These thoughts may seem obvious to some and may strike a chord with others.

When I first found out about Metacritic two years ago, it really was one of those ideas that was just crying out for someone to utilise it, and I'm glad it's been done so well. I really thought it would be the perfect way to find out about new films and music etc. and for quite a while, I had a high opinion of the metascores as a gauge for the actual quality of a film.

After referring to the site on a regular basis for a couple of years my opinion on reviews in general have just plummeted!

No offence to the site itself, if it wasn't for my faith in the weighting of the metascores, I wouldn't be so disillusioned.

Reviewers either approach their reviews from the perspective of whether their looking for originality or just quality. So many reviews just dismiss something for not taking 'music to the next step' or something and others praise hugely a sports game that's just the annual reworking of the previous year's effort.

Having all these reviews in such a central place with easy scrutinising shows how inconsistent some of these reviewers are. Almost every review seems to have a hidden agenda, whether a personal experience with the makers of the product being reviewed or in the case of much anticipated new releases, giving extreme positive or negative reviews just to be noticed.

Even some of the better reviewers, such as The Onion AV Club seem to focus on a relatively small catchment of bands angling their review almost as an advert for artists that they may personally find interesting.

The Icarus Line's new album is another good example. Glowing reviews all round, with some accepting it's lack of innovation and embracing the great songs, and some putting a comparision with Nirvana's Nevermind.

Anyway, I'm sure this post is a bit muddled since I've written it train of thought style, but hopefully some points are recognisable!

I think (no matter how much they try not to be) that every reviewer is biased in one way or another. Metacritic has given me the chance to familiarize myself with many critics' different preferences and personalities. I think it is important to take this knowledge and use it along with the metascore to determine whether something is right for you.

Critics don't determine what is good and what isn't. They simply use their opinions to try and help you decide. In the end it's up to you.

"There is no such thing as right and wrong, there's just popular opinion." - Jeffrey Goines(Brad Pitt) from the film 12 Monkeys

Slacker Morgan,

I'm responding to The Icarus Line comment. I have no reason to think anything good about them but my actual heart and soul. Follow them to wherever they lead because it won't be to BS-land or oblivion.

Well said, Mark f, you are truly a cunning linguist.

Critics shouldnt dictate what you should like or not like, though there is more music in the world than Ill ever be able to listen to so it is nice to have a guide.

I guess my original post can't have been very clear, which is understandable now I re-read it.

I've never taken critics word as gospel. I've disagreed with far more reviews than I've agreed with, but I do like to find out about music from others, whether people I meet on my travels or people paid to listen to music all of the time. I know there are politics involved now, and I don't follow critic recommendations as much anymore, just stick to random sources of inspiration.