thanks for the post Tom, I understand what you are saying. I just don't find his music that appealing, and frankly, I've heard enough of his other TV scores and film soundtracks to the point where I stand by what I wrote about his music. The string-heavy approach is leaden to me, as a listener, and while I have seen every episode of LOST and recognize that it's a unique element to the show, I grow tired of hearing the same themes repeated over and over every week, incessantly whenever something "emotional" is happening. In fact at times I find it comical to get those string "stabs" on cue whenever a major plot point is occurring.It's like those critics who think all John Williams can write is music for Star Wars and Indy, but they've never listened to Seven Years in Tibet or Angela's Ashes.
I don't hate Giacchino, but I do find what I dislike about his music to be similar to how I feel about a lot of other current composers...guys like Brian Tyler and so on. They have the technical "tools" but they don't have the inherent talent to write a piece of music on the level of any of the "old school" composers you mentioned before.
Like anything else, if you like his music, great. I don't. Just different strokes for different folks.