Album Rating: 4.0

I appreciate you trying to come to my defense Gyro. I know your intentions are good (in that you do not want to see individuals singled out for their "inability" to review something based on orientation, or lackthereof) - but I think Chan already summarized it pretty well on the previous page, and I'm happy to let it go at that. I've had enough interactions with plane to know that his intent wasn't to shun straight males from reviewing albums in the gay community, but to encourage a greater effort to infuse context (which I did not do very much of, partially out of self-awareness that I'm not the right person to argue the role that Hadreas' sexuality played in the struggles and inspirations that formed this album). I think part of being a good reviewer is knowing your area of expertise, and trying to feign an understanding of the aforementioned topics might come off as disingenuous. That's why I take plane's post as more of a "do more research into the artist's life" suggestion than a stonewalling of straight cis males (lol). In retrospect I'd agree that this review probably merely gets the job done - doesn't go above and beyond contextually, which is something I could have put more effort into, admittedly.

Album Rating: 3.0

oh so that's who lewis is

carry on

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

Yeah Lewis didn't mean it in a negative way

Fair enough guys. I get it wasn't malicious in intent, just never ever seen that word used in a positive context plus I hought it contradicted his message overall but it's all good. I get where you're coming from, Sowing.

Album Rating: 3.0

I'd also like to apologize, for telling everyone my porn habits. It was unnecessary and disruptive.

Thank you for elucidating your point, Lewis. I get where you're coming from, though I don't necessarily agree with society being heteronormative, as queer expression is much more prevalent now than it's ever been and I feel as though we've come a long way as a society in accepting and celebrating that, but that's an entirely different conversation. Hope there's no bad blood - or at least, no more than usual lol.

I felt longing, isolation, and regret listening to this. Those are emotions I am very tuned in to. I even wondered a bit about how that must feel through the lens of a queer man, and it felt a bit more poignant. If that is not an artist breaking through and accomplishing what their art is all about I don't know what is. Making people think and feel differently?

I think -- and I struggled with this in my Sophie review fwiw - this is the question: how does one navigate the complexity of a certain Queer statement if it doesn't correlate with my own libidinal and gender desires, the rubric of desire here used in its most reductive form as well as its more abstract iteration? How does someone without direct experience write about it in a way that doesn't seem tossed off or tokenistic? I'm not saying it's impossible - on the contrary - but it requires a level of careful deliberation and engagement with other critiques, some of which assert, errantly, that straight people shouldn't review Queer work. There's a merit, then, in eliding from it if the writer doesn't feel comfortable broaching what could be a nest of vipers. While I (duh) would love to see this reviewed from a Queer angle, or at least have said angle integrated into the approach, I also understand the reticence to traverse unknown waters, even if does mean neglecting what, to some, is a cornerstone of the album.

basically shit fraught yo

Album Rating: 3.0

I like how someone expressing their struggle through something as specific as homosexuality can express it in a way that is relatable to everyone, in loneliness. It's a great way to bridge the gap of understanding, finding common ground.

Salright

Album Rating: 4.0

"I also see the merit in being a pop critic who writes solely about the music and how it moves you regardless of what the lyrics are doing, or what the artist intended."

This was honestly my approach - I often review music for the music alone, without delving into all the possible motives & personal factors. This of course isn't meant to take anything away from the artist.

"I also understand the reticence to traverse unknown waters, even if does mean neglecting what, to some, is a cornerstone of the album."

I think the main thing here is that what is a cornerstone to some may not even be perceived by others. Does that mean I shouldn't have reviewed this? Of course not. Does it mean someone else might have greater insight? Definitely - and honestly, no matter how knowledgeable on a subject the writer is, this will always be the case. At the risk of oversimplifying a complex issue with many nuances, I do think all it boils down to is varying perspectives leading to different styles of reviews that are preferable to different readers.

I agree that being queer is hard for many and it's great to have people to relate to and a society who accepts you. We're close but idk if we'll ever be 100% accepting. Humankind will always have its fair share of bad people. Racism and homophobia and so on will always exist in some capacity.

"Being queer is also better, i want to share that too as a beacon"

This kind of attitude I sort of take issue with. To reinforce to younger audiences who are struggling at home and in their school and work lives, for people who haven't embraced who they are or don't have many outlets to talk about it, the message can be positive. But I don't like the attitude that straightness or queerness makes a person better. In an ideal society I don't think sexual orientation should matter. There shouldn't be a straight or gay community, there should just be a community - one where people aren't defined by or judged on threse qualities. That's why when you say we live in a heteronormative society, I feel like all that does is alienate people and perpetuate some perceived great divide of both sides. Imo at least, I know others don't see it that way and that's fine

And yeah that interviewer's question is the most self-indulgent one I've seen in ages.

Also agreed Sowing, others can come and shine light on the politics of the music but sometimes readers just want to know what an album sounds like.

You shouldn't talk about LGBT issues at all, Gyro

You literally just typed the straightest comment ever
That's not a compliment

"There shouldn't be a straight or gay community, there should just be a community - one where people aren't defined by or judged on threse qualities"

might as well have signed off with #alllivesmatter smdh

Literally Gyro's comment was "I only see one race: the human race" levels of cringe

Album Rating: 4.0

I don't think Gyro was proposing that people shouldn't have pride over their unique qualities - obviously there's strength in diversity. I think he's just saying that we shouldn't try to elevate ourselves above each other with what makes us different - straight isn't better than gay, gay isn't better than straight, etc. We're all on an equal plane of potential & promise (in an ideal society, at least - not saying that's currently the case). At least that's how I took it - no need to berate by saying it's the straightest comment ever, cringe, et al - just like we gave plane's heteronormativity comment the benefit of the doubt, I think we owe it to all sides of the conversation to observe that same tact.

Stop deleting the comments you coward

Album Rating: 3.5

Gyro just falling right into plane’s bait.



I think what plane really meant by the heteronormativity comment is clear to everyone at this point but it was clearly phrased in an intentionally provocative way. That’s been appropriately called out and dissected at this point, let’s just move on now, the conversation is no longer productive.

My comments got deleted even though I don't think I went overboard, so instead I'll just respond to this:

"Literally Gyro's comment was "I only see one race: the human race" levels of cringe"

Now THIS is a good example of how to misconstrue a point. I obviously am not advovating eradicating culture and personal identity, but yes at the end of the day, despite our individual experiences, we are humans who experience a lot of things in the same way, and I do believe that not perpetuating a divide between us will be good for us in the long run.