I expect music bloggers and critics to be fans. Not music industry shills, or worse: SEOs.
Now that I have that out of my chest, let me cite SOMB, or the Sound Opinions Message Board (a backgrounder from their Wikipedia entry), a forum, I re-discovered lately while making my 2009 music list.
You know you’re dealing with dead-serious fans with thread titles like:
Thread where I listen to every Fall album
Is there a more perfect love song than Willie Nelson’s ‘Always On My Mind’?
why is every Lady Gaga song straight popular music fire?
101 songs from 1983 I Think You Should Hear
The last topic is a favorite. If you don’t get that, then you probably should have no business writing about modern music.