What are "physical characteristics" in this case? Basically, anything about an album you can deduce by looking at it, as opposed to listening to it. This includes its title, the titles of its songs, or its cover art. As with the post about template albums, this is an idea I have been mulling over in my head for years but am just now deciding to post online. For example:
•"Neither"☹albums tend to have "outrageous" titles. By "outrageous" I mean that, in the case of titles, they are words or phrases that people don't usually use, often because they aren't real words at all. (Ex. Willennium by Will Smith, Screamadelica by Primal Scream) This often also involves relatively long album titles. (Ex. White Light White Heat White Trash by Social Distortion, One Eye on the Future One Eye on the Past by Rossy, All Balls Don't Bounce by Aceyalone)
•Sometimes the track names on an album will seem to "fit" the grade Christgau gives it for reasons that are easily felt, at least to me, but a lot harder to explain in detail. Let's just say that when I look at the tracklist of an album like this, knowing the grade Christgau gave it, I intrinsically think the grade fits perfectly. Examples: Chinese Democracy by Guns 'n' Roses (B+), Folie a Deux by Fall Out Boy (B-), Humbug by the Arctic Monkeys (B), and Them Crooked Vultures' self-titled 2009 album (also B-).
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