the utility of music reviews

[Seditious]

Well, if you do a quick search of UM, you'll find very many absolute statements - "this song is good" isn't about personal aesthetic. They are not saying it is in accordance with their taste, or that they like it. I find that problematic.

given that they couldn't possibly mean anything by 'this song is good' but 'to me this is a good song' I don't see what the problem is.

if a girl says 'you're hot' do you go 'hmm well that's a problematic statement, I'm not sure how you defend it epistemologically'?

 

[death metal black metal]

If you read wikipedia or ultimate metal for reviews, you'll get incoherent nonsense.

An intelligent reviewer writes like H.L. Mencken: with wit and personality, but a clear line between objective description and personal commentary. Is it truly objective? Of course not. For it to be, it would have to be the object or process in question.