I Hate Old Music, Too: How Familiarity and Overuse Killed Our Favorite Music

Muisc critic Thompson (I Hate New Music) issues a jaded screed against “the grotesque recycling plant” of 21st-century rock for “constantly droning on about its past, to the expense of anyone who tries to put that behind them.” Covering ample ground, Thompson critiques the practice of repackaging vintage rock albums; arbitrary rankings mired in nostalgia (Rolling Stone’s 2012 “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” features only 70 albums from the last quarter century, he notes); and money-grabbing, halfhearted “comebacks and reunions, most of which involve half (or less) of the best-known members” of the band. While there’s merit to the message that readers should expand their musical horizons instead of retreading the same ground, it’s undercut by the author’s self-conscious snark, which is less clever and amusing than he seems to think. For example, in a particularly self-involved chapter that takes the form of an online forum where participants critique this book, one user opines that Thompson made up “half the bands he writes about,” to which the author replies with a 14-page “Index of Wholly Imaginary Artists.” Even those who agree with some of Thompson’s more salient points will be turned off. (Feb.)