As far as letting his predetermined opinions influence his review, to the point where it is no longer objective, I say we all do that. Reviews are glorified opinions. There is no such thing as an objective evalutaion of music, as Electric City said, "this album has guitars and choruses and gang vocals, which is all we can assume mumford and sons meant to accomplish." If we just dissected every detail of an album when reviewing it, we wouldn't actually learn anything useful about the album.

Album Rating: 3.0

and I don't think there is anything wrong with tying in a band's supposed objectives when discussing why the said music feels contrived/shallow as a result



once again he is just arguing his opinion, with the support of another opinion

I think the review was an entertaining read, but I understand some of the qualms people have expressed about it.

Sowing hit the nail on the head - the main reason Knott has drawn so much ire is that he states his opinions as objective fact. But I've always felt that this lends a review that much more weight; a review that says something like "That's just my opinion" immediately feels less convincing to me as a reader.

Album Rating: 3.5

I'd just like to thank Adam for bringing the conversation regarding this album over to his review.



As for the review itself, I have no qualms with it... Other than the fact that it's a bit reactionary (which I prefer reviewers not do, as it tends to result in exaggerated points one way or the other). Yet, I sort of agree that the album did need a negative review, so can also see his reasoning for writing it.

how about all the songs on this record fucking suck.

Album Rating: 1.0 | Sound Off

Jesus fucking Christ can you even read? At no point in the review do I say that Mumford & Sons are definitely doing this deliberately. Stop reading what you want to read and start reading the letters and words that I actually typed.

But here, much more, it is the fundamental misunderstanding of what those terms - folk, inspirational and meaningful - actually mean, or worse still, a deliberate re-defining of those terms as diversion tactics.

Album Rating: 3.0

maybe i missed something but i can't figure out who that was directed at

Album Rating: 1.0 | Sound Off

Deviant, mostly.



I really don't mind defending the way I wrote this but I can't really be bothered defending the way I didn't write it as well.

At no point in the review do I say that Mumford & Sons are definitely doing this deliberately.

or worse still, a deliberate re-defining of those terms as diversion tactics.

Album Rating: 1.0 | Sound Off

Yeah, I'm saying I don't know whether it's deliberate or whether they're just affected by what came before them and are unaware that this isn't actual folk or inspiration or meaning. I don't know where my lack of certainty became certainty. I say it's difficult to imagine the band using words other than those three words whilst writing the album. I don't say it definitely happened.

Wow man. Off topic, but you might want to try not insulting your readers.Insulting them just makes it easier for many to further interpret this review negatively toward you.

Album Rating: 1.0 | Sound Off

I'd had liked Knott to have used interviews with the band here.



Do you not think there should be a limit to just how far a critic can go in mapping out a band's agenda in a review, especially if the band hasn't spoken much on just what that may be?



They may have, but I'm just saying. I guess more evidence here might calm the storm of "get-real" critic that others are expressing.

it is not the objective-driven nature of the songwriting that lets down Sigh No More.

Album Rating: 1.0 | Sound Off

And I'm not insulting anybody, I'm arguing. There's a massive difference.

It's all too easy to see, and therein lies the first disaster. We will bring folk to the mainstream. We will write lyrics that are meaningful. We will be inspirational. It's actually difficult to imagine that Mumford & Sons used any words other than "meaningful" and "inspirational" in writing their debut album, such is the transparency of the mission statement.

Jesus fucking Christ can you even read?

I don't know where my lack of certainty became certainty.

Album Rating: 1.0 | Sound Off

You're confusing cause and effect, Magnus. I'm saying that regardless of whether or not the band do it deliberately, ultimately the result is the same. It's not about some notion of what the band 'promises' - the trick, the slight of hand, if you will, is all contained in the music.



I'm saying that whether they do it through treachery or naivety, it's still the same facade. Whether their simplified and skewed notion of what 'inspiration' and 'meaning' and 'folk' mean are the product of a deliberate ploy or of their own innocent continuation of the bands that have done it before them, it's still just as bad.

I was referring to Electric City's post in the second and third sentences. Okay fine to your quote. Next time write more simply for "idiots" and those that can't "fucking read" like me and those that negged or think this is you whining, when you believe you aren't. Anyway, good arguments always attack the issue, never the people in discussion. I can't speak for the others, but I never insulted you.

Knott employed complete intellectual dishonesty by projecting his own views onto the reasoning process of those who enjoy this band. (for the record I found this album horrendously boring). The second guessing of the bands own motivations is also shaky but allowable.

Agreeing the album is terrible is not enough to exonerate this practice, its utterly malignant to intelligent discussion, it doesn't matter if its some silly review on a music discussion website or a serious discussion on lets say the greek debt crisis and somebody saying the whole mess is clearly down to all the greeks being lazy bastards. While a modicum of truth may be contained within it the sweeping generalization is insanity.

Sadly this type of argumentative stance appears very popular these days and once you agree with the basic jist of the argument (something or someone is crap/amazing) you see people to often giving it a pass, its more depressing then anything.

Album Rating: 2.5

i had, but wiped my ratings, this will either be a 3 or 3.5 probably the latter

Album Rating: 3.0

I have drastically changed ratings before...I think Destroyer's Kaputt dropped from a 4 to a 3 and I'm still thinking of shaving off another .5