If you like music...

In the last few years, Fosco has felt lost when it comes to new music. He just doesn't have a good source for music recommendations anymore (although some of his friends are frequently helpful). And so he was excited to see this SF Chronicle story:


On the face of it, this seems to be exactly what Fosco needs: a guide to the "hot artists of '08"! Even better, the article is organized with a "If you like X, then you'll like Y" format. That sounds helpful.

Turns out: it's not. Not helpful at all.

All you need to know about the lameness of this article can be summarized in the following excerpt:

If you like U2 'Achtung Baby' [...]
then try Coldplay 'Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends.'

If you like U2, try Coldplay? Oh, ok. Thanks. Never would have thought of that. This "Coldplay" sounds like a pretty obscure band. Any other advice for people who've been living on the moon for the past ten years?

That's like saying:
If you like Madonna then try Britney Spears.
If you like the Beatles then try Paul McCartney.
If you like Bob Dylan then try Bruce Springsteen.
If you like Michael Jackson then try Janet Jackson.

Idiot.