"Now that you've made it past the abrasive and shocking title of the article, you're thinking one thing: "Oh no, some pretentious indie-kid is going to barrage me with buzz-bands from atop his vapid pretention-horse." Well Sir or Madam, valid concern. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably think I'm a bastard for writing this article, too. But the thing is, there's a musical epidemic on par with skin cancer or HPV afoot in America.
Although this article could be tossed aside as arrogant condescension by some, I argue that that logic is flawed. There's some music (everything in the first bracket below, for example) that is so utterly soulless and evil that it can no longer be considered a preference. It's objectively bad. If scientists were able to conduct studies, the elements of Danity Kane would neighbor the elements found in cyanide. It transcends debate. Opinions are nonfactors. Certain acts are certifiably awful. And the real crime is - unlike cyanide - huge portions of the U.S. population actively digest these artists and spend money to obtain them.
The system starts with an abortion of a band or artist that's inexplicably popular. From there, the reader is directed to a moderately decent act that is accessible and safe. It's a life preserver. At this point, the reader can wade into safer and less toxic water, finally arriving at "good" artists (third bracket). I tried to use contemporary artists and I picked artists that are universally respected; this is not just me transcribing my iTunes.
