I can’t decide which is stranger about this Slate article:
On the one hand, the author’s sweeping derision of Chris Martin, Nelly Furtado, Adam Levine and Gwen Stefani in the same breath as Linkin Park seems so preposterously anti-success as to make Pitchfork Media look mainstream. (Granted Maroon 5’s first album will likely serve as their only enjoyable one, but to write them off as Yanni-lite or Michael Bolton-esque? Please. Have you heard Five For Fighting? There are much better nominees for the ‘elevator music’ insult out there.) The author can enjoy metal all he likes (Korn? Really? They qualify as quality metal? Who is this guy?), but writing a popular song is a skill, not a scourage to overcome.
On the other hand, most of the Slate commenters seem to either agree that all Billboard hit bands suck or that rap sucks, neither of which are true and represent an asinine approach to life. What is strange to me, then, is that I enjoy the same information and perspective as such reactionary folk with such objectionable approaches to life.
I guess most important is that I just realized how much of a music and opinion snob I am, because articles like this really ruffle my feathers.