More than half of participating Exclaim! writers picked the Strokes as Biggest Hype, without necessarily thinking it unwarranted.
Yes, they can pump out the tunes but even the Beatles weren't as good as people said they were. Cam Lindsay
The promise of free Leafs tickets wouldn't have generated as long a line-up as the one stretching down Queen Street prior to a recent Strokes performance at the Horseshoe Tavern. Indeed, the band is solid and their new CD rocks, but neither entity can possibly live up to the second-coming-style billing. Chuck Molgat
There's no escaping the hype and if they don't save rock'n'roll they'll be lynched. Dan Cohen
Them NYC lackies shoulda gone to singin' and songwritin' school, not prep school. Jon Bartlett
Not completely without reason. Lorraine Carpenter
Well deserved hype (though they're careful to call it buzz'). Damn those guys can rock and remain so cool and disinterested at the same time. Marc Roy
How could it be anyone else? But for once, they are actually worth most of the fuss. Michael Edwards
By now, more has been written about the hype around this band than the actual music itself, which makes sense: once the layers of standard bandwagonesque hype-mongering are stripped back, there's not much there except a bunch of dull New Yorkers in nice leather jackets who seemingly haven't listened to anything since 1976. Rob Bolton
I do like them a lot regardless. Sean Palmerston
Other Big Hype:
The new Slayer. Lots of talk for a band that hasn't written a good album in ten years. Chris Gramlich
Anthrax: their name's everywhere! Eric Hill
Drum triggers. Having drums sound like keyboards is not a good idea. Take a step back and listen again, death metallers. If your kit sounds like the last Krisiun album, you're in deep trouble. Greg Pratt
Click-Dub/Glitch-no
Many click-dub and glitch-no recordings were released this year from both established and indie labels. Not all the material was impressive, rather the bulk of new recordings appeared more of a response to a trend rather than music that just happened to be in the click-dub/glitch vein. Some gems did shine through the clutter and dust of mediocrity, however, Stavostrand would be one of them. I. Khider
"Clickno", "glitch-core" and other names that represent the Mille Plateaux/Force Inc. sound. Aside from Thomas Brinkmann and Kid 606, the others trying to make music out of clicks, ticks, cuts, snaps, and other bits of digital noise are lacking soul. Prasad Bidaye
2step
Occasionally shouting "Rewind Selectah" and speeding up the skittery beats doesn't necessarily make new-school R&B vocals any less irritating. Joshua Ostroff
The Constantines, perhaps the humblest band in Ontario, set the Toronto media on fire to the point where the hype surpassed discussion of the music, but damn, do they ever deserve every drop of ink. Michael Barclay
The financial woes of major record companies. Michael White
Yes, they can pump out the tunes but even the Beatles weren't as good as people said they were. Cam Lindsay
The promise of free Leafs tickets wouldn't have generated as long a line-up as the one stretching down Queen Street prior to a recent Strokes performance at the Horseshoe Tavern. Indeed, the band is solid and their new CD rocks, but neither entity can possibly live up to the second-coming-style billing. Chuck Molgat
There's no escaping the hype and if they don't save rock'n'roll they'll be lynched. Dan Cohen
Them NYC lackies shoulda gone to singin' and songwritin' school, not prep school. Jon Bartlett
Not completely without reason. Lorraine Carpenter
Well deserved hype (though they're careful to call it buzz'). Damn those guys can rock and remain so cool and disinterested at the same time. Marc Roy
How could it be anyone else? But for once, they are actually worth most of the fuss. Michael Edwards
By now, more has been written about the hype around this band than the actual music itself, which makes sense: once the layers of standard bandwagonesque hype-mongering are stripped back, there's not much there except a bunch of dull New Yorkers in nice leather jackets who seemingly haven't listened to anything since 1976. Rob Bolton
I do like them a lot regardless. Sean Palmerston
Other Big Hype:
The new Slayer. Lots of talk for a band that hasn't written a good album in ten years. Chris Gramlich
Anthrax: their name's everywhere! Eric Hill
Drum triggers. Having drums sound like keyboards is not a good idea. Take a step back and listen again, death metallers. If your kit sounds like the last Krisiun album, you're in deep trouble. Greg Pratt
Click-Dub/Glitch-no
Many click-dub and glitch-no recordings were released this year from both established and indie labels. Not all the material was impressive, rather the bulk of new recordings appeared more of a response to a trend rather than music that just happened to be in the click-dub/glitch vein. Some gems did shine through the clutter and dust of mediocrity, however, Stavostrand would be one of them. I. Khider
"Clickno", "glitch-core" and other names that represent the Mille Plateaux/Force Inc. sound. Aside from Thomas Brinkmann and Kid 606, the others trying to make music out of clicks, ticks, cuts, snaps, and other bits of digital noise are lacking soul. Prasad Bidaye
2step
Occasionally shouting "Rewind Selectah" and speeding up the skittery beats doesn't necessarily make new-school R&B vocals any less irritating. Joshua Ostroff
The Constantines, perhaps the humblest band in Ontario, set the Toronto media on fire to the point where the hype surpassed discussion of the music, but damn, do they ever deserve every drop of ink. Michael Barclay
The financial woes of major record companies. Michael White