Hello and welcome back to our ongoing sexification of current (and past) Staff by way of deep-diving casual-reading interview razzle, Sputnik’s very own Meet the Spartans. Allow your jaw to drop as impossible questions are posed and the Staffers you never acknowledged surpass your wildest expectations.

Today’s willing participant missed the Pokemon hype train, but is more than happy to help, guide or just speak to anyone that wants to do so… oh and has also found the time to write 594 reviews (So Far). Please welcome Sputnik Music’s nicest moderator, SowingSeason — in we go!

SowingSeason: Ready to Bare his Soul

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Good day, Mr. Sowing. How is your day?

It’s good! I’m settled in with a coffee and ready to bare my soul to sputnikmusic.com.

Nice, nice. What Pokemon would you be if you were a…Pokemon?

This may be heresy to some people, but I totally missed the Pokemon hype train. I remember it being huge when I was a kid – my friends all had Pokemon cards – but for whatever reason I simply didn’t care. Pikachu, I guess? That response is sort of “by default” because it’s the only one I know off the top of my head (thanks Mario Smash Bros.!)

[response lol!] And yet, you are not a Pokemon, you are a Moderator! Disregarding the vast amount of largely unseen administrative work that this role entails for one moment, could you comment on the following community potential non-issues:

• Sputnik’s less-than-transparent code of conduct.

This one is closer to falling under “non-issues” for me, because we used to have an extensive FAQ with rules & regulations, but the usual troublemakers would just use it as “Sputnikmusic: A Guide to Finding Loopholes” to circumvent said rules based upon technicalities. If you need a rule book to advise you not to be a pain in the ass or not to use offensive/discriminatory language, then we have a bigger issue than the absence vs. presence of an official code of conduct.

• Alts.

Mostly harmless. It’s when they are used nefariously that they draw the ire of the moderators, i.e. spamming, trolling, rating manipulation, etc. I don’t go actively looking for alts to wipe/ban, but when I see that sort of activity then it makes it easy to nuke ‘em.

• The correlation between the small size of the Mod team and their community presence.

Hopefully I’m interpreting this question correctly, but there are five moderators. Technically Jom and Willie are Editors (aka ModAdmins), which is a real distinction although it probably doesn’t matter much to the average user. The moderating team is additionally composed of AtomicWaste, Deviant., and myself. Oh, and the mystery mod, but you didn’t hear that from me. As far back as I can recall, that is about the norm for overall moderator presence (and may actually even be more than we’ve had in the past). Everyone plays a unique role, so just because someone isn’t commenting or writing reviews doesn’t mean they’re not doing important work behind-the-scenes.

Are there any viable changes or tweaks to the site’s infrastructure that would bring you particular joy?

Viable? No.

I think there’s a sense in the site’s collective consciousness of most Moderators being Mods first and occasionally reviewing on the side, yet you are both Mod and the busiest Staff reviewer. How does this balance of roles sit for you?

As I alluded to a couple of responses back, everyone sort of has a niche. Being a moderator isn’t all banhammers and big dick energy. It’s a lot of janitorial work, mundane artwork/database corrections, and other things of that ilk. Reviewing music is something that naturally brings me joy, so it serves as something of a positive counterbalance to the occasional tediousness of mod work (which I also enjoy, don’t get me wrong). I wouldn’t relish using this site quite as much if either of those roles diminished, so it’s a balance that works for me.

Speaking of balance, you blitz through write-ups at a rate either equal to or greater than the natural rate of human digestion. The karmic speed limit demands that I set one pushy question in response to this, but instead I shall set three to restore the balance to your favour, so:

To what extent do you consider your reviews a) a habitual vehicle for transmitting first impressions, b) specifically tailored musings that require you to rework existing reflexes, and c) more valuable to those who have not heard the album in question than to those who have?

• Not all the time, but more often than I’d prefer. It’s still exceedingly rare for me to review an album based off of a single listen, but sometimes it’s more of a “hot take” stemming from 2-4 listens over the course of a few days. That sort of condensed timeline isn’t conducive to deep, meaningful insights – so I try to avoid it – but I’m not going to pretend that it doesn’t happen. Usually this occurs when I’m unable to secure a promo for the album, or there is nothing streaming in advance of the record’s release date.

• This is obviously my preferred approach, and most of the reviews that I’d consider my best – or at least the ones that I’m most proud of – are the ones where I took my time absorbing the album’s content and then wrote when inspiration arrived naturally. Most of my Yellowcard reviews were ones that I refused to rush out because, as a band, they simply meant way too much to me. The same goes for my 2017 Science Fiction write-up. Given the competitive timeline for composite rating websites such as Metacritic and Album of the Year, it’s not realistic for me to take weeks dissecting every single album I hear, but when I have the luxury of time and/or the release is extra special to me, I like to make sure I’m doing more than just describing the music.

• This is an interesting perspective, because I tend to write with the assumption that the reader has not yet heard the album. This might date me a bit, but I think it goes back to my own experience as someone in middle school/high school who would read reviews online to see if buying a CD was worth my hard-earned minimum wage dollars. Ideally, a review should provide valuable insight to both types of readers (those who are looking for a preview as well as those who are looking for validation of an existing opinion). I think some of my reviews do that, but generally speaking I tend to write with a persuasive slant – i.e. “here’s why you should go listen to this immediately” because those are the kinds of reviews that spoke to me when I was younger. Also, as an aside, I tend to focus on writing about music I am enthusiastic about. I have of course written my share of 1.0 reviews, but I tend to get more enjoyment out of highlighting whatever releases I’m most excited about in a given week rather than tearing apart stuff that I’ll never bother with again. I know it gets old seeing all those high scores, and I’m admittedly far too lenient with the rating scale, but I just figured I’d shed some light on what must seem like a relentlessly optimistic outlook. It’s not that I love every single thing I hear, it’s just that those are the only ones I care to write about.

Phew okay, you’ll thank me for that in the next life! Now, let’s lighten up a little. It’s time for a game of How Well Do You Know The Staff Roster. Here are some partially redacted review citations: who wrote them?

Well this is a fun idea. I promise to play fair without looking any of these up. This is going to be so difficult, though!

— If anything, the drumming is […]’s guiding light, illuminating the path ahead as the guitar lines seem to writhe and slither.

“Guitar lines…write and slither”. This sounds like a rock or metal album, so I can probably narrow it down to that faction of staff writers. Outside of that there’s nothing major to tip me off, so I’m going to venture a guess at DrGonzo?

Nice try. This was a Pon classic. 

— Oh, I’m all for the analysis, the unpacking and unfurling of an album’s thematic texture, finding the little secret inroads it’s left the listener to the heart of itself – all cards on the table, it’s one of life’s greatest pleasures. But The Discourse isn’t that.

This writing has a certain nuance and tone to it that feels familiar, which means it’s probably someone who frequently writes reviews for albums that overlap with my genres of interest. It feels sort of Rowan-y but could also easily be a Blush, Atari, Chan, Asleep, or Gonzo piece. Oh boy…coin flip time. I’ll go with my first instinct and say Rowan.

Correct haha, that kid does love his Discourse. 

— Allegedly, this album revels in the sort of ‘kinetic energy of […] and […] at their most full-frontal and ecstatic.’ Does that clear things up? Probably not. Okay, okay. There’s definitely a drummer. There’s also a guitarist. There’s keys both synthesised and organic. There’s noise. 

This has the kind of conversational yet engaging tone, with a slight disregard for convention, that feels very specific to Winesburgohio. I’m pretty confident that it’s Wines, actually. Let’s roll with that.

Oooh, correct diagnosis, wrong Kiwi! This is a Milo piece. 

— […] might dim the lights and bar the doors, but it leaves the windows wide open.

Is this a trick question? This feels like something I’d write, I dunno. I’ll guess Chan instead because it’s probably too clever to be me.

This is a Jots piece from many years back (although I guess that’s most of them). 

— Every single song is essentially the same thing in alternative increments of upbeat ([…]), downbeat ([…]) and midbeat ([…]), but this is not an issue because they’re all the kind of earworm that belongs on repeat from the first instance, so really those tempo shifts come at a premium.

I’m pretty sure I remember reading this review. This is yours. I recall it specifically because I remember being so annoyed that I couldn’t think of the word earworm to describe something catchy and then lo and behold you broke my writer’s block for me. If I’m actually right about this then I have the memory of an elephant. (Evaporating before your eyes and becoming a great grey cloud of wrath, roaring my salt upon the earth…Nick Cave fans, where you at?)

Oh yikes, you got me! I’ve been planning this for years… 

— …everything […] does feels as though it comes from a place of necessity, even desperation, like the writing and releasing and performing of music is all a vital part of the struggle, survival itself, and not merely a product of it.

I’m at a loss here. Sounds like the writer is describing emo or pop-punk, so that narrows it down slightly. Atari?

Not quite – this is Blush! 

Okay, that was fun. Now let’s talk about Contribs. Who’s hot, who’s not? Who needs to calm down, and who would you like to see more from? Any nuggets of public advice to impart? 

Oh wow, putting me right on the spot like this? I thought you were the of-the-well Johnny. Ugh, I need to learn to stop trying to be funny…it’s not my thing. Anyway, I’m not in the business of discouraging anyone or putting the cart before the horse for those who haven’t earned the staff promotion yet. I’m pretty happy when anyone wants to contribute to the site, especially at a consistent clip and/or with exceptional prose. I think any of us can look at contrib output between 2020-2021 and see who’s pulling their weight and who isn’t, although we try to be understanding when it comes to life circumstances during a pandemic and all that. I of course have my personal favorite contributing reviewers, but it has more to do with overlapping genres-of-interest than it does putting one writer above another. As far as advice goes, it’d be the same across the board: never stop trying to improve your craft. Read staff reviews on Sputnik, but also read articles from other prominent music websites. If you feel like you’re on the brink of becoming staff material and want to know how to stand out, be sure to write regularly (visibility is huge!) and express interest by applying. And of course, be a good citizen/site steward.

Of all the promotions (Staff or Contrib) you’ve overseen in the past years, who do you consider the biggest success stories, purely in terms of personal growth and development?

This is such a tough one to answer because everyone who works their way up has done something right. Questions like this make me uncomfortable because they force me to be specific, and I don’t want to leave anyone out. Without stamping him too definitively as “the biggest success” of all my time here, and also while zooming in on the personal growth/development aspect, I’d give major props to Gnocchi (aka Nocte) who put a ton of effort into this site while paying his dues as a contributor. He remained a class act while getting passed over for the staff role (more than once), and was always the de facto “lead contributor” in a sense, ushering in the new class of baby contribs and showing them the ropes. Aside from adding a ton of reviews, he also helped coordinate plenty of contributor blog and year-end features. He was always an above average writer, but his footprint on the site is larger than his prose. Plus, his reviews have really tightened up since his staff promotion and I’m happy to call him a colleague. With all that said, there’s a number of individuals I could have highlighted here.

What would be the easiest and hardest foods to remove from your staple diet?

Well, the easiest stuff to remove would be the food that is on the fringe of being considered “staple” because I don’t like it/eat it that much, so this is a tricky one. The hardest would definitely be lasagna, it’s far and away my favorite. The easiest I guess would be eggs; I enjoy eggs in the morning but I’m not a big breakfast person and could just as easily settle for cereal.

Complete this sentence: The best writers are the best…

Persuaders. I want a review to convince me of something. That’s why write-ups in the 2.5/3.0 range are the hardest to write, because middling albums are a tough sell either way. It’s important to note that it’s not just about persuading readers that an album is good/bad/average; next-level persuasive writers can convince you to see something in an album – thematically, metaphorically – that you didn’t know was there. In some cases, maybe it isn’t even there – or at least not by the artist’s intent. But having that insight – and the crucial ability to sell it to your readers – is what impresses me when I read.

Placate/pardon/purge:

skele・sach・Aiwaz

Sowing On a Slow Day

Kneejerks, if you please!

Steve Albini

Not overly familiar…name certainly rings a bell.

Steve Albini? Who’s that?

Kimchi

Never had it, but would love to try it.

Tool

Not as bad or good as anyone on Sputnik makes them out to be.

Stranger Things

Outstandingly executed 80s nostalgia.

Toby Driver

That guy who commented on a Sputnik review once? Don’t care for him.

The Royal Tenenbaums 

Never saw it.

Colton

Should finally tie the knot with Potsy, move to the suburbs, and have a bunch of babies.

Indietronica 

A pretty fun blend of genres, especially for those who find traditional indie-rock to be trite/worn-out and electronica to be super boring. Two wrongs always make a right, kids!

K-pop

Not my cup of tea at all. My condolences Mr. ofthewell.

Who would like such a thing? If you need me, I’ll be in my room contemplating that question…

Zeuhl

No idea who or what this is and am too tired to look it up.

mx

Say what you want about the website’s various quirks/bugs and 2008 aesthetic, he still created one of the most enjoyable and community-oriented websites out there pertaining to music. Respect.

Any closing comments?

Thanks for cornering me and making me do this interview. To Sputnik at-large, my shoutbox is always open. Feel free to drop by and say hello.

Thank you for your time!

Oh also, could you drop a link to whatever image you’d like be rep’d by in the short intro blurb thing?

You pick idc