#259 - “Review the Review” - Eminem | Poptimism | Vinyl Fantasy - Organizing Your Collection

It’s been some time since we broke down a disparaging music album review, but Eminem’s latest album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) has been mostly panned by mainstream music critics. Jay rather enjoyed the album and thought a dissection of Dash Lewis’s 4.9/10 review in Pitchfork was in order.

Song: Bernie Worrell, Sean Ono Lennon - “Re-Enter Black Light (Phase II)”

A Substack post entitled “A Few Indisputable Points About Poptimism and Then I Give Up” caught Nick’s eye this week. The post presents a detailed criticism of the current state of music criticism, particularly focusing on poptimism, which argues that pop music is authentic and deserving of professional interest and critique. The author, Freddie Deboer, argues that Gen Z music fans too closely associate their musical tastes with their identity, and are incapable of handling people that don’t share their tastes. This may be the first instance of a Millennial rant that deserves an “Okay, Boomer” type response, but it brings up some interesting points that touch on the state of music criticism.

Song: Phish - “Evolve”

Finally, Greg is continuing a conversation started at the end of episode #258 about ways to organize your vinyl collection. As our Chief Theme Developer, we’re calling this another Vinyl Fantasy. Jay has his own thoughts on the subject, and Nick takes copious notes.

Song: Frank Zappa - “The Gumbo Variations”