Finnsd

overall I great day out though

sorry, didn't reliase 8/10 was considered a generic DiS score

that Feel it All Around sounds a lot like this Doves song?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6e-cbY7YP4

when it happens, in May. As for Loop, tis no more

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/4576415.Loop_Festival_goes_bust/?ref=rss

Given the scope of this project, it's perfectly right to use it sensibly.

And surely a dissection of the lack of lyrical depth is missing the point slightly?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP2xJJNLlH4

ridiculously good

Lost Highway is his new American label

They certainly present a nuanced view of popular acts like Coldplay, Oasis et al but they’re still given prominent coverage. They also give ‘quality’ pop music like Girls Aloud and Sugababes positive reception.
As far as critics go, their job is to evaluate quality, but they are perfectly able to qualify this by discussing its potential popularity. They are also, as journalists, representing the views of the readership (though it’s true the music press don’t make for an accurate representation of the population as a whole).
A good counter-example would be American hip-hop, which is often treated to popular and critical acclaim, yet comes from a working class base. With the exception of middle-class Kanye West and some ‘backpack’ hiphop, the likes of Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Outkast et al are working class artists achieving sales and acclaim, so long as their output can be considered ‘quality’.
(The UK is lagging behind with grime, which, after morphing from the underground into a highly chart-friendly product, now provokes a certain amount of snobbery.)