Reply #3: I think it's the same thing as happened with Nirvana....... [View All]

....Only with much less success.

The fact is that Nirvana's music was really no great shakes, especially when you consider all the stuff that had existed for years in the underground/indie/punk/alternative scene. But when you put one of Nirvana's songs on the radio up against all the ridiculous hair metal and such that permeated the airwaves, it sounded positively revolutionary (which it most definitely was not).

Same thing with the Strokes. Unto themselves and compared to about 8 million bands that came before they aren't doing anything of note. But put their songs up against all the rap metal crap and angst rock that dominated the past couple of years and it sounds much better than it actually is.

In both instances the boldest thing about either bands sucess is more that some record exec pulled his head out of his keister long enough to sign a band that was not playing your typical mainstream style of popular music.