Now, I must admit that yes, I am a female and yes I do look at pictures of guys (I rate them as well, tee hee) and I must say that I think that people are cruel. You ask how I've just gotten from point A to point B with that statement? Ok, the band that I had "discovered", The Rasmus, seems to be a bit of a musical dilemma. I've been following their reviews to see how well they are recieved as they go through North America (Canada and Mexico only???) and I must say that they have been pretty harsh. Silent in North America and one reviewer in the UK compared the lead singer to Sonic the Hedgehog and on one opinion thread from some fans there was another comparison to a chipmunk on acid- Now, come on people! Didn't your mothers ever tell you that if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all???? Granted I did get a chuckle out of the chipmunk analogy, but I felt really bad about it afterwards.
The thing that I've noticed over here is that the reviewers either love them or hate them. Hell! These guys got booed off stage at the Reading Festival by a rowdy crowd, but then again- So did 50 Cent. So you may ask, where do I stand on this all so important debate? And I answer that I don't. What people are forgetting to mention is that these guys are a Rock/Pop band (did you notice the Pop part). Maybe it's the writer in me that can apriciate how difficult it is to write a song, let alone an entire CD's worth that anyone would want to listen to. Not everyone can be Trent Reznor or Maynard from TOOL (sorry, but forgot his last name), so what fills the void? Complete and utter crap like- well, I won't finish that because my Karma can't take that much negativity. But suffice it to say that I don't like all music.
Another thing that has been bothering me as I've followed the reviews is that everyone is focusing on the lead singer. I want to scream at them that there are 3 other people in the band, and a song is a group effort. Yeah the singer is hot, but the rest of the band isn't bad either. I understand that the singer always gets most of the attention, but come on, the reviews are just getting mean. I have to give these guys some kudos for just doing what they do. I couldn't or haven't, is there are difference? Apparently they've been doing something right for about 10 years as they have made a career out of being a band.
Anyway, the moral of the rant is- don't be a hater, silence can do just as much damage as a scream.
CSHL- Chiswick, London 16 November, 2004
