The Beat Surrender

OK it’s well documented on these pages that i’m not a fan of the NME and haven’t been for a few years, but i’m willing to give an album they release a fair review based on the music itself and the reasoning behind it.

The latter part of that statement kind of tells you where the problem lays for me with this release, the majority of the tracks are decent so it’s not the actual music, it’s more the pointless waste of an opportunity that they have passed up, instead opting for commercial success.

The NME could have redeemed themselves by at least mixing up a high percentage of this compilations mainstream artists with some really good up and coming bands that would have welcomed the additional exposure, instead they’ve trotted out the big guns and given us a kind of ‘indie chart botherers run down of 2009’.

Ok so you could argue that Danananananaykroyd, Annimal Collective, Marmaduke Duke, Howling Bells (just) and Golden Silvers aren’t mainstream acts, but Little Boots, The Prodigy, Paramore, The Enemy, Maximo park, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Muse, Kasabian, Temper Trap, Franz Ferdinand and Manic Street Preachers are one of many mainsteam acts that have the labels patronage on this release.

Disappointing, or at least it would be if I had any expectations left of brand NME.