I liked them too, when they first came out, whenever that was...I liked a few songs, had a unique sound, dont hear much about them anymore, oh well maybe its for the best.
I'm not so keen on it myself. I wouldn't go as far as saying I hate it though, just that it doesn't really grip me so much as a bunch of other genres I could think of.
He's written songs from almost every genre, he's clearly one of the top5 lyricists ever, and is a musical genius. He's an excellent acoustic guitarist as well.