critically overrated music

[courts]

because tnf and me were chatting about this awhile ago

off the top of my head:

the hold steady - what... this sounds like some awful '70s tribute band. just atrocious

mountain goats - sorry, i know a bunch of people are going to go ballistic but this kind of baffles me. grating vocals, little else to make up for it. frankly kind of generic in spots. 2/10 would not pirate

magnetic fields - monotonous vocals, often pretentious and half-baked concept albums (69 etc.), overly clever.

morrissey - diaf

[TNF]

Macklemore

[courts]

semi dishonorable mention:

any of the various twee bands that inspired people/hanger ons like kurt cobain (i don't think he's overrated ftr)

[courts]

Macklemore

jesus christ this, so hard. send to russia plz

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Most everything by Led Zeppelin

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Macklemore

jesus christ this, so hard. send to russia plz

A truly awful rapper (though Ryan Lewis isn't too bad).

[Oakvale]

The Clash.

[bedstuy]

because tnf and me were chatting about this awhile ago

off the top of my head:

the hold steady - what... this sounds like some awful '70s tribute band. just atrocious

mountain goats - sorry, i know a bunch of people are going to go ballistic but this kind of baffles me. grating vocals, little else to make up for it. frankly kind of generic in spots. 2/10 would not pirate

magnetic fields - monotonous vocals, often pretentious and half-baked concept albums (69 etc.), overly clever.

morrissey - diaf

I agree with all of these.  And Macklemore is nothing special.  I don't know if Macklemore's success is because of white racism though.  I think his "socially conscious" lyrics, sales and cuteness all factor in.  He's a more attractive artist to someone who never listens to hip-hop music, especially since Kendrick Lamar's used the B-word on one of his song titles.  A lot of the music industry isn't music based and never was. 

For me, definitely a lot of indie rock/ contemporary college rock is overrated, in that it's soporific and inaccessible to people who like melody and decent vocals.  But, the most blatantly overrated artist I can think of is Michael Jackson.  I really enjoy about 4-5 of his songs, much of the rest is so-so, self-indulgent and bland.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

I liked Macklemore a lot back when The Heist was first released and no one had heard of him. Then his stuff was way overplayed and I stopped really liking it. There are songs on his album that are good that never get played though (White Walls, etc.), and I tend to still enjoy them.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

I agree with all of these.  And Macklemore is nothing special.  I don't know if Macklemore's success is because of white racism though.  I think his "socially conscious" lyrics, sales and cuteness all factor in. 

Kanye is far more socially conscious than Macklemore, the latter has just taken on an issue that's basically safe (especially in 2013/14) and devoted a third of said song to insisting he wasn't gay. Meanwhile, actual intelligent lyrics about the systematic racism that pervades America today are rejected by the Grammy committee.

[Dr. Cynic]

All of today's music sucks.

[bedstuy]

I agree with all of these.  And Macklemore is nothing special.  I don't know if Macklemore's success is because of white racism though.  I think his "socially conscious" lyrics, sales and cuteness all factor in. 

Kanye is far more socially conscious than Macklemore, the latter has just taken on an issue that's basically safe (especially in 2013/14) and devoted a third of said song to insisting he wasn't gay. Meanwhile, actual intelligent lyrics about the systematic racism that pervades America today are rejected by the Grammy committee.

I think Macklemore has pretty uninteresting lyrics, but homophobia is still a major issue, particularly in the hip-hop and black community.  Plus, his music is just safer and more wholly positive.  There's a reason why he's perceived as more of a politically aware artist.

I like Kanye's music, but he does throw around the N-word and he's a fairly misogynist and materialistic in his lyrics.  I don't see how he has much of a social conscience outside of protesting for Kanye West's rights.

[Paul Kemp]

I think a majority of Kanye's music actually addresses social issues, just not his singles (for obvious reasons). It may not be as obvious as Macklemore but it's there. Obviously Kanye is more abrasive about it, which I suppose may be why some people are turned off to it. This is a good recent example.

[traininthedistance]

The Hold Steady is one of my favorite bands, or at least they were back when they still had a keyboard player.  Ain't embarrassed to admit that.  Yeah, their sound is a complete ripoff of '70s classic rock... but I like '70s classic rock.

You know what?  I agree with you 100 percent on the Mountain Goats, Magnetic Fields, and Morrissey.  Can't stand 'em.

The most overrated band of all time, of course, is the Sex Pistols.  

[Sol]

I like the Magnetic Fields to a certain extent, although, for 69 Love Songs at least, there is about a 3:1 crap-to greatness ratio. But the greatness is awesome.

[Clarko95 📚💰📈]

I never got the thing behind Justin Timberlake.

I agree with all of these.  And Macklemore is nothing special.  I don't know if Macklemore's success is because of white racism though.  I think his "socially conscious" lyrics, sales and cuteness all factor in.

Kanye is far more socially conscious than Macklemore, the latter has just taken on an issue that's basically safe (especially in 2013/14) and devoted a third of said song to insisting he wasn't gay. Meanwhile, actual intelligent lyrics about the systematic racism that pervades America today are rejected by the Grammy committee.

No, actually homophobia is still huge in the US and across the world.. There aren still kids killing themselves, being thrown out, running away, suffering depression, being put through gay conversion therapy, and beaten and taunted on a daily basis anymore, or the whole gay marriage thing raging right now here in the US.

Overseas people are still put to death for being gay, and Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa are going the opposite way in gay rights(they used to just be ignored, now they are actively persecuted). 


Some of us who are living through the above appreciate Same Love, rather than appreciating Kanye's misogyny and stupidity which poisons his work.

[Gass3268]

Beyonce, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift.

[Mopsus]

You know, in order for a band to qualify as "overrated", it must first be highly rated by someone who isn't a casual...

I could go with the obvious answer to the OP and say The Beatles, but The Beatles are actually good, so I think that I'll say Joy Division this time.

[tmthforu94]

Beyonce, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift.

What out, Miles is coming for you...


Taylor Swift is pretty overrated - that's all I can think of. Maybe Bruno Mars.

[Lief 🗽]

Mountain Goats is horrible. The guy's voice is so, so bad. I don't understand how people can get past that.

[morgieb]

Are Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry etc. actually rated by most people, or are just well-known?

[traininthedistance]

Are Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry etc. actually rated by most people, or are just well-known?

A lot of people posting this thread have overlooked that it's asking about CRITICALLY overrated music and consequently missing the mark badly. The Sex Pistols is a very good answer (although one for which the critical tide has begun to turn). So are Radiohead, The Clash, and Led Zeppelin.

Sticking to recent stuff - because I think that almost all music recorded prior to the mid '90s that hasn't faded from the collective memory is at least somewhat overrated - I'd add a few more:

M.I.A.
Vampire Weekend
Drake
Kanye West

...actually, I had a few others in mind, but that's probably enough that I'll need to hide for a while.

Do the critics really like Led Zep?  I know they didn't like 'em too much back when they were active; sure they get plenty of hagiography now but I suspect that's more a function of their historical popularity and importance more than critical taste.

I'll admit to liking Zep and Radiohead, though the critical slobbering over Kid A is certainly... less than warranted.  But I feel like saying that is less a brag and more an admission that my tastes are in many ways really kind of pedestrian and whitebread.

[Knives]

The Beatles, John Lennon.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

The Beatles, John Lennon.

[7,052,770]

I suppose that gushing over Led Zeppelin is limited to certain circles? I'm not sure who to look toward as a guide to what is the critical mainstream when opinion is divided. Especially when it comes to historical acts.

I think critics are pretty united in their acclaim for Led Zeppelin:
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/led-zeppelin-mn0000139026/discography