"More Is Less"

"It remains debatable whether there is a right or wrong, healthy or unhealthy way to listen to music. Being an omnivore doesn't even guarantee increased enjoyment. There are people who derive endless delight listening to just one kind of music, or even a single artist, as Mr. Ratliff acknowledges in a section about people he has encountered who have all-consuming obsessions for Frank Zappa or the Grateful Dead's live recordings. Conversely, one of the downsides of the age of plenty is that the more widely you listen outside your well-worn grooves, the more frequently you'll experience disappointment, distaste or just indifference."

Simon Reynolds in The New York Times reviews Ben Ratliff's Every Song Ever.