You're Really Not Doing Your Job

November 8, 2011

I’ve been freelancing long enough to have done a write up or two about bands after only reading their Facebook bio and Wikipedia entry. Accordingly, I can understand when I see someone describing all three of Astronautalis’s previous albums as dealing with historical fiction (“He has described himself as historical fiction hip-hop.”—Wikipedia) when really that label only applies to his third album, Pomegranate. I even understand the whole “his hip-hop fire was molded as a veteran accomplished Scribble Jam battler” thing (“After gaining some renown in local circles in Jacksonville and competing at Scribble Jam”—Wikipedia) when actually he’s widely admitted to being destroyed in the early rounds at his first Scribble Jam and deciding on the way home to quit the whole battle rap thing.

It’s more frustrating when reviewers get facts wrong that are clearly stated on Wikipedia or Facebook. If you actually review an album without even bothering to at least do the easy fact checking, you’re really not doing your job.

The letter ‘B’ is not close to ‘R’ on the keyboard:

Astronautalis aka Andy Rothwell has shared his talents worldwide.—Shut Your Fucking Face and Listen

…and it wasn’t a typo:

Growly, and at times desperate, longingly, Sir Rothwell raps and sings his fucking ass off.—Shut Your Fucking Face and Listen

Get it right:

Astronautalis (born Charles Andrew Bothwell)—Wikipedia

Close, but not really:

The smart rapper’s new and fourth album, This is Our Science, is a concept/storytelling album, which is based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short stories.—MTV

Get it right:

The Four Fists (2011 release expected; a collaboration album with P.O.S based on a collection of short stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald)—Wikipedia

MTV! Again!

Bothwell’s actual story, as near as anyone can tell, starts in Texas, makes stops in Seattle, Florida, and Minneapolis, and circles the globe.—MTV VIGGY

Get it right:

Currently settled (for now) in Minneapolis, by way of Seattle, by way of Dallas by way of Jacksonville Beach, FL—Facebook

It depends what you mean by “debut”:

Despite having earned his stripes as a freestyle/artful battle rapper with several Scribble Jam appearances under his belt, his 2006 debut Mighty Ocean and Nine Dark Theaters showed an artist that defied easy categorization, as the disc’s nuanced, moody productions colored the different lyrical approaches, which veered from subdued singer-songwriter material to hard edged bangers.—okayplayer.

Get it right:

Astronautalis self-released his debut album, You and Yer Good Ideas, in 2003.—Wikipedia

Just for fun:

Astronautalis’ voice—which sounds like a husky grumble when singing, a gruffer Eminem when rapping—cuts through the opening notes with a sense of urgency; “I’ll show you what it’s like to be alive” he states at the end of his verse, offering an indication of the album’s introspective themes.—okayplayer.

Got it right:

Any time I read a comparison of Astronautalis to Marshall Mathers, it makes me want to sneak up behind the blogger at a coffee shop and rap their knuckles with a biscotti. It is true that Andy Bothwell got his start as a battle rapper a decade and a half ago, but as Astronautalis, he has cultivated a fan base with energetic live shows and freestyle rapping and developing a sound that defies genres.—Nanobot Rock Reviews

10:06pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZGimTyBhajli

(Notes: 23)