10 Overrated Rock Music Albums Of The 2010s
Those so-called classics that have aged like milk.
The 2010s were a surprisingly vibrant time for rock music. After it seemed like the jig may finally be up for guitar bands in the fast moving noughties, the indefatigable lust for reckless riffs surfaced again. Promising bands of the last decade became world beaters, while venerable acts continued to deliver the goods.
In all the excitement, though, critics and fans alike couldn’t help but get carried away. With a decade or more’s distance, some of the records which quickly became canonised as modern greats don’t look nearly so fresh.
Not all of these are necessarily bad bands, or even bad records. They may be acts taking a strange new path that led to nothing, or worse, playing it safe and getting stale. From hype bands who now leave us scratching our heads, to misfires from quality groups trying to relight the fire, each of these albums got a lot of love that they maybe don’t quite merit.
Emotions run high, after all, when it comes to that rock and roll. Time hits all of us hard, but it has been particularly cruel on these records.
10. Idles - Joy As An Act Of Resistance
The European post-punk scene is exploding at the moment, with acts like Fontaines DC leading the charge for gloomy throwback rock. At the vanguard of the scene are Bristolians Idles, a band who make politically charged, commendably intentioned music that unfortunately always seems to take the path of least resistance.
They’re a blunt instrument of a band, with tracks like Danny Nedelko putting across a message of tolerance (good!) in the least nuanced, least creative manner possible (bad!). There are moments of real honesty, with singer Joe Talbot covering his own experiences of loss and bereavement, but more often than not Joy as an Act of Resistance paints with such broad, simple strokes that it feels like a lecture.
The record was praised by many for railing against toxic masculinity and bottled up feelings. There’s something to that, and music is obviously a fantastic tool for confronting one’s emotions. Unfortunately, when that’s achieved via tracks like Television, with its gruffly grunted “love yourself!” mantra, its scattergun approach loses some of its impact.