For a while now, I have rejected all review submissions with programmed drums. The problem is/was that the majority sounded like high quality demos rather than legitimate releases. Now I am aware that drums are expensive and a “real” recording studio is also expensive, but I think you do get what you pay for in life.

But the problem with my stance was that I would miss out on some gems here and there. Plus I love bands that use drum machines from time to time. So it became obvious that I was being a hypocrite. Granted, I don’t NEED more albums to review. You have no idea just how much music is being made until you start a website like this and effectively open the flood gates.

So yes, I’ve been overwhelmed. One way to deal with that was to put up false barriers to limit the flow. But again, that seems unfair at best. Why start a review website and then bitch and moan that you are getting music to review? It wasn’t making sense to me.

The core of the issue for me is that I have spent all of my years prior to doing these reviews by finding the music myself. Part of my love of music was the discovery of new music. The key to that discovery was my own exploration. I need to find the music. With music sites, the music comes to you which is against what I am used to happening. I was getting annoyed with it and I couldn’t figure out why.

The time I had for my own exploration was being limited by the amount of music coming toward me. Imagine yourself in a stream and the water is calm. It’s much easier to move when the water is still. Then imagine you are going against a current. You allow the current to take you places but you miss being able to decide your own direction versus constantly being taken places by that current.

But who the fuck am I to complain? I am lucky enough that people want to share their creative efforts with me. So yes, more hypocrisy? Maybe so and in that case, once again I need to give everyone a break and stop being a dick! And here is the revised text:

“I am accepting releases with programmed drums BUT nothing can replace a REAL drummer. So more than likely I will reject a submission with programmed drums unless it offers something “special.” An example would be Wisdom of Crowds, Ulver or using a drum machine as just that rather than trying to fool anyone to think it was a real drummer.”