Strongly opinionated review of Kronos Quartet's latest, Neuvo. I haven't listened to it yet, so I'm prepared to give the benefit of the doubt to the reviewer that it does, indeed, suck. What struck me about the review, though, was this:

[T]hey never completely sold out to the point that their integrity could be doubted. That is, until now.

With the recently released Nuevo, a collection of mainly Mexican and Latin American tunes, the Kronos Quartet is no longer the same group of pioneers who warranted attention for their commitment to contemporary music and for their on-stage fire. They're a group of sonic clowns. And a hapless one at that.

Apparently, I'm supposed to believe that Kronos has completely lost it, because of one under-par recording. Are you kidding me? And are real critics still discussing whether a group has "sold out" or not?

It's reviews like this that make me glad I don't really have a critic's mindset - it must get so tiring being so damned sure of your opinions.