

And a varied selection of what I think are my best reviews based on personal reflection and response from the community (also to show some more varied genres then riff rock) -

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - The Best Of Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=25984

Return to Forever - Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=25604

Guitar Wolf - Jet Generation
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=13940

Serge Gainsbourg - Gainsbourg Percussions
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=25598

Untitled (Silver) - Circulatory System
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=25605

Pink Flamingos OST
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=14222

Thankyou.

[Altmer]

Jorn van Schaïk (Altmer) application

I've been writing reviews for Sputnikmusic for over two years now. I've added some news articles, I've contributed various soundoffs as well as reviews, and I have added new albums and records on occasion (for example, part of Mostly Autumn's discography, Synastry, Cradle to Grave and others.) I comment on almost everything and anything over the forum, and always engage in album discussions.

As for my reviews, you'll find they cover a spectrum of genres, but I am and have always been most interested by metal and progressive music, and most of my reviews fall within those two genres, though I do foray out of them: I also listen to alternative rock and pop music occasionally, and am very interested in trying out more genres (hiphop jumps to mind, and so does more punk). In the beginning I wasn't as consistent as I am now, and barring the occasional misstep, I've been almost always well-received with my reviews. I don't plagiarise anyone, obviously.

For my best reviews, you'll find these are the ones that I think are most exemplary of my quality:

Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet review
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=11804

Obviously this is one of my best if 24/25 people bothered to vote that it's a good review. I am very proud of this one. (I remember it being featured.) This is one of my favourite albums (PT being one of my favourite bands) and I feel it conveys the utter madness and bleakness of the record.

Opeth - Still Life
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=13036

A bit of an odd concept review, but I really love that album to bits, and I think it illustrates my penchant for using metaphors in a review.

Symphony X - The Odyssey
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=15188

I can do a bit more run-of-the-mill albums as well.

Iced Earth - Framing Armageddon
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=13470

This is what happens when the album sucks balls.

Snow Partrol - Eyes Open
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=26743

I stepped out my genre a little with this one.

[spoon_of_grimbo]

SPOON_OF_GRIMBO

Having been knocking about Sputnik since it was merely a forum offshoot of MX, I've contributed to the site for a good number of years now, mainly through posting reviews (often of new/recent releases), but I've also occasionally posted news items, lists, muses (how long ago was THAT?!) and added albums to the database.

I comment on reviews and lists a lot, usually trying to offer constructive criticism/praise where I can. I like to try and encourage newer Sputnik users when I see they've posted a review or a list and recommend bands they might not have heard of (it was this sort of friendly advice and recommendation that kept me visiting the site after I first joined, and has helped shape my musical taste significantly since then).

As for my reviews, I feel that once I got past the habit of doing nothing but track-by-track style reviews, I've found my feet somewhat, and over time I've excised any hints of fanboyism that might've plagued my older reviews (I actually went back and altered the ratings on many of my reviews a while ago, as I feel I may have over-rated them, or been a little biased at the time). I haven't been the most prolific reviewer on the site by any means, but recently I feel I've upped my rate of posting reviews and this is something I plan to continue, regardless of whether or not I get the Staff position. My tastes are usually based around punk and metal, but are very varied within those genres.



My Best Reviews:


Ginger - "Market Harbour"
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=14981
I feel this is generally one of my most well-rounded reviews - I covered all aspects of the sound, included some background info, an intro and ending which I felt were effective, fairly good flow, and I managed to go into a lot of detail while keeping it at a reasonable length.


Off With Their Heads - "From the Bottom"
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=26673
My most recent review, and an example of my ability to write shorter, more concise reviews.


Devil Sold His Soul - "A Fragile Hope"
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=12492
For something a little different, I tried doing a concept review; considering the relative obscurity of the album outside of the UK metal scene, I feel the review had a good, and overall positive response. Definitely a style of reviewing I'll try again sometime.


Annihilator - "The Best of Annihilator"
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=13301
Proof that, as rare as they've been so far from me, I can in fact write a decent negative review. I feel this was reasoned criticism and not just merciless bashing the album.

[rasputin]

I’ve been a member of the site for just under a year now. I think I’ve been a positive contributor to the site; as of now I have over 60 reviews, many band edits etc. and have had many a good discussion with other members, on both the review site and the forums. I like to think that I’ve made a name for myself, but that could just be an imaginary ego I’ve inflated. Why I think I should be considered for a staff position? Well, asides from the things I’ve already mentioned, my behaviour on the site has been exemplary (or so I like to think). I’m not really one to pick stupid fights or do stupid things, although I will admit I have in the past exchanged some not-so-nice words with other people, but I feel that I’m past that now, and I simply use the site to not only better my own musical knowledge and be involved with music, but to also contribute to it in such a way that it’ll be a better site for others to use. This may be speculation, but I think a good attitude is something staff should have, and I believe that I have a good enough attitude to be a staff member.

Concerning my actual writing, I’m quite sure that I’ve gotten much better in the 10/11 months that I’ve been writing reviews. I’m still fine tuning my own writing style, and I read almost every staff review, regardless of what it covers, merely because I want absorb all the different quirks and techniques the current staff use. In spite of this, I still may not be as good a writer as some of the staff, but I do believe it’s only a matter of time before every review of mine is an accomplished piece of work. I’m also a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my writing, which can only be a good thing.

I listen to a variety of genres, both new releases and old. My reviewing reflects this, and I do think that I am able to review from a variety of genres, from metal to rock to indie. The majority of my listening and reviewing comes from metal, and I have a reasonably good knowledge of metal and all of its sub-genres. This is another reason why I feel that I’m suitable, because as far as I know only one staff member consistently does metal reviews (Cocaine). I’ve seen others do some, but not to the extent of Cocaine, only more popular albums. Correct me if I’m wrong but seeing as metal is the most popular genre on the site, perhaps another metal-orientated staff reviewer would be handy. And not intending any offense to him, but I would not regard Mikesn as a ‘metal-orientated’ staff reviewer, in the same vein as Cocaine. I mention this because some people had labeled him as such. In terms of keeping up with recent music, I’m very much on the ball with what’s hot and what’s not, especially in the last few months. I like to bring new things to the table, and most of what I review, be it new or old, are lesser known bands. This is not to say that I don’t review popular albums, I just like the feeling of introducing new bands to the site.

The reviews I’d like to showcase are:

dISEMBOWELMENT – Transcendence into the Peripheral
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=19761

This is one of my more recent reviews; I think it’s a good example of a more concise review, and of my writing style at the moment.

Russian Red – I Love Your Glasses
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review_26794

Another recent review, this is my branching out from metal.

Phalanx – Psychosis
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=29046

Both a recent release and a lesser known band.

Worship – Dooom
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=23717

A slightly older review, but one that I, for a long time, considered my best. Maybe not the case now, but it's still my longest review. (I just realised after a re-read that some edits I had made a few months ago are not here, probably due to the recent crash. Unfortunately I cannot remember all the edits and a quote I had used, and I had not saved the edits seperately, so the review is a little rough around the edges in that respect).

Reverend Bizarre – III: So Long Suckers
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=26333

I put this here because it’s my most popular review in terms of votes. I think I also was the first person on the site to say something bad about this band that everybody seems to love, so I'm cool like that.

And my apologies for adding one more review than required, but I felt that this review also should be displayed. It's a recent review also, and I think is one of my strongest in terms of explaining the music and knowing the mindset of the album.

Inborn Suffering
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=26802

[asaf]

A staff writing position would provide me with the opportunity to commit to my writing goals and develop fresh commitments. I have earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing from Florida State University in April of 2008 and plan to pursue my writing achievements further. Having only recently discovered Sputnik, I don’t find myself any different from other contributors and unfortunately, only two of my reviews have been posted on this site. I have had the opportunity to share the joy of the Sputnik community in dishing out rating’s and sound-offs on a few of my favorite albums. I am an avid fan of music and collect cd’s of all genres. In the last several years however, my interests have swayed into the depths of underground hardcore, especially documenting the current deathcore revolution.

I buy new albums every Tuesday and conduct an intense search on music forums such as ThePRP, Lambgoat, MySpace, Amazon (their reviews are surprisingly helpful), and most recently Sputnikmusic to conceptualize the music culture as a whole. I believe that I would be able to reflect ideals of particular “scenes” and genres of all tendencies in the most efficient manner, as well as provide insight to current news in music and how particular events affect the outcome of releases, touring decisions and world-wide musical events.


American Me “Heat”
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=30059

Bury Your Dead “Bury Your Dead”
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=25594

[south_of_heaven 11]

Apply for Staff? What the hell.

1. In 2-3 paragraphs, outline why you should be considered for a promotion to a staff writing position.

I'm Grant Hunter.

Seriously though, I know I haven't written in awhile (mainly due to football and school), but the bump up to staff might do the trick. I admit I tend to stick almost exclusively to metal (cough thrash cough), but then again I think I've an obvious effort to expand my music catalogue outside of metal's realm (mainly by browsing other staffer's album ratings). I don't really view myself as an exceptional writer, but I'm no Hawks either so I must be alright.

As for new releases, I wouldn't mind covering them, but I prefer to dig up older albums that are in the database and review them (no not because I'm trying to be elite). Going along that same idea, I constantly add albums to sputnik, and always provide proper date, photos, and track listing for each one. I think it's annoying to see an album page with no track list or a missing photo, so I try not to add incomplete album information.

I am also stunningly good looking and will bring large amounts of "poon-tang" to the sputnik community.

I also can give the nicest back massage so take that into account Jom.

Best Reviews

Demolition Hammer - http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=14703
- I think I got the intensity of this album pretty nailed in this.

Converge - http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=11394
- It's a negative Converge album that wasn't excessively negged!

Sodomizer - http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=15255
- I just like this one, plain and simple.

Sodom - http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=9353
- Ok so it's a concept review but blah blah blah I thought it was cool.

[AtavanHalen]

Part One
My name is David Young, but I write under the username AtavanHalen (check your copy of From Under the Cork Tree if you don’t know where I got it from). I was told about this website by some friends of mine, and I was very intrigued as a young sixteen year old, budding to get into music journalism later in life. In an admittedly n00bish move on my behalf, I entered around five or six reviews instantly. Thankfully, however, they were met with mostly positive reception. From there, I have become a Contributing Reviewer (“Why are you a contributor with only fifteen reviews?”, a user asked on my William Shatner review, to which another replied- “Quality over quantity”) and now have over forty reviews up on the side, in addition to nearly fifty soundoffs. My approval rating is 91%, and I am currently ranked 73rd on the site- not a bad feat considering the thousands of users on here!
In addition to having three featured reviews on the site (Atmosphere, the Hold Steady and Van She), I have created album and artist profiles, especially for lesser-known Australian acts (I am Australian myself); as well as adding news pieces for Australian bands and festivals when I can.
In terms of what I cover as a reviewer, I keep an open mind. There is so much great music around in the world, and I see myself as an appreciator of every music genre- there are good bands in every genre, even if it is crowded by terrible ones! You’ll find my reviews, soundoffs and ratings ranging from hip-hop to old-school rock’n’roll, from emo to pop-rock, from Britney Spears to Satyricon- I feel I can cover most genres, and feel it an asset to my writing.
I also try and help out other more struggling reviewers who have just started if they are serious about improving their writing and will accept criticism (something I have had to do many times throughout my writing “career”). With over one thousand review comments, too, I am seen in many album and news discussions on the site- even if my views aren’t always agreed with. Sometime the ICP trolls can get the best of us (anyone remember Deathracingman?), but I like to think that I can be balanced and fair as a reviewer and as a member of discussion.

Part Two

Panic At The Disco – A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=10794
Rating: 5/5
Views: 10,005

This was one of my first reviews on the site, and I’m still quite happy with it. In terms of voting, it evidently doesn’t have a clean record, but I feel this reflects how my views on music aren’t always seen as the conventional or the norm. Some would call this work fanboyish, or even an extreme or overblown viewpoint- but I really do love this record.

William Shatner – Has Been
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=13538
Rating: 5/5
Views: 7,545

This is the review where I became a contributor- this was very exciting on my behalf. I’ve always loved the work of William Shatner, and I had no idea this record would turn out to be as good as it was. I’m proud of my writing here, despite using some personal pronouns that I try not to use as much in my reviews anymore. “Great review, dude. Review more often” was one of the best comments I got out of this, from Illuvatar. And review more, I did.

Atmosphere – When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That **** Gold
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=16003
Rating: 4.5/5
Views: 43,470

My first-ever featured review. Despite some controversy over some since-edited comparisons I made to Kanye West and Jedi Mind Tricks, the review was fairly well received. It was a new release, and I was the first to review this record- to this day, still the only person to review it. I really enjoyed this record, I felt it an important release in hip-hop in 2008. Staff member Iai even quoted part of my review in a paper he was writing for college, which I thought was really cool.

Sigur Ros - með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=25966
Rating: 5/5
Views: 46,755

Another five-star review, I know. This may seem like all my reviews are positive, but I feel these are the reviews where I have genuinely written the best.
Anyway, I fell head over heels in love with this record, and it still blows me away a few months on. Some felt the five rating was a little too hasty; however, I stand by it as I feel this is the best record of the year. I was the first person to review this record, as well; despite not being featured as the Staff reviews were, I still like to think of my review as well-written and valid. It took a few late nights of repeated listens to tweak this one to exactly how I wanted it, and the end result was worth it- this is one of my most commented-on reviews, and one that I am still very happy with.

__________________

Thanks very much for your time!

P.S: Thor for staff! Change we can believe in!

[Garm]

Garm - Staff Writer Application

As an english and music major in college, my goal in life is to combine my two best talents into pursuing a music journalist career. While I have only submitted one review to the site, I have written many other reviews elsewhere and have been met with significant praise. Rolling Stone has published two of my reviews, which I will post when in the final part of the application. Being a drummer for 9 years, a tuba player for 7 and a guitar player for 3, I feel as though being a dedicated musician is very important to being a successful journalist. Not only can you bring a purely aural aspect of reviewing to the table, but also a more technical side that both musicians and simply other listeners will be able to enjoy.

I listen to all sorts of rock, metal, indie and electronica, with the focus being on cutting edge musicians who are breaking boundaries in the music scene. I have worked at college radio stations, local newspapers, and even on my school's local television channel to bring the latest music news and reviews to my fellow peers and students. To me, the most important aspect of a music review or article is to focus on the larger picture of the album - how it affects both the listener as a whole, as well as the genre of music it represents (and even the entire industry).

Here are two articles that have been published in Rolling Stone by me as a guest journalist in the magazine:

An Overview of Post-Rock and Avant-Garde - http://jeffmetalreview.blogspot.com/2008/08/overview-of-post-rock-and-avant-garde.html

I added the above review because I feel it is the best piece I have ever written. While it may seem like a speculative article, it contains both a review and an overview of many genres of music.


Mastodon - Blood Mountain - http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=26821

I added this review because it contains the essence of how a music review should be written - a critical analysis of the significant songs on the album and how they present themselves to the listener from an emotional and technical standpoint.

[DaveyBoy]

SPUTNIKMUSIC STAFF-WRITER APPLICATION: DaveyBoy

If you want CONSISTENCY, then I am your man... Since registering for the website in the 1st week of March, I have "consistently" posted album reviews every 3rd day (this excludes the couple of weeks around the May database crash for obvious reasons). I believe that no-one has more "consistently" contributed reviews to this site over the past 6 months! Furthermore, I believe my reviews to also be "consistent" in that since I often review multiple albums from the same artist successively, then readers are more able to have a background as to where the writer is coming from and understand the review better.

If you want RELIABILITY, then I am your man... In addition to being "reliable" by consistently posting reviews every 3rd day, I believe that my reviews are extremely "reliable" from an information, content, grammatical and spelling sense. This hopefully results in SputnikMusic being seen as a more professionally run website. Furthermore, if rewarded, my loyalty will only enhance my "reliability". This can be proven by the fact that I have been a staff-writer for almost 6 years now on another higher traffic-attracting website (non-music, but includes reviews & opinions - please email me if you would like details) and am now the senior staff-writer there.

If you want VARIETY, then I am your man... With many of the staff-writers arguably specializing in specific genres and leaning more towards little-known Independent artists, I would like to think that SputnikMusic can use the "variety" of my musical tastes as well as my mainstream lean to good effect in attracting a more diverse group of readers to the website. My main specialty are on those artists who are either mainstream or just outside being considered mainstream, but from a wide "variety" of genres. For Example; Post-Hardcore (Funeral For A Friend & Thursday), Pop-Punk (My Chemical Romance & The Academy Is...), Indie (Built To Spill & The Rakes), Rock (Foo Fighters & Skunk Anansie), Nu-Metal (Saliva & Sick Puppies), Pop-Rock (Orson), Punk (Rise Against) and Alt-Rock (Jimmy Eat World & 30 Seconds To Mars). And while these examples, may appear to be on the rockier side of things, I can promise that my next dozen or so reviews will all explore greater "variety" as mainstream pop, soul, hip-hop and pop-rock will all be ventured into.

In addition to consistently commenting on other reviews and adding news items, my BAND EDITS currently sit at 4 and approximately a third of my reviews are NEW REVIEWS added to the SputnikMusic database. However, these are all areas I have specifically decided to improve in for the good of SputnikMusic. For that reason, many of the forthcoming albums I plan to review will see more "band edits" and more "new reviews" added to the website database. I have already begun this process and it will be seen early this coming week.

SAMPLE REVIEWS

I have decided to simply provide a low rating, a high rating & an in-the-middle rating to show the consistency, reliability and variation (as shown by my 90% objectivity percentage) of my reviews:

1st Review - 1.5 Rating: Saliva's "Survival of the Sickest" - http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=25866

This is a review of an album that shares the lowest rating I have given any release thus far. Despite this fact, I felt that I delivered an effectively even review which did not go over-the-top in bashing the album and also looked at what the band were attempting to achieve throughout the LP.


2nd Review - 5 Rating: RISE AGAINST's "The Sufferer & The Witness" - http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=26025

This is my first, and hitherto only, perfect 5 rating. I really felt that I did a very good job of selling this album to a prospective listener by being able to explain my feelings about it without coming off as a fan-boy. In a way, I almost put my feet in the shoes of listeners yet to hear the album and/or even those not too accustomed by the punk (albeit with a tilt towards the mainstream) genre.


3rd Review - 3.5 Rating - Foo Fighter's "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace" - http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=26833

This is my 50th and most recent review and I believe this to be close to my best work (showing improvement over the months) as it balances absolutely everything rather nicely & evenly. It has a little bit of background information on the band and where they were at in their careers at the time of the album's release. It praises the positives, specifically notes the negatives and gives a good idea of what the LP's barometers are to give listeners the opportunity to best decide on whether they will like the album or not.

DaveyBoy.

[WillieFisterbut]

I feel that I could be considered for staff because my writing is generally good (apparently), and I contribute reviews pretty consistently. I avoid writing reviews for albums that already have one, but do try to write reviews for bands’ back-catalogs so there aren’t any holes. I also write reviews on new releases when one comes up that I don’t think will instantly have 5 others on the site. I also have no problems with writing negative reviews that aren’t just rants or jokes.

At the moment I seem to be the only one contributing industrial reviews, but I’ve also covered various sub-genres of electronica, country, metal, pop, and punk among others. I also make an attempt to add news articles (over 100), band edits (also over 100), and new albums into the data base (just over 400 at a quick count). Also, if I add an album to the data base I do my best to also add any other album from their history that is missing (if you can physically see the list of albums I’ve added then you’ll notice). I try to give people constructive criticism on their reviews and not just be an spatula about it.


1. Still Remains – The Serpent

http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=13405

I submitted this one because it went against the sputnik opinion of the album and I still managed not to get negged or told that I didn’t back it up well enough. I also think it is one of my better reviews. It was long but thorough.

2. The Dixie Chicks – Taking the Long Way

http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=13534

I submitted this one because it not only shows that I can write for more than one genre, but also because I spent the most “pre-development” time on it. I researched dates and read a few interviews with the band to try to get some more inside information to relate to the album.

3. Anathema – Hindsight

http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=26684

I submitted this one because not only is it a new release, but it is also one of my latest reviews and should reflect that I have maintained some consistency in the quality of my reviews (I did hit a rut, but Is it Luck? pointed it out and I fixed it).

4. I Am Spoonbender – Buy Hidden Persuaders

http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=25791

I submitted this one because it is another one of my better reviews and also because it is another genre of music (lo-fi electronica). It should just further show that I can write on various genres and also that I attempt to expose people to obscure bands (especially when you can download them for free, legally).

5. Public Enemy - Apocalypse 91

http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=14521

I submitted this one because it’s another genre of music that I’ve written on and it is also a great album that somehow didn’t already have a review. Even if you don’t read this review go listen to the album!

[Jom]

Thanks for all the applications. Dave and I will do our best to get the final verdict(s) up as soon as possible, but it will probably take a week to get all the discussions out of the way.

Because of the nature of the position, the current staff is entitled to take part in the deliberations. While their final choice(s) may not reflect the actual hiring(s), it is likely that at least one of those promoted (if there is more than one promotion) will be picked by the staff. It is my inclination that any other promotions will be similar to Mike's promotion: hard work and dedication to the site over the years with the prospect of continued success in the future.

Thanks again for your time and effort and we'll let you know shortly.

[joshmay]

is this a paid position or somethin? :lol:

[Jom]

only if you read Shed Like Snakehide by joshmay