Bass, How Low Can You Go?

From The Guardian:

From Keane to Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Queens of the Stone Age side-project Eagles of Death Metal to the revered fem-rock trio Sleater-Kinney, rock is being, if you will, de-bassed. ... Meanwhile, most of those who operate in music's lower registers are hardly making the most of their time. The finger-stretching that once characterised the best bass-playing has all but disappeared: these days, rock's remaining bassists tend to find out what chords the guitarist is playing, memorise what are known as the "root notes" and thrum along. . . .

Here's the article.