30 April, 2006

Same old

Last night, I saw a TV advert for some pop-rock band's second album.  I wasn't paying especial attention, so didn't catch the precise wording, but one quote from a music magazine could be paraphrased as "sounds like the hits you've known for years".

Isn't that something to very reluctantly admit, when pushed by a hostile critic, rather than a remark to use as a selling-point? Do people want music that sounds like the music they already know and own?

Of course they do, and it's one of my biggest criticisms of mass-market music. It's not even the fault of major labels or marketing campaigns; it seems people really do want safe, unchallenging music which offers comfort rather than anything approaching stimulation.