rankings

A-Tier

At the upper end, these are basically S ranked with a little something missing. Maybe I don’t vibe with the lyrics, or one of their albums didn’t impress, or whatever it may be- they just haven’t quite crossed over yet. At the lower end I would at least generally say I like the music and trust the artist to keep making music I like; the main thing I think about when determining if an artist gets into the A-Tier is if I feel like I like the artist, and not just some of their music. I have to really like it, yes, and there also has to be some extra touch, some part of me that feels a connection.

TLDR, I really like it, and I like them.

B-Tier

The distinction in my head between “am a fan” and ‘like them but am not a fan” is largely that in the case of the artists I am a fan of (A- and above), I’m saying I like the artist. For B-Tier artists I’m saying I like the music, or some of it, or parts of it, but I don’t necessarily trust the artist to be putting out music I’ll like all the time.
Admittedly, these lower rankings are kinda messy- by definition, they’re mostly artists that I didn’t super care about upon initially listening to them. But I’m working on it. Oftentimes the entire B-range can act as a sort of holding room for artists I’m not yet sure of. Both those with potential for an A given time, or those I fear I’ll give up on and drop to a D.

TLDR, I mostly like it, but I’m not able to fully commit to liking them.

C-Tier

These artists aren’t bad, and I don’t even necessarily not like them. I like The War on Drugs, I think Phoebe Bridgers is a vibe. Sometimes being C-Tier can mean a general low level of quality, yes, but it more often just means there is some irreconcilable detail. The theme, the mood, the length of song, something, is too much for me to really enjoy the artist, even if there are lots of things about them I appreciate. In other words, these are the disappointments- the artists that I had high hopes for who in some way I feel let me down.

TLDR, I want to like these artists more than I do.

D-Tier

The D-tier is where I put artists that I’m just… thoroughly unimpressed by. It still doesn’t mean they’re bad or I dislike them, it just means they’ve landed on the wrong side of my indifference. Too repetitive, too uninspired, too… meh. Too meh. It’s not uncommon for artists to go from B- to D+ as I realize that what I thought I mostly liked fine enough is actually something I’ve just been tolerating.

TLDR, I don’t like these artists.

F-Tier

I don’t like the music here. There’s not necessarily anything wrong with it, but there’s also not necessarily not anything wrong it. Multiple irreconcilable factors, many things I can’t forgive or look past. Definitely not to my taste.

TLDR, I dislike these artists.