according to the audio, everyone's heard this already and it's just me that's lagging behind the ROW, but this is just entertaining...

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4258547

my humblest of opinions? i'm really amused though mostly unmoved. i mean, i'm the kinda person who goes looking for things that remind me of things i already know i like anyways (of who i really am, for example, har har)... but it's kinda funny that the bassist's response was so cleverly the same words over and over. i say, fine, it's worked before... in that case why not just change things up anyway? why *wouldn't* you experiment with the undertones of your music? it's like being stuck in a bad relationship, or living in a box and NEVER LEAVING. like driving only one speed regardless of the thoroughfare. like wearing school uniforms after graduation. it's like being dorian gray.

yes?

i guess i do agree that following a band should feel like being on a journey (yeah, Journey!). each album should be a story with a running start and solid finish with pleasant surprises packed in. people get pissed when books and movies "have no plot." haphazardly assembled albums are the same deal, yes? and i get a good feeling listening to how a group has progressed over time. it's like watching your friends gain confidence, get new haircuts, and mature overall. i'd like to call it aging well. if they can experiment with sounds (that's music, duh) but still be themselves and still leave people totally impressed, well hell. it just feels healthier. when you set out from point A, you should end up at point B. if you're back at point A, ok, that's cool... but everyone else is now at point B. some people are at C. still others have formed two-dimensional colonies elsewhere but WE CAN'T SEE THEM.

don't really see a need to get adamant about this business, though... like that guy sounds sorta bitter. if people like it, then that's their music, nothing wrong with that. but i will say that i have more fun listening to other stuff in general, like most of the time.

that said, Elvis is the king of rock and roll. i mean it, and now i truly understand why. (if you're curious, ask, but it's actually a really boring story that takes like 32 seconds to tell).