"I just think I'm not qualified to judge the competency of a hip hop album and will leave that to other people. I wouldn't be able to give a good representation of how well-made the album is compared to its peers, and the people reading my ratings for a hip hop album are going to be those who ARE into hip hop, so my 2 wouldn't be helpful for them."

I get that, and certainly I find my perceptions of albums within genres shifting once I become better acquainted with the genre and what bands in it should or should not be doing. Regardless though, I rate solely for my own enjoyment (quite selfishly I suppose) and don't think about the usefulness of my rating to others. Only when I review do I try put a more objective hat on and try review only bands/genres that I'm well acquainted with

sputnikmusic.com/philosophy

damn straight son

Album Rating: 5.0

"as to confidence with your ratings, just go fully with your gut and forget what the consensus is, so long as you can back that up with reasoning there's no reason to lack confidence with them."



Yeah this is totally what I do, I never consider other peoples ratings when I'm deciding my own. But then on the other hand sometimes I can't quite work out what my gut is trying to tell me. Do you ever find that there are some bands you just can't rate rationally? Like, Jimmy Eat World are basically my childhood heroes. I grew up listening to them and have been a fan of them for 15 years. So for some reason I find it hard to find any rating that matches how I feel about that band. Most of their albums are not worthy of a 5 rating (if I really think about it and try to put a critic's hat on), but it feels wrong giving them any less than that because their music is so intrinsically a part of my life. There are just some bands that it's really hard to think rationally and "objectively" about (as far as opinions can/should be "objective" of course). There's that and then there's just the problem of not being able to make up my mind quite often. So I get annoyed and cull my ratings lol.



But this album is a very easy 5 because I have absolutely no difficulty at all in saying that Casey is the most talented songwriter I've ever come across, and this album is his most consistent and cohesive work. From a technical/competency level, I don't think I've ever heard an album that (I think) is better written than this.

Nah I get you, a couple of my 5s and 4.5 probably don't deserve to be that high based solely on the quality of the music but find their way up their because of nostalgia and what they mean to me, which is totally fine, and all of my 5s have some connection to me that goes beyond the music itself. There are also 4.5s up there solely because the music is near infallible, but to which I haven't built any sort of strong connection to.

I suppose in my head there is kind of a separation between my irrational ratings and my rational ones. I know Linkin parks debut doesn't hold a candle to, say, iron Maiden's powerslave, but I've gotten comfortable rating them the same level with the prefix in my head that one is more nostalgia and connection and the other is more enjoyment of the music.

That was a long and probably nonsensical ramble and pointless in the grand scheme of things, but I hope it makes sense haha

Album Rating: 5.0

"There are also 4.5s up there solely because the music is near infallible, but to which I haven't built any sort of strong connection to."



Near infallible is the perfect way to describe The Dear Hunter's last couple of albums for me by the way, so that is the category I would put them in. Whereas Jimmy Eat World would be in the more personal category. Good word choice. And yeah your comment makes total sense. I think I've perhaps not been as cognisant of that separation as you have, even though it is there for me too.

Glad it made sense and that it was relatable haha

Album Rating: 4.5

MInty, it is there for everyone I guess, but the question is if personal connections to an album should be reflected in a review of an album or that the album should be looked at from a distance dismissing any personal/emotional feelings towards the album....

Album Rating: 4.5

I want to pick this up this weekend. TDH albums have been totally unavailable in Holland. I've been able to order Act IV from the UK though. Hope my fav recordstore (Concerto Amsterdam) has a copy of this one!

Album Rating: 4.0

I'll be surprised if this doesn't remain divisive even among TDH fans. I did some listening through the rest of their records and feel like Act V is essentially Act IV + Migrant with shades of Black, Indigo and Green from TCS. So their best-received record + their worst-received record (still don't get the Migrant hate) and radically different TCS styles. That's a recipe for mixed opinions, though I think the lyricism in this album tops pretty much everything else TDH has done, which is what won me over.

Album Rating: 4.0

"He's not a guest vocalist, he's the keyboardist in the band"



ahh got it

Album Rating: 4.5

@tef You can always go to Bol, but they're a bit slow though. Ordered this album on Wednesday and only got it today, a full week later.

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

I have listened to this multiple times throughout the day every day since it has released... I can't get enough

Album Rating: 5.0

Just gonna say that there's tons of stuff that Sputnik loves that I've tried and that I couldn't stand (Jane Doe, Sunbather, and The Seer to name a few) but I'm not gonna give them low ratings because I recognize the great songwriting and musicianship that's on display there.



TL;DR I agree with minty

Album Rating: 4.5

Man, A New Beginning finally hit me like a truck. Such a bittersweet ending.

Album Rating: 5.0

Yeah, still thinking that those 2's are probably just a response to the 5's this album's getting.

Act II is the best Dear Hunter

Have you guys even heard Where The Road Parts?

Album Rating: 5.0

Act II has some of the best songs on it but the production sucks and the singing leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion. I think they matured a hell of a lot for the last 2 acts compared to everything that came before.

Album Rating: 4.4

2 is the best agreed this is close tho