As you can tell from the last post, I'm trying once again to get some of my ideas about music going. This has been an on and off effort for a while now, and while I dislike my tendency to forget about topics (look at what it did to my Prisoner writeups), it was probably a good idea this time around. By putting it off for so long, I learned the important lesson of doing multiple drafts of long posts. More importantly, it also means that I have listened to a lot more stuff.
That being said, I wanted to discuss my intentions. Like a lot of folks, I love music, and I always have the urge to spread the word about the things I'm passionate about. I want to share the things I have learned, the things I have observed, and the ideas that I have. My hope is that they might help someone else who finds themselves in the places I once was. The Internet is flooded with people who know nothing but universal hate or praise. Snark rules supreme. I don't want any of that. I want to look at music with passion while still maintaining a reasonable perspective. Getting worked up into a frenzy does no one any good.
I'm thinking of breaking up these music essays into three general areas. Overviews of bands that I am currently exploring, reviews of specific albums, and supplementary posts containing commentary and details that aren't appropriate for the other two.
Now for the details. There isn't going to be a structure or format for any of this, including the reviews. Just like with video games, I find that music criticism is often hampered by rigid formats that treat every subject the same way. There are also certain habits among amateur critics that drive me nuts, which I will try to avoid (and probably detail in another post). My intention is to discuss whatever aspects of an album stand out to me, be they specific or very general. Naturally, this will make it very personal, but I believe that capably expressing your personal experiences is something is the best way to get to know more about it. I can't say that I will be capable, but I always try.
I also plan on finding ways to keep it from focusing entirely on classic rock. It is what I listen to 90% of the time, but I understand that it is important to explore other areas of music if one is to become truly learned.
I will also try to establish some structure in regards to post length and post scheduling. These are the cornerstones of keeping a topic like this going, be it on a blog or something else. After years of writing at Videolamer, I have gotten better at honoring self imposed deadlines.
Finally, I may go back to some of my older music related posts, in order to edit and modernize them. If that happens, I'll change their post date so that they're here in 2010 where they aren't buried.