5.0 stars - Personal dreamland! I love everything they talk about/sing about/think about.
4.5 stars - Personal favorites. Singular & indescribable. Outrageous ideas, personalities...shortcomings!

4.0 stars - Best records ever. Distinctive, imaginative, something we can all agree on (I think/hope).
3.5 stars - Exceptional, vital records. Some parts are better than others, perhaps, but genre classics nonetheless.

3.0 stars - Some outstanding tracks, some more typical of the style/era/schema. Worth checking out for fans of the genre.
2.5 stars - I should like this!/Should I like this? To remain in record purgatory (until next time).

2.0 stars - A few standouts, but kinda blah. Not bad, but tedious, incongruous. Still worth hearing/comping.
1.5 stars - One or two tracks are interesting, but overall it isn't my thing. Comp it/sell it/give it away.

1.0 star - Outside the single/title track/centerpiece there's nothing here. For die-hards, completists, sodomites.
0.5 star - Poor quality aside, the artist/record/motive isn't worth supporting (in my opinion).

3.5 and above: favorite albums; 3.0 and below: favorite songs (of varying quality).

I'm drawn to demos, botched masterpieces, first/last attempts & accidental successes. I like to think of an album as a game of Telephone: by the time an idea is worked down the line its original intent may be interpreted differently, if not lost completely. Perhaps this is better in some cases, if we're talking refinement over a rough sketch. But eight times out of ten I'd rather hear an earnest somewhat inept record with personal charm & purpose than a detached collaborative effort far removed from its source. Any recommendations of the former are welcome!