The Smiley Smile Message Board

I thought sticking these in one place would be better than starting a million threads (sorry if any have been linked to before):

The Financial Times :

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b2834770-d835-11e4-ba53-00144feab7de.html#axzz3WIejuHt7

theartsdesk:

http://www.theartsdesk.com/new-music/cd-brian-wilson-%E2%80%93%C2%A0no-pier-pressure

The Herald Sun:

http://www.pressreader.com/australia/herald-sun/20150402/282376923086674/TextView

The Globe and Mail:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/the-brian-wilson-legend-doesnt-resonate-like-it-used-to/article23789134/

Virgin media:

http://www.virginmedia.com/music/reviews/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure.php

Presstoplay:

http://pressplayok.com/review-brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure/

And Hotpress awarded it 3/5.

Plus a couple in German:

musicexpress - 3.5/5:

http://www.musikexpress.de/reviews/alben/article714637/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure.html

Rolling Stone German - 3/5:

http://www.rollingstone.de/reviews/alben/article715780/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure.html

Christ. Those are some brutal reviews.

I think I'm going to head to someone other than this board to enjoy the album for awhile before I re-engage.

Awful thoughtful to start a thread of the bad reviews! I can see your grin from here.

Whats the drift here?  The OP hates Brian Wilson and collected the most dopey reviews that could be found?  Congrats for hanging around a BW board with that many posts for no good reason apparently.

Something about all of these reviewers hearing This Beautiful Day an going "Hmm...the magic is just gone. Bad album 2/5" makes me kinda laugh. They all talk about how great pet sounds is, or the "triumph" of TWGMTR (Are songs like Daybreak or Bill and Sue triumphant??) and the fact the album has guests that sing but are bad. Glad that these are all in one place, thanks.

From the virginmedia review:
"No Pier Pressure is not the worst record ever made: this is, after all, Brian Wilson. But it would be quite a good idea for him to stop making them now." 
Really??

Well, I guess we'll have to have a little fun with him if & when the Luhvster unleashes his ditties to a world of listeners who are on their tiptoes clutching their seats nervously in anticipation.  ::) ::) What goes around comes around, huh?

 :-D

Since when have 3/5 or 3.5/5 been bad reviews? Hardly my fault that the best reviews are either in German or not available to access online (Hotpress).

These are all of the reviews that I found when doing a 5 minute Google search that I wasn`t certain had been posted yet. And, as mentioned previously, I enjoy reading all of the reviews of the album from things like the Daily Mail 4 star review to the Rolling Stone Australia 2 star piece (and can find things to agree with in both of them).

The average review score for the album so far is probably around 3/5. Not bad at all.

Yeah, thank goodness for those 3 star German reviews that helped it all go down smooth.

I think the phrase is...Don`t shoot the messenger!

(Whistles tunelessly, fumbles for Nerf® sniper rifle)

Never fear, I`m sure there will be dozens more reviews over the course of this weekend and I will indiscriminately post links to any and all of them, good or bad.

The independent`s is here:

http://www.pressreader.com/uk/i-from-the-independent/20150403/283021168183658/TextView

And The Scottish Daily Mail:

http://www.pressreader.com/uk/scottish-daily-mail/20150403/282673275832685/TextView

"anodyne" they say, eh? Talk about using a thesaurus. All these bad reviews have one thing in common: they sacrifice pure musical pleasure, in the Wordsworthian sense, for the advantages of personal wit, in the Popian sense.

I hate when that happens.




quote author=Nicko1234 link=topic=20283.msg509263#msg509263 date=1428121889]

Never fear, I`m sure there will be dozens more reviews over the course of this weekend and I will indiscriminately post links to any and all of them, good or bad.

The independent`s is here:

http://www.pressreader.com/uk/i-from-the-independent/20150403/283021168183658/TextView

And The Scottish Daily Mail:

http://www.pressreader.com/uk/scottish-daily-mail/20150403/282673275832685/TextView
[/quote]

A lengthy review in Rebeat

http://www.rebeatmag.com/album-brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure/

damn, I thought I was expanding myself in enjoying RD, but that song cannot get any love!

I think it was misplaced as the second track on the album.

It would appear that the consensus amongst critics is that this is a poor album. I have only heard 3 songs released so far from iTunes as part of my pre-order as well as that Peter Holeman thing that I purchased a few months ago.
I will keep my mind open. I sure hope that it is not as disappointing as the performance (and songs) that I heard on Kimmel last night. That performance was downright embarrassing imho

It would appear that would sorta be the purpose of Rotten Nickotomatoes... providing coincidental consensus with bad and/or German review aggregation for your busy, modern lifestyle.

I wouldn`t have said that reviews averaging around 3 stars are `poor`on the whole. Mixed certainly but not bad.

There`s one obvious remedy then isn`t there. If you think that the reviews that have been posted on this board so far are not representative then it should be easy for you to find loads of positive ones that nobody else has yet linked to.

Being objective as I can, I'm not really surprised at the harsh tone of some these reviews. After all, they're not being written by Beach Boys fans necessarily, and there's plenty to be critical of if you're not just going to blindly or generously accept this record's flaws. They're not looking at it with the rose-colored glasses of a fan.

Mmm-hmm. How convenient that several more positive reviews already got their own threads so you could fill one up with nonsense from Australian community college newspapers, eh?

Well, if they're reviewing the album by looking at it, that's definitely part of the problem. Listening works much better.

And given the general depth of some of these reviews, the writers merely glimpsed at the title and then hacked something out. Understandable, perhaps. We all have deadlines.

But worse than useless to anyone interested in the quality of the music.

Yeah, you noticed that? Golly. He's just trying to be helpful setting the tone, our own Metacritic1234...

Botany Bay?  Oh no, we've got to get out of here.

Chekov

Which is precisely why I didn`t link to them. They are already on the board.

And as I earlier posted a very positive review from a Scottish paper, I can`t really see the problem with linking to a critical review from an Australian paper. I wasn`t judging the writers based on who they worked for.

I linked every review that I found.

The album was discussed by two reviewers on Ireland`s RTE show last night and can be listened to here:

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/arena/

The discussion starts at around 37:00

Those who aren`t interested in what reviewers have to say obviously don`t have to  ;)

Remember folks, anyone who dares post links to reviews that are anything less than glowing 5/5 writeups are bad people who hate Brian Wilson and no doubt kick stray cats when they think no one is watching. Got that?

A lengthy and generally positive review in The Independent here:

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure--album-review-a-loving-reminder-of-how-much-he-has-given-pop-and-why-we-still-cherish-him-10154468.html

And a positive review in the Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/cdreviews/11510937/Brian-Wilson-Pier-Pressure-review-resonant-with-nostalgia-and-loss.html

And apologies if this article has appeared in a similar form elsewhere:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/04/04/brian-wilson-on-the-beach-boys-rivalry-with-the-beatles-and-flying-solo.html

That's too bad.  I am one who is a bit underwhelmed by the songs on No Pier Pressure except for a couple. I really like On an Island.
I keep holding him up to his old standards which is asking too much but no one can accuse me of not loving Brian.

A review in Dutch by one of the leading Dutch newspapers:
http://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/5602/Muziek/article/detail/3943285/2015/04/04/Beach-Boys-oprichter-Brian-Wilson-terug-met-matige-cd.dhtml

It's pretty negative, but then again, what can you expect from a journalist who writes things like "The world is craving for a new masterpiece by this equally brilliant as tragic pop legend, but gets dissapointed yet again" (I suppose he missed TLOS and TWGMTR) and "Maybe it's time to accept that Brian Wilson will never make another Pet Sounds or Smile" (yeah, cause that's what everyone was expecting from a 72 year old Brian Wilson... just like everyone expect a new Paul McCartney album to be another Sgt. Pepper, right?).

Unless of course the messenger is cherry picking.  Fire away!!!

These are the reviews. If you know of others then simply post them.

Interviews in the LA Times:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-brian-wilson-20150404-story.html#page=1

This seems to be a strange time with regards to the media's relationship to Brian Wilson. I think if NPP had come out the exact same way 10 years ago we would be reading nothing but overwhelmingly positive reviews.

A brief and breezy review in The Express:

Brian Wilson: No Pier Pressure (Virgin/EMI)

The Beatles were stunned by The Beach Boys’ Surf’s Up, Bob Dylan has said that Wilson should leave his ear to The Smithsonian museum and the rest of us are probably tornbetween whether Good Vibrations or God Only Knows is the finest pop single ever.

All of this sets the bar high for any new Wilson album and though this, his 11th studio album, is chock-full of sweet tunes, too often sweet turns to saccharine (On The Island, sung by She & Him’s Zooey Deschanel) or veers into easy listening (Our Special Love).

VERDICT: 3/5

An alternative review from The Guardian:

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/apr/05/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure-review

And this Babelfish utilizing effort:

http://www.bulletinstandard.com/entertainment/album-evaluation-brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure-h5975.html

Several new reviews (apologies if already posted):

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/latest-brains-behind-beach-boys-article-1.2172783

http://www.whittierdailynews.com/arts-and-entertainment/20150406/brian-wilsons-no-pier-pressure-his-best-solo-album-yet

http://news.yahoo.com/music-review-brian-wilson-back-evocative-album-194513430.html

Did the Yahoo review really refer to Al as Brian's "cousin"?

A review that won`t be to everybody`s tastes (to say the least):

http://www.popmatters.com/review/192092-brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure/

Boston Globe review:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2015/04/06/wilson-rides-familiar-wave-guest-packed-new-album/ja078GQaekW5mluaYk7vVN/story.html

That Pop Matters review pretty much sums it up for me...

Well, somebody's got to be Brian's cousin, it might just as well be Al! :-D

Yeah...... unfortunately, I have to agree,

Review of the deluxe edition in the Calgary Herald - 3/5

http://www.pressreader.com/canada/calgary-herald/20150407/282325383487245/TextView

I don't think much of the rather thoughtless Popmatters review.  It suggests the old Brian-as-dancing bear scenario with Joe Thomas at the helm, rather than the more believable idea that Brian is actually into this (regardless of what one thinks of the results).  As for the guests, it's clear that Brian wanted to spend time producing other artists in the past.  Here, he had the chance to do so, unencumbered by other commitments.  He may not have followed their careers beforehand, but I don't doubt he found it pleasing to be introduced to the young folk and to produce them.

More reviews:

From Liverpool: 4/5

http://www.liverpoolsoundandvision.co.uk/2015/04/07/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure-album-review/

From Sweden: 2/5

http://www.smp.se/kultur-noje/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure/

Oakland Press:

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/arts-and-entertainment/20150406/listening-room-brian-wilson-kristian-bush-lord-huron-umphreys-mcgee

W + anchors

As a whole the review's a bit too harsh for my personal taste but I do agree with some of the sentiments expressed, especially with regards to the guest vocalists. In a funny way the review reminds me of the time when the #1 anecdote about Joe Thomas circulating among BW fans was how he once attempted to make the band play "Caroline, No" in a way that made it sound like a "sexy, Sade-like" thing.

Just a pity it's factually incorrect and seems to come from someone who doesn't have a clue about Brian Wilson. ;)

Another semi-clueless review:

http://overmental.com/content/new-music-monday-brian-wilson-matt-and-kim-the-mountain-goats-and-more-12126

NEW MUSIC MONDAY: BRIAN WILSON, MATT AND KIM, THE MOUNTAIN GOATS, AND MORE!
by Jack
on April 6, 2015

Happy Monday music maniacs! Like new stuff? Great! You’ve come to the right place. Each week all sorts of audiolicious goodies are unleashed onto the masses and this is where they come to be judged. I’ll tell ya what’s good, what’s bad, and what’s a waste of your time. Thanks for stopping by!

The Big News!

First things first [....]

Ok, so the BIG news this week is the release of ex/current/ex/current Beach Boy, the great enigma of rock and roll, Brian Wilson’s stupidly titled new album No Pier Pressure. There was a time when this was supposed to be a collaboration with legendary legend Jeff Beck, but that all fizzled out. Instead it features guests like She and Him, Kacey Musgraves, and a few Beach Boys without the last name Wilson. Yahoo Music says the record “offers ample reason to celebrate the extended solo career that has followed his Beach Boys’ journey.” Me, I’m not buying it, haven’t been sold on any of Wilson’s stuff lately. For instance, the song below sounds half finished, like it’s missing something. These guys mail it in.

[The Right Time video link]

http://www.metacritic.com/music/no-pier-pressure/brian-wilson

metacritic at 58%

My personal 2 cents is that it is an album of well-done fromage.  Very little that I would publicly share but I might privately enjoy parts of it on occasion.

The Metacritic was at 65 until the PopMatters review hit. It's a total dud of a review -- packed with factual mistakes and logical inconsistencies. Not every review needs to be good, but I hate mindless pans.

What are the factual mistakes in the PopMatters review?

"Smart Girls" was never released officially and is not part of Brian's discography. Blaming artists for music they or their label don't release is nuts.


A collaboration with Scott Bennett, who co-wrote all but two of the album's original songs and co-produced the record.


The Wondermints are not Brian Wilson's backing band.  Two members of the group (Darian and Nicky) have been members of Brian's backing group since the beginning. A third member, Mikey D., has been involved intermittently. Brian Kassan, one of the group's bassists, has never been involved. Probyn was never an official Wondermint, but has been in the band from the beginning.


Again, Brian wrote and produced TLOS with Scott Bennett, who is not and has never been a Wondermint.


Darian, Nicky and Probyn, all of whom played on Wondermints records, all play on NPP. Other BW band members Scott Bennett, Paul Merterns, Bob Lizik, Brett Simons, Nelson Bragg and Taylor Mills all appear on the record too.

Scott co-writes two of the album's songs. Paul, who is the band's musical director, does all the album's string and horn arrangements.

"Out of the picture now." Right.


Given that Zooey interviewed Brian on the TLOS DVD some seven years ago, so  he most definitely knows who she is. As for Nate Ruess, or some of the other current artists, Brian has heard them because his kids played their music in the house.


Except for the two that don't.


Except that he did.


A few paragraphs earlier, the very article praises TLOS, which came out in 2008, some seven years ago. So was he uninterested then? Was he uninterested in Gershwin (the album that, on Facebook, he said was his best solo record)? Or uninterested in the BB record?

Think about what's being said here -- that because someone gives bad interviews, they're "simply not interested" in music. How does that even begin to make sense?

Anyway.

https://www.yahoo.com/music/brians-back-the-waterboys-go-big-again-more-115775536641.html (https://www.yahoo.com/music/brians-back-the-waterboys-go-big-again-more-115775536641.html)

"It is a very solid, fascinating album that needs no excuses or asterisks next to it in the discography, and we should all be grateful Wilson is still around to have made it."

Hell yeah!

Review of the deluxe edition:

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/04/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure-review.html

Review on dailytexanonline: 5/10

http://www.dailytexanonline.com/2015/04/07/brian-wilson-throws-it-back-with-new-album

Review from Holland:

http://www.platendraaier.nl/albumrecensies/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure/

Badly translated summation:

`Brian has still potential to penetrate the simple catchy songs. However, at No Pier Pressure this repeatedly tried to skin Joe Thomas who just could not keep my hands off his fingers from the tuna-fish . This results in a mixed plate is pushed with the help of a number of artists of this time even further into the ravine. Fortunately there are still his old band mates Al Jardine, Blondie Chaplin and David Marks that make it even somewhat level. When Brian it has the potential to come up with new material, he can better next time itself take place behind the buttons.`

And from Sweden:
http://nojesguiden.se/recensioner/musik/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure

Badly translated:

`if one wishes to Brian Wilson finished his genius lay in the hands of mediocrities. All these unimaginative showbiz producers who more or less clumsily trying to "put the Beach Boys in contemporary life" with mechanical pork disco drums and 80s saxophone. Who can not come up with something more original than that Tussa together Brian Wilson with various drop-current pop stars, one more apart than the other in this context. Like when no other ideas are available quote Pet Sounds audio and calls in a few scattered old Beach Boys colleagues to build vocal harmonies for maximum nostalgia and 60-talstravesti.

No, Brian Wilson. It's not that your brilliant songs and harmonizing your unique needs. What they need is peace and quiet, they need to be left alone. They do not instrumental FUSTIAN, they need calm and stripped environments with friends who trust and believe in them as they are. They need maybe Jeff Tweedy?`

Joe Thomas will now forever in my mind be associated with mechanical pork disco drums...

Are you both as un-educated and ill-informed about Brian and his career as the author?

I would love you to now spend the time to either refute the factual inaccuracies in said article. Or withdraw, your loaded attempt at a justification of this tripe of a 'review".

Guess no one is too particularly fond of "Runaway Dancer".  It does stand out a little when compared to the rest of album, but on its own terms, it's really not that bad.  If this were a Capital Cities track with Brian guesting, I'm guessing it would probably be better received.  I was skeptical of the song at first but have grown fond of it. 

The Popmatters review is, to put it politely, a giant pile of sh*t.

You know, after reading the Yahoo review, I think he's on to something by writing  a review without assigning a star rating to it. Art is so subjective that a star rating seems kind of stupid--I never thought about it before, but it's a weird system.

actually "Smart Girls" was released, on the air at least, because it was on the Dr. Demento show.

Here's a very subjective review published today:

http://www.glidemagazine.com/132584/brian-wilson-pier-pressure-album-review/

Yeah. ..reads like it was written by a 13 year old

The only word I have for that review is: Brice.

It's all very Brice.

The thing that pisses me off the most about the Popmatters review is that the reviewer seems to think that people are forcing Brian to do this album, and that he's not really interested in the music himself. Sort of like a 15 Big Ones type of situation.


The review also says that this is a Brian album in name only, even though only about a third of the deluxe edition has guest vocalists on it [not including Al/Blondie].


Brian's been working on this album in one form or another for the past three years, so clearly he isn't very interested at all

Here's a funny one:

http://www.mittelbayerische.de/kultur/musik/kritik/der-alte-mann-und-das-meer-21927-art1213327.html

It's a positive review ("rate: excellent") in German. At the end it says "The high point of the album is the piano ballad "In The Back Of My Mind" which sounds so minimalistic as an old demo from the drawer" :-D

Maybe we should tell him it is.

There is no harm in asking. Most of the answers I got focused on minor technicalities which, if they were properly summarized in the review, would not have earned it brevity points. Is Lucky Old Sun a Scott Bennett collaboration or a Van Dyke collaboration? Both of those guys kinda collaborated in their own ways, didn't they?

The other refuting points were obtained from promotional media like interviews and press releases. 'You don't believe Wilson wrote On the Island? But the liner notes say so! Hehe, debunked.' Ultimately, the PopMatters review largely falls into virtually unfalsifiable conjecture.

Certainly written for 13 year-olds.

A fairly positive review from Scotland:

http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts-ents/music/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure-virgin-emi.122507257

A fairly negative review:

http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/04/album-review-brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure/

Another review: 4/10

http://exclaim.ca/Music/article/brian_wilson-no_pier_pressure

Yet another: 3.8/10

https://audiosprawl.wordpress.com/2015/04/07/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure/

One review from popmagazine: 2.5/5 (Though it states that the official review is 4/5)

http://pop-mag.com/2015-04-07/review-brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure/

From American Songwriter: 3/5

http://www.americansongwriter.com/2015/04/brian-wilson-pier-pressure/

"Likewise, SMiLE dealt largely with teenage romance"

What...

No, not un-educated and ignorant about Brian's career at all - and having seen the debunking of some of the inaccuracies in the article, I concede I may have read and commented a bit hastily.
However, the first couple of listens to NPP have failed to convince me that this album is some amazing return to pop genius form for Mr Wilson, and that I'm supposed to like it just because other board members do.

Three pretty positive reviews:

http://www.udiscovermusic.com/udiscover-reviews-brian-wilsons-no-pier-pressure

http://state.ie/album-reviews/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure

http://www.vindy.com/news/2015/apr/08/record-reviews/

Always Mr Wilson... A coincidence? I think not...

  I'm not one of your musical nerds who keeps up with  every single historical fact ( although I know more than my share ).
IT'S THE MUSIC THAT MATTERS to me, Sir. And I agree that this album doesn't compare to his early work. People like you have lowered
the bar when it comes to Brian's music which is fine but I haven't. That's my right , Sir. His genius doesn't show in this album.
  I have been following Brian since I was ten years old.. My father took me to my first Beach Boys concert ( with The Buffalo Springfield and Strawberry Alarm Clock ) in '68 when I was 13. His music in his peak years is part of my DNA. I have been a professional artist my whole life ( Artist- Painter and musician- composer ) with my share of awards so I know a thing or two about creativity and that's what I look for in Brian's music. I appreciate the fact like anyone else that Brian is still making music. It's amazing..... but, I am not going to lie about the way I feel about it.

Actually a LOT of people have commented that it is right up their with their favorite. My Daughter (she's only 7) could not stop dancing to it last night. She loves plenty of great classic Beach Boys and that hooked her.

And that moron review with the snide remark about Kasey Musgraves and a top 40 type song...well that's just awful...God forbid Brian Wilson would lower himself to the masses in an attempt at some radio play. I hope the hell it is a top 40 hit. I hope it hits the top 10.

And anyone that thinks On The Island is a "horrid ...you will hear it on a Sandals commercial" is an absolute uninformed ass that knows nothing about music and should climb back into their Grandpa's spare bedroom where they belong.

That reviewer has an interesting perspective--the stuff that sounds to him like Brian is too familiar, and the stuff that doesn't sound like what he expects from Brian is too far out there.

Yeah, it's Brice, whatever the hell that is....

Pitchfork: 5.6

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20367-brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure/

A review from Belgium: 2.5/4

http://www.humo.be/cd-reviews/328605/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure

And another from Sweden: 2/5

http://www.ltz.se/noje/musik/skivrecension-brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure

From Holland: 2/5

http://www.parool.nl/parool/nl/14628/RECENSIES/article/detail/3947455/2015/04/09/Brian-Wilson-goes-dance-welke-gek-heeft-hem-dit-idee-aangepraat.dhtml

A generally positive review:

http://alibi.com/music/48906/Sonic-Reducer-Micro-reviews-of-Bashed-Out-Same-A.html

And one from Italy:

http://www.jamonline.it/recensioni-album/brian-wilson

Final conclusion:

`A decent album in my humble opinion, but not a masterpiece which lack some of the best flicks Brian Wilson, who will satisfy the romantics. Sweetness and nostalgia prevail, but it remains a disc out of time.`

And a positive review:

http://17seconds.co.uk/blog/2015/04/08/album-review-brian-wilson/

It's not a bad review, but it starts off by claiming Brian is going to retire from music, which I do not believe I have heard anywhere. Touring, yes, it has been discussed as a possibility, but as for recording, no, not even close. Also ignores that Lucky Old Sun was a collaboration with a younger artist, as was Smile for that matter. Minor details, perhaps, but it grates when they get such easily verifiable facts wrong. Can critics be bothered to even read an artist's wiki page?

Here's the cheap version of writing a review of NPP and Brian Wilson when you really don't know or appreciate his music but you want to get paid:  Do a quick, distracted play-through, maybe not even listening to each whole song.  Go to Wikipedia for a brief history.  Google and scan for some recent comments.  You want to sound balanced, so you grab some positive and negative ideas others have posted.  I've had SS comments come up plenty of times when I've Googled for comments in the past, so no wonder some of this sounds familiar.  Put it in your own writing style - if you even have one.  Then you give it 3 stars so it's kind of in the middle, too - since you really don't understand crap about the music, or Brian and really aren't interested.

As a writer who has regular deadlines (not in the realm of music), I know that I can do lots of research (and since I'm obsessive, I do) and then give a lot of thought to the article (again, guilty), or I could do something quick and dirty and get paid the same - in fact it might even be better-received than something that requires actual thinking on the part of the reader.  Such is the irony of writing for the internet and putting any merit in most of these reviews.  Thank heavens for the Craigs, Rabs, Ontors, Rays, Angs and others who actually know the music and have something to offer commenting here and on Brian's community.  Otherwise, I'm a lot more interested in going out and hearing the public responding to my buying the record and commenting about Brian and the up-coming movie.  It's a lot more fun than reading hacks.

Well, one of the main reasons I started this thread is because I can only think of 2 sensible attitudes towards media reviews.

I`m sure there are many people who don`t care about them at all and having them all in one place here makes it very easy for people to avoid them if they wish.

For anyone who is interested, I presume it is because they wish to see what opinions are like outside the hardcore fan-base.

Now one thing I genuinely don`t understand, with the greatest of respect, is those people who are interested enough to read the reviews but then question any or all that don`t correspond with their own opinion. Comments such as `they don`t get it` or `they didn`t listen to it for long enough` or `they are copying other people`s opinions` are daft.

The reviews that have been posted on this board doubtless average out at 3/5 which is hardly hideously negative. They have come from a dozen different countries and many different kinds of publications. If they broadly agree on certain points such as Joe Thomas`s cheesy production, too many guest stars, Runaway Dancer being dismal etc. it is because these people actually hold those opinions. Nothing more, nothing less.

More reviews:

http://kdhx.org/music/reviews/album-review-brian-wilson-surfs-choppy-waters-on-no-pier-pressure

http://spectrumculture.com/music/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure/

I decided not to read any reviews of the album (and still haven't -- not even the long reviews offered here), for the same reason I avoid reviews of a movie I'm really interested in. I'd like the initial experience to be as personal as possible.

But does anyone know how these reviews in the media are done? Do the reviewers choose what they want to review? Or are they randomly assigned? Do reviewers generally listen to albums several times or merely give their first impressions? I assume it varies from place to place, and reviewer to reviewer, but does anyone know how it usually works? Or is their any pattern to it at all?

The review links to where BW says he will retire from music (http://smashinginterviews.com/interviews/musicians/brian-wilson-interview-talks-60s-sound-of-no-pier-pressure-and-why-love-mercy-brought-back-a-lot-of-scary-memories).

A couple of mixed but interesting reviews:

http://www.elsewhere.co.nz/music/6894/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure-universal/

http://rocknycliveandrecorded.com/brian-wilsons-no-pier-pressure-a-great-song-to-slow-down-to.html

And it seems it is currently predicted to start at 19 in the U.K. chart which would be very respectable.

A pretty positive review: 6.5/10

http://theinscribermag.com/no-pier-pressure-album-review-brian-wilson-delivers-commendable-effort/

From Italy: 3/5

http://www.rockol.it/recensioni-musicali/dischi/5963/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure

I somehow doubt these organizations monitor their reviewers and make sure they listen to the entire album. You never know what they have or haven't listened to, or how many times. I've mentioned this before, but DVD review websites are notoriously transparent in that some reviewers clearly aren't looking at all of the contents before they publish the review. You can even see some reviewers who use a clear template and just fill certain bits of info in.

It's harder to that with music reviews, since each album is pretty unique to itself. But I wouldn't find it hard to believe some reviewers have listened to the album once, or maybe even skipped forward to the next track early. I also *don't* think that just because a review is negative and doesn't mention every song it means they didn't listen to it enough. We would never know, other than a few total hack reviews with confirmable false information.

I don't understand why anybody is going after anybody else over their opinions of something as subjective as musical taste. If people like it, that's legit. If people don't like it, that's legit. Jeez.

More reviews for the completists:

ABC News: 3/5

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/brian-wilson-waxahatchee-blues-traveler-music-reviews/story?id=30235679

Renowned for Sound: 1.5/5

http://renownedforsound.com/index.php/review-brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure/

The afterword:

http://theafterword.co.uk/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure/

From the bloke who gave him 1.5

It’s a treat indeed to hear those angelic vocals again: Wilson sounds as good on the track as he did almost half a century ago on God Only Knows.


Maybe he really knows his stuff and is talking about the Brian version, but somehow i doubt it .....

A stack of new reviews (apparently the Italian for Auto-tune is...Auto-tune  ;) ):

3/5

http://www.thebrag.com/music/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure

Positive

http://artsfuse.org/126047/fuse-album-review-brian-wilson-the-ultimate-rock-roll-survivor/

Negative

http://www.saukvalley.com/2015/04/13/review-beach-boy-brian-wilson-falls-short-of-low-bar-on-no-pier-pressure-grade-d-plus/a3a8xlc/

Average

http://musicnerd.ca/review-brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure%E2%80%A8-capitol-universal-music-canada/

Average

http://www.svd.se/kultur/musik/wilson-skapar-annu-popmagi_4483659.svd

5.5/10

http://ondarock.it/recensioni/2015_brianwilson.htm

4/5

http://monkeybuzz.com.br/resenhas/albuns/14884/brian-wilson---no-pier-pressure/

A discussion of the album on New Zealand radio starting at 9.00:

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thesampler

6/10

http://sentireascoltare.com/recensioni/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure/

The public has spoken on another thread here, so I'll go with that.  Thanks.

 :lol

You`ve already made it clear that you think 3 star reviews have been copied from this site anyway Debbie so very sensible.

I`m sure there are many people who couldn`t care less about reviews so easy for them to avoid this thread.

I would like to hear comments and reviews from some of Brian's peers. I don't believe we have such an exclusive thread, but has anyone heard from other artists, especially Mr. Love? Just wondering....

The ever gracious Bruce wrote on "Beach Boys Britain":

"What a great way to preview Brian’s current solo album, "No Pier Pressure," via Soundcloud. I think the album has a very relaxed & gentle feeling….The ooo’s & aahh’s float in and out of the tracks very pleasantly. I enjoyed the guest lead vocals in addition to Brian’s. The occasional orchestral sections I heard were well written.
Overall, "No Pier Pressure" seems to be a very comfortable age appropriate recording from Brian with a most relaxing and friendly vibe. I’m sure I’ll hear the complete album front-to-back soon.

Good luck Brian!"

NPP reveals ever more wonders on each listening, but I for one hope that the rock and roll album will be a little less age appropriate.

A bunch of new reviews over the past few days:

Very positive:

http://www.heraldstandard.com/entertainment/music/clints_music_review/music-review-brian-wilson---no-pier-pressure/article_e78cf3a1-b1a5-560d-95eb-1c953928337b.html

4/10

http://drownedinsound.com/releases/18750/reviews/4148905

1.5/5

http://www.tinymixtapes.com/music-review/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure

2/5

https://nowtoronto.com/music/album-reviews/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure/

dmcityview:

http://www.dmcityview.com/sound-check/2015/04/15/29641/

`Look, it’s another album full of guest singers. Wilson, at least, seems to get what decade it is and has invited along the likes of Zooey Deschanel, Kacey Musgraves and Nate Ruess, as well as some artists that could more adequately be described as the 72-year-old Wilson’s contemporaries, like Blondie Chaplin and Mark Isham. The result, however, is not as ambitious as Wilson obviously wants it to be, which is something of a leitmotif in Wilson’s career. The problem with “No Pier Pressure” rests mostly in Wilson’s selection of duet partners. Instead of taking Wilson’s music and doing anything with it, we get a series of milquetoast arrangements featuring people doing their level best to be as inoffensive and safe as possible. CV`

6.7/10

http://jenesaispop.com/2015/04/15/223442/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure/

1.5/5

http://rock-decibels.org/2015/04/16/brian-wilson-no-peer-pressure/

A French audio discussion: `Syrupy`

http://www.lemonde.fr/culture/video/2015/04/16/no-pier-pressure-de-brian-wilson-entre-tartignole-et-sirupeux_4613246_3246.html

He's  changed his review. It  now says " You Still Believe In Me" after someone told him in the comments !

It's even easier to do with music, because review copies of albums come with press releases. Want to know why so many album reviews begin by trotting out the same kind of generic chronology or backstory? Usually because it's on the press release. i have a few at home.

A load more reviews from the past week:

Positive:

http://www.kenoshanews.com/entertainment/quick_spins_old_pros_brian_wilson_van_morrison_still_bring_it_482256891.html

Negative:

http://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2015/04/brian-wilsons-collaborative-disaster

Positive:

http://nodepression.com/album-review/no-pier-pressure-brian-wilson

Negative:

http://www.offthetracks.co.nz/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure/

Negative:

http://eccunion.com/arts/2015/04/22/brian-wilsons-no-pier-pressure-is-no-pressure-for-peers/

Average:

http://knox.villagesoup.com/p/still-rockin-ringo-brian-wilson/1336737

3/5

http://www.thenational.ae/arts-lifestyle/music/album-review-no-pier-pressure---brian-wilson

3/5

http://www.hitthefloor.com/music/pop/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure-album-review/

2/5

http://www.territoriodamusica.com/resenhas/?c=5533

Mixed:

http://www.latercera.com/noticia/entretencion/2015/04/661-625535-9-brian-wilson-otro-heroe-de-los-60-vuelve-ayudado-por-nuevas-generaciones.shtml

http://observer.com/2015/04/brian-wilsons-new-album-is-far-from-essential-listening/

I'm linking this more for the comments section which features none other than R. Stevie Moore.
"Bottom 9th grandslam, Tim. Hilarious & brilliant. It's not even sad anymore. Buy it over at Walmart, Grampuh. Glean. With a period." So he's not a fan either.

"...wrapped in the kind of production I’d expect to hear in an elevator taking me to a penthouse where Peter Cetera and Kenny G are getting married".

 :smokin