Criteria

What am I looking for when I evaluate an album? This is an important question. For starters to get an idea of what kind of music I like, you may visit the Favourite Albums page. Hopefully our musical interests align. I know that my philosophies relating to music will not match everyone else's, so I will be up front about what it is I am looking for in a quality album. I will be judging these albums holistically (that is, I will examine all parts of the album to determine how they relate to the entire experience). Here are the criteria I will be using to judge the album.

Album artwork

• What are my first impressions of the album as a result of this artwork? Does the music fit my expectations based on the album art?
• How does the artwork relate to the overall message of the album?

Musicality

• At what points during the album did I become bored?
• What moments did I find most exciting while listening to the album?
• How well do the songs fit together as an album? Are there any musical themes tying the songs together?
• What makes these songs unique?

Lyrics

• How well does the tone of the lyrics mesh with the tone of the song?
• What themes connect the lyrics?
• Do the lyrics make sense?
• Do the lyrics follow basic rules of grammar?
• What types of poetic devices are used?