When I read Jason Cherkis' review of the Singles soundtrack, my mind conjured up this image of a person devoid of an identity and prone to generalizations. He pretends not to appreciate good music that he terms "trendy" because he is one of those trendy people who think they are cool if they say they don't like things that are popular.

It's interesting to note that in the article preceding this review, Jason describes the friendly atmosphere at Sunday night's Shudder to Think show where ". . .clothes were no longer barriers." Yet, in his review of the Singles soundtrack, he promotes the stereotypical image of the "trendy" alternative fan and consequently, makes clothes a barrier.

Jason then proceeds to accuse featured bands Soundgarden and Alice in Chains of an inability ". . .to escape their own sound." I suppose that Chris Cornell's acoustic passage "Seasons" is no different than the droning grunge of his band, Soundgarden. (Then again, Jason probably didn't know that Chris Cornell is a member of Soundgarden.) Is Jason also trying to say that the voracious intensity of the Alice in Chains single "Would?" is the same as the all-acoustic folk sound featured in their latest EP Sap? Maybe Jason also didn't realize that the lyrics to Mudhoney's "Overblown" angrily criticize the same Seattle trends that he does. Wouldn't it be a contradiction to say that this makes the soundtrack "trendy?"

Though I agree with some of Jason's opinions (e.g. Smashing Pumpkins' "drown" is a highlight), I believe his ignorant generalizations and misinformed critiques to be suggestive of a mind that doesn't understand this scene, therefore, he should not pretend that he does.