A "Simble" Philosophy
1. "Indian Music"
THE GOAL: Easier discovery & critique of Indian non-film music
The Indian music scene, outside the film business, is still quite young. Artists are flooding the market with music, and there is a need, I think, for more platforms that focus on discovery & critique. The more people critique music, the more discourse there will be, and the more artists will want to push the boundaries of musical expression!
2. "Transparent" Critique
THE GOAL: Root my reviews in a visible language & method.
There is no "correct" review or way of reviewing music. Tastes are inherently subjective, which makes claiming objectivity ridiculous to expect or attempt. However, if I can be transparent & clear about what I think, and why I think it, then perhaps more people will find utility in my process, and become encouraged to think more deeply about the music they listen to:)
2. "Starting Conversations"
THE GOAL: Enable healthy discourse on music with (some) anchors.
Below is a system that I have developed to guide my reviews. It's based on my experience as a music performer/producer over the last decade (more on that here), and reflects what I (usually) prefer hearing in a piece of music. This system is by no means gospel (I'm open to feedback ----> Contact me here), but I'm hoping it makes discourse more accessible across skill levels by making the process granular & easily quantifiable!
My Review Process
When I listen to music, I tend to focus on the following aspects:- Production
- Performance
- Mood, and
- Memorability
While these may not completely reflect a "general consensus" (E.g. - I'm not usually a lyrics person so don't comment on them), I think they will overlap, in part at least, with what a casual listener feels about a song or track. Moreover, I'd like to think this will resonate a lot with fellow performers and/or producers!
Combined, these rubrics produce a system of sorts that I follow while writing reviews. Each rubric contains criteria that clarify what I'm looking for while listening to a track, and an associated scorecard to evaluate adhere to each criterion. Once I'm done reviewing a song, I tally scores, calculate a percentage and then convert that into an overall score out of 10 for you to see. Here's a sneak peek into the final scoring process:
| Rubric | Maximum Score |
|---|---|
| Production | 15 |
| Performance | 15 |
| Mood | 15 |
| Memorability | 15 |
| TOTAL | 60 |
So, if a song scores [[45/60]], that is converted to a percentage - [[75%]] - and reflected as a score out of ten - [[7.5/10]]. Below is a detailed breakdown of each rubric and its associated criteria. Each rubric has three criteria (3 criteria x 5 points per criteria = 15 points score-able); I've provided descriptions where relevant!
Production
Includes the various ways a track is constructed out of its sonic elements:
Performance
Includes all forms of human musical expression within a track, and how they work together:
Mood
Includes all elements in a track that define it's genre, "style", “vibe” and/or emotional “feel”:
Memorability
Includes all elements that make a track repeatedly listenable and easy to recognise:
