My rating system is skewed somewhat negative. Below is an explanation of what each star rating indicates for me. If a rating of mine bothers you, then you fundamentally do not understand music or art itself and should reflect on what music means to you and why you feel the way you do about the music you love. What does it say about you? Why do you care what some anonymous person thinks? Why would you ascribe in me the power of tastemaker? These albums are here for us to consume as we please and take from them what we want. I'm the guy making his fifth trip up to the buffer, grease stains on my shirt, covered in crumbs. I consume and don't give back, this is a record of my experiences.

0.5 and 1.0 stars are the only two star ratings that indicate a negative overall feeling towards an album. I just didn't like it and there were no real positives to the listening experience. A 0.5 indicates a purely negative reaction; 1.0 means I could conceivably see the artist/band doing something at some point I'd want to hear.

A 1.5 means I felt nothing. I can't say anything bad about it to be honest, but I may as well have used my time some other way. Sometimes I hear music and this there's something impressive about it but just don't really want to keep listening.

A 2.0 is basically a 1.5 that I wanted to like more. I heard something there but it was overwhelmed by a lot of music that did nothing for me; or else was a nugget of worthwhile music buried in a work that was overall tedious. A lot of 2.0s are boring albums with one or two songs I like, or maybe an album I didn't care for but with a remarkably talented bandmember.

A 2.5 would have struck me as enjoyable in some way and is an album I would definitely listen to again, but it probably wouldn't be a high priority for me to return to.

A 3.0 is an album I enjoyed and will listen again. These albums tend to stay on my radar, at least for a bit.

A 3.5 is an album I enjoyed and will listen again soon and repeatedly. There was something special there and I'm going to revisit periodically.

A 4.0 is the highest score I tend to give an album on first listen. It means I truly loved it. I probably listened to it for about a week straight and if I kept it at a 4.0, there probably isn't a month that goes by when I don't at least think of it.

4.5s and 5.0s are usually given after a good amount of time with an album. They become 4.5s if I love them and that love endures. They become 5.0s when I realize I have periodic needs to listen to them.

I sometimes rate an album after one listen. I see this site as a place for me to document my thoughts and impressions; I'm not a critic and I'm not concerned with being "fair" to bands/artists. No careers will be made or broken by me nor should they. I often revisit albums, even ones I rated very low, and sometimes revise my ratings. I am aware that there are real genre biases in my ratings.