中國民主 Part 2

And here's the best negative review that I've found. Just for balance.

I highlight this one because it's obvious this guy really listened to the album. He's quite specific in his criticisms. I may disagree on some points, but I respect the effort. I've seen a couple reviews that are nothing more that "this took 15 years," etc.; no specifics, just general snark.

中國民主

Chuck Klosterman penned one of the best album reviews I've read in a long time.

Reviewing Chinese Democracy is not like reviewing music. It's more like reviewing a unicorn. Should I primarily be blown away that it exists at all? Am I supposed to compare it to conventional horses? To a rhinoceros? Does its pre-existing mythology impact its actual value, or must it be examined inside a cultural vacuum, as if this creature is no more (or less) special than the remainder of the animal kingdom? I've been thinking about this record for 15 years; during that span, I've thought about this record more than I've thought about China, and maybe as much as I've thought about the principles of democracy. This is a little like when that grizzly bear finally ate Timothy Treadwell: Intellectually, he always knew it was coming. He had to. His very existence was built around that conclusion. But you still can't psychologically prepare for the bear who eats you alive, particularly if the bear wears cornrows.

I haven't gotten through the whole album yet, so I'll withhold comment for a little while. But I can agree that the guitar solos are nuts.

This album is surrounded by so much strange, it's been a punchline for almost 15 years. Will it sound dated? Overworked/overproduced? Just plain irrelevant?

Klosterman asks those and many other questions, and provides some answers. Check it out.