In a popular musical climate where interchangeable boy bands and talent challenged teen-pop starlets maintain a death grip on the charts leaving rock desperately sprawling, one must learn to accept lowered expectations. At least, this is a theory for the critical praise heaped upon VAST, who will perform at the Newport Music Hall tonight. Their sophomore effort released earlier this year on Elektra Records, “Music for People,” is a decent listen, but nothing spectacular. The band, fronted by singer and primary creative force Jon Crosby, wears its influences on its sleeves. Depeche Mode, Echo and the Bunnymen, the Cure and U2, for example, are all evident throughout this record. None of these bands are bad groups to reference, but one could see where every song was going before it went there. The album’s highlights include “Free,” the first single and probably the heaviest song on “Music for People.” It’s a standard “yearning for something better in this abyss that I’m in” type of song, but all the musical elements blend together well. Like much of the rest of the album, it’s fine for background music, but nothing you can sink your teeth into. “My TV and You” would also make a good radio single and has a cool, – though fairly standard – drum line. “Land of Shame” is catchy and rocks a bit, with well-layered vocals. “Song Without a Name” stands out as well. “Blue” is probably the best-crafted song on the album. It subtly invades your listening sphere and builds in intensity, reaching a nice crescendo with the final chorus. The use of the orchestra is a natural addition that gives the music added beauty and power. Based on their influences, VAST blends techno, rock and pop elements. They also include the New Bombay Recording Orchestra on several tracks. To a cynical observer, it all comes off as a bit pretentious, especially when you listen to the lyrics. Even if there was some extraordinary music on this record, the words are just too cliché for a listener to take seriously. Most people probably don’t even listen to the lyrics, but it’s just as much a part of the song as any instrument. Here’s a sample from “I Don’t Have Anything”: “I can’t find anything/except a void inside/I don’t have anything/Because I don’t have you/I don’t have anything.” Trying to connect with heartbroken listeners is one thing, but those lyrics are almost insulting to the listener. Another from “The Last One Alive”: “You left me high and dry and it changed me/ You lied to me and now I’m angry.” A lot of abstractions keep me from feeling any emotional impact the music and words might have. One could argue that art may have lots of different interpretations, but one still needs to have distinct imagery in order to effectively communicate. “Music for People” fails in this regard. Not to completely cast a negative shadow on VAST; they’re obviously talented musicians who have created a good sounding record on a major label that doesn’t sound like everything else out there right now. That’s certainly refreshing and is missing in a lot of music these days. One hopes they continue to grow as musicians and songwriters, taking chances and adding some needed depth and content. Right now, VAST are simply sweets. They’re tasty, but all empty calories. Until they can cook a main course, there’s no reason to recommend their album, no matter how decent it might be. It’s not a bad listen, however, discover their influences before spending your dollars on “Music for People.”