Mtv's: The Return of the Rock 2

The title of this second compilation begs all sorts of questions, such as what happened to the rock? Where did it go? When did it come back? And when did MTV start showing videos again? This compilation won't really answer these questions, but it does give an idea of the state of rock & roll circa 2000. Rock sort of vanished for awhile, while alternative, industrial, and hip-hop took the limelight. The rock bands that have emerged in the wake of several subcultures going mainstream more or less simultaneously have absorbed the strengths of those subcultures, turning the rock of 2000 into a very different beast from what existed in 1990. You can consequently put all kinds of things under the rock umbrella: Limp Bizkit, (hed) Planet Earth, and P.O.D., who all reference hip-hop; Marilyn Manson and Orgy, who borrow from industrial; and U.P.O. and Nickelback, who sound for all the world like they're trying to be Alice in Chains. Like its predecessor, this compilation includes bands both well-known and obscure who've absorbed genres that had small, select audiences a decade ago. If you can't beat 'em, co-opt 'em. --Genevieve Williams