Word abuse: set the tone

Set the tone. Let's file this loopy language loser with the Department of Redundancy. Riddle me this: When does the first track on a CD not "set the tone" for the rest of the album? I mean, unless it's a compilation of different artists, of course the first song will "set the tone" and sound like the fifth track, and the eighth, and the ninth and the closer. The same band wrote and played all of the songs. Domestic violence: "The first track on Brenda Xu's new EP, 'Count To Ten' not only sets an interesting tone for the disc but also ..." "In the opening tracks, 'April Loved John' sets the tone with simple rootsy melodies while 'Fiasco,' a toe-tapping ..." "Album opener 'Bells And Whistles' sets the tone for the whole album" "The first track on the album, 'Angry,' is a solid one, and helps set the tone and tie the rest of the nine songs together." "Whoever made the choice to use this as the opening song on the album made an excellent decision, cause not only does it set the tone for the album but it ..." No shite, Sherlocke. Then again, maybe it's just a kind way to suggest that a band follows a formula.