See, to me
there are two types of music; honest and cynical.

I'm not a massive fan of any of your targets but I really feel like I have to defend people when I think they are making (or have largely made) honest music. Some of what you're saying seems to be judging the value of music on the basis of who's people buying it, rather than the music itself and that doesn't sit with me.

I do see where you're going, but your reasons for being angry about these bands aren't (purely) musical (though you're obviously more than entitled to think they are musically shit as well). The main reason I say this is because of your inclusion of KoL and The Feeling in the category. The Feeling are a pop band, pure and simple. They write unashamedly pop songs, they do it well. They're exactly what they say on the tin. Honest. Yeah they look a bit "Indie", but musically they just aren't and never have been. T'ent my bag, but it makes perfect sense to me that they're popular and the quality of their songs musically is such that I'm glad they are. They write honest music. The record buying public could, and does, do far worse.

On KoL it seems to me that you've included them just cos they're rocky and overplayed. Sure be pissed off at them, but be so because of the machine that has used Sex on Fire to turn them into a boy band. I'm less sure with them because I don't know their recent music very well but I can't see evidence to show that they set out to cash in on the record buying masses - they just did what they do and the machine and hordes of sheeple latched on eventually. Honest not cynical. I think the Killers fall into this category too to some extent.

The rest, to different extents, lazy, average, cynical. You can pull them to pieces on many fronts immediately. Personally I don't like them because they are musically (and I mean musically, not because of "sound", "image" or anything like that) derivative. I personally see no need for them. But they're the musical equivalent of fast food and I eat fast food. I'm a musical epicurian, not a gastronomic one. Some people just aren't into music. That's who those bands are for. Personally I don't have a problem with that.

Music is awesome. It always has been and always will be. You just have to work to find the good honest music. Its no worse now than it ever has been. You're just going to have to look harder and its going to get worse as the industry goes down the pan financially and they can only focus on the hypercommercial money makers.

Or you can just complain that you don't like what everyone else (who doesn't want to work for their music, latches onto what they are force fed, probably because they are more into other things, or yes maybe they're just shallow) likes.

Personally music is important enough to me that I work to try to decide if I like it rather than hate it immediately because lots of other people like it. Its just as bad as only liking what you hear / see because everyone else likes it - you're letting other people dictate your taste. And predominantly the exact people you're trying to dissassociate from.

But then that was the question. Essay over.
( Throat And Ice Pie I see dem tatties dere., Fri 16 Oct 2009, 12:43, Reply)