Loquat - Harder Hit

i never understood the concept of compilations. and as much as possible i avoided buying them. i do have a few. but they are either very good or very genre-focused. or disguised as "original motion picture soundtracks". and even in the latter two cases they have to be very good. but besides those, why would i want to buy a dozen or now with CDs as the main medium two dozens songs by as many different bands of slightly less genres i don't know and are likely to range somewhere between "if i would be into that kinda music i'd hate this song" and "i like what they're trying to do". OK, label compilations are a different story. they are promotional items based on "if you like x you also might like y". but as i said, it's a promotional thing. and hopefully a free giveaway. but then it's just the "take" part of modern tapetrading. you get a some new music someone else likes and maybe you find something you like, too. the "tape" i got had some 100+ songs. and one stuck. well, there've been some songs that wouldn't i have already known them... but more than 100 songs is not a merry little rivulet of music. it is a wild stream. and to be the one song that sticks out is an achievement.
Loquat's "harder hit" is a rather simple song. not to say predictable. before the first chorus sets in you are able to hum along and even forecast the next line. the chorus itself is even simpler. then the next verse and chorus again. the simple formula.
unfortunately what appears to be a gift in the first song turns out to be a curse with the rest of them. all songs on their "secrets of the sea" album are build in the same simple pattern. and after a while, listening to the album becomes more and more boring. a little diversity and variety would have been marvelous. more than marvelous: convincing! i always have a hard time with albums like those. everytime i listen to one song, any song, i like it. but if i listen to a second or third i tend to skip to another record. i guess a good album is a compilation of a dozen different songs by just one band.

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