I used to use this site a lot more than I do. I still like it quite a bit - even if I came only for the writing it would be one of my most cherished corners of the internet. However, I don't see it or how I relate to it quite the same as I did, which is worth a brief writeup in this otherwise neglected space.

I find it interesting how much of my desire to shape my profile (ie, assign ratings) is driven by adherence to an image as a music listener. At least, this is the case if I'm not careful. I'm motivated to move certain albums 'up' or 'down', reserving higher assignments for more hallowed tunes that mean something to me in the abstract - namely, when I'm not actually listening to them. Yet, when I go to rate in the throes of a new listening experience I nearly always wish to award 4.5/5 stars - why would I throw a cool 3.0 at something that has me feeling alive? And yet, when I'm not listening - and when it seems these things shouldn't matter at all - I wish to revert to the traditional hierarchy. I suppose that's intuitive. What's more I find myself doing this so as to craft an image - I want you, reader, to find some meaning in what I'm doing here.

Hence the gluttony of albums residing at > 4.0. It is only in retrospect that I wish to move things down, to assign more value, and I'm trying to fight that urge, for whatever reason.

None of this feels calculated; in fact, it's only upon a little bit of introspection that these realizations emerge. I'd be surprised if most other users did not do this - what else could explain perfect bell curves, or 5,000 ratings with 0.1% assigned 5 stars? Surely your senses aren't that delineating (although I'm very interested if they are).

I mention all of this because it's not like I simply have some sort of calibration, and I think it's fascinating how we present these treasured, emotional things to ourselves and one another. Just a bit of musing. Which is all to really say (and to perversely play into this framework, or to try and cheat my own deviousness) that things rated 4.0 and above are all in similar league. They are recordings I reach for often, and the distance between items assigned to those scale points is not equal to those rated < 4.0. (Although that feels unfair, too; I just put the new Bedwetter album at 3.5 and it might be one of the best things I've ever heard).

I might add to this more later