While looking over this years list what strikes me most is that while
I enjoyed them all, most of these bands have produced better works, so
is it cognitive bias or do bands really get worse over time? There are
of course exceptions to every rule, but on the whole I think the
evidence is against most bands. Perhaps a better way of putting it is
that bands get less and less original over time, drawing more on
influences from heroes as well as peers, this in turn makes them less
interesting and hence “worse”. I’m not sure how bands would get around
this, not listening to other music to avoid tainting is obviously not
an answer.
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