Lyrical Gangsta - Music Critics
Music Reviews

While searching the net for music review sites I found several that fit the category. To keep things simple, I broke it down to my 8 different music review sites. Here they are in no specific order of popularity. I f you are looking for the TOP 10 Best Rap songs of all time, you can find that information on the other page.

Music Critic is an online music review site that involves you! This music review site covers many genres and you can submit your own review or announce a concert. Unlike other music review sites that may have a staff of writers to write their reviews, this site is great because you can be an active participant. Music Critic offers a break down of music categories and feature articles. This music review site is strictly music, nothing more-nothing less!

MTV dffers from Music Critic in that it’s clearly not just a music review site. MTV focuses on its television shows, but also offers news on movies, movie trailers, up coming shows, and online games. You can also read the latest music reviews on your favorite artists and music videos. For those of you who like participating in writing the reviews, this may not be the music site for you.

Rolling Stone has been around for over 50 years. With the onset of technology their online magazine reaches millions of readers’ everyday. While Rolling Stone covers major media, let’s not forget-they are also a rocking music review site. You can visit the “Rock and Roll Daily for all the latest music news. Here at this music review site, you can view the most popular albums of the decades, along with popular artists, greatest singers, and greatest songs.

Meta Critic is not an exclusive music review site, but it does offer the latest updates on movies, DVD’S, films, and games. This music review site also has a forum complete with announcements and even gaming cheat codes. The music reviews are fresh updates complete with high and low scores of the decade, making this music review site stand out from the rest.

Dusted Magazine didn’t capture me as being the most colorful music review site. But in all of its simplicity it did the job of keeping the reader informed with the latest music reviews. I found the archive section quite helpful and I enjoyed its easy navigation. Although you the reader can’t participate in review writing, there is a list of writers so you can see who write the reviews for this music review site.

AVClub is a music review site that offers so much more than music reviews. You can also read letters sent in by viewers with very personal questions regarding their bed room escapades. Talk about spicing things up!

Pop Matters, stands out from the other music review sites in that it offers a section exclusively for theater reviews. This is the first music review site that I saw with this unordinary section. And to top it all off, they even have a comic review section. This music review site is a sure win when it comes to being different from the others!

The Night Owl is a very appealing music review site, with eye catching graphics that certainly got my attention! I enjoyed the black background with flashing stars and the navigation was simple and easy to follow. The links on this music review site are an easy to see indigo blue on black, which is easy on the eye. I especially liked that the review link has all reviews in alphabetical order. Night Owl also has contents for the reader, making this music review site unique in its own right.

 

Ambient music has been around since the early 20th century. Known for its atmospheric and calming effects, this instrumental type music has gained popularity over the years and been used in movie sound tracks as well as video games, and television shows. The 21st century has introduced many newcomers who have gained wide popularity world wide with their diverse, electronic sounding melodies. Start with some guitars, a bass, and a drum –thrown in with some modern day digital electronics and you have a 21st century ambient band.
It’s the year twenty ten and ambient bands are hot. So who’s number one on this list? While I can’t decide for you, I think this band deserves a number 10 rating. I’m talking about Explosions In The Sky.

There are other ambient bands that might fare a good listen. But Explosions In The Sky takes ambient to a whole new level. While others like ‘This Will Destroy You’ and ‘Sons Had Father’ have made a name for themselves-if you take a good listen, they sound very similar. After a few minutes of playing Explosions latest soundtracks it was clear that these guys have a style of their own. I’m frozen in the moment in a dream like state. I’m suddenly full of emotion that I didn’t know existed in the core of my soul. I am whisked away to a magical place where my mind is free from captivity. Their music is raw and sensual. As I sat back and listened to “catastrophe”, my heart bled with passion. If one band is capable of doing this then I’d say the sky is the limit for these dudes!

This past February of 2010 Explosions celebrated 10 years of playing together. They initially met at a pizza place in their hometown of Austin, Texas with a friend from Illinois. After putting their skills and instruments to the test, they realized that they wanted to form a band. Within a few months they recorded their first album. They printed 300 copies and gave most of them away. Continuing to play together, a friend sent a recording of one of their live shows to an agent in Baltimore, MD. Four albums and ten years later they are performing worldwide and with raving reviews.

If you haven’t listened to their music yet, then you simply need to! You can watch and listen to them on You Tube or go to their My Space page. As I listened to the last song, ‘Six Days At The Bottom Of The Ocean’-I felt an overwhelming calmness and my body began to relax. This song was riveting! Meditation and yoga may very well be relaxing, but the new age style of ambient music is a close runner up. As for Explosion In The Sky- their music has risen beyond my expectations. While other ambient bands continue to blend together, this band will take a side turn- traveling down their own unique road. They take me to a place I haven’t traveled to before. And as for me, I rather like that place. I give Explosions 2 thumbs up and will continue to watch and listen as they grow and prosper as musicians!