Music Review Project

The goal of this assignment is for you to evaluate or review a “classic” album, though for
these purposes we’ll consider anything from 2010 or earlier to be “classic.”
As far as models go, I strongly recommend spending a lot of time reading Pitchfork’s
Sunday Review series, where they go back to review classic albums otherwise not in their
catalog (search Pitchfork Sunday Review for the homepage, or see our Forum 2 for the link).
You’ll find a wide range of approaches and styles, but your goal is to create something that
could reasonably fit within this series. Note: While the album may be reviewed on Pitchfork (like, any
album since 2000 was probably reviewed the year it came out), please choose an album that is NOT a part
of this Sunday series. (Ask if you’re not sure.)
In your review, be sure to do the things that successful reviews do (we will discuss this in the
discussion forums). Consider the music within the artist’s discography; how the music relates
to various genres and sub-genres; the various contexts into which the music was released; the
lyrics; the instrumentation; the production; and anything related to the particular form (song,
songs, album, video, concert) of the work you’re analyzing.
Because this is a review of a classic album, be sure to demonstrate a clear understanding of
the world into which the album was released and the impact it had on music of the time. Do
secondary research to provide you with information but also to understand the critical
consensus about and commercial response to the album. Cite that research appropriately,
though a particular number of sources is not required for this project.
Readers believe review-writers not because they agree with their opinions on the album – we
believe them because their opinions are grounded in insights and analysis that go beyond
surface-level liking or disliking.
As with any piece of web writing, in addition to doing the things listed in the paragraph
above, it must be entertaining and insightful.
Your grade will be based on the quality of the writing, the amount and quality of insights
about the album, the demonstration of a clear understanding of the album’s place in music
history, and the adherence to the qualities of effective reviews. I can’t stress enough the importance
of reading lots of models/examples to help you figure out a clear approach.
HOW LONG? These reviews tend to be near/over 1000 words, so I think that’s a good
target to aim for.
SCORING? For these purposes, let’s use Pitchfork’s scoring system.
FORMATTING? Play around with this a bit to make it look a part of that Sunday series..
Do whatever you want to make your document look interesting and like a piece of web
writing