wewantourdarbyback
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NMEI despair sometimes, I really do. NME is supposed to be a magazine about new music, but it seems to have sunk to a level were they employ disgruntled teenagers who are willing to jump themselves onto the nearest bandwagon to get their articles read. Their website is hilarious, news is given to those bands that they 'like' at that point in time and god forbid something to have happened to a band they dislike.
This came to a head for me when I was checking their reviews of two albums from the past couple of years, in this case Keane's Perfect Symmetry and Travis previous album 'The Boy With no Name', I have to say that my life is worse of for reading these two displays of 'journalism' after trawling through the crap that had been passed off as a review. Opinions are steadfastly held and nothing is reviewed on its merits, sod the fact that 'Perfect Symmentry' is getting rave reviews from everyone else because it's a great album, or that 'The Boy With No Name' was a great return to form from a band that had gone through a troubled period, no, we'll just swear about it. In a wonderfull peice of well thought out journalism the 'reviewer' (and I use that term questionably) cannot think of anything else to say so fills the final quater of the report by having a go at Tim Rice-oxley (Keane's pianist and songwriter) for having a double barreled name. Seriously WTF? Has the world of music journalism outside of Q become so abysmal that no one can find a journalist with a GCSE in English anymore?
My one shred of comfort was taken from the good British public's scathing comments at the bottom of the article:
| Quote: | | This review is a sad reflection of what the NME has become, a publication that debunks anything popular, basing their reviews on how close a band is to the cocaine-snorting foul mouthed stereotype of the modern rockstar, rather than anything to do with tune or lyric. Should the fact that Keane went to public school matter? Does the fact that Tim Rice-Oxley has a double-barreled name make him a twat? Is it such an unspeakable sin to like music thats popular? The answer to all of these is a categorical No.To be honest, I dont think I could write a more succinct summary of what annoys me about NME these days than the first paragraph of this review, it makes me feel sick.Im not a massive Keane fan, but Id quite like to listen to the album, and from what ive heard its quite good. This review however says absolutely nothing about its musical content. It says that there are influences drawn from the 80s, but because Keane are posh that simply cant be cool. Im all for negative reviews, but seriously, they surely have to be based on the music rather than some grudge held by the reviewer on |
There is a hope for the world, but either NME change their ways and enter the modern world or realise they have no purpose anymore other than to appeal to the 'indie' music set who believe the rest of us are morons and snigger at others choice in music.
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halfaperson
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 Good post Darbs but did you seriously expect the NME to be sympathetic to those two bands and therefore would you or anybody else read a review in there without a massive salt supply. The NME has ALWAYS had that attitude to established bands who they believe have stagnated and don’t contribute to vibrant and constantly developing Indie Scene. They are only the opinions of the reviewer though mate, nowt to get so agitated about.
Personally I think Keane are ace and certainly wont be letting the NME persuade me otherwise. Not so much with the other chaps who I am in complete agreement with them on the matter but oh de ho.
The NME for me anyway is still the number one weekly when it comes to new bands and album reviews but you really have to apply some context. Try MOJO or Q. I get them all and they all have different views. Enjoyed the post though, splendid. I will enjoy reading your letter in the NME and their response 
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raveydavey
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| halfaperson wrote: |
Try MOJO or Q. |
Or Razzle 
To be fair, the general standard of musical journalism in this land had been down the toilet since the demise of Smash Hits....
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halfaperson
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The trouble is that the press, bands, agents and the biz in general all piss in the same pot so they are all in a big back scratching excersise. Any objectivity is rare and when it occurs you get rabid fans of these bands screaming it isnt fair
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wewantourdarbyback
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I never expected anything else, but that particular review disgusted me enough that I had to post about it.
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