Listens Before Review

I think with me it's exactly the same! Sometimes I need 10, sometimes 3. For example, The newest album by Kaipa (not on MMA, but on PA), I needed around 10 times, before reviewing. But after the 10th time I felt the divinity out there. The average is 5 times for me!

I usually write a draft after my first listen, and then change it on subsequent listens before posting the review. You�d be surprised how many of my reviews that don�t change a bit along the way though. That first impression is mostly the right one. I�ve been surprised now and again though by an album where I�ve changed my opinion a lot from my first listen to the last one before finalizing the review. So sometimes a lot of listens are needed.

UMUR wrote: I usually write a draft after my first listen, and then change it on subsequent listens before posting the review. You�d be surprised how many of my reviews that don�t change a bit along the way though. That first impression is mostly the right one. I�ve been surprised now and again though by an album where I�ve changed my opinion a lot from my first listen to the last one before finalizing the review. So sometimes a lot of listens are needed.

That's interesting! I never thought of that.

I actually write mine out in hand, then final draft them in word... call me nerdy 

The Block wrote: I actually write mine out in hand, then final draft them in word... call me nerdy

I do that sometimes.  I'll often get some rough ideas of what to say by listening to the album on my MP3 player, and type it up later.

Most of the 100 reviews I've written so far are of albums that I've owned for years and years before MMA existed, but I guess the few newer ones that I've written have been somewhere between 4th and 10th listen. Except the Very Best of Rainbow, which was an experimental review during the second listen.

The very minimum is 2 rounds, but that mostly happens with albums that I really don't like & can't really go through more than that... I guess the average amount of listens is around 3-5. This applies especially to digital promos, and I confess it's not always enough to get into an album, hence I might call some album "unoriginal and generic" though it could sound a lot better after a few spins more... But if I listened to every album like 10 times before writing, it would take an eternity to go through all the albums. So it's a little sacrifice. For physical copies I give more time to sink in, I don't want to hurry with those at all.

All reviews written to a text editor, saved, then posted to MMA or if I've already added a review here that day, then it goes first to my blog.

I nearly always write a review while listening to the music, but what listen that's on can vary. With stuff I review because I feel like it, I usually know the album anyway, but with some promos I've received recently (such as the reviews I put up for Theatres des Vampires, Fen and Saille), were all done while listening to the album for the first time. Sometimes I make edits after a second listen though. More recently I've taken to edited all the reviews I've written, although that's usually not because a change of opinion, more a desire to improve on the quality of writing. ;)