Hyped by the press acts you never understood

[thelittlemango]

Every week I used to get Kerrang magazine on the way to school and religiously read their reviews, if it got 4K's or above then it was straight on my to-buy list and I started saving my money. This led to a bunch of situations where they'd given prestigious 5K scores to albums alongside endless coverage which propelled the hype in my head and meant I NEEDED to have it.

Unfortunately what happened a bunch of times was the album was dogshit (or just not to my taste more likely) and yet when their next album came out the hype train started and I gave them another go and once more flushed my money down the shitter or begged Virgin Megastore to give me a refund. This happened with Monster Magnet (frequent cover stars), Buck Cherry, anything involving any members of the Wild Hearts as well as a few curveballs such as Dog Toffee (Kerrang brainwashed me to such an extent I could look past the name).

Which artists/bands/whatever did you ultimately find underwhelming, shit or confused by after being hyped to death in specific magazines, radio shows, scenes etc.?

[Video Game Fan 2000]

tune yards

[dontpaintyourteeth]

Franz Ferdinand
The Libertines
Campag Velocet
The Vines
Turin Brakes
Terris

[The Crumb]

The current crop of post-punkish bands where it's a bunch of dismal lads and some really affected vocals - Squid, Black Midi, BCNR etc.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

The current crop of post-punkish bands where it's a bunch of dismal lads and some really affected vocals - Squid, Black Midi, BCNR etc.

Seconded. The music is usually perfectly alright but the second the vocals kick in... nope

[Pauline Walnuts]

I wouldn't say BC,NR look like a set of 'Dismal Lads'

[Cuellar]

Where is the music press these days?

[thelittlemango]

Where is the music press these days?

I think nowadays it's whatever the specialist shows + festivals + general website consensus it saying, rather than specific outlets that people are reading cover to cover.

For this thread I was looking for more specific experiences, where a magazine or radio show or whatever kept hammering something you didn't quite get, despite being a fan of the genre. Would love it if there was a jazz or classical equivalent someone experienced similar to my experiences with Kerrang's metal reviews.

[kalowski]

'Dismal lads'

It's a shame Ed Miliband left his music career behind to concentrate on politics.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

https://www.nme.com/news/music/terris-3-1386811

Imagine reading this and then hearing their music

[Fr.Bigley]

Ellie Goulding is complete shite isn't she. Same tedious output, same god awful voice and generally get the feeling she's a twat in person.. never got her appeal, whoever does her lip fillers deserves a pride of Britain award.

And she's a posho innit. Married to some posho arsehole at that place royals get married in.


In the bin.

[The Crumb]

Does The Fall on this website count?

[studpuppet]

Is the young lady in the red shirt scratching his left nipple for him?

[peteprodge]

6music, please stop trying to make Afrobeat happen. It's some wailing over some random notes. Just kick off Gilles Peterson off the playlist committee, problem solved.

[sutin]

Radiohead. Always in 'best ever' lists, actually bland and boring as all fuck.

[willbo]

Every week I used to get Kerrang magazine on the way to school and religiously read their reviews, if it got 4K's or above then it was straight on my to-buy list and I started saving my money. This led to a bunch of situations where they'd given prestigious 5K scores to albums alongside endless coverage which propelled the hype in my head and meant I NEEDED to have it.

Unfortunately what happened a bunch of times was the album was dogshit (or just not to my taste more likely) and yet when their next album came out the hype train started and I gave them another go and once more flushed my money down the shitter or begged Virgin Megastore to give me a refund. This happened with Monster Magnet (frequent cover stars), Buck Cherry, anything involving any members of the Wild Hearts as well as a few curveballs such as Dog Toffee (Kerrang brainwashed me to such an extent I could look past the name).

Which artists/bands/whatever did you ultimately find underwhelming, shit or confused by after being hyped to death in specific magazines, radio shows, scenes etc.?

I loved Monster Magnet. It always broke my heart that they never became the big thing despite Kerrang pushing them so much. I feel like, looking back, they were trying to stop nu metal or at least promote more classic-sounding stuff they liked. Rock Sound was always obsessively pushing stoner rock and Buck Cherry too. I guess with the rise of QOTSA they got their wish.

I remember rock sound making Australian grunge band silverchair's "neon ballroom" one of their albums of the year, I nearly got it but never got round to it

[ajsmith2]

https://www.nme.com/news/music/terris-3-1386811

Imagine reading this and then hearing their music

Crazy to think that was written 2 years after this aired:

[Joe Qunt]

The Libertines

Disagree vehemently. The Libertines are great.

6music, please stop trying to make Afrobeat happen. It's some wailing over some random notes. Just kick off Gilles Peterson off the playlist committee, problem solved.

Disagree stupendously. Afrobeat - and the confusingly named yet distinct Afrobeats - is deadly.

[willbo]

fontaines dc, nothing against them but i got a bit sick of the songs on bbc6

[Hex Triplet]

.

[thelittlemango]

I loved Monster Magnet. It always broke my heart that they never became the big thing despite Kerrang pushing them so much. I feel like, looking back, they were trying to stop nu metal or at least promote more classic-sounding stuff they liked. Rock Sound was always obsessively pushing stoner rock and Buck Cherry too. I guess with the rise of QOTSA they got their wish.

Yeah that sounds about right, I think Monster Magnet and Buck Cherry seemed so American that I couldn't really connect with their music. A kind of sound that I didn't see here very much but that seemed to do really well over there and so maybe didn't have the reference points to appreciate it at the time. The only stoner rock that Kerrang recommended that I liked was Fu Manchu, it seemed much more down to earth and MTV used to hammer their videos relentlessly late at night.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

Disagree vehemently. The Libertines are great.

You don't have to agree. The question was "acts you never understood", not "acts that are bad"

[Famous Mortimer]

Does The Fall on this website count?

Ooh, the fucking Cardiacs too

[Famous Mortimer]

https://www.nme.com/news/music/terris-3-1386811

Imagine reading this and then hearing their music

However, this week's cover stars simply reckon: "We make records because we have to. We are compelled. We have no choice". Sounds interesting?

Yahoo Music described it as "underflavoured, bland stodge"...Disappointing sales led to them being dropped in December of that year. The band split up shortly afterwards.

[Chicory]

'Dismal lads in bands' is definitely a thing.  Most of them look scruffy and beardy as fuck, even if they are talented.  When did bands stop making an effort?  Is it a posh thing?

[dontpaintyourteeth]

Famous Mortimer- yeah they sank without trace within about five seconds of their album coming out (but nme still gave it 8/10)

[earl_sleek]

Idles - competent punk at best (and that's being very generous), but they're hired like they're the new Pistols

Arlo Parks - too boring even to fall asleep to. Bloodless

[The Crumb]

I wouldn't say BC,NR look like a set of 'Dismal Lads'

Best Skins cast eva, like if u agree

[Icehaven]

However, this week's cover stars simply reckon: "We make records because we have to. We are compelled. We have no choice". Sounds interesting?

I'm sure I read an almost identical comment by either Tony Wilson or a music journalist about Joy Division in a book or magazine ages ago. I don't know what Terris sound like but I'm going to assume it isn't Joy Division.

[dr beat]

Edit: deleted