The NME Poll

Here’s an interesting story from Londonist. They suggest that the NME’s list of best albums of the year has in some way been doctored. There is then a healthy debate in the comments section of the article on the validity of the claims and of the NME in general.

For me personally NME went downhill a few years ago, losing what objectivity it had and instead dropping to the feet of any band they decided to revere. I think the death knell sounded when they began ‘The Critics’ and featured their writers in much too posed for photographs. When all the music writers on a paper think that the predominant reason people read their magazine is for them and not the bands is the time to stop taking them seriously. As far as I can see nowadays it’s become Smash Hits for Students.

For example the recent new single by The Strokes was trumpeted by the hyperbolic headline ‘The Strokes are back with the single that changes everything…again.’ What they were actually back with was a dirge of a record unlistenable after about 3 plays and hardly a step forward from their 2001 debut.

The Fast Show once did a really good parody of a music show that I always thought was just what the NME was all about with a ‘cool’ looking Simon Day introducing a blousy indie band by shouting “Everything you know is wrong…here’s Colon!’

There’s a Boycott the NME site which raises a few good points though it’s not been updated in a year.