Melody? (blues, instrumental, metal, pop, punk)

[WaspStar]

Here's a question: is the melodicism (is that a word?) of a given track an absolute value or is it somewhat subjective? Obviously you can't argue about the actual notes that are being played, but there seem to be differing opinions about what constitutes a "proper" melody (ever try to discuss rock and roll with your stereotypical classical music buff? Good luck).

Example: I've heard countless people talk about how melodic Pretty Vacant is. Huh? It sounds like your average tuneless punk song to me (not that I don't love it, but that's besides the point). On the other hand, a lot of critics dismiss Holidays In The Sun because it's not melodic enough. I think that's interesting because all of the people I've talked to about the Pistols seem to think that Holidays is actually more memorable and "melodic."

Another example; most blues songs. You'll hear people go on and on about how musically rich those songs are. To me it's just the same chords, rhythm, and three notes for every !@#$ blues song out there.

Thoughts?