[Glice]

I'm with Mr Drone on this one. I still buy a lot of albums because of reviews. Even with mp3s widespread proliferation, I can't always find songs by bands I'm interested in online. Not everyone has a myspace, and not everyone uploads their entire record collection for their slsk friends. In some sense I hate critics, but in others I pity them. I couldn't listen to hundreds of different records a week and keep tabs and pick out the diamonds from the dross. That's why I buy magazines, to pay whichever poor sod has already listened to lots of records. It's important that you find hacks who you know you can trust - a few of the Wire chaps are fantastic for this. For every dross album I've picked up from a Wire review, I've picked up at least five outstanding records. Furthermore, hacks are part of the promo of a record. At its worst, it's revolting and self-serving (NME). At its best (rare) it can let you know about a band you simply wouldn't find in the daily run of things, or think about investigating. I never heard SY on the radio, I picked up ATL because of a review (in the NME at that), and there are countless other bands for whom I could say the same.