"There is simply no limit to the tyrannical snobbery that otherwise decent people can descend into when it comes to music." ~ Stephen Fry

Most of my ratings are positive, for several reasons:

1) The only albums I'll rate are those I've listened to from start to finish, and the albums I'm most likely to listen to completely are those that I know in advance I'll probably enjoy.

2) Grade inflation. I'm as susceptible as anyone else to the mentality: "I know that 2.5/5 (or 5/10) should represent 'average', but years of taking in music/game/film ratings mean I can't help perceiving that score as a negative one, so I'll think of 3/5 (or 7/10!) as the minimum score for anything worthwhile". It's a tendency I try to stay aware of, though.

3) I know some people say the best reviews to read and write are those that completely, mercilessly tear into things, but it's not really in me to be harsh enough for that! Some people have no qualms about immediately saying "This is awful - 1 out of 5!" but I'm more likely to think, "Well, it's not my thing, but I've heard enough people praising it that it's probably my taste at fault rather than the music... maybe I'd like it if I heard it a bit more or had its appeal explained to me... so for now let's say a neutral rather than a negative score: 2.5/5."