Rock in 2011

Did you read this NYT piece when it came out last month? I’m surprised I’m still thinking about it these weeks later.

It’s a year-end retrospective on how bad big-label rock was in 2011, and it’s just awful. Not because it’s wrong — of course it’s too bad that Sublime with Rome is filling the airwaves with Sublime-lite filler, and of course it would likely be difficult to listen to the new Nickelback album from start to finish. But who with a vested interest in music in 2012 would have the bad sense to check in with Nickelback to see how they’re getting along?

The author cites “bands well past their sell-by date” like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Limp Bizkit, R.E.M., and Sum 41, as further evidence of the decline, forgetting that expired bands have been with us forever, and we have been ignoring them for just as long.

As Dan from Brussels puts it, “This year gave us terrific records from Wilco, the Decemberists, Radiohead, Adele, Bon Iver, M83, Cee-Lo, Beyoncé, and Jay-Z & Kanye among many, many others — and you’re sitting here bemoaning the fact that Nickelback and friends are making boring music? Please.”

“Yes, the center is rotting,” Elizabeth from Illinois says. “But the fringes are increasingly important in the world of rock music. In a world of globalization, the internet, and the arguable decline of major labels, is it wise to dismiss alternative and indie music as the fringe? In my eyes, ‘fringe’ artists ARE the new center.” Should Elizabeth really have to say this as if the year is 1999?

One of the easiest things a struggling newspaper (every newspaper) can do is hire good critics who are paying close attention to culture. Not radio culture — actual culture. They will do it for cheap or for free, just for the cred. The Times is better than this.