Rating System

Thumbs of Opinion
A Discussion of The Fairly Obvious

Thumbs Up/ Thumbs Down... Yeah, yeah, yeah... I know, you've seen the system done before. But, hey, it's one (two?) of those universal things. Most of us have thumbs and can relate to the concept, so I decided to stick with it.
The thing I want to point out here is that, of course, my thumbs favor my own personal biases, which may or may not jibe with your own. If there's a similarity, then great; we'll get along wonderfully and maybe you'll take home some new information you can use in your own world.

Two Thumbs Up... is Wondrous! Absolutely top notch composition, production and effect! A must-have for any ambient fan!
Unfortunately, I intend to be rather severe in handing out this grandest of prizes. The best and only the best, IMNSHO.

One Thumb Up... means Good! I recommend this to anyone, particularly fans of interesting, well-done ambient music. Everything works just fine and I like it lots! I hope to be passing out many of these.

No Thumbs... Not Bad... Not incredibly good either. For some reason or another, the work failed to grip me in quite the right way. Not everything pleases everyone, and I'll explain why this didn't do it for me. Maybe it will work for you though...

One Thumb Down... Not Good. Something is very lacking here, and I'll speak my mind about it. With any luck, I won't encounter too many discs of this variety, but when I do I'll let the public know.

Two Thumbs Down... Warning! Horrible! Stay Away! If I run into discs of this ilk, then shame on me for not having done my homework before buying. We definitely don't want too many of these, and in fact, have none yet.

Factors of Consideration:

Effect/Mood: The most important to me. Does the work touch me, enthrall me, transport me... or is it just background noise? Personally, I lean towards a darker mood over lighter.

Composition/Structure: The songs must hold my interest. A piece needn't be extraordinarily complex, nor is everything simplistic bad. Ambient does not equal boring. If it does, something is wrong. I prefer innovation and movement; repetition to no good effect annoys me.

Production/Mechanics: I judge the overall sound and consider whether we're dealing with a master's artful construction of sound, or some studio hack's slap-dash mixing effort. It should be well produced, but I don't like it if it sounds too slick either.

	Two Thumbs Up... is Wondrous! Absolutely top notch composition, production and effect! A must-have for any ambient fan! Unfortunately, I intend to be rather severe in handing out this grandest of prizes. The best and only the best, IMNSHO.
	One Thumb Up... means Good! I recommend this to anyone, particularly fans of interesting, well-done ambient music. Everything works just fine and I like it lots! I hope to be passing out many of these.
	No Thumbs... Not Bad... Not incredibly good either. For some reason or another, the work failed to grip me in quite the right way. Not everything pleases everyone, and I'll explain why this didn't do it for me. Maybe it will work for you though...
	One Thumb Down... Not Good. Something is very lacking here, and I'll speak my mind about it. With any luck, I won't encounter too many discs of this variety, but when I do I'll let the public know.
	Two Thumbs Down... Warning! Horrible! Stay Away! If I run into discs of this ilk, then shame on me for not having done my homework before buying. We definitely don't want too many of these, and in fact, have none yet.