Reviewing soundtracks, an analytical approach to an personalized adventure

There’s an idea, and it’s valid: any album is the sum of its parts. However, at times, albums feel like more than their individual components. Outkast, the hip-hop duo from Atlanta that still hasn’t released anything new, is a great example of creating legendary works with a disjointed sound. I argue, emotionally, that it’s perfectly accurate to describe “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below” as a perfect rap album. It’s organized noise.

Yet, there are songs on that album that aren’t perfect, that don’t earn a 5/5, 10/10, or 2 thumbs up. That’s okay too. The essence of music, which makes it unique to each of us, also makes it impossible, by its very nature, to review objectively. How does one person like something whereas the other hates it?

Yet, there is substantial evidence indicating that there is theory and reasoning behind why some songs are better than others. Despite our inclination to contemplate our own complexities and uniqueness, the truth is that we are largely programmed to feel similar emotions in response to comparable stimuli. While not all of it is universal, at this point, we have moved beyond the pursuit of universality. Our goals have shifted from being the voice of all to a voice of some.

This leads us to my approach in reviewing music, based on three postulates:

1. All opinions expressed are my own.
2. Albums should be considered as the sum of their individual parts.
3. Something doesn’t have to be perfect to be incredible.

My approach to reviewing music is straightforward: I evaluate tracks individually, considering each one in a relative vacuum. While it’s challenging to completely isolate each piece, akin to prehistoric cavemen encountering Yo-Yo Ma, certain dominating themes may be simple without being inherently inferior. There’s no “it’s cool to be unique” mentality when it comes to genuine enjoyment.

After reviewing each track, I input the ratings into a Google Sheets file, where I calculate two averages.

The first average is a simple track-weighted average. For example, if I rate three tracks 1/5, 2/5, and 3/5, the equation is (1 + 2 + 3) / n or (1 + 2 + 3) / 3, resulting in an average of 2.

The second average is a time-weighted component, calculated based on the track length. For instance, if we have three tracks of lengths 1 minute, 2 minutes, and 3 minutes, the total length is 6 minutes. The time-weighted average of the album is determined using the cross product of the values.

One final note, and an important one; I don’t have a background in music. I just really enjoy this kind of work. I do my best to determine which instruments are making each sound, but I may be incorrect. If so, please let me know in the comments so I can correct my notes.