When Miley Cyrus released the much-anticipated Bangerz last week, I was initially struck by how positive the reviews were. Entertainment Weekly, The A.V. Club, and Rolling Stone all raved over the album, claiming that Miley had successfully transitioned from a child star to a legitimate pop music force. After weeks of every blogger in sight taking shots at Miley, a ton of people were suddenly jumping on her bandwagon. Then, Jeff Miers of The Buffalo News came and brought everything to a screeching halt.

To call his review of the album scathing would be drastic understatement. He rips the album several new ones, basically declaring it the most shallow mile of dogshit ever released into the atmosphere. If Miers is to be taken at his word, Bangerz makes Rebecca Black's "Friday" look like fucking Pet Sounds. At a time when many critics are taking the side of Team Miley, you might say Miers came in like a wrecking ball (sorry, I couldn't resist).

While there are several things about the album that Miers loathes, what he seems to despise most about this album is its disposability. There's nothing deep about this record, it's just a bunch of anonymous vapid dance tunes that anyone cold have recorded (note: I haven't heard the entire album so I can't speak to this). It was interesting to see a pop music critic take an artist task for being vacuous when it seems like people care about less and less these day. There's plenty of anonymous vapid music clogging up the airwaves, and most people seem to be pretty okay with it.

When thinking of this in terms of Miley's new album, the title Bangerz seems more revelatory than it might have intended to be. It is quite simply an album of club bangers. Songs that sound good on the dance floor, but often leave you cold when you listen to them on your headphones. The thing is, this describes a huge chunk of mainstream pop music in 2013. Think about it; how many times have you heard someone defend liking a crappy song by saying "yeah, but I can dance to it?" I think I have heard that argument dozens of times by now, and that's just from people defending "Tik Tok."

So, people like shallow music as long as they can dance to it. This, admittedly, is not a new phenomenon. But what's interesting is that we seem to be entering an era when music with no intelligent thought or message is preferred over music that actually tries to say something. Quite simply, we are beginning to resent sincerity. When an artist tries to say something meaningful, we are likely to say "fuck you for trying," and get back to our Katy Perry album.

In a way, this is somewhat understandable. When a musician is overly sincere, and their message doesn't connect with you, it's easy to be put-off by them (see: "Accidental Racist"). This is probably why I'm not big on Mumford & Sons. I can tell these guys desperately mean everything their saying, and their generic bluegrass/folk hybrid means the world to them, but it does nothing for me (okay, except for "White Blank Page" because it sounds like Elvis Costello circa Blood And Chocolate).

Still, even if they're not for me, I'm willing to at least appreciate their efforts. These days, I think we mock bands for trying too hard and praise those who don't try at all. I've heard "We Can't Stop" and "Wrecking Ball" numerous times, and I like them considerably more than Jeff Miers, but I still get where he's coming from. We're reaching a point where sincerity is mocked, and vapidity is praised, and it's a shame. I'd rather see an artist go for something deep and fail than try for nothing and succeed. Hopefully, in the coming months, artists will be a bit more willing to embarrass themselves with sincere, honest music, and we'll be a bit more willing to suffer them gladly when they fail.

Katy Perry's 2010 single "California Gurls" is one of my least favorite songs ever. Every second of it feels excruciating, from the dull, banal lyrics, to forced catchiness of the chorus. When it became the biggest song in the country for two solid months, I wondered what the hell all of us were thinking, and it took it is a surefire sign that society as I knew it was crumbling before my eyes.

Katy Perry's 2011 single "The One Got That Away" is one of my favorite pop songs of the last few years. Everything about that song just works for me, from the instantly memorable chorus, to the relatable lyrics about "making out to Radiohead." It just strike same as a rare gem amidst a lot crap (including most of Katy Perry's other songs), and when it made to #3 on the Billboard charts, it felt completely deserved.

It's kind of odd that two pop songs, by the same artist, both designed for the sole purpose of becoming radio hits could affect me is such completely opposite ways. After all, pop music is nothing more that a continuing attempt to grab listener's attention with a mindless-but-entertaining 3-minute song. Sure, there's plenty of artists who take it to a higher level (Michael Jackson, Prince, and Madonna all come to mind), but the majority of pure pop artists are all trying to do the same thing: entertain us with a tasty piece of bubblegum.

So, why do the results vary so much. How is it possible to succeed so triumphantly, and fail so miserably, especially in a genre that really isn't particularly ambitious? It's not really a question with a definitive answer; some pop songs work, and some don't. more importantly, plenty of songs work for some people and fail miserably for others. The goal is just to get as many people as possible to like it.

It's worth noting, mainstream pop might be the most polarizing genre in music. All music is subjective, but we tend reach a consensus on certain things. In rock, most critics would generally agree to a standard of "Radiohead good, Nickelback bad," while most hip-hop critics would probably agree to a principle of "Kanye good, Soulja Boy bad." But in pop music, that doesn't really happen. Taylor Swift is a genius to some, and hack to others. the same goes for Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Ke$ha, and everyone else. No one really agrees on much in the world of pop.

It mostly comes down what you're looking for. If memorable, catchphrase style lyrics work for you, a song like "Tik Tok" is right up your alley, because lines about feeling like P. Diddy. and brushing your teeth with Jack Daniels can't help but be memorable, even if they aren't particularly meaningful. Maybe you're searching for a memorable melody or hook, in that case, "You Belong With Me," or "Poker Face" fit that criteria.

Pop music will always be divisive, despite it's inherently inoffensive nature. It's the music that should unite the most that ends up driving the harshest wedge between us. As the only axiom goes "what might be right for you, might not be right for some." Except the Black Eyed Peas, they're just horrible.