I like Devo, but whenever I read or watch an interview with Mark Mothersbaugh I really, really want to punch him in the face. I don't know why. Also, I want Morrissey in the balls.
I guess there's my litmus test: if I like their music and yet still want to punch them in the face, they are pretentious. Which doesn't make sense, so scratch that. But it SOUNDED concise.
Which a lovely, horrible thing about art is that neat little concise theories never work. Which is why the whole, "does more musical training equal better music" argument is pointless. The answer: we don't know. Most people will like music BEFORE evaluating the band's musical abilities.